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of whores, you will stop here to be paid by the hour! . there is not such a set of confounded dogs as the coachmen, unhanged! but these rascally cits........'ounds, why should not there be a tax to make these dogs widen their gates? Oh! but the hell-hounds move at last. Ay, said I, I knew you would make them whip on, if once they heard you....No, says he, but would it not fret a man to the devil, to pay for being carried slower than he can walk? Look'ee, there is for ever a stop at this hole by St. Clement's church. Blood, you dog!....Hark'ee, sirrah!........ Why, and be d....n'd to you, do not drive over that fellow?....Thunder, furies, and damnation! I'll cut your ears off, you fellow before there........Come hither you dog you, and let me wring your neck round your shoulders. We had a repetition of the same eloquence at the Cock-pit, and the turning into Palace Yard.

This gave me a perfect image of the insignificancy of the creatures who practise this enormity; and made me conclude, that it is ever want of sense makes a man guilty in this kind. It was excellently well said, that this folly had no temptation to excuse it, no man being born of a swearing constitution. In a word, a few rumbling words and consonants clapped together without any sense, will make an accomplished swearer: and it is needless to dwell long upon this blustering impertinence, which is already banished out of the Society of well-bred men, and can be useful only to bullies and ill-tragic writers, who would have sound and noise pass for courage and sense.

St. James's Coffer-house, Feb. 22. THERE arrived a messenger last night from Harwich, who left that place just as the Duke of Marlborough was going on board. The character of

this important general going out by the command of his queen, and at the request of his country, puts me in mind of that noble figure which Shakspeare gives

Harry the Fifth upon his expedition against France. The poet wishes for abilities to represent so great an hero.

Oh for a muse of fire! (says he)

Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,

Assume the port of Mars, and at his heels,

Leash'd in, like hounds, should famine, sword and fire,
Crouch for employments.

A conqueror drawn like the god of battle, with such a dreadful leash of hell-hounds at his command, makes a picture of as much majesty and terror, as is to be met with in any poet.

Shakspeare understood the force of this particular allegory so well, that he had it in his thoughts in another passage, which is altogether as daring and sublime as the former. What I mean is in the Tragedy of Julius Cæsar, where Antony, after having foretold the bloodshed and destruction that should be brought upon the earth by the death of that great man, to fill up the horror of his description, adds the following

verses:

And Cæsar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side, come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines, with a monarch's voice,
Cry havock; and let slip the dogs of war.

I do not question but these quotations will call to mind in my readers of learning and taste, that imaginary person described by Virgil with the same spirit. He mentions it upon the occasion of a peace which was restored to the Roman Empire, and which we may now hope for from the departure of that great man who has given occasion to these reflections. The temple of Janus (says he) shall be shut, and in the midst of it military fury shall sit upon a pile of broken arms, loaded with an hundred chains, bellowing with madness, and grinding his teeth in blood.

"Claudentur belli portæ, furor impius intus

"Sæva sedens super arma, & centum vinctus ahenis
"Post tergum nodis, fremit horridus ore cruento."

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Janus himself before his fame shall wait,

"And keep the dreadful issues of his gate,
"With bolts and iron bars. Within remains
Imprison'd fury bound in brazen chains;
High on a trophy rais'd of useless arms,

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"He sits, and threats the world with vain alarms."

ADVERTISEMENT.

DRYDEN.

"THE tickets which were delivered out for the "benefit of Signor Nicolini Grimaldi on the 24th instant, will be taken on Thursday the 2d of March, his "benefit being deferred until that day.

"N. B. In all operas for the future, where it thun"ders, and lightens in proper time and in tune, the "matter of the said lightning is to be of the finest "rosin; and for the sake of harmony, the same which "is used to the Cremona fiddles.

"Note also, that the true perfumed lightning is only 66 prepared and sold by Mr. Charles Lillie, at the corner of Beaufort Buildings.

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"The lady who has chosen Mr. Bickerstaff for her "Valentine, and is at a loss what to present him with, " is desired to make him, with her own hands, a warm "night-cap."

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No. CXXXVIII. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25.,

Secretosque pios, his dantem jura Catonem. VIRG.

Sheer-lane, February 24.

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IT is an argument of a clear and worthy spirit in a man to be able to disengage himself from the opi nions of others, so far as not to let the deference due to the sense of mankind ensnare him to act against the dictates of his own reason. But the generality of the world are so far from walking by any such maxim, that it is almost a standing rule to do as others do, or be ridiculous. I have heard my old friend Mr. Hart speak it as an observation among the players, that it is impossible to act with grace, except the actor has forgot that he is before an audience. Till he has arrived at that, his motion, his air, his every step and gesture, has something in them which discovers he is under a restraint for fear of being ill received; or if he considers himself as in the presence of those who approve his behaviour, you see an affectation of that pleasure run through his whole carriage. It is as common in life, as upon the stage, to behold a man in the most indifferent action betray a sense he has of doing what he is about gracefully. Some have such an immoderate relish for applause, that they expect it for things, which in themselves are so frivolous, that it is impossible, without this affectation to make them appear worthy either of blame or praise. There is Will Glare so passionately intent upon being admired that when you see him in public places, every muscle of his face discovers his thoughts are fixed upon the consideration of what figure he makes. He will often fall into a musing posture to attract observation, and is then obtruding himself upon the company, when he pretends to be withdrawn from it. Such little arts are the certain and infallible tokens of a superficial

mind, as the avoiding observation is the sign of a great and sublime one. It is therefore extremely difficult for a man to judge even of his own actions, without forming to himself an idea of what he should act, were it in his power to execute all his desires without the observation of the rest of the world. There is an allegorical fable in Plato, which seems to admonish us, that we are very little acquainted with ourselves, while we know our actions are to pass the censures of others; but, had we the power to accomplish all our wishes unobserved, we should then easily inform ourselves how far we are possessed of real and intrinsic virtue. The fable I was going to mention is that of Gyges, who is said to have had an enchanted ring, which had in it a miraculous quality, making him who wore it, visible or invisible, as he turned it to or from his body. The use Gyges made of his occasional invisibility, was, by the advantage of it, to violate a queen, and murder a king. Tully takes notice of this allegory, and says very handsomely, that a man of honour who had such a ring, would act just in the same manner as he would do without it. It is indeed no small pitch of virtue under the temptation of impunity, and the hopes of accomplishing all a man desires, not to transgress the rules of justice and virtue; but this is rather not being an ill man, than being positively a good one; and it seems wonderful, that so great a soul as that of Tully, should not form to himself a thousand worthy actions which a virtuous mind would be prompted to be by the possession of such a secret. There are certainly some part of mankind who are guardian beings to the other. Sallust could say of Cato, that he had rather be, than appear, good; but indeed, this eulogium rose no higher than (as I just now hinted) to an inoffensiveness, rather than an active virtue. Had it occurred to the noble orator to represent in his language, the glorious pleasures of a man secretly employed in beneficence and generosity,

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