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" and talk of nothing elfe but War, Death, and << Slaughter. -Others again are affected with a Chilnefs through all their Limbs, cold Sweats, ་་ Faintings, and a continual Pannick.- But the "chief Signs which attend it through all, are, 66 an Oppreffion on the Lungs, a violent Anxiety "of the Mind, and an almost intolerable Burning << at the Heart.

"Many great Phyficians have been of Opinion, "that nothing but the opening Spirit of MARS "could effectually root out thofe Evils; nay, most " of the Patients themselves feem'd inclin❜d to that "Method of Cure. But, whenever it was "mention'd to either of the before-named DocLet us talk the Cafe over again, was "SUBLIMATE's conftant Answer.- Aye, aye, "another Confultation, cries Ballance, tho', by "that Delay, their Patients were more weaken'd "than they would have been by the Roughness of "that Preparation, which was all the Objection they could make againft it. But it is no

"tors,

"

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great Wonder, that both our Doctors had fo "trong an Averfion to that Tin&ura Martis, fince "it was certain, if that Medicine had come into Play, their Run of Practice would have been "immediately determined.

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SIR,

I

SATURDAY, Oct. 23, 1731.

To the Author of Fog's Journal.

HAVE, for fome Weeks paft, waited, in Expectation, that either yourfelf, or the Craftsman, would have given one of the minifterial Writers a fmall Rebuke for a late Sally of his, which I am going to take Notice of, fince have been filent upon it.

you

You must have obferv'd, I prefume, that those excellent Writers begin, of late, to exceed themfelves; particularly, that celebrated Wit, as well as moft profound Politician, Mr. Walfingham: Without Doubt, he has heard the old Saying, that Truth may be fometimes unfeasonable, which he has well improv'd, for he fhews us, it is his Opinion, that Sense may be unfeasonable as well as Truth, therefore he has very judicioufly laid both afide, in order to try what can be done by indefatigable Teazing. — He feems to bear in Mind the good Advice which the Lawyer in the Play gives to his Clerk.

One of our Poets, in a Comedy has reprefented a little knavish Attorney inftructing his Clerk to the following Purpofe. Young Man (fays he) let others think of Logick, Rhetorick, and I know not what Impertinence, but mind thou Tautology. What's the first Excellence in a Lawyer? Tautology Second? Tautology. What's the Third? tology; as a famous Orator of old faid of Action.

What's the

Tau

I fay,

he

he feems to have this good Advice always before his Eyes, and thinks it may be as neceffary to a Hackney Writer in Politicks as a Hackney Writer in Law; for when we fee a thoufand Repetitions of the fame filly Falfhood, and after that a thousand more, we cannot help thinking, that he has bargain'd with his Patron to be paid by the Sheet, or rather by the Yard, or the Ell; nay, I believe, we may produce feveral of his Difcourfes, where, after he has fcribled an Acre and an half of Paper, he may defy the Devil himself, with all his Cunning, to find out what he is attempting to prove, or what he would be at, except to multiply Words, and use a great Quantity of Paper.

I must confefs, he would make you believe, that he is writing Encomiums upon a certain Great Man; if fo, we find the Obfervation of an ingenious Wri ter made good, that the Flatterer is often like his Brother Spaniel, who dirties him most whom he most fawns upon.

But, to come to the Point propofed ;-I make no Question but you must have obferv'd,that this wretched Sycophant is every now and then harping upon the Story of Doctor Atterbury, the banish'd Bishop of Rochefter; nay, the Crocodile affects to fpeak of him as if he were capable of Compaffion for his Sufferings, for he calls him that unfortunate Perfon; but you will be apt to ask, What means this Fit of Humanity? To answer that Question directly, it owes its Rife to Malice, and the Fellow can fo far forget his Nature, as to fpeak with fome Tendernefs, even of this learned Prelate, that it may furnish him with an Opportunity of throwing his Sufferings into Mr. P's Teeth, by Way of Reproach.

It is neceffary to obferve in this Place, that the Perfon who fome time fince writ a Defence of Mr. P-took Notice that the late King made that Gentleman

A a 3

a Pre

a Prefent of a Set of Parliament Journals; that Circumftance is laid hold of, by this fair and candid Writer, to blacken him, and he rings it in your Ears, at the fame Time that he mentions the 'Report of the Committee, as if he wou'd have you think thofe Books were given as a Bribe for the Share he had in that Affair. Thefe are his Words. After Mr. P. had prefented to the House the famous Report of March the firft, feventeen hundred and two, which bears his Name to this Day, and after he had gone through the Proceedings against thofe unfortunate Perfons Plunket, Kelly, and the Bifbop, he was complimented with a compleat Set of the Journals of Parliament at his late Majefty's Expence. -But, left the Infinuation fhould not be ftrong enough to be understood in that Senfe, he fays a little after, I will not aver, upon my Honour, that they (the Books) were given him by the Court as a Recompence for Services done in the House of Commons, nor do I aver, upon my Honour, that he ask'd and receiv'd them as the Merit of thofe Services, and as a Recompence for them.

This Negative Method of Abuse is much practiced in a certain Part of the Town, where this pretty Fellow feems to have had his Education. Whoever has had the Curiofity to liften to a Controversy betwixt two female Difputants in a certain Market famous for Oratory, must have heard this Figure of Rhetorick often thrown out.- -As for Example,Take Notice I don't call her Whore, I did not say her Husband was a Cuckold. Nothing is fo natural as for a Man to fall into the Stile of that Place where he was bred.

But if we were to enquire into the Juftice of this Reflection, we must be obliged to appeal to the Perfon who is most practiced in the Mystery of Bribery, for he alone is able to fatisfy us whether a Book or Books will pass for current Coin in that in

famous

famous Traffick. One Thing I know; that Men are fo cenforious to fay, that if a certain Gentleman had never taken any thing but a Prefent of Books his Name would not have been fo famous upon Record as we fee it to Day. But we'll dwell no more upon that at prefent.- Let us only put the World in Mind of what a foolish Method thefe fcurrilous Fellows have hit upon of afperfing a Gentleman, whom they cannot without the utmoft Envy and Malice behold every Day growing more and more popular, nay growing popular chiefly by oppofing their Patron. But it is Mr. P's peculiar good Fortune, that every fcurrilous Thing which is advanced against him by these Wretches is destroy'd by themselves. The Prefent which was made him of a Set of Journals is call'd in direct Terms a Bribe, and for what was this Bribe given? The Fellow has the Impudence to infinuate for his Share in Banishing the Bishop of Rochester, and yet before he has done he maintains, that the Report which did the Bishop fo much Mischief was not drawn by him neither, but by another Mr. P. no Ways allied to the others Family, his Politicks, or his Morals.

Thus he first calls it Mr. P-'s Report, (and by the Bye, he is the only Perfon that ever call'd it fo) he throws out as many Abuses against him for it as would fill two fuch Papers as this I fend you, and when he has done tells you it was not his Report; fo that he has acted juft as honeftly as the Fellow did, who put a Watch into a Gentleman's Pocket, only that he might have an Opportunity to fwear a Robbery against him.

As for my own Part, I have not the Honour of any Acquaintance with Mr. P—, nor with a certain Lord, but when I fee two Perfons fingled out from among the many thousands, who are as much out of Humour with a certain Gentleman's Conduct as they can be, when I fee him fet all his dirty Hirelings