ferve to vent malice half fo well, as this old lady does to difappoint it She does not know the author of any thing that is told her, but can readily repeat the matter itfelf; therefore, though the expofes all the whole town, the offends no one body in it. She is fo exquifitely reftlefs and peevith, that the quarrels with all about her, and fometimes in a freak will inftantly change her habitation. To indulge this humour, the is led about the grounds belonging to the fame house she is in, and the perfons to whom he is to remove, being in the plot, are ready to receive her at her own chamber again. At ftated times, the gentlewoman at whofe houfe the fuppofes fhe is at the time, is fent for to quarrel with, according to her common cuftom: when they have a mind to drive the jeft, fhe is immediately urged to that degree, that he will board in a family with which he has never yet been; and away fhe will go this inftant, and tell them all that the reft have been saying of them. By this means he has been an inhabitant of every house in the place without ftirring from the fame habitation: and the many ftories which every body furnishes her with to favour that deceit, make her the general intelligencer of the town of all that can be faid of one woman againft another. Thus groundless stories die away, and fometimes truths are fmothered under the general word, when they have a mind to discountenance a thing, Oh! that is in my lady Bluemantle's memoirs. Whoever receives impreffions to the difadvantage of others without examination, is to be had in no other credit for intelligence than this good lady Bluemantle, who is fubjected to have her ears impofed upon for want of other helps to better information. Add to this, that other fcandal-bearers fufpend the use of these faculties which she has loft, rather than apply them to do justice to their neighbours; and I think, for the fervice of my fair readers, to acquaint them, that there is a voluntary lady Bluemantle at every vifit in town. 7 T. N° 428. Friday, July 11. Occupet extremum fcabies HoR. Ars Poet v. 417. The Devil take the hindinoft! [English Proverb 1 It is an impertinent and unreafonable fault in con this It verfation, for one man to take up all the difcourfe. may posibly be objected to me inyfelf, that I am guilty in this kind, in entertaining the town every day, and not giving fo many able perfons who have it more in their power, and as much in their inclination, an opportunity to oblige mankind with their thoughts. Befides,. faid one whom I overheard the other day, why muit paper turn al ogether upon topics of learning and morality? Why should it pretend only to wit, humour,. or the like? Things which are ufeful only to amufe men of literature and fuperior education. I would: have it confift alfo of all things which may be neceffary or useful to any part of fociety, and the mechanic arts fhould have their place as well as the liberal. The ways. of gain, hufbandry, and thrift, will ferve a greater number of people, than difcourfes upon what was well faid or done by fuch a philofopher, hero, general, or poet, 1 no fooner heard this critic talk of my works, but I minuted what he had faid; and from that inftant refolved to enlarge the plan of my fpeculations, by giving notice to all perfons of all orders, and each fex, that if they are pleafed to fend ate difcourfes, with their names. and places of abode to them, fo that I can be fatisfied the writings are authentic, fuch their labours fhall be.faithfully inferted in this paper. It will be of much more confequence to a youth in his apprenticeship, toknow by what rules and arts fuch a one became the i of the city of London, than to fee the fign of one of his own quality with a lion's heart in each hand. The world indeed is enchanted with romantic and improbable. atchievements, when the plain path to refpective greatnefs and fuccefs in the way of life a man is in, is wholly overlooked. Is it poffible that a young man at prefent could pafs his time better, than in reading the history of stocks, and knowing by what fecret fprings they have had fuch fudden afcents and falls in the fame day? Could he be better conducted in his way to wealth, which is the great article of life, than in a treatise dated from Change Alley by an able proficient there? Nothing certainly could be more ufeful, than to be well inftructed in his hopes and fears; to be diffident when others exult, and with a fecret joy buy when others think it their intereft to fell. I invite all perfons who have any thing to fay for the profitable information of the public, to take their turns in my paper they are welcome, from the late noble inventor of the longitude, to the humble author of ftrops for razors. If to carry fhips in fafety, to give help to people toft in a troubled fea, without knowing to what thore they bear, what rocks to avoid, or what coat to pray for in their extremity, be a worthy labour, and an invention that deferves a ftatue; at the fame time, he who has found a means to let the inftrument which is to make your vifage lefs horrible, and your perfon more fug, eafy in the operation, is worthy of fome kind of good reception: if things of high moment meet with renown, thofe of little confideration, fince of any confideration, are not to be defpifed. In order that no merit may lie hid, and no art unimproved, I repeat it, that I call artificers, as well as philofophers, to my affistance in the public fervice. It would be of great ufe if we had an exact hiftory of the fucceffes of every great fhop within the city-walls, what tracts of land have been purchafed by a conftant attendance within a walk of thirty foot. If it could alfo be noted in the equipage of thofe who are afcended from the fuccefsful trade of their ancestors, into figure and equipage, fuch accounts would quicken industry in the purfuit of fuch acquifitions, and difcountenance luxury in the enjoyment of the:n. To diverfify thefe kinds of informations, the induftry of the female world is not to be unobferved: the to whofe household virtues it is owing, that men do honour to her husband, fhould be recorded with veneration; the who has wafted his labours, with infamy. When we are come into domeftic life in this manner, to awaken caution and attendance to the main point, it would not be amifs to give now and then a touch of tragedy, and defcribe that moft dreadful of all human conditions, the cafe of bankruptcy; how plenty, credit, chearfulnefs, full hopes, and eafy poffeflions, are in an inftant turned into penury, faint aspects, diffidence, forrow, and mifery? how the man, who with an ope i hand the day before could administer to the extremities of others, is thunned to day by the friend of his bofom. It would be useful to thew how just this is on the negligent, how lamentable on the induftrious. A paper written by a merchant, might give this ifland a true fenfe of the worth and importance of his character ;, it might be visible from what he could fay, that no folder entering a breach adventures more for honour, than the trader does for wealth to his country. In both cafes the adventurers have their own advantage, but I know no cafes wherein every body elfe is a fharer in the fuccefs. It is objected by readers of history, that the battles. in thofe narrations are fcarce ever to be understood.. This misfortune is to be afcribed to the ignorance of hiftorians in the methods of drawing up, changing the forms of a battalia, and the enemy retreating from, as well as approaching to, the charge. But in the dif courfes from the correfpondents, whom I now invite, the danger will be or another kind; and it is neceffary to caution them only against using terms of art, and de fcribing things that are familiar to them in words unknown to the reader. I promife myself a great harveft of new circumftances, perfons and things from this propofal; and a world, which many think they are well acquainted with, difcovered as wholly new. This fort of intelligence will give a lively image of the chain. and mutual dependance of human fociety, take off impertinent prejudices, enlarge the minds of thofe, whofe views are confined to their own circumftances; and in fhort, if the knowing in feveral arts, profeffions, and trades will exert themselves, it cannot but produce a new field of diverfion, and inftruction more agreeable than has yet appeared. T. N° 429. Saturday, July 12. Vocibus Populumque falfis dedocet uti HOR. Od. 2. 1. 2. v. 19. CREECH. From cheats of words the croud fhe brings • Mr. SPECTATOR, SINCE I gave an account of an agreeable set of company which were gone down into the country, I have received advices from thence, that the inflitution. of an infirmary for those who fould be out of humour has had very good effects. My letters mention. particular circumstances of two or three perfons, wha had the good fenfe to retire of their own accord, and notified that they were withdrawn, with the reafons of it to the company, in their respective memorials.' THAT confcious of her own want of merit, accompanied with a vanity of being admired, the had gone into exile of her own accord. She is fenfible, that a vain perfon is the inoft insuf⚫ferable creature living in a well bred affembly. That the defred, before fhe appeared in public again, the might have affurances, that though the might be thought handfome, there might not more addrefs of compliment be paid to her, than to the rest of the company. ་ That the conceived it a kind of fuperiority, that one perfon fhould take upon him to cominend another. |