fon in a cross line, and makes him appear not unlike a Fly that the boys have run a pin thro', and fet a walking. He once challenged a tall fellow for giving him a blow on the pate with his elbow, as he paffed along the street. But what he efpecially values himself upon is, that in all the campaigns he has made, he never once duck'd at the whizz of a cannon ball. Tim. was full as large at fourteen years old as he is "now. This we are tender of mentioning, your little Heroes being generally cholerick. "These are the gentlemen that most enliven * our converfation. The difcourfe generally turns upon fuch accidents, whether fortunate or un"fortunate, as are daily occafioned by our size: "these we faithfully communicate, either as mat"ter of mirth, or of confolation to each other. "The Prefident had lately an unlucky fall, being "unable to keep his legs on a stormy day; whereupon he informed us it was no new difafter, but "the fame a certain ancient Poet had been fubject "to; who is recorded to have been fo light that "he was obliged to poize himself against the wind, "with lead on one fide, and his own works on the other. The Lover confeft the other night "that he had been cured of love to a tall woman, by reading over the legend of Ragotine in Scar"ron, with his tea, three mornings fucceffively. "Our Hero rarely acquaints us with any of his unfuccefsful adventures: and as for the Politi an, he declares himself an utter enemy to all "kind of burlesque, fo will never difcompofe the "aufterity of his afpect by laughing at our adven"tures, much lefs difcover any of his own in this "ludicrous light. Whatever he tells of any ac"cidents that befal him, is by way of complaint, "nor is he ever laugh'd at but in his Abfence. "We are likewise particularly careful to com"municate in the club all fuch paffages of history, "or characters of illuftrious perfonages, as any reflect honour on little men. Tim. Tuck having but juft reading enough for a military "man, perpetually entertains us with the fame 66 way 66 ftories, of little David that conquered the mighty "Goliah, and little Luxembourg that made Louis "xiv. a grand Monarque, never forgetting little "Alexander the great. Dick Diftick celebrates "the exceeding humanity of Auguftus, who call"ed Horace lepidiffimum homunciolum; and is won"derfully pleafed with Voiture and Scarron, for "having fo well defcribed their diminutive forms "to pofterity. He is peremptorily of opinion, against a great Reader and all his adherents, that "Efop was not a jot properer or handsomer than "he is represented by the common pictures. But "the Soldier believes with the learned perfon "above mentioned; for he thinks none but an impudent tall author could be guilty of fuch an unmannerly piece of fatire on little warriors, as his Battle of the Moufe and the Frog. The Politician is very proud of a certain King of "Egypt, called Bocchor, who, as Diodorus af"fures us, was a perfon of a very low ftature, but "far exceeded all that went before him in difcre❝tion and politicks. "As I am Secretary to the club, 'tis my 'bufi"nefs, whenever we meet, to take minutes of the "tranfactions: this has enabled me to fend you "the foregoing particulars, as I may hereafter other "memoirs. We have fpies appointed in every "quarter of the town, to give us informations of "the mifbehaviour of fuch refractory perfons as re"fufe to be fubject to our ftatutes. Whatsoever "afpiring practices any of these our people fhall be guilty of in their Amours, fingle Combats, "or any indirect means to manhood, we shall "certainly be acquainted with, and publish to the world, for their punishment and reformation. "For the Prefident has granted me the fole proσε priety of expofing and fhewing to the town all "fuch intractable Dwarfs, whofe circumftances c exempt them from being carried about in Boxes: "referving only to himself, as the right of a Poet, thofe fmart characters that will fhine in Episc grams. Venerable Neftor, I falute you in the name of the club. 6.6 BOB. SHORT, Secretary. No. 173. September 29, 1713. Nec fera comantem Narciffum, aut flexi tacuiffem vimen Acanthi, Pallentesque hederas, et amantes littora myrtos. VIRG. took particular friend houfe in the country, not without fome apprehenfion, that it could afford little entertainment to a man of his polite tafte, particularly in architecture and gardening, who had so long been converfant with all that is beautiful and great in either. But it was a pleasant furprize to me, to hear him often declare he had found in my little retirement that beauty which he always thought wanting in the most celebrated feats (or, if you will, Villa's) of the nation. This he defcribed to me in those verses with which Martial begins one of his epigrams: Baiana roftri villa, Baffe, Fauftini, Non otiofis ord nata myrtetis, oporný ad f Sed rure vero, barbaroque lætatur. There is certainly fomething in the amiable fimplicity of unadorned Nature, that spreads over the mind a more noble fort of tranquillity, and a loftier fenfation of pleafure, than can be raifed from the nicer fcenes of art. This was the taste of the Ancients in their gardens, as we may discover from the defcriptions extant of them. The two moft celebrated wits of the world have cach of them left us a particular picture of a garden; wherein thofe great mafters being wholly unconfined, and painting at pleasure, may be thought to have given a full idea of what they esteemed most excellent in this way. These (one may obferve) confift intirely of the useful part of horticulture, fruit trees, herbs, water, etc. The pieces I am speaking of are Virgil's account of the garden of the old Corycian, and Homer's of that of Alcinous in the feventh Odyffey, to which I refer the reader. Sir William Temple has remarked, that this garden of Homer contains all the jufteft rules and provifions which can go toward compofing the beft gardens. Its extent was four Acres, which, in thofe times of fimplicity, was looked upon as a large one, even for a Prince. It was inclofed all round for defence; and for conveniency joined clofe to the gates of the Palace. He mentions next the Trees, which were ftandards, and fuffered to grow to their full height. The fine defcription of the Fruits that never failed, and the eternal Zephyrs, is only a more noble and poctical way of expreffing the continual fuc ceffion ceffion of one fruit after another throughout the year. The Vineyard feems to have been a plantation diftinct from the Garden; as alfo the beds of Greens mentioned afterwards at the extremity of the inclofure, in the ufual place of our Kitchen Gardens. The two Fountains are difpofed very remarkably. They rofe within the inclosure, and were brought in by conduits or ducts; one of them to water all parts of the gardens, and the other underneath the Palace into the Town, for the fervice of the publick. How contrary to this fimplicity is the modern practice of gardening? We feem to make it our tudy to recede from Nature, not only in the various tonfure of greens into the moft regular and formal fhapes, but even in monstrous attempts beyond the reach of the art itself: we run into sculpture, and are yet better pleased to have our Trees in the most aukward figures of men and animals, than in the most regular of their own. Hinc et nexilibus videas e frondibus hortos, I believe it is no wrong obfervation, that perfons of genius, and thofe who are most capable of art, are always moft fond of nature; as fuch are chiefly fenfible, that all art confifts in the imitation and study o nature: On the contrary, people of the common level of understanding are principally delighted with the little niceties and fantastical operations of art, and conftantly think that fineft which ‡U 4 |