the poft, and written, as I fince underftand, by Mr. Twifden, who died at the battle of Mons, and has a monument in Westminster-abbey, fuitable to the refpect which is due to his wit and his valour. There are through the course of the work very many incidents which were written by unknown correfpondents. Of this kind is the tale in the fecond Tatler, and the epiftle from Mr. Downes the prompter, with others which were very well received by the public. But I have only one Gentleman, who will be nameJefs, to thank for any frequent affiftance to me, which indeed it would have been barbarous in him to have denied to one with whom he has lived in an intimacy from childhood, confidering the great eafe with which he is able to dispatch the most entertaining pieces of this nature. This good office he performed with fuch force of genius, humour, wit and learning, that I fared like a diftreffed Prince, who calls in a powerful neighbour to his aid; I was undone by my auxiliary; when I had once called him in, I could not fubfift without dependance on him, The fame hand writ the diftinguishing characters of men and women under the names of Mufical Inflruments, the Distress of the News-writers, the Inverstory of the Play-boufe, and the Defcription of the Thermometer, which I cannot but look upon as the greateft -embellishments of this work. Thus far I thought neceffary to fay relating to the great hands which have been concerned in these VoJumes, with relation to the spirit and genius of the work; and am far from pretending to modefty in making this acknowledgment. What a man obtains from the good opinion and friendship of worthy men, is a much greater honour than he can poffibly reap. from any accomplishments of his own. But all the eredit of wit which was given by the Gentlemen, above-mentioned, with whom I have now accoupted, has has not been able to atone for the exceptions made against me for fome raillery in behalf of that learned advocate for the epifcopacy of the church, and the liberty of the people, Mr. Hoadley. I mentioned this only to defend myself against the imputation of being moved rather by party than opinion; and I think it is apparent, I have with the utmost franknefs allowed merit where-ever I found it, though joined in interefts different from thofe for which I have declared myself. When my Favonius is acknowledged to be Doctor Smalridge, and the amiable character of the Dean in the fixty-fixth Tatler, drawn for Doctor Atterbury; I hope I need fay no more as to my impartiality. I really have acted in these cases with honefty, and am concerned it fhould be thought otherwife: For wit, if a man had it, unless it be directed to fomeufeful end, is but a wanton frivolous quality; all that one should value himself upon in this kind is, that he had fome honourable intention in it. As for this point, never hero in romance was carried away with a more furious ambition to conquer giants and tyrants, than I have been in extirpating gamefters and duellifts. And indeed, like one of thofe Knights too, though I was calm before, I am apt to fly out again, when the thing that first disturbed me, is prefented to my imagination. I fhall therefore leave off when I am well, and fight with windmills no more: Only fhall be fo arrogant as to fay of myfelf, that in spite of all the force of fashion and prejudice, in the face of all the world, I alone bewailed the condition of an English Gentleman, whose fortune and life are at this day precarious; while his eftate is liable to the demands of gamefters, through a falfe fenfe of juftice; and to the demands of duelJifts, through a falfe fenfe of honour, As to the first of thefe orders of men, I have not one word more to fay fay of them: As to the latter, I fhall conclude all I have more to offer against them, with respect to their being prompted by the fear of fhame, by applying to the Duellift what I think Doctor South fays fomewhere of the Liar, "He is a Coward to man, and "a Bravo to God." THE N° 190. Tuesday, June 27, 1710. Timeo danaos ☎ dona ferentes.” VIRG. Æn. lib. z. ver. 48 I fear the Grecians when they prefents bring. T Sheer-lane, Juné z6. HERE are fome occafions in life, wherein re gard to a man's felf is the most pitiful and contemptible of all paffions; and fuch a time certainly is, when the true public fpirit of a nation is run into a faction against their friends and benefactors. I have hinted heretofore fome things which discover the real forrow I am in at the observation, that it is now very much fo in Great-Britain, and have had the honour to be pelted with feveral Epiftles to expoftulate with me on that fubject. Among others, one from a person of the number of those they call Quakers, who seems to admonish me out of pure zeal and good-will. But as there is no character fo unjust as that of talking in party upon all occafions, without respect to merit or worth on the contrary fide; so there is no part we can act fo julifable as to fpeak our mind when we fee things urged to extremity, against all that is praife-worthy or valuable in life, upon general and groundlefs fuggeftions. But VOL. IV. B if if I have talked too frankly upon fuch reflections, my correfpondent has laid before me, after his way, the error of it in a manner that makes me indeed thankful for his kindness, but the more inclinable to repeat the imprudence from the neceffity of the circumstance. Friend Is AAC, F The 23d of the 6th month, which is the month June. is Orafmuch as I love thee, I cannot any longer re- 26 46 flicted, or add forrow unto the heavy of heart? Truly "this gall proceedeth not from the fpirit of meekness. "I tell thee moreover, the people of this land be marvellously given to change; infomuch that it may likely come to pafs, that before thou art many years nearer to thy diffolution, thou mayeft behold him fitting on "a high place whom thou now laugheft to fcorn: And "then how wilt thou be glad to humble thyself to the ground, and lick the duft of his feet, that thou mayefti find favour in his fight? If thou didst meditate as much upon the word, asithonidoft upon the profane fcribblings of the wife ones of this generation, thou "wouldst have remembered what happened unto Shi"mei, the font of Gera the Benjamite, who cursed the good man David in his distress. David pardoned his it tranfgreffion, yet was he afterwards taken as in a snares by the words of his own mouthy and fell by the fword '! "of Salomon the chief Ruler. Furthermore, I do not "remember to have heard in the days of my youth and vanity, when, like thine, my converfation was with "the gentiles, that the men of Rome, which is Babylon, "ever fued unto the men of Carthage, for tranquillity, 68 as |