swain of an East-Indiaman; which was, that a Chinese had tricked and bubbled him, and that when he came to demand satisfaction the next morning, and like a true tar of honour called him a son of a whore, liar, dog, and other rough appellatives, used by persons conversant with winds and waves, the Chinese, with great tranquillity, desired him "not to come abroad fasting, nor put himself into a heat, for it would prejudice his health." Thus the East knows nothing of this gallantry. There sat at the left of the table a person of venerable aspect, who asserted, that "half the impositions which are put upon these ages have been transmitted by writers who have given too great pomp and magnificence to the exploits of the antient bear-garden, and made their gladiators, by fabulous tradition, greater than Gorman* and others of Great Britain." He informed the company that 66 he had searched authorities for what he said, and that a learned antiquary, Humphrey Scarecrow, Esquire, of Hockley in the Hole, recorder to the bear-garden, was then writing a discourse on the subject. It appears by the best accounts," says this gentleman, "that the high names which are used among us with so great veneration, were no other than stage-fighters, and worthies of the antient bear-garden. The renowned Hercules always carried a quarter-staff, and was from thence called Claviger*. A learned chronologist is about proving what wood this staff was made of; whether oak, ash, or crab-tree. The first trial of skill he ever performed was with one Cacus, a deer-stealer; the next was with Typhonus, a giant of forty feet, four inches. Indeed it was unhappily recorded, that meeting at last with a sailor's wife, * Gorman is mentioned in the epilogue to Lansdowne's "Jew of Venice," and is there explained to have been a prize-fighter. "Club-bearer." she made his staff of prowess serve her own use, and dwindle away to a distaff: she clapped him on an old tar jacket of her husband; so that this great hero drooped like a scabbed sheep. Him his contemporary Theseus succeeded in the bear-garden, which honour he held for many years. This grand duellist went to Hell, and was the only one of that sort that ever came back again. As for Achilles and Hector (as the ballads of those times mention), they were pretty smart fellows: they fought at sword and buckler; but the former had much the better of it; his mother, who was an oyster-woman, having got a blacksmith of Lemnos to make her son's weapons. There is a pair of trusty Trojans in a song of Virgil, that were famous for handling their gauntlets, Dares and Entellus; and indeed it does appear, they fought no sham-prize." The Roman bear-garden was abundantly more magnificent than any thing Greece could boast of; it flourished most under those delights of mankind, Nero and Domitian. At one time it is recorded, four hundred senators entered the list, and thought it an honour to be cudgelled and quarterstaffed. I observe the Lanista were the people chiefly employed; which makes me imagine our Bear-garden copied much after this, the butchers being the greatest men in it. Thus far the glory and honour of the bear-garden stood secure; until fate, that irresistible ruler of sublunary things, in that universal ruin of arts, and politer learning, by those savage people, the Goths and Vandals, destroyed and levelled it to the ground. Then fell the grandeur and bravery of the Roman state; until at last the warlike genius (but accompanied with more courtesy) revived in the Christian world under those puissant champions, Saint George, Saint Dennis, and other dignified heroes: one killed his dragon, another his lion, and were all afterwards canonized for it, having red letters* before them to illustrate their martial temper. The Spanish nation, it must be owned, were devoted to gallantry and chivalry above the rest of the world. What a great figure does that great name, Don Quixote, make in history! How shines this glorious star in the western world! O renowned hero! O mirror of knighthood! Thy brandish'd whinyard all the world defies, I am forced to break off abruptly; being sent for in haste with my rule, to measure the degree of an affront, before the two gentlemen (who are now in their breeches and pumps, ready to engage behind Montague-house) have made a pass, From my own Apartment, June 18. It is an unreasonable objection, I find, against my labours, that my stock is not all my own, and, therefore, the kind of reception I have met with, is not so deserved as it ought to be. But I hope, though it be never so true that I am obliged to my friends for laying their cash in my hands; since I give it them again when they please, and leave them at their liberty to call it home, it will not hurt me with my gentle readers. Ask all the merchants who act upon consignments, where is the necessity (if they answer readily what their correspondents draw) of their being wealthy themselves? Ask the greatest bankers, if all the men they deal with were to draw at once, what would be the consequence ? But indeed a country friend has writ me a letter which gives me a great mortification; wherein I find I am so far from expecting a supply from thence, that some have not heard of me, and the rest do not understand me: his epistle is as follows: * An allusion to the rubricks in the Roman missals. "Dear Cousin, 6 "I thought, when I left the town, to have raised your fame here, and helped you to support it by intelligence from hence; but, alas! they had never heard of the Tatler until I brought down a set. I lent it from house to house; but they asked me what they meant. I began to enlighten them by telling who and who were supposed to be intended by the characters drawn: I said, for instance, Chloe and Clarissa are two eminent toasts. A gentleman, who keeps his greyhound and gun, and one would think might know better, told me, he supposed they were Papishes; for their names were not English. Then,' said he, why do you call live people toasts?' I answered, 'That was a new name, found out by the wits, to make the lady have the same effect, as burridge in the glass when a man is drinking. But,' says I, Sir, I perceive this to you is all bamboozling; why, you look as if you were Don Diego'd to the tune of a thousand pounds.' All this good language was lost upon him: he only stared, though he is as good a scholar as any layman in the town, except the barber. Thus, cousin, you must be content with London for the centre of your wealth and fame; we have no relish for you. Wit must describe its proper circumference, and not go beyond it; lest, like little boys when they straggle out of their own parish, it may wander to places where it is not known, and be lost. Since it is so, you must excuse me, that I am forced at a visit to sit silent, and only lay up what excellent things pass at such conversations. "This evening I was with a couple of young ladies; one of them has the character of the prettiest company, yet really I thought her but silly; the other, who talked a great deal less, I observed to have understanding. The lady, who is reckoned such a companion among her acquaintance, has 1 only, with a very brisk air, a knack of saying the commonest things; the other, with a sly serious one, says home things enough. The first, mistress Giddy, is very quick; but the second, mistress Slim, fell into Giddy's own style, and was as good company as she. Giddy happens to drop her glove; Slim reaches it to her. 'Madam,' says Giddy, 'I hope you will have a better office.' Upon which Slim immediately repartees, and sits in her lap, and cries, ‹ Are you not sorry for my heaviness?' The sly wench pleased me, to see how she hit her height of understanding so well. We sat down to dinner. Says Giddy, mighty prettily, Two hands in a dish, and one in a purse. Says Slim, Ay, madam, the more the merrier; but the fewer the better cheer.' I quickly took the hint, and was as witty and talkative as they. Says I, "He that will not when he may, "When he will, he shall have nay;" 6 and so helped myself. Giddy turns about; What, have you found your tongue? Yes,' says I, 'it is manners to speak when I am spoken to; but your greatest talkers are the least doers, and the still sow eats up all the broth.' 'Ha! ha!' says Giddy, 'one would think he had nothing in him; and do you hear how he talks, when he pleases!' I grew immediately roguish and pleasant to a degree, in the same strain. Slim, who knew how good company we had been, cries, You will certainly print this bright conversation.' "It is so; and hereby you may see how small an appearance the prettiest things said in company make, when in print." St. James's Coffee-house, May 20. A mail from Lisbon has brought advices, of June the twelfth, from the king of Portugal's army encamped at Torre Allegada, which informs us, that |