HIPPARCHUS being paffionately fond of his own Wife, who was enamoured of Bathyllus, leaped and died of his Fall; upon which his Wife married her Gallant.

TETTYX, the Dancing-Mafter, in Love with Olympia an Athenian Matron, threw himself from the Rock with great Agility, but was crippled in the Fall.

DIAGORAS, the Ufurer, in Love with his CookMaid; he peeped feveral Times over the Precipice, but his Heart mifgiving him, he went back, and married her that Evening.

CINE DUS, after having entred his own Name in the Pythian Records, being asked the Name of the Person whom he leaped for, and being afhamed to discover it, he was set aside, and not fuffered to leap.

EUNICA, a Maid of Paphos, aged Nineteen, in Love with Eurybates. Hurt in the Fall, but recovered.

N. B. This was her fecond Time of Leaping.

HESPERUS, a young Man of Tarentum, in Love with his Mafter's Daughter. Drowned, the Boats not coming in foon enough to his Relief.

SAPPHO, the Lesbian, in Love with Phaon, arrived at the Temple of Apollo, habited like a Bride in Garments as white as Snow. She wore a Garland of Myrtle on her Head, and carried in her Hand the little Mufical Inftrument of her own Invention. After having fung an Hymn to 4pollo, fhe hung up her Garland on one Side of his Altar, and her Harp on the other. She then tuck'd up her Vestments like a Spartan Virgin, and amidst thousands of Spectators, who were anxious for her Safety, and offered up Vows for her Deliverance, marched directly forwards to the utmoft Summit of the Promontory, where after having repeated a Stanza of her own Verfes, which we could not hear, the threw her felf off the Rock with fuch an Intrepidity as was never before observed in any who had attempted that dangerous Leap. Many who were prefent related, that they faw her fall into the Sea, from whence fhe never sofe again; though there were others who affirmed, that fhe never came to the Bottom of her Leap, but that the was changed into a Swan as the fell, and that they faw her hovering in the Air under that Shape. But whether or no the Whitenefs and Fluttering of her Garments might not deceive those who looked upon her, or whether he might

6

not

not really be metamorphofed into that mufical and melancholy Bird, is ftill a Doubt among the Lesbians.

ALCEUS, the famous Lyrick Poet, who had for fome Time been paffionately in Love with Sappho, arrived at the Promontory of Leucate that very Evening, in order to take the Leap upon her Account; but hearing that Sappho had been there before him, and that her Body could be no where found, he very generously lamented her Fall, and is faid to have written his Hundred and twenty fifth Ode upon that Occasion.

Y

Hor.

YOU very often hear People, after a Story has been told with fome entertaining Circumftances, tell it over again with Particulars that deftroy the Jeft, but give Light into the Truth of the Narration. This fort of Veracity, though it is impertinent, has fomething amiable in it, because it proceeds from the Love of Truth, even in frivolous Occafions. If fuch honest Amendments do not promife an agreeable Companion, they do a fincere Friend; for which Reafon one fhould allow them fo much of our Time, if we fall into their Company, as to fet us right in Matters that can do us no manner of Harm, whether the Facts be one Way or the other. Lies which are told out of Arrogance and Oftentation a Man fhould detect in his own Defence, because he fhould not be triumphed over; Lies which are told out of Malice he should expofe, both for his own Sake and that of the rest of Mankind, because every Man fhould

rife against a common Enemy: But the officious Liar màny have argued is to be excufed, because it does fome Man good, and no Man hurt. The Man who made morethan ordinary speed from a Fight in which the Athenians were beaten, and told them they had obtained a compleat Victory, and put the whole City into the utmoft Joy and Exultation, was checked by the Magiftrates for his Falfhood; but excufed himself by faying, Oh Athenians! am I your Enemy because I gave ye two happy Days? This Fellow did to a whole People what an Acquaintance of mine does every Day he lives in fome eminent Degree to particular Perfons. He is ever lying People into good Humour, and, as Plato faid, it was allowable in Phyficians to lie to their Patients to keep up their Spirits, I am half doubtful whether my Friend's Behaviour is not as excufable. His Manner is to exprefs himself furprized at the chearful Countenance of a Man whom he obferves diffident of himself; and generally by that Means makes his Lie a Truth. He will, as if he did not know any Thing of the Circumstance, ask one whom he knows at Variance with another, what is the Meaning that Mr. fuch a one, naming his Adverfary, does not applaud him with that Heartinefs which formerly he has heard him? He faid indeed, (continues he) I would rather have that Man for my Friend than any Man in England; but for an Enemy This melts the Perfon he talks to, who expected nothing but downright Raillery from that Side. According as he fees his Practices fucceed, he goes to the oppofite Party, and tells him, he cannot imagine how it happens that fome People know one another fo little; you fpoke with fo much Coldnefs of a Gentleman who faid more Good of you, than, let me tell you, any Man living de ferves. The Succefs of one of thefe Incidents was, that the next Time that one of the Adverfaries fpyed the other, he hems after him in the publick Street, and they must crack a Bottle at the next Tavern, that used to turn out of the other's Way to avoid one another's Eyefot. He will tell one Beauty fhe was commended by another, nay, he will fay the gave the Woman he fpeaks to, the Preference in a Particular for which her felf is admired. The pleasanteft Confufion imaginable is made through the whole Town by my Friend's indirect Of

fices;

fices; you fhall have a Vifit returned after half a Year's abfence, and mutual Railing at each other every Day of that Time. They meet with a thousand Lamentations for fo long a Separation, each Party naming her felf for the greater Delinquent, if the other can poffibly be fo good as to forgive her, which fhe has no Reason in the World, but from the Knowledge of her Goodnefs, to hope for. Very often a whole Train of Railers of each Side tire their Horfes in fetting Matters right which they have faid during the War between the Parties; and a whole Circle of Acquaintance are put into a thousand pleafing Paffions and Sentiments, instead of the Pangs of Anger, Envy, Detration, and Malice.

THE worft Evil I ever obferved this Man's Falfhood occafion, has been that he turned Detraction into Flattery. He is well skilled in the Manners of the World, and by over-looking what Men really are, he grounds his Artifices upon what they have a Mind to be. Upon this Foundati on, if two diffant Friends are brought together, and the Cement feems to be weak, he never refts till he finds new Appearances to take off all Remains of Ill-will, and that by new Mifunderftandings they are thoroughly reconciled.

SIR,

T

To the SPECTATOR.

Devonshire, Nov. 14, 17112 HERE arrived in this Neighbourhood two Days C ago one of your gay Gentlemen of the Town, who being attended at his Entry with a Servant of his < own, befides a Countryman he had taken up for a Guide, excited the Curiofity of the Village to learn whence and what he might be. The Countryman (to whom they ap<plied as most eafy of Access) knew little more than that the Gentleman came from London to travel and fee FafhiCons, and was, as he heard fay, a Free-thinker: What Religion that might be, he could not tell; and for his own Part, if they had not told him the Man was a Freethinker, he should have gueffed, by his Way of talking, < he was little better than a Heathen; excepting only that < he had been a good Gentleman to him, and made him drunk twice in one Day, over and above what they had ⚫ bargained for.

: I do not look upon the Simplicity of this, and feve

⚫ral

ral odd Enquiries with which I fhall trouble you, to be wondered at, much less can I think that our Youths of fine Wit, and enlarged Understandings, have any Reason to laugh. There is no Neceffity that every Squire in Great "Britain fhould know what the Word Free-thinker ftands <for; but it were much to be wished, that they who value ‹ themselves upon that conceited Title, were a little better <inftructed in what it ought to ftand for; and that they would <not perfwade themselves a Man is really and truly a Free<thinker in any tolerable Senfe, merely by vertue of his be-. ing an Atheist, or an Infidel of any other Diftinction. It may be doubted, with good Reason, whether there ever was in Nature a more abject, flavish, and bigotted Gene<ration than the Tribe of Beaux Efprits, at prefent fo pre<vailing in this Ifland. Their Pretenfion to be Free-think<ers, is no other than Rakes have to be Free-livers, and Savages to be Free-men, that is, they can think whatever < they have a Mind to, and give themselves up to whatever Conceit the Extravagancy of their Inclination, or their Fancy, fhall fuggeft; they can think as wildly as they talk and act, and will not endure that their Wit should be controuled by fuch formal Things as Decency and common Sense: Deduction, Coherence, Confiftency, and all "the Rules of Reason they accordingly difdain, as too precife and mechanical for Men of a liberal Education,

THIS, as far as I could ever learn from their Writings, or my own Obfervation, is a true Account of the British Free-thinker. Our Vifitant here, who gave Occafion to this Paper, has brought with him a new Syftem of common Senfe, the Particulars of which I am not yet acquainted with, but will lofe no Opportunity of informing my felf whether it contain any Thing worth Mr. SPEC TATOR'S Notice. In the mean time, Sir, I cannot but < think it would be for the Good of Mankind, if you would take this Subject into your own Confideration, and con<vince the hopeful Youth of our Nation, that Licentiouf< nefs is not Freedom; or, if fuch a Paradox will not be understood, that a Prejudice towards Atheism is not Im⚫ partiality.

T

I am, SIR Your most humble Servant,

PHILONOUS.

Thursday,