N® 84. Wednesday, June 6. Quis talia fando Myrmidonum Dolopumve aut duri miles Ulyffei L Virg. OOKING over the old Manufcript wherein theprivate Actions of Pharamond are fet down by Way of Table-Book, I found many Things which gave me great Delight; and as human Life turns upon the fame Principles and Paffions in all Ages, I thought it very proper to take Minutes of what paffed in that Age, for the Inftruction of this. The Antiquary who lent me thefe Papers, gave me a Character of Eucrate, the Favourite of Pharamond, extracted from an Author who liv'd in that Court. The Account he gives both of the Prince and this his faithful Friend, will not be improper to infert here, because I may have Occafion to mention many of their Converfations, into which thefe Memorials of them may give Light. PHARAMOND, when he had a Mind to retire for an Hour or two from the Hurry of Bufinefs and Fatigue of Ceremony, made a Signal to Eucrate, by putting his Hand to his Face, placing his Arm negligently on a Window, or fome fuch Action as appeared indifferent to all the Reft of the Company. Upon fuch Notice, unobserved by others, (for their entire Intimacy was always a Secret) Eucrate repaired to his own Apartment to receive the King. There was a fecret Access to this Part of the Court, at which Eucrate used to ad-mit many whofe mean Appearance in the Eyes of the ordinary Waiters and Door-keepers made them be reI pulfed from other Parts of the Palace.. Such as these were let in here by Order of Eucrate, and had Audi⚫ences of Pharamond. This Entrance Pharamond called, The Gate of the Unhappy, and the Tears of the Afflicted who came before him, he would fay were Bribes re < ceived! ceived by Eucrate; for Eucrate had the most compaffionate Spirit of all Men living, except his generous • Mafter, who was always kindled at the least Affliction which was communicated to him. In the Regard for the Miferable, Eucrate took particular Care, that the • common Forms of Diftrefs, and the idle Pretenders to • Sorrow, about Courts, who wanted only Supplies to Luxury, fhould never obtain Favour by his Means: But the Diftreffes which arife from the many inexplicable "Occurrences that happen among Men, the unaccountable Alienation of Parents from their Children, Cruelty ⚫ of Husbands to Wives, Poverty occafioned from Shipwreck or Fire, the falling out of Friends, or fuch other terrible Difafters to which the Life of Man is expofed; In Cafes of this Nature, Eucrate was the Patron; and enjoyed this Part of the royal Favour fo much without being envied, that it was never enquired into by whofe Means, what no one else cared for doing, was brought about. ONE Evening when Pharamond came into the Apartment of Eucrate, he found him extremely dejected; upon which he asked (with a Smile which was • natural to him) "What, is there any one too miferable "to be relieved by Pharamond, that Eucrate is melancho« ly? I fear there is, anfwered the Favourite; a Perfon "without, of a good Air, well Dreffed, and tho' a Man in the Strength of his Life, feems to faint under fome "inconfolable Calamity: All his Features feem fuffufed "with Ageny of Mind; but I can obferve in him, that "it is more inclined to break away in Tears than Rage. "I asked him what he would have; he faid he would fpeak to Pharamond. I defired his Bufinefs; he could "hardly fay to me, Eucrate, carry me to the King, my "Story is not to be told twice, I fear I fhall not be able to speak it at all. Pharamond commanded Eucrate to let him enter; he did fo, and the Gentleman approached -the King with an Air which spoke him under the greatest Concern in what Manner to demean himfelf. The King, who had a quick Difcerning, relieved him from the Oppreffion he was under; and with the most beautiful Complacency faid to him, "Sir, do not add ⚫ to that. Load of Sorrow I fee in your Countenances "the 66 હૃદ "the Awe of my Prefence: Think you are speaking to your Friend; if the Circumftances of your Diftrefs "will admit of it, you shall find me fo. To whom the Stranger: "Oh excellent Pharamond, name not a "Friend to the unfortunate Spinamont: I had one, but "he is dead by my own Hand; but, oh Pharamond, "tho' it was by the Hand of Spinamont, it was by the "Guilt of Pharamond. I come not, oh excellent Prince, "to implore your Pardon; I come to relate my Sorrow, a Sorrow too great for human Life to fupport: From henceforth fhall all Occurrences appear Dreams or "fhort Intervals of Amusement, from this one Afflicti"on which has feiz'd my very Being: Pardon me, oh «Pharamond, if my Griefs give me Leave, that I lay "before you, in the Anguish of a wounded Mind, that you, good as you are, are guilty of the generous Blood fpilt this Day by this unhappy Hand: Oh that it had "perifhed before that Inftant! Here the Stranger paufed, ⚫ and recollecting his Mind, after fome little Meditation, he went on in a calmer Tone and Gesture ass follows... 64 "THERE is an Authority due to Distress, and as"none of humane Race is above the Reach of Sorrow, "none fhould be above the Hearing the Voice of it; I 66 am fure Pharamond is not. Know then, that I have "this Morning unfortunately killed, in a Duel, the Man "whom of all Men living I moft loved. I command 66 my felf too much in your royal Prefence, to fay Pha "ramond, give me my Friend! Pharamond has taken "him from me! I will not fay, fhall the merciful Pha"ramond deftroy his own Subjects? Will the Father "of his Country murder his People? But, the merci"ful Pharamond does destroy his Subjects, the Father of "his Country does murder his People. Fortune is fo "much the Purfuit of Mankind, that all Glory and Ho"nour is in the Power of a Prince, because he has the "Diftribution of their Fortunes. It is therefore the "Inadvertency, Negligence, or Guilt of Princes, to let any Thing grow into Cuftom which is against their "Laws, A Court can make Fafhion and Duty walk together; it can never, without the Guilt of a Court, "happen, that it fhall not be unfafhionable to do what " is unlawful. But alas! in the Dominions of Phura"mond, by the Force of a Tyrant Cuftom, which is "mif-named a Point of Honour; the Duellift kills his "Friend whom he loves; and the Judge condemns the "Duellift, while he approves his Behaviour. Shame is "the greatest of all Evils; what avail Laws, when "Death only attends the Breach of them, and Shame "Obedience to them? As for me, oh Pharamond, were "it poffible to defcribe the nameless Kinds of Compun"&tions and Tenderneffes I feel, when I reflect upon "the little Accidents in our former Familiarity, my "Mind fwells into Sorrow which cannot be refifted enough to be filent in the Prefence of Pharamond. With that he fell into a Flood of Tears, and wept ⚫ aloud. "Why fhould not Pharamond hear the Anguish "he only can, relieve others from in Time to come? "Let him hear from me, what they feel who have given "Death by the falfe Mercy of his Adminiftration, and "form to himself the Vengeance called for by thofe who "have perished by his Negligence. N° 85. Thursday, June 7, Interdum fpeciofa locis, morataque recte R T is the Cuftom of the Mahometans, if they fee any printed or written Paper upon the Ground, to take it up and lay it afide carefully, as not knowing but it may contain fome Piece of their Alcoran. I must confefs I have fo much of the Muffulman in me, that I cannot forbear looking into every printed Paper which comes in my Way, under whatfoever defpicable Circumftances it may appear: For as no mortal Author, in the ordinary Fate and Viciffitude of Things, knows to what Ufe his Works may, fome Time or other, be applied, a ́ Man may often meet with very celebrated Names in a Paper Paper of Tobacco. I have lighted my Pipe more than once with the Writings of a Prelate; and know a Freind of mine, who, for these feveral Years, has converted the Effays of a Man of Quality into a kind of Fringe for his Candlesticks. I remember in particular, after having read over a Poem of an eminent Author on a Victory, I met with feveral Fragments of it upon the next Rejoycing Day, which had been employed in Squibs and Crackers, and by that Means celebrated its Subject in a double Capacity. I once met with a Page of Mr. Baxter under a Christmas Pye. Whether or no the Paftry-Cook had made ufe of it through Chance or Waggery, for the Defence of that fuperftitious Viande, I know not; but upon the Perufal of it, I conceived fo good an Idea of the Author's Piety, that I bought the whole Book. I have often profited by these accidental Readings, and have fometimes found very curious Pieces, that are either out of Print, or not to be met with in the Shops of our London Bookfellers. For this Reason, when my Friends take a Survey of my Library, they are very much furprized to find, upon the Shelf of Folios, two long Band-boxes ftanding upright among my Books, till I let them fee that they are both of them lined with deep Erudition and abftrufe Literature. I might likewife mention a Paper Kite, from which I have received great Improvement; and a Hat-Cafe, which I would not exchange for all the Beavers in Great-Britain. This my inquifitive Temper, or rather impertinent Humour of prying into all Sorts of Writing, with my natural Avertion to Loquacity, give me a good deal of Employment when I enter any House in the Country; for I cannor for my Heart leave a Room, before I have thoroughly ftudied the Walls of it, and examined the feveral printed Papers which are ufually pafted upon them. The laft Piece that I met with upon this Occasion, gave me a moft exquifite Pleafure. My Reader will think I am not ferious, when I acquaint him that the Piece I am going to speak of was the od Ballad of the Two Children in the Woo, which is one of the darling Songs of the common People, and has been the Delight of most Englishmen in fome Part of their Age, |