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they have a mind to drive the jest, she is immediately urged to that degree, that she will board in a family with which she has never yet been; and away she will go this instant, and tell them all that the rest have been saying of them. By this means she has been an inhabitant of every house in the place without stirring from the same habitation: and the many stories which every body furnishes her with to favour that deceit, make her the general intelligencer of the town of all that can be said of one woman against another. Thus groundless stories die away, and sometimes truths are smothered under the general word, when they have a mind to discountenance a thing, Oh! that is in my lady Bluemantle's memoirs.

Whoever receives impressions to the disadvantage of others without examination, is to be had in no other credit for intelligence than this good lady Bluemantle, who is subjected to have her ears imposed upon for want of other helps to better information. Add to this, that other scandal-bearers suspend the use of these faculties which she has lost, rather than apply them to do justice to their neighbours; and I think, for the service of my fair readers, to acquaint them, that there is a voluntary lady Bluemantle at every visit in town.

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No. CCCCXXVIII. FRIDAY, JULY 11.

Occupet extremum scabies.......

The devil take the hindmost.

HOR.

IT is an impertinent and unreasonable fault in conversation, for one man to take up all the discourse. It may possibly be objected to me myself, that I am guilty in this kind, in entertaining the town every day, and not giving so many able persons who have it more in their power, and as much in their inclination, an opportunity to oblige mankind with their thoughts. Besides, said one whom I overheard the other day, why, must this paper turn altogether upon topics of learning and morality? Why should it pretend only to wit, humour, or the like? Things which are useful only to amuse men of literature and superior education. I would have it consist also of all things which may be necessary or useful to any part of society, and the mechanic arts should have their place as well as the liberal. The ways of gain, husbandry, and thrift, will serve a greater number of people, than discourses upon what was well said or done by such a philosopher, hero, general, or poet. I no sooner heard this critic talk of my works, but I minuted what he had said; and from that instant resolved to enlarge the plan of my speculations, by giving notice to all persons of all orders, and each sex, that if they are pleased to send me discourses, with their names and places of abode to them, so that I can be satisfied the writings are authentic, such their labours shall be faithfully inserted in this paper. It will be of much more consequence to a youth in his apprenticeship, to know by what rules and arts such a one became sheriff of the city of London, than to see the sign of one of his own quality with a lion's heart in each hand. The world

indeed is enchanted with romantic and improbable achievements, when the plain path to respective greatness and success in the way of life a man is in, is wholly overlooked. Is it possible that a young man at present could pass his time better, than in reading the history of stocks, and knowing by what secret springs they have had such sudden ascents and falls in the same day? Could he be better conducted in his way to wealth, which is the great article of life, than in a treatise dated from Change Alley by an able proficient there? Nothing certainly could be more useful than to be well instructed in his hopes and fears; to be diffident when others exult, and with a secret joy buy when others think it their interest to sell. I invite all persons who have any thing to say for the profitable information of the public, to take their turns in my paper: they are welcome, from the late noble inventor of the longitude, to the humble author of straps for razors. If to carry ships in safety, to give help to people tost in a troubled sea, without knowing to what shore they bear, what rocks to avoid, or what coast to pray for in their extremity, be a worthy labour, and an invention that deserves a statue; at the same time, he who has found a means to let the instrument which is to make your visage less horrible, and your person more smug, easy in the operation, is worthy of some kind of good reception: if things of high moment meet with renown, those of little consideration, since of any consideration, are not to be despised. In order that no merit may lie hid, and no art unimproved, I repeat it, that I call artificers, as well as philosophers, to my assistance in the public service. It would be of great use if we had an exact history of the successes of every great shop within the city-walls, what tracts of land have been purchased by a constant attendance within a walk of thirty foot. If it could also be noted in the equipage of those who are ascended from the successful trade

of their ancestors, into figure and equipage, such accounts would quicken industry in the pursuit of such acquisitions, and discountenance luxury in the enjoy ment of them.

To diversify these kinds of informations, the industry of the female world is not to be unobserved: she to whose household virtues it is owing, that men do honour to her husband, should be recorded with veneration; she who has wasted his labours, with infamy. When we are come into domestic life in this manner, to awaken caution and attendance to the main point, it would not be amiss to give now and then a touch of tragedy, and describe that most dreadful of all human conditions, the case of bankruptcy; how plenty, credit, cheerfulness, full hopes, and easy possessions, are in an instant turned into penury, faint aspects, diffidence, sorrow, and misery? How the man, who with an open hand the day before could administer to the extremities of others, is shunned to day by the friend of his bosom. It would be useful to shew how just this is on the negligent, how lamentable on the industrious. A paper written by a merchant, might give this island a true sense of the worth and importance of his character: it might be visible from what he could say, that no soldier entering a breach adventures more for honour, than the trader does for wealth to his country. In both cases the adventurers have their own advantage, but I know no cases wherein every body else is a sharer in the success.

It is objected by readers of history, that the battles in those narrations are scarce ever to be understood. This misfortune is to be ascribed to the ignorance of historians in the methods of drawing up, changing the forms of a battalia, and the enemy retreating from, as well as approaching to, the charge. But in the discourses from the correspondents, whom I now invite, the danger will be of another kind; and it is necessary to caution them only against using terms of art, and

describing things that are familiar to them in words unknown to the reader. I promise myself a great harvest of new circumstances, persons and things from this proposal; and a world which many think they are well acquainted with, discovered as wholly new. This sort of intelligence will give a lively image of the chain and mutual dependance of human society, take off impertinent prejudices, enlarge the minds of those, whose views are confined to their own circumstances and in short, if the knowing in several arts, professions, and trades will exert themselves, it cannot but produce a new field of diversion, and instruction more agreeable than has yet appeared.

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No. CCCCXXIX. SATURDAY, JULY 12.

Populumque falsis dedocet uti

Vocibus........

From cheats of words the croud she brings
From real estimate of things.

Mr. Spectator,

HOR.

CREECH.

SINCE I gave an account of an agreeable set ' of company which were gone down into the country, 'I have received advices from thence, that the institu'tion of an infirmary for those who should be out of 'humour has had very good effects. My letters men'tion particular circumstances of two or three persons, who had the good sense to retire of their own accord, ' and notified that they were withdrawn, with the reasons of it to the company, in their respective me'morials.'

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