proach of Cæsar. But to see the modesty of
a heroine, whose country and family were at
the same time in the most imminent danger,
preserved, while she breaks out into the most
fond and open expressions of her passion for
her lover, is an instance of no common address.
Again, to observe the body of a gallant young
man brought before us, who, in the bloom of
his youth, in the defence of all that is good
and great, had received numberless wounds :
I say, to observe that this dead youth is intro-
duced only for the example of his virtue, and
that his death is so circumstantiated, that we
are satisfied, for all his virtue, it was for the
good of the world, and his own family, that
his warm temper was not to be put upon far-
ther trial, but his task of life ended while it
was yet virtuous, is an employment worthy the
consideration of our young Britons. We are
obliged to authors, that can do what they will
with us, that they do not play our affections
and passions against ourselves; but to make
us so soon resigned to the death of Marcus, of
whom we were so fond, is a power that would
be unfortunately lodged in a man without the
love of virtue.

Were it not that I speak, on this occasion,
rather as a Guardian than a critic, I could
proceed to the examination of the justness of
each character, and take notice that the Nu-
midian is as well drawn as the Roman. There
is not an idea in all the part of Syphax which
does not apparently arise from the habits which

To make mankind in conscious virtue bold,
Live o'er each scene, and be what they behold:
For this the tragic muse first trod the stage,
Commanding tears to stream thro' every age;
Tyrants no more their savage nature kept,
And foes to virtue wonder'd how they wept.
Our author shuns by vulgar springs to move
The hero's glory, or the virgin's love;
In pitying love we but our weakness show,
And wild. ambition well deserves its woe.
Here tears shall flow from a more gen'rons cause,
Such tears as patriots shed for dying laws:
He bids your breasts with ancient ardour rise,
And calls forth Roman drops from British eyes;
Virtue confess'd in human shape he draws,
What Plato thought, and god-like Cato was.
No cominon object to your sight displays;
But what with pleasure Heaven itself surveys,
A brave man struggling in the storms of fate,
And greatly falling with a falling state.
While Cato gives his little senate laws,
What bosom beats not in his country's cause?
Who sees him act, but envies every deed?
Who hears him groan, and does not wish to bleed?
Ev'n when proud Cæsar, 'midst triumphal cars,
The spoils of nations, and the pomp of wars,
Ignobly vain, and impotently great,
Show'd Rome her Cato's figure drawn in state;
As her dead father's rev'rend image past,
The pomp was darken'd, and the day o'ercast,
The triumph ceas'd-tears gush'd from ev'ry eye,
The world's great victor past unheeded by ;
Her last good man dejected Rome ador'd,
And honour'd Cæsar's less than Cato's sword.
Britons attend: be worth like this approv'd,
And show you have the virtue to be mov'd.
With honest scorn the first-fam'd Cato view'd
Roine learning arts from Greece, whom she sub‹lu'd.
Our scene precariously subsists too long
On French translation, and Italian song:
Dare to have sense yourselves, assert the stage,
Be justly warm'd with your own native rage:
Such plays alone should please a British ear,
As Cato's self had not disdain'd to hear.

SPOKEN BY MRS. PORTER.

What odd fantastic things we women do!
Who would not listen when young lovers woo?
What! die a maid yet have the choice of two!
Ladies are often cruel to their cost:

}

grow in the mind of an African; and the scene EPILOGUE TO CATO, BY DR. GARTH.
between Juba and his general, where they talk
for and against a liberal education, is full of
instruction. Syphax urges all that can be said
against philosophy, as it is made subservient
to ill ends, by men who abuse their talents;
and Juba sets the less excellencies of activity,
labour, patience of hunger, and strength of
body, which are the admired qualifications of
a Numidian, in their proper subordination to
the accomplishments of the mind. But this
play is so well recommended by others, that
I will not for that, and some private reasons,
enlarge any farther. Doctor Garth has very
agreeably rallied the mercenary traffic between
men and women of this age, in the epilogue,
by Mrs. Porter, who acted Lucia. And Mr.
Pope has prepared the audience for a new
scene of passion and transport on a more noble
foundation than they have before been enter-
tained with, in the prologue. I shall take the
liberty to gratify the impatience of the town
by inserting these two excellent pieces, as
earnests of the work itself, which will be printed
within few days.

PROLOGUE TO CATO, BY MR. POPE.

SPOKEN BY MR. WILKS.

o wake the soul by tender strokes of art, To raise the genius, and to mend the heart;

To give you pain, themselves they panish nost.
Vows of virginity should well be weigh'd;
Too oft they're cancel'd, tho' in convents inade.
Would you revenge such rash resolves-you may
Be spiteful and believe the thing we say;
We hate you when you're easily said Nay.
How needless, if you knew as, were your fears;
Let love have eyes, and beauty will have ears.
Our hearts are form'd as you yourselves would choose,
Too proud to ask, too humble to refuse:
We give to merit, and to wealth we sell;
He sighs with most success that settles well.
The woes of wedlock with the joys we mix;
'Tis best repenting in a coach and six.
Elame not our conduct, since we but pursue
Those lively lessons we have learned from you:
Your breasts no more the fire of beauty warms;
But wicked wealth usurps the power of charms:
What pains to get the gaudy thing you hate,
To swell in show, and be a wretch in state!
At plays you ogle, at the ring you bow;
Ev'n churches are no sanctuaries now:
There golden idols all your vows receive:
She is no goddess who has nought to give.
Oh may once more the happy age appear,
When words were artless, and the soul sincere ;
When gold and grandeur were unenvy'd things,
And crowns less coveted than groves and springs.
Love then shall only mourn when truth complains,
And constancy feel transport in its chains;
Sighs with suecess their own soft anguish tell,
And eyes shall utter what the lips conceal;

Ꮐ

Virtne again to its bright station climb,
And beauty fear no enemy but time:
The fair shall listen to desert alone,
And every Lucia find a Cato's son.

No. 34.] Monday, April 20, 1713.

Mores multorem vidit

Hor. Ars Poet. ver. 142.

many serious reflections upon what had passed and though, in complaisance, I disguised my sentiments, to keep up the good humour of my fair companions, and to avoid being looked upon as a testy old fellow, yet out of the goodwill I bear to the sex, and to prevent for the future their being imposed upon by counterfeits, I shall give them the distinguishing marks of a true fine gentleman.'

He many men and many manners saw. It is a most vexatious thing to an old man, When a good artist would express any rewho endeavours to square his notions by reason, markable character in sculpture, be endeavours and to talk from reflection and experience, to to work up his figure into all the perfections fall in with a circle of young ladies at their his imagination can form; and to imitate not afternoon tea-table. This happened very lately so much what is, as what may or ought to be. to be my fate. The conversation, for the first I shall follow their example, in the idea I am half-hour, was so very rambling, that it is hard going to trace out of a fine gentleman, by to say what was talked of, or who spoke least assembling together such qualifications as seem to the purpose. The various motions of the requisite to make the character complete. In fan, the tossings of the head, intermixed with order to this I shall premise in general, that all the pretty kinds of laughter, made up the by a fine gentleman I mean a man completely greatest part of the discourse. At last, this qualified as well for the service and good, as modish way of shining, and being witty, settled for the ornament and delight of society. When into something like conversation, and the talk I consider the frame of mind peculiar to a genran upon fine gentlemen.' From the several tleman, I suppose it graced with all the dignity characters that were given, and the exceptions and elevation of spirit than human nature is that were made, as this or that gentleman capable of. To this I would have joined a happened to be named, I found that a lady is clear understanding, a reason free from prenot difficult to be pleased, and that the town judice, a steady judgment, and an extensive swarms with fine gentlemen. A nimble pair knowledge. When I think of the heart of a of heels, a smooth complexion, a full-bottoin gentleman, I imagine it firm and intrepid, void wig, a laced shirt, an embroidered suit, a pair of all inordinate passions, and full of tenderof fringed gloves, a hat and feather; any oneness, compassion, and benevolence. When I or more of these and the like accomplishments view the fine gentleman with regard to his ennobles a man, and raises him above the manners, methinks I see him modest without vulgar, in a female imagination. On the con- bashfulness, frank and affable without impertrary, a modest serious behaviour, a plain tinence, obliging and complaisant without dress, a thick pair of shoes, a leathern belt, servility, cheerful and in good humour without a waistcoat not lined with silk, and such like noise. These amiable qualities are not easily imperfections, degrade a man, and are so many obtained; neither are there many men that blots in his escutcheon. I could not forbear have a genius to excel this way. A fiuished smiling at one of the prettiest and liveliest of gentleman is perhaps the most uncommon of this gay assembly, who excepted to the gen- all the great characters in life. Besides the tility of sir William Hearty, because he wore a natural endowments with which this distinfrieze coat, and breakfasted upon toast and ale. guished man is to be born, he must run through I pretended to admire the fineness of her taste; a long series of education. Before he makes and to strike in with her in ridiculing those his appearance and shines in the world, he awkward healthy gentlemen, that seem to make must be principled in religion, instructed in nourishment the chief end of eating. I gave all the moral virtues, and led through the her an account of an honest Yorkshire gen- whole course of the polite arts and sciences. tleman, who (when I was a traveller) used to He should be no stranger to courts and to invite his acquaintance at Paris to break their camps; he must travel to open his mind, to fast with him upon cold roast beef and mum. enlarge his views, to learn the policies and inThere was, I remember, a little French mar- terests of foreign states, as well as to fashion quis, who was often pleased to rally him unmer- and polish himself, and to get clear of national cifully upon beef and pudding, of which our prejudices, of which every country has its countryman would despatch a pound or two share. To all these more essential improvewith great alacrity, while this antagonist was ments, he must not forget to add the fashionpiddling at a mushroom, or the haunch of a able ornaments of life, such as are the lanfrog. I could perceive the lady was pleased guages and the bodily exercises most in vogue; with what I said, and we parted very good neither would I have him think even dress friends, by virtue of a maxim I always observe, itself beneath his notice. Never to contradict or reason with a sprightly female. I went home, however, full of a great

It is no very uncommon thing in the world to meet with men of probity; there are like

by recommending it to your protection; since there can be no greater glory to a generous soul, than to succour the distrest. I shall, therefore, without farther preface, offer to your consideration the following Modest Apology for Punning; wherein I shall make use of no double meanings or equivocations: since I think it unnecessary to give it any other praises thau truth and common sense, its professed enemies, are forced to grant.

gratifications; and the outrunning natural | that I trust you will not suffer any art to be appetite produced a loathing instead of a plea- vilified which helps to polish and adorn us. sure. I there beheld the intemperate cravings I do not know any sort of wit that hath been of youth, without the enjoyments of it; and used so reproachfully as the Pun: and I perthe weakness of old age, without its tranquil-suade myself that I shall merit your esteem, lity. When the passions were teazed and roused by some powerful object, the effect was not to delight or sooth the mind, but to torture it between the returning extremes of appetites, and satiety. I saw a wretch racked at the same time, with a painful remembrance of past miscarriages, a distaste of the present objects that solicit his senses, and a secret dread of futurity. And I could see no manner of relief or comfort in the soul of this miserable man, but what consisted in preventing his cure, by inflaming his passions, and suppressing his reason. But though it must be owned he had almost quenched that light which his Creator had set up in his soul, yet, in spite of all his efforts, I observed at certain seasons frequent flashes of remorse strike through the gloom, and interrupt that satisfaction he enjoyed in hiding his own deformities from himself.

'I was also present at the original formation or production of a certain book in the mind of a free-thinker, and believing it may not be unacceptable to let you into the secret manner and internal principles by which that phenomenon was formed, I shall in my next give you an account of it.

'I am, in the mean time, " Your most obedient humble servant,

ULYSSES COSMOPOLITA.'

N. B. Mr. Ironside has lately received out of France ten pounds avoirdupois weight of this philosophical snuff, and gives notice that he will make use of it, in order to distinguish the real from the professed sentiments of all persons of eminence in court, city, town, and country.

No. 36.] Wednesday, April 22, 1713.
Punica se quantis attollet gloria rebus!
Virg. En. iv. 49.

What rebus's exalt the punnic fame!

THE gentleman who doth me the favour to write the following letter, saith as much for himself as the thing will bear. I am particularly pleased to find, that is his Apology for Punning he only celebrates the art, as it is a part of conversation. I look upon premeditated quibbles, and puns committed to the press, as unpardonable crimes. There is as much dif ference betwixt these and the starts in common discourse, as betwixt casual rencounters, and murder with malice prepense.

"To Nestor Ironside, Esquire.

• SIR,

'I have from your writings conceived such an opinion of your benevolence to mankind,

In order to make this a useful work, I shall state the nature and extent of the pun, I shall discover the advantages that flow from it, the moral virtues that it produces, and the tendency that it hath to promote vigour of body and ease of mind.

Now

The pun is defined by one, who seems to be no well-wisher to it, to be A conceit arising from the use of two words that agree in the sound, but differ in the sense." if this be the essense of the pun, how great must we allow the dignity of it to be, when we consider that it takes in most of the considerable parts of learning; for is it not most certain, that all learned disputes are rather about sounds than sense? Are not the controversies of divines about the different interpretations of terms? Are not the disputations of philosophers about words, and all their pompous distinctions only so many unravellings of double meanings? Who ever lost his estate in Westminster-hall, but complained that he was quibbled out of his right? or what monarch ever broke a treaty, but by virtue of equivocation? In short, so great is the excellence of this art, so diffusive its influence, that when I go into a library, I say to myself, "What volumes of puns do I behold!" When I look upon the men of business, I cry out, "How powerful is the tribe of the quibblers!" When I see statesmen and ambassadors, I reflect, "How splendid the equipage of the quirk! in what pomp do the punsters appear!"

But as there are serious puns, such as I have instanced in, so likewise there are puns comical. These are what I would recommend to my countrymen; which I shall do by displaying the advantanges flowing from

them.

quality. This error may produce unnecessary | what else is the design of the punster? Accordfolios amongst grammarians yet unborn. But ingly we find such bursts of laughter, such agito proceed. A man of learning hath, in this manner of wit, great advantages; as indeed, what advantages do not flow from learning? If the pun fails in English, he may have speedy recourse to the Latin, or the Greek, I have known wonders performed

and so on.
by this secret. I have heard the French as-
sisted by the German, the Dutch mingle with
the Italian, and where the jingle hath seemed
desperate in the Greek, I have known it revive
in the Hebrew. My friend Dick Babel hath
often, to show his parts, started a conceit at
the equinoctial, and pursued it through all the
degrees of latitude; and, after he had punned
round the globe, bath sat down like Alexander,
and mourned that he had no more worlds to
conquer.

tations of the sides, such contortions of the limbs, such earnest attempts to recover the dying laugh, such transport in the enjoyment of it in equivocating assemblies, as men of commor sense are amazed at, and own they never felt. But nothing more displays itself in the punster, than justice, the queen of all the virtues. At the quibbling board every performer hath its due. The soul is struck at once, and the body recognizes the merit of each joke, by sudden and comical emotions. Indeed, how should it be otherwise, where not only words, but even syllables have justice done them; where no man invades the right of another, but, with perfect innocence and good-nature, takes as much delight in his neighbour's joy as in bis own?

From what hath been advanced, it will easily appear, that this science contributes to ease of body, and serenity of mind. You have, in a former precaution, advised your hectica

Another advantage in punning is, that it ends disputes, or, what is all one, puns comical destroy puns serious. Any man that drinks a bottle knows very well, that about twelve, people that do not kiss, or cry, are apt to de-readers to associate with those of our brotherbate. This often occasions heats and heartburnings, unless one of the disputants vouchsafes to end the matter with a joke. How often have Aristotle and Cartesius been reconciled by a merry conceit! how often have whigs and tories shook hands over a quibble! and the clashing of swords been prevented by the jingling of words!

Attention of mind is another benefit enjoyed by punsters. This is discoverable from the perpetual gape of the company where they are, and the earnest desire to know what was spoken last, if a word escapes any one at the table. I must add, that quick apprehension is required in the hearer, readily to take some things which are very far-fetched; as likewise great vivacity in the performer, to reconcile distant and even hostile ideas by the mere mimicry of words, and energy of sound.

Mirth or good-humour is the last advantage, that, out of a million, I shall produce to recommend punning. But this will more naturally fall in when I come to demonstrate its operation upon the mind and body. I shall now discover what moral virtues it promotes; and shall content myself with instancing in those which every reader will allow of.

6

A punster is adorned with humility. This our adversaries will not deny; because they hold it to be a condescension in any man to trifle, as they arrogantly call it, with words. I must, however, confess, for my own share, I never punned out of the pride of my heart, nor did I ever know one of our fraternity, that seemed to be troubled with the thirst of glory.

The virtue called urbanity by the moralists, or a courtly behaviour, is much cultivated by this science. For the whole spirit of urbanity consists in a desire to please the company, and

hood, who are, for the most part, of a corpulent make, and a round vacant countenance. It is natural the next morning, after a merriment, to reflect how we behaved ourselves the night before: and I appeal to any one, whether it will not occasion greater peace of mind to con sider, that he hath only been waging harmless war with words, than if he had stirred his brother to wrath, grieved the soul of his neighbour by calumny, or increased his own wealth by fraud. As for health of body, I look upon punning as a nostrum, a Medicina Gymnastica, that throws off all the bad humours, and occasions such a brisk circulation of the blood, as keeps the lamp of life in a clear and constant flame. I speak, as all physicians ought to do from experience. A friend of mine, who had the ague this spring, was, after the failing of several medicines and charms, advised by me to enter into a course of quibbling. He threw his electuaries out at his window, and took Abracadabra off from his neck, and by the mere force of punning upon that long magica word, threw himself into a fine breathing sweat and a quiet sleep. He is now in a fair way of recovery, and says pleasantly, he is less obligea to the Jesuits for their powder, than for their equivocation.

Sir, this is my Modest Apology for Punning; which I was the more encouraged to undertake, because we have a learned university where it is in request, and I am told that a famous club hath given it protection. If this meets with encouragement, I shall write a vindication of the rebus, and do justice to the conundrum. I have indeed looked philosophically into their natures, and made a sort of Arbor Porphyriana of the several subordinations and divisions of low wit. This the