mong the Non-commiffion'd Officers, and private Men: According to which Computation, I find Serje ant Hall is to have one Share and a Fraction of two Fifths. When I was a Boy at Oxford, there was among the Antiquities near the Theatre a great Stone, on which were engraven the Names of all who fell in the Battle of Marathon. The generous and knowing People of Athens understood the Force of the Defire of Glory, and would not let the meaneft Soldier perifh in Oblivi on. Were the natural Impulse ofthe British Nation animated with fuch Monuments, What Man would be fo mean, as not to hazard his Life for his ten Hundred thoufandth Part of the Honour in fuch a Day as that of Blenheim or Blaretnies? N 88. I Tuesday, November 1. 1709. White's Chocolate-house, October 318 HAVE lately received a Letter from a Friend in the Country, wherein he acquaints me, That two or three Men of the Town are got among them, and have brought down particular Words and Phrases, which were never before in thofe Parts. He mentions In particular the Words Gunner and Gunfter, which my Correfpondent obferves they make ufe of when any Thing has been related that is ftrange and furprizing; and therefore defires I would explain thofe Terms, as I have many others, for the Information of fuch as live at a Distance from this Town and Court, which he calls the great Mints of Language. His Letter is dated from York; and (if he tells me Truth) a Word in its ordinary Circulation does not reach that City within the Space of Five Years after it is firft ftamped, I cannot fay how long thefe Words have been current in Town, but I fhall now take Care to fend them down by the next Poft. VOL. II. I I must in the first Place obferve, That the Words Gunner and Gunster are not to be used promifcuously; for a Gunner, properly (peaking, is not a Gunfter: Nor is a Gunster, vice verfa, a Gunner. They both indeed are derived from the Word Gun, and fo far they agree. But as a Gun is remarkable for its destroying at a Diftance, or for the Report it makes, which is apt to ftartle all its Hearers, thofe who recount ftrange Accidents and Circumstances, which have no Manner of Foundation in Truth, when they defign to do Mifchief, are comprehended under the Appellation of Gunners, but when they endeavour only to furprize and entertain, they are diftinguifhed by the Name of Gunfters. Gunners therefore are the Peft of Society; but the Gunsters often the Diverfion. The Gunner is deftructive, and hated; the Gunfter innocent, and laughed at. firft is prejudicial to others, the other only to himfelf. The THIS being premised, I must in the next Place sub. divide the Gunner into feveral Branches: All or the chief of which are I think as follow: Firft, The Bombardeer. Fourthly, The Serpent. AND First, Of the First. The Bombardeer toffes his Balls fometimes into the midst of a City, with a Defign to fill all around him with Terror and Combuftion. He has been fometimes known to drop a Bomb in a Senate-house, and to fcatter a Pannick over a Nation. But his chief Aim is at feveral eminent Stations, which he looks upon as the fairest Marks, and uses all his Skill to do Execution upon those who poffefs them. Every Man fo fcituated, let his Merit be never fo great, is fure to undergo a Bombardment, It is further obferved, that the only Way to be out of Danger from the Burfting of a Bomb, is to lie proftrate on the Ground; a Pofture too abject for generous Spirits. Secondly, The Miner. As the Bombardeer levels his Mischief at Nations and Cities, the Miner bufies himself in ruining and overturning private Houfes and particular Perfons. He oftea often acts as a Spy, in difcovering the fecret Avenues and unguarded Acceffes of Families, where, after he has made his proper Discoveries and Difpofitions, he fets fudden Fire to his Train, that blows up Families, fcatters Friends, feparates Lovers, difperfes Kindred, and shakes a whole Neighbourhood. IT is to be noted, that feveral Females are great Proficients in this Way of Engineering. The Marks by which they are to be known, are a wonderful Sollicitude for the Reputation of their Friends, and a more than ordinary Concern for the Good of their Neighbours. There is alfo in them fomething to very like Religion, as may deceive the Vulgar; but if you look upon it more nearly, you fee on it fuch a Caft of Cenforiouf. nefs, as difcovers it to be nothing but Hypocrify. Cleomilla is a great Inftance of a Female Miner: But as my Defign is to expofe only the Incorrigible, let her be fi Tent for the future, and I fhall be so too. Thirdly, The Squib. THE Squibs are thofe, who in the common Phrase of the World are called Libellers, Lampooners, and Pamphleteers. Their Fire-works are made up in Paper; and it is obferved, that they mix abundance of Charcoal in their Powder, that they may be fure to blacken where they cannot finge. These are observed to give a Confternation and Disturbance only to weak Minds; which, according to the Proverb, are always more afraid than hurt. Fourthly, Serpents, THE Serpents are a pretty Kind of Gunners, more pernicious than any of the reft. They make Ufe of a Sort of White Powder, that goes off without any vio lent Crack, but gives a gentle Sound, much like that of a Whifper; and is more deftructive in all Parts of Life, than any of the Materials made Use of by any of the Fraternity. Come we now to the Gunfters. THIS Race of Engineers deals altogether in WindGuns, which, by recoiling, often knock down those who difcharge them, without hurting any Body else, and according to the various Compreffions of the Air,, make fuch ftrange Squeaks, Cracks, Pops, and Boun K 2 ces, 'Tis cés, as it is impoffible to hear without Laughing. obfervable however, that there is a Difpofition in a Gunfter to become a Gunner; and though their proper Inftruments are only loaden with Wind, they often, our of Wantonnels, fire a Bomb, or spring a Mine, out of their natural Inclination to Engineering; by which Means they do Mischief when they don't design it, and have their Bones broken when they don't deferve it. THIS Sort of Engineers are the most unaccountable Race of Men in the World: Some of them have received above an Hundred Wounds, and yet have no Scar in their Bodies; fome have debauched Multitudes of Women who have died Maids. You may be with them from Morning till Night, and the next Day theyTM fhall tell you a Thoufand Adventures that happened when you were with them, which you know nothing of, They have a Quality of having been prefent at every Thing they hear related; and never heard a Man commended, who was not their intimate Acquaintance, if not their Kinfinan. I hope thefe Notes may ferve as a rough Draught for a new Establishment of Engineers, which I fhall hereaf ter fill up with proper Perfons, according to my own Obfervations on their Conduct, having already had one recommended to me for the General of my Artillery. But that, and all the other Pofts, I intend to keep open, till I can inform my felf of the Candidates, having refolved in this Cafe to depend no more upon their Friend's Word, than I would upon their own. From my own Apartment, Ottober 31. I was this Morning awaked by a fudden Shake of the Houfe; and as foon as I had got a little out of my Confternation, I felt another, which was followed by two or three Repetitions of the fame Convulfion. I got up as fast as poffible, girt on my Rapier, and fnatch'd up my Hat, when my Landlady came up to me, and told me, That the Gentlewoman of the next House begged me to ftep thither; for that a Lodger fhe had taken in was run mad, and the defired my Advice; as indeed every Body in the whole Lane does upon important Occafions. I am not like fome Artifts, fawcy, because I can be beneficial, but went immediately. Our Neigh bour After new bour told us, she had the Day before let her fecond Floor to a very genteel youngish Man, who told her, he kept extraordinary good Hours, and was generally at Home moft Part of the Morning and Evening at Study; but that this Morning he had for an Hour together made this extravagant Noife which we then heard. I went up Stairs with my Hand upon the Hilt of my Rapier, and approached this new Lodger's Door. I look'd in at the Key-hole, and there I faw a well-made Man look with great Attention on a Book, and on a fudden jump into the Air fo high, that his Head almost touched the Cieling. He came down fafe on his Right Foot, and again flew up alighting on his Left; then looking again at his Book, and holding out his Right Leg, put it into fuch a quivering Motion, that I thought he would have fhaked it off. He ufed the Left after the fame Manner, when on a fudden, to my great Surprize, he ftooped himself incredibly low, and turned gently on his Toes. After this circular Motion, he continued bent in that humble Posture for fome Time, looking on his Book. this, he recovered himself with a fudden Spring, round the Roomin all the Violence and Disorder ima ginable, till he made a full Paufe for Want of Breath. In this Interim my Women asked what I thought: I whifpered, that I thought this learned Perfon an Enthusiast, who poffibly had his firft Education in the Peripatetick Way, which was a Set of Philofophers, who always ftudied when walking. But obferving him much out of Breath, I thought it the best Time to mafter him if he were diforder'd, and knock'd at his Door. I was furprized to find him open it, and fay with great Civility and goodMien, That he hoped he had not disturbed us, I believed him in a lucid Interval, and defired he'd pleafe to let me fee his Book. He did fo, fimiling. I could not make any Thing of it, and therefore asked in what Language it was writ. He faid, It was one he ftudied with great Application; but it was his Profeflion to teach it, and he could not communicate his Knowledge without a Confideration. I anfwered, That I hoped he would hereafter keep his Thoughts to himself; for his Meditation this Morning had coft me three Coffee-Dishes, and a clean Pipe. He feemed concerned at that, and told me |