dems; the Heroes being most of them preffed, and the Queens beating hemp. Mrs. Sarabrand, fo famous for her ingenious puppet-fhow, has fet up a fhop in the Exchange, where the fells her little troop under the term of jointed babies. I could not but be folicitous to know of her, how fhe had difpofed of that rake-hell Punch, whofe lewd life and converfation had given so much scandal, and did not a little contribute to the ruin of the Fair. She told me, with a figh, that defpairing of ever reclaiming him, fhe would not offer to place him in a civil family, but got him in a poft upon a stall in Wapping, where he may be feen from fun-rifing to fun-fetting, with a glafs in one hand, and a pipe in the other, as centry to a brandy-fhop. The great revolutions of this nature bring to my mind the diftreffes of the unfortunate Camilla, who has had the ill luck to break before her voice, and to disappear at a time when her beauty was in the height of its bloom. This Lady entered fo thoroughly into the great characters fhe acted, that when she had finished her part, fhe could not think of retrenching her equipage, but would appear in her own lodgings with the fame magnificence that he did upon the Stage. This greatnefs of Soul has reduced that unhappy Princefs to an involuntary retirement, where the now paffes her time among the woods and forests, thinking on the crowns and fcepters fhe has loft, and often humming over in her folitude,

I was born of royal race,

Yet muft wander in difgrace, &c.

But for fear of being over-heard, and her Quality known, fhe ufually fings in Italiun,

Nacqui al regno, nacqui al trono,

E par Jono

I venturata paftorella

1

Since I have touched upon this fubject, I shall communicate to my reader part of a Letter I have received from an ingenious friend at Amfter dom, where there is a very noble theatre; though the manner of furnishing it

with Actors is fomething peculiar to that place, and gives us occafion to admire both the politeness and frugality of that people.

M

Y Friends have kept me here a week longer than ordinary, to fee one of their Plays, which "was performed last night with great applaufe. The "Actors are all of them tradefmen; who, after their "day's work is over, earn about a guilder a night by perfonating Kings and Generals. The Hero of the Tragedy I faw was a journeyman-tailor, and his firft "Minister of State a coffee-man. The Emprefs made "me think of Parthenope in the Rebearfal; for her mo"ther keeps an alehoufe in the suburbs of Amfterdam. "When the Tragedy was over, they entertained us "with a fhort farce, in which the cobler did his part to "a miracle; but upon enquiry, I found he had really "been working at his own trade, and reprefenting on "the Stage what he acted every day in his fhop. The "profits of the theatre maintain an hofpital; for as "they do not think the profeffion of an Actor here the only trade that a man ought to exercife; fo they will not allow any body to grow rich in a profeffion, that, "in their opinion, fo little conduces to the good of the commonwealth. If I am not mistaken, your play"houses in England have done the fame thing; for, un"lefs I am mifinformed, the hofpital at Dulwich was

erected and endowed by Mr. Allen, a Player: And it " is also faid, a famous fhe-tragedian has fettled her "eftate, after her death, for the maintenance of decayed "Wits, who are to be taken in as foon as they grow ** dull, at whatever time of their life that shall happen."

St. James's Coffee-house, May 25.

Letters from the Hague of the thirty-first instant, N. S. fay, that the articles preliminary to a general peace were fettled, communicated to the States General, and all the foreign Ministers refiding there, and tranfmitted to their respective Masters on the twenty-eighth. Monfieur Torcy immediately returned to the Court of France, from whence he is expected again on the fourth of the

next month, with thofe articles ratified by that Courts The Hague is agreed upon for the place of treaty, and the fifteenth of the next month, the day on which it is to commence. The terms whereon this negotiation is founded, are not yet declared by public authority; but what is most generally received is as follows:

Her Majefty's right and title, and the Proteftant fucceffion to thefe dominions, is forthwith to be acknowledged. King Charles is to be owned the lawful Sovereign of Spain. The French King fhall not only recall his troops out of that kingdom, and deliver up to the Allies the towns of Rofes, Fontarabia, and Pampelona; but in cafe the Duke of Anjou shall not retire out of the Spanish dominions, he fhall be obliged to affift the Allies to force him from thence. A ceffation of arms is agreed upon for two months from the first day of the Treaty. The port and fortifications of Dunkirk are to be demolifhed within four months; but the town itself left in the hands of the French. The Pretender is to be obliged to leave France. All Newfoundland is to be restored to the English. As to the other parts of America, the French are to restore whatever they may have taken from the Englife, as the English, in like manner, are to give up what they may have taken from the French, before the commencement of the Treaty. The trade between Great-Britain and France shall be fettled upon the fame foundation as in the reign of King Charles the Second.

The Dutch are to have for their barriers, Newport, Berg, St. Vinox, Furnes, Ipres, Lifle, Tournay, Douay, Valenciennes, Conde, Maubeuge, Mons, Charleroy, Namur, and Luxumburg; all which places fhall be delivered up to the Allies before the end of June. The trade between Holland and France fhall be on the fame foot as in 1664. The cities of Straßburg, Brifac, and Alfatia, fhall be reftored to the Emperor and empire; and the King of France, pursuant to the treat of Weftphalia in 1648, fhall only retain the protection of ten Imperial Cities, viz. Colman, Schleftat, Haguenau, Munster, Turkeim, Keifember, Obrenheim, Roßheim, Weisemberg, and Landau : Huninguen, Fort-Louis, Fort-Khiel, and New-Brifac, fhall be demolished, and all the fortifications from Bafil to Philipsburg. The King of Pruffia fhall remain in the peaceable

peaceable poffeffion of Neufchatel. The affair of Orange, as alfo the pretenfions of his Pruffian Majelly in Franche Comté, fhall be determined at this general negotiation of peace. The Duke of Savoy fhall have a reftitution made of all that has been taken from him by the French, and remain mafter of Exilles, Chamont, Feneftrelles, and the valley of Pragelas.

N° 21.

A

Saturday, May 28, 1709.

White's Chocolate-houfe, May 26.

Gentleman has writ to me out of the country a very civil letter, and faid things which I fupprefs with great violence to my vanity. There are many terms in my narratives which he complains want ex-. plaining; and has therefore defired, that, for the benefit of my country readers, I would let him know what I mean by a Gentleman, a Pretty Fellow, a Toast, a Coquet, a Critic, a Wit, and all other appellations of those who are now in poffeffion of these several characters in the gayer world; together with an account of those who unfortunately pretend to them. I fhall begin with him we ufually call a Gentleman, or man of converfa

tion.

It is generally thought, that warmth of imagination, quick relifh of pleasure, and a manner of becoming it, are the most effential qualities for forming this fort of man. But any one that is much in company will obferve, that the height of good breeding is fhewn rather in never giving offence, than in doing obliging things. Thus he that never fhocks you, though he is feldom entertaining, is more likely to keep your favour, than he who often entertains, and fometimes difpleafes you. The most neceffary talent therefore in a man of convers fation, which is what we ordinarily intend by a fine Gentleman, is a good Judgment. He that has this in VOL. I. G

per

perfection, is mafter of his companion, without letting him fee it; and has the fame advantage over men of any other qualifications whatfoever, as one that can fee would have over a blind man of ten times his ftrength.

This is what makes Sophronius the darling of all who converfe with him, and the most powerful with his acquaintance of any man in town. By the light of this faculty he acts with great eafe and freedom among the men of pleasure, and acquits himself with skill and difpatch among the men of bufinefs. All which he performs with fuch fuccefs, that, with as much difcretion in life as any man ever had, he neither is, nor appears, cunning. But if he does a good office, as he ever does it with readiness and alacrity; fo he denies what he does not care to engage in, in a manner that convinces you that you ought not to have asked it. His judgment is fo good and unerring, and accompanied with fo chearful a fpirit, that his converfation is a continual feast, at which he helps fume, and is helped by others, in fuch a manner, that the equality of fociety is perfectly kept up, and every man obliges as much as he is obliged: For it is the greatest and jufteft skill in a man of fuperior understanding, to know how to be on a level with his companions. This fweet difpofition runs through all the actions of Sophronius, and makes his company defired by women, without being envied by men. Sophronius would be as just as he is, if there were no law; and would be as difcreet as he is, if there were no fuch thing as calumny.

In imitation of this agreeable Being, is made that animal we call a Pretty Fellow; who, being juft able to find out, that what makes Sophronius acceptable is a natural behaviour, in order to the fame reputation, makes his own an artificial one. Jack Dimple is his perfect mimic, whereby he is, of course, the most unlike him of all men living. Sophronius juft now paffed into the inner room directly forward: Jack comes as faft after ashe can for the right and left looking-glass, in which he had but just approved himself by a nod at each, and marched on. He will meditate within for half an hour until he is not careless enough in his air, and come back to the mirror to recollect his forgetfulness.