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After all that can be thought on thefe fubjects, I must confefs, that the men who drefs with a certain ambition to appear more than they are, are much more excufable than those who betray, in the adorning their perfons, a fecret vanity and inclination to fhine in things, wherein, if they did fucceed, it would rather leffen than advance their character. For this reafon I am more provoked at the allegations relating to the clergyman, than any other hinted at in thefe complaints. I have indeed a long time, with much concern, obferved abundance of pretty fellows in facred orders, and shall in due time let them know, that I pretend to give ecclefiaflical as well as civil cenfures. A man well-bred and well-dreffed in that habit, adds to the facredness of his function an agreeableness not to be met with among the laity. I own I have spent some evenings among the men of wit of that profeffion with an inexpreffible delight. Their habitual care of their character gives fuch a chastisement to their fancy, that all which they utter in company is as much above what you meet with in other converfation, as the charms of a modeft, are fuperior to thofe of a light woman. I therefore earnestly defire our young mithionaries from the univerfities to confider where they are, and not drefs, and look, and move, like young officers. It is no difadvantage to have a very handsome white hand; but were I to preach repentance to a gallery of ladies, I would, methinks, keep my gloves on: I have an unfeigned affection to the clafs of mankind appointed to ferve at the altar, therefore am in danger of running out of my way, and growing too ferious on this occafion; for which reason I fhall end with the following epiftle, which, by my intereft in Tom Trot the penny-poft, I procured a copy of.

To the Reverend Mr. Ralph Incenfe, Chaplain to the Countess Dowager of Brumpton.

• SIR,

I HEARD and faw you preach last Sunday. I amr an ignorant young woman, and understood not half

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you faid but ah! your manner, when you

your

held up both

hands towards our pew! Did you defign to win me to heaven or yourself?

Your humble fervant,

PENITENCE GENTLE.'

ADVERTISEMENT.

• Mr. Proctorstaff of Clare-hall in Cambridge, is received as a kinfman, according to his requeft, bearing date the twentieth instant.

The diftreffed fon of Æfculapius is defired to be more particular.'

Ko. 271. TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1710.

THE printer having informed me, that there are as many of thefe papers printed as will make four volumes, I am now come to the end of my ambition in this matter, and have nothing further to fay to the world under the character of Ifaac Bickerftaff. This work has indeed for fome time been difagreeable to me, and the purpose of it wholly loft by my being fo long understood as the author. I never defigned in it to give any man any secret wound by my concealment, but fpoke in the character of an old man, a philofopher, an humourift, an aftrologer, and a cenfor, to allure my reader with the variety of my fubjects, and infinuate, if I could, the weight of reafon with the agreeablenefs of wit. The general purpose of the whole has been to recommend truth, innocence, honour, and virtue, as the chief ornaments of life; but I confidered, that severity of manners was abfolutely neceffary to him who would cenfure others, and for that reason, and that only, chose to talk in a mask. I shall not carry my humility fo far as to call myfelf a vicious man, but at the fame time muft confefs, my life is at beft put pardonable. And with no greater character than this, a man

would

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319 would make but an indifferent progrefs in attacking pre-. vailing and fashionable vices, which Mr. Bickerftaff has done with a freedom of fpirit that would have loft both its beauty and efficacy, had it been pretended to by Mr. Steele.

As to the work itfelf, the acceptance it has met with is the the best proof of its value; but I fhould err against that candour which an honeft, man fhould always carry about him, if I did not own that the most approved pieces in it were written by others, and those which have been moft excepted againft, by myfelf. The hand that has affifted me in those noble difcourfes upon the immortality of the foul, the glorious profpes of another life, and the moft fublime ideas of religion and virtue, is a perfon who is too fondly my friend ever to own them; but I fhould little deferve to be his, if I ufurped the glory of them. I muft acknowledge at the fame time, that I think the fineft ftrokes of wit and humour in Mr. Bickerstaff's Lucubrations, are thofe for which he alfo is beholden to him. .

As for the fatirical part of thefe writings, thofe against the gentlemen who profefs gaming are the moft licentious; but the main of them I take to come from lofing gamefters, as invectives against the fortunate; for in vely many of them I was very little elfe but the tranfcriber. If any have been more particularly marked at, fuch perfons may impute it to their own behaviour, before they were touched upon, in publicly fpeaking their refentment against the author, and profeffing they would fupport any man who fhould infult him. When I mention this fubject, I hope major-general Davenport, brigadier Biffet, and my lord Forbes, will accept of my thanks for their frequent good offices, in profeffing their readiness to partake any danger that should befall me in fo juft an undertaking, as the endeavour to banish fraud and cozenage from the prefence and converfation of gentlemen.

But what I find is the leaft excufable part of all this work is, that I have in fome places in it touched upon matters which concern both church and ftate. All I fhall fay for this is, that the points I alluded to are fuch

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as concerned every chriftian and freeholder in England;
and I could not be cold enough to conceal my opinion on
fubjects which related to either of thofe characters. But
politics apart. I must confefs, it has been a most exqui-
fite pleasure to me to frame characters of domestic life,
and put thofe parts of it which are least observed into an
agreeable view; to inquire into the feeds of vanity and
affectation; to lay before the readers the emptinefs of am-
bition in a word, to trace human life through all its
mazes and receffes, and fhew much shorter methods than
men ordinarily practise, to be happy, agreeable, and great.

:

But to inquire into men's faults and weakneffes has
fomething in it fo unwelcome, that I have often feen peo-
ple in pain to act before me, whofe modesty only makes
them think themfelves liable to cenfure. This, and a
thoufand other nameless things, have made it an irksome
talk to me to perfonate Mr. Bickerstaff any longer; and [
believe it does not often happen, that the reader is de-
lighted where the author is difpleafed.

All I can now do for the further gratification of the
town, is to give them a faithful explication of paffages
and allufions, and fometimes of perfons intended in the
feveral fcattered parts of the work. At the fame time,
I fhall difcover which of the whole have been written by
me, and which by others, and by whom, as far as I am
able, or permitted*.

Thus I have voluntarily done what I think all authors
fhould do, when called upon. I have published my name
to my writings, and given myfelf up to the mercy of the
town, as Shakespeare expreffes it, with all my imperfec-
tions on my head. The indulgent reader's

most obliged,

most obedient,

humble fervant,

RICHARD STEELE.

This is done in the Preface to this Volume.

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INDE X.

ABSTINENCE

BSTINENCE the beft phyfic, N. 240.

Adverfity, an eafe for it, N. 233.

Advertisements, a collection of them a kind of mifcellany,

N. 224.

of great ufe to the vulgar, ibid.
fpecimens of them, N. 228, N. 245.

Affection diftinguished from efteem, N. 206.

nearly related to efteem in the fair fex, ibid.
Alexander the Great, his character and irregularity of tem-
per, N. ¡gi.

remarkable incident between him and

his phyfician, N. 2-9.

Alexander Truncheon, foreman of the jury in the court of
Honour, N. 253.

Ambition, in grotefque, what, N. 202.

its refuge when difappointed, ibid.

no true happiness in the fuccefs of that infatuating
and infatiable passion, ibid.

the true object of laudable ambition, N. 251.

Aminadab the quaker, his admonition, N. 190.

Apollo, the god of verfe and phyfic, N. 240.

Apothecaries, great orators, ibid.

Appetites, how to be governed, N. 205.

Aftræa, an unfortunate wife, N. 241.

BACON, lord, a nobleman of extraordináry learning and qua
lifications, N. 267.

a prayer compofed by him, ibid.

Banbury, famous for cakes and zeal, N. 220.
Beans, why to be abtained from, N. 240.
Beauty, the town over ftocked with it, N. 195.

Bickerstaff, Mr. a benefactor to Grub-street, N. 229..

lady, N. 207.

entertains his three nephews and a young,

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