• Match into the Family of a Knight, but unfortunately for us for this Branch proved barren: On the other Hand Margery the Milk-maid being twined round a Bough, it flourished out into fo many Shoots, and bent with fo much Fruit, that the old Gentleman was quite out of Countenance. To comfort me, under this Difgrace, he fingled out a Branch ten Times more ⚫ fruitful than the other, which, he told me, he valued more than any in the Tree, and bad me be of good • Comfort. This enormous Bough was a Graft out of a Welsh Heiress, with fo many Ap's upon it that it might have made a little Grove by it felf. From the Trunk of the Pedigree, which was chiefly compofed ⚫ of Labourers and Shepherds, arofe a huge Sprout of Farmers; this was branched out into Yeomen; and ⚫ ended in a Sheriff of the County, who was knighted for his good Service to the Crown, in bringing up an Addrefs. Several of the Names that feemed to dif parage the Family, being looked upon as Miftakes, were lopped off as rotten or withered; as, on the contrary, no fmall Number appearing without any Titles, my Coufin, to fupply the Defects of the Manufcript, added Efq; at the End of each of them.

THIS Tree fo pruned, dreffed, and cultivated, was, within few Days, tranfplanted into a large Sheet of Vellum and placed in the great Hall, where it attracts the Veneration of his Tenants every Sunday Morning, while they wait till his Worship is ready to go to Church; wondering that a Man who had fo many Fathers before him, fhould not be made a Knight, or at least a Justice of the Peace.

Friday,

T is reckoned a Piece of Ill-breeding for one Man to engrofs the whole Talk to himfelf. For this Realon,

fince I keep three Vifiting-Days in the Week, I am content now and then to let my Friends put in a Word. There are several Advantages hereby accruing both to my Readers and my felf. As firft, young and modest Writers have an Opportunity of getting into Print: Again, The Town enjoys the Pleasure of Variety; and Pofterity will fee the Humour of the prefent Age, by the help of thefe little Lights into private and domeftick Life. The Benefits I receive from thence, are fuch as these I gain more Time for future Speculations; pick up Hints which I improve for the publick Good; give Advice ; redrefs Grievances; and, by leaving commodious Spaces between the feveral Letters that I print, furnish out a Spectator with little Labour and great Oftentation.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Was mightily pleased with your Speculation of Friday. Your Sentiments are noble, and the whole ⚫ worked up in fuch a manner, as cannot but strike upon every Reader. But give me leave to make this Remark: That while you write fo pathetically on Contentment, and a retired Life, you footh the Paffion of Melancholy, and deprefs the Mind from Actions truly glorious. Titles and Honours are the Reward of Virtue: We therefore ought to be affected with them : And tho' light Minds are too much puffed up with exterior Pomp, yet I cannot fee why it is not as truly philofophical, to admire the glowing Ruby, or the VOL. VIII. • Sparkling

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fparkling Green of an Emerald, as the fainter and lefs permanent Beauties of a Rofe or a Myrtle. If there ⚫ are Men of extraordinary Capacities who lye concealed ⚫ from the World, I should impute it to them as a Blot in their Character, did not I believe it owing to the • Meanness of their Fortune rather than of their Spirit. Corley, who tells the Story of Aglaüs with fo much Pleasure, was no Stranger to Courts, nor infenfible of • Praife.

What shall I do to be for ever known,
And make the Age to come my own?

· was the Refult of a laudable Ambition. It was not till ⚫ after frequent Difappointments, that he termed himself the melancholy Cowley; and he praised Solitude, when he despaired of fhining in a Court. The Soul of Man is an active Principle. He therefore, who withdraws himself from the Scene before he has play'd his Part, ought to be hiffed off the Stage, and cannot be deemed ⚫ virtuous, because he refuses to answer his End. I muft own I am fir'd with an honeft Ambition to imitate every illuftrious Example. The Battles of Blenheim and • Ramillies have more than once made me with my

felf

a Soldier. And when I have feen thofe Actions fo nobly celebrated by our Poets, I have fecretly aspired to ⚫ be one of that distinguished Clafs. But in vain I wish, in vain I pant with the Defire of Action. I am ⚫ chained down in Obscurity, and the only Pleasure I can take is in feeing fo many brighter Genius's join their friendly Lights to add to the Splendor of the Throne. • Farewel then, dear Spec, and believe me to be with great Emulation, and no Envy,

Your profefs'd Admirer,

Will. Hopeless.

SIR,

SIR,

TH

Middle-Temple, Octob. 26, 1714. 'HO' you have formerly made Eloquence the Sub, ject of one or more of your Papers, I do not remember that you ever confider'd it as poffeffed by a Set of People, who are fo far from making Quintiliz ⚫an's Rules their Practice, that, I dare fay for them, they " never heard of such an Author, and yet are no lefs Mafters of it than Tully or Domofthenes among the Ancients, or whom you please amongst the Moderns. The Per

fons I am speaking of are our common Beggars about this Town; and that what I fay is true, I appeal to any 'Man who has a Heart one Degree fofter than a Stone,

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As for my part, who don't pretend to more Humanity than my Neighbours, I have oftentimes gone from my Chambers with Money in my Pocket, and return'd to them not only Pennylefs, but deftitute of a Farthing, without beftowing of it any other way than on these feeming Objects of Pity. In fhort, I have feen more Eloquence in a Look from one of thefe defpicable Creatures, than in the Eye of the faireft She I ever faw, yet no one a greater Admirer of that Sex than my felf. 'What I have to defire of you is, to lay down fome Directions in order to guard against thefe powerful Orators, or else I know nothing to the contrary but I must my felf be forced to leave the Profeffion of the Law, ⚫ and endeavour to get the Qualifications neceffary to that more profitable one of Pegging. But in which foever ' of these two Capacities I fhine, I fhall always defire to be your conftant Reader, and ever will be

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Your most humble Servant,

J. B.

SIR.

UP

PON Reading a Spectator laft Week, where Mrs. Fanny Fickle submitted the Choice of a Lover for Life to your decifive Determination, and imagining I I might claim the Favour of your Advice in an Affair

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of the like, but much more difficult Nature, I called for • Pen and Ink, in order to draw the Characters of Seven • Humble Servants, whom I have equally encouraged for fome Time. But alas! while I was reflecting on the agreeable Subject, and contriving an advantageous Defcription of the dear Perfon I was moft inclined to favour, I happened to look into my Glafs. The Sight of the Small-Pox, out of which I am juft recovered, • tormented me at once with the Lofs of my captivating Arts and my Captives. The Confufion I was in, cn this unhappy, unfeasonable Discovery, is inexpreffible. Believe me, Sir, I was fo taken up with the Thoughts of your fair Correfpondent's Cafe, and fo intent on my own Defigns, that I fancied my felf as triumphant in my Conquefts as ever.

Now, Sir, finding I was incapacitated to amuse myself on that pleafing Subject, I refolved to apply my felf to you, or your Cafuiftical Agent, for Advice in my prefent Circumftances. I am fenfible the Tincture of my Skin, and the Regularity of my Features, which the Malice of my late Illness has altered, are irrecoverable; yet don't defpair, but that Lofs, by your Affiftance, may in fome measure be repairable, if you'll please to propose a Way for the Recovery of one only of my Fugitives.

ONE of them is in a more particular Manner be⚫ holden to me than the reft; he for fome private Reafons being defirous to be a Lover incognito, always addreffed me with Billet-Doux, which I was fo careful of in my Sickness, that I fecured the Key of my Love-Magazine under my Head, and hearing a Noife of opening a Lock in my Chamber, endanger'd my Life by getting out of Bed, to prevent, if it had been attempted, the Discovery of that Amour.

I have formerly made ufe of all thofe Artifices, which our Sex daily practifes over yours, to draw, as it were undefignedly, the Eyes of a whole Congregation to my Pew; I have taken a Pride in the Number of Admirers at my Afternoon Levee; but am now quite another Creature. I think, could I regain the attractive Influence I once had, if I had a Legion of Suitors, I fhould,

never