feen going towards Islington; if any one can give notice of him to R. B. fifmonger in the Strand, he shall be very well rewarded for his pains. As I am the best man in the world to keep my own counfel, and my landlord. the fishmonger not knowing my name, this accident of my life was never difcovered to this very day.

I am now fettled with a widow-woman, who has a great many children, and complies with my humour in every thing. I do not remember that we have exchanged a word together thefe five years; my coffee comes into my chamber every morning without aking for it; if I want fire I point to my chimney, if water to my bafon upon which my landlady nods, as much as to fay fhe takes my meaning, and immediately obeys my fignals. She has likewife modelled her family fo well, that when her little boy offers to pull me by the coat, or prattle in my face, his eldest fifter immediately calls him off, and bids him not disturb the gentleman. At my first entering into the family, I was troubled with the civility of their rifing up to me every time I came into the room; but my landlady obferving, that upon thefe occafions I always cried pifh, and went out again, has forbidden any fuch ceremony to be used in the houfe; fo that at prefent I walk into the kitchen or parlour, without being taken notice. of, or giving any interruption to the bufinefs or difcourfe of the family. The maid will ask her mistress, though I am by, whether the gentleman is ready to go to dinner, as the miftrefs, who is indeed an excellent housewife, fcolds at the fervants as heartily before my face as behind my back. In short, I move up and down the house, and enter into all companies with the fame liberty as a cat or any other domeftic animal, and ani as little fufpected of telling any thing that I hear or fee.

I remember laft winter there were feveral young girls of the neighbourhood fitting about the fire with my landlady's daughters, and telling ftories of fpirits and apparitions. Upon my opening the door the young women broke off their difcourfe, but my landlady's daughters telling them that it was no body but the gentleman, for that is the name which I go by in the neigh

bourhood

bourhood as well as in the family, they went on without minding me. I feated myself by the candle that stood on a table at one end of the room; and pretending to read a book that I took out of my pocket, heard feveral dreadful ftories of ghofts as pale as afhes, that had stood at the feet of a bed, or walked over a churchyard by moon-light; and of others, that had been conjured into the Red-fea, for difturbing people's reft, and drawing their curtains at midnight, with many other old womens fables of the like nature. As one fpirit raised another, I obferved, that at the end of every story the whole company clofed their ranks, and crouded about the fire: I took notice, in particular, of a little boy, who was fo attentive to every ftory, that I am mistaken if he ventures to go to bed by himself this twelve-month. Indeed they talked fo long, that the imaginations of the whole affembly were manifeftly crazed, and, I am fure, will be the worfe for it as long as they live. I heard one of the girls, that had looked upon me over her fhoulder, afking the company how long I had been in the room, and whether I did not look paler than I used to do. This put me under fome apprehenfions, that I fhould be forced to explain myfelf if I did not retire; for which reafon I took the, candle in my hand, and went up into my chamber, not without wondering at this unaccountable weaknefs in reasonable creatures, that they fhould love to aftonish and terrify one another. Were I a father, I fhould take a particular care to preferve my children from these little horrors of imagination, which they are apt to con tract when they are young, and are not able to fhake off when they are in years. I have known a foldier that has entered a breach, affrighted at his own shadow; and look pale upon a little fcratching at his door, who, the day before, had marched up against a battery of cannon. There are inftances of perfons, who have been terrified even to distraction, at the figure of a tree, or the shaking of a bull-rush. The truth of it is, 1 look upon a found imagination as the greatest bleffing of life, next to a clear judgment and a good confcience. In the mean time, fince there are very few whofe minds are not more or less fubject to thefe dreadful thoughts

and

and apprehenfions, we ought to arm ourselves against them by the dictates of reafon and religion, to pull the old woman out of our hearts, as Perfius expreffes it in the motto of my paper, and extinguish thofe impertinent notions which we imbibed at a time that we were not able to judge of their abfurdity. Or, if we believe, as many wife and good men have done, that there are fuch phantoms and apparitions as thofe I have been speaking of, let us endeavour to establish to ourselves an interest in him who holds the reins of the whole creation in his hand, and moderates them after fuch a manner, that it is impoffible for one being to break loose upon another, without his knowledge and permiffion.

FOR my own part, I am apt to join in opinion with those who believe that all the regions of nature swarm with fpirits; and that we have multitudes of fpectators on all our actions, when we think ourselves most alone: but, instead of terrifying myself with fuch a notion, I am wonderfully pleased to think that I am always engaged with fuch an innumerable fociety, in fearching out the wonders of the creation, and joining in the fame concert of praife and adoration.

MILTON has finely defcribed this mixed communion of men and fpirits in paradife; and had doubtless his eye upon a verfe in old Hefiod, which is almoft word for word the fame with his third line in the following paffage.

Nor think, though men were none,.

That heav'n would want Spectators, God want praife:
Millions of Spiritual creatures walk the earth
Unseen, both when we wake and when we fleep;
All thefe with ceafelefs praife his works behold
Both day and night. How often from the steep
Of ecchoing hill or thicket have ve heard
Celeflial voices to the midnight air,
Sole, or refponfive each to other's note,
Singing their great Creator? Oft in bands,
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk,
With heav'nly touch of inftrumental founds,
In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to heav'n.

Thursday,

No 13.

+

Thursday, MARCH 15.

Die mihi, fi fueris tu leo, qualis eris?

Were you a lion, how wou'd you

T

Mart.

behave?

HERE is nothing that of late years has afforded matter of greater amusement to the town than fignior Nicolini's combat with a lion in the Hay-market, which has been very often exhibited to the general fatisfaction of most of the nobility and gentry in the kingdom of Great Britain. Upon the first rumour of this intended combat, it was confidently affirmed, and is ftill believed by many in both galleries, that there would be a tame lion fent from the tower every opera night, in order to be killed by Hydafpes; this report, tho'altogether groundlefs, fo univerfally prevailed in the upper regions of the play-houfe, that fome of the most refined politicians in thofe parts of the audience gave it out in whisper, that the lion was a coufin-german of the tiger who made his appearance in king William's days, and that the stage would be fupplied with lions at the public expence, during the whole feffion. Many likewife were the conjectures of the treatment which this lion was to meet, with from the hands of fignior Nicolini; fome fuppofed that he was to fubdue him in recitativo, as Orpheus ufed to ferve the wild beasts in his time, and afterwards to knock him on the head fome fancied that the lion would not pretend to lay his paws upon the hero, by reafon of the received opinion, that a lion will not hurt a virgin: feveral, who pretended to have seen the opera in Italy, had informed their friends, that the lion was to act a part in HighDutch, and rore twice or thrice to a Thorough-Bafe, before he fell at the feet of Hydafpes. To clear up a matter that was fo varioufly reported, I have made it my bufinefs to examine whether this pretended lion is really the favage he appears to be, or only a counterfeit.

Βυτ

BUT before I communicate my discoveries I must acquaint the reader, that upon my walking behind the fcenes laft winter, as I was thinking on fomething else, I accidentally juftled against a monftrous animal tha extremely startled me, and upon my nearer furvey of it, appeared to be a lion rampant. The lion, feeing me very much furprised, told me, in a gentle voice, that I might come by him if I pleafed: For, fays he, I do not intend to hurt any body. I thanked him very kindly, and pafied by him and, in a little time after, faw him leap upon the ftage, and act his part with very great applaufe. It has been obferved by feveral, that the lion has changed his manner of acting twice or thrice fince his first appearance; which will not feem ftrange, when I acquaint my reader that the lion has been changed upon the audience three feveral times. The firft lion was a candle-fnuffer, who being a fellow of a tefty, choleric temper, overdid his part, and would not fuffer himself to be killed fo eafily as he ought to have done; befides, it was obferved of him, that he grew more furly every time he came out of the lion; and having dropt fome words in ordinary converfation, as if he had not fought his beft, and that he fuffered himself to be thrown upon his back in the fcuffle, and that he would wrestle with Mr. Nicolini for what he pleafed, out of his lion's skin, it was thought proper to difcard him and it is verily believed, to this day, that had he been brought upon the ftage another time, he would certainly have done mifchief. Befides, it was objected against the firft lion, that he reared himself fo high upon his hinder paws, and walked in fo erect a pofture, that he looked more like an old man than a lion.

:

THE fecond lion was a taylor by trade, who belonged to the play-houfe, and had the character of a mild and peaceable man in his profeffion. If the former was too furious, this was too fheepish, for his part; infomuch, that after a fhort modeft walk upon the stage, he would fall at the first touch of Hydafpes, without grappling with him, and giving him an opportunity of fhewing his variety of Italian trips it is faid indeed, that he once gave him a rip in his flesh-colour doublet; but this was only to make work for himfelf, in his pri