the Afternoon, he fleeps fotting in the Desk on a HiffockWith all this, he is fo extreamly praud, that he will go but once to the Sick, except they return bis Vifit.

I was going on in reading my Letter, when I was interrupted by Mr. Greenhat, who has been this Evening at the Play of Hamlet. Mr. Bickerstaff, faid he, had you been to-night at the Play-houfe, you had feen the Force of Action in Perfection: Your admired Mr. Betterton behaved himself so well, that, though now about Seventy, he acted Youth; and by the prevalent Power of proper Manner, Gefture and Voice, appear'd thro' the whole Drama a young Man of great Expectation, Vivacity and Enterprize. The Soliloquy, where he began the celebrated Sentence of, To be or not to be! the Expoftulation where he explains with his Mother in her Clofet, the noble Ardor, after feeing his Father's Ghost, and his generous Diftrefs for the Death of Ophelia; are each of them Circumftances which dwell ftrongly upon the Minds of the Audience, and would certainly affect their Behaviour on any parallel Occafions in their own Lives. Pray, Mr. Bickerstaff, let us have Virtue thus reprefented on the Stage with its proper Ornaments, or let thefe Ornaments be added to her in Places more facred. As for my Part, faid he, I carried my Coufin Ferry, this little Boy, with me, and fhall always love the Child for his Partiality in all that concerned the Fortune of Hamlet. This is entring Youth into the Affections and Paffions of Manhood beforehand, and as it were antedating the Effects we hope from a long and liberal Education.

I cannot in the midst of many other Things which prefs, hide the Comfort that this Letter from my ingenious Kinfinan gives me.

'I

To my bonoured Kinsman, Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq; Dear Coufin, Oxford, Sept. 18. TAM forry, though not furpriz'd, to find that you have rallied the Men of Drefs in vain; that the 'Amber-headed Cane still maintains its unstable Poft; that Pockets are but a few Inches shortned; and a Beau is ftill a Beau, from the Crown of his Nightcap to the Heels of his Shoes. For your Comfort, can affure you, that your Endeavours fucceed better in

this famous Seat of Learning. By them, the Man ners of our young Gentlemen are in a fair Way of Amendment, and their very Language is mightily re fined. To them it is owing, that not a Servitor will fing a Catch, nor a Senior Fellow make a Pun, nora determining Batchelor drink a Bumper; and I believe a Gentleman Commoner would as foon have the Heels of his Shoes, red as his Stockings. When a Wittling ftands at a Coffee-houfe Door, and freers at those who pafs by, to the great Improvement of his hopeful Audience, he is no longer furnamed a Slicer, but a Man of Fire is the Word. A Beauty, whofe Health is drank from Heddington to Hinksey, who has been the Theme of the Mufes, (her Cheeks painted with Rofes, and her Bofom planted with Orange Boughs) has no more the Title of Lady, but reigns an undifputed Toaft. When to the plain Garb of Gown and Band a Spark adds an inconfiftent long Wig, we do not fay now he Bofhes, but there goes a Smart Fellow. If a Virgin blushes, we no longer cry fhe Blues. He that drinks till he ftares, is no more Tow-Row, but Honeft. A Youngster in a Scrape, is a Word out of Date; ⚫ and what bright Man fays, I was Joab'd by the Dean? Bambouzling is exploded; a Shat is a Tatler; and if the Mufcular Motion of a Man's Face be violent, no Mortal fays, he raises a Horfe, but he's a Merry Fellow. I congratulate you, my dear Kinfman, upon thefe Conquefts; fuch as Roman Emperors lamented they could not gain; and in which you rival your Corref pondent Lewis le Grand, and his dictating Academy.

BE yours the Glory to perform, mine to record (as Mr. Dryden has faid before me to his Kinsman ;) and while you enter triumphant into the Temple of the Mufes, I, as my Office requires, will, with my Staff on my Shoulder, attend and conduct you. I am,

Dear Coufin,

Your most affectionate Kinfman,
Benjamin Beadleftaff.

Upon the humble Application of certain Perfons who have made Heroick Figures in Mr. Bickerstaff's Narrations,

Notice is hereby given, That no fuch fhall ever be mentioned for the future, except those who have fent Menaces, and not fubmitted to Admonition,

N° 72.

Saturday, Sept. 24. 1709.

I

White's Chocolate-boufe, Sept. 23.

Have taken upon me no very eafy Task in turning all my Thoughts on Panegyrick, when moft of the Advices I receive tend to the quite contrary Purpose; and I have few Notices but fuch as 1egard Follies and Vices. But the propereft Way for me to treat, is, to keep in general upon the Paffions and Affections of Men, with as little Regard to Particulars, as the Nature of the Thing will admit. However, I think there is fomething fo paffionate in the Circumftances of the Lovers mentioned in the following Letter, that I am willing to go out of my Way to obey what is command

ed in it.

SIR,

London, Sept. 17. Y Our Defign of entertaining the Town with the Charafters of the ancient Heroes, as Perfons fhall fend an Account to Mr. Morphew's, encourages me and others to beg of you, that in the mean time (if it is not contrary to the Method you have propofed) you would give us one Paper upon the Subject of Pætus and his Wife's Death, when Nero fent him an Order to kill himself: His Wife fetting him the Example, dy'd with thefe Words, Patus, it is not painful. You must know the Story, and your Obfervations upon it will oblige,

SIR,

Your most humble Servant.

WHEN the Worft Man that ever lived in the World had the highest Station in it, human Life was the Object of his Diverfion; and he fent Orders frequently, out of meer Wantonnefs, to take off fuch and fuch, without fo much as being angry with 'em, Nay, frequent

ly

ly his Tyranny was fo humourous, that he put Mento Death becaufe he could not but approve of 'em. It came one Day to his Ear, that a certain married Couple, Patus and Arria, lived in a more happyTranquillity and mutual Love than any other Perfons who were then in Being. He liften'd with great Attention to the Account of their Manner of spending their Time together, of the conftant Pleafure they were to each other in all their Words and Actions, and found by exact Information, that they were fo treafonable, as to be much more happy than his Imperial Majefty himtelf. Upon which he writ Patus the following Billet:

PATUS, you are hereby defired to dispatch your self. I have heard a very good Character of you; and therefore leave it to your felf, whether you will die by Dagger, Sword or Poifon. If you outlive this Order an Hour, I have given Directions to put you to Death by Torture.

NERO..

THIS familiar Epiftle was delivered to his Wife Arria, who opened it.

ONE muft have a Soul very well turned for Love, Pity, and Indignation, to comprehend the Tumult this unhappy Lady was thrown into upon this Occafion. The Paffion of Love is no more to be understood by. fome Tempers, than a Problem in a Science by an ig. norant Man: But he that knows what Affection is, will have, upon confidering the Condition of Arria, ten thoufand Thoughts flow in upon him, which the Tongue was not form'd to exprefs. But the charming Statue is now before my Eye, and Arria, in her unutterable Sorrow, has more Beauty than ever appeared in Youth, in Mirth, or in Triumph. Thefe are the great and noble Incidents which fpeak the Dignity of our Nature, in our Sufferings and Diftreffes. Behold, her tender Affection for her Husband finks her Features into a Countenance, which appears more helpless than that of an Infant: But again, her Indignation fhews in her Vifage and her Bofom a Relentment as strong as that of the bravest Man. Long the food in this Agony of alternate Rage and Love; but at laft compofed her felf for her Diffolution, rather than furvive her beloved Patus. When he came into her Prefence, he found

her

her with the Tyrant's Letter in one Hand, and a Dagger in the other. Upon his Approach to her, fhe gave him the Order, and at the fame time ftabbing her felf, Patus (faid fhe) it is not painful, and expired. Patus inmediately followed her Example. The Paffion of these memorable Lovers was fuch, that it illuded the Rigour of their Fortune, and baffled the Force of a Blow, which neither felt, becaufe each received it for the Sake of the other. The Woman's Part in the Story is by much the more Heroick, and has occafioned one of the beft Epigrams tranfmitted to us from Antiquity:: When Arria pull'd the Dagger from her Side, Thus to her Confort spoke th' illuftrious Bride: The Wound Igave my felf I do not grieve, I die by that which Patus must receive.

From my own Apartment, Sept. 23.

THE Boy fays, one in a black Hat left the following

Letter:

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BEING

Friend, 19th of the 7th Month. · EING of that Part of Chriftians whom Men call Quakers, and being a Seeker of the right Way, I was perfwaded Yesterday to hear one of your moft noted Teachers; the Matter he treated, was the Neceffity of Well-living grounded upon a future State. I was attentive; but the Man did not appear in earneft. He read his Difcourfe, (notwithstanding thy Rebukes) fo heavily, and with fo little Air of being convinced himfelf, that I thought he would have flept, as I obferved many of his Hearers did. I came home unedified, and troubled in Mind. I dipp'd. <into the Lamentations, and from thence turning to the 34th Chapter of Ezekiel. I found thefe Words; Wo be to the Shepherds of Ifrael, that do feed themselves! Should not the Shepherds feed the Flock? Ye eat the Fat, and ye cloath you with the Wool: Ye kill them that are fed; but ye feed not the Flock. The Difeafed have ye not strengthened; neither have ye healed that which was fick; neither have ye bound up that which was broken; neither have ye brought again that which was driven away; neither have ye fought that which was loft; but with Force and with Cruelty have ye ruled them, &c. Now I pray thee, Friend, as thouart a Man skill'd in many Things,

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