pleasures and elegance of life, joined to an indefatigable indaftry in business: A man eloquent in affemblies, agreeable in converfation, and dextrous in all manner of public negotiations. Thefe letters add, that Verono, who is alfo of this council, has lately fet fail to his government of Patricia, with defign to confirm the affections of the people in the interefts of his Queen. This Miniker is mafter of great abilities, and is as induftrious and reftlefs for the preservation of the Liberties of the people, as the greateft enemy can be to fubvert them. The influence of these perfonages, who are men of such distinguished parts and virtues, makes the people enjoy the utmoft tranquillity in the midst of a war, and gives them undoubted hopes of a fecure peace from their vigilance and integrity. N° 5. Thursday, April 21, 1709. White's Chocolate-house, April 20. WH HO names that loft thing, love, without a tear, Since fo debauch'd by ill-bred customs here? To an exact perfection they have brought "The action, love, the paffion is forgot." This was long ago a witty Author's lamentation, but the evil ftill continues; and if a man of any delicacy were to attend the difcourfes of the young fellows of this age, he would believe there were none but proftitutes to make the objects of paffion. So true it is what the Author of the above verfes faid, a little before his death, of the modern pretenders to gallantry: They "fet up for wits in this age, by faying, when they are "fober, what they of the laft spoke only when they were drunk." But Cupid is not only blind at prefent, but dead drunk; he has loft all his faculties: Elfe how fhould Celia be fo long a maid, with that agree able able behaviour? Corinna with that fprightly wit? Lebia with that heavenly voice? and Sacharia with all thofe excellencies in one perfon, frequent the Park, the Play, and murder the poor. Tits that drag her to public places, and not a man turn pale at her appearance? but fuch is the fallen ftate of Love, that if it were not for honeft Cynthio, who is true to the caufe, we should hardly have a pattern left of the antient worthies that way: And indeed he has but very little encouragement to perfevere; but he has a devotion, rather than love, for his Miftrefs, and fays, Only tell her that I love, Leave the reft to her and fate; But the ftars I am fo intimately acquainted with, that I can affure him that he will never have her: For would you believe it? though Cynthio has wit, good sense, fortune, and his very Being depends upon her, the termagant for whom he fighs is in love with a fellow who ftares in the glafs all the time he is with her, and lets her plainly fee fhe may poffibly be his rival, but never his Miftrefs. Yet Cynthio, the fame unhappy inan whom I mentioned in my firft narrative, pleafes himself with a vain imagination, that with the language of his eyes, now he has found who he is, he fhall conquer her, though her eyes are intent upon one who looks from her; which is ordinary with the Sex. It is certainly a mistake in the antients to draw the little Gentleman, Love, as a blind boy; for his real character is a little thief that fquints. For afk Mrs. Meddle, who is a confident, or fpy, upon all paffions in town, and The will tell you that the whole is a game of crofs purpofes. The Lover is generally purfuing one who is in purfuit of another, and running from one that defires to meet him. Nay, the nature of this paffion is fo justly reprefented in a fquinting little thief, (who is always in a double action) that do but obferve Clarifa next time you fee her, and you will find, when her eyes hare have made their foft tour round the company, the makes no stay on him, they fay fhe is to marry, but refts two feconds of a minute on Wildair, who neither looks nor thinks on her, or any woman elfe. However, Cyn thio had a bow from her the other day, upon which he is very much come to himfelf; and I heard him fend his man of an errand yesterday, without any manner of hefitation; a quarter of an hour after which he reckoned twenty, remembered he was to fup with a friend, and went exactly to his appointment. I fent to know how he did this morning, and I find that he hath not forgot that he froke to me yesterday. Will's Coffee-houfe, April 20. This week being facred to holy things, and no pub dic diverfions allowed, there has been taken notice of even here, a little Treatife, called "A Project for the "advancement of Religion: dedicated to the Countess "of Berkeley :" The title was fo uncommon, and promifed fo peculiar a way of thinking, that every man here has read it, and as many as have done fo, have approved it. It is written with the fpirit of one who has feen the world enough to undervalue it with Good-breeding. The Author muft certainly be a man of wisdom as well as piety, and have fpent much time in the Exercife of both. The real caufes of the decay of the intereft of Religion are fet forth in a clear and lively manner, without unfeafonable paffions; and the whole air of the Book, as to the language, the fentiments, and the reafonings, fhews it was written by one whofe virtue fits eafy about him, and to whom vice is thoroughly contemptible. It was faid by one of this company, alluding to that knowledge of the world the Author feems to have, the man writes much like a Gen. tleman, and goes to heaven with a very good mien. St. James's Coffee-hotf, April 20. Letters from Italy fay, that the Marquis de Prie, upon the receipt of an exprefs from the Court of Vienna, went immediately to the palace of Paulucci, Minifter of State to VOL. I. C his his Holinefs, and demanded, in the name of his Imperial Majefty, that King Charles fhould forthwith be acknowledged King of Spain, by a folemn act of the congregation of Cardinals appointed for that purpose: He declared at the fame time, that if the leaft hefitation were made in this most important article of the late treaty, he fhould not only be obliged to leave Rome himself, but also tranfmit his mafter's orders to the Imperial troops to face about, and return into the ecclefiaftical dominions. When the Cardinal reported this meffage to the Pope, his Holiness wa was ftruck with fo fenfible an affliction, that he burst into tears: His forrow was aggravated by letters which immediately after arrived from the Court of Madrid, wherein his Nuncio acquainted him, that upon the news of his accomodation with the Emperor, he had received a meffage to forbear coming to Court; and the people were fo highly provoked, that they could hardly be reftrained from infulting his palace. Thefe letters add, that the King of Denmark was gone from Florence to Pifa, and from Pifa to Leghorn, where the Governor paid his Majesty all imaginable honours. The King defigned to go from thence to Lucca, where a magnificent tournament was prepared for his diverfion. An English man of war which came from Port-Mahon to Leghorn in fix days, brought advice, that the fleet, commanded by Admiral Whitaker, was fafely arrived at Barcelona, with the troops and ammunition which he had taken in at Naples. General Boneval, Governor of Commachio, had summoned the magiftrates of all the towns near that place to appear before him, and take an oath of fidelity to his Imperial Majefty, commanding alfo the gentry to pay him homage, on pain of death and confifcation of goods. Advices from Switzerland inform us, that the Bankers of Geneva were utterly ruined by the failure of Mr. Bernard. They add, that the Deputies of the Swiss Cantons were returned from Soleure, where they were affembled at the inftance of the French Ambaffador, but were very much diffatisfied with the reception they had from that Minifter. It is true he omitted no civilities or expreflions of friendship from his mafter, but he took no otice of their penfions and arrears: What further pro voked their indignation was, that inftead of twenty-five piftoles, formerly allowed to each member for their charge in coming to the Diet, he had prefented them. with fix only. They write from Drefden, that King Auguftus was ftill bufy in recruiting his cavalry, and that the Danish troops that lately ferved in Hungary, had orders to be in Saxony by the middle of May; and that his Majefty of Denmark was expected at Drefden in the beginning of that month. King Auguftus makes great preparations for his reception, and has appointed fixty coaches, each drawn by fix horfes, for that purpose: The interview of these Princes affords great matter for fpeculation. Letters from Paris of the twenty-fecond of this month fay, that Marshal Harcourt and the Duke of Berwick were preparing to go into Alface and Dauphiné, but that their troops were in want of all manner of neceffaries. The Court of France had received advices from Madrid, that on the feventh of this month the States of Spain had with much magnificence acknowledged the Prince of Afturias prefumptive heir to the Crown. This was performed at Buen-Retiro; the Deputies took the oaths on that occafion from the hands of Cardinal Portocarrero. Thefe advices add, that it was fignified to the Pope's Nuncio by order of Coun cil, to depart from that Court in twenty-four hours, and that a guard was accordingly appointed to conduct him to Bayonne. Letters from the Hague of the twenty-fixth inftant inform us, that Prince Eugene was to fet out the next day for Bruffels, to put all things in a readiness for opening the campaign. They add, that the grand Penfioner having reported to the Duke of Marlborough what paffed in the laft conference with Mr. Rouille, his Grace had taken a refolution immediately to return to Great-Britain, to communicate to her Majefty all that has been tranfacted in that important affair. From my own Apartment, April 20. The nature of my miscellaneous work is fuch, that I fhall always take the liberty to tell for News fuch things (let them have happened never fo much before the time |