w lanies, in my noctuary, which I shall send to enyour paper with, on proper occasions.

• I am, &c. Oxford, Aug. 20.

• JOHN SHALLOW:

rich

No 587.

MONDAY, AUGUST 30.

Intus, et in cute novi.

Pers. Sat. iii. ver. 30. I kaow thee to thy bottom; from within "Thy thallow centre, to the utmost skin.

DRYDEN TH "Hough the author of the following vision is

unknown to me, I am apt to think it may be the work of that ingenious gentleman, who promised me, in the last paper, some extracts out of his noctuary.

• SIR, I

Was the other day reading the life of Maho

met. Among many other extravagancies, I find it recorded of that impostor, that in the

fourth year of his age the angel Gabriel caught * him up while he was among his play-fellows, and

carrying him afide, cut open his breast, plucked out his heart, and wrung out of it that black

drop of blood, in which, fay the Turkish divines, ris contained the Fomes Peccati, so that he was free < from sin ever after. I immediately said to myself, * though this story be a fiction, a very good moral may

be drawn from it, would every man but apply it to himself, and endeavour to squeeze out of his heart whatever fins or ill qualities he finds in it. • While my mind was wholly taken up with this contemplation, I insensibly fell into a inost pleaf

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- ing slumber, when methought two porters enter• ed my chambery carrying a large chest between

them. After having set it down in the middle of • the room they departed. I immediately endea< voured to open what was fent me, when a shape, • like that in which we paint our angels, appeared

before me, and forbad me. Inclosed, faid he, 6. are the hearts of several of your friends and acom

quaintance ; but before you can be qualified to fee and animadvert on the failings of others, you

must be pure yourself; whereupon he drew out' • his incifion knife, cut me open, took out my

heart, and began to squeeze it. I was in a great & confusion, to see how many things, which I had

always cherished as virtues, issued out of my heart

on this occafion. In thort, after it had been thoroughly squeezed, it looked like an empty bladder, when the phantom, breathing a frelia particle of divine air into it, restored it safe to its former repofitory; and having fewed me up, we began to examine the chest.

• The hearts were all inclosed in transparent' phials, and preserved in liquor which looked like fpirits of wine. The first which I cant my eye upon

I was afraid would have broke the glat 6- which contained it. · It shot up and down, with • incredible swiftness, through the liquor in which " it swam, and very frequently bounced against the -- side of the phial. The Fomes or spot in the mid• dle of it was not large, but of a fiery red colour, " and seemed to be the cause of these violent agita-' tions. That, says my instructor, is the heart of

Tom Dread-nought, who behaved himself well in 6. the late wars, but has, for these ten years last 6. past, been aiming at some post of honour to no

purpose. He is lately retired into the country, where, quite choked up with spleen and choler,

he rails at better men than himself, and will be ** for ever uneasy, because it is impoflible he should

• think

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• think his merit fufficiently rewarded. The next • heart that I examined was remarkable for its • smallness; it lay still at the bottom of the phial, • and I could hardly perceive that it beat at all. • Tlae Fomes was quite black, and had almost dif• fused itself over the whole heart. This, says my

interpreter, is the heart of Dick Gloomy, who ne

ver thirfted after any thing but money. Note • withstanding all his endeavours, he is still poor. • This has flung him into a moft deplorable state of • melancholy and defpair. He is a composition of “envy and idleness, hates mankind, but gives them • their revenge by being more uneasy to himself • than to any one else.

• The phial I looked upon next contained a large • fair heart, which beat very strongly. The Fomes

or spot in it was exceeding small; but I could • not help obferviøg, that which way foever I turn• ed the phial it always appeared uppermost, and in • the strongest point of light. The heart you are

examining, says my companion, belongs to Will • Worthy. He has indeed a moft noble soul, and is

poffeffed of a thousand good qualities. The speck which you discover is Vanity. • Here, fays the angel, is the heart of Freelove, your intimate friend. Freelove and I, faid I, are at prefent very cold to one another, and I do

not care for looking on the heart of a man, which • I fear is overcast with rancour.

My teacher commanded me to look upon it ; I did so, and

to my unspeakable surprise, found that a small • swelling fpot, which I at firit took to be ill-will • towards me, was only palion, and that upon my

nearer inspection it wholly disappeared ; upon • which the phantom told me Freelove was one of • the best-natured men alive.

• This, says my teacher, is a female heart of your acquaintance. I found the Fome's in it of the largest fize, and of an hundred different co

lours,

a

а

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lours, which were still varying every moment. • Upon my asking to whom it belonged, I was in• formed that it was the heart of Coquetilla.

• I set it down and drew out another, in which • I took the Fome's at first sight to be very small, ' but was amazed to find, that, as I looked sted' fastly upon it; it grew still larger. It was the s-heart of Melisa, a noted prude; who lives the next! door to me.

"I show you this, says the phantom, because it is ' indeed a rarity, and you have the happiness to 'know the person to whom it belongs. He then * put into my hands a large crystal glass, that in

a 'clofed.an heart in which, though I examined it

with the utmost nicety, I could not perceive any 'blemish. I made no scruple to affirm that it must o'be the heart of Seraphina, and was glad, but not ! surprised, to find that it was so. She is indeed, ' continued my guide, the ornament, as well as ''the envy of her sex; at these last words he point

ed to the hearts of several of her female acquaint'ance, which lay in different phials, and had very large spots in them, all of a deep blue. You are not to wonder, says he, that you see no spot in '

an heart, whose innocence has been proof against • all the corruptions of a depraved age. If it has

any blemish, it is too small. to be discovered by

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• human eyes.

• I laid it down, and took up the hearts of other • females, in all of which the Fomes ran in several (veins, which were twisted together, and made a

very perplexed figure. I asked the meaning of : • it, and was told it represented Deceit.

• I should have been glad to have examined the : • hearts of several of my acquaintance, whom I • knew to be particularly addicted to drinking,

gaming, intriguing, &c. but my interpreter told me, I must let that alone until another opportu

rity.

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' nity, and Aung down the cover of the chest

with so much violence, as immediately awoke

i me.'

N°588. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER I.

Dicitis, omnis in imbecilitate eft et gratia, et caritas.

CICERO. You pretend that all kindness and benevolence

is founded in weakness. MAN may be considered in two views, as a rea

fonable, and as a fociable being ; capable of becoming himfelf either happy or miserable, and of contributing to the happiness or misery of his fellow creatures. Suitably to this double capacity, the Contriver of human nature hath wifely furnihed it with two principles of action, self-love and benevolence; defigned one of them to render man wakeful to his own personal interest the other to difpofe him for giving his utinoft affittance to all engaged in the same pursuit. This is such an account of our frame, fo agreeable to reason, fo much for the honour of our Maker, and the credit of our fpecies, that it may appear somewhat unaccountable what should induce men to represent human nature as they do, under characters of disadvantage, or, having drawn it with a little and for-, did aspect, what pleafure they can pofsibly take in fuch a picture. Do they reflect that it is their own, and, if we would believe themfelvęs, is not more odious than the original ? One of the firft that talked in this lofty strain of our nature was Epicurus. Beneficence, would his followers fay, is alt founded in weakness; and, whatever be pretended, the kindnefs that passeth between men and men, is by every man directed to himself. This, it must

be

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