"whole Art of Life; or, The Introduction to great Men, illuftrated in a Pack of Cards.' But being a novice at all manner of play, I declined the. "offer. Another advifed me, for want of money, to "fet up my coach and practife phyfic; but having been

bred a fcholar, I feared I fhould not fucceed that way "neither, therefore refolved to go on in my prefent project. But you are to understand, that I fhall not pretend to raise a credit to this work upon the weight "of my politic News only, but, as my Latin fentence in the title-page informs you, fhall take any thing "that offers for the fubject of my difcourfe. Thus new

perfons, as well as new things, are to come under my "confideration; as when a Toaft or Wit is first pro"nounced fuch, you fhall have the frefheft advice of "their preferment, from me, with defcription of the "Beauty's manners, and the Wit's ftile; as also in "whofe places they are advanced. For this town is ne"ver good-natured enough to raise one without depreffing another. But it is my defign to avoid faying any thing of any perfon, which ought juftly to difpleafe "but fhall endeavour, by the variety of the matter and "ftile, to give entertainment for men of pleasure, without offence to those of business."

A

White's Chocolate-houfe, April 18.

LL hearts at prefent pant for two Ladies only, who have for fome time engroffed the dominion of the town. They are indeed both exceeding charming, but differ very much in their excellencies. The beauty of Clarifa is foft, that of Chloe piercing. When you look. at Clariffa, you fee the moft exact harmony of feature, complexion, and fhape; you find in Chloe nothing extraordinary in any one of thofe particulars, but the whole woman irrefiftible; Clariffa looks languishing; Chloe killing; Clarifa never fails of gaining admiration; Chloe of moving defire. The gazers at Clarissa are at first unconcerned, as if they were obferving a fine picture. They who behold Chloe, at the first glance difcover transport, as if they met with their dearest friend. Thefe different perfections are fuitably reprefented by

the laft great Painter Italy has fent us, Mr. Jervafe. Clariffa is by that fkilful hand placed in a manner that looks artlefs, and innocent of the torments fhe gives; Chloe is drawn with a liveliness that shows fhe is confcious of, but not affected, with her perfections. Clarifa is a fhepherdefs, Chlee a country girl. I must own, the defign of Chloe's picture fhows, to me, great maftery in the Painter; for nothing could be better imagined than the drefs he has given her of a ftraw-hat and a ribbon, to reprefent that fort of beauty which enters the heart with a certain familiarity, and cheats it into a belief, that it has received a lover as well as an object of love. The force of their different beauties is feen alfo in the effects it makes on their Lovers. The admirers of Chloe are eternally gay and well-pleafed: Thofe of Clarissa melancholy and thoughtful. And as this paffion always changes the natural man into a quite different creature from what he was before, the love of Chloe makes Coxcombs; that of Clarissa, Madmen. There were of each kind just now in this room. Here was one that whistles, laughs, fings, and cuts capers, for love of Chloe. Another hath just now writ three lines to Clarissa, then taken a turn in the garden, then came back again, then tore his fragment, then called for fome chocolate, then went away without it.

Chloe has fo many admirers in the house at prefent, that there is too much noife to proceed in my narration: So that the progrefs of the loves of Clariffa and Chise, together with the bottles that are drank each night for the one, and the many fighs which are uttered, and fongs written on the other, must be our fubject on future occafions.

Will's Coffee-houfe, April 18.

Letters from the Hay-market informs us, that on Saturday night laft the Opera of Pyrrhus and Demetrius was performed with great applaufe. This intelligence is not very acceptable to us friends of the theatre; for the ftage being an entertainment of the reafon and all our faculties, this way of being pleased with the fufpence of them for three hours together, and being given up to the

fhallow

fhallow fatisfaction of the eyes and ears only, feems to arife rather from the degeneracy of our understanding than an improvement of our diverfions. That the underftanding has no part in the pleasure is evident, from what thefe letters very pofitively affert, to wit, that a great part of the performance was done in Italian: And a great Critic fell into fits in the gallery, at feeing, not only Time and Place, but Languages and Nations confufed in the most incorrigible manner. His spleen is fo extremely moved on this occafion, that he is going to publish a treatife againft Operas, which, he thinks, have already inclined us to thoughts of peace, and if tolerated, muft infallibly difpirit us from carrying on the war. He has communicated his fcheme to the whole room, and declared in what manner things of this kind were firft introduced. He has upon this occafion confidered the nature of Sounds in general, and made a very elaborate digreffion upon the London Cries, wherein he has fhown from reafon and philofophy, why oyfters are cried, card matches fung, and turneps and all other vegetables neither cried, fung, nor faid, but fold, with an accent and tone neither natural to man or beaft. This piece feems to be taken from the model of that excellent difcourfe of Mrs. Manly the fchool-miftrefs, con cerning fampiers. Advices from the upper end of Piccadilly fay, that May-Fair is utterly abolifhed; and we hear Mr. Pinkethman has removed his ingenious come pany of frollers to Greenwich. But other letters from Deptford fay, the company is only making thither, and not yet fettled; but that feveral heathen gods and goddeffes, which are to defcend in machines, landed at the King's head Stairs last Saturday. Venus and Cupid went on foot from thence to Greenwich; Mars got drunk in the town, and broke his landlord's head, for which he fat in the stocks the whole evening; but Mr. Pinkethman giving fecurity that he fhould do nothing this enfuing fummer, he was fet at liberty. The moft melancholy part of all was, that Diana was taken in the act of fornication with a Boatman, and committed by jus tice Wrathful, which has, it feems, put a stop to the diverfions of the theatre of Blackheath. But there goes down another Diana and a Patient Grissel next tide from Billing f gate.

St.

St. James's Coffee-houfe, April 18.

They write from Saxony of the thirteenth inftant, N. S. that the grand General of the Crown of Poland was fo far from entering into a treaty with King Staniflaus, that he had written circular letters, wherein he exhorted the Palatines to join against him; declaring that this was the most favourable conjun&ture for afferting their liberty.

Letters from the Hague of the twenty-third inftant, N. S. fay, they have advices from Vienna, which import, that his Electoral Highness of Hanover had fignified to the Imperial Court, that he did not intend to put himself at the head of the troops of the Empire, except more effectual meafures were taken for acting vigorously against the enemy the enfuing campaign. Upon this reprefentation the Emperor has given orders to feveral regiments to march towards the Rhine, and difpatched expreffes to the refpective Princes of the empire to defire an augmentation of their forces.

Thefe letters add, that an exprefs arrived at the Hague on the twentieth inftant, with advice, that the enemy having made a detachment from Tournay, of fifteen hundred horfe, each trooper carrying a foot foldier behind him, in order to furprife the garrifon of Aloft; the Allies, upon notice of their march, fent out a ftrong body of troops from Ghent, which engaged the enemy at Afche, and took two hundred of them prifoners, obliging the reft to retire without making any farther attempt. On the twenty-fecond in the morning a fleet of merchant-fhips coming from Scotland, were attacked by fix French privateers at the entrance of the Meuse." We have yet no certain advice of the event: But letters from Rotterdam fay, that a Dutch man of war of forty guns, which was convoy to the faid fleet, was taken, as were alfo eighteen of the merchants. The Swift troops in the fervice of the States, have compleated the augmentation of their refpective companies. Thofe of Wirtemberg and Pruffia are expected on the frontiers within a few days; and the auxiliaries from Saxony, as alfo a battalion of Holften, and another of Wolfembule,

are

are advancing thither with all expedition. On the twenty-first instant the Deputies of the States had a conference near Woerden with the Prefident Rouille, but the matter which was therein debated is not made public. His Grace the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene continue at the Hague.

From my own Apartment, April 18.

I have lately been very ftudious for intelligence, and have juft now, by my aftrological flying Poft, received a packet from Felicia, an ifland in America, with an account that gives me great fatisfaction, and lets me understand that the island was never in greater profperity, or the administration in fo good hands, fince the death of their late glorious King. These letters import, that the chief Minifter has entered into a firm league with the ableft and best men of the nation, to carry on the cause of liberty, to the encouragement of religion, virtue, and honour. Thofe perfons at the helm are fo ufeful, and in themselves of fuch weight, that their ftrict alliance must needs tend to the univerfal profperity of the people. Camillo, it feems, prefides over the deliberations of state; and is fo highly valued by all men for his fingular probity, courage, affability, and love. of mankind, that his being placed in that ftation has diffipated the fears of that people, who of all the world are the most jealous of their liberty and happiness. The next member of their fociety is Horatio, who makes all the public difpatches. This Minifter is mafter of all, the languages in ufe to great perfection. He is held in the highest veneration imaginable for a fevere honefty, and love of his country: He lives in a Court unfullied with any of its artifices, the refuge of the oppreffed, and terror of oppreffors. Martio has joined himself to this council; a man of moft undaunted refolution and great knowledge in maritime affairs; famous for detroying the navy of the Franks, and fingularly happy in one particular, that he never preferred a man who has not proved remarkably ferviceable to his country. Philander is mentioned with particular diftinction; a nobleman who has the most refined taste of the true

pleasures