which people meet in public places, in order to prevent the unfeasonable declamations which we meet with there. I remember, in my youth, it was an humour at the univerfity, when a fellow pretended to be more eloquent than ordinary, and had formed to himself a plot to gain all our admiration, or triumph over us with an argu ment, to either of which he had no manner of call; I fay, in either of these cafes, it was the humour to shut one eye. This whimfical way of taking notice to him of his abfurdity, has prevented many a man from being a coxcomb. If amongst us, on fuch an occafion, each man offered a voluntary rhetorician fome fnuff, it would probably produce the fame effect. As the matter now ftands, whether a man will or no, he is obliged to be informed in whatever another pleases to entertain him with ; though the preceptor makes these advances out of vanity, and not to inftruct, but infult him. There is no man will allow him who wants courage. to be called a foldier; but men, who want good sense, are very frequently not only allowed to be scholars, but efteemed for being fuch. At the fame time it must be granted, that as courage is the natural parts of a foldier, fo is a good understanding of a scholar. Such little minds as thefe, whofe productions are collected in the volume to which I have the honour to be patron, are the inftruments for artful men to work with, and become popular with the unthinking part of mankind. In courts, they make transparent flatterers; in camps, oftentatious bullies; in colleges, unintelligible pedants; and their faculties are ufed accordingly by those who lead them. When a man who wants judgment is admitted into the conversation of reasonable men, he fhall remember fuch improper circumstances, and draw fuch groundless conclufions from their discourse, and that with fuch colour of fenfe, as would divide the best fet of company that can be got together. It is just thus with a fool who has a familiarity with books; he fball quote and recite one author against another, in fuch a manner as shall puzzle the best understanding to refute him; though the moft ordinary capacity may obferve, that it is only ignorance ignorance that makes the intricacy, All the true use of that we call learning is, to ennoble and improve our natural faculties, and not to disguise our imperfections. It is, therefore, in vain for folly to attempt to conceal itself by the refuge of learned languages. Literature does but make a man more eminently the thing which Nature made him; and Polyglottes, had he studied lefs than he has, and writ only in his mother tongue, had been known only in Great Britain for a pedant. 'Mr. Bickerstaff thanks Dorinda, and will both answer her letter, and take her advice.' C.. NO. 198. SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 1710. Quale fit id quod amas celeri circumfpice mente, OVID. Ars Amor. lib. 1. ver. 8gr From my own Apartment, July 14. The History of CALIA. R. WYNNE Ir is not neceffary to look back into the first years of this young lady, whofe ftory is of confequence only as her life has lately met with paffages very uncommon. She is now in the twentieth year of her age, and owes a ftrict, but cheerful education, to the care of an aunt; to whom he was recommended by her dying father, whofe decease was haftened by an inconfolable affliction for the lofs of her mother. As Cælia is the offspring of the most generous paffion that has been known in our age, the is adorned with as much beauty and grace as the most celebrated of her fex poffefs; but her domeftic C 5 life, ་ life, moderate fortune, and religious education, gave her but little opportunity, and lefs inclination, to be admired in public affemblies. Her abode has been, for fome years, at a convenient diftance from the cathedral of St. Paul's; where her aunt and the chofe to refide for the advantage of that rapturous way of devotion which gives ecftafy to the pleasures of innocence, and, in fome meafure, is the immediate poffeffion of thofe heavenly enjoyments for which they are addressed. As you may trace the ufual thoughts of men in their Countenances, there appeared in the face of Cælia a cheerfulness, the conftant companion of unaffecteď virtue, and a gladnefs, which is as infeparable from true piety. Her every look and motion spoke the peaceful, mild, refigning, humble inhabitant, that animated her beauteous body. Her air difcovered her body a mere machine of her mind, and not that her thoughts were employed in ftudying graces and attractions for her perfon. Such was Cælia, when he was first feen by Palamede at her ufual place of worship. Palamede is a young man "of two-and-twenty, well-falhioned, learned, genteel, and discreet; the fon and heir of a gentleman of a very great eftate,, and himself, poffeffed of a plentiful one by the gift of an uncle. He became enamoured with Calia; and, after having learned her habitation, had addrefs enough to communicate his paffion and circumftances with fuch an air of good-fenfe and integrity, as foon obtained permiffion to vifit and profefs his inclinations towards her. Palamede's prefent fortune, and future expectations, were no way prejudicial to his addresses; but, after the lovers had paffed fome time in the agreeable entertainments of a fuccessful courtship, Cælia one day took occafion to interrupt Palamede, in the midft of a very pleafing difcourfe of the happiness he promised himfelf in fo accomplished a companion; and, affuming a' ferious air, told him, there was another heart to be won before he gained her's, which was that of his father. Palamede fer med much difturbed at the overture; and lâmented to her, that his father was one of thofe too provident parents, who only place their thoughts upon bringing riches into their families by marriages, and are wholly infenfible of all other confiderations. But the ftrictness of Cælia's rules of life made her infift upon this demand; and the fon, at a proper hour, communicated to his father the circumstances of his love, and the merit of the object. The next day the father made her a vifit. The beauty of her perfon, the fame of her virtue, and a certain irrefiftible charm in her whole behaviour, on fo tender and delicate an occafion, wrought fo much upon him, in spite of all prepoffeffions, that he haftened the marriage with an impatience equal to that of his fon, Their nuptials were celebrated with a privacy fuitable to the character and modefty of Cælia; and from that day, until a fatal one lift week, they lived together with all the joy and happiness which attend minds entirely united. It fhould have been intimated, that Palamede is a ftudent of the Temple, and ufually retired thither early in the morning, Cælia ftill fleeping. It happened, a few days fince, that the followed him thither to communicate to him fomething the had omitted, in her redundant fondnefs, to fpeak of the evening before. When the came to his apartment, the fervant there told her, fhe was coming with a letter to her. While Cælia, in an inner room, was reading an apology from her husband, That he had been fuddenly taken by fome of his acquaintance to dine at Brentford, but that he should return in the evening, a country girl, decently clad, afked, if these were not the chambers of Mr. Palamede? She was answered, they were; but that he was not in town. The stranger afked, when he was expected at home? The fervant replied, fhe would go in and ask hi wife. The young woman repeated the word wife, and fainted. This accident raifed no lefs curiofity than amazement in Cælia, who caufed her to be removed into the inner room. Upon proper applications to revive her, the unhappy young creature returned to hertelf; and faid to Cælia, with an earnest and befeeching tone, Are you really Mr. Palamede's wife? Cælia replies, I hope I do not look as if I were any other in the condition you fee me. The ftranger anfwered, No, Madam, he is my husband. -C 6 At the fame inftant fhe threw a bundle of letters into Cælia's lap, which confirmed the truth of what the afferted. Their mutual innocence and forrow made them look at each other as partners in diftrefs, rather than rivals in love. The fuperiority of Cælia's understanding and genius gave her an authority to examine into this adventure, as if the had been offended againft, and the other the delinquent. The ftranger spoke in the following manner: • Madam, if it shall please you, Mr. Palamede, having an uncle of a good eftate near Winchester, was bred at the school there, to gain the more his good-will by being in his fight. His uncle died, and left him the eftate which my husband now has. When he was a mere youth, he fet his affections on me; but when he could not gain his ends, he married me; making me and my mother, who is a farmer's widow, fwear we would never tell it upon any account whatsoever; for that it would not look well for him to marry fuch a one as me; befides, that his father would cut him off of the eftate. I was glad to have him in an honest way; and he now and then came and stayed a night and away at our houfe. But very lately, he came down to fee us with a fine young gentleman, his friend, who stayed behind there with us, pretending to like the place for the fummer: but ever fince mafter Palamede went, he has attempted to abufe me; and I ran hither to acquaint him with it, and avoid the wicked intentions of his falfe friend.' Cælia had no more room for doubt; but left her rival in the fame agonies fhe felt herself. Palamede returns in the evening; and, finding his wife at his chambers, learned all that had paffed, and haftened to Cælia's lodgings. It is much easier to imagine, than exprefs, the fentiments of either the criminal, or the injured, at this encounter. As foon as Palamede had found way for fpeech, he confeffed his marriage, and his placing his companion on purpose to vitiate-his wife, that he might break through a marriage made in his nonage, and devote his riper and knowing |