many unconquerable and chafte ladies; we ftretch out our powerful arm to embrace one of them, and the shall be one of your nieces, or the niece of fome other great Latin prieft, the darling of God's right-eye. Let the authority of Sarah be fown in her, the fidelity of Efther, and the wifdom of Abba. We would have her eye like that of a dove, which may look upon heaven and earth, with the mouth of a fhell fish to feed upon the dew of the morning; her age muft not exceed two hundred courfes of the moon, let her ftature be equal to that of an ear of green corn, and her girth a handful.

We will fend our Mandarines ambaffadors to cloath her, and to conduct her to us, and we will meet her on the bank of the great river, making her to leap up into our chuiot. She may with us worship her own Ged; together with twenty-four virgins of her own chufing; and the may fing with them as the turtle in the fpring. You, O father and friend, complying with this our defire, may be an occafion of uniting in perpetual friendship our high empire with your European kingdoms, and we may embrace your laws as the ivy embraces the tree; and we ourfelves may scatter our royal blood into your provinces, warming the chief of your princes with the amorous fire of our Amazons, the refembling pictures of fome of which our faid Mandarines ambaffadors fhall convey to you.

We exhort you to keep in peace two good religious families of miffionaries, the black fons of Ignatius, and the white and black fons of Dominicus; that the counfel, both of the one and the other,

may ferve as a guide to us in our government, and a light to interpret the divine law, as the oil caft into the fea produces light.

To conclude, we rifing up in our throne to embrace you, we declare you our ally and confederate; and have ordered this leaf to be fealed with our imperial fignet, in our royal city the head of the world, the eighth day of the third lunation, and the fourth year of our reign.

Letters from Rome fay, the whole converfation both among gentlemen and ladies has turned upon the fubje&t of this epiftle ever fince it arrived. The Jefuit who tranflated it fays, it lotes much of the majefty of the original in the Italian. It feems there was an offer of the fame nature made by a predeceffor of the prefent emperor to Lewis the Thirteenth of France, but no lady of that court would take the voyage, that fex not being at that time so much ufed in politic negociations. The manner of treating the pope is, according to the Chinele ceremonial, very respectful: for the emperor writes to him with the quill of a virgin oftrich, which was never ufed before but in writing prayers. Inftructions are preparing for the lady who fhall have fo much zeal as to undertake this pilgrimage, and be an emprefs for the fake of her religion. The principal of the Indian miffionaries has given in a lift of the reigning finis in China, in order to prepare indulgences neceffary to this lady and her retinue, in advancing the interefts of the Roman Catholic religion in thofe kingdoms.

IT gives me very great fcandal to ob

ferve, wherever I go, how much skill, in buying all manner of goods, there is

neceflary to defend yourself from being

cheated in whatever you fee exposed to fale, My reading makes fuch a flrong

impreffion

impreflion upon me, that I should think myfelf a cheat in my way, if I should tranflate any thing from another tongue, and not acknowledge it to my readers. I understood from common report, that Mr. Cibber was introducing a French play upon our stage, and thought myfelf concerned to let the town know what was his, and what was foreign. When I came to the rehearsal, I found the houfe fo partial to one of their own fraternity, that they gave every thing which was faid fuch grace, emphafis, and force in their own action, that it was no eafy matter to make any judgment of the performance. Mrs. Oldfield, who, it feems, is the heroic daughter, had fo just a conception of her part, that her action made what the spoke appear decent, just, and noble. The pailions of terror and compaffion, they made me believe were very artfully raifed, and the whole conduct of the play artful and furprifing. We authors do not much relish the endeavours of players in this kind; but have the fame difdain as phyficians and lawyers have when attorneys and apothecaries give advice. Cibber himself took the liberty to tell me, that he expected I would do him juftice, and allow the play well prepared for his spectators, whatever it was for his readers. He added very many particulars not uncurious concerning the manner of taking an audience, and laying wait not only for their fuperficial applaufe, but alfo for infinuating into their affections and paffions, by the artful management of the look, voice, and gefture of the fpeaker. I could not but confent that the heroic daughter appeared in the rehearfal a moving entertainment wrought out of a great and exemplary virtue.

The advantages of action, fhow, and drefs, on thefe occafions, are allowable, because the merit confifts in being capable of impofing upon us to our advantage and entertainment. All that I was going to fay about the honefty of an author in the fale of his ware, was that he ought to own all that he had borrowed from others, and lay in a clear light all that he gives his fpectators for their money, with an account of the first manufacturers. But I intended to give the lecture of this day upon the common and prostituted behaviour of traders in ordinary commerce. The philofopher made it a rule of trade, ́

that your profit ought to be the common profit; and it is unjult to make any fep towards gain, wherein the gain of even thofe to whom you fell is not allo confulted. A man may deceive himself if he thinks fit, but he is no better than a cheat who fells any thing without telling the exceptions against it, as well as what is to be faid to it's advantage. The fcandalous abuse of language and hardening of confcience, which may be obferved every day in going from one place to another, is what makes a whole city to an unprejudiced eye a den of thieves. It was no fmall pleasure to me for this reafon to remark, as I paffed by Cornhill, that the fhop of that wor-· thy, honelt, though lately unfortunate citizen, Mr. John Morton, fo well known in the linen trade, is fitting up

He im

The misfortune of this citizen is like to prove of a very general advantage to thofe who fhall deal with him hereafter: for the ftock with which he now fets up being the loan of his friends, he cannot expofe that to the hazard of giving credit, but enters into a ready-money trade, by which means he will both buy and fell the beft and cheapest. pofes upon himself a rule of affixing the value of each piece he fells to the piece itfelf; fo that the most ignorant fervant or child will be as good a buyer at his fhop as the most fkilful in the trade. For all which, you have all his hopes and fortune for your fecurity. To encourage dealing after this way, there is not only the avoiding the most infamous guilt in ordinary bartering; but this obfervation, that he who buys with ready-money, faves as much to his family as the ftate exacts out of his land for the fecurity and fervice of his country; that is to fay, in plain English, fixteen will do as much as twenty fillings.

MR. SPECTATOR,

MY heart is to fwelled with grateful

fentiments on account of fome fayours which I have lately received, that

I must beg leave to give them utterance amongst the crowd of other anonymous correfpondents; and writing, I hope, will be as great a relief to my forced filence, as it is to your natural taciturnity. My generous benefactor will not fuffer me to fpeak to him in any terms of acknowledgement, but ever treats me as if he had the greatest obligations, and ufes me with a diftinction that is not to be expected from one fo much my fuperior in fortune, years, and understanding. He infinuates, as if I had a certain right to his favours from fome merit, which his particular indulgence to me has discovered; but that is only a beautiful artifice to leffen the pain an honeft mind feels in receiving obligations, when there is no probability of returning them.

A gift is doubled when accompanied with fuch a delicacy of addrefs; but what to me gives it an inexpreffible value is it's coming from the man I molt etteem in the world. It pleafes me indeed, as it is an advantage and addition to my fortune; but when I confider it as an inttance of that good man's friendship, it overjoys, it tranfports me; I look on it with a lover's eye, and no longer regard the gift, but the hand that gave it. For my friendhip is fo intirely void of any gainful views, that it

often gives me pain to think it should have been chargeable to him; and I cannot at fome melancholy hours help doing his generofity the injury of fearing it should cool on this account, and that the laft favour might be a fort of legacy of a departing friendship.

I confefs thefe fears feem very groundlefs and unjust, but you muit forgive them to the apprehenfion of one poffefied of a great treafure, who is frighted at the most diftant fhadow of danger.

Since I have thus far opened my heart to you, I will not conceal the fecret fatisfaction I feel there of knowing the goodness of my friend will not be unrewarded. I am pleafed with thinking the providence of the Almighty hath fufficient bleflings in ftore for him, and will certainly discharge the debt, though I am not made the happy inftrument of doing it.

However nothing in my power shall be wanting to fhew my gratitude; I will make it the bulinefs of my life to thank him, and fhall efteem (next to him) thofe my belt friends, who give me the greatest affiftance in this good work. Printing this letter would be fome little initance of my gratitude; and your favour herein will very much oblige your moft humble fervant, &c. Nov. 24.

T

W.C.

Τ

HOR. EP. 11. L. II. VER. 149.

SIR,

CREECH.

to me.

wits of both fexes, where we generally defcant upon your fpeculations, or upon the fubjects on which you have treated. We were laft Tuesday talking of thofe two volumes which you have lately published. Some were cominending one of your papers, and fome another; and there was fcarce a fingle perfon in the company that had not a favourite fpeculation. Upon this a man of wit and learning told us, he thought

it would not be amifs, if we paid the 'Spectator the fame compliment that is often made in our public prints to Sir William Read, Doctor Grant, Mr. Moor the apothecary, and other eminent physicians, where it is ufual for the patients to publish the cures which have been made upon them, and the feveral distempers under which they la boured. The propofal took, and the lady where we vifited having the two lait volumes in large paper interleaved for her own private ufe, ordered them to be brought down, and laid in the window, whither every one in the company retired, and writ down a particular advertisement in the file and phrafe of the like ingenious compofitions which we frequently meet with at the end of our news-papers. When we had finished our work, we read them with a great deal of mirth at the fire-fide, and agreed, nemine contradicente, to get them transcribed, and fent to the Spectator. The gentleman who made the propofal enter ed the following advertisement before the title-page, after which the reft fucceeded in order.

Remedium efficax et univerfum; or, an effectual remedy adapted to all capacities; fhewing how any perfon may cure himself of ill-nature, pride, partySpleen, or any other diftemper incident to the human fyftem, with an easy way to know when the infection is upon him. This panacea is as innocent as bread, agreeable to the tafte, and requires no confinement. It has not it's equal in the universe, as abundance of the nobility and gentry throughout the kingdom have experienced.

N. B. No family ought to be without it.

Over the two Spectators on Jealoufy, being the two firtt in the third volume.

I, WILLIAM CRAZY, aged threeScore and feven, having been for several years afflicted with unealy doubts, fears, and vapours, occafioned by the youth and beauty of Mary my wife, aged twenty-five, do hereby, for the benefit of the public, give notice, that I have found great relief from the two follow ing dotes, having taken them two mornings together with a difh of chocolate. Witness my hand, &c.

For the benefit of the poor.

IN charity to such as are troubled with the difeafe of levee-hunting, and are forced to feek their bread every morning at the chamber-doors of great men, I, A. B. do teftify, that for many years paft I laboured under this fashionable diftemper, but was cured of it by a remedy which I bought of Mrs. Baldwin, contained in a half-fheet of paper, marked N cxc. where any one may be provided with the fame remedy at the price of a fingle penny.

AN infallible cure for hypochondriac melancholy, N° CLXXIII. CLXXXIV.

CXCI. CCиI. CCIX. CCXXI. CCXXXIII. CCXXXV. ccxxxix. CCXLV. CCXLVIL CCLI.

hoods, having made ufe of the Doctor's Cephalic Tincture, which he exhibited to the public in one of his last year's papers, I recovered in a very few days.

I, GEORGE GLOOM, having for a, long time been troubled with the spleen, and being advised by my friends to put myfelf into a courfe of Steele, did for that end make ufe of remedies conveyed to me feveral mornings, in fhort letters, from the hands of the invifible doctor. They were marked at the bottom Nathaniel Henrooft, Alice Threadneedle, Rebecca Nettletop, Tom Loveless,

Mary Meanwell, Thomas Smokey, Anthony Freeman, Tom Meggot, Ruftic Sprightly,' &c. which have had fo good an effect upon me, that I now find myself chearful, lightfome and eafy; and therefore do recommend them to all fuch as labour under the fame diftemper.

Not having room to infert all the advertisements which were fent me, I have only picked out fome few from the third volume, referving the fourth for another opportunity.

HOR. SAT. III. L. I. VER. 68.

I

MR. SPECTATOR,

Nov. 27, 1712. Have read this day's paper with a great deal of pleasure, and could fend you an account of feveral elixirs and antidotes in your third volume, which your correfpondents have not taken notice of in their advertisements; and at the fame time mult own to you, that I have feldom feen a fhop furnifhed with fuch a variety of medicaments, and in which there are fewer foporifics. The feveral vehicles you have invented for conveying your unacceptable truths to us, are what I moft particularly admire, as I am afraid they are fecrets which will die with you. I do not find that any of your critical effays are taken notice of in this paper, notwithstanding I Joak upon them to be excellent cleanfers of the brain, and could venture to fuperfcribe them with an advertisement which I have lately feen in one of our news-papers, wherein there is an account given of a fovereign remedy for reftoring the taste of all fuch perfons whofe palates have been vitiated by distempers, unwholfome food, or any the like occafions. But to let fall the allufion, notwithstanding your criticifms, and particularly the candour which you have difcovered in them, are not the leaft taking part of your works, I find your

CREECH.

opinion concerning poetical juftice, as it is expreffed in the first part of your fortieth Spectator, is controverted by fome eminent critics; and as you now feem, to our great grief of heart, to be winding up your bottoms, I hoped you would have enlarged a little upon that fubject. It is indeed but a single paragraph in your works, and I believe thofe who have read it with the fame attention I have done, will think there is nothing to be objected against it. I have, however, drawn up some additional arguments to ftrengthen the opinion which you have there delivered, having endeavoured to go to the bottein of that matter, which you may either publish or fupprefs as you think fit.

Horace, in my motto, fays, that all men are vicious, and that they differ from one another, only as they are more or lefs fo. Boileau has given the fame account of our wildom as Horace has of our virtue;

Tous les hommes font fous, & malgré tous

leurs fains,

Ne different entre eux, que du plus & da

"m-ins.