was holding a Cup at his Mouth, he fell into Convul-, fions; and at this very Time I hear my dear Mafter's laft Groan. I was quickly turned out of the Room, and left to fob and beat my Head against the Wall at my Leifure. The Grief I was in was inexpremidie and every Body thought it would have coft me my Life. In a few Days my old Lady, who was one of the Housewives of the World, thought of turning me out of Doors, because I put her in mind of her Son. • Sir Stephen propofed putting me to Prentice, but my Lady being an excellent Manager, would not let her Husband throw away his Money in Acts of Charity. I had Senfe enough to be under the utmost Indignati⚫on, to fee her difcard, with fo little Concern, one her Son had loved fo much; and went out of the House to ramble where-ever my Feet would carry me. *

6

THE third Day after I left Sir Stephen's Family, I was ftrolling up and down the Walks in the Temple. A young Gentleman of the Houfe, who (as I heard him fay afterwards) feeing me half-ftarved and well dreffed, thought me an Equipage ready to his Hand, after very little Enquiry more than Did I want a Ma5fter? bid me follow him: I did fo, and in a very little while thought my felf the happieft Creature in this World. My Time was taken up in carrying Letters > to Wenches, or Meffages to young Ladies of my Ma- · • fter's Acquaintance. We rambled from Tavern to Tavern, to the Play-houfe, the Mulberry-Garden, and all · Places of Refort; where my Mafter engaged every Night in fome new Amour, in which and Drinking he spent all his Time when he had Money. During thefe Extravagancies I had the Pleasure of lying on the Stairs of a Tavern half a Night, playing at Dice ⚫ with other Servants, and the like Idleneffes. When my Mafter was Monylefs, I was generally employed in ⚫ tranfcribing amorous Pieces of Poetry, old Songs, and 'new Lampoons. This Life held till my Mafter married, and he had then the Prudence to turn me off, because I was in the Secret of his Intreagues.

I was utterly at a Lofs what Course to take next; when at laft I applied my felf to a Fellow-fufferer, one of his Mißtreffes, a Woman of the Town. She hap

D5

pening

6

pening at that Time to be pretty full of Money, cloathed me from Head to Foot; and knowing me to be a fharp Fellow, employed me accordingly. Sometimes I was to go abroad with her, and when the had pitched upon a young Fellow fhe thought for her Turn, I was to be dropped as one nie could not truft, She would often cheapen Goods at the New Exchange; and when he had a Mind to be attacked, fhe would fend me away on an Errand. When an humble Servant and the were beginning a Parley, I came immediately, and told her Sir John was come home; then fhe would order another Coach to prevent being dogged. The "Lover makes Signs to me as I get behind the Coach, I fhake my Head it was impoffible: I leave my Lady at the next Turning, and follow the, Cully to know how to fall in his Way on another Occafion Befides good Offices of this Nature, I writ all my Mistress's Love-letters; fome from a Lady that faw fuch a Gentleman at fuch a Place in fuch a coloured Coat, ⚫ fome fhewing the Terrour fhe was in of a jealous old • Husband, others explainining that the Severity of her Parents was fuch (tho' her Fortune was fettled) that fhe was willing to run away with fuch a one, tho' fhe knew he was but a younger Brother. In a Word, my • Half-Education and Love of idle Books, made me outwrite all that made Love to her by way of Epiftle; and as fhe was extremely cunning, fhe did well enough in Company by a skilful Affectation of the greatest Modefty. In the Midft of all this, I was furprized. with a Letter from her and a Ten Pound Note.

6

Honest Tom,

OU will never fee me more. I am married to you "a very cunning Country-Gentleman, who might poffibly guess fomething if I kept you still; therefore fatewel.

WHEN this Place was loft alfo in Marriage, I was refolved to go among quite another People for the future; and got in Butler to one of thofe Families where there is a Coach kept, three or four Servants, a clean Houfe, and a good general Outfide upon a finall E

ftate,

་

ftate. Here I lived very comfortably for fome Time ← till I unfortunately found my Mafter, the very graveft Man alive, in the Garret with the Chambermaid. I knew the World too well to think of ftaying there; and the next Day pretended to have received a Letter out of the Country that my Father was dying, and got my Difcharge with a Bounty for my Difcretion.

THE next I lived with was a peevish fingle Man, whom I ftayed with for a Year and a Half. Moft Part of the Time I paffed very eafily; for when I began to know him, I minded no more than he meant what he faid; fo that one Day in good Humour he faid, • I was the best Man he ever had, by my want of Respect to him.

་

THESE, Sir, are the chief Occurrences of my Life; and I will not dwell upon very many other Places I have been in, where I have been the strangest Fellow in the World, where no Body in the World had fuch Servants as they, where fure they were the • unluckieft People in the World in Servants, and fo forth. All I mean by this Representation, is, To fhew you that we poor Servants are not (what you called us too ⚫ generally) all Rogues; but that we are what we are, according to the Example of our Superiours. In the Family I am now in, I am guilty of no one Sin but Lying; which I do with a grave Face in my Gown and Staff every Day I live, and almost all Day long, in denying my Lord to impertinent Suitors, and my Lady to unwelcome Vifitants. But, Sir, I am to let you know, that I am, when I can get abroad, a Leader of the Servants: I am he that keeps Time with beating 'my Cudgel against the Boards in the Gallery at an Opera ; I am he that am touched fo properly at a Tragedy, when the People of Quality are staring at one another during the moft Important Incidents: When you hear in a Crowd a Cry in the right Place, an Humm where the Point is touched in a Speech, or an Huffa fet where it is the Voice of the People: you may ⚫ conclude it is begun, or joined by,

up

SIR,

Your more than humble Servant,

Thomas Trufty.

T

Thursday,

MONG the loofe Papers which I have frequently fpoken of heretofore, I find a Converfation between Pharamond and Eucrate upon the Subject of Duels, and the Copy of an Edict iffued in Confequence of that Difcourfe,

EUCRATE argued, That nothing but the most fevere and vindictive Punishments, fuch as placing the Bodies of the Offenders in Chains, and putting them to Death by the most exquifite Torments, would be fufficient to extirpate a Crime which had fo long prevailed and was fo firmly fixed in the Opinion of the World as great and laudable; but the King anfwered, That indeed Inftances of Ignominy were neceffary in the Cure of this Evil; but confidering that it prevailed only among fuch as had a Nicety in their Sense of Honour, and that it often happened that a Duel was fought to fave Appearances to the World, when both Patties were in their Hearts in Amity and Reconciliation to each other; it was evident, that turning the Mode another way would effectually put a Stop to what had Being only as a Mode. That to fuch Perfons, Poverty and Shame" were Torments fufficient; That he would not go further in punishing in others Crimes which he was fatisfied he himself was moft guilty of, in that he might have prevented them by fpeaking his Difpleafure fooner. Befides which the King faid, he was in general averfe to Tortures, which was putting human Nature it felf, rather than the Criminal, to Difgrace; and that he would be fure not to use this Means where the Crime was but an ill Effect arifing from a laudable Caufe, the Fear of Shame. The King, at the fame time, spoke with much Grace upon the Subject of Mercy; and repented of many Acts of that kind which had a magnificent Afpect in the doing, but dreadful Confequences in the Example. Mercy to Particulars, he obfer

ved, was Cruelty in the General: That though a Prince could not revive a dead Man by taking the Life of him who killed him, neither could he make Reparation to the next that fhould die by the evil Example; or anfwer to himself for the Partiality, in not pardoning the next as well as the former Offender, As for me, fays Pharamond, I have conquered France, and yet have ' given Laws to my People: The Laws are my Methods of Life; they are not a Diminution but a Direction to my Power. Iam ftill abfolute to diftinguish the Innocent and the Virtuous, to give Honours to the Brave and Generous: I am abfolute in my Good-will; none can oppofe my Bounty, or prefcribe Rules for my Fa-vour. While I can, as I please, reward the Good, I am under no Pain that I cannot pardon the Wicked: For which Reason, continued Pharamond, I will effectually put a Stop to this Evil, by expofing no more the Tenderness of my Nature to the Importunity of having the fame Refpect to those who are miferable by their Fault, and those who are fo by their Misfortune. Flat• terers, (concluded the King smiling) repeat to us Princes, that we are Heaven's Vicegerents; let us be fo, and let the only thing out of our Power be to do ill.. SOON after the Evening wherein Pharamond and Eucrate had this Converfation, the following Edict was published.

Pharamond's Edict against Duels.

Pharamond, King of the Gauls, to all his loving Subjects fendeth Greeting.

Wand Obfervation, that in Contempt of all HEREAS it has come to our Royal Notice

Laws, Divine and Human, it is of late become a Cu• ftom among the Nobility and Gentry of this our Kingdom, upon flight and trivial, as well as great and urgent Provocations, to invite each other into the Field, there by their own Hands, and of their own Authority, to decide their Controverfies by Combat; We have thought fit to take the faid Custom into our Royal • Confideration, and find, upon Enquiry into the ufual Caufes whereon fuch fatal Decifions have arifen, that

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