ced; after which the Compofer will compare the feveral Lifts, and make another for the Publick, wherein every Name fhall be ranked according to the Voices it has had. Under this Chamber is to be a dark Vault for the fame Number of Perfons of evil Fame.

IT is humbly submitted to Consideration, Whether the Project would not be better if the Perfons of true Fame meet in a middle Room, thofe of dubious Exiftence in an upper Room, and those of evil Fame in a lower dark Room,

IT is to be noted, That no Hiftorians are to be admitted at any of thefe Tables, because they are appointed to conduct the feveral Perfons to their Seats, and are to be made Ufe of as Ushers to the Affemblies.

I call upon the learned World to fend me their Assistance towards this Defign, it being a Matter of too great Moment for any one Perfon to determine. But I do affure them, their Lifts fhall be examined with great Fidelity, and thofe that are expofed to the Publick,made with all the Caution imaginable,

In the mean time, while I wait for these Lifts, I am employ'd in keeping People in a right Way, to avoid the contrary to Fame and Applaufe, to wit, Blame and Derifion. For this End, I work upon that ufeful Project of the Penny-Poft, by the Benefit of which it is propos'd,that a charitable Society be established : From which Society there fhall go every Day circular Letters to all Parts within the Bills of Mortality, to tell People of their Faults in a friendly and private Männer,whereby they may know what the World thinks of them, before it is declared to the World that they are thus faulty. This Method cannot fail of univerfal good Confequences: For it is further added, that they who will not be reformed by it, must be contented to see the several Letters printed, which were not regarded by them, that when they will not take private Reprehenfion, they may be tried further by a publick one. I am very forry I am obliged to print the following Epiftles of that Kind to fome Perfons, and the more, because they are of the Fair Sex. This went on Friday laft to a very fine Lady,

MADAM2,

MADAM,

AM highly fenfible, that there is nothing of fo tender a Nature as the Reputation and Conduct of • Ladies; and that when there is the leaft Stain got into their Fame, it is hardly ever to be washed out. When I have faid this, you will believe I am extremely concerned, to hear at every Visit I make, that your Manner of wearing your Hair is a meer Affectation of Beauty; as well as that your Neglect of Powder has ⚫ been a common Evil to your Sex. It is to you an Advantage to fhow that Abundance of fine Treffes: But I beseech you to confider, that the Force of your • Beauty, and the Imitation of you, coft Eleonora great Sums of Money to her Tire-Woman for falfe Locks, befides what is allowed to her Maid for keeping the Secret, that he is grey. I muft take leave to add to this Admonition, that you are not to reign above • Four Months and odd Days longer. Therefore I must defire you to raise and friz your Hair a little, for it is downright Infolence to be thus handfome without Art; and you'll forgive me for intreating you to do now out of Compaffion, what you must foon do out of Neceffity. Iam,

Madam,

Your most Obedient, and
Moft Humble Servant..

THIS Perfon dreffes juft as fhe did before I writ: As does alfo the Lady to whom I addreffed the following Billet the fame Day :

MADA M,

LE

ET me beg of you to take off the Patches at the lower End of your left Cheek, and I will allow two more under your left Eye, which will contribute more to the Symmetry of your Face; except you would please to remove the ten black Atoms on your Ladifhip's Chin, and wear one large Patch instead of them. If fo, you may properly enough retain the three Patches above-mentioned. I am, &c.

THIS, I thought, had all the Civility and Reafon in the World in it; but whether my Letters are intercepted, or whatever it is, the Lady patches as she used to do. It is to be obferved by all the charitable Society, as an In

struction

ftruction in their Epiftles, that they tell People of nothing but what is in their Power to mend. Ifhall give another Inftance of this Way of Writing: Two Sifters in Effex-ftreet are eternally gaping out of the Widow, as if they knew not the Value of Time, or would call in Companions. Upon which I writ the following

Line :

Dear Creatures,

On the Receipt of this, fhut your Cafements.

BUT I went by Yefterday, and found them ftill at the Window. What can a Man do in this Cafe? but go on, and wrap himself up in his own Integrity, with Satisfaction only in this melancholy Truth, that Virtue is its own Reward, and that if no one is the better for his Admonitions, yet he is himself the more virtuous in that he gave thofe Advices.

St. James's Coffee-house, Sept. 12.

LETTERS of the 13th Inftant from the Duke of Marlborough's Camp at Havre advife, That the neceffa ry Difpofitions were made for opening the Trenches before Mons. The Direction of the Siege is to be committed to the Prince of Orange, who defigned to take his Poft accordingly with 30 Battalions and 30 Squa drons on the Day following. On the 17th LieutenantGeneral Cadogan fet out for Bruffels, to haften the Ammunition and Artillery which is to be employed in this Enterprize; and the Confederate Army was extended from the Haifne to the Trouille, in order to cover the Siege. The Lofs of the Confederates in the late Battle is not exactly known; but it appears by a Lift tranf mitted to the States-General, that the Number of the Killed and Wounded in their Service amounts to above eight Thoufand. It is computed, that the English have loft 1500 Men, and the rest of the Allies about five Thoufand, including the Wounded. The States-General have taken the most speedy and effectual Measures for reinforcing their Troops; and 'tis expected, that in eight or ten Days the Army will be as numerous as before the Battle. The Affairs in Italy affords us nothing remarkable; only that it is hoped, the Difference be tween the Courts of Vienna and Turin will be fpeedily accommodated. Letters from Poland prefent us with

a near Profpect of feeing King Auguftus re-established on the Throne, all Parties being very industrious to reconcile themselves to his Interests..

Will's Coffee-house, Sept. 22..

Of all the pretty Arts in which our modern Writers excel, there is not any which is more to be recommended to the Imitation of Beginners, than the Skill of Transition from one Subject to another. Iknow not whether I make my felf well understood; but it is certain, that the Way of ftringing a Difcourfe, used in the Mercury Gallant, the Gentleman's Journal, and other learned Writings, not to mention how naturally Things prefent themselves to fuch as harangue in Pulpits, and other Occafions which occur to the Learned, are Me thods worthy Commendation. I fhall attempt this. Style my self in a few Lines. Suppofe I were difcour fing upon the King of Sweden's paffing the Borifthenes. The Borifthenes is a great River, and puts me in Mind of the Danube and the Rhine. The Danube I cannot think of without reflecting on that unhappy Prince who had fuch fair Territories on the Banks of it; I mean the Duke of Bavaria, who by our laft Letters is retired from Mons. Mons is as ftrong a Fortification as any which has no Citadel: And Places which are not compleatly fortified, are, methinks, Leffons to Princes, that they are not omnipotent, but liable to the Strokes of Fortune. But as all Princes are subject to fuch Calamities, it is the Part of Men of Letters to guard them from the Obfervations of all fmall Writers: For fuch Reafon I fhall conclude my prefent Remarks, by publifhing the following Advertifement, to be taken Notice of by all who dwell in the Suburbs of Learning.

Whereas the King of Sweden has been fo unfortunate to receive a Wound in his Heel; we do hereby prohibit all Epigrammatifts in either Language, and both Universities, as well as all other Poets, of what Denomination foever, to make any mention of Achilles having received his Death's Wound in the fame Part.

We do likewife forbid all Comparisons in Coffee-houfes between Alexander the Great and the faid King of Sweden, and from making any Parallels between the Death of Patkul and Philotas; we being very apprehenfive of the Reflections

that

that feveral Politicians have ready by them to produce on this Occafion, and being willing, as much as in us lies, free the Town from all Impertinencies of this Nature.

No 68.

T

Thursday, Sept. 15. 1709.

From my own Apartment, Sept. 14.

HE Progrefs of our Endeavours will of Neceffity be very much interrupted, except the learned World will pleafe to fend their Lifts to the Chamber of Fame with all Expedition. There is nothing can fo much contribute to create a noble Emulation in our Youth, as the honourable Mention of fuch whofe Actions have outlived the Injuries of Time, and recommended themselves fo far to the World, that it is become Learning to know the leaft Circumftance of their Affairs. It is a great Incentive to fec, that fome Men have raised themselves fo highly above their FellowCreatures; that the Lives of ordinary Men are spent in Enquiries after the particular Actions of the moft Illuftrious. True it is, that without this Impulfe to Fame and Reputation, our Industry would stagnate, and that lively Defire of pleafing each other die away.. This Opinion was fo eftablifh'd in the Heathen World, that their Senfe of Living appeared infipid, except their Being was enlivened with a Confcioufnefs, that they were esteemed by the rest of the World.

UPON examining the Proportion of Men's Fame for my Table of Twelve, I thought it no ill Way, fince I had laid it down for a Rule, That they were to be ranked fimply as they were famous, without Regard to their Virtue, to ask my Sifter Fenny's Advice, and particularly mentioned to her the Name of Aristotle. She immediately told me, he was a very great Scholar, and that she had read him at the Boarding-School. She certainly means a Trifle fold by the Hawkers, called Ariftotle's Problems. But this raifed a great Scruple in

me,