in proper places. The pofts affigned to Doubt, Delay, and Danger, are admirable. The gate of Good Defert has fomething noble and inftructive in it. But, above all, I am moft pleased with the beautiful groupe of figures in the corner of the temple. Among these, Womanhood is drawn like what the philofophers call an Univerfal Nature, and is attended with beautiful reprefentatives of all thofe virtues that are the ornaments of the female fex, confidered in its natural perfection and innocence. NO. 195. SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1710. Grecian Coffee-house, July 7. THE learned world are very much offended at many of my ratiocinations, and have but a very mean opinion of me as a politician. The reafon of this is, that some erroneously conceive a talent for politics to confift in the regard to a man's own intereft; but I am of quite another mind, and think the first and effential quality towards being a statesman is, to have a public fpirit. One of the gentlemen, who are out of humour with me, imputes my falling into a way, wherein I am fo very awkward, to a barrennefs of invention; and has the charity to lay new matter before me for the future, He is at the bottom my friend; but is at a loss to know, whether I am a fool or a phyfician; and is pleafed to expoftulate with me with relation to the latter. He falls heavy upon licentiates, and seems to paint more particularly at us who are not regularly of the faculty. But fince he has been fo civil to me, as to meddle only with those who are employed no further than about men's lives, and not reflected upon me as of the aftrological fect, who concern ourselves about lives and fortunes also, I am not fo much hurt as to stifle any part of his fond letter. 3 · SIR, SIR, I AM afraid there is fomething in the fufpicions of some people, that you begin to be fhort of mat¬ ter for your Lucubrations. Though feveral of them now and then did appear fomewhat dull and infipid to me, I was always charitably inclined to believe the fault lay in myself, and that I wanted the true key to decypher your myfteries; and remember your advertisement upon this account. But fince I have feen you fall into an unpardonable error, yea, with a relapfe; I mean, fince I have feen you turn politician in the prefent unhappy dif fenfions, I have begun to ftagger, and could not choose but leffen the great value I had for the cenfor of our ifle. How is it poffible that a man, whom intereft did naturally lead to a conftant impartiality in these matters, and who hath wit enough to judge that his opinion was not like to make many profelytes; how is it poffible, I fay, that a little paffion, for I have ftill too good an opinion of you to think you was bribed by the staggering party, could blind you fo far as to offend the very better half of the nation, and to leffen off fo much the number of your friends? Mr. Morphew will not have cause to thank you, unless you give over, and endeavour to regain what you have loft. There are ftill a great many themes you have left untouched; fuch as the ill management of matters relating to law and phyfic; the fetting down rules for knowing the quacks in both profeffions. What a large field is there left in difcovering the abufes of the college, who had a charter and privileges granted them to hinder the creeping in and prevailing of quacks and pretenders; and yet grant licences to barbers, and write letters of recommendation in the country towns, out of the reach of their practice, in favour of mere boys; valuing the health and lives of their countrymen no farther than they get money by them. You have faid very little or nothing about the difpenfation of justice in town and country, where clerks are the counfellors to their mafters. • But But as I cannot expect that the cenfor of Great Britain fhould publifh a letter wherein he is cenfured with too much reafon himself; yet I hope you will be the better for it, and think upon the themes I have mentioned, which muft certainly be of greater fervice to the world, yourself, and Mr. Morphew, than to let us know whether you are a whig or a tory. I am still Your admirer and fervant, CATO JUNIOR.' This gentleman and I differ about the words, ftaggering and better part; but, inftead of anfwering to the particulars of this epiftle, I fhall only acquaint my correfpondent, that I am at prefent forming my thoughts upon the foundation of Sir Scudamore's progrefs in Spenfer, which has led me, from all other amufements, to confider the ftate of love in this ifland; and, from the corruptions in the government of that, to deduce the chief evils of life. In the mean time that I am thus emploved, I have given pofitive orders to Don Saltero of Chelsea, the tooth-drawer, and Doctor Thomas Smith, the corn-cutter, of King-ftreet, Westminster, who have the modefty to confine their pretenfions to manual operations, to bring me in, with all convenient speed, complete lifts of all who are but of equal learning with themfelves, and yet adminifter phyfic beyond the feet and gums. Thefe advices I fhall referve for my future leifure; but have now taken a refolution to dedicate the remaining,part of this inftant July to the fervice of the fair sex, and have almoft finished a fcheme for fettling the whole remainder of that fex who are unmarried, and above the age of twenty-five. In order to this good and public fervice, I fhall confider the paffion of love in its full extent, as it is attended both with joys and inquietudes; and lay down, for the conduct of my lovers, fuch rules as fhall banish the cares, and heighten the pleasures, which flow from that amiable fpring of life and happiness. There is no lefs than than an abfolute neceffity, that fome provision be made to take off the dead ftock of women in city, town, and country. Let there happen but the least disorder in the ftreets, and in an inftant you fee the inequality of the numbers of males and females. Befides that the feminine crowd, on fuch occafions, is more numerous in the open way, you may obferve them alfo to the very garrets huddled together, four at least at a casement. Add to this, that, by an exact calculation of all that have come to town by stage-coach or waggon for this twelvemonth laft, three times in four the treated perfons have been males. This over-ftock of beauty, for which there are fo few bidders, calls for an immediate fupply of lovers and husbands; and I am the ftudious knight-errant, who have fuffered long nocturnal contemplations to find out methods for the relief of all British females, who at prefent feem to be devoted to involuntary virginity. The fcheme, upon which I defign to act, I have communicated to none but a beauteous young lady, who has for some time left the town, in the following letter. * MADAM, To AMANDA in Kent I SEND, with this, my difcourfe of ways and means for encouraging marriage, and repeopling the island. You will foon obferve, that, according to these rules, the mean confiderations, which make beauty and merit cease to be the objects of love and courtship, will be fully exploded. I have unanswerably proved, that jointures and fettlements are the bane of happinefs; and not only fo, but the ruin even of their for tunes who enter into them. I beg of you, therefore, to come to town upon the receipt of this, where I promife you you shall have as many lovers as toafters; for there needed nothing but to make men's interefts fall in with their inclinations, to render you the most courted of your fex. As many as love you will now be willing to VOL. IV. C marry marry you. Haften, then, and be the honourable mistrefs of mankind. Caffander, and many others, ftand in the gate of Good Defert to receive you. I am, Madam, X Your moft obedient, moft humble fervant, ISAAC BICKERSTAFF,” NO. 196. TUESDAY, JULY 11, 1710. Dulcis inexperto cultura potentis amici, Expertus metuit HOR. Ep. 18. lib. 2. ver. 86. Untry'd, how sweet a court attendance! From my own Apartment, July 10. FRANCIS. THE intended courfe of my ftudies was altered this evening by a visit from an old acquaintance, who complained to me, mentioning one upon whom he had long depended, that he found his labour and perseverance in his patron's fervice and interefts wholly ineffectual; and he thought now, after his best years were spent in a profeffed adherence to him and his fortunes, he fhould, in the end, be forced to break with him, and give over all further expectations from him. He fighed, and ended his difcourfe by faying, You, Mr. Cenfor, fome time ago, gave us your thoughts of the behaviour of This fort of demand upon great men to their creditors. them, for what they invite men to expect, is a debt of honour; which, according to custom, they ought to be |