Our unto them the Post-boy of Mr. Roper, and the written letter of Mr. Dyer, upon which we communed afterwards among ourselves. fociety was compofed of the following perfons: Robert Jenkins, Farrier; Amos Turner, Collar-maker; George Pilcocks, late Exciseman; Thomas White, Wheel-wright; and myself. First, of the first, Robert Jenkins. He was a man of bright parts and fhrewd conceit, for he never fhoed an horfe of a Whig or a Fanatick, but he lamed him forely. Amos Turner, a worthy perfon, rightly efteemed among us for his fufferings, in that he had been honoured in the ftocks for wearing an Oaken bough. George Pilcocks, a fufferer alfo; of zealous and laudable freedom of Speech, infomuch that his occupation had been taken from him. Thomas White, of good repute likewise, for that his uncle, by the Mother's fide, had, formerly, been fervitor at Maudlin college, where the glorious Sacheverel was educated. Now were the eyes of all the parish upon these our weekly councils. In a fhort space, the Minister came among us; he spake concerning us and our councils to a multitude of other Ministers at the Vifitation, and they spake thereof unto the Minifters at London, fo that even the Bishops heard and marvelled thereat. Moreover Sir Thomas, member of Parliament, spake of the fame to other members of Parliament; who fpake thereof unto the Peers of the Realm. Lo! thus did our councils enter into the hearts of our Generals and our Law-givers; and from henceforth, even as we devised, thus did they. After this, the whole book is turned on a fudden, from his own Life, to a Hifiory of all the publick Tranfactions of Europe, compiled from the Newspapers of those times. I could not comprehend the meaning of this, till I perceived at last (to my no Small Aftonishment) that all the Measures of the four Laft years of the Queen, together with the peace at Utrecht, which have been usually attributed to the E- of OD― of 0—, Lords Hand B and other great men; do here most plainly appear to have been wholly owing to Robert Jenkins, Amos Turner, George Pilcocks, Thomas White, but above all, to P.P. O The reader may be fure I was very inquifitive after this extraordinary writer, whose work I have here abstracted. I took a journey into the Country on purpose; but could not find the leaft trace of him: till by accident I met an old Clergyman, who faid he could not be pofitive, but thought it might be one Paul Philips, who had been dead about twelve years. And upon enquiry, all he could learn of that perfon from the neighbourhood, was, That he had been taken notice of for fwallowing Loaches, and remembered by fome people by a black and white Cur with one Ear, that conftantly followed him. In the Church-yard, I read bis Epitaph, said to be written by himself. O Reader, if that thou canst read, Look down upon this Stone; Do all we can, Death is a mán, 3 OF THE POET LAUREATE. TH November 19, 1729. HE time of the election of a Poet Laureate being now at hand, it may be proper to give fome account of the rites and ceremonies anciently used at that Solemnity, and only discontinued through the neglect and degeneracy of later times. These we have extracted from an hiftorian of undoubted credit, a reverend bishop, the learned Paulus Jovius; and are the fame that were practifed under the pontificate of Leo X. the great restorer of learning. As we now see an age and a court, that for the encouragement of poetry rivals, if not exceeds, that of this famous Pope, we cannot but wish a restoration of all its honours to poefy; the rather, fince there are so many parallel circumstances in the perfon who was then honoured with the laurel, and in him, who (in all probability) is now to wear it. I shall translate my author exactly as I find it in the 82 chapter of his Elogia Vir. Doct. He begins with the character of the poet himself, who was the original and father of all Laureates, and called Camillo. He was a plain countryman of Apulia, (whether a fhepherd or thresher, is not material,) "This man (fays Jovius) ex 66 "cited by the fame of the great encouragement given to poets at court, and the high honour " in which they were held, came to the city, bringing with him a strange kind of lyre in “ his hand, and at least some twenty thousand of verfes. All the wits and critics of the court "flocked about him, delighted to see a clown, "with a ruddy, hale complexion, and in his "own long hair, fo top full of poetry; and at "the first fight of him all agreed he was born "to be Poet Laureate". He had a moft hearty "welcome in an island of the river Tiber (an 66 agreeable place, not unlike our Richmond) "where he was firft made to eat and drink 66 ལ་ plentifully, and to repeat his verfes to every body. Then they adorned him with a new and elegant garland, compofed of vine-leaves, ́laurel, and braffica (a fort of cabbage) fo compofed, fays my author, emblematically, Ut tam fales quam lepide ejus temulentia, braffica remedio cobibenda, notaretur. He was then faluted by common confent with the title of archi-poeta, "or arch-poet, in the ftyle of thofe days, in our's, "Poet Laureate. This honour the poor man "received with the most fenfible demonstrations "of joy, his eyes drunk with tears and glad"nefs. Next, the public acclamation was expreffed in a canticle, which is transmitted "to us, as follows: A pulus præ pingui vultu alacer, et prolixe comatus, omnino dignus fefta laurea videretur. z Manantibus præ gaudio oculis. Salve, brafficea virens corona, Et lauro, archipoeta, pampinoque! All hail, arch-poet without peer! From hence, he was conducted in pomp to the Capitol of Rome, mounted on an elephant, thro the fhouts of the populace, where the ceremony ended. The hiftorian tells us further, "That at his "introduction to Leo, he not only poured forth "verses innumerable, like a torrent, but also fung them with open mouth. Nor was he only "once introduced, or on flated days (like our Laureates) but made a companion to his maf"ter, and entertained as one of the inftruments "of his most elegant pleafures. When the a prince was at table, the poet had his place at "the window. When the prince had half "eaten his meat, he gave with his own hands. "the reft to the poet. When the poet drank, "it was out of the prince's own flaggon, info"much (fays the hiftorian) that thro' fo great good eating and drinking, he contracted a moft "terrible gout." Sorry I am to relate what follows, but that I cannot leave my reader's curiofity unfatisfied in the catastrophe of this extraordinary man. To use my author's words, which are remarkable, mortuo Leone, profligatifque po Semefis opfoniis, |