recíprocally held in Veneration: But as he never fails to mix an Air of Mirth and Good-humour with his good Senfe and Reasoning, he entered into the following Relation.

Will not be confident in what Century, or under what Reign it happened, that this Want of mutual Confidence and right Understanding between Father and Son was fatal to the Family of the Valentines in Germany. Bafilius Valentinus, was a Person who had arrived at the uitmoft Perfection in the Hermetick Art, and initiated his Son Alexandrinus in the fame Myfteries: But as you know they are not to be attained but by the Painful, the Pious, the Chafte, and Pure of Heart, Bafilius did not open to him, because of his Youth, and the Deviations too natural to it, the greateft Secrets of which he was Master, as well knowing that the Operation would fail in the Hands of a Man fo liable to Errors in Life as Alexandrinus. But believing, from a certain Indifpofition of Mind as well as Body, his Diffolution was drawing nigh, he called Alexandinus to him, and as he lay on a Couch, over-againft which his Son was feated, and prepared by fending out Servants one after another, and Admonition to examine that no one overheard them, he revealed the most important of his Secrets with the Solemnity and Language of an Adept. My Son, faid he, many have been the Watchings, long the Lucubrations; conftant the Labours of thy Father, not only to gain a great and plentiful Eftate to his Pofterity, but also to take care that he should have no Pofterity. Be not amazed, my Child; I do not mean that thou fhalt be taken from me, but that I will never leave thee, and confequently cannot be faid to have Pofterity. Behold, my dearest Alexandrinus, the. Effect of what was propagated in nine Months: We are not to contradict Nature, but to follow and to help her; juft as long as an Infant is in the Womb of its Parent, fo long are thefe Medicines of Revification in preparing. Obferve this fmall Phial and this little Gallipot, in this an Unguent, in the other a Liquor. In thefe, my Child, are collected fuch Powers, as fhall revive the Springs of Life when they are yet but juft ceased, and give new Strength, new Spirits, and, in a word,

wholly

wholly restore all the Organs and Senfes of the human Body to as great a Duration, as it had before enjoyed from its Birth to the Day of the Application of these my Medicines. But, my beloved Son, Care must be taken to apply them within ten Hours after the Breath is out of the Body, while yet the Clay is warm with its late Life, and yet capable of Refufcitation. I find my Frame grown crazy with perpetual Toil and Meditation; and I conjure you, as foon as I am dead, to anoint me with this Unguent; and when you fee me begin to move, pour into my Lips this ineftimable Liquor, elfe the Force of the Ointment will be ineffectual. By this Means you will give me Life as I have you, and we will from that Hour mutually lay afide the Authority of having beftowed Life on each other, but live as Brethren, and prepare new Medicines against fuch another Period of Time as will demand another Application of the fame Restoratives. In a few days after these wonderful Ingredients were delivered to Alexandrinus, Bafilius departed this Life. But fuch was the pious Sorrow of the Son at the Loss of fo excellent a Father, and the first Transports of Grief had fo wholly disabled him from all manner of Business, that he never thought of the Medicines till the Time to which his Father had limited their Efficacy was expired. To tell the Truth, Alexandrinus was a Man of Wit and Pleafure, and confidered his Father had lived out his natural Time, his Life was long and uniform, fuitable to the Regularity of it; but that he himself, poor Sinner, wanted a new Life, to repent of a very bad one hitherto'; and in the Examination of his Heart, refolv'd to go on as he did with this natural Being of his, but repent very faithfully, and spend very pioufly the Life to which he should be reftored by Application of these Rarities, when Time fhould come, to his own Perfon.

IT has been obferved, that Providence frequently punishes the Self-love of Men, who would do immoderately for their own Offspring, with Children very much below their Characters and Qualifications, infomuch that they only tranfmit their Names to be borne by those who give daily Proofs of the Vanity of the Labour and Ambition of their Progenitors.

IT happen'd thus in the Family of Bafilius; for Alexandrinus began to enjoy his ample Fortune in all the Extremities of Houfhold Expence, Furniture, and infolent Equipage; and this he pursued till the Day of his own Departure began, as he grew fenfible, to approach. As Bafilius was punifhed with a Son very unlike him, Alexan"drinus was vifited with one of his own Difpofition. It is natural that ill Men fhould be fufpicious, and Alexandrinus, besides that Jealousy, had Proofs of the vicious Difpofition of his Son Renatus, for that was his Name.

ALEXANDRINUS, as I observed, having very good Reafons for thinking it unfafe to truft the real Secret of his Phial and Gallipot to any Man living, projected to make fure Work, and hope for his Succefs depending from the Avarice, not the Bounty of his Benefactor.

WITH this Thought he called Renatus to his Bedfide, and bespoke him in the moft pathetick Gefture and Accent. As much, my Son, as you have been addicted to Vanity and Pleasure, as I also have been before you, you nor I could efcape the Fame, or the good Effects of the profound Knowledge of our Progenitor, the Renowned Bafilius. His Symbol is very well known in the Philofophick World, and I shall never forget the venerable Air of his Countenance, when he let me into the profound Mysteries of the Smaragdine Table of Hermes. It is true, faid he, and far removed from all Colour of Deceit ; That which is Inferior is like that which is Superior, by which are acquired and perfected all the Miracles of a certain Work. The Father is the Sun, the Mother the Moon, the Wind is the Womb, the Earth is the Nurfe of it, and Mother of all Perfection. All this must be received with Medefy and Wisdom. The Chymical People carry in all their Jargon a whimfical fort of Piety which is ordinary with great Lovers of Money, and is no more but deceiving themselves, that their Regularity and Strictness of Manners for the Ends of this World, has fome Affinity to the Innocence of Heart which must recommend them to the next. Renatus wondered to hear his Father talk fo like an Adept, and with fuch a Mixture of Piety, while Alexandrinus obferving his Attention_fixed, proceeded: This Phial, Child, and this little Earthen-Pot

will add to thy Estate so much, as to make thee the richeft Man in the German Empire. I am going to my long Home, but shall not return to common Duft. Then he refumed a Countenance of Alacrity, and told him, That if within an Hour after his Death he anointed his whole Body, and poured down his Throat that Liquor which he had from old Bafilius, the Corps would be converted into pure Gold. I will not pretend to exprefs to you the unfeigned Tendernefs that paffed between these two extraordinary Perfons; but if the Father recommended the Care of his Remains with Vehemence and Affection, the Son was not behind-hand in profeffing that he would not cut the leaft Bit off him, but upon the utmoft Extremity, or to provide for his younger Brothers and Sifters.

WELL, Alexandrinus died, and the Heir of his Body (as our Term is) could not forbear in the Wantonneffes of his Heart, to meafure the Length and Breadth of his beloved Father, and caft up the enfuing Value of him before he proceeded to Operation. When he knew the immenfe Reward of his Pains, he began the Work: But lo! when he had anointed the Corps all over, and began to apply the Liquor, the Body ftirred, and Renatus, in ♣ Fright, broke the Phial.

No. 427.

Thursday, July 10.

Quantùm à rerum turpitudine abes, tantùm Te à verborum libertate fejungas.

TULL.

We fou'd be as careful of our Words, as our Actions ; and as far from fpeaking, as from doing Ill.

I

T is a certain Sign of an ill-Heart to be inclined to Defamation. They who are harmless and innocent, can have no Gratification that way; but it ever arifes from a Neglect of what is laudable in a Man's felf, and an Impatience of feeing it in another. Elfe why should

F3

Virtue

Virtue provoke? Why should Beauty displease in fuch a Degree, that a Man given to Scandal never lets the Mention of either pafs by him without offering_fomething to the Diminution of it? A Lady the other Day at a Vifit being attacked fomewhat rudely by one, whofe own Character has been very roughly treated, anfwered a great deal of Heat and Intemperance very calmly, Good Madam, fpare me, who am none of your Match; I fpeak ill of no Body, and it is a new Thing to me to be spoken ill of. Little Minds think Fame confifts in the Number of Votes they have on their Side among the Multitude, whereas it is really the infeparable Follower of good and worthy Acti ons. Fame is as natural a Follower of Merit, as a Shadow is of a Body. It is true, when Crowds prefs upon you, this Shadow cannot be feen, but when they separate from around you, it will again appear. The Lazy, the Idle, and the Froward, are the Perfons who are most pleased with the little Tales which pafs about the Town to the Disadvantage of the rest of the World. Were it not for the Pleasure of speaking Ill, there are Numbers of People who are too Lazy to go out of their own Houfes, and too ill-natur'd to open their Lips in Converfation. It was not a little diverting the other day to obferve a Lady reading a Poft-Letter, and at thefe Words, After all her Airs, he has beard fome Story or other, and the Match is broke off, give Orders in the midft of her Reading, Put to the Horfes. That a young Woman of Merit had miffed an advantageous Settlement, was News not to be delayed, left fomebody elfe fhould have given her malicious Acquaintance that Satisfaction before her. The Unwillingness to receive good Tidings is a Quality as infeparable from a Scandal-bearer, as the Readiness to divulge bad. But, alas, how wretchedly low and contemptible is that State of Mind, that cannot be pleased but by what is the Subject of Lamentation. This Temper has ever been in the highest Degree odious to gallant Spirits. The Perfian Soldier, who was heard reviling Alexander the Great, was well admonish'd by his Officer Sir, you are paid to fight against Alexander, and not to rail

at him.

CICERO in one of his Pleadings, defending his Client from general Scandal, fays very handfomly, and