Victory, came up with the Swedish Army (which was left to the Command of General Lewenhaupt) on the 30th of June, O., S. on the Banks of the Borifthenes; whereupon he fent General Lewenhaupt a Summons to fubmit himself to his prefent Fortune: Lewenhaupt immediately dispatched three General Officers to that Prince, to treat about a Capitulation; but the Swedes, though they confifted of 15000 Men, were in fo great Want of Provifion and Ammunition, that they were obliged to furrender themselves at Difcretion, His Czarish Majefty dispatched an Exprefs to General Goltz with an Account of thefe Particulars, and alfo with InAtructions to send out Detachments of his Cavalry to prevent the King of Sweden's joining his Army in Poband. That Prince made his Efcape with a small Party by fwimming over the Borifthenes; and it was thought, he defigned to retire into Poland by the Way of Volhinia. Advices from Bern of the 11th Inftant, fay, That the General Diet of the Helvetic Body held at Baden concluded on the 6th; but the Deputies of the Six Cantons, who are deputed to determine the Affair of Tockenburg. continue their Application to that Bufinefs, notwith ftanding fome new Difficulties ftarted by the Abbot of St. Gall. Letters from Geneva of the 9th fay, That the Duke of Savoy's Cavalry had join'd Count Thaun, as had alfo two Imperial Regiments of Huffars; and that his Royal Highness's Army was difpofed in the following Manner:The Troops under the Command of Count Thaun are extended from Conftans to St. Peter d'Albigni. Small Parties are left in feveral Pofts from thence to Little St. Bernard, to preferve the Communication with Piedmont by the Valley of Aofta. Some Forces are alfo pofted at Tatoir, and in the Caftle of Doin, on each Side of the Lake of Anneci. General Rhebinder is encamped in the Valley of Oulx with 10000 Foot, and fome Detachments of Horfe: His Troops are extended from Exilles to Mount Genevre, fo that he may easily penetrate into Dauphine on the leaft Motion of the Enemy; but the Duke of Berwick takes all neceffary Precautions to prevent fuch an Enterprize. That General's Head Quarters are at Francin; and he hath disposed his Army in feveral Parties, to preferve a Communication with the Maurienne and Briançon. He hath no Provifions for his Army but from Savoy; Provence and Dauphine being unable to fupply him with Neceffaries. He left two Regiments of Dragoons at Annen, who fuffered very much in the late Action at Teffons, where they loft 1500, who were killed on the Spot, 4 Standards, and 300 Prifoners, among whom were 40 Officers. The laft Letters from the Duke of Marlborough's Camp at Orchies of the 19th Inftant advife, That Monfieur Ravignan being returned from the French Court with an Account, That the King of France refufed to ratify the Capitulation for the Surrender of the Citadel of Tournay, the Approaches have been carried on with great Vigour and Succefs: Our Miners have difcovered feveral of the Enemy's Mines, who have fprung diversothers, which did little Execution; but for the better Security of the Troops, both Affaults are carried on by the cautious Way of Sapping. On the 18th, the confederate Army made a general Forage without any Lofs. Marfhal Villars continues in his former Camp, and applies himself with great Diligence in cafting up new Lines behind the old on the Scarp. The Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene defigned to begin a ge neral Review of the Army on the 20th. • • • • • • • • • • N° 56. Thursday, August 18. 1709. White's Chocolate-house, August 17. WHERE is a young Foreigner committed to my Care, who puzzles me extremely in the Questions he asks about the Perfons of Figure we meet in publick Places. He has but very little of our Language, and therefore I am mightily at a Lofs to exprefs to him Things, for which they have no Word in that Tongue to which he was born. It has been often my Answer, upon his asking, Who fuch a fine Gentleman is? That he 29 he is what we call a Sharper, and he wants my Explication. I thought it would be very unjust to tell him, he is the fame the French call Coquin; the Latins, Nebulo; or the Greeks, Párna: For as Cuftom is the most powerful of all Laws, and that the Order of Men we call Sharpers are received amongst us, not only with Permiffion, but Favour, I thought it unjuft to use them like Perfons upon no Establishment. Befides that, it would be an unpardonable Dishonour to our Country, to let him leave us with an Opinion, that our Nobility and Gentry kept Company with common Thieves and Cheats: I told him, they were a Sort of tame Huffars, that were allowed in our Cities, like the wild ones in our Camp, who had all the Privileges belonging to us, but at the fame time were not tied to our Difcipline or Laws. Aletheus, who is a Gentleman of too much Virtue for the Age he lives in, would not let this Matter, be thus palliated, but told my Pupil, That he was to understand, that Diftinction, Quality, Merit, and Induftry, were laid afide amongst us by the Incurfions of thefe civil Huffars, who had got fo much Countenance, that the Breeding and Fashion of the Age turned their Way to the Ruin of Order and OEconomy in all Places where they are admitted. But Sophronius, who never, falls into Heat upon any Subject, but applies proper Language, Temper, and Skill, with which the Thing in Debate is to be treated, told the Youth, that Gentleman had spoke nothing but what was literally true, but fell upon it with too ntuch Earneftness to give a true Idea of that Sort of People he was declaiming against, or to remedy the Evil which he bewail'd: For the Acceptance of thefe Men being an Ill which hath crept into the Converfation-Part of our Lives, and not into our Constitution it self, it must be corrected where it began, and confequently is to be amended only by bringing Raillery and Derifion upon the Perfons who are guilty, or those who converfe with them. For the Sharpers (continued he) at prefent are not as formerly, under the Acceptation of Pick-pockets; but are by Cuftom erected into a real and venerable Body of Men, and have fubdued us to fo very particular aDeference to them, that tho' they are known to be Men without HoVOL. II. C nour mour or Confcience, no Demand is called a Debt of Honour fo indifputably as theirs. You may lofe your Honour to them, but they lay none against you: As the Priesthood in Roman-Catholick Countries can purchafe what they pleafe for the Church, but they can alienate nothing from it. It is from this Toleration, that Sharpers are to be found among all Sorts of Affemblies and Companies, and every Talent amongst Men is made Ufe of by fome one or other of the Society for the Good of their Common Caufe: So that an unexperienced young Gentleman is as often ensnared by his Undertanding as his Folly: For who could be unmoved, to hear the eloquent Dromio explain the Conftitution, tałk in the Key of Cato, with the Severity of one of the ancient Sages, and debate the greatest Queftion of State in a common Chocolate or Coffee-house ? Whe could, I fay, hear this generous Declamator, without being fired at his noble Zeal, and becoming his profeffed Follower, if he might be admitted? Monoculus's Gravity would be no lefs inviting to a Beginner in Converfation, and the Snare of his Eloquence would equally catch one who had never feen an old Gentleman fo very wife, and yet fo little fevere. Many other Inftances of extraordinaryMen among the Brotherhood might be produced; but every Man who knows the Town, can fupply himself with fuch Examples without their being named. Will. Vafer, who is skilful at finding out the ridiculous Side of a Thing, and placing it in a new and properLight, (though he very feldom talks) thought fit to enter into this Subject. He has lately loft certain loofe Sums, which half the Income of his Eftate will bring in within feven Years: Befides which, he propofes to marry, to fet all right. He was therefore indolent enough to fpeak of this Matter with great Impartiality. When I look round me, (faid this eafy Gentleman) and confider in a juft Ballance usBubbles, elder Brothers, whofe Support our dull Fathers contrived to depend upon certain Acres, with the Rooks, whofe Ancestors left them the wide World; I cannot but admire their Fraternity, and contemn my own. Is not JackHeyda, much to be preferred to the Knight he has bubbled? Jack has his Equipage, hisWenches, ⚫ and and his Followers: The Knight fo far from a Retinue, that he is almoft one of Jack's. However, he is gay, you fee, ftill; a florid Outfide- His Habit fpeaks the Man And fince he muft unbutton, he would not be reduced outwardly, but is ftripped to his upper Coat. But though I have great Temptation to it, I will not at this Time give the Hiftory of the lofing Side, but fpeak the Effects of my Thoughts, fince the Lofs of my Money, upon the gaining People. This ill Fortune makes moft Men contemplative and given to Reading; at leaft it has happened fo to me and the Rife and Fall of the Family of Sharpers indi Ages has been my Contemplation. I find, all Times have had of this People: Homer, in his excellent Heroick Poem, calls them Myrmidons, who were a Body who kept among theinfelves, and had nothing to lofe; therefore never fpared either Greek or Trojan, when they fell in their Way, upon a Party. But there is a memorable Verfe, which gives us an Account of what broke that whole Body, and made both Greeks and Trojans Masters of the Secret of their Warfare and Plunder. There is nothing fo pedantick as many Quotations; therefore I fhall inform you only, that in this Battalion there were two Officers, called Therfites and Pandarus; they were both lefs renowned for their Beauty than their Wit; but each had this particularHappiness, that they were plunged over Head and Ears in the fame Water, which made Achilles invulnerable and hadz ever after certain Gifts, which the rest of the World were never to enjoy. Among others, they were never to know they were the moft dreadful to the Sight of all Mortals, never to be diffident of their own Abilities, never to blush, or ever to be wounded but by each other. Though fome Hiftorians fay, Gaming began among the Lydians to divert Hunger, I could cite many Authorities to prove it had its Rife at the Siege of Troy; and that Ulyffes won the fevenfold Shield at Hazard. But be that as it may, the Ruin of the Corps of the Myrmidons proceeded from a Breach between Therfites and Pandarus. The firft of thefe was Leader of a Squadron, wherein the latter was but a private Man; but having all the good Qualities neceflary for a Partizan, he was the Favourite C2 |