13:1 "nours; and fince you have begun to publish to the "world the great fagacity and vigilance of the Knights "of the Industry, it will be expected you fhall proceed to do juftice to all the focieties of them you can be "informed of; efpecially fince their own great industry "covers their actions as much as poffible from that pub"lic notice which is their due.

Paulum fepulta diftat inertie

Celata Virtus.

HOR. Od. 9. 1. 4. v. 29. "Hidden vice, and concealed virtue, are much alike.

"Be pleafed therefore to let the following memoirs "have a place in their history.

"In a certain part of the town, famous for the frefheft "oyfters and the plaineft English, there is a house, 'or "rather a college, facred to hofpitality, and the induf"trious arts. At the entrance is hieroglyphically drawn "a cavalier contending with a monfter, with jaws ex"panded, juft ready to devour him.

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"Hitherto the brethren of the Industry refort; but to "avoid oftentation, they wear no habits of diftinction, "and perform their exercifes with as little noife and "fhew as poffible. Here are no under-graduates, but "each is mafter of his art. They are diftributed according to their various talents, and detached abroad "in parties, to divide the labours of the day. They "have dogs as well-nofed and as fleet as any, and no fportsmen fhew greater activity. Some beat for the "game, fome hunt it, others come in at the death; "and my honeft landlord makes very good venifon fauce, "and eats his fhare of the dinner.

"I would fain purfae my metaphors; but a venerable "perfon who ftands by me, and waits to bring you this "Letter, and whom, by a certain benevolence in his "look, I fufpect to be Pacolet, reproves me, and obliges

me to write in plainer terms, that the fociety had fixed "their eyes on a gay young Gentleman who has lately "fucceeded to a title and an eftate; the latter of which

they judged would be very convenient for them. "Therefore, after feveral attempts to get into his acquaintance, my landlord finds an opportunity to make

G 6

" his

his court to a friend of the young spark, in the following manner:

"Sir, as I take you to be a lover of ingenuity and plain dealing, I fhall speak very freely to you. In. "few words then, you are acquainted with Sir Liberal

Brifk. Providence has for our emolument fent him a "fair eftate; for men are not born for themselves. "Therefore if you will bring him to my house, we will

take care of him, and you fhall have half the profits. "There is Ace and Cutter will do his business to a hair. "You will tell me, perhaps, he is your friend; I grant. "it, and it is for that I propose it, to prevent his fall❝ing into ill hands.

"We'll carve him like a dish fit for the Gods, "Not hew him like a carcafe fit for hounds.

"In short, there are to my certain knowledge a hun-dred mouths open for him. Now if we can fecure **him to ourselves, we fhall disappoint all those rascals "" that do not deferve him. Nay, you need not start at Sir, it is for your own advantage. Befides, Partridge has caft me his nativity, and I find by certain defliny, his oaks must be felled.

of it.

"The Gentleman, to whom this honeft propofal was "made, made little answer; but faid he would confider "of it, and immediately took coach to find out the young Baronet, and told him all that had paffed, together with a new falvo to fatisfy a man's confcience *. in facrificing his friend. Sir Brifk was fired, fwore a

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dozen oaths, drew his fword, put it up again, called "for his man, beat him, and bid him fetch a coach.. "His friend asked him, what he defigned, and whither

he was going? He answered, to find out the villains, and fight them. To which his friend agreed, and "promifed to be his fecond, on condition he would first divide his eflate to them, and referve only a proportion to himself, that fo he might have the juftice of fighting his equals. His next refolution was to play with them, and let them fee he was not the bubble they took him for. But he foon quitted that, and refolved at last to tell Bickerstaff of them, and get them

ས་.

པ་.

• enrolled.

133 "enrolled in the order of the Industry; with this cau"tion to all young landed Knights and Efquires, that "whenever they are drawn to play, they would confider.

it as calling them down to a fentence already pro"nounced upon them, and think of the found of thefe "words, his oaks must be felled. I am,

Sir,

Your faithful, humble fervant,

Will. Trufty.

From my own Apartment, September 26.

It is wonderful to confider what a pitch of confidence this world is arrived at. Do people believe I am made up of patience? I have long told them, that I will fuffer no enormity to pafs, without I have an understanding with the offenders by way of hufh-money; and yet the, candidates at Queen-Hithe fend coals to all the town but me. All the public papers have had this advertisement.

London, September 22, 1709,

To the electors of an Alderman for the ward of Queen-Hithe.

“W Hereas an evil and pernicious cuftom has of

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late very much prevailed at the election of . Aldermen for this city, by treating at taverns and alehouses, thereby engaging many unwarily to give "their votes: Which practice appearing to Sir Arthur "de Bradly to be of dangerous confequence to the free“dom of elections, he hath avoided the excess thereof. "Nevertheless, to make an acknowledgment to this. ward for their intended favour, he hath depofited in "the hands of Mr. one of the prefent common-council, four hundred and fifty pounds, to be "difpofed of as follows, provided the faid Sir Arthur de Bradly be the Alderman, viz.

"All fuch that fhall poll for Sir Arthur de Bradly fhall have one chaldron of good coals gratis.

"And.

And half a chaldron to every one that shall not "poll against him.

"And the remainder to be laid out in a clock, diał, 66 or otherwise, as the common-council-men of the faid, "ward fhall think fit.

"And if any perfon fhall refuse to take the faid coats "to himself, he may affign the fame to any poor electors in the ward.

"I do acknowledge to have received the faid four "hundred and fifty pounds, for the purposes "above-mentioned, for which I have given a "receipt.

Witness, J

Jg Gb,
Ed D

J-n M-y.

"N. B. Whereas feveral perfons have already engaged to poll for Sir Humphry Greenhat, it is hereby farther "declared, that every fuch perfon as doth poll for Sir Humphry Greenbat, and doth alfo poll for Sir Arthur de Bradly, fhall each of them receive a chaldron of "coals gratis, on the provifio above-mentioned."

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This is certainly the moft plain dealing that ever was ufed, except that the juft quantity which an elector may drink without excefs, and the difference between an acknowledgment and a bribe, wants explanation. Another difficulty with me is, how a man who is bargained with for a chaldron of coals for his vote, fhall be faid to have that chaldron gratis? If my kinfman Greenbat had given me the leaft intimation of his defign, I fhould have prevented his publishing nonfenfe; nor fhould any knight in England have put my relation at the bottom of the leaf as a poftfcript, when after all it appears Greenbat has been the more popular man. There is here fuch open contradiction, and clumfy art to palliate the mat ter, and prove to the people, that the freedom of election is fafer when laid out in coals than ftrong drink, that I can turn this only to a religious ufe, and admire the

1

135 difpenfation of things; for if thefe fellows were as wife as they are rich, where would be our Hiberty? This reminds me of a memorable speech made to a city almost in the fame Latitude with Westminster: "When I think "of your wifdom, I admire your wealth; when I think ❝of your wealth, I admire your wisdom."

74. Thursday, September 29, 1709.

N° 74.

TH

White's Chocolate-houfe, September 28,

HE writer of the following Letter has made an use of me, which I did not forefee I fhould fall into. But the Gentleman having affured me that he has a moft tender paffion for the fair one, and speaking his intention with fo much fincerity, I am willing to let them contrive an interview by my means.

SIR,

Farnetly intreat you to publish the inclofed; for I have no other way to come at her, or return to myself.

P. S. Mr. BIKERSTAFF,

A. L.

"You cannot imagine how handfome fhe is: The fuperfcription of my letter will make her recollect the * man that gazed at her. Pray put it in."

I can affure the young Lady, the Gentleman is in the true trammels of love: How elfe would he make his fuperfcription fo very much longer than his billet? he fuperfcribes ;

"To the younger of the two ladies in mourning (who fat in the hindmoft feat of the middle box at

"Mr.