Imagination, for Want of being more exact in the Knowledge of the Parts of Speech: and it is fo with · all Men who have not well ftudied the. Particle For.. You have spoken For without making any Inference, which is the great Use of that Particle. There is no Manner of Force in your Obfervation of Quantity and Similitude in the Syllables As and Much. But it

،

is ever the Fault of Men of great Wit to be incorrect; which Evil they run into by an indifcreet Use of the Word For. Confider all the Books of Contro verfy which have been written, and I'll engage you will obferve, that all the Debate lies in this Point, Whether they brought in For in a juft Manner, or forced it in for their own Ufe, rather than as understanding the Ufe of the Word it felf?. There is nothing "like familiar Inftances: You have heard the Story of the Irishman, who reading, Money for Live Hair, took a Lodging, and expected to be paid for living at that Houfe. If this Man had known For was, in that Place, of a quite different Signification from the Particle To, he could not have fallen into the Mistake of taking Live for what the Latines call Vivere or rather Habitare.

MARTIUS feem'd at a Lofs, and admiring his profound Learning, wifhed he had been bred a Scholar, for he did not take the Scope.of his Difcourfe. This wife Debate, of which we had much more, made me reflect upon the Difference of their Capacities, and wonder that there could be as it were a Diversity in Men's Genius for Nonfenfe; that one should blufter, while another crept in Abfurdities. Martius moves like a blind Man, lifting his Legs higher than the ordinary Way of Stepping; and Comma, like one who is only fhort-fighted,picking his way when he should bemarching on. Want of Learning makes Martius a brisk enter-. taining Fool, and gives himself a full Scope; but that which Comma has, and calls Learning, makes him diffident, and curb his natural Mifunderstanding to the great Lofs of the Men of Raillery. This Converfation confirm'd me in the Opinion, that Learning ufually does but improve in us what Nature endowed us with.... He that wants good Senfe, is unhappy in having it, for

he:

he has thereby only more Ways of exposing himself, and he that has Senfe, knows that Learning is not Knowledge, but rather the Art of using it...

St. James's Coffee-boufe, August 22.

WE have undoubted Intelligence of the Defeat of the King of Sweden; and that Prince, (who for fome Years had hovered like an approaching Tempest, and was looked up at by all the Nations of Europe, which feemed to expect their Fate according to the Courfe he fhould take) is now, in all Probability, an unhappy Exile, without the common Neceffaries of Life. His Czarish Majefty treats his Prifoners with great Gallantry and Distinction. Count Rhensfeildt has had particular Marks of his Majesty's Efteem, for his Merit and Services to his Mafter; but Count Piper, whom his Majefty believes Author of the most violent Councils into which his Prince entered, is difarmed, and entertained accor, dingly. That decifive Battel was ended, at Nine in the Morning, and all the Swedish Generals dined with the Czar that very Day, and received Affurances, that they fhould find Mufcovy was not unacquainted with the Laws of Honour and Humanity.

Thursday, August 25. 1709.

White's Chocolate-house, August 24.

SOP has gain'd to himself an immortal Renown for figuring the Manners, Defires, Paffions and Interefts of Men, by Fables of Beafts and Birds. I shall in my future Accounts of our modern Heroes and Witsvulgarly called Sharpers, imitate the Method of that delightful Moralift; and think, I cannot reprefent.. thofe Worthies more naturally than under the Shadow of a Pack of Dogs; for this Set of Men are like them, made up of Finders, Lurchers, and Setters. Some fearch for the Prey, others purfue, others take it; and if it be worth it, they all come in at the Death, and worry the Carcafs.. It would require a moft exact Knowledge of

the

the Field, and the Harbours where the Deer lie, to recount all the Revolutions in the Chate.

BUT I am diverted from the Train of my Difcourfe of the Fraternity about this Town by Letters from Hampstead, which give me an Account, there is a late Inftitution there, under the Name of a Rafling-Shop, which is, it feems, fecretly fupported by a Perfon who is a deep Practitioner in the Law, and out of Tenderness of Confcience, has, under the Name of his Maid Sify, fet up this eafier Way of Conveyancing and Alienating Eftates from one Family to another. He is fo far from having an Intelligence with the reft of the Fraternity, that all the humbler Cheats who appearthere, are faced by the Partners in the Bank, and driven off by the Reflection of fuperior Brafs. This Notice is given to all the filly Faces that pafs that Way, that they may not be decoyed in by the foft Allurement of a Fine Lady, who is the Sign to the Pageantry. And at the fame Time Signior Hawkfly, who is the Patron of the Houfhold, is defired to leave off this interloping Trade, or admit, as he ought to do, the Knights of the Induftry to their Share in the Spoil.. But this little Matter is only by Way of Digreffion. Therefore to return to our Wor

thies.

THE prefent Race of Terriers and Hounds would ftärve, were it not for the inchanted Actaon, who has ~ kept the whole Pack for many Succeffions of Hunting Seafons. Acteon has long Tracts of rich Soil; but had the Misfortune in his Youth to fall under the Power of Sorcery, and has heen ever fince, fome Parts of the Year, a Deer, and in fome Parts a Man. While he is a Man, (fuch is the Force of Magick) he no fooner grows to fuch a Bulk and Fatnefs, but he is again turned into a Deer, and hunted till he is lean; upon which he returns to his human Shape. Many Arts have been tried, and many Refolutions taken by Acteon himself, to follow fuch Methods as would break the Inchantment; but all have hitherto proved ineffectual. I have therefore, my Midnight Watchings and much Care, found out, that there is no Way to fave him from the Jaws of his Hounds, but to deftroy the Pack, which by Aftrological Prefcience, I find I am deftin'd to perform. For

which End I have fent out my Familiar, to bring me a Lift of all the Places where they are harboured, that I may know where to found my Horn, and bring them together, and take an Account of their Haunts and their Marks, against another Opportunity. Will's Coffee-house, Auguft 24.

THE Author of the enfuing Letter, by his Name, and the Quotations he makes from the Ancients, feems a Sort of Spy from the old World, whom we Moderns ought to be careful of offending; therefore I muft.be free, and own it a fair Hit where he takes me, rather than difoblige him.

SIR,

Having

ask

or

elabo

Aving a peculiar Humour of defiring to be fomewhat the better or wifer for what I read, I am always uneafy when, in any profound Writer, (for I read no others) I happen to meet with what I cannot • understand.. When this falls out, 'tis a great Griev· ance to me that I am not able to confult the Author himfelf about his Meaning; for Commentators are a • Sect that has little Share in my Efteem: your rate Writings have, among many others, this Advantage, that their Author is ftill alive, and ready (as his ⚫ extensive Charity makes us expect) to explain whatever may be found in them too fublime for vulgar Understandings. This, Sir, makes me prefume to you, How the Hampstead Hero's Character could be perfectly new when the laft Letters came away, and yet Sir John Suckling fo well'acquainted with it 60 Years ago? I hope, Sir, you will not take this amiss : I can affure you, I have a profound Refpect for you, which makes me write this, with the fame Difpofiti8. on with which Longinus bids us read Homer and Plato. • When in reading (fays he) any of those celebrated Authors, we meet with a Paffage to which we cannot well reconcile our Reasons, we ought firmly to believe, that were thofe great Wits prefent to answer for themselves; we fhould to our Wonder be convinced, that we only are guilty of the Miftakes we before attributed to them. If you think fit to remove the Scruple that now torments me, 'twill be an Encouragement to me to fettle a frequent Correfpondence with you, feveral Things falling in

my

my Way which would not, perhaps, be altogether foreign to your Purpofe, and whereon your Thoughts would be very acceptable to

Your most humble Servant,

Obadiah Greenhat,

IOWN this is clean, and Mr. Greenhat has convinced me that I have writ Nonfenfe; yet am I not at all offended at him,

Scimus, & hanc veniam petimufq; damufq; viciffim.

THIS is the true Art of Raillery, when a Man turns another into Ridicule, and fhews at the fame time he is in good Humour, and not urg'd on by Malice against the Perfon he rallies. Obadiah Greenhat has hit this very well: For to make an Apology to Ifaac Bickerstaff, an unknown Student and Horary Hiftorian, as well as Aftrologer, and with a grave Face to fay, He fpeaks of him by the fame Rules with which he would treat Homer Or Plato, is to place him in Company where he cannot expect to make a Figure; and makes him flatter himself, that it is only being named with them which renders him most ridiculous.

I HAVE not known, and I am now past my Grand Climacterick, being 64 Years of Age, according to my Way of Life, or rather (if you will allow Punning in an old Gentleman) according to my Paftime; I fay, as old as I am, I have not been acquainted with many of the Greenbats. There is indeed one Zedekiah Greenhat, who is lucky alfo in his Way. He has a very agreeable Manner; for when he has a Mind throughly to correct a Man, he never takes from him any thing, but he allows him fomething for it: or elfe, he blames him for Things wherein he is not defective, as well as for Matters wherein he is. This makes a weak Man believe he is in Jeft in the whole. T'other Day he told Beau Prim, who is thought impotent, that his Miftrefs had declared, fhe would not have him, because he was a Sloven, and had committed a Rape. The Beau bit at the Banter, and faid very gravely, He thought to be clean was as much as was neceffary; and that as to the Rape, he wondered by what Witchcraft that fhould come to her Ears; but it had indeed cost him an Hundred Pounds to hush the Affair.

THE