difcourfe; I am undertaking, methinks, a work worthy an invulnerable Hero in romance, rather than a private Gentleman with a fingle rapier: But as I am pretty well acquainted by great opportunities with the nature of man, and know of a truth that all men fight against their -will, the danger vanishes, and refolution rifes upon this fubject. For this reafon, I shall talk very freely on a custom which all men with exploded, though no man has courage enough to resist it.

But there is one unintelligible word which I fear will extremely perplex my differtation; and I confefs to you I find very hard to explain, which is the term Satisfaction. An honeft country Gentleman had the misfortune to fall into company with two or three modern men of honour, where he happened to be very ill treated ; and one of the company being confcious of his offence, fends a note to him in the morning, and tells him, he was ready to give him Satisfaction. This is fine doing (fays the plain fellow ;) laft night he fent me away curfedly out of humour, and this morning he fancies it will be a Satisfaction to be run through the body.

As the matter at prefent ftands, it is not to do handfome actions denominates a man of honour, it is enough if he dares to defend ill ones. Thus you often see a common fharper in competition with a Gentleman of the firft rank; though all mankind is convinced, that a Fighting gamefter is only a pick-pocket with the courage of an highway-man. One cannot with any patience reflect on the unaccountable jumble of perfons and things in this town and nation, which occafions very frequently, that a brave man falls by a hand below that of a common hangman, and yet his executioner efcapes the clutches of the hangman for doing it. I fhall therefore hereafter confider, how the braveft men in other ages and nations have behaved themselves upon fuch incidents as we decide by Combat; and fhew, from their practice, that this refentment neither has its foundation from true reason or folid fame; but is an impofture made of cowardice, falfhood, and want of understanding. For this work, a good hiftory of quarrels would be very edifying to the public, and I apply myself to the town for particulars and circumftances within their know

ledge,

ledge, which may ferve to embellish the differtation with proper cuts. Most of the quarrels I have ever known, have proceeded from fome valiant coxcomb's perfifting in the wrong, to defend fome prevailing folly, and preferve himfelf from the ingenuity of owning a

miftake.

By this means it is called, " Giving a man Satisfac"tion," to urge your offence againft him with your fword; which puts me in mind of Peter's order to the keeper, in "The tale of a tub: If you neglect to do all "this, damn you and your generation for ever: and fo we bid you heartily farewel." If the contradiction in the very terms of one of our challenges were as well explained and turned into downright English, would it not run after this manner?

46

SIR,

Y

OUR extraordinary behaviour last night, and the liberty you were pleafed to take with me, "makes me this morning give you this, to tell you, "because you are an ill-bred puppy, I will meet you "in Hyde-Park, an hour hence; and because you want "both breeding and humanity, I defire you would

come with a piftol in your hand, on horfeback, and "endeavour to fhoot me through the head, to teach you more manners. If you fail of doing me this pleafure, I fhall fay, you are a rafcal, on every poft "in town And fo, Sir, if you will not injure me more, "I fhall never forgive what you have done already. "Pray, Sir, do not fail of getting every thing ready, and you will infinitely oblige,

From my own Apartment, June 6.

Among the many employments I am neceffarily put upon by my friends, that of giving Advice is the moft unwelcome to me; and indeed, I am forced to use a liitle art in the manner; for fome people will afk counfel of you, when they have already acted what they tell you is ftill under deliberation. I had almoft loft a very good friend the other day, who came to know how I liked his defign to marry fuch a Lady; I antwered, by no means; and I must be pofitive against it, for very folid reafons, which are not proper to communicate. Not proper to communicate! (faid he, with a grave air) I well know the bottom of this. I faw him moved, and knew from thence he was already determined; therefore evaded it by faying, to tell you the truth, dear Frank, of all women living, I would have her myself. Ifaac, faid he, thou art too late, for we have been both one thefe two months.

I learned this caution by a Gentleman's confulting me formerly about his fon. He railed at his damned extravagance, and told me, in a very little time, he would beggar him by the exorbitant bills which came from Oxford every quarter. "Make the rogue bite upon the bridle, faid I, pay none of his bills, it will but encourage him to further trefpafies." He looked plaguy four at me. His fon foon after fent up a paper of verfes, forfooth, in print on the last public occafion; upon which, he is convinced the boy has parts, and a lad of Spirit is not to be too much cramped in his maintenance, Jeft he take ill courfes. Neither father nor fon can ever fince endure the fight of me.

Thefe fort of people afk opinions, only out of the fulnefs of their heart on the fubject of their perplexity, and not from a defire of information.

There is nothing fo eafy as to find out which opinion the man in doubt has a mind to; therefore the fure way is to tell him, that is certainly to be chofen. Then you are to be very clear and pofitive; leave no handle for fcruple. Blefs me! Sir, there is no room for a question. This rivets you into his heart; for you at once applaud

his wisdom, and gratify his inclination. However, Ì had too much bowels to be infincere to a man who came yesterday to know of me, with which of two eminent men in the city he fhould place his fon their Names are Paulo and Avaro. This gave me much debate with myfelf, because not only the fortune of the youth, but his virtue alfo dependeth upon this choice. The men are equally wealthy; but they differ in the ufe and application of their riches, which you immediately fee upon entering their doors.

The habitation of Paulo has at once the air of a Nobleman and a Merchant. You fee the fervants act with affection to their mafter, and fatisfaction in themselves: The mafter meets you with an open conntenance, full of benevolence and integrity: Your bufinefs is difpatched with that confidence and welcome, which always accompanies honeft minds: His table is the image of plenty and generofity, fupported by juftice and frugality. After we had dined here, our affair was to visit Avaro: Out comes an aukward fellow with a careful countenance; "Sir, would you speak with my mafter? may "I crave your name?" After the firft preamble, he leads us into a noble folitude, a great houfe that feemed uninhabited; but from the end of the fpacious hall moves towards us Avaro, with a fufpicious afpect, as if he had believed us thieves; and as for my part, I ap proached him as if I knew him a cut-purse. We fell into difcourfe of his noble dwelling, and the great estate all the world knew he had to enjoy in it: And I, to plague him, began to commend Paulo's way of living. Paulo, anfwered Avaro, is a very good man; but we who have fmaller eftates, muft cut our coat according to our cloth. Nay, fays I, every man knows his own circumftances beft; you are in the right, if you have not wherewithal. He looked very four; (for it is, you must know, the utmoft vanity of a mean-fpirited rich man to be contradicted, when he calls himself poor.) But I was refolved to vex him, by confenting to all he faid; the main defign of which was, that he would have us find out, he was one of the wealthieft men in London, and lived like a beggar. We left him, and took a turn on the Exchange. My friend was ravished with Avaro: This

H 4

This, faid he, is certainly a fure man. I contradicted him with much warmth, and fummed up their different characters as well as I could. This Paulo, faid I, grows

wealthy by being a common good; Avaro, by being a general evil: Paulo has the art, Avaro the craft of Trade. When Paulo gains, all men he deals with are the better: Whenever Avaro profits, another certainly lofes. In a word, Paulo is a Citizen, and Avaro a Cit. I convinced my friend, and carried the young Gentleman the next day to Paulo, where he will learn the way both to gain and enjoy a good fortune. And though I cannot fay, I have, by keeping him from Avaro, faved him from the gallows, I have prevented his deferving it every day he lives: For with Paulo he will be an honeft Man, without being fo for fear of the law; as with Avaro, he would have been a villain within the protection of it.

St. James's Coffee-house, June 6.

We hear from Vienna of the first inftant, that Baron Imhoff, who attended her Catholic Majefty with the chatacter of Envoy from the Duke of Wolfembuttle, was returned thither. That Minifter brought an account, that Major-general Stanhope, with the troops which embarked at Naples, was returned to Barcelona. We hear from Berlin, by advices of the eighth inftant, that his Pruffian Majefly had received intelligence from his Minister at Drefden, that the King of Denmark defired to meet his Majefty at Magdeburg. The King of Pruffia has fent answer, that his present indifpofition will not admit of fo great a journey; but has fent the King a very preffing invitation to come to Berlin or Potsdam. Thefe advices fay, that the Minister of the King of Sweden has produced a letter from his mafter to the King of Poland, dated from Botizau the thirtieth of March, O. S. wherein he acquaints him, that he has been fuccefsful against the Muscovites in all the actions, which have happened fince his march into their country. Great numbers have revolted to the Swedes fince General Mazeppa went over to that fide; and as many as have done fo,

have