tle readers, who have so much time on their hands, will not grudge throwing away a quarter of an hour in a day on this paper, since they may do it without any hindrance to business. no opportunity, till the larum ceased of itself, which it did not till he had repeated and murdered the celebrated story of the Ephesian matron. Arietta seemed to regard this piece of 1 theirs. When she had a little recovered herself from the serious anger she was in, she replied in the following manner. 'Sir, when I consider how perfectly new I know several of my friends and well-raillery as an outrage done to her sex; as wishers are in great pain for me, lest Indeed I have always observed that woshould not be able to keep up the spirit of a men, whether out of a nicer regard to their paper which I oblige myself to furnish every honour, or what other reason, I cannot day; but to make them easy in this partí-tell, are more sensibly touched with those cular, I will promise them faithfully to give general aspersions which are cast upon it over as soon as I grow dull. This I know their sex, than men are by what is said of will be a matter of great raillery to the small wits, who will frequently put me in mind of my promise, desire me to keep my word, assure me that it is high time to give over, with many other little pleasantries of the like nature, which men of a lit-all you have said on this subject is, and that tle smart genius cannot forbear throwing the story you have given us is not quite two out against their best friends, when they thousand years old, I cannot but think it a have such a handle given them of being piece of presumption to dispute it with you: witty. But let them remember, that I do but your quotations put me in mind of the hereby enter my caveat against this piece fable of the lion and the man. The man of raillery. C. walking with that noble animal, showed him, in the ostentation of human superiority, a sign of a man killing a lion. Upon which, the lion said, very justly, “We lions are none of us painters, else we could show a hundred men killed by lions, for one lion killed by a man.' You men are writers, and can represent us women as unbecoming as you please in your works, while we are unable to return the injury. You have twice or thrice observed in your discourse, that hypocrisy is the very foun 99 No. 11.] Tuesday, March 13, 1710-11. Dat veniam corvis, vexat censura columbas. Juv. Sat. ii. 63. The doves are censur'd, while the crows are spar'd. ARIETTA is visited by all persons of both sexes, who have any pretence to wit and gallantry. She is in that time of life which is neither affected with the follies of youth, or infirmities of age; and her conversa-dation of our education; and that an ability tion is so mixed with gaiety and prudence, to dissemble our affections is a professed that she is agreeable both to the old and part of our breeding. These, and such the young. Her behaviour is very frank, other reflections, are sprinkled up and without being in the least blameable; and down the writings of all ages, by authors, as she is out of the track of any amorous or who leave behind them memorials of their ambitious pursuits of her own, her visitors resentment against the scorn of particular entertain her with accounts of themselves women, in invectives against the whole very freely, whether they concern their sex. Such a writer, I doubt not, was the passions or their interests. I made her a celebrated Petronius, who invented the visit this afternoon, having been formerly pleasant aggravations of the frailty of the introduced to the honour of her acquaint- Ephesian lady; but when we consider this ance by my friend Will Honeycomb, who question between the sexes, which has has prevailed upon her to admit me some- been either a point of dispute or raillery times into her assembly, as a civil inoffen- ever since there were men and women, let sive man. I found her accompanied with us take facts from plain people, and from one person only, a common-place talker, such as have not either ambition or capawho, upon my entrance, arose, and after a city to embellish their narrations with any very slight civility sat down again; then, beauties of imagination. I was the other turning to Arietta, pursued his discourse,day amusing myself with Lignon's Account which I found was upon the old topic of of Barbadoes; and in answer to your wellconstancy in love. He went on with great wrought tale, I will give you (as it dwells facility in repeating what he talks every upon my memory) out of that honest traday of his life; and with the ornaments of veller, in his fifty-fifth page, the history of insignificant laughs and gestures, enforced Inkle and Yarico. his arguments by quotations out of plays and songs, which allude to the perjuries of the fair, and the general levity of women. Methought he strove to shine more than ordinarily in his talkative way, that he might insult my silence, and distinguish himself before a woman of Arietta's taste and understanding. She had often an inclination to interrupt him, but could find 'Mr. Thomas Inkle, of London, aged twenty years, embarked in the Downs, in the good ship called the Achilles, bound for the West Indies, on the 16th of June, 1647, in order to improve his fortune by trade and merchandise. Our adventurer was the third son of an eminent citizen, who had taken particular care to instil into his mind an early love of gain, by making clothed in such silks as his waistcoat was made of, and be carried in houses drawn by horses, without being exposed to wind or weather. All this he promised her the enjoyment of, without such fears and alarms as they were there tormented with. In this tender correspondence these lovers lived for several months, when Yarico, instructed by her lover, discovered a vessel on the coast, to which she made signals; and in the night, with the utmost joy and satisfaction, accompanied him to a ship's crew of his countrymen, bound for Barbadoes. When a vessel from the main arrives in that island, it seems the planters come down to the shore, where there is an immediate market of the Indians and other slaves, as with us of horses and oxen. him a perfect master of numbers, and con- Veteres avias tibi de pulmone revello. She likewise brought him a great many Ar my coming to London, it was some spoils which her other lovers had present-time before I could settle myself in a house ed to her, so that his cave was richly to my liking. I was forced to quit my first adorned with all the spotted skins of lodgings by reason of an officious landlady, beasts, and most party-coloured feathers that would be asking me every morning of fowls, which that world afforded. To how I had slept. I then fell into an honest make his confinement more tolerable, she family, and lived very happily for above a would carry him in the dusk of the eve- week; when my landlord, who was a jolly, ning, or by the favour of moonlight, to un- good-natured man, took it into his head frequented groves and solitudes, and show that I wanted company, and therefore him where to lie down in safety, and sleep would frequently come into my chamber, amidst the falls of waters and melody of to keep me from being alone. This I bore nightingales. Her part was to watch and for two or three days; but telling me one hold him awake in her arms, for fear of day that he was afraid I was melancholy, her countrymen, and wake him on occa- I thought it was high time for me to be sions to consult his safety. In this manner gone, and accordingly took new lodgings did the lovers pass away their time till that very night. About a week after, I they had learned a language of their own, found my jolly landlord, who, as I said bein which the voyager communicated to his fore, was an honest, hearty man, had put mistress how happy he should be to have me into an advertisement in the Daily her in his country, where she should be Courant, in the following words: 'Where I was so touched with this story (which I think should be always a counterpart to the Ephesian matron) that I left the room with tears in my eyes, which a woman of Arietta's good sense did, I am sure, take for greater applause than any compliments I could make her. company closed their ranks, and crowded about the fire. I took notice in particular of a little boy, who was so attentive to every story, that I am mistaken if he ventures to go to bed by himself this twelvemonth. Indeed they talked so long, that the imaginations of the whole assembly were manifestly crazed, and, I am sure, will be the worse for it as long as they live. I heard one of the girls, that had looked upon me over her shoulder, asking the company how long I had been in the room, and whether I did not look paler than I used to do. This put me under some apprehensions that I should be forced to explain myself, if I did not retire; for which reason I took the candle into my hand, and went up into my chamber, not without wondering at this unaccounta→ ble weakness in reasonable creatures, that they should love to astonish and terrify one another. Were I a father, I should take a particular care to preserve my children from these little horrors of imagination, which they are apt to contract when they are young, and are not able to shake off when they are in years. I have known a soldier that has entered a breach, affrighted at his own shadow, and look pale upon a little scratching at his door, who the day before had marched up against a battery of cannon. There are instances of persons, who have been terrified even to distraction at the figure of a tree, or the shaking of a bulrush. The truth of it is, I look upon a sound imagination as the greatest blessing of life, next to a clear judgment, and a good conscience. In the mean time, since there are very few whose minds are not more or less subject to these dreadful thoughts and apprehensions, we ought to arm ourselves against them by the dictates of reason and religion, to pull the old woman out of our hearts,' (as Persius expresses it in the motto of my paper,) and extinguish those impertinent notions which we imbibed at a time that we were not able to judge of their absurdity. Or, if we believe, as many wise and good men have done, that there are such phantoms and apparitions as those I have been speaking of, let us endeavour to establish to ourselves an interest in Him, who holds the reins of the whole creation in his hands, and moderates them after such a manner, that it is impossible for one being to break loose upon another without his knowledge and permission. " > a as a melancholy man left his lodgings on Thursday last, in the afternoon, and was afterwards seen going towards Islington: if any one can give notice of him to R. B. fishmonger in the Strand, he shall be very well rewarded for his pains." As I am the best man in the world to keep my own counsel, and my landlord, the fishmonger, not knowing my name, this accident of my life was never discovered to this very day. I am now settled with a widow woman, who has a great many children, and complies with my humour in every thing. I do not remember that we have exchanged word together these five years; my coffee comes into my chamber every morning without asking for it: if I want fire, I point to my chimney, if water to my basin, upon which my landlady nods, as much as to say she takes my meaning, and immediately obeys my signals. She has likewise modelled her family so well, that when her little boy offers to pull me by the coat, or prattle in my face, his eldest sister immediately calls him off, and bids him not disturb the gentleman. At my first entering into the family, I was troubled with the civility of their rising up to me every time I came into the room; but my landlady observing that upon these occasions I always cried Pish, and went out again, has forbidden any such ceremony to be used in the house; so that at present I walk into the kitchen or parlour, without being taken notice of, or giving any interruption to the business or discourse of the family. The maid will ask her mistress (though I am by) whether the gentleman is ready to go to dinner, as the mistress (who is indeed an excellent housewife) scolds at the servants as heartily before my face, as behind my back. In short, I move up and down the house, and enter into all companies with the same liberty as a cat, or any other domestic animal, and am as little suspected of telling any thing that I hear or see. I remember last winter there were several young girls of the neighbourhood sitting about the fire with my landlady's daughters, and telling stories of spirits and apparitions. Upon my opening the door the young women broke off their discourse, but my landlady's daughters telling them that it was nobody but the gentleman (for that is the name which I go by in the neighbourhood, as well as in the family) they went on without minding me. I seated myself by the candle that stood on a table at one end of the room; and pretending to read a book that I took out of my pocket, heard several dreadful stories of ghosts, as pale as ashes, that had stood at the feet of a bed, or walked over a church-yard by moon-light; and of others that had been conjured into the Redsea, for disturbing people's rest, and draw-an innumerable society in searching out the ing their curtains at midnight, with many wonders of the creation, and joining in the other old women's fables of the like nature. same concert of praise and adoration. As one spirit raised another, I observed, that at the end of every story the whole For my own part, I am apt to join in the opinion with those who believe that all the regions of nature swarm with spirits; and that we have multitudes of spectators on all our actions, when we think ourselves most alone; but instead of terrifying myself with such a notion, I am wonderfully pleased to think that I am always engaged with such Milton has finely described this mixed communion of men and spirits in paradise; and had doubtless his eye upon a verse in was thinking on something else, I acciold Hesiod, which is almost word for word dentally justled against a monstrous animal the same with his third line in the follow-that extremely startled me, and upon my ing passage: nearer survey of it, appeared to be a lion rampant. The lion seeing me very much surprised, told me, in a gentle voice, that -Nor think, though men were none, That heav'n would want spectators, God want praise: I might come by him, if I pleased: For, Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth says he, 'I do not intend to hurt any body.' No. 13.] Thursday, March 15, 1710-11. Dic mihi, si fueris tu leo, qualis eris? THERE is nothing that of late years has afforded matter of greater amusement to the town than Signior Nicolini's combat with a lion in the Haymarket, which has been very often exhibited to the general satisfaction of most of the nobility and gen- it was thought proper to discard him: and try in the kingdom of Great Britain. Upon it is verily believed, to this day, that had the first rumour of this intended combat it he been brought upon the stage another was confidently affirmed, and is still be- time, he would certainly have done mislieved, by many in both galleries, that there chief. Besides, it was objected against the would be a tame lion sent from the tower, first lion, that he reared himself so high every opera night, in order to be killed by upon his hinder paws, and walked in so Hydaspes; this report, though altogether erect a posture, that he looked more like groundless, so universally prevailed in the an old man than a lion. upper regions of the playhouse, that some of the most refined politicians in those parts of the audience, gave it out in whisper, that the lion was a cousin-german of the tiger who made his appearance in King William's days, and that the stage would be supplied with lions at the public expense, during the whole session. Many likewise were the conjectures of the treatment which this lion was to meet with from the hands of Signior Nicolini; some supposed that he was to subdue him in recitativo, as Orpheus used to serve the wild beasts in his time, and afterwards to knock him on the head; some fancied that the lion would not pretend to lay his paws upon the hero, by reason of the received opinion, that a lion will not hurt a virgin. Several, who pretended to have seen the opera in Italy, had in-for his diversion, but desires his name may formed their friends, that the lion was to be concealed. He says, very handsomely, act a part in high Dutch, and roar twice in his own excuse, that he does not act for or thrice to a thorough bass, before he fell gain, that he indulges an innocent pleasure at the feet of Hydaspes. To clear up a in it; and that it is better to pass away an matter that was so variously reported, I evening in this manner, than in gaming and have made it my business to examine whe- drinking: but at the same time says, with ther this pretended lion is really the savage a very agreeable raillery upon himself, that The second lion was a tailor by trade, who belonged to the playhouse, and had the character of a mild and peaceable man in his profession. If the former was too furious, this was too sheepish for his part; insomuch, that after a short modest walk upon the stage, he would fall at the first touch of Hydaspes, without grappling with him, and giving him an opportunity of showing his variety of Italian trips. It is said, indeed, that he once gave him a rip in his flesh-colour doublet: but this was only to make work for himself, in his private character of a tailor. I must not omit, that it was this second lion who treated me with so much humanity behind the scenes. The acting lion at present is, as I am informed, a country gentleman, who does it he appears to be, or only a counterfeit. if his name should be known, the ill-natured world might call him, 'The ass in the lion's skin.' This gentleman's temper is made out of such a happy mixture of the Mart. But before I communicate my discoveries, I must acquaint the reader, that upon my walking behind the scenes last winter, as I mild and the choleric, that he outdoes both | present time; and lamented to myself, that his predecessors, and has drawn together though in those days they neglected their greater audiences than have been known in morality, they kept up their good sense; the memory of man. but that the beau monde, at present, is only 'SIR, I must not conclude my narrative, with-grown more childish, not more innocent out taking notice of a groundless report that than the former. While I was in this train has been raised to a gentleman's disadvan- of thought, an odd fellow, whose face I tage, of whom I must declare myself an ad- have often seen at the playhouse, gave me mirer; namely, that Signior Nicolini and the following letter with these words: 'Sir, the lion have been sitting peaceably by one the Lion presents his humble service to another, and smoking a pipe together be- you, and desired me to give this into your hind the scenes; by which their common own hands.' enemies would insinuate, that it is but a sham combat which they represent upon the stage: but upon inquiry I find, that if any such correspondence has passed between them, it was not till the combat was over, when the lion was to be looked upon as dead, according to the received rules of the drama. Besides, this is what is prac-more friendly than is consistent with the tised every day in Westminster-hall, where valour of his character, or the fierceness of nothing is more usual than to see a couple mine. I desire you would, for your own of lawyers, who have been tearing each other sake, forbear such intimations for the futo pieces in the court, embracing one an- ture; and must say it is a great piece of ill other as soon as they are out of it. nature in you, to show so great an esteem for a foreigner, and to discourage a Lion that is your own countryman. 'From my den in the Haymarket, March 15. 'I have read all your papers, and have stifled my resentment against your reflections upon operas, until that of this day, wherein you plainly insinuate, that Signior Nicolini and myself have a correspondence I would not be thought in any part of this relation, to reflect upon Signior Nicolini, who in acting this part only complies with the wretched taste of his audience; he knows very well, that the lion has many more admirers than himself; as they say of the famous equestrian statue on the Pont Neuf at Paris, that more people go to see the horse, than the king who sits upon it. On the contrary, it gives me a just indignation to see a person whose action gives new majesty to kings, resolution to heroes, and softness to lovers, thus sinking from the greatness of his behaviour, and degraded into the character of the London Prentice. I have often wished, that our tragedians would copy after this great master of action. Could they make the same use of their arms and legs, and inform their faces with as significant looks and passions, how glorious would an English tragedy appear with that action, which is capable of giving dignity to the forced thoughts, cold conceits, and unnatural expressions of an Italian opera! In the mean time, I have related this combat of the lion, to show what are at present the reigning entertainments of the politer part of Great Britain. Audiences have often been reproached by writers for the coarseness of their taste: but our present grievance does not seem to be the want of a good taste, but of common C. sense. No. 14.] Friday, March 16, 1710-11. I WAS reflecting this morning upon the spirit and humour of the public diversions five-and-twenty years ago, and those of the 'I take notice of your fable of the lion and man, but am so equally concerned in the matter, that I shall not be offended to which soever of the animals the superiority is given. You have misrepresented me, in saying that I am a country gentleman, who act only for my diversion; whereas, had I still the same woods to range in which I once had when I was a fox-hunter, I should not resign my manhood for a maintenance; and assure you, as low as my circumstances are at present, I am so much a man of honour, that I would scorn to be any beast for bread, but a lion. 'Your's, &c.' I had no sooner ended this, than one of my landlady's children brought me in several others, with some of which I shall make up my present paper, they all having a tendency to the same subject, viz. the elegance of our present diversions. "SIR, Covent-Garden, March 13. 'I have been for twenty years under-sexton of this parish of St. Paul's Coventgarden, and have not missed tolling in to prayers six times in all those years; which office I have performed to my great satisfaction, until this fortnight last past, during which time I find my congregation take the warning of my bell, morning and evening, to go to a puppet-show set forth by one Powell under the piazzas. By this means I have not only lost my two customers, whom I used to place for sixpence a piece over against Mrs. Rachel Eyebright, but Mrs. Rachel herself is gone thither also. There now appear among us none but a few ordinary people, who come to church only to say their prayers, so that I have no work worth speaking of but on Sundays. I have placed my son at the piazzas, to acquaint |