therefore thinking that Sin and Death are as improper Agents in a Work of this nature, as Strength and Neceffity in one of the Tragedies of Efchylus, who reprefented thofe two Perfons nailing down Prometheus to a Rock, for which he has been justly cenfured by the greatest Criticks. I do not know any imaginary Perfon made ufe of in a more fublime manner of thinking than that in one of the Prophets, who defcribing God as defcending from Heaven, and vifiting the Sins of Mankind, adds that dreadful Circumftance, Before him went the Peftilence. It is certain this imaginary Perfon might have been defcribed in all her purple Spots. The Fever might have marched before her, Pain might have ftood at her right Hand, Phrenzy on her Left, and Death in her Rear. She might have been introduced as gliding down from the Tail of a Comet, or darted upon the Earth in a Flath of Lightning: She might have tainted the Atmosphere with her Breath; the very glaring of her Eyes might have fcattered Infection. But I believe every Reader will think, that in such sublime Writings the mentioning of her as it is done in Scripture, has fomething in it more juft, as well as great, than all that the moft fanciful Poet could have bestowed upon her in the Richness of his Imagination.

L

N° 358. Monday, April 21.

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Defipere in loco.

Hor.

HARLES Lilly attended me the other day, and made me a Prefent of a large Sheet of Paper, on which is delineated a Pavement of Mofaick Work, lately difcovered at Stansfield near Woodstock. A Perfon who has fo much the Gift of Speech as Mr. Lilly, and can carry on a Difcourfe without Reply, had great Opportunity on that Occafion to expatiate upon fo fine a Piece of Antiquity.' Among other things, I remember, he gave me his Opi

nion, which he drew from the Ornaments of the Work, That this was the Floor of a Room dedicated to Mirth and Concord. Viewing this Work, made my Fancy run over the many gay Expreffions I had read in ancient Authors, which contained Invitations to lay afide Care and Anxiety, and give a Loofe to that pleafing Forgetfulness wherein Men put off their Characters of Business, and enjoy their very Selves. Thefe Hours were ufually paffed in Rooms adorned for that purpose, and set out in fuch a manner, as the Objects all around the Company gladdened their Hearts; which, joined to the chearful Looks of wellchofen and agreeable Friends, gave new Vigour to the Airy, produced the latent Fire of the Modeft, and gave Grace to the flow Humour of the Referved. A judicious Mixture of fuch Company, crowned with Chaplets of Flowers, and the whole Apartment glittering with gay Lights, cheared with a Profusion of Roses, artificial Falls of Water, and Intervals of foft Notes to Songs of Love and Wine, fufpended the Cares of human Life, and 'made a Festival of mutual Kindness. Such Parties of Pleafure as thefe, and the Reports of the agreeable Paffages in their Jollities, have in all Ages awakened the dull Part of Mankind to pretend to Mirth and Good-Humour, without Capacity for fuch Entertainments; for if I may be allowed to fay fo, there are an hundred Men fit for any Employment, to one who is capable of paffing a Night in the Company of the first Tafte, without fhocking any Member of the Society, over-rating his own Part of the Converfation, but equally receiving and contributing to the Pleafure of the whole Company. When one confiders fuch Collections of Companions in paft Times, and fuch as one might name in the prefent Age, with how much Spleen muft a Man needs reflect upon the aukward Gayety of those who affect the Frolick with an ill Grace? I have a Letter from a Correfpondent of mine, who defires to me to admonish all loud, mischievous, airy, dull Companions, that they are mistaken in what they call a Frolick. Irregularity in it felf is not what creates Pleasure and Mirth; but to fee a Man who knows what Rule and Decency are, defcend from them agreeably

in

in our Company, is what denominates him a pleasant Companion. Inftead of that, you find many whofe Mirth confifts only in doing Things which do not become them, with a fecret Confcioufnefs that all the World know they know better: To this is always added something mifIchievous to themselves or others. I have heard of fome very merry Fellows, among whom the Frolick was started, and paffed by a great Majority, that every Man fhould immediately draw a Tooth; after which they have gone in a Body and fmoaked a Cobler. The fame Company, at another Night, has each Man burned his Cravat; and one perhaps, whofe Eftate would bear it, has thrown a long Wigg and Hat into the fame Fire. Thus they have jefted themselves ftark naked, and ran into the Streets, and frighted Women very fuccessfully. There is no Inhabitant of any ftanding in Covent-Garden, but can tell you a hundred good Humours, where People have come off with little Blood-fhed, and yet fcowered all the witty Hours of the Night. I know a Gentleman that has feveral Wounds in the Head by Watch Poles, that has been thrice run through the Body to carry on a good Jeft: He is very old for a Man of so much Good-Humour, but to this day he is feldom merry, but he has Occafion to be valiant at the fame time. But by the Favour of thefe Gentlemen, I am humbly of Opinion, that a Man may be a very witty Man, and never offend one Statute of this Kingdom, not excepting even that of Stabbing,

THE Writers of Plays have what they call Unity of Time and Place to give a Juftness to their Representation; and it would not be amifs if all who pretend to be Companions, would confine their Action to the place of meeting: For a Frolick carried farther may be better performed by other Animals than Men. It is not to rid much Ground, or do much Mischief, that fhould denominate a pleafant Fellow; but that is truly Frolick which is the Play of the Mind, and confifts of various and unforced Sallies of Imagination. Festivity of Spirit is a very uncommon Talent, and muft proceed from an Affemblage of Qualities in the fame Perfon: There are fome few whom I think peculiarly happy in it; but it is a Talent one can

not

not name in a Man, efpecially when one confiders that it is never very graceful but where it is regarded by him who poffeffes it in the fecond Place. The best Man that I know of for heightening the Revel-Gayety of a Company, is Eftcourt, whofe Jovial Humour diffuses it felf from the higheft Perfon at an Entertainment to the meanest Waiter. Merry Tales, accompanied with apt Gestures and lively Reprefentations of Circumftances and Perfons, be guile the graveft Mind into a Consent to be as humourous as himself. Add to this, that when a Man is in his good Graces, he has a Mimickry that does not debale the Perfon he reprefents; but which, taking from the Gravity of the Character, adds to the Agreeableness of it. This pleafant Fellow gives one fome Idea of the ancient Pantomime, who is faid to have given the Audience, in Dumbshow, an exact Idea of any Character or Paffion, or an intelligible Relation of any publick Occurrence, with no other Expreffion than that of his Looks and Gestures. If all who have been obliged to thofe Talents in Eftcourt, will be at Love for Love to-morrow Night, they will but pay him what they owe him; at fo eafy a Rate as being prefent at a Play which no body would omit feeing, that had or had not ever feen it before.

T

Tuesday,

No 359. Tuesday, April 22.

Torva leana lupum fequitur, lupus ipfe capellam;
Florentem cyrifum fequitur lafciva capella.

A

Virg.

S we were at the Club laft Night, I obferv'd that my Friend Sir ROGER, contrary to his usual Custom, fat very filent, and instead of minding what was faid by the Company, was whiftling to himself in a very thoughtful Mood, and playing with a Cork. I jogg'd Sir ANDREW FREEPORT who fat between us; and as we were both obferving him, we faw the Knight shake his Head, and heard him fay to himself, A foolish Woman! I can't be lieve it. Sir ANDREW gave him a gentle Pat upon the Shoulder, and offered to lay him a Bottle of Wine that he was thinking of the Widow. My old Friend started, and recovering out of his brown Study, told Sir ANDREW that once in his Life he had been in the right. In fhort, after fome little Hefitation, Sir ROGER told us in the fulness of his Heart that he had just received a Letter from his Steward, which acquainted him that his old Rival and Antagonist in the Country, Sir David Dundrum, had been making a Vifit to the Widow. However, fays Sir ROGER, I can never think that she'll have a Man that's half a Year older than I am, and a noted Republican into the bargain.

WILL. HONEYCOMB, who looks upon Love as his particular Province, interrupting our Friend with a janty Laugh; I thought, Knight, fays he, thou hadft lived long enough in the World, not to pin thy Happiness upon one that is a Woman and a Widow. I think that without Vanity I may pretend to know as much of the Female World as any Man in Great Britain, tho' the chief of my Knowledge confifts in this, that they are not to be known. WILL. immediately, with his ufual Fluency,

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