1 ing us their respective Services. Sir ROGER, after having looked about him very attentively, fpied one with a Wooden-Leg, and immediately gave him Orders to get bis Boat ready. As we were walking towards it, You must know, fays Sir RGGER, I never make use of any body to row me, that has not either loft a Leg or an Arm. I would rather bate him a few Strokes of his Oar, than not employ an honest Man that has been wounded in the Queen's Service. If I was a Lord or a Bishop, and kept a Barge, I would not put a Fellow in my Livery that had not a Wooden-Leg. MY old Friend, after having feated himself, and trimmed the Boat with his Coachman, who, being a very fober Man, always ferves for Ballaft on these Occasions, we made the best of our Way for Fox-Hall. Sir ROGER obliged the Waterman to give us the Hiftory of his right Leg, and hearing that he had left it at La Hogue, with many Particulars which paffed in that glorious Action, the Knight in the Triumph of his Heart made feveral Reflections on the Greatness of the British Nation; as, that one Englishman could beat three Frenchmen; that we could never be in danger of Popery fo long as we took care of our Fleet; that the Thames was the nobleft River in Europe; that London Bridge was a greater piece of Work, than any of the feven Wonders of the World; with many other honeft Prejudices which naturally cleave to the Heart of a true Englishman. AFTER fome fhort Paufe, the old Knight turning about his Head twice or thrice, to take a Survey of this great Metropolis, bid me obferve how thick the City was fet with Churches, and that there was scarce a fingle Steeple on this fide Temple-Bar. A moft Heathenish Sight! fays Sir ROGER: There is no Religion at this End of the Town. The fifty new Churches will very much mend the Profpect; but Church-work is flow, Church-work is flow! I do not remember I have any where mentioned, in Sir ROGER'S Character, his Custom of faluting every body that paffes by him with a Good-morrow or a Goodnight. This the old Man does out of the Overflowings of of his Humanity, though at the fame time it renders him fo popular among all his Country Neighbours, that it is thought to have gone a good way in making him once or twice Knight of the Shire. He cannot forbear this Exercife of Benevolence even in Town, when he meets with any one in his morning or evening Walk. It broke from him to feveral Boats that paffed by us upon the Water; but to the Knight's great Surprize, as he gave the Good-night to two or three young Fellows a little before eur Landing, one of them, inftead of returning the Ci vility, asked us what queer old Putt we had in the Boat, and whether he was not afhamed to go a Wenching at his Years? with a great deal of the like Thames-Ribaldry, Sir ROGER feem'd a little shocked at first, but at length affuming a Face of Magiftracy, told us, That if he were a Middlefex Justice, he would make fuch Vagrants know that her Majesty's Subjects were no more to be abused by Water than by Land. WE were now arrived at Spring Garden, which is exquifitely pleafant at this time of Year. When I confidered the Fragancy of the Walks and Bowers, with the Choirs of Birds that fung upon the Trees, and the loofe Tribe of People that walked under their Shades, I could not but look upon the Place as a kind of Mabomeran Paradife. Sir ROGER told me it put him in mind of a lit the Coppice by his Houfe in the Country, which his Chaplain used to call an Aviary of Nightingales. Ton mut understand, fays the Knight, there is nothing in the World that pleafes a Man in Love fo much as your Nightingale. Ab, Mr. SPECTATOR! the many Moon-light Nights that I have walked by my felf, and thought on the Widow by the Mufick of the Nightingale! He here ferched a deep Sigh, and was falling into a Fir of mufing, when a Mask, who came behind him, gave him a gentle Tap upon the Shoulder, and asked him if he would drink a Bottle of Mead with her? But the Knight being ftartled at fo unexpected a Familiarity, and difpleafed to be interrupted in his Thoughts of the Widow, told her. She was a wanton Baggage, and bid her go about her Business. WE WE concluded our Walk with a Glafs of Burton-Ale, and a Slice of Hung-Beef. When we had done eating our felves, the Knight called a Waiter to him, and bid him carry the remainder to a Waterman that had but or e Leg. I perceived the Fellow ftared upon him at the oddnefs of the Meffage, and was, going to be faucy; upon which I ratified the Knight's Commands with a peremp tory Look. AS we were going out of the Garden, my old Friend thinking himself obliged, as a Member of the Quorum, to animadvert upon the Morals of the Place, told the Mi ftrefs of the Houfe, who fat at the Bar, That he fhould be a better Cuftomer to her Garden, if there were more. Nightingales, and fewer Strumpets. N° 384. Wednesday, May 21. Hague, May, 24 N S. The fame Republican Hands, who have fo often fince the Chevalier de St. George's Recovery killed him in our publick Prints, have now reduced the young Dauphin of France to that defperate Condition of Weakness, and Death it felf, that it is hard to conjecture what Mcthod they will take to bring him to Life again. Meantime we are affured by a very good Hand from Paris, That on the 20th Inftant, this young Prince was as well as ever he was known to be fince the Day of his Birth. As for the other, they are now fending his Ghost, we fuppofe, (for they never had the Modefty to contradict their Affertions of his Death) to Commerci in Lorrain, attended only by four Gentlemen, and a few Domefticks of little Confideration. The Baron de Bothmar having delivered in his dentials, to qualify him as an Ambaffador to this State, (an Office to which his greateft Enemies will acknowledge him to be equal) is gone to Utrecht, whence he will proceed to Hanover, but not stay long at that Court, Court, for fear the Peace should be made during his I Should be thought not able to read, fuld I overlook fome excellent Pieces lately come out. My Lord Bishop of St. Asaph has just now published fome Sermons, the Preface to which feems to me to determine a great Point, He has, like a good Man and a good Chriftian, in oppofition to all the Flattery and bafe Submiffion of falfe Friends to Princes, afferted, that Christianity left us where it found us as to our Civil Rights. The prefent Entertainment fball confift only of a Sentence out of the Poft-Boy, and the faid Preface of the Lord of St. Alaph. I should think it a little odd if the Author of the Poft-Boy Should with Impunity call Men Republicans for a Gladness on Report of the Death of the Pretender; and treat Baron Bothmar, the Minister of Hanover, in such a manner as you fee in my Moito. I must own, I think every Man in England concerned to fupport the Succeffion of that Family. THE publishing a few Sermons, whilft I live, the lateft of which was preached about eight Years fince, and the first above seventeen, will make it very ⚫ natural for People to enquire into the Occafion of doing fo; And to fuch I do very willingly affign these followC ing Reasons. 1 FIRST, From the Observations I have been able to make, for these many Years laft paft, upon our pub⚫lick Affairs, and from the natural Tendency of feveral Principles and Practices, that have of late been fludioufly revived, and from what has followed thereupon, I could not help both fearing and prefaging, that these Nations would fome time or other, if ever we should have an enterprifing Prince upon the Throne, of more Ambition than Virtue, Juftice, and true Honour, fall into the way of all other Nations, and lose their Liberty NOR could I help forefeeing to whofe Charge a great deal of this dreadful Mischief, whenever it fhould : hap 4 happen, would be laid, whether juftly or unjustly, was not my Bufinefs to determine; but I refolved for my own particular part, to deliver my felf, as well as I 'could, from the Reproaches and the Curfes of Pofterity, by publickly declaring to all the World, That although in the conftant Courfe of my Miniftry, I have never failed, on proper Occafions, to recommend, urge, and infift upon the loving, honouring, and the reverencing the Prince's Perfon, and holding it, according to the Laws, inviolable and facred; and paying all Obedience ⚫ and Submiffion to the Laws, though never fo hard and ⚫ inconvenient to private People: Yet I did never think · my felf at liberty, or authorized to tell the People, that either Chrift, St. Peter, or St. Paul, or any other Holy Writer, had by any Doctrine delivered by them, fubverted the Laws and Conftitutions of the Country in which they lived, or put them in a worfe Condition, with respect to their Civil Liberties, than they would have been had they not been Chriftians. I ever thought it a most impious Blafphemy againft that holy Religion, to father any thing upon it that might encourage Tyranny, Oppreffion, or Injuftice in a Prince, or that eafily tended to make a free and happy People Slaves and Miferable. No, People, may make themselves as wretched as they will, but let not God be called into that * wicked Party. When Force and Violence, and hard Neceffity have brought the Yoak of Servitude upon a People's Neck, Religion wil fupply them with a patient and fubmiffive Spirit under it till they can innocently fhake it off; but certainly Religion never puts it on. This always was, and this at prefent is, my Judgment of thefe Matters: And I would be tranfmitted to Poftearity (for the little Share of Time fuch Names as mine can live ) under the Character of one who lov'd his Country, and would be thought a good Englishman, as well as a good Clergyman. } 1 THIS Character I thought would be tranfmitted by the following Sermons, which were made for, and preached in a private Audience, when I could think of nothing else but doing my Duty on the Occafions that ⚫ were |