"as thou doft aver: Neither was Hannibal, the fon of "Hamilcar, called home by his countrymen until these "faw the fword of their enemies at their gates; and "then was it not time for him, thinkeft thou, to re"turn? It appeareth therefore that thou doft prophesy "backwards; thou doft row one way and look another; "and indeed in all things art thou too much a time"ferver; yet feemeft thou not to confider what a day 66 may bring forth. Think of this, and take tobacco.

Thy friend,

Aminidab.

If the zealous writer of the above Letter has any meaning, it is of too high a nature to be the fubject of my Lucubrations. I fhall therefore wave fuch high points, and be as ufeful as I can to perfons of lefs moment than any he hints at. When a man runs into a

little fame in the world, as he meets with a great deal of reproach which he does not deferve, fo does he also a great deal of efteem to which he has in himself no pretenfions. Were it otherwife, I am fure no one would offer to put a law-cafe to me: But because I am an adept in phyfic and aftrology, they will needs perfuade me that I am no less a proficient in all other fciences. However, the point mentioned in the following letter is fo plain a one, that I think I need not trouble myself to caft à figure to be able to difcufs it.

Mr. BICKER STAFF,

(8 T is fome years ago fince the entail of the estate of our family was altered, by paffing a fine in favour of me, who now am in poffeffion of it, after "fome others deceased. The heirs-general who lived "beyond fea, were excluded by this fettlement, and "the whole eftate is to pass in a new channel after me "and my heirs. But feveral tenants of the Lordship "perfuade me to let them hereafter hold their lands of me according to the old cuftoms of the Barony, and "not oblige them to act by the limitations of the last "fettlement. This, they fay, will make me more po

"pular among my dependants, and the ancient vaffals "of the eftate, to whom any deviation from the line of "fucceflion is always invidious.

SIR,

You

Yours, &c.

Sheer-lane, June 24.

OU have by the fine a plain right, in which none elfe of your family can be your competitor; for which reason, by all means demand vaffalage upon that title. The contrary advice can be given for no other purpose in nature but to betray you, and favour other pretenders, by making you place a right "which is in you only, upon a level with a right which you have in common with others. I am,

Sir,

Your most faithful

fervant, until death,

I. B.

There is nothing fo dangerous or fo pleafing, as compliments made to us by our enemies: and my correfpondent tells me, that though he knows feveral of those who give him this counfel were at first against paffing the Ane in favour of him; yet he is fo touched with their homage to him, that he can hardly believe they have a mind to fet it afide, in order to introduce the heirsgeneral into his eftate.

Thefe are great evils; but fince there is no proceeding with fuccefs in this world, without complying with the arts of it, I fhall use the fame method as my correfpondent's tenants did with him, in relation to one whom I never had a kindness for; but shall, notwithstanding, prefume to give him my advice.

Is A A @

1

ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, Efquire, of Great-Britain, to Lewis the Fourteenth of France.

"

SIR,

Yliberty to acquaint you, that fome paffages

YOUR Majefty will pardon me while I take the

"written from your fide of the water do very much ob "ftruct your intereft. We take it very unkindly that "the prints of Paris are so very partial in favour of one "fet of men among us, and treat the others as irrecon"cileable to your interests. Your writers are very large "in recounting any thing which relates to the figure "and power of one party, but are dumb when they "should represent the actions of the other. This is a

triding circumftance which many here are apt to lay "fome ftrefs upon; therefore I thought fit to offer it "to your confideration before you dispatch the next ❝ courier. 1. B.

N° 191.

Thursday, June 29, 1710.

Propter vitam vivendi perdere caufas.

Juv. Sat. 8. ver. 84.

-Bafely they

The facred caufe for which they're born, betray,

Who give up virtue for a worthless life.

Ο

R. WYNNE.

From my own Apartment, June 28.

F all the evils under the fun, that of making vice commendable is the greateft: For it feems to be the bafis of fociety, that applause and contempt fhould be always given to proper objects. But in this age we behold things, for which we ought to have an abhor

B 3

rence, not only received without difdain, but even value as motives of emulation. This is naturally the defrution of fimplicity of manners, orepnefs of heart, and generofity of temper. When a perfon gives himself the liberty to range and run over in his thoughts the different genius's of men, which he meets in the world, one cannot but obferve, that most of the indirection and artifice, which is ufed among men, does not proceed fo much from a degeneracy in Nature, as an affectation of appearing men of confequence by fuch practices. By this means it is, that a cunning man is fo far from being afhamed of being efteemed fuch, that he fecretly rejoices in it. It has been a fort of maxim, That the greatest art is to conceal art; but I know not how, among fome people we meet with, their greatest cunning is to appear cunning. There is Polypragmen makes it the whole bufinefs of his life to be thought a cunning fellow, and thinks it a much greater character to be terrible than agreeable. When it has once entered into a man's head to have an ambition to be thought crafty, all other evils are neceffary confequences. To deceive is the immediate endeavour of him, who is proud of the capacity of doing it. It is certain, Polypragmon does all the ill he poffibly can, but pretends to much more than be performs. He is contented in his own thoughts, and hugs himself in his closet, that though he is locked up there and doing nothing, the world does not know but that he is doing mifchief. To favour this fufpicion, he gives half-looks and fhrugs in his general behaviour, to give you to understand that you do not know what he means. He is alfo wonderfully adverbial in his expreffions, and breaks off with a "Ferhaps" and a nod of the head upon matters of the most indifferent nature. It is a mighty practice with men of this genius to avoid frequent appearance in public, and to be as myfterious as poffible when they do come into company. There is nothing to be done, according to them, in the common way; and let the matter in hand be what it will, it must be carried with an air of importance, and tranfa&ted, if we may fo speak, with an oftentatious fecrecy. Thefe are your perfons of long heads, who would fain make the world believe their thoughts and ideas very much fuperior to their neighbours;

neighbours; and, donde value what these their neighbours think of them, provided they do not reckon them -fools. These have fuch a romantic touch in business, that they hate to perform any thing like other men. Were it in their choice, they had rather bring their purposes to bear by over-reaching the perfons they deal with, than by a plain and fimple manner. They make difficulties, for the honour of furmounting them. Polypragmon is eternally bufied after this manner, with no other profpect, than that he is in hopes to be thought the most cunning of all men, and fears the imputation of the want of understanding much more than that of the abuse of it. But alas! how contemptible is fach an ambition, which is the very reverse of all that is truly laudable, and the very contradiction to the only means to a just re-putation, fimplicity of manners! Cunning can in no ocircumftance imaginable be a quality worthy a man, except in his own defence, and merely to conceal himfelf from fuch as are fo; and in futch cafes, it is no longer 1 craft, but wisdom. The monstrous affectation of being thought artful immediately kills all thoughts of humanity and goodness; and gives men a fenfe of the soft affections and impulfes of the mind, which are imprinted in us for our mutual advantage and fuccour, as of mere weakneffes and follies. According to the men of cunning, you are to put off the nature of a man as fast as you can, and acquire that of a dæmon; as if it were a more eligible character to be a powerful enemy, than an able friend. But it ought to be à mortification to men affected this way, that there wants but little more than instinct to be confiderable in it; for when a man has arrived at being very bad in his inclination, he has not much more to do but sto conceal himself, and he may revenge, cheat, and deceive, without much employment for understanding, and go on with great chearfulness with the high applaufe of being a prodigious cunning fellow. But indeed, when we arrive at that pitch of falfe tafte, as not to think Cunning a contemptible quality, it is, methinks, a very great injuftice that pickpockets are had in fo little veneration; who must be admirably well turned, not only for the theoretic, but also the practical behaviour of cunning fellows. After all the