dently, an effential ingredient in. happiness. I will there fore never rifk lofing any part of my fortune by gaming, as I don't want to encrease it. I'll always be above cringing at a levee. Envying no body, I fhall not be envied. Is not this again, as easy as to tell my name? I have some friends, continued he, who will remain fuch, as our interests don't clafh. I'll never quarrel with them, nor will they with me: -the confequences are certain.

MEMNON, after this concife fcheme of conduct, hap pening to look out of his window, faw two women walking under a row of plantanes near his house. One of them was old and under no concern; the other young and pretty, but she wept and figh'd with fuch emotion as heighten'd her charms. Our fage, moved,—not with the lady's beauty, his foul was fuperiour to fuch a foible,--but her extreme afflic tion, haftened down to comfort the young Ninevite with the treasures of his wifdom. This belle related with the moft natural air of real grief and resentment the wrongs she fuffered from an uncle, whom fhe had not, his practices to defraud her of an eftate, as fictitious as the uncle, and her dread of his violence. You feem to me, faid fhe, a perfon of such fagacity, that if you will be fo good as to go home along with me, and infpect into my affairs, I am certain my distress would foon be brought to a happy iffue. MEM NON readily attended her, meaning only to advise her for the best.

The forrowful lady brought him into a perfumed chamber, and politely placed him on a sopha, where they both fate cross-legged over-against each other. She opened her cause with downcaft eyes, which at times dropt an infidious tear; and whenever she raised them, they were immediately met by those of the fage MEMNON. Her fpeech breathed a tenderness, which increased every time they looked at each other. MEMNON was extremely affected with her pathetick recital, and at every word, much more at every look, felt in himfelf a more earnest propensity to intereft himself in behalf

of

of this accomplish'd lady. In the heat of talk, they had changed both their pofition and attitude, and MEMNON laid his advice fo home, and urg'd his counsels with so much tenderness, that the uncle and wifdom were quite forgot in the tranfporting gratifications of love.

Here, as may be conceived, they were interupted by the uncle, armed cap-a-pee. He firft furiously threaten'd to facrifice the fage MEMNON and his niece: at length, in generous pity to their youth, he faid, he would remit their punishment for a round fum of money. MEMNON was obliged to deliver up all he had; and in those times he may be faid to come off very cheap. This was before the discovery of America, when ladies in diftrefs were far from being so dangerous as in our days.

MEMNON is fhow'd his way out of the house, full of shame and vexation. At his return home, he finds an invitation to dine with a knot of his intimates. This comes very à propos, faid he; for if I fit brooding here by myself on this cursed trick, I fha'n't be able to eat; this will bring on a fickness, and that bring me to my end. A frugal repast with virtuous friends is compatible with the most austere wisdom ; their engaging company will efface all remembrance of this morning's folly. Being come to the rendezvous, his chagrine was foon obferved, and quickly removed by the officiousness of his virtuous friends to ply him with liquor: for, thought the wife MEMNON, wine in moderation is a cordial to foul and body. When they had drank him to a pitch, a party of play was propofed. A throw or two upon the die among felect friends is a harmless recreation. He games, and lofes, not only all about him, but four times as much upon his honour; a dispute arifing, a felect friend ftruck out one of his eyes with the box. The wife MEMNON is led home, drunk, ftript of all his cafh, and with the lofs of an eye.

When fleep had brought him to himself, he fends away a fervant to the Receiver General for money to pay thofe facred debts of honour. Word is return'd him, that his banker had

that

that very morning made a frajdulent bankruptcy to the ruin of numberless families. The wife, MEMNON runs in a paffion to court, with a plaister on his eye and a petition in his hand, for jufticé against him. As foon as the fovereign came by, kiffing the ground three times, he offered his petition. His Majefty took it with a smile of goodness, and delivered it to one of his Satrapes, that he might make his report on it. This Satrape, taking MEMNON a-part, faid to him with a haughty fneer, thou one-ey'd coxcomb! to apply to the king before me! and, what is worse; to demand justice against a worthy bankrupt, whom I honour with my protection! if you value your other eye, drop this matter.

Thus MEMNON, who in the morning had protested against women, luxury, gaming, disputes, and especially against the court, before night was trickt and robbed by a jilt, got dead drunk, gamed; quarrell'd, loft an eye in the fray, went to court, and was ridicul'd. To compleat all, amazed with the most dejecting ideas, he drags himself homewards, where he finds the officers ftripping his house by an execution.

Here our MS. unluckily fails us. What became of the wife MEMNON afterwards, may perhaps on a stricter search into the Ninevite records be difcover'd, and communicated in a future number of this Mifcellany.

A LETTER from Bishop ATTERBURY to his fon OBADIAH, at Chrift Church; Oxon.

I

DEAR OBBY,

Thank you for your letter, because there are manifeft figns in it of your endeavouring to excel yourself, and by confequence to please me. You have fucceeded in both refpects, and will always fucceed, if you think it worth your while to confider what you write and to whom, and let nothing, tho' of a trifling nature, pafs through your pen negNumb: VI: ligently.

E e

ligently. Get but the way of writing correctly and justly, time and use will teach you to write readily afterwards. Not but that too much care may give a stiffness to your style; which ought in all letters by all means to be avoided. The turn of them should be always natural and easy, for they are an image of private and familiar converfation. I mention this with respect to the four or five first lines of yours, which have an air of poetry, and do therefore naturally refolve themfelves into blank verfes. I fend you your letter again, that you yourself may now make the fame obfervation. But you took the hint of that thought from a poem, and it is no wonder therefore, that you heighten'd the phrafe a little when you were expreffing it. The reft is as it fhou'd be; and particularly there is an air of duty and fincerity, that if it comes from your heart, is the most acceptable present you can make me. With these good qualities an incorrect letter would please me, and without them the finest thoughts and language would make no lafting impreffion upon me. The great Being fays, you know-my fon, give me thy heart—implying, that without it all other gifts fignify nothing. Let me conjure you therefore never to say any thing, either in a letter or common converfation, that you do not think, but always to let your mind and your words go together on the moft flight and trivial occafions. Shelter not the least degree of infincerity under the notion of a compliment, which, as far as it deferves to be practis'd by a man of probity, is only the moft civil and obliging way of faying what you really mean; and whoever employs it otherwife, throws away truth for breeding; I need not tell you how little his character gets by fuch an exchange.

I fay not this as if I fufpected, that in any part of your letter you intended only to write what was proper, without any regard to what was true; for I am refolv'd to believe that you were in earnest from the beginning to the end of it, as much as I am, when I tell you that I am

your loving father, &c.

CRITICISM on a passage in HORACE.

BROTHER STUDENT,

I

Trinity College, Dublin.

Have fent you a little criticism, which if you insert, you'll do me a favour. I wish I had at present by me fomething of more confequence to communicate to you; for I fincerely think your undertaking cannot be too much encourag'd by the publick in general, but more especially by gentlemen and scholars. I hope you will not weigh my inclination to ferve you by the inclofed trifle. You remember, HOMER fays of fomething -ολιγον τε φίλον τε and a prefent may in fome circumftances be more acceptable for its fmallness.

IN the 19th Ode of the first Book, HORACE has these four lines, greatly admir'd, tho' but little understood.

Urit me GLYCERE nitor

Splendentis Pario marmore puriùs;
Urit grata protervitas,

Et VULTUS NIMIUM LUBRICUS ASPICI.

All the tranflators, that I have met with, render the last line, as if HORACE meant to compliment the lady for her Shining countenance. PRIOR in particular translates it (as he thought) literally. "A face too flippery to behold." Now this might be a good compliment from an Hottentot poet to an Hottentot toaft, but by much too indelicate for HORACE, In the fecond line the poet mentions the brightness of GLYCERA's afpect by Splendentis Pario marmore puriùs; to grease her with pomatum so soon after would be foolish tautology, The fenfe of the laft line I take to be this ;-as the grata protervitas plainly means her agreeable coquetry, fo the VULTUS NIMIUM LUBRICUS ASPICI must mean fome