Wednes day, March 14, 1711 [ADDISON.] Vs female supersh hom AT Wednesday, March 14. Veteres avias tibi de pulmone revello,—Pers. T my coming to London, it was some time before I could settle my self in a House, to my liking, I was forced to quit my first Lodgings, by reason of an officious Landlady, that would be asking me every Morning how I had slept. I then fell into an honest Family, and lived very happily for above a Week; when my Landlord, who was a jolly good-natured Man, took it into his Head that I wanted Company, and therefore would frequently come into my Chamber to keep me from being alone. This I bore for two or three Days; but telling me one Day that he was afraid I was melan choly, I thought it was high time for me to be gone, and accordingly took new Lodgings that very Night About a Week after, I found my jolly Landlord, who, as I said before, was an honest hearty Man, had put me into an Advertisement of the Daily Courant, in the following Words. Whereas a melancholy Man left his Lodgings on Thursday last in the Afternoon, and was afterwards seen going towards Islington; If any one can give Notice of him to R. B. Fishmonger 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 Counsel, and my Landlord the Fishmonger not knowing my Name, this Accident of my Life was never discovered to this very Day, I am now settled 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 these Five Years; my Coffee comes into my Chamber every Morning without asking for it; if I want Fire I point to my Chimney, if Water to my Bason: Upon which my Landlady nodds, as much as to say she takes my Meaning, and immediately obeys my Signals, She has likewise model'd her Family so well, that when her little Boy offers to pull me by the Coat, or prattle in my Face, his eldest Sister immediately calls him off, and bids him not disturb the Gentleman. At my first entring into the Family, I was troubled with the Civility of their rising up to me every time I came into the Room; but my No. 12. Landlady observing that upon these Occasions I always Wednes day, cried Pish, and went out again, has forbidden any such March 14, Ceremony to be used in the House; so that at present I 1711 walk into the Kitchen or Parlour without being taken notice of, or giving any Interruption to the Business or Discourse of the Family. The Maid will ask her Mistress (tho' I am by) whether the Gentleman is ready to go to Dinner, as the Mistress (who is indeed an excellent House wife) scolds at the Servants 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 same Liberty as a Cat or any other Domestick Animal, and am as little suspected of telling any thing that I hear or see, I remember last Winter there were several young Girls of the Neighbourhood sitting about the Fire with my Landlady's Daughters, and telling Stories of Spirits and Apparitions. Upon my opening the Door the young Women broke off their Discourse, 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 Neighbourhood as well as in the Family) they went on without minding me. I seated my self 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 several dreadful Stories of Ghosts as pale as Ashes that had stood at the Feet of a Bed, or walked over a Church-yard by Moon-light: And of others that had been conjured into the Red Sea, for disturbing People's Rest, and drawing their Curtains at Midnight; with many other old Women's Fables of the like nature. As one Spirit raised another, I observed that at the End of every Story the whole Com pany closed their Ranks, and crouded about the Fire: I took Notice in particular of a little Boy, who was so atten tive to every Story, that I am mistaken if he ventures to go to Bed by himself this Twelve-month. Indeed they talked so long, that the Imaginations of the whole Assembly were manifestly crazed, and I am sure will be the worse for it as long as they live. I heard one of the Girls, that had looked upon me over her Shoulder, asking the Com pany how long I had been in the Room, and whether I No. 12. 1711. did not look paler than I used to do. This put me unde Wednes some Apprehensions that I should be forced to explai day, March 14, my self if I did not retire; for which Reason I took th Candle in my Hand, and went up into my Chamber, no without wondering at this unaccountable Weakness i reasonable Creatures, that they should love to astonis and terrifie one another. Were I a Father, I should tak a particular Care to preserve my Children from thes little Horrors of Imagination, which they are apt to con tract when they are young, and are not able to shake off when they are in Years. I have known a Soldier that has entered a Breach, affrighted at his own Shadow and look pale upon a little scratching at his Door, who the Day before had marched up against a Battery of Cannon. There are Instances of Persons, 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 I look upon a sound Imagination as the greatest Blessing of Life, next to a clear Judgment and a good Conscience. In the mean time, since there are very few whose Minds are not more or less subject to these dreadful Thoughts and Apprehensions, we ought to arm our selves against them by the Dictates of Reason and Religion, to pull the old Woman out of our Hearts (as Persius expresses it in the Motto of my Paper) and extinguish those impertinent Notions which we imbibed at a Time that we were not able to judge of their Absurdity. Or if we believe, as many wise and good Men have done, that there are such Phantoms and Apparitions as those I have been speaking of, let us endeavour to establish to our selves an Interest in him who holds the Reins of the whole Creation in his Hand, and moderates them after such a Manner, that it is impossible for one Being to break loose upon another without his Knowledge and Permission. For my own Part, I am apt to join in Opinion with those who believe that all the Regions of Nature swarm with Spirits; and that we have Multitudes of Spectators on all our Actions, when we think our selves most alone But instead of terrifying myself with such a Notion, I am wonderfully pleased to think that I am always engaged with such an innumerable Society, in searching out the Wonders W M V Wonders of the Creation, and joining in the same Consort No. 12. of Praise and Adoration. Wednes day, Milton has finely described this mixed Communion of March 14, Men and Spirits in Paradise; and had doubtless his Eye 1711, pon a Verse in old Hesiod, which is almost Word for Word the same with his third Line in the following Passage. Nor think, though Men were none, That Heav'n would want Spectators, God want Praise No. 13, Vs Opera - Nicolinia brom C Thursday, March 15. Matter of greater Amusement to the Town than Signior Nicolini's Combat with a Lion in the Hay Market, which has been very often exhibited to the general Satisfaction 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 still believed by many in both Galleries, that there would be a tame Lion sent from the Tower every Opera Night, in order to be killed by Hydaspes; this Report, though altogether groundless, so universally prevailed in the upper Regions of the Play-house, that some of the most refined Politicians in those Parts of the Audience gave it out in Whisper, that the Lion was a Cousin German of the Tyger who made his Appearance in King William's Days, and that the Stage would be supplied with Lions at the publick Expence, during the whole Session No. 13. Session. Many likewise were the Conjectures of the Thursday, Treatment which this Lion was to meet with from the March 15, Hands of Signior Nicolini; some supposed that he was 1711. to subdue him in Recitativo, as Orpheus used to serve the wild Beasts in his time, and afterwards to knock him on the Head; some fancied that the Lion would not pretend to lay his Paws upon the Hero, by reason of the received Opinion, that a Lion will not hurt a Virgin Several, who pretended to have seen the Opera in Italy, had informed their Friends, that the Lion was to act a Part in High-Dutch, and roar twice or thrice to a Thorough Base, before he fell at the Feet of Hydaspes. To clear up a Matter that was so variously reported, I have made it my Business to examine whether this pretended Lion is really the Savage he appears to be, or only a Counterfeit. But before I communicate my Discoveries, I must acquaint the Reader, that upon my walking behind the Scenes last Winter, as I was thinking on something else, I accidentally justled against a monstrous Animal that extreamly startled me, and upon my nearer Survey of it, appeared to be a Lion Rampant. The Lion, seeing me very much surprized, told me, in a gentle Voice, that I might come by him if I pleased: For (says he) I do not intend to hurt any body. I thanked him very kindly, and passed by him. And in a little time after saw him leap upon the Stage, and act his Part with very great Applause. It has been observed by several, that the Lion has changed his manner of Acting twice or thrice since his first Appearance; which will not seem strange, when I acquaint my Reader that the Lion has been changed upon the Audience three several times. The first Lion was a Candle-snuffer, who being a Fellow of a testy cholerick Temper over-did his Part, and would not suffer himself to be killed so easily as he ought to have done; besides, it was observed of him, that he grew more surly every time he came out of the Lion; and having dropt some Words in ordinary Conversation, as if he had not fought his best, and that he suffered himself to be thrown upon his Back in the Scuffle, and that he would wrestle with Mr. Nicolini for what he pleased, out |