Several Contrivances of the Author to pleafe the King and Queen. He fhews. his Skill in Mufick. The King enquires into the State of Europe, which the Author relates to him. The King's Obfervations thereon.

USED to attend the King's
Levee once or twice a Week,

and had often seen him under the Barber's Hand, which indeed was at firft very terrible to behold: For the Razor was almoft twice as long as an Ordinary Scythe. His Majefty, according to the Custom of the Country, was only fhaved twice a Week. I once prevailed on the Barber to give me fome of the Suds or Lather, out of which I picked forty or fifty of the strongest Stumps of Hair. I then took a Piece of fine

Wood, and cut it like the Back of a Comb, making feveral Holes in it at equal Distance with as small a Needle as I could get from Glumdalclitch. I fixed in the Stumps fo artificially, fcraping and floping them with my Knife towards the Points, that I made a very tolerable Comb; which was a feasonable Supply, my own being fo much broken in the Teeth, that it was almoft ufelefs: Neither did I know any Artist in that Country so nice and exact, as would under take to make me another.

AND this puts me in Mind of an Amusement wherein I spent many of my leifure Hours. I defired the Queen's Woman to fave for me the Combings of her Majefty's Hair, whereof in Time I got a good Quantity, and confulting with my Friend the Cabinet Maker, who had received general Orders to do little Jobbs for me, I directed him to make two Chair-Frames, no larger than those I had in my Box, and then to bore littla

tle Holes with a fine Awl round those Parts where I defigned the Backs and Seats; through thefe Holes I wove the ftrongest Hairs I could pick out, just af. ter the manner of Cane-Chairs in England. When they were finished, I made a Present of them to her Majesty, who kept them in her Cabinet, and used to fhew them for Curiofities, as indeed they were the Wonder of every one that beheld them. The Queen would have had me fit upon one of these Chairs, but I absolutely refused to obey her, protefting I would rather die a thousand Deaths than place a difhonourable Part of my Body on thofe precious Hairs that once adorned her Majesty's Head. Of thefe Hairs (as I had always a mechanical Genius) I likewife made a neat little Purse about five Foot long, with her Majesty's Name decyphered in Gold Letters, which I gave to Glumdalclitch, by the Queen's Confent. To say the Truth, it was more for Shew than Ufe, being not of strength to bear the Weight

of the larger Coins, and therefore fhe kept nothing in it, but fome little Toys that Girls are fond of.

THE King, who delighted in Mufick, had frequent Conforts at Court, to which I was fometimes carried, and fet in my Box on a Table to hear them; But, the Noife was fo great, that I could hardly diftinguish the Tunes. I am confident that all the Drums and Trumpets of a Royal Army, beating and founding together juft at your Ears, could not equal it. My Practice was to have my Box removed from the Places where the Performers fat, as far as I could, then to fhut the Doors and Windows of it, and draw the Window-Curtains; after which I found their Mufick not difagreeable.

I HAD learned in my Youth to play a little upon the Spinet. Glumdalclitch kept one in her Chamber, and a Master attended twice a Week to teach her: I call it a Spinet, because it somewhat refembled that Inftrument, and was play'd upon

A fancy,

upon in the fame Manner. came into my Head that I would entertain the King and Queen with an English Tune upon this Inftrument. But this appeared extremely difficult: For, the Spinet was near fixty Foot long, each Key being almoft a Foot wide, fo that, with my Arms extended, I could not reach to above five Keys, and to prefs them down required a good smart Stroak with my Fift, which would be too great a Labour, and to no Purpofe. The Method I contrived was this. I prepared two round Sticks about the Bignefs of common Cudgels; they were thicker at one End than the other, and I covered the thicker Ends with a Piece of a Mouse's Skin, that by rapping on them, I might neither damage the Tops of the Keys, nor interrupt the Sound. Before the Spinet a Bench was placed about four Foot below the Keys, and I was put upon the Bench. I ran fideling upon it that Way and this, as fast as

I could, banging the proper Keys with

my

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