amufements of the powerful and the wife: this emperor therefore, with great regularity, every day at five in the afternoon, leaves his money-changers, his publicans, and little hoarders of wealth, to their low purfuits, and af cends his chariot to drive to Will's; where the taste is refined, and a relifh given to men's poffeffions, by a po lite skill in gratifying their paffions and appetites. There it is that the emperor has learned to lived and to love, and not, like a mifer, to gaze only on his ingots or his treafures; but with a nobler fatisfaction, to live the admiration of others, for his fplendour and happiness in being master of them. But a prince is no more to be his own caterer in his love, than in his food; therefore Aurengezebe has ever in waiting two purveyors for his difhes, and his wenches for his retired hours, by whom the scene of his diverfion is prepared in the following manner.

There is near Covent-garden a ftreet known by the name of Drury, which, before the days of Christianity, was purchased by the queen of Paphos, and is the only part of Great Britain where the tenure of vaffalage is ftill in being. All that long course of building is under particular diftricts or ladyfhips, after the manner of lordships in other parts, over which matrons of known abilities prefide, and have, for the fupport of their age and infirmities, certain taxes paid out of the rewards of the amorous labours of the young. This feraglio of Great Britain is difpofed into convenient alleys and apartments, and every house, from the cellar to the garret, inhabited by nymphs of different orders, that perfons of every rank may be accommodated with an immediate confort to allay their flames, and partake of their cares. Here it is, that when Aurengezebe thinks fit to give a loofe to dalliance, the purveyors prepare the entertainment; and what makes it more auguft is, that every perfon concerned in the interlude has his fet part, and the prince fends beforehand word what he defigns to fay, and directs alfo the very anfwer which fhall be made to him.

It has been before hinted, that this emperor has a continual commerce with India; and it is to be noted, that the largest stone that rich earth has produced, is in our Aurengezebe's poffeffion.

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But

But all things are now difpofed for his feception. At his entrance into the feraglio, a fervant delivers him his beaver of state and love, on which is fixed this ineftimable jewel as his diadem. When he is feated, the purveyors, Pandarus and Nuncio, marching on each fide of the matron of the houfe, introduce her into his prefence. In the midft of the room, they bow all together to the diadem. When the matron

• Whoever thou art, as thy awful afpect speaks thee a man of power, be propitious to this manfion of love, and → let not the severity of thy wifdom disdain, that by the reprefentation of naked innocence, or paftoral figures, we revive in thee the memory at least of that power of Venus, to which all the wife and the brave are fome part of their lives devoted.' Aurengezebe confents by a nod, and they go out backward.

After this, an unhappy nymph, who is to be fuppofed juft efcaped from, the hands of a ravisher, with her treffes difhevelled, runs into the room with a dagger in her hand, and falls before the emperor.

་

Pity! oh, pity, whoever thou art, an unhappy virgin, whom one of thy train has robbed of her innocence; her innocence, which was all her portion-Or rather let me die like the memorable Lucretia.-Upon which the stabs herself. The body is immediately examined after the manner of our coroners. Lucretia recovers by a cup of right Nantz; and the matron, who is her next relation, ftops all process at law.

This unhappy affair is no fooner over, but a naked mad woman breaks into the room, calls for her duke, her lord, her emperor. As foon as the fpies Aurengezebe, the object of all her fury and love, fhe calls for petticoats, is ready to fink with fhame, and is dreffed in all hafte in new attire at his charge. This unexpected accident of the mad woman makes Aurengezebe curious to know, whether others who are in their fenfes can guess at his quality. For which reafon, the whole convent is examined one by one. The matron marches in with a tawdry country girl-Pray, Winifred, fays fhe, who do you think that fine man with those jewels and pearls is? believe, fays Winifred, it is our landlord-It must be the

-I

efquire

efquire himfelf--The emperor laughs at her fimplicity -Go fool, fays the matron: then turning to the emperor--Your greatness will pardon her ignorance! After her, feveral others of different characters are instructed to mistake who he is, in the fame manner: then the whole fifterhood are called together, and the emperor rifes, and cocking his hat, declares, he is the Great Mogul, and they his concubines. A general murmur goes through the whole affembly, and Aurengezebe, certifying that he keeps them for state rather than ufe, tells them, they are' permitted to receive all men into their apartments; then' proceeds through the crowd, among whom he throws medals fhaped like half-crowns, and returns to his chariot.

This being all that passed the last day in which Aurengezebe vifited the woman's apartment, I confulted Pacolet concerning the foundation of fuch ftrange amufements in old age: to which he answered, You may remember, when I gave you an account of my good fortune in being drowned on the thirtieth day of my human life, I told you of the disasters I should otherwise have met with before I arrived at the end of my ftamen, which was fixty years. I may now add an obfervation to you, that all who exceed that period, except the latter part of it is spent in the exercife of virtue and contemplation of futurity, muft neceffarily fall into an indecent old age; becaufe, with regard to all the enjoyments of the years of vigour and manhood, childhood returns upon them: and as infants ride on sticks, build houfes in dirt, and make ships in gutters, by a faint idea of things they are to act hereafter; fo old men play the lovers, potentates and emperors, for the decaying image of the more perfect performances of their stronger years: therefore be fure to infert Æfculapius and Aurengezebe in your next bill of mortality of the metaphorically defunct.

Will's Coffee-houfe, July 24.

As foon as I came hither this evening, no less than ten people produced the following poem, which they all reported was fent to each of them by the penny-poft from

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a

an unknown hand. All the battle-writers in the room were in debate, who could be the author of a piece fo martially written; and every body applauded the address and skill of the author, in calling it a poftfcript: it being the nature of a poftfcript to contain fomething very material which was forgotten, or not clearly expreffed in the letter itself. Thus the verfes being occafioned by a march without beat of drum, and that circumftance being no ways taken notice of in any of the ftanzas, the author calls it a poftfcript; not that it is a poftfcript, but figuratively, because it wants a poftfcript. Common writers, when what they mean is not expreffed in the book itself, fupply it by a preface; but a poftfcript seems to me the more juft way of apology; because otherwise a man makes an excufe before the offence is committed. All the heroic poets were gueffed at for its author; but though he could not find out his name, yet one repeated a couplet in Hudibras, which fpoke his qualifications.

J' th' midft of all this warlike rabble,
Crowdero march'd, expert and able.

The poem is admirably fuited to the occafion; for to write, without discovering your meaning, bears a juft refemblance to marching without beat of drum.

On the march to Tournay without beat of drum.

The BRUSSELS POSTSCRIPT.

Could I with plaineft words exprefs
That great man's wonderful addrefs,
His penetration, and his tow'ring thought;
It would the gazing world furprise,

To fee one man at all times wife,
To view the wonders he with cafe has wrought.

Refining schemes approach his mind,
Like breezes of a fouthern wind,

To temperate a fultry glorious day;
Whofe fannings, with an ufeful pride,
Its mighty heat do foftly guide,

And, having clear'd the air, glide filently away.

Thus

• Thus his immensity of thought

Is deeply form'd, and gently wrought,
His temper always foftening life's disease;
That Fortune, when fhe does intend
To rudely frown, fhe turns his friend,
Admires his judgment, and applauds his ease.

His great address in this defign,
Does now, and will for ever fhine,
And wants a Waller but to do him right;
The whole amusement was fo strong,
Like fate he doom'd them to be wrong,
And Tournay's took by a peculiar flight.

Thus, madam, all mankind behold
Your vaft afcendent, not by gold,
But by your wisdom and your pious life;
Your aim no more, than to destroy
That which does Europe's eafe annoy,
And fuperfede a reign of fhame and ftrife.

St. James's Coffee-boufe, July 24.

My brethren of the quill, the ingenious fociety of news-writers, having with great spirit and elegance already informed the world, that the town of Tournay capitulated on the twenty-eighth inftant; there is nothing left for me to fay, but to congratulate the good company here, that we have reafon to hope for an opportunity of thanking Mr. Withers next winter in this place, for the service he has done his country. No man deserves better of his friends than that gentleman, whofe diftinguishing character it is, that he gives his orders with the familiarity, and enjoys his fortune with the generofity, of a fellow-foldier. His grace the duke of Argyle had alfo an eminent part in the reduction of this important place. That illuftrious youth discovers the peculiar turn of fpirit and greatness of foul, which only make men of high birth and quality ufeful to their country; and confiders nobility as an ima ginary distinction, unless accompanied with the practice

of