this Humour among Men is most pleasant when they are faying something which is not wholly proper for a third Perfon to hear, and yet is in it felf indifferent. The other Day there came in a well-drefied young Fellow, and two Gentlemen of this Species immediately fell a whifpering his Pedigree. I could overhear, by Breaks, She was his Aunt; then an Anfwer, Ay, fhe was of the Mother's Side: Then again in a little lower Voice, His Father wore generally a darker Wig: Answer, Not much. But this Gentleman wears higher Heels to his Shoes: A S the Inquifitive, in my Opinion, are fuch merely from a Vacancy in their own Imaginations, there is nothing, methinks, fo dangerous as to communicate Secrets to them; for the fame Temper of Inquiry makes them as impertinently communicative: But no Man, though he converfes with them, need put himself in their Power, for they will be contented with Matters of lefs Moment as well. When there is Fuel enough, no matter what it isThus the Ends of Sentences in the News-Papers, as, This wants Confirmation, This occafions many Speculations, and Time will difcover the Event, are read by them, and confidered not as mere Expletives. ONE may fee now and then this Humour accompanied with an infatiable Defire of knowing what pafles, without turning it to any Ufe in the world but merely their own Entertainment. A Mind which is gratified this Way is adapted to Humour and Pleasantry, and formed for an unconcerned Character in the World; and, like my felf to be a mere Spectator. This Curiofity, without Malice or Self-intereft, lays up in the Imagination a Magazine of Circumftances which cannot but entertain when they are produced in Conversation. If one were to know, from the Man of the firft Quality to the meanest Servant, the different Intrigues, Sentiments, Pleafures, and Interefts of Mankind, would it not be the most pleafing Entertainment imaginable to enjoy fo conftant a Farce, as the obferving Mankind much more different from themfelves in their fecret Thoughts and publick Actions, than in their Night-caps and long Periwigs ? Mr. Mr. SPECTATOR, LUTARCH tells us, that Caius Gracchus, the Roman, was frequently hurried by his Passion into fo loud and tumultuous a way of Speaking, and fo ftrained his Voice as not to be able to proceed. To remedy this Excefs, he had an ingenious Servant, by Name Licinius, always attending him with a Pitch pipe, or Inftrument to regulate the Voice; who, whenever he heard his Mafter begin to be high, immediately touched a foft Note; at which, 'tis faid, Caius would prefently abate and grow calm. UPÓN recollecting this Story, I have frequently • wondered that this useful Inftrument fhould have been fo long difcontinued; especially fince we find that this good Office of Licinius has preferved his Memory for many hundred Years, which, methinks, fhould have encouraged fome one to have revived it, if not for the publick Good, yet for his own Credit. It 6 may be objected, that our loud Talkers are fo fond of their own Noife, that they would not take it well to be checked by their Servants: But granting this to be true, furely any of their Hearers have a very good Title to play a foft Note in their own Defence. To be fhort, no Licinius appearing and the Noife increafing, I was refolved to give this late long Vacation to the Good of my Country; and I have at length, by the Affiftance of an ingenious Artift, (who works to the Royal Society) almost completed my Defign, and fhall be ready in a fhort Time to furnish the Publick with what Number of ⚫ these Instruments they please, either to lodge at Cof'fee-houses, or carry for their own private Ufe. In the mean time, I fhall pay that Refpe&t to feveral Gentlemen, who I know will be in Danger of offending against this Inftrument, to give them notice of it by private Letters, in which I fhall only write, Get Licinius. a ⚫ I fhould now trouble you no longer, but that I must 'not conclude without defiring you to accept one of thefe Pipes, which shall be left for you with Buckley ; and ' which I hope will be ferviceable to you, fince as you L 2 6 are are filent the Noify. your felf you are most open to the Infults of I am, S I R, &c. W. B. I had almoft forgot to inform you, that as an Improvement in this Inftrument, there will be a particu⚫lar Note, which I call a Hush-Note; and this is to be made ufe of against a long Story, Swearing, Obscenenefs, and the like. T A And tunes our ravifh'd Souls to Love. CREECH. MONG the many famous Pieces of Antiquity which are still to be feen at Rome, there is the Trunk of a Statue which has loft the Arms, Legs, and Head; but difcovers fuch an exquifite Workmanfhip in what remains of it, that Michael Angelo declared he had learned his whole Art from it. Indeed he studied it fo attentively, that he made most of his Statues, and even his Pictures in that Gufto, to make use of the Italian Phrafe; for which Reason this maimed Statue is ftill called Michael Angelo's School. A Fragment of Sappho, which I defign for the Subject of this Paper, is in as great Reputation among the Poets and Criticks, as the mutilated Figure abovementioned is among the Statuaries and Painters. Several of our Countrymen, and Mr. Dryden in particular, feem very often to have copied after it in their Dramatick Writings, and in their Poems upon Love. WHATEVER might have been the Occafion of this Ode, the English Reader will enter into the Beau ties of it, if he fuppofes it to have been written in the Perfon of a Lover fitting by his Miftrefs. I fhall fet to View three different Copies of this beautiful Original: The first is a Tranflation by Catullus, the fecond by Monfieur Boileau, and the laft by a Gentleman whofe Translation of the Hymn to Venus has been so deservedly admired. Ad LESBIAM. Ille mi par effe Deo videtur, Specat, & audit Dulce ridentem, mifero quod omnis Quod loquar amens. Lingua fed torpet: tenuis fub artus M Y learned Reader will know very well the Reason why one of these Verfes is printed in Roman Letter; and if he compares this Tranflation with the Original, will find that the three firft Stanzas are rendred almoft Word for Word, and not only with the fame Elegance, but with the fame fhort Turn of Expreflion which is fo remarkable in the Greek, and fo peculiar to the Sapphick Ode. I cannot imagine for what Reafon Madam Dacier has told us, that this Ode of Sappho is preferved intire in Longinus, fince it is manifeft to any one who looks into that Author's Quotation of it, that there muft at least have been another Stanza, which is not tranfmitted to us. THE fecond Tranflation of this Fragment which I fhall here cite, is that of Monfieur Boileau. Heureux! qui prés de toi, pour toi feule foûpire: Qui te voit quelquefois doucement lui foûrire. Je fens de veine en veine une fubtile flamme Un nuage confus fe répand fur ma vuë, THE Reader will fee that this is rather an Imitation than a Translation. The Circumftances do not lie fo thick together, and follow one another with that Vehemence and Emotion as in the Original. In short, Monfieur Boileau has given us all the Poetry, but not all the Paffion of this famous Fragment. I fhall, in the laft Place, préfent my Reader with the English Tranf lation. I. Bleft as th' immortal Gods is he, II. "Tawas this deprid my Soul of Reft, III. My Bofom glow'd; the fubtle Flame IV. IN |