riffa; but he found that place only more convenient to think of her without in terruption. The country gentlemen were very much puzzled upon his cafe, and never finding him merry or loud in their company, took him for a Roman Catholic, and immediately upon his death feized his French valet de chambre for a prieft; and it is generally thought in the country it will go hard with him next feffions. Poor Cynthio never held up his head after having received a letter of Clariffa's marriage. The lady who gave me this account being far gone in poetry and romance, told me, if I would give her an Epitaph, fhe would take care to have it placed on his tomb; which the herself had devised in the following manner: it is to be made of black marble, and every corner to be crowned with werping Cupids. Their quivers are to be hung up upon two tall cypreis-trees, which are to grow on each fide of the monument, and their arrows to be laid in a great heap, after the man ner of a funeral pile, on which is to lie the body of the decealed. On the top of each cyprefs is to ftand the figure of a mourning turtle-dove. On the uppermoft part of the monument, the goddefs, to whom thefe birds are facred, is to fit in a dejected pofture, as weeping for the death of her votary. I need not tell you this lady's head is a little turned: however, to be rid of importunities, I promifed her an epitaph, and told her I would take for my pattern that of Don Alonzo, who was no leis famous in his age than Cynthio is in our's. N° LXXXVI. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1709. I Have orders, from Sir Harry Quick fet of Staffordshire, baronet, to acquaint you, that his honour Sir Harry himfelf, Sir Giles Wheelbarrow, Knight, Thomas Rentfree, Elquire, Juftice of the Quorum, Andrew Windmill, Ef quire, and Mr. Nicholas Doubt of the Inner Temple, Sir Harry's grandfon, will wait upon you at the hour of nine to-morrow morning, being Tuefday the twenty-fifth of October, upon bufinefs which Sir Harry will impart to you by word of mouth. Ithought it proper to acquaint you before hand to many perfons of quality came, that you might not be furprized therewith. Which concludes, though by many years abfence fince I faw you at Stafford, unknown, Sir, your mott humble fervant, JOHN THRIFTY. I received this meflage with lefs furprize than I believe Mr. Thrifty imagined; for I knew the good company too well to feel any palpitations at their approach: but I was in a very great concern how I fhould adjust the ceremonial, and demean myself to all these great men, who perhaps had not feen any thing above themelves for thefe twenty years haft poll. I am fure that is the cafe of Sir Harry. Belides which, I was fenfible that there was a great point in adjufting my behaviour to the fimple Efquire, fo as to give him fatisfaction, and not difoblige the Justice of the Quorum. The hour of nine was come this morning, and I had no fooner fet chairs, by the Reward's letter, and fixed my tea-cquipage, but I heard a knock at my door, which was opened, but no one entered; after which followed a long ilence, which was broke at laft by Sir, I beg your pardon; I think I know better: and another voice- Nay, good Sir Giles- I looked out from my window, and faw the good company all with their hats off, and arms spread, offering the door to each other. After many offers, they entered with much folemnity, in the order Mr. Thrifty was fo kind as to name them to me. But they are now got to my chamber-door, and and I saw my old friend Sir Harry en- what it was, I, to make them nove, faid, it was fire. Upon this, all ran down as fait as they could, without order or ceremony, until we got into the freet; where we drew up in very good. order, and filed off down Sheer Lane; the impertinent Templar driving us before him, as in a ftring, and pointing to his acquaintance who paffed by. I must confefs, I love to ufe people according to their own fenfe of good breeding, and therefore whipped in between the Justice and the Efquire. He could not properly take this ill; but I overheard him whifper the fteward, that he thought it hard that a common conjuror fhould take place of him, though an elder Efquire. In this order we marched down Sheer Lane, at the upper end of which I lodge. When we came to Temple Bar, Sir Harry and Sir Giles got over; but a run of the coaches kept the rest of us on this fide of the treet: however, we all at laft landed, and drew up in very good order before Ben Took's fhop, who favoured our rallying with great humanity. From whence we proceeded again, until we came to Dick's Coffee-houfe, where I defigned to carry them. Here we were at our old difficulty, and took up the street upon the fame ceremony. We proceeded through the entry, and were fo neceflarily kept in order by the fituation, that we were now got into the coffeehoufe itfelf, where, as foon as we arrived, we repeated our civilities to each other; after which, we marched up to the high table, which has an afcent to it inclofed in the middle of the room. The whole houfe was alarmed at this entry, made up of perfons of fo much ftate and rufticity. Sir Harry called for a mug of ale, and Dyer's Letter. The boy brought the ale in an inftant; but faid, they did not take in the letter. No!' fays Sir Harry, then take back your mug; we are like, indeed, to have good liquor at this houfe.' Here the Templar tipped me a fecond wink; and if I had not looked very grave upon him, I found he was difpofed to be very familiar with me. In short, I obfervec, after a long paufe, that the gentlemen did not care to enter upon bufinefs unt after their morning draught, for which reafon I called for a bottle of mum; and finding that had no effect upon them, I ordered a fecond, and a third: after which, Sir Harry reached over to me, and and with an ingenuous modefty, which it is impoffible to feign, reprefented to them, how much it was to their dif herour, that a virtuous fon of Africanus fhould not be preferred to him, or any other man whatfoever. This immediately gained the election for Scipio; but all the compliments and congratulations upon it were made to Cicereins. It is eafter in this cafe to fay who had the office, than the honour. There is no occurrence in life WILL'S COFFEE-HOUSE, OCT. 26. THOUGH this place is frequented by a more mixed company than it used to be formerly; yet you meet very often fome whom one cannot leave without being the better for their converfation.where this quality is not more ornaA gentleman this evening, in a dictating manner, talked I thought very pleafingly in praise of modetty, in the midit of ten or twelve libertines, upon whom it feemed to have had a gooi effect: he reprefented it as the certain indication of a great and noble fpirit. Modefty, faid he, is the virtue which makes-men prefer the public to their private intereft, the guide of every honeft undertaking, and the great guardian of innocence. It makes men amiable to their friends, and respected by their very enemies. In all places, and on all occafions, it attracts benevolence, and demands ⚫ approbation. One might give inftances, out of antiquity, of the irrefiftible force of this quality in great minds; Cicereius, and Cneius Scipio, the fon of the great Africanus, were competitors for the office of prætor. The crowd followed Cicereius, and left Scipio unattended. Cicereius faw this with much concern; and defiring an audience of the people, he defcended from the place where the candidates were to fit, in the eve of the multitude; pleaded for his adverfary; 'mental than any other. After the battle of Pharfalia, Pompey marching towards Loriffus, the whole people of that place came out in proceffion to do him honour. He thanked the magiftrates for their respect to him; but defired them to perform thefe ceremonies to the conqueror. This gallant fubmiffion to his fortune, and difdain of making any appearance but like Pompey, was owing to his modefty, which would not permit him to be fo difingenuous, as to give himself the air of profperity, when he was in the contrary condition.' This I fay of modefty, as it is the virtue which preferves a decorum in the general course of our life; but confidering it alfo as it regards our mere bodies, it is the certain character of a great mind. It is memorable of the mighty Cæfar, that when he was murdered in the Capitol, at the very moment in which he expired, he gathered his robe about him, that he might fall in a decent pofture. In this manner,' fays my author, he went off, not like a man that departed out of life, but a deity that returned to his abode,' N° LXXXVII. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1709. WILL'S COFFEE-HOUSE, OCT. 28. TH HERE is nothing which I contemplate with greater pleature than the dignity of human nature, which often fhews itfelf in all conditions of life: for notwithstanding the degeneracy and meannefs that is crept into it, there are a thoufand occafions in which it breaks through it's original corruption, and fhews what it once was, and what it will be hereafter. I confider the foul of man, as the ruin of a glorious pile of build. ing; where amidst great heaps of rubbith, you meet with noble fragments of fculpture, broken pillars and obelisks, and magnificence in confufion. Virtue and Wifdom are continually employed in clearing the ruins, removing thefe diforderly heaps, recovering the noble pieces that lie buried under them, and adjusting them as well as poffible according to their ancient symmetry and beauty. A happy education, converfation with the fineft fpirits, looking abroad into the works of nature, and obfervations upon mankind, |