firous to learn the Thoughts of our most eminent Politicians on that Occasion.

THATI might begin as near the Fountain-Head as poffible, I first of all called in at St. James's, where I found the whole outward Room in a Buzz of Politics.. The Speculations were but very indifferent towards the Door, but grew finer as you advanced to the upper end of the Room, and were fo very much improved by a Knot of Theorists, who fat in the inner Room, within the Steams of the Coffee-Pot, that I there heard the whole Spanish Monarchy difpofed of, and all the Line of Bourbon provided for in less than a Quarter of an

Hour.

I afterwards called in at Giles's, where I faw a Board of French Gentlemen fitting upon the Life and Death of their Grand Monarque. Thofe among them who had efpoufed the Whigg Intereft, very pofitively affirmed, that he departed this Life about a Week fince, and therefore proceeded without any further delay to the Release of their Friends on the Gallies, and to their own Re-establishment; but finding they could not agree among themselves, I proceeded on my intended Progrefs.

UPON my Arrival at Jenny Man's, I faw an alerte young Fellow that cocked his Hat upon a Friend of his who entered juft at the fame time with my felf, and accofted him after the following Manner. Well Jack, the old Prig is dead at laft. Sharp's the Word. Now or never, Boy. Up to the Walls of Faris directly. With feveral other deep Reflections of the fame Nature.

I met with very little Variation in the Politics between Charing-Cross and Covent-Garden. And upon my going into Will's I found their Difcourfe was gone off from the Death of the French King to that of Monfieur Boileau, Racine, Corneille, and feveral other Poets, whom they regretted on this Occafion, as Perfons who would bave obliged the World with very noble Elegies on the Death of fo great a Prince, and fo eminent a Patron of Learning.

AT a Coffee-house near the Temple, I found a couple of young Gentlemen engaged very fmartly in a Difpute en the Succeffion to the Spanish Monarchy. One of them

4

feemed

feemed to have been retained as Advocate for the Duke of Anjou, the other for his Imperial Majefty. They were both for regulating the Title to that Kingdom by the Statute Laws of England; but finding them going out of my Depth I paffed forward to Paul's Church-Yard, where I liften'd with great Attention to a learned Man, who gave the Company an Account of the deplorable State of France during the Minority of the deceafed King.

I then turned on my right Hand into Fish-ftreet, where the chief Politician of that Quarter, upon hearing the News, (after having taken a Pipe of Tobacco, and rumi nated for fome time) If, fays he, the King of France is certainly dead we fhall have Plenty of Mackerell this Seafon; our Fishery will not be disturbed by Privateers, as it has been for these ten Years paft. He afterwards confidered how the Death of this great Man would affect our Pilchards, and by feveral other Remarks infused a general Joy into his whole Audience.

Í afterwards entered a By Coffee-house that stood at the upper end of a narrow Lane, where I met with a Nonjuror, engaged very warmly with a Laceman who was the great Support of a neighbouring Conventicle. The Matter in Debate was, whether the late French King was most like Auguftus Cafar, or Nero. The Controverfie was carried on with great Heat on both Sides, and as each of them looked upon me very frequently during the Course of their Debate, I was under fome Apprehenfion that they would appeal to me, and therefore laid down my Penny at the Bar, and made the beft of my way to Cheapfide.

I here gazed upon the Signs for fome time before I found one to my Purpose. The firft Object I met in the Coffee-room was a Perfon who expreffed a great Grief for the Death of the French King; but upon his explaining himself, I found his Sorrow did not arife from the Lofs of the Monarch, but for his having fold out of the Bank about three Days before he heard the News of it: Upon which a Haberdasher, who was the Oracle of the Coffee-house, and had his Circle of Admirers about him, called feveral to witness that he had declared his Opinion above a Week before, that the French King was certainly dead; to which he added, that confidering the late

Advices we had received from France, it was impoffible that it could be otherwife. As he was laying these together, and dictating to his Hearers with great Authority, there came in a Gentleman from Garaway's, who told us that there were feveral Letters from France just come in, with Advice that the King was in good Health, and was gone out a Hunting the very Morning the Poft came away: Upon which the Haberdasher ftole off his Hat that. hung upon a wooden Pegg by him, and retired to his Shop with great Confufion. This Intelligence put a Stop to my Travels, which I had profecuted with much Satisfaction; not being a little pleased to hear fo many dif. ferent Opinions upon fo great an Event, and to obferve how naturally upon fuch a Piece of News every one is apt to confider it with a Regard to his own particular Intereft and Advantage.

L

N

ATURE does nothing in vain: the Creator of the Univerfe has appointed every thing to a certain Ufe and Purpofe, and determin'd it to a fettled Courfe and Sphere of Action, from which, if it in the leaft deviates, it becomes unfit to answer thofe Ends for which it was designed. In like manner it is in the Dif pofitions of Society, the civil Oeconomy is formed in a Chain as well as the natural; and in either Cafe the Breach but of one Link puts the Whole in fome Disorder. It is, I think, pretty plain, that moft of the Abfurdity and Ridicule we meet with in the World, is generally owing to the impertinent Affectation of excelling in Characters Men are not fit for, and for which Nature never defigned them.

EVERY Man has one or more Qualities which may make him useful both to himself and others: Nature ne

ver fails of pointing them out, and while the Infant continues under her Guardian fhip, fhe brings him on in his Way; and then offers her self for a Guide in what remains of the Journey; if he proceeds in that Courfe, he can hardly mifcarry: Nature makes good her Engagements; for as the never promifes what fhe is not able to perform, fo fhe never fails of performing what the promifes. But the Misfortune is, Men defpife what they may be Masters of, and affect what they are not fit for; they reckon themfelves already poffeffed of what their Genius inclined them to, and fo bend all their Ambition to excel in what is out of their Reach: Thus they deftroy the Ufe of their natural Talents, in the fame manner as covetous Men do their Quiet and Repofe; they can enjoy no Satisfaction in what they have, becaufe of the abfurd Inclination they are poffeffed with for what they have not.

CLEANTHES had good Senfe, a great Memory, and a Conftitution capable of the clofeft Application: In a Word, there was no Profeffion in which Cleanthes might not have made a very good Figure; but this won't fatisfie him, he takes up an unaccountable Fondness for the Character of a fine Gentleman; all his Thoughts are bent upon this: inftead of attending a Diffection, frequenting the Courts of Juftice, or ftudying the Fathers, Cleanthes reads Plays, dances,dreffes, and spends his Time in drawing-rooms; inftead of being a good Lawyer, Divine, or Physician, Cleanthes is a downright Coxcomb, and will remain to all that knew him a contemptible Example of Talents mifapplied. It is to this Affectation the World owes its whole Race of Coxcombs: Nature in her whole Drama never drew fuch a Part: she has fometimes made a Fool, but a Coxcomb is always of a Man's own making, by applying his Talents otherwife than Nature defigned, who ever bears an high Refentment for being put out of her Courfe, and never fails of taking her Revenge on thofe that do fo. Oppofing her Tendency in the Application of a Man's Parts, has the fame Succefs as declining from her Courfe in the Production of Vegetables, by the Affiftance of Art and an hot Bed: We may poffibly extort an unwilling Plant, or an untimely Sallad'; but how weak, how taftelefs and infipid? Juft as infipid as the Poetry of Valerio: Valerio had an universal Chara

Aer,

ater, was genteel, had Learning, thought juftly, fpoke correctly; 'twas believed there was nothing in which valerio did not excel; and 'twas fo far true, that there was but one; Valerio had no Genius for Poetry, yet he's refolved to be a Poet; he writes Verses, and takes great Pains to convince the Town, that Valerio is not that extraordinary Perfon he was taken for.

IF Men would be content to graft upon Nature, and affift her Operations, what mighty Effects might we expect? Tully would not ftand fo much alone in Oratory, Virgil in Poetry, or Cafar in War. To build upon Nature, is laying the Foundation upon a Rock; every thing difpofes its felf into Order as it were of Course, and the whole Work is half done as foon as undertaken Cicero's Genius inclined him to Oratory, Virgil's to follow the Train of the Mufes; they piously obeyed the Admonition, and were rewarded. Had Virgil attended the Bar, his modeft and ingenious Virtue would furely have made but a very indifferent Figure; and Tully's declamatory Inclination would have been as useless in Poetry. Nature, if left to her felf, leads us on in the best Course, but will do nothing by Compulfion and Conftraint; and if we are not fatisfied to go her Way, we are always the greatest Sufferers by it.

WHEREVER Nature defigns a Production, she always difpofes Seeds proper for it, which are as abfolutely neceffary to the Formation of any moral or intellectual Excellence, as they are to the Being and Growth of Plants; and I know not by what Fate and Folly it is, that Men are taught not to reckon him equally abfurd that will write Verfes in fpight of Nature, with that Gardiner that should undertake to raife a Junquil or Tulip without the Help of their respective Seeds.

AS there is no Good or bad Quality that does not affect both Sexes, fo it is not to be imagined but the fair Sex must have fuffered by an Affectation of this Nature, at least as much as the other: The ill Effect of it is in none fo confpicuous as in the two oppofite Characters of Calia and iras, Calia has all the Charms of Perfon, together with an abundant Sweetness of Nature, but wants Wit, and has a very ill Voice; Iras is ugly and ungenteel, but has Wit and good Senfe: If Calia would be filent,

her