No

444. Wednesday, July 30..

Parturiunt montes.

Hor.

the World by my Speculations, when I find there always arife, from one Generation to another, fucceffive Cheats and Bubbles, as naturally as Beafts of Prey, and those which are to be their Food. There is hardly. a Man in the World, one would think, fo ignorant, as not to know that the ordinary Quack Doctors, who publifh their great Abilities in little brown Billets, diftributed to all who pass by, are to a Man Impoftors and Murderers; yet fuch is the Credulity of the vulgar, and the Im pudence of thefe Profeffors, that the Affair still goes on, and new Promifes of what was never done before are made every Day. What aggravates the Jeft is, that even this Promife has been made as long as the Memory of Man can trace it, and yet nothing performed, and yet ftill prevails. As I was paffing along to-day, a Paper given into my Hand by a Fellow without a Nofe tells us as follows what good News is come to Town, to wit, that there is now a certain Cure for the French Disease, by a Gentleman juft come from his Travels.

IN Ruffel-Court, over-against the Cannon-Ball, at the Surgeon's Arms in Drury-Lane, is lately come from his Travels a Surgeon who hath practised Surgery and Phyfick both by Sea and Land thefe twenty four Years. He (by the Bleffing) cures the Yellow Jaundice, Green Sickness, Scurvy, Dropfy, Surfeits, long Sea Voyages, Campains, and Womens Mifcarriages, Lying Inn, &c. as fome People that has been lame thefe thirty Years can teftifie; in short, he cureth all Difeafes incident to Men, Women, or Children.

IF a Man could be fo indolent as to look upon this Havock of the human Species which is made by Vice and Ignorance, it would be a good ridiculous Work to

comment

comment upon the Declaration of this accomplished Traveller. There is fomething unaccountably taking among the Vulgar in those who come from a great Way off. Ignorant People of Quality, as many there are of fuch, doat exceffively this Way; many Inftances of which every Man will fuggeft to himself without my Enumeration of them. The Ignorants of lower Order, who cannot, like the upper Ones, be profufe of their Money to thofe recommended by coming from a Distance, are no lefs complaifant than the others, for they venture their Lives from the fame Admiration.

THE Doctor is lately come from his Travels, and has practifed both by Sea and Land, and therefore Cures the Green Sickness, long Sea Voyages, Campains, and Lying-Inn, Both by Sea and Land! I will not answer for the Diftempers called Sea Voyages and Campains; But I dare fay, thofe of Green Sickness and Lying-Inn might be as well taken Care of if the Doctor ftaid a-fhoar. But the Art of managing Mankind, is only to make them ftare a little, to keep up their Aftonishment, to let nothing be familiar to them, but ever to have fomething in your Sleeve, in which they muft think you are deeper than they are. There is an ingenious Fellow, a Barber, of my Acquaintance, who, befides his broken Fiddle and a dryed Sea-Monfter, has a Twine-Cord, ftrained with two Nails at each End, over his Window, and the Words Rainy, Dry, Wet, and fo forth, written, to denote the Weather according to the Rifing or Falling of the Cord, We very great Scholars are not apt to wonder at this But I obferved a very honeft Fellow, a chance Cuftomer, who fate in the Chair before me to be fhaved, fix his Eye upon this Miraculous Performance during the Operation upon his Chin and Face. When thofe and his Head alfo were cleared of all Incumbrances and Excrefcences, he looked at the Fish, then at the Fiddle, ftill grubling in his Pockets, and cafting his Eye again at the Twine, and the Words writ on each Side, then altered his Mind as to Farthings, and gave my Friend a Silver Six-pence. The Bufinefs, as I faid, is to keep up the Amazement; and if my Friend had had only the Skeleton and Kitt, he must have been contented with a Jefs Payment. But the Doctor we were talking of, adds to his

t

long

long Voyages the Teftimony of fome People that has been thirty Years lame. When I received my Paper, a fagacious Fellow took one at the fame time, and read till he came to the Thirty Years Confinement of his Friends, and went off very well convinced of the Doctor's Sufficiency. You have many of thefe prodigious Perfons, who have had fome extraordinary Accident at their Birth, or a grea Difafter in fome Part of their Lives. Any thing, however foreign from the Bufinefs the People want of you, will convince them of your Ability in that you profefs. There is a Doctor in Moufe- Alley near Wapping, who fets up for curing Cataracts upon the Credit of having, as his Bill fets forth, loft an Eye in the Emperor's Service. His Patients come in upon this, and he fhews the Mufter-Roll, which confirms that he was in his Imperial Majesty's Troops; and he puts out their Eyes with great Success. Who would believe that a Man fhould be a Doctor for the Cure of burften Children, by declaring that his Father and Grandfather were born burften? But Charles Ingoltfon, next Door to the Harp in Barbican, has made a pretty Penny by that Affeveration. The Generality go upon their first Conception, and think no further; all the reft is granted. They take it, that there is fomething uncommon in you, and give you Credit for the reft. You may be fure it is upon that I go, when fometimes, let it be to the Purpofe or not, I keep a Latin Sentence in my Front, and I was not a little pleafed when I obferved one of my Readers fay, cafting his Eye on my twentieth Paper, More Latin fill? What a prodigious Scholar is this Man! But as I have here taken much Liberty with this learned Doctor, Imuft make up all I have faid by repeating what he feems to be in Earneft in, and honeftly promife to those who will not receive him as a great Man; to wit, That from Eight to Twelve, and from Two till Six, he attends for the good of the Publick to bleed for Three Pence.

T

Thursday's

N° 445

T

Thursday, July 31.

Tanti non es ais. Sapis, Luperce.

Mart.

HIS is the Day on which many eminent Authors will probably Publifh their Laft Words. I am a fraid that few of our Weekly Hiftorians, who are Men that above all others delight in War, will be able to fubfift under the Weight of a Stamp, and an approaching Peace. A Sheet of Blank Paper that must have this new Imprimatur clapt upon it, before it is qualified to Communicate any thing to the Publick, will make its way in the World but very heavily. In fhort, the Neceffity of carrying a Stamp, and the Improbability of notifying a Bloody Battel, will, I am afraid, both concur to the finking of thofe thin Folios, which have every other Day retailed to us the Hiftory of Europe for feveral Years laft paft. A Facetious Friend of mine, who loves a Punn, calls this prefent Mortality among Authors, The Fall of the Leaf.

I remember, upon Mr. Baxter's Death, there was Publifhed a Sheet of very good Sayings, infcribed, The laft Words of Mr. Baxter. The Title fold fo great a Number of thefe Papers, that about a Week after there came out a fecond Sheet, infcrib'd, More laft Words of Mr. Baxter. In the fame manner, I have Reason to think, that several Ingenious Writers, who have taken their Leave of the Publick, in farewel Papers, will not give over fo, but intend to appear again, tho' perhaps under another Form, and with a different Title. Be that as it will, it is my Busi nefs, in this place, to give an Account of my own Intentions, and to acquaint my Reader with the Motives by which I act, in this great Crifis of the Republick of Letters,

I have been long debating in my own Heart, whether I fhould throw up my Pen, as an Author that is cafhiered by the Act of Parliament, which is to Operate within

thefer

thefe Four and Twenty Hours, or whether I fhould ftill perfift in laying my Speculations, from Day to Day, before the Publick. The Argument which prevails with me moft on the firft fide of the Question is, that I am informed by my Bookfeller he must raise the Price of eve ry fingle Paper to Two-pence, or that he fhall not be able to pay the Duty of it. Now as I am very desirous my Readers fhould have their Learning as cheap as poffible, it is with great Difficulty that I comply with him in this Particular.

HOWEVER, upon laying my Reasons together in the Balance, I find that thole which plead for the Conti nuance of this Work, have much the greater Weight. For, in the firft Place, in Recompence for the Expence to which this will put my Readers, it is to be hoped they may receive from every Paper fo much Inftruction, as will be a very good Equivalent. And, in order to this, I would not advife any one to take it in, who after the Perufal of it, does not find himself Two-pence the wifer, or the better Man for it; or who upon Examination, does not believe that he has had Two-penny-worth of Mirth or Inftruction for his Money.

BUT I must confefs there is another Motive which prevails with me more than the former. I confider that the Tax on Paper was given for the Support of the Go❤ vernment; and as I have Enemies, who are apt to per vert every thing I do or fay, I fear they would ascribe the laying down my Paper, on fuch an Occafion, to a Spirit of Malecontentednefs, which I am refolved none fhall ever juftly upbraid me with. No, I fhall glory in contributing my utmost to the Weal Publick; and if my Country receives Five or Six Pounds a-day by my La bours, I fhall be very well pleased to find my felf fo use ful a Member. It is a received Maxim, that no honest Man should enrich himself by Methods that are prejudicial to the Community in which he lives; and by thefame Rule I think we may pronounce the Perfon to de ferve very well of his Countrymen, whofe Labours bring more into the publick Coffers, than into his own Pocket.

SINCE I have mentioned the Word Enemies, I must explain my felf fo far as to acquaint my Reader, that

mean