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rectly down on a board prepared on purpose, full of fharp fpikes fix inches long, without hurting his feet or damaging his ftockings.

HE places the faid board on a chair, upon which a lady fits down with another lady in her lap, while the fpikes inftead of entering into the under lady's flesh, will

feel like a velvet cushion.

He takes any perfon of quality's footman, ties a rope about his bare neck, and draws him up by pullies to the cieling, and there keeps him hanging as long as his mafter or the company pleases, the faid footman to the wonder and delight of all beholders having a pot of ale in one hand and a pipe in the other; and when he is let down, there will not appear the leaft mark of the cord about his neck.

He bids a lady's maid put her finger into a cup of clear liquor like water, upon which her face and both her hands are immediately withered like an old woman of fourfcore, her belly fwells as if fhe were within a week of her time, and her legs are as thick as mill-posts; but upon putting her finger into another cup the becomes as young and handfome, as fhe was before.

HE gives any gentleman leave to drive forty twelvepenny nails up to the head in a porter's backside, and then places the faid porter on a loadftone chair, which draws out every nail, and the porter feels no pain.

He likewife draws the teeth of half a dozen gentlemen, mixes and jumbles them in a hat, gives any person leave to blindfold him, and returns each their own, and fixes them as well as ever.

WITH his fore-finger and thumb he thrufts several gentlemens and ladies eyes out of their heads without the leaft pain, at which time they fee an unfpeakable number of beautiful colours; and after they are entertained to the full, he places them again in their proper fockets, without any damage to the fight.

He lets any gentleman drink a quart of hot melted lead, and by a draught of prepared liquor, of which he takes part himself, he makes the faid lead pafs thro' the faid gentleman before all the fpectators without any damage; after which it is produced in a cake to the company.

WITH

WITH many other wonderful performances of art, too tedious here to mention.

THE faid artift has performed before moft Kings and Princes in Europe with great applaufe.

HE performs every day (except Sundays) from ten of the clock to one in the forenoon; and from four till feven in the evening, at the new inn in Smithfield.

THE firft feat a British crown, the fecond a British halfcrown, and the lowest a British fhilling.

N. B. The best hands in town are to play at the faid fhow.

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PROPOSAL

For correcting, improving, and ascertaining the ENGLISH TONGUE*.

In a LETTER to the Moft Honourable ROBERT Earl of OXFORD and MORTIMER, Lord High Treasurer of GREAT BRITAIN.

To the Most Honourable ROBERT Earl of Oxford, &....

MY LORD,

WHA

WHAT I had the honour of mentioning to your Lordship fome time ago in converfation, was not a new thought, just then started by accident or occafion, but

It is well known, that if the Queen had lived. a year or two longer, this propofal would, in all probability, have taken effect. For the Lord Treasurer had already nominated several perfons without diftinction of quality or party, who were to compofe a fociety for the purposes mentioned by the author;. and refolved to ufe his credit with her Majefty, that a fund should be applied to fupport the expence of a large room, where the fociety fhould meet, and for other incidents. But this fcheme fell to the ground, partly by the diffenfions among the great men at court; but chiefly by the lamented death of that glorious Princefs. Dub. edit.

This piece might have been a very useful performance, if it had been longer, and lefs eclipsed by compliments to the Noble parfon to whom it is addressed. It feems to have been intended as a preface to fome more enlarged defign: at the head of which fuch an introduction must have appeared with great propriety. A work of this kind is much wanted, as our language inftead of being improved, is every day growing worse, and more debafed. We bewilder ourselves in various orthography; we peak and we write at random; and if a man's common converfation were to be committed to paper, he would be ftartled for to find himself guilty in a few fentences, of so many folecisms, and such falfe English. I believe we

are

but the refult of long reflection, and I have been confirmed in my fentiments by the opinion of fome very judicious perfons,

are the only people in the Christian world, who repeat the Lord's prayer in an ungrammatical manner and I remember to have heard, that when a motion was made in the convocation to alter the word which for the word who, the propofition was rejected by the majority. This inftance may fhew you of what fort of men the most learned, and even the moft reverend affemblies are fometimes compofed. But let us confider the conduct of a neighbouring nation. How induftrious have the French been to improve their language? and to what a ftate of perfection have they brought it? Rome, by her conquefts, made her dialect univerfal: France, by her policy, has done the fame. By policy, I mean the encouragement of arts and fciences; which will often render a nation more powerful than arms. Nothing has contributed fo much to the purity and excellence of the French tongue, as the noble academies eftablished for that purpofe: and, until fome public work of the fame kind is undertaken in England, we cannot flatter ourfelves with any hopes of amending the errors, or afcertaining the limits of our ftyle. I fhall not prefume even to whisper to you, that I think a defign of this fort is fufficiently momentous to attract the confideration of our legiflative powers. Their thoughts are otherwise employed, and their faculties otherwife applied. But I will venture to fay, that if to our hofpitals for lunatics, an hofpital was added for the reception and Gupport of men of fenfe and learning, it would be of the highest honour to the prefent age, and of no lefs advantage to pofterity. I call it an hofpital, because I fuppofe it to be erected for the benefit of fuch perfons, whofe infirm fortunes, or difeafed revenues, may have rendered the ftrength and abilities of their minds weak and ufelefs to the public: for I entirely, agree with Ariftotle, where he fays, in the words of his fcholiaft, Eum præclara et magna vix poffe exequi et præftare, cui facultates defunt: quoniam per amicos et civilem potentiam, veluti per inftrumenta, neceffe eft pleraque effici. The reflections that arife from this theme, I find, are driving me beyond due bounds: therefore I fhall only add,, that I heartily with you may think an attention to your native language as ufeful and improving a study as can be pursued, in whatever station of life Providence may allot you. Orrery.

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perfons, with whom I confulted. They all agreed, that nothing would be of greater ufe towards the improvement of knowledge and politenefs, than some effectual method for correcting, enlarging and ascertaining our language; and they think it a work very poffible to be compaffed under the protection of a prince, the countenance and encouragement of a miniftry, and the care of proper perfons chofen for fuch an undertaking. I was glad to find your Lordship's answer in fo different a style from what hath been commonly made ufe of on the like occafions for fome years paft, That all fuch thoughts must be deferred to a time of peace: a topic which fome have carried fo far, that they would not have us by any means think of preferving our civil or religious conftitution, becaufe we are engaged in a war abroad. It will be among the distinguishing marks of your ministry, my Lord, that you have a genius above all fuch regards, and that no reasonable propofal for the honour, the advantage, or the ornament of your country, however foreign to your more immediate office, was ever neglected by you. I confess the merit of this candour and condefcenfion is very much leffened, because your Lordship hardly leaves us room to offer our good wishes; removing all our difficulties, and fupplying

In this epiftle Dr Swift complains to the Earl of Oxford as first minister, in the name of all the learned and polite persons of the nation, that our language is extremely imperfect, that its daily improvements are by no means equal to its daily corruptions, that the pretenders to polifh and refine it have chiefly multiplied abuses and abfurdities, and that in many instances it offends against every part of grammar. He proves with irresistible force of reafon, that our language ought to be refined to a certain ftandard, and then fixed for ever: he remarks the feveral inconveniencies which arife perpetually from our ftupid inattention to thefe matters. He doth not however prefcribe any methods for afcertaining the language, but throws out fome general obfervations, leaving the reft to the inspection of that fociety, which he hoped would have been speedily inftituted by the Lord Treasurer. But this feheme fell to the ground, partly by the diffenfions among the great men at court, and chiefly by the lamented death of Queen Anne, that ever glorious Princefs. Swift.

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