ling to grant him, to wit, that you are guilty of an excess in fomething which is in itself laudable. He very well understands what you would be, and needs not fear your anger for declaring you are a little too much that thing. The generous will bear being reproached as lavish, and the valiant as rah, without being provoked to refentment against their monitor. What has been faid to be a mark of a good writer will fall in with the character of a good companion. The good writer makes his reader better pleafed with himself, and the agreeable man makes his friends enjoy themselves, rather than him, while he is in their company. Califthenes does this with inimitable pleafantry. He whispered a friend the other day, fo as to be overheard by a young officer, who gave fymptoms of cocking upon the company, that gentle man has very much of the air of a general officer. The youth immediately put on a compofed behaviour, and behaved himself fuitably to the conceptions he believed the company had of him. It is to be allowed that Callifthenes will make a man run into impertinent relations, to his own advantage, and exprefs the fatisfaction he has in his own dear felt till he is very ridiculous, but in this case the man is made a fool by his own confent, and not expofed as fuch whether he will or no. I take it therefore that, to make rallery agreeable, a man must either not know he is rallied, or think never the worse of himself if he fees he is.

Acetus is of a quite contrary genius, and is more generally admired than Callifthenes, but not with juftice.. Acetus has no regard to the modefty or weakness of the perfon he rallies; but if the quality or humility gives him any fuperiority to the man he would fail upon, he has no mercy on making the onfet. He can be pleafed to fee his best friend out of countenance, while the laugh is loud in his own applaufe. His rallery always puts the company into little divifions and feparate interefts, while that of Callifthenes cements it, and makes every man not only better pleafed with himfelf but alfo with all the reft in the conversation.

To rally well, it is abfolutely neceffary that kindness muft run through all you fay, and you must ever preferve the character of a friend to fupport your pretenfions

to

to be free with a man. Acetus ought to be banished human fociety, because he raifes his mirth upon giving pain to the perfon upon whom he is pleafant Nothing but the malevolence, which is too general towards thofe who excel, could make his company tolerated; but they, with whom he converfes, are fure to fee fome man facrinced where-ever he is admitted, and all the credit he has for wit is owing to the gratification it gives to

other mens ill-nature.

Minutius has a wit that conciliates a man's love at the fame time that it is exerted againft his faults. He has an art of keeping the perfon he rallies in countenance, by infinuating that he hitfelf is guilty of the fame imperfection. This he does with fo much addrefs, that he feems rather to bewail himself, than fall upon his friend.

It is really monftrous to fee how unaccountably it prevails among men, to take the liberty of difpleafing each other. One would think fometimes that the contention is, who fhall be most difagreeable. Allufions to paft follies, hints which revive what a man has a mind to forget for ever, and defires that all the reft of the world fhould, are commonly brought forth even in company of men of diftinction. They do not thrust with the fkil of fencers, but cut up with the barbarity of butchers. It is, nethinks, below the character of men of humanity and good-manners, to be capable of mirth while there is any of the company in pain and dif. order. They who have the true taste of true conversation, enjoy themfelves in communication of each other's excellencies, and not in a triumph over their imperfections. Fortius would have been reckoned a wit, if there had never been a fool in the world; he wants not foils to be a beauty, but has that natural pleafure in obferving perfection in others, that his own faults are overlooked out of gratitude by all his acquaintance.

After thefe feveral characters of men who fucceed or fail in rallery, it may not be amifs to reflect a little further what one takes to be the moft agreeable kind of it; and that to me appears when the fatire is directed againft vice, with an air of contempt of the fault, but no ill will to the criminal. Mr. Congreve's Doris iš a mafter

mafter-piece in this kind. It is the character of a woman utterly abandoned, but her impudence by the finest piece of rallery is made only generofity.

I

Once fit myself.

Look upon myself as a kind of guardian to the fair, and am always watchful to obferve any thing which concerns their intereft. The prefent paper fhall be employed in the fervice of a very fine young woman; and the admonitions I give her, may not be unuseful to the rest of her fex. Gloriana fhall be the name of the heroine in to-day's entertainment; and when I have told you that she is rich, witty, young, and beautiful, you

will believe fhe does not want admirers. She has had fince the came to town about twenty five of those lovers who made their addreffes by way of jointure and fettlement. Thefe come and go, with great indifference on both fides; and as beautiful as the is, a line in a deed has had exception enough against it, to outweigh the luftre of her eyes, the readinefs of her understanding, and the merit of her general character. But among the croud of fuch cool adorers, the has two who are very affiduous in their attendance. There is fomething fo extraordinary and artful in their manner of application, that I think it but common juftice to alarm her in it. I have done it in the following letter.

MADAM,

I

Have for fome time taken notice of two gentle

men who attend you in all public places, both of whom have also easy accefs to you at your own houfe: But the matter is adjusted between them, and • Damon, who fo paffionately addreffes you, has no defign upon you; but Strephon, who feems to be indifferent to you, is the man, who is, as they have fettled it, to have you. The plot was laid over a bottle of wine; and Strephon, when he firit thought of you, propofed to Damon to be his rival. The · manner of his breaking of it to him, I was fo placed at a tavern, that I could not avoid hearing. Damon, faid he, with a deep figh, I have long languifhed for that miracle of beauty Gloriana, and if you will be very ftedfaftly my rival, I fhall certainly obtain her. Do not, continued he, be offended at this overture; for I go upon the knowledge of the temper of the woman, rather than any vanity that I fhould profit by any oppofition of your pretenfions to thofe of your humble fervant. Gloriana has very good fenfe, a quick relish of the fatisfactions of life, and will not give herself, as the croud of women do, to the arms of a man to whom the is • indifferent. As fhe is a fenfible woman, expreffions of rapture and adoration will not move her neither; but he that has her must be the object of

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•her

her defire, not her pity. The way to this end I take to be, that a man's general conduct should be agreeable, without addreffing in particular to the woman he loves. Now, Sir, if you will be fo kind as to figh and die for Gloriana, I will carry it with great refpect towards her, but feem void of any thoughts as a lover. By this means 1 fhall be in the moft amiable light of which I am capable; I shall be received with freedom, you with referve. Damon, • who has himself no defigns of marriage at all, easily fell into the fcheme; and you may obferve, that 'where ever you are, Damon appears alfo. You fee he ⚫ carries on an unaffected exactnefs in his drefs and

¢

manner, and ftrives always to be the very contrary of Strephon. They have already fucceeded fo far, that your eyes are ever in fearch of Strephon, and turn themselves of course from Damon. They meet and compare notes upon your carriage; and the letter which was brought to you the other day, was a contrivance to remark your refentment. When you faw the billet fubfcribed Damon, and turned away with a fcornful air, and cried impertinence! you gave hopes to him that fhuns you, without mortifying him that languishes for you.

• What I am concerned for, Madam, is, that in the difpofal of your heart, you should know what you are doing, and examine it before it is loft. Strephon ⚫ contradicts you in difcourfe with the civility of one who has a value for you, but gives up nothing like one that loves you. This feeming unconcern gives •his behaviour the advantage of fincerity, and in enfibly obtains your good opinior, by appearing difinterested in the purchase of it. If you watch thefe • correfpondents hereafter, you will find that Strephon makes his vifit of civility immediately after Damon has tired you with one of love. Though you are very discreet, you will find it no eafy matter to efcape the toils fo well laid, as when one ftudies to be disagreeable in paffion, the other to be pleafing without it. All the turns of your temper are carefully watched, and their quick and faithful intelli gence, gives your lovers irrefiftible advantage. You

• will