<TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
   <teiHeader>
      <fileDesc>
         <titleStmt>
            <title>The characters and conduct of Sir John Edgar: and his three deputy-governours. During the adminstration of the late separate ministry. In a third and fourth letter to the Knight. With a picture of Sir John, drawn by a pen, exactly after the life.</title>
            <author>Dennis, John, 1657-1734.</author>
         </titleStmt>
         <extent>46 600dpi bitonal TIFF page images and SGML/XML encoded text</extent>
         <publicationStmt>
            <publisher>University of Michigan Library</publisher>
            <pubPlace>Ann Arbor, Michigan</pubPlace>
            <date when="2007-01">2007 January</date>
            <idno type="DLPS">004833893</idno>
            <idno type="ESTC">T56630</idno>
            <idno type="DOCNO">CW111150801</idno>
            <idno type="TCP">K050110.000</idno>
            <idno type="GALEDOCNO">CW3311150801</idno>
            <idno type="CONTENTSET">ECLL</idno>
            <idno type="IMAGESETID">0246901100</idno>
            <availability>
               <p>This keyboarded and encoded edition of the
	       work described above is co-owned by the institutions
	       providing financial support to the Early English Books
	       Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is
	       available for reuse, according to the terms of <ref target="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">Creative
	       Commons 0 1.0 Universal</ref>. The text can be copied,
	       modified, distributed and performed, even for
	       commercial purposes, all without asking permission.</p>
            </availability>
         </publicationStmt>
         <sourceDesc>
            <biblFull>
               <titleStmt>
                  <title>The characters and conduct of Sir John Edgar: and his three deputy-governours. During the adminstration of the late separate ministry. In a third and fourth letter to the Knight. With a picture of Sir John, drawn by a pen, exactly after the life.</title>
                  <author>Dennis, John, 1657-1734.</author>
               </titleStmt>
               <extent>[4],vii,[1],36p. ; 8⁰.</extent>
               <publicationStmt>
                  <publisher>printed and sold by J. Roberts,</publisher>
                  <pubPlace>London :</pubPlace>
                  <date>1720.</date>
               </publicationStmt>
               <notesStmt>
                  <note>Anonymous. By John Dennis.</note>
                  <note>Sir John Edgar = Sir Richard Steele.</note>
                  <note>With a half-title.</note>
                  <note>Reproduction of original from the British Library.</note>
                  <note>English Short Title Catalog, ESTCT56630.</note>
                  <note>Electronic data. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale, 2003. Page image (PNG). Digitized image of the microfilm version produced in Woodbridge, CT by Research Publications, 1982-2002 (later known as Primary Source Microfilm, an imprint of the Gale Group).</note>
               </notesStmt>
            </biblFull>
         </sourceDesc>
      </fileDesc>
      <encodingDesc>
         <projectDesc>
            <p>Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl,
      TEI @ Oxford.
      </p>
         </projectDesc>
         <editorialDecl>
            <p>EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.</p>
            <p>EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).</p>
            <p>The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.</p>
            <p>Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.</p>
            <p>Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.</p>
            <p>Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as &lt;gap&gt;s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.</p>
            <p>The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.</p>
            <p>Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).</p>
            <p>Keying and markup guidelines are available at the <ref target="http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/docs/.">Text Creation Partnership web site</ref>.</p>
         </editorialDecl>
         <listPrefixDef>
            <prefixDef ident="tcp"
                       matchPattern="([0-9\-]+):([0-9IVX]+)"
                       replacementPattern="https://data.historicaltexts.jisc.ac.uk/view?pubId=ecco-$1&amp;index=ecco&amp;pageId=ecco-$1-$20"/>
            <prefixDef ident="char"
                       matchPattern="(.+)"
                       replacementPattern="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/textcreationpartnership/Texts/master/tcpchars.xml#$1"/>
         </listPrefixDef>
      </encodingDesc>
      <profileDesc>
         <langUsage>
            <language ident="eng">eng</language>
         </langUsage>
      </profileDesc>
   </teiHeader>
   <text xml:lang="eng">
      <front>
         <div type="half_title">
            <pb facs="tcp:0246901100:1"/>
            <p>THE
CHARACTERS
AND
CONDUCT
OF
Sir <hi>John Edgar,</hi> &amp;c.</p>
         </div>
         <div type="title_page">
            <pb facs="tcp:0246901100:2" rendition="simple:additions"/>
            <p>THE
CHARACTERS
AND
CONDUCT
OF
Sir <hi>John Edgar,</hi>
AND HIS
Three <hi>Deputy-Governours.</hi>
During the Adminiſtration of the late
SEPARATE MINISTRY.
In a Third and Fourth Letter
to the KNIGHT.
WITH
A Picture of Sir JOHN,
Drawn by a Pen, exactly after the Life.</p>
            <p>
               <hi>LONDON:</hi>
Printed and Sold by J. ROBERTS, in <hi>War<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>wick-Lane.</hi>
1720. Price <hi>Six Pence.</hi>
            </p>
         </div>
         <div type="dedication">
            <pb facs="tcp:0246901100:3"/>
            <head>To His GRACE the
DUKE
OF
NEWCASTLE.</head>
            <opener>
               <salute>My LORD,</salute>
            </opener>
            <p>
               <seg rend="decorInit">A</seg>Dreſſes of this nature are but
too often Petitions for Favours
to come. But the Intention
of this is to return thanks to your
Grace for the Favour you did me the
Honour to confer upon me in <hi>Novem<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ber</hi>
laſt. Your Grace, perhaps, may
inclin'd to believe, that my Ac<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>knowledgment
comes ſomewhat of the
<pb n="ii" facs="tcp:0246901100:4"/>
lateſt. I therefore being concern'd to
vindicate the Reputation of my Gra<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>titude,
take the Liberty to aſſure your
Grace, that I knew nothing certainly
of the Favour, which by your Order
was conferr'd upon me in <hi>November</hi>
laſt, till within this Fortnight. And
as I had heard nothing certain of it,
till ſo long after your Grace had com<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>manded
it; for that very Reaſon, I had
believ'd nothing of it, when I did hear
of it, if a Gentleman of undoubted
Honour had not aſſur'd me, that he
was preſent, when you were pleas'd to
give Directions about it. As I knew
nothing of it till within this Fortnight,
ſo all I know of it now, is the aſſurance
which that Gentleman has given me
that your Grace has ordered it. For,
tho, depending upon that Gentleman's
Honour and his Integrity, I have en<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>deavour'd
to have Evidence of Senſe
in the Caſe, as much as I could en<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>deavour
it with any manner of De<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>cency,
and without ſubjecting my ſelf
<pb n="iii" facs="tcp:0246901100:5"/>
to be treated, in my Meſſengers, with
repeated and intolerable Inſolence, by
that Servant who receiv'd your Grace's
Command, to convey your Favour to
me, I have found to my infinite Sur<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>prize,
that, at the very time that I
have been, labouring to unmask and
expoſe an Hypocritical, Wretch, who
has had the Impudence and the Ingra<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>titude
publickly to affront your Grace,
as far, as Animals of his Species can
affront you; at that very time one of
your own Domeſtick Servants, your
errant Creature, who ſubſiſts entirely
by your Bounty, has been diligent
and induſtrious, in giving me all the
Diſappointment, and all the Diſtur<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>bance,
that, it has been in his, Power
to give me; and conſequently all the
Diverſion that he could poſſibly give
me in favour of your Grace's declar'd
and mortal Enemy.</p>
            <p>But as your Grace's conferring this
Favour conſiſted in your ordering it to
<pb n="iv" facs="tcp:0246901100:6"/>
be done, and not in my receiving
it, I am obliged to return you my
humble Thanks for it, as much as if
I were in actual Poſſeſſion of it.</p>
            <p>I am Very ſorry that upon Addreſ<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſing
my ſelf twice to your Grace af<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ter
this manner, I have been oblig'd
each time, to make a Complaint to
you. But I cannot abſolutely deſ<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>pair
of your Pardon for it, when I
conſider that your Grace's Honour has
been more concern'd in each Com<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>plaint
than any Inrereſt of mine. Since
I made the firſt Complaint to you,
I have had the Satisfaction to ſee, that
your Grace has retriev'd the Juriſdi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ction
over our <hi>Theatres,</hi> which is an<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>nex'd
to your Office, as <hi>Lord Chamber<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>lain</hi>
of his Majeſty's <hi>Houſhold;</hi> and
have had the Pleaſure to hear that
you have mortify'd four Inſolent Wret<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ches,
who had dar'd to uſurp it from
you.</p>
            <p>
               <pb n="v" facs="tcp:0246901100:7"/>
As for the Complaint which I lay
before you at preſent, I muſt leave it
to be determin'd by your Grace's Wiſ<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>dom
and Juſtice, whether the Inſolence
of the late <hi>Separate Miniſtry,</hi> whether
the Inſolence of Sir <hi>John Edgar</hi> him<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſelf,
was ever ſo flagrant or ſo inſup<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>portable,
as that of your Domeſtick
and Menial Servant, who has preſum'd
to abuſe your Grace's Service in the
moſt Injurious Manner; to treat a Per<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſon
inſolently, whom you had treated
favourably; to intercept and retain
your Favour, and betray the Truſt
repos'd in him, and to controul you
in your very Domain; where becauſe
you are moſt independent, you ought
to be moſt uncontroulable.</p>
            <p>My Lord, if your Grace ſhould be
in the leaſt ſurpriz'd at the uncom<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>mon
Method of conveying this Com<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>plaint
to you, I am inclin'd to believe
that you will have the Goodneſs to
<pb n="vi" facs="tcp:0246901100:8"/>
conſider, that the ſubject Matter of it
is a great deal more ſtrange and more
extraordinary, than the manner of con<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>veying
it to you. For I appeal to all
thoſe Perſons of Condition, who have
been us'd to receive Addreſſes of this
nature, if they ever knew, or ever
heard of any thing like it, in any of
their Servants before.</p>
            <p>Beſides, I had a great deal of Rea<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſon
to believe, that I had no other
way of approaching your Grace. For
he who has had the Aſſurance for
four Months together, to intercept and
retain your Grace's Favour, would
certainly have ventur'd to intercept
any Letter that ſhould have come
from me, or to hinder my having any
perſonal Acceſs to you. But I believe
he dare hardly do that by the little
Book to which this is prefix'd, and
which I have here the Honour to ſend
you. If his Preſumption ſhould ex<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tend
ſo far, my Comfort is, that your
<pb n="vii" facs="tcp:0246901100:9"/>
Grace will hear of the Contents of
this Epiſtle from a Hundred of your
Humble Servants.</p>
            <closer>
               <signed>I am,
My Lord,
Your Grace's moſt obedient,
and moſt humble Servant,</signed>
            </closer>
         </div>
      </front>
      <body>
         <div n="3" type="letter">
            <pb facs="tcp:0246901100:10"/>
            <head>LETTER III. TO Sir John Edgar.</head>
            <opener>
               <salute>My Dear KNIGHT,</salute>
            </opener>
            <p>
               <seg rend="decorInit">S</seg>INCE I perceive that there is like
to be a long Commerce of Paper
Civilities between us two, I think
we could not do better, for the mak<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ing
the Correſpondence perfectly
eaſie to us both, than to continue, as we have
begun, to throw off all manner of Ceremony,
and to treat each other with that Familiarity,
which is ſo becoming our long and old Acquain<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tance.
This is then one branch of the Cartel
eſtabliſh'd between us, that thou ſhould'ſt ſeem
not to remember that the King has made me a
Gentleman, and that I ſhould not fail to forget
that he ever made thee a Knight. So that for
the future I ſhall be downright <hi>What d'ye call</hi>
with thee; and thou my dear Knight ſhalt be
plain <hi>Jack Edgar</hi> with me. In which branch of
the Cartel, thou haſt by much the Advantage
of me. For my diminutive Honour was eſta<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>bliſhd
by no leſs than two Patents, the one
granted by the late Queen, and the other by His
<pb n="2" facs="tcp:0246901100:11"/>
preſent Majeſty; whereas thine was conferr'd
only by a tranſitory Blow given upon Shoulder-blade;
which when ſome jeering malicious Per<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſons
heard of, they ſaid, they rejoyc'd that Ho<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>nour
was got ſo near as within a Foot of thy
<hi>Pericranium.</hi>
            </p>
            <p>But now to enter upon buſineſs; how agreea<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>bly
was I ſurpriz'd with that notable Diſtinction
in the beginning of thy eleventh Paper, which
makes thy Apology for thy going by an <hi>Alias.</hi>
And that is, that when a Man goes by an <hi>alias,</hi> in
order to commit a Robbery, or a Murther, or lye,
with his Neighbour's Wife, why that is not ſo
well: But when an old Soldier of the Queen
takes up a <hi>nom-de-guerre,</hi> only for the promotion of
Virtue; why that is a laudable Action. Now here
cannot I forbear for my Life uſing the ſame ex<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>preſſion
to you, which was formerly us'd to an<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>other
old<note n="*" place="bottom">
                  <hi>Thraſo</hi> in the Eunuch of <hi>Terence.</hi>
               </note> Soldier. <hi>Dî voſtram Fidem! Quanti
eſt ſapere! Nunquam accedo, Quin abs te abeam Do<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ctior.</hi>
For my part, I have all along been weak
enough to believe, that to go by an <hi>alias</hi> is a ma<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>nifeſt
Cheat, and that every Impoſtor means In<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tereſt
and not Virtue. But this notable Diſtin<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ction
has almoſt convinced me, that if the writer
of a Libel puts but a ſham Name to it, he has a
Diſpenſation by that <hi>alias</hi> to injure, ſlander, and
threaten all that is Powerful and Noble in <hi>Great
Britain.</hi> But that if any one pretends to write
ev'n a juſt Satire, upon the vileſt Poetaſter
or Politicaſter, between <hi>Dover</hi> and the <hi>Orcades</hi>
without putting any Name at all to it; why the
Action is abominable, it cries aloud for the ex<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tremeſt
Vengeance, and deſerves Death without
<pb n="3" facs="tcp:0246901100:12"/>
Mercy. But, honeſt <hi>Jack Edgar,</hi> I have one
ſcruple in my Head. <hi>Boileau</hi> was certainly a
Man of true Judgment, of nice Honour and a
very juſt and admirable Satiriſt. His Cenſures
were always juſt, and ſo were his Praiſes, if you
except a very few addreſt to his Great Monarch.
Merit and Virtue were always Sacred to him,
and Vice and Folly the objects of his Scorn and
Hatred. Now when he publiſh'd a Book of Sa<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tires,
which were chiefly levell'd at the <hi>Edgars</hi> and
<hi>Ironſides,</hi> who flouriſh'd then at <hi>Paris,</hi> that is, at a
number of Coxcombs who dar'd to appear upon
<hi>Parnaſſus,</hi> without any lawful Summons thither,
or in plain <hi>Engliſh,</hi> without either Genius or
Judgment, you know very well, <hi>Jack Edgar,</hi> that
he put no name to his Book.</p>
            <p>The violence and virulence of the contending
Parties in <hi>England,</hi> have, I am afraid, been one
great cauſe, why we have had no juſt Satire in
<hi>England,</hi> ſince the Author of <hi>Hudibras</hi> publiſh'd
his, which ſeems to me, to be a very juſt one on
Hypocriſy. But you are not to be told, that the
Author of it put no Name to it. We have ſince
had Libels which have paſs'd for Satires, as <hi>Abſa<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>lom</hi>
and <hi>Achitophel,</hi> the <hi>Medal, Mac Fleckno,</hi> and the
<hi>Diſpenſary.</hi> They are indeed, if you pleaſe,
beautiful Libels, but they are every where full
of Flattery or Slander, and a juſt Satire admits
of neither. In the two firſt, how many were
abus'd only for being true to the Religion and
Liberties of their Country? And on the other
ſide, ſome were extoll'd only for being falſe to
both. The attempt to leſſen <hi>Shadwell</hi> in <hi>Mack<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>flecno,</hi>
is every whit as unworthy of Satire. For
<hi>Shadwell</hi> pretended to no Species of Poetry but
the Comick, in which he was certainly very
much ſuperiour to <hi>Dryden;</hi> as the latter acknow<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ledges
<pb n="4" facs="tcp:0246901100:13"/>
by a very fair implication in his <hi>Preface</hi> to
the <hi>State of Innocence,</hi> which was writ before
the Quarrel between them began. The buſineſs
of Sir <hi>Samuel Garth</hi> in his <hi>Diſpenſary</hi> was to ex<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>poſe
much better Physicians than himſelf, for no
other reaſon but becauſe they were not of his Opi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>nion
in the affair of the <hi>Diſpenſary.</hi> Now tho'
theſe were Libels, and very injurious, yet the
Authors juſtly thought it more creditable to ſuf<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>fer
them to be publiſh'd without any Name ra<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ther
than to make uſe of falſe ones.</p>
            <p>I am heartily glad, my dear Friend, that I
have pleas'd thee ſo, by ſaying that thou haſt
done more harm to the Stage, than any hundred
Men in all <hi>England.</hi> For ſay'ſt thou, the World
is ſo Wicked, that tis hardly a Diſparagement to
be great ev'n in Ill. But I am afraid, honeſt <hi>Jack,</hi>
thou miſtakeſt me. For when I accus'd thee of
doing this harm to the Stage, I did not affirm,
that thou didſt it altogether through a ſiniſter De<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſign,
or a wicked Motive of Intereſt; but that
there was always a mixture with the other two,
of want of Knowledge and Judgment. And
tho' it may be reputable in this wicked World to
be great in Ill, I believe it will hardly ever
be creditable to be great in Folly. I do not ſay,
but that there may be a very wiſe Man, who
may know nothing of Theatrical matters. But
then this Perſon who does not know them, muſt
not pretend to know them, nor to dictate to the
World in an affair which he does not at all un<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>derſtand.
For there is a wiſe and a knowing Ig<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>norance,
an Ignorance that reflects upon its ſelf,
and reſtrains him who has it from expoſing or
hurting himſelf or others, by undertaking things
which he does not in the leaſt underſtand.</p>
            <p>
               <pb n="5" facs="tcp:0246901100:14"/>
And now, my dear Friend, thou art for mount<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ing
that War Horſe a-freſh, from which I ſhew'd
thee deſcending. Methinks I ſee thee upon him
in all thy Accoutrements, thy cock'd Hat, thy
broad Sword, thy Shoulder Belt, and thy Jack
Boots, and a hugeous merry Figure thou makeſt
upon him. But when thou talkeſt of planting
thy ſelf behind King <hi>William</hi> the Third, againſt
<hi>Lewis</hi> the Fourteenth, does not thy Memory fail
thee a little? If thou meaneſt planting thy ſelf
behind the Coach of King <hi>William,</hi> I have no<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>thing
to ſay againſt that. But I never heard a
great deal of thy attendance on him, when he
got on Horſe-back. He ſeldom <hi>held</hi> the Honour
of thy Company, to expreſs my ſelf in the quaint
Dialect of thy elder Brother of <hi>Brentford,</hi> either
on the <hi>Boyne</hi> or the <hi>Shannon,</hi> or the <hi>Maeſe,</hi> or the
<hi>Sambre.</hi> Thou hadſt that averſion for the effu<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſion
of Chriſtian Blood, that rather than go into
the Field with thy broad Sword, and thy dead
doing Hand, to make piteous Slaughter of the
Enemy, thou mad'ſt it thy choice to ſtay here at
Home, and make wicked Jokes with thy <hi>Iriſh</hi>
Gooſe Quill, upon the Funerals of thy Friends.</p>
            <p>But here my dear Friend, thou art in a terri<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ble
fuſs about going to Law. Thou pretend'ſt to
be even Mad, that thou art hinder'd from going
to Law; the Law is not open to thee; thou haſt
not the freedom of the Law. But, <hi>Quaere pere<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>grinum
vicinia rauca reclamat.</hi> For do not we all
know that thou art up to the Ears in Law; that
thou haſt been up to the Ears in Law theſe twenty
Years; and wilt be up to the Ears in Law, if thou
ſhouldſt live theſe hundred Years? Can we for<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>bear
laughing then, to hear thee cry out, that
thou ſhouldſt be the happieſt Man in the World,
<pb n="6" facs="tcp:0246901100:15"/>
if thou couldſt but go to Law? Ah, my dear
Friend, I could name ſome certain Perſons, who if
they were no more reſtrain'd from going to Law
than thou art, would be happy indeed. But
what is it that hinders thee from going to Law?
The Gate of Madam Juſtice, like that of Hell,
is open at all Hours. Free ingreſs is denyed to
none that have but Money to pay their Entrance;
Egreſs, I muſt confeſs, is not altogether To eaſie.
What is it then that thou pretendeſt ſhould re<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtrain
thee from going to Law? Haſt thou not
Money to pay thy Lawyers? Or art thou ſuing
ſome unaccountable Debtors, who having Mo<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ney
to ſpare for their Liberalities and their Profu<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſions,
have that irregular greatneſs of Soul, that
they ſcorn to pay a juſt Debt till it comes to Ex<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ecution;
and who inſtead of diſcharging, or ſo
much as owning the Obligation they have to
thee, pretend to keep thee at Arms length, and
bid thee open Defiance? Should that be the Caſe,
I believe I can give thee wholſome Advice.
Know then, that there is a certain notable Ser<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>jeant
at Law, with a hard Name, who, if thou
repaireſt to him, will inſtruct thee in an admira<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ble
Method of dealing with ſuch Perſons. But
at the ſame time I cannot help acquainting my
dear Friend, that he ought to be aſham'd to
have the word Law in his Mouth, as long as he
pretends to undo an Act of the Legiſlature, by
an Act of the Executive Power.</p>
            <p>We are come now from Law, by a Whirl of
Imagination, to Conjurers and Hoop Petticoats.
But why will you go abroad for Intelligence,
which you may have at home; or go for Coun<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſel
to the Deputy, when you may be advis'd by
the Principal? For does not every Mortal who
reads your Papers, ſay, the Devil in Hell is in
<pb n="7" facs="tcp:0246901100:16"/>
you? Beſides, how come you ſo earneſt to get
a Patent for the Hoop, which you were ſo
eager to demoliſh in your wonderful Specula<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tions?</p>
            <p>But, my dear Friend, thou haſt been pleas'd
in this thy eleventh Paper, to return the Title of
Pedant, by which I ſaluted thee in one of my
former, according to thy uſual Method of giv<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ing
what is thy own, to thoſe who do not in
the leaſt deſerve it. Tho' I plainly perceive that
thou art not quite ſo proud of this Title, as thou
art of that of <hi>Knight;</hi> yet to ſhew thee that I
ſaluted thee with proper Greeting, I ſhall en<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>deavour
to prove, that however diſagreeable
the Sound of Pedant may be to thee, thou art
certainly the Thing; and in order to this, will
endeavour to ſhew thee what a Pedant, and
Pedantry are, of which in thy Lucubrations and
Speculations thou haſt ſo often treated
<q>
                  <l>In proper terms, ſuch as Men ſmatter,</l>
                  <l>When they throw out and miſs the matter.</l>
                  <bibl>Hud.</bibl>
               </q>
            </p>
            <p>The Pedant then is, literally and originally
ſpeaking, he who has the Inſtruction of Boys;
and the Pedant in the figurative Appellation,
which is now come to be the common one, is
he who in his Converſations with Men, or in
his Writings to Men, ſhews the qualities of an
Inſtructor of Boys. Now Boys not being come
to the uſe of their Judgment, nor the force of
their Imagination, are chiefly inſtructed by Me<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>mory.
Their Inſtructors therefore never argue
with them, but only dictate to them, and make
uſe of Authority inſtead of Reaſon with them.
And to exert their Authority the more, and to
<pb n="8" facs="tcp:0246901100:17"/>
cauſe it to make the ſtronger Impreſſion, they
dictate with a haughty and imperious Air, which
ſometimes is augmented to ſuch a Degree, by
Weakneſs, Ill-Breeding, Pride and Choler, that
it becomes inſupportable, even to their deareſt
Friends and Relations. And if their Pupils are
backward in receiving their Inſtructions, or give
them the ſlighteſt Provocation, they treat them
with all thoſe Flowers of Rhetorick, with which
thoſe Perſons are always inſpir'd, who frequent
the ſonorous Nymphs of the Floud, that haunt the
Banks of the vocal <hi>Thames</hi> between the <hi>Bridge</hi>
and the <hi>Tower.</hi>
            </p>
            <p>Thus have I ſhewn, that the Pedant, in the
Acceptation in which the Word is commonly
us'd, has the ſame qualities with an Inſtructor
of Boys; the chief of which qualities are a dog<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>matizing
Spirit, a preſumptuous Arrogance, and
a ſoaring Inſolence.</p>
            <p>Now the Man of Senſe, and the Gentleman,
being diametrically oppoſite to the Pedant, muſt
be one, who in his Converſations and in his Wri<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tings,
has the qualities of one who converſes
with or writes to Men. Now he who knows
the World, and converſes with, or writes to
Men, always Argues, and never Dictates; as
well knowing, that reaſonable Creatures are to
be convinced by Reaſon, and not by Authority.
And as Reaſon and Truth are calm and modeſt
things, he never aſſumes the Dictatorian Air, is
never Haughty, never Inſolent.</p>
            <p>But if at any time, he barely aſſerts, he does
it with Modeſty, if not with Diffidence; as very
well knowing, that, tho' a Man by an inſolent
deciſive Air, may paſs upon thoſe who are go<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>vern'd
<pb n="9" facs="tcp:0246901100:18"/>
by Fancy or Opinion; it never fails to
render him ſuſpected to thoſe who are reſolv'd
never to ſubmit to any Opinion till they be con<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>vinced
by Reaſon; which latter ſort only may
be truly ſaid to be Men. He therefore treats
his Companion or Reader with reſpect, and
would look upon it as a ſcandalous Indignity,
the breaking out into thoſe Tropes and Figures
which are ſo much in uſe, with thoſe who con<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>verſe
with, or who write to Boys, of what Age,
or Rank, or Condition whatſoever thoſe Boys
are; whether they are in Infancy, or Youth, or
Virility, or Gravity or Decrepitude; whether they
are Ignorant or Learned Boys, of the Lees of the
People, or of Equeſtrian Dignity.</p>
            <p>And now by applying all this to my very wor<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>thy
Friend, I make no doubt but to make it ap<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>pear,
not only that thou haſt the Spirit of Pedan<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>try
in thee, equal to any of thy Contemporaries
or Predeceſſours; but that thou haſt by Nature
and Genius, what they have acquir'd by Indu<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtry
and hard Labour; (for thou art certainly an
illiterate Pedant) and art the very Cock Pedant
of all the Neſt of Pedants. For beſides, that in
all thy Writings, whether Papers or Pamphlets,
whether <hi>Lucubrations, Speculations, Guardian, Lo<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ver</hi>
or <hi>Engliſhman,</hi> I hardly ever knew thee argue
once; thou haſt carried Authority to a more ri<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>diculous
Height, than ever Pedant before thee
did. For if the reſt of thy Brethren have had
the Extravagance, and the Preſumption, to bear
down Human Reaſon, by downright Human Au<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>thority,
they have ſtill had ſo much ſhadow of
Modeſty left, as to attempt it by the Authority
of others, and not by their own. If ſhoals of
modern Pedants have arriv'd to that height of
Extravagance, as to pretend to decide Diſputes,
<pb n="10" facs="tcp:0246901100:19"/>
where Reaſon alone ought to prevail, by an <hi>Ipſe
dixit;</hi> yet none before thy ſelf has had the Ar<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>rogance
and the Impudence to do it by an <hi>Ipſe
dixi.</hi> But thou haſt often ſet up thy own Autho<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>rity,
not only againſt Human Reaſon, but a<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>gainſt
all other Human Authority. Thou haſt
thought thy own dogmatick Aſſertion, enough
to eſtabliſh any Opinion, which thy private In<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tereſt
requir'd; and like an Abſolute Monarch
upon the Throne of Pedantry, haſt believ'd it
ſufficient to ſay, <hi>Car tel eſt notre plaiſir.</hi>
            </p>
            <p>I muſt confeſs that ſeveral of the <hi>Tatlers</hi> have
Wit and Humour in them, a fine Raillery, and
an agreeable Pleaſantry; and ſome of the <hi>Spec<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tators</hi>
likewiſe have ſome of theſe good Quali<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ties;
but I have powerful reaſons to believe, that
for the moſt part the good Qualities in thoſe
Writings are deriv'd from thy Correſpondents,
and that only the Pedantry of them is thine. For
when thou endeavourdſt to entertain the World
with a Paper call'd the <hi>Guardian,</hi> after that Mr.
<hi>Addiſon</hi> had abandon'd thee, and Mr. <hi>Manwaring</hi>
was entirely employ'd againſt the <hi>Examiner,</hi> I
found nothing in that Paper of the Qualities of
the other, but only thy eternal Dogmatizing,
and the haughty and pedantick Air of a School<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>maſter.
Nay in this Paper thou wert dwindled
into a Pedant, even according to the Litteral
Acceptation of the Words; and appear'dſt every
Morning with thy formal Inſtructors amidſt thy
Boys and thy Girls.</p>
            <p>I come next to the Vindication of thy Beauty.
But here, my dear <hi>Jacky</hi> Boy, let us be ſe<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>rious
a little. Thou knoweſt I am thy Friend,
and wiſh thee well, I would not have thee make
thy ſelf a Jeſt and a By-word, and a Butt to all
<pb n="11" facs="tcp:0246901100:20"/>
the World. Thy Beauty, Man! Why thou mayſt
as well brag in thy old Age of thy Dancing a
Jig. I never heard thee mention'd by any Wo<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>man,
for theſe three Years laſt paſt, but thou
either wentſt by the Appellation of the Black
Knight with her, or ſhe ſaid ſhe could reſemble
thee to nothing ſo nearly as to the Knave of
<hi>Clubs.</hi> I receiv'd the following Letter from a
Friend, immediately upon the publication of the
11th and 12th <hi>Theatre.</hi>
            </p>
            <floatingText type="letter" xml:lang="eng">
               <body>
                  <opener>
                     <salute>Dear Sir,</salute>
                  </opener>
                  <p>YOURS of Yeſterday I receiv'd this
Morning. I have ſeen the noble Knight's
Production which you mention, and could not
but laugh to read of the Knight's Tears. I
ſuppoſe they were produc'd by the Author of
the two Letters queſtioning his Beauty, which
he takes ſome pains in a moſt ridiculous man<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ner
to vindicate. He ſeems patient enough
under the Confutation of his Reaſon and Un<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>derſtanding,
to which he replyes not one
Word. But the <hi>Beau Garcon</hi> of Sixty cannot
bear an attack on his Beauty, and is forc'd to
write Letters to himſelf like other old Beaux,
from ſuppos'd Ladies, to vindicate what he
never poſſeſs'd. The Knight has diſcover'd a
great deal of Malice, and utter'd a great deal
of Slander in his laſt Paper; but this Verſe of
<hi>Dryden</hi>'s will fit his Performance.</p>
                  <q>
                     <l>In his Felonious Heart tho' Venom lyes,</l>
                     <l>It does but touch his <hi>Iriſh</hi> Pen and dyes.</l>
                  </q>
                  <closer>
                     <signed>I am, <hi>&amp;c.</hi>
                     </signed>
                  </closer>
               </body>
            </floatingText>
            <p>
               <pb n="12" facs="tcp:0246901100:21"/>
This is only under one Man's Hand, but this,
you may depend upon it, is the Voice of the Peo<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ple.
And whereas thou ſayſt, that thou art ſo
far from having a dusky Countenance, that all
Orders of Men ſmile on thee; thou putſt me in
mind of part of a Dialogue between Monſieur
<hi>Nathaniel Paris,</hi> and his Couſin <hi>Hippolita</hi> in the
<hi>Gentleman Dancing Maſter</hi> of the late Mr. <hi>Wycher<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ly.</hi>
'Tis in the beginning of the Third Act.</p>
            <sp>
               <speaker>Monſ.</speaker>
               <p>Am I ſo happy den Couſin in the <hi>bon</hi>
quality of making People laugh?</p>
            </sp>
            <sp>
               <speaker>Hipp.</speaker>
               <p>Mighty Happy, Couſin.</p>
            </sp>
            <sp>
               <speaker>Monſ.</speaker>
               <p>De-grace?</p>
            </sp>
            <sp>
               <speaker>Hipp.</speaker>
               <p>Indeed.</p>
            </sp>
            <sp>
               <speaker>Monſ.</speaker>
               <p>Nay, <hi>Sans vanitie,</hi> I obſerve that
whereſoever I come, I make every body Merry,
<hi>Sans vanitie, Da.</hi>
               </p>
            </sp>
            <sp>
               <speaker>Hipp.</speaker>
               <p>I do believe you do.</p>
            </sp>
            <sp>
               <speaker>Monſ.</speaker>
               <p>Nay, as I march in de Street, I can
make de dull Apprentie Laugh and Sneer.</p>
            </sp>
            <sp>
               <speaker>Hipp.</speaker>
               <p>This Fool, is as apt I ſee as an ill Poet,
to miſtake the Contempt and Scorn of People,
for Applauſe and Admiration.</p>
            </sp>
            <p>Thus far the <hi>Gentleman Dancing Maſter.</hi> But
tell me one thing my dear Friend, has an <hi>Owl</hi> a
dusky. Countenance? Moſt certainly, a very
reverend dusky Countenance. Now does not
an <hi>Owl,</hi> whereſoever it appears, make every mor<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tal
Smile?</p>
            <p>And now, if I ſhould call upon thee, according
to thy pretended deſire, to ſee what treatment a
Ghoſt would give a Mortal, I have reaſon to
queſtion very much, whether thou wouldſt ap<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>pear
to me; for thou knoweſt I am in the num<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ber
of thoſe things, which during thy whole
<pb n="13" facs="tcp:0246901100:22"/>
life time, have always been moſt terrible to
thee; I mean in the number of thy Creditors.
Thou haſt ow'd me theſe two Years twelve <hi>Gui<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>neas,</hi>
for the firſt Payment of twelve certain Re<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ceipts,
which upon taking the Receipts, thou
didſt promiſe to pay in a Week. But ſince that
time, I never could ſee either the Money or the
Receipts; ſo that, if I ſhould enquire for thee,
the anſwer that <hi>Snug</hi> thy Servant would make,
would certainly be, the Ghoſt will not appear to
Day.</p>
            <closer>
               <signed>I am, <hi>&amp;c.</hi>
               </signed>
            </closer>
         </div>
         <div n="4" type="letter">
            <pb facs="tcp:0246901100:23"/>
            <head>LETTER IV. TO Sir John Edgar.</head>
            <opener>
               <salute>My Excellent FRIEND,</salute>
            </opener>
            <p>
               <seg rend="decorInit">I</seg> Come now to conſider thy
twelfth Paper, in which thou
pretendſt to Draw Pictures;
for which thou art juſt as much
Qualifyed as thou art to Cri<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ticize;
for to draw Characters,
and to Criticize, requires the
ſame Talent, that is, Judg<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ment,
which God and Nature have never vouch<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſafed
to endow thee with. And therefore, all
who know thee an errant Bungler, that is, all who
do know thee, are very well ſatisfyed, that they
are no more to expect any more Reſemblance
in thy Draughts, than from a Sign Poſt Painter,
nay, not the twentieth part ſo much. For no Sign
Poſt Painter was ever yet ſuch a Blockhead, as
to Draw the Picture of a <hi>Rat,</hi> when he deſign'd
that of an <hi>Elephant;</hi> or to Draw the Figure of
an <hi>Elephant,</hi> when he deſign'd that of a <hi>Rat.</hi> But
now to whom is it not known, that thou haſt gi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ven
us the Picture, of a <hi>Wren,</hi> inſtead of that of
<pb n="16" facs="tcp:0246901100:24"/>
an <hi>Eagle;</hi> and the Picture of an <hi>Eagle,</hi> inſtead of
that of a <hi>Wren.</hi> And after thou haſt call'd thy
dead Friend <hi>Wren,</hi> and thy ſelf <hi>Eagle,</hi> does not
every Body know, that thou haſt not the know<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ledge
of <hi>Adam</hi> in thee, nor art qualified to give
Names to Creatures agreeable to their Natures?
But as thou art able to draw no body, no body
can have any occaſion to draw thee. Thy
Name alone is thy Picture, and comprehends as
ſevere and as entire a Satire in it as <hi>Boileau</hi> ſays
that of the <hi>Aſs</hi> does.</p>
            <q>
               <l>Dont le nom ſeul en ſoy comprend une Satire.</l>
            </q>
            <p>Thou canſt draw no Picture, but it wants a
Name to diſtinguiſh it; no one who names thee
has occaſion to draw any Picture of thee.</p>
            <p>What! art not thou the famous Diſtinguiſher,
the celebrated Knower of the World, and of Me<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>rit,
who art continually endeavouring to beſ<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>patter
and expoſe Miniſters of State, of admi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>rable
Abilities; and who have done the moſt im<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>portant
Services for their King, their Country,
and the whole Chriſtian World; and among
whom, I have convincing Reaſons to believe,
there are ſuch, who are as much thy Superiours
in ſolid Learning, or in Polite Litterature; in
Wit, and graceful Court-like Behaviour, and the
fine Converſation of Gentlemen; as they are
above thee in Sagacity and Penetration, in the
profoundneſs of State Affairs, and the depths of
Politicks? Art thou, I ſay, the famous Diſtin<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>guiſher,
the celebrated Knower of the World,
and of Merit, who at the ſame time that thou
art vainly and impertinently endeavouring to ex<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>poſe
and ridicule theſe Illuſtrious Patriots, art
moſt ridiculouſly attempting to make two or
<pb n="17" facs="tcp:0246901100:25"/>
three paultry Players, paſs upon the World
for Men of Manly, Generous, Elegant, Or<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>namental
Qualities? After this need any one
care whom 'tis thou Cenſureſt, and whom 'tis
thou Commendeſt? And yet to make thy Judg<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ment
manifeſt ſtill further, at the ſame time
that thou art endeavouring to expoſe thoſe whom
the King moſt confides in, and whom he moſt
values; thou art at every turn printing thy. inſi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>pid
Madrigals in the Praiſe of His Majeſty;
and ſtill the Burthen of thy Song is the ſame with
that of an old <hi>Starling,</hi> who is moulting his bor<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>row'd
Plumes in a Cage, Dick <hi>is a Bird for the
King!</hi> Dick <hi>is a Bird for the King!</hi> But how
much preferable to thine is the Song of the <hi>Star<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ling?</hi>
Tho it does not mean what it ſays, like
thee; yet it does not like thee, mean ſomething
contrary to it. The Bird itſelf is not ſuch a Beaſt
as not to know, that a Libel upon all a Man's
beſt Friends, can never be interpreted a Pane<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>gyrick
upon the Man. Thus we ſee, that thou
never Cenſureſt, and never Commendeſt by
Reaſon and by Judgment, becauſe Reaſon and
Judgment are things which thou never hadſt.
But thy Diſlike, or Approbation, proceeds per<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>petually
from thy Paſſions, thy Malice, and thy
Intereſt; but eſpecially from the laſt, which is
thy great <hi>Diana.</hi>
            </p>
            <p>I come now to an Error of thy Underſtand<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ing,
about which I ſhall uſe the more Words,
becauſe thou ſayſt thou haſt ſo often repeated it;
and that is, <hi>'tis generally for want of Judgment,
that Men ſet up for the Character of being Judicious.</hi>
            </p>
            <p>And here I cannot for my Soul forbear talk<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ing
to thee in the Language of thy Brother of
<hi>Brentford; Thou art mighty Ignorant poor Man, my
dear Friend is very Silly, I gad he is.</hi> For to what
<pb n="18" facs="tcp:0246901100:26"/>
purpoſe can this jingle of Words ſerve, but to
rattle in the Noddle of a <hi>wrong-headed</hi> Fellow?
For was there ever any Mortal who was not rec<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>kon'd
a Beaſt and an Idiot by his own, Acquain<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tance,
but who ſet up for the Character of being
Judicious in the Profeſſion which he had embra<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ced?
Does not a <hi>Shoe-maker,</hi> a <hi>Taylor,</hi> a <hi>Hoſier,</hi>
ſet up for the Character of being Judicious in the
nature and faſhion and make of Shoes and Stoc<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>kings,
and Coats and Breeches and Cloaks?
Does not a <hi>Mercer</hi> ſet up for the Character of
being Judicious, in the nature, and faſhion of
Stuffs and Silks, and Brocades? Does not a <hi>Stock<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>Jobber,</hi>
or an <hi>Exchange Broker</hi> ſet up for the Cha<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>racter
of being Judicious, in the Turns, the Riſe
and Fall of the Publick Funds? When ten or
more <hi>Clergy-men</hi> Preach for a vacant Benefice,
does not each of them pretend to be more skil<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ful
and Judicious in the ways of Salvation, than
his other Antagoniſts? Wouldſt thou Fee a Law<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>yer
in an important Cauſe, who ſhould tell thee
ſeriouſly, that he did not ſet up for having more
Judgment than his Neighbours in Statute and
Common Law? Wouldſt thou truſt thy Life up<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>on
a dangerous Criſis, in the Hands of a Phyſi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>cian,
who ſhould aſſure thee, that he had no
more Judgment in Phyſick than one of his Pa<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tients?
But to come to Authors, does not every
one who publiſhes a Book in any Art or Science,
pretend to inſtruct at leaſt ſome of his Readers?
But which of his Readers can he pretend to In<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtruct,
but thoſe who are more Ignorant than
himſelf in the matters of which he treats? But
if he ſuppoſes that ſome of his Readers are more
Ignorant than himſelf in the matters of which
he treats, does not he ſet up for the Character
of being more Judicious in thoſe matters than
they are?</p>
            <p>
               <pb n="19" facs="tcp:0246901100:27"/>
When <hi>Copernicus</hi> publiſh'd his Syſtem of the
World, did not he pretend to a little more Judg<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ment
in <hi>Aſtronomy,</hi> than ſome who had gone be<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>fore
him, and others who liv'd at the ſame time
with him, and who ſtill adher'd to the <hi>Piolemaick</hi>
Syſtem? When <hi>Des Cartes</hi> publiſh'd his Syſtem of
Natural Philoſophy, did not he by thoſe won<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>derful
Diſcoveries of the motion of the Earth,
and others, pretend to a little more Judg<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ment
in that Science, and to penetrate fur<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ther
into the Secrets of Nature than thoſe who
had gone before him? When the Celebrated
<hi>Harvey</hi> gave the World his Treatiſe of the Circu<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>lation
of the Blood, could he have oblig'd and
adorn'd the Common-wealth of Learning by that
noble and uſeful Diſcovery, if he had not ſet up
for the Character of having more Judgment in
<hi>Anatomy,</hi> than either his Predeceſſours, or his
Contemporaries? And when Sir <hi>Iſac Newton,</hi>
whoſe Merit is above what the Muſes themſelves
can Commend, oblig'd and aſtoniſh'd the Learn<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ed
World by his Immortal and unparallel'd Trea<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tiſes;
thoſe Treatiſes which have made him an
Honour to his Country, An Advancer of the no<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>bleſt
Learning, and an Enlarger of the Empire
of the Mind; what, did he pretend to no more
Judgment in <hi>Mathematicks,</hi> than the herd of Ma<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>thematicians?,</p>
            <p>Is it not now moſt apparent, that every one
ſets up for the Character of being Judicious in
his own Profeſſion, and his own Art? Why then
ſhould not that be allow'd to a Poet, which is
granted to all the reſt? And why ſhould it be
denyed by thee of all Men; and be denyed in
a Paper, in which you are doing the very ſame
thing which you pretend to ridicule in others?
<pb n="20" facs="tcp:0246901100:28"/>
For are not you pretending to write a Paper
here for the Improvement of-the Stage? And
how doeſt thou pretend to Improve it, by en<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>deavouring
to impoſe upon the World according
to thy laudable Cuſtom, and ſetting up for the
Character of being more Judicious in Theatri<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>cal
matters, than moſt of your Readers; or by
ſpeaking the Truth, and telling the World that
thou art a very Silly Fellow, and an eternal
Jabberer about, matters of which thou under<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtandeſt
not a Syllable? What is become now of
that fine Maxim, <hi>that 'tis generally for want of
Judgment that Men ſet up for the Character of being
Judicious?</hi> Why thou errant Triſler! Thou ri<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>diculous
<hi>Maxim Monger!</hi> Thou haſt a hundred
ſuch pretty Jingles in thy wonderful Specula<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tions,
I mean the Speculations which are pecu<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>liarly
thine, and to which thou, haſt let thy
Mark; Maxims which are calculated for Under<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtandings
of the ſame Latitude with thine, and
which are under the ſame Elevation of Pole;
Maxims which ſhew'd thee as blind as <hi>Hector,</hi> or
<hi>Pompey,</hi> or <hi>Caeſar</hi>'s Offspring, that came into the
World but Yeſterday. But as I have now ſome
leiſure to conſider them, I will try, if by my lit<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tle
Art I can Couch the Cataracts of thy Under<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtanding.</p>
            <p>But the miſchief of it is, that there is this dif<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ference
between a four Leg'd Puppy, and a two
Leg'd one; that whereas a four Leg'd one is Blind
but for nine Days, a two Leg'd one does not only
come into the World Blind, but for the moſt part
continues to be Blind, when he comes to be an
old Dog.</p>
            <p>To this bleſſed Maxim, thou art pleas'd to
ſubjoyn theſe Words, <hi>Every body of any ſtanding in
<pb n="21" facs="tcp:0246901100:29"/>
Town, knows that the dulleſt and moſt ſtupid Writers
we have had, have ſet up for Criticks;</hi> why yes
truly, this has been the Cant for forty Years, to<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>gether,
among Perſons of thy noble Under<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtanding.
The Cry has gone round, that 'tis
impoſſible for any one who has ſhewn himſelf a
Critick by his Proſe, to ſhew himſelf a good
Poet by his Verſe; which was occaſion'd firſt,
by the late Mr. <hi>Rymer</hi>'s publiſhing a very dull
Tragedy of <hi>Edgar,</hi> after he had publiſh'd a Book
in Proſe, in which there was a great deal of good
and juſt Criticiſm. 'Tis true indeed, <hi>Edgar</hi> was
ſo abſurd a Monarch, that he ſeem'd to be a fore<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>running
Type of thy ſelf, who wert to ſtrut up<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>on
the Stage in the, ſucceeding Century, under
the ſame Heroick Name. From this accident,
the Poetaſters of the Age, who believ'd it their
Intereſt to fix a Brand upon Criticiſm, immedi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ately
cryed out, and made all their Diſciples re<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>peat
after them, that no Critick could be a Poet;
not conſidering that one of the greateſt of the
<hi>Roman</hi> Poets, and, one of the greateſt of the
<hi>French,</hi> were Criticks by Profeſſon, as well as
Poets; <hi>and ſet up for the Character of being Judicious
in their own Art;</hi> nay, and had the Impudence
to appear publickly out of Humour with ſome
Popular Scriblers, who had had Succeſs. But
to return to Mr. <hi>Rymer;</hi> whether that Gentle<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>man's
ill Performance proceeded from his want
of Imagination, without which no Man can
make a Poet, let him have what Judgment he
will; or from his want of Exerciſe and Practice,
we ſhould have been better able to determine,
if that Judicious Gentleman had writ more. If
Mr. <hi>Rymer</hi>'s Tragedy is an ill one, neither <hi>Shake<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſpear</hi>'s
or <hi>Ben. Johnſon</hi>'s firſt Damatick Poems were
Maſter-pieces; and neither <hi>Ben</hi> nor <hi>Shakeſpear,</hi>
they had left nothing behind them but theſe,
<pb n="22" facs="tcp:0246901100:30"/>
would have paſs'd with Poſterity tor great Poets.
But whatever was the Reaſon of Mr. <hi>Rymer</hi>'s Miſ<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>carriage,
if theſe Authors had only infer'd from
it, that a Man may ſometimes have the Theory
of an Art, which yet he may not be fully qua<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>lifyed
to practice with Succeſs, nothing could
have been more juſt. But for them to draw not
only a general Inference from a particular Fact,
but an Inference ſo very abſurd, as that a Man
cannot Practice an Art with Succeſs, for no o<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ther
reaſon, but becauſe he has ſhewn that he
Underſtands it, was Beſtial and Abominable.
I am afraid, my dear Friend, that it will be found
upon enquiry, that the very contrary of this is
an eternal Truth. He who Practices an Art with
Succeſs, which he does not underſtand, is moſt
infallibly an ill Artiſt, notwithſtanding all his
Succeſs; and is indebted for that Succeſs, to the
groſs Ignorance and Barbarity of thoſe whom he
has the Luck to pleaſe.</p>
            <p>If ever that Aſſertion, that the dulleſt and
moſt ſtupid Writers which we have had, have
ſet up for Criticks is prov'd it muſt be by thy Ex<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ample.
For as there is not one Author alive,
who has ſet up for Criticiſm ſo much as thou
haſt, there is not in all <hi>Great Britain</hi> ſo ſtupid and
ſo dull a Writer as thou art, when thou art left to
thy ſelf.</p>
            <p>To make good both the Branches of this Aſ<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſertion:
when old <hi>Bickerſtaff</hi> publiſh'd his <hi>Tatlers,</hi>
did he ſet up for a Critick, did he ſet up for the
Character of being Judicious or not? Let us ſee
what he ſays himſelf in his Dedication to the late
Mr. <hi>Maynwaring.</hi>
            </p>
            <p>
               <pb n="23" facs="tcp:0246901100:31"/>
The general purpoſe of this Paper is to expoſe
the falſe Arts of Life, and to pull off the Diſ<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>guiſes
of Cunning, Vanity, and Affectation; and
to recommend a general Simplicity in our Dreſs,
our Diſcourſe, and our Behaviour. No Man
has a better Judgment for the Diſcovery, or a
nobler Spirit for the Contempt of all Impoſture,
than your ſelf; which Qualities render you the
moſt proper Patron for the Author of theſe
Eſſays.</p>
            <p>Thus far old <hi>Bickerſtaff.</hi> Now this as I take
it, is ſetting<g ref="char:punc">▪</g> up for ſomething more than the
Character of being barely Judicious; tis ſetting
up for Sagacity, tis ſetting up for Penetration,
which are the Accompliſhments, and the Per<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>fections
of Judgment. Now if it be true, that
'tis generally for want of Judgment, that a Man
ſets up for the Character of being Judicious;
what ſhall we ſay of the Man who ſets up for
the Character of Sagacity, for the Character of
Penetration? For ſuch a one arrogates a hun<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>dred
times more to himſelf, than one who ſets up
for the Character of being barely Judicious in
paſſing his Judgment on the Works of Authors.
To know the Hearts of Men requires infinitely
more Capacity, than barely to know Books. A
Book alas, has but one meaning; whatever it
ſpeaks it thinks. But the Heart of Man has Folds
and Doubles, and Receſſes innumerable. Yet
thro' all theſe haſt thou pretended to pierce, and
conſequently haſt pretended to Criticiſm, of a
nobler and more difficult Nature, than any Au<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>thor
living. But though thou didſt pretend to do
all this, what thou really didſt of it was by the
Sagacity and Penetration of others. And when
thou hadſt got ingenious Tools to write thee into
<pb n="24" facs="tcp:0246901100:32"/>
an Income of two Thouſand Pounds a Year,
thou coulſt not be ſatisfyed, till like the moſt
dull and ſtupid of all Writers thou hadſt writ
thy ſelf out of it again.</p>
            <p>The Courtſhip which Sir <hi>Martin Mar-all</hi> made
to Mrs. <hi>Milleſant,</hi> and that which thou didſt
formerly make to Dame <hi>Fortune,</hi> and to Madam
<hi>Fame,</hi> will certainly make a Parallel that will
run upon all Four. Sir <hi>Martin</hi> had a mind to
Mrs. <hi>Milleſant,</hi> but not having Capacity, nor Ad<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>dreſs
to gain her, he prevail'd upon <hi>Warner</hi> to do
that for him, but to do it in ſuch a way that Sir
<hi>Martin</hi> was to have the Credit and the Benefit of
it. Now the Lady being a Lover of Muſick,
Sir <hi>Martin</hi> was to give her a Leſſon upon the
<hi>Theorbo,</hi> and a Song. In order to this Sir <hi>Martin</hi> is
to appear in a Balcony, at a diſtance from her,
with a Lute in his Hand, and the Motions of a
Thrummer, and the Grimaces of a Singer, while
<hi>Warner</hi> is to Sing and to Play for him behind the
Curtain. Well! All this was very well concer<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ted;
but the Succeſs of all was to depend upon
the Signal agreed upon between them, and that
was, that Sir <hi>Martin</hi> ſhould leave off his Grima<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ces,
and his Thrummings upon his dumb Lute, up<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>on
the Ringing of a Bell. But the fooliſh Knight
was ſo full of his Miſtreſs and himſelf, that tho'
the Bell rung twice, yet his Hand and Jaws ſtill
went, and expos'd him to the Scorn of his Mi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtreſs
and the Chambermaid.</p>
            <p>I will leave thee, my dear Friend, to apply all
this to thy ſelf. But I cannot forbear taking no<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tice,
that it was very imprudent in thee not to
leave off upon the Bells ringing twice; that is,
upon the Bell that rung for Mr. <hi>Maynwaring</hi>'s,
and Mr. <hi>Addiſon</hi>'s Funeral.</p>
            <p>
               <pb n="25" facs="tcp:0246901100:33"/>
I come now to ſome of the pretended Facts of
which thou haſt been pleaſed to accuſe me; and
I will begin with that which relates to Mr. <hi>Con<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>greve</hi>
and Mr. <hi>Addiſon,</hi> upon whom thou ſayſt I
have been more ſevere than upon any other Per<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſons.
As for being ſevere upon Mr. <hi>Congreve,</hi>
tis a figure in Speech, which <hi>Jeremy</hi> ſays in <hi>Love
for Love,</hi> interlards the greateſt part of his Con<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>verſation.
As for Mr. <hi>Addiſon,</hi> I muſt confeſs,
I did write the <hi>Remarks upon Cato;</hi> but I did not
baſely flatter and ſawn upon Mr. <hi>Addiſon</hi> while
he was living, and then more baſely inſult him
as ſoon as he was Dead. I did not while he was
living, write a flattering fulſom Dedication to
him, in which I made him a Thouſand times
greater than my ſelf; and then as ſoon as he was
Dead write a flattering fulſom Dedication to my
ſelf, in which I made my ſelf a Thouſand times
greater than him. A little below there is ano<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ther
extraordinary Figure, where thou pretendſt
to inſinuate that I have been us'd by ſome Peo<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ple
ſo as a Man of Honour ought not to be us'd.
Who are thoſe People? Thou canſt not, thou
dareſt not name them. Becauſe then the Lye
would appear too groſs and palpable. I'll tell
thee whom I have us'd at that rate, and that is,
thy Friend, thy Prieſt, thy Worſhipper, thy
Viceroy. Thou either knoweſt or oughteſt to
know that I have beat him; and I do not know
but I might have been provok'd to do as much
by his Wooden God, if he had dar'd to offer to
my Face, what he has baſely writ. Thou ſayſt
that my Pamphlet is ſo cruel, that it could be
writ by none but a Coward. I believe I have gi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ven
other ſort of Proofs of my Courage, than
one who in the time of a Bloody War, for twen<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ty
Years together, took the King's Pay as a Sol<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>dier
<pb n="26" facs="tcp:0246901100:34"/>
and never was in any Action; than one
who for twenty Years together fought as he writ,
by Proxy. The Cruelty of a Coward conſiſts not
in Words but Actions: Then, then, was the
Cruelty, then was the Cowardice, when upon a
certain Night in <hi>November</hi> laſt, three villanous
Foot-Pads rob'd a poor defenceleſs Paſſenger of
all that he had, and ſaid that they did it by a
Deputation from thee. And thou wert afterwards
pleas'd to abet this Action, and call thoſe Foot-Pads,
Men of Manly, Elegant, Generous, Or<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>namental
Qualities. <hi>Hinc illae Lachrymoe.</hi> From
hence aroſe thoſe <hi>Crocodile</hi> Tears, which thou
haſt ſhew'd in ſome of thy Papers.</p>
            <p>Didſt thou not ſnew thy Courage in a notable
manner, by giving ſuch Language in thy <hi>Thea<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tres,</hi>
after having declar'd againſt ſingle Combat
by thy Lucubrations, and againſt Siege and Bat<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tle
by thy Conduct? Was it not Bravely and He<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>roically
done to call upon both the Living and the
Dead to revenge thy Cauſe upon one of Sixty
Five; and to endeavour to ſet both the <hi>King</hi>'s
Horſe and Foot Guards upon one of Sixty Five?
For my part, I have always firmly believ'd, that
I have more true Courage than any one, than
whom I have more Underſtanding. For if For<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>titude
is a Virtue, of which I know no Man who
doubts, it muſt depend upon the Reaſon and not
upon the Complexion; but if it depends upon
the Reaſon, then the ſtronger the Reaſon is, the
ſtronger muſt be the Virtue. And I have always
thought, that as God and Nature have given to
Man the Dominion over Beaſt, they have ſo far
given to reaſonable Men the Dominion over
Blockheads, that they are rather born to ſcorn
them than to fear them. And I appeal to all my
Acquaintance in Town, of whom there are ſe<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>veral
<pb n="27" facs="tcp:0246901100:35"/>
living of 30 and 40 Years ſtanding, if theſe
Sentiments were ever contradicted by any Action
or Accident of my Life.</p>
            <p>But if by the continual Fears thou haſt given
me, thou meanſt, as thou ſeemſt to inſinuate, my
apprehenſions of Perſons to whom I may owe
Money; thou of all Men haſt as little reaſon to
upbraid me with theſe Fears as the others. For
who was it that lay skulking ſo many Years, at the
<hi>Tilt-yard Sutlers,</hi> when he was ſo ſtrongly poſſeſs'd
with Fear, that he could not think himſelf in
ſafety, unleſs he had the Horſe and Foot-Guards
for his Security? When the late facetious <hi>Daniel
Purcel</hi> gave him the name of Major General
<hi>Hide;</hi> and the chief Maxim of his Life ſeem'd to
be, <hi>Qui latuit bene vixit.</hi> If I had the Misfortune
to be an Inſolvent Debtor, I ſhould have this A<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>pology
to make for my ſelf, that my Inſolvency
would not be owing to any Extravagance or
want of taking Pains, but to the hard, not
to ſay the unjuſt Uſage which I have met with
in the World; and in great part to your Injuſtice
and Barbarity, and the Injuſtice and Barbarity
of thoſe who deriv'd their Power from you. The
being an Inſolvent Debtor, is rather to be pitied
than condemn'd, when it has not been occaſion'd
either by Profuſeneſs or Idleneſs, but tho being
in Debt is both odious and contemptible in one,
who is at the ſame time a Squanderer, a Bank<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>rupt,
and an Oppreſſor. But yet to ſhew you
that I am not in the condition which you ima<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>gine,
I have for theſe laſt four Years lodg'd con<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tinually
in the Neighbourhood of <hi>White-hall,</hi> and
I appeal to the Honourable Board of Greencloth,
if during that time, ſo much as one Complaint
as been preferr'd againſt me.</p>
            <p>
               <pb n="28" facs="tcp:0246901100:36"/>
I ſhould now ſay ſomething of the Falſhoods,
of which you accuſe me, in my two former Let<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ters,
and of the Ingratitude of which thou pre<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tendeſt
to accuſe me, for writing againſt thoſe,
who have endeavour'd to ſerve me. As theſe
two Letters will be ſhortly follow'd by a <hi>Fifth</hi>
and a <hi>Sixth,</hi> I ſhall endeavour to ſhew in them,
who are the Lovers of Truth, and who are
the Slanderers, who are the Benefactors, and
who the Unjuſt and Oppreſſors. And then, if
with thy little Underſtanding, thou haſt not loſt
all Senſe of Shame, I ſhall cauſe thy dusky Coun<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tenance
to turn Red, as the Morning does, or as
a <hi>Lobſter</hi> boil'd.</p>
            <p>But having ſaid more already than I deſign'd
to do at preſent, and you having heard more
than thou hadſt a mind to hear, I ſhall take my
leave for a little time; only adding, that as thou
haſt form'd a Fantom in thy Mind, which thou
wouldſt paſs upon the World for thy Friend, and
which every impartial Man who has ſeen it, has
declar'd to be juſt as like to me, as a <hi>Wren</hi> is like
to the late Mr. <hi>Addiſon,</hi> or as thou art like to an
<hi>Eagle;</hi> I ſhall, by way of Gratitude or Ac<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>knowledgment,
ſubjoin to theſe Letters, the
Picture of my dear Friend; and I appeal to all
who ſhall ſee it, if I am not the happier Painter
of the two, and draw the livelier Reſemblance.
And ſo at preſent, my very worthy Friend, I
heartily bid thee Farewel.</p>
         </div>
         <div type="part">
            <pb facs="tcp:0246901100:37"/>
            <head>THE
PICTURE
OF
Sir John Edgar.</head>
            <p>
               <seg rend="decorInit">S</seg>IR <hi>John Edgar,</hi> the County of
—in <hi>Ireland,</hi> is of a middle Sta<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ture,
broad Shoulders, thick Legs,
a Shape like the Picture of <hi>ſomebody</hi>
over a Farmers Chimney, a ſhort
Chin, a ſhort Noſe, a ſhort Forehead, a broad
flat Face, and a dusky Countenance. He us'd
to compare himſelf to an <hi>Eagle;</hi> and to oblige
the firſt Fool that he met with, to give it under
his Hand that he was ſo. But neither his Noſe,
nor his Eyes, nor his Diſcernment, nor his
broad flat Face, nor his dusky Countenance
were held to be Aquiline. He was believ'd to
be in all theſe more like to another Bird than an
<hi>Eagle.</hi> Yet with ſuch a Shape, and ſuch a Face,
he diſcover'd at Sixty that, he took himſelf for a
Beauty, and appear'd to be more mortify'd upon
his being told he was Ugly, than he was by any
reflection that was ever made upon his Honour
or his Underſtanding.</p>
            <p>He is a Gentleman born, Witneſs himſelf: of
a very Honourable Family, certainly of a very
Ancient one. For his Anceſtours flouriſh'd in
<hi>Tipperary</hi> long before the <hi>Engliſh</hi> ever ſet Foot in
<pb n="30" facs="tcp:0246901100:38"/>
               <hi>Ireland.</hi> He has Teſtimony of this more Authen<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tick
than the <hi>Heralds</hi> Office, or than any Human
Teſtimony; for God has mark'd him more a<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>bundantly
than he did <hi>Cain,</hi> and ſtamp'd his Na<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tive
Country upon his Face, his Underſtanding,
his Writings, his Actions, his Paſſions, and above
all his Vanity. The <hi>Hibernian</hi> Brogue is ſtill up<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>on
all theſe, tho long Habitude and length of
Days have worn it from off his Tongue.</p>
            <p>He is the greateſt Pretender but one, of the
Age in which he lives; a Pretender both to Un<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>derſtanding
and Virtue, but eſpecially to the lat<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ter,
But ſome malicious People have thought, that
he made conſtant Court to that venerable Lady,
not out of any Affection which he had for her
Perſon, but becauſe he was ſtruck by the Charms
of the Joynture which he believ'd might follow
her. And they were confirm'd in this Opinion,
by obſerving the Quarrels, which he had every
Day with one or other of her four Daughters.
Yet this pretended Paſſion did him great Service.
It was to him <hi>Major Domo, Factotum, Houſekeeper,
Cook, Butler, Taylor</hi> and <hi>Sempſtreſs;</hi> becauſe we
live in a noble Climate, where Perſons who are
univerſally known to be Cheats and Sharpers,
keep their Coaches by being ſo.</p>
            <p>Yet to one of the Daughters of that venerable
Lady, he paid great reſpect in Publick, <hi>vide<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>licet,</hi>
to Madam <hi>Juſtice.</hi> And to gain her Favour,
and obtain her Protection, he thought it not be<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>neath
him, to admit the meaneſt of her Servants
and Officers into the greateſt familiarity with
him. So that there was no reſpect of Perſons a<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>mong
them. But it was <hi>Jack</hi> and <hi>Tom,</hi> and
<hi>Will</hi> and <hi>Hal,</hi> and <hi>Dick</hi> with them. But he al<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ways
combin'd with theſe her Servants to injure
and abuſe her in Private, and unknown to her
play'd a hundred Pranks with them to the preju<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>dice
<pb n="31" facs="tcp:0246901100:39"/>
of her Intereſt and Reputation; which were
not long kept ſo very Private, but the World
took notice that neither he nor the Servants
car'd one Farthing for the Miſtreſs they preten<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ded
to ſerve. He would very often do Extrava<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>gant
things, very ſeldom Generous ones, and
never by his good will Juſt ones. Yet was he a
great pretender to Generoſity; but Generoſity
with him was ſquandring away his Money upon
Knaves and Fools who flatter'd him. Thus a
Bubble is a very generous Creature to the <hi>Shark</hi>
who preys upon him; and a Beggar is generous
to the Vermin that feed upon him.</p>
            <p>He had that ſeeming reſpect for the Laws of
his Country, and appear'd to be ſo delighted
with them, that tho' he had the Happineſs of
enjoying them as much as the moſt zealous of
his Fellow Subjects, even as thoſe to whom one
may ſay, the Zeal of the Law hath eaten them
up; yet that he might be ſure the Correſpon<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>dence
between them might be for Life, he had,
thro' a greatneſs of Soul peculiar to him, aſſum'd
a noble Reſolution that would never ſuffer him
to pay any one a Farthing, 'till it came to Exe<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>cution.
Yet notwithſtanding all this he was not
ſatisfy'd; but was always crying out Law, Law,
more Law, more Law.</p>
            <p>He appears to be mighty zealous for the Rights
of the People, and to be terribly afraid of the
return of the old Ariſtocracy, by which he has
got the nick Name with ſome of <hi>Ariſtocracy
Edgar.</hi> No Man had ever ſo much in his Mouth,
Benevolence and Beneficence to Mankind, as he;
which to his Creditors ſeems a great Fable: For,
ſay they, ſince he hates us who have moſt oblig'd
him, to that degree, that he cannot endure to
ſee our Faces, how can he poſſibly love the reſt?
He us'd one while to call himſelf the <hi>Chriſtian
<pb n="32" facs="tcp:0246901100:40"/>
Heroe,</hi> till it grew a publick Jeſt. For the Peo<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ple
would not allow him to be a Heroe, becauſe,
tho he had been a Soldier ſo many Years in the
time of a Bloody War, he never had been preſent
either at Siege or Battle; and he could not poſſi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>bly,
they us'd to ſay, be a Chriſtian, becauſe he
us'd conſtantly to ſpend the Mornings in Curſing
<hi>the Houſhold of Faith,</hi> tho' they came in ſhoals to
his Levees, out of pure Zeal to exhort him to
do his Duty.</p>
            <p>He valued himſelf exceedingly, upon being a
great Improver, and a great Reformer, tho' the
truth of the matter is, that he never had half Skill
enough to improve any thing, nor half Virtue
enough to reform any thing. During the time
that he was Governour of the <hi>Bear-Garden,</hi> the
Diverſions of that place were more Stupid and
Barbarous than ever they were known to be be<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>fore,
and the wild Beaſts more miſchievous and
untractable. And he was eſpecially ſo far from
Reforming any thing, that it was generally ob<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſerv'd,
that the greater part of thoſe who had
been moſt intimate with him, were very far from
being more Virtuous than their Neighbours;
tho' he never fail'd of doing one thing in order
to the making them ſo, and that is, entring them
in the School of Adverſity.</p>
            <p>Now as for <hi>Temperance,</hi> another Daughter of
the abovementioned venerable Lady, he careſſes
and courts her all the live-long Day; and com<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>pliments
her as the Queen of Morals, and the
Empreſs of Life. But as ſoon as the Night
approaches, then ſparkling Champaign puts an
end to her Reign.</p>
            <p>He judiciouſly believes, that by preaching Ab<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtinence
up by Day-light, he has made an ho<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>nourable
Compoſition for his drinking three
Bottles by Candle-light.</p>
            <p>
               <pb n="33" facs="tcp:0246901100:41"/>
We may ſay of his Fortitude, What <hi>Butler</hi> ſaid
of <hi>Hudibras</hi>'s Wit; He may be Maſter of a very
great deal, but thro' abundance of Modeſt'y is
ſhie of making any Parade of it, but reſerves it
for an occaſion which no body can diving. For
he has declar'd againſt ſingle Combat by his
Writings, and againſt Siege and Battle by his
Conduct and Actions, that is, by ſtaying at home
in a time of War, with a Commiſſion in a Penny<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>leſs
Pocket, and chooſing rather to run the Risk
of being taken Priſoner by the <hi>Engliſh,</hi> than of
being kill'd by the <hi>French.</hi>
            </p>
            <p>Now as for <hi>Prudence,</hi> the fourth Daughter, he
has a Magnanimity which teaches him utterly
to deſpiſe her, and to regard her as an abandon'd
Perſon, that proſtitutes her ſelf to the loweſt
Mechanicks. He therefore makes it the buſineſs
of his Life to Affront her, and abuſes her in all
his Converſation, his Writings and his Actions;
of which there can be ho ſtronger Teſtimony,
than his mortally diſobliging his cordial tho' par<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>tial
Friends who rais'd him, and going over to
a Party whom he had exaſperated beyond any
poſſibility of a ſincere Reconcilement.</p>
            <p>He is ſo great a Friend to Union, that al<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>moſt
all Orders and Ranks of Men are united in
his Perſon. For he has been Poet, Orator, Sol<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>dier,
Officer, Projector, News-monger, Caſuiſt,
Scribe, Politician, Fiſh monger, Knight<g ref="char:punc">▪</g> and
Gold finder; and what is never enough to be ad<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>mir'd,
he has been all theſe, by virtue of other
Mens Capacities. Like a very Patentee, he has
perform'd the Functions of all theſe by Proxy,
and by Deputy. As an Author he Writ by Pro<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>xy;
as a Soldier by proxy he fought; He is ſo
given to do every thing by Proxy and by De<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>puty,
that one would ſwear he lies with his Mi<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtreſs
by Proxy and by Deputy, as ſeveral honeſt
<pb n="34" facs="tcp:0246901100:42"/>
worthy Gentlemen of his Antiquity are us'd to
lie with theirs.</p>
            <p>Tho no Man in <hi>Great Britain</hi> is ſo fit a Subject
for Satire as himſelf, yet has he been always wri<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ting
Waggiſh Lampoons upon others. And when<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ever
he expoſes a Lord in one of his Libels, he
has got a trick of affronting him ten times more
by way of begging his Pardon.</p>
            <p>He has been always begging ſomething of the
Government; and tho he has obtain'd ten times
more of it than he deſerv'd, yet he grumbling
thinks they have given him nothing, becauſe he
has retain'd nothing; and is outragiouſly angry
with ſome of the great Officers of the Crown, be<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>cauſe
they have refus'd to waſt the whole time of
their Adminiſtration in <hi>pouring Water into a Sieve.</hi>
            </p>
            <p>He had one while, as I hinted above, obtain'd
a Patent to be Governour of the, <hi>Bear-Garden;</hi> tho
that Patent was invalid and void, by vertue of a
previous Statute. Yet when he thought himſelf
eſtabliſh'd in that Poſt, he choſe a <hi>Bear,</hi> a <hi>Baboon,</hi>
and a <hi>Wolf</hi> for his Deputy Governours; but part<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ly
growing Lazy, and being partly convinc'd,
that the Deputies were fitter for Government than
the Principal, he abandon'd all to them; who con<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ducting
themſelves by their Beſtial Appetites,
play'd ſuch Pranks, that both Governours and
Deputies were all remov'd, and the <hi>Bear-Garden</hi>
turn'd into a <hi>Theatre.</hi> Which Conduct of his puts
me in mind of one <hi>Sempronius</hi> a <hi>Roman</hi> Knight,
who was made Director of the <hi>Ludi Feſcennini,</hi> a
rough ſort of <hi>Bear-Garden</hi> Drama, in uſe among
the uncultivated <hi>Romans,</hi> before they were po<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>liſh'd
by the <hi>Grecian</hi> Arts; into which Employ<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ment
he introduc'd three Wretches as his Depu<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ties,
who were the utter ruin of that Diverſion.
For theſs four Perſons had not among them all
as much Judgment as a <hi>Ballad maker.</hi> And yet
<pb n="35" facs="tcp:0246901100:43"/>
upon having this paultry Office conferr'd upon
him, <hi>Sempronius</hi> moſt vainly and impertinently
uſurp'd the name of <hi>Cenſor;</hi> which coming to a<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>larm
the true <hi>Cenſors,</hi> they enquir'd into his Life,
upon which finding him to be the greateſt <hi>Fourbe,</hi>
and the greateſt Impoſtor, that had appear'd a<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>mong
them ſince the Foundation of the City,
they turn'd him with Diſgrace out of his Govern<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ment,
diſmounted him, and took his Horſe from
him; and not contented with this, baniſh'd him
from <hi>Rome</hi> it ſelf; and upon his Departure, caus'd
the ſame general Luſtration to be made, that was
us'd, when a certain boding, broad, flat, dusky<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>fac'd
Prodigy had been hooted from out the
Walls.</p>
            <div type="postscript">
               <head>Poſtſcript.</head>
               <p>IF upon peruſing this piece of Painting, or
upon reading, the preceeding Letters, any
honeſt impartial Gentlemen ſhall ſay, as they
did upon reading the two Former, that I ought
not to enter into the private Concerns of Life;
I deſire them to conſider, that theſe Letters, tho
written in Proſe, were deſign'd to be Juſt and Le<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>gitimate
Satires; and that the private Concerns
of Life are the juſt and adaequate Subjects of
Satire, and make the chief Beauties of the an<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>cient
Satiriſts, that is, of <hi>Lucilius, Horace, Per<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſius</hi>
and <hi>Juvenal.</hi>
               </p>
               <p>The unmasking of Hypocrites is the great bu<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſineſs
of Satire, according to that of <hi>Horace</hi> in
the firſt Satire of his Second Book.</p>
               <pb n="34" facs="tcp:0246901100:44"/>
               <gap reason="duplicate" extent="1 page">
                  <desc>〈1 page duplicate〉</desc>
               </gap>
               <pb n="35" facs="tcp:0246901100:45"/>
               <gap reason="duplicate" extent="1 page">
                  <desc>〈1 page duplicate〉</desc>
               </gap>
               <q>
                  <pb n="36" facs="tcp:0246901100:46"/>
                  <l>—Eſt Lucilius auſus</l>
                  <l>Primus in hunc operis componere carmina morem,</l>
                  <l>Detrabere &amp; pellem, nitidus quâ quiſque per ora</l>
                  <l>Cederet, introrſum Turpis.—</l>
               </q>
               <p>But how is it poſſible, for the moſt part, to
unmask a Hypocrite without entring into the
private Concerns of Life?</p>
               <p>
                  <hi>Juvenal</hi> tells us in his firſt Satire, that all Hu<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>man
Actions, all the Paſſions of Men, all their
Deſires, and all their Inclinations, are the con<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſtant
Subjects of his Satire.</p>
               <q>
                  <l>Quidquid agunt Homines, votum, timor, ira voluptas,</l>
                  <l>Gaudia, Diſcurſus, noſtri eſt farrago Libelli.</l>
               </q>
               <p>Now will any one pretend that the private
Concerns of Life are not included in theſe
Verſes?</p>
               <p>I muſt confeſs the celebrated <hi>French</hi> Satiriſt has
been a little more retentive; but yet they muſt
know very little of him, who are to be told that he
ſometimes enters, into the private Concerns of
Life; which once more are the juſt and adaequate
Subjects of Satire. But then the Satiriſt ought
to take care that the Cenſures are always Juſt,
and that either the Vices Satiriz'd are very Fla<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>grant,
and of pernicious Example, or the Per<g ref="char:EOLhyphen"/>ſons
egregious Hypocrites.</p>
            </div>
            <trailer>FINIS.</trailer>
         </div>
      </body>
   </text>
</TEI>
