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N° 138. Wednesday, August 8.

Utitur in re non Dubia teftibus non necessariis.

Tull.

NE meets now and then with Perfons who are extreamly learned and knotty in expounding clear Cafes. Tully tells us of an Author that spent fome Pages to prove that Generals could not perform the great Enterprizes which have made them fo illuftrious, if they had not had Men. He afferted alfo, it seems, that a Minister at home, no more than a Commander abroad, could do any thing without other Men were his Inftruments and Affiftants. On this Occafion he produces the Example of Themistocles, Pericles, Cyrus, and Alexander himself, whom he denies to have been capable: of effecting what they did, except they had been followed by others. It is pleafant enough to fee fuch Perfons contend without Opponents, and triumph without : Victory.

THE Author above-mentioned by the Orator is pla- ced for ever in a very ridiculous Light, and we meet. every Day in Conversation such as deserve the fame kind of Renown, for troubling thofe with whom they Converfe with the like Certainties. The Perfons that I have always thought to deferve the highest Admiration in this kind are your ordinary Story-tellers, who are moft religiously careful of keeping to the Truth in every particuJar Circumftance of a Narration, whether it concern the main end, or not. A Gentleman whom I had the Honour to be in Company with the other Day, upon some Occafion that he was pleas'd to take, faid, He remembred a very pretty Repartee made by a very witty Man in King Charles's time upon the like Occafion. I remember (faid he, upon entring into the Tale) much about the time of Oats's Plot, that a Coufin-German of mine and I were at the Bear in Holbourn: No, I am out, it was at the Cross-Keys; but Jack Thompson was there,

for

for he was very great with the Gentleman who made the Answer. But I am fure it was fpoken, fomewhere thereabouts, for we drank a Bottle in that Neighbourhood every Evening: But no matter for all that, the thing is the fame; but

HE was going on to fettle the Geography of the Jeft when I left the Room, wondering at this odd turn of Head which can play away its Words, with uttering nothing to the Purpofe, ftill obferving its own Impertinences, and yet proceeding in them. I do not queftion but he informed the reft of his Audience, who had more Patience than I, of the Birth and Parentage, as well as the Collateral Alliances of his Family, who made the Repartee, and of him who provoked him to it.

IT is no fmall Misfortune to any who have a just Va-lue for their Time, when this Quality of being fo very circumftantial, and careful to be exact, happens to fhew it felf in a Man whofe Quality obliges them to attend his Proofs, that it is now Day, and the like. But this is augmented when the fame Genius gets into Authority, as it often does. Nay, I have known it more than once af cend the very Pulpit. One of this fort taking it in his Head to be a great Admirer of Dr. Tillotson and Dr. Beveridge, never failed of proving out of thefe great Authors Things which no Man living would have denied him upon his own fingle Authority. One Day, refolving to come to the Point in hand, he faid, According to that excellent Divine, I will enter upon the Matter, or in his Words, in his fifteenth Sermon of the Folio Edition, Page 160,

I fhall briefly explain the Words, and then confider the Matter contained in them..

THIS honeft Gentleman needed not, one would think, ftrain his Modefty fo far as to alter his Design of Entering upon the Matter, to that of Briefly explaining. But fo it was, that he would not even be contented with that Authority, but added alfo the other Divine to ftrengthen his Method, and told us, With the Pious and Learned Dr. Beveridge, Page 4th of his 9th Volume, I fhall endeavour to make it as plain as I can from the Words which I have now read, wherein for that Purpose we shall

confider

confider This Wifeacre was reckoned by the Parish, who did not understand him, a moft excellent Preacher; but that he read too much, and was fo humble that he did not truft enough to his own Parts.

NEXT to these ingenious Gentlemen, who argue for what no Body can deny them, are to be ranked a fort of People who do not indeed attempt to prove infignificant Things, but are ever labouring to raise Arguments with you about Matters you will give up to them without the leaft Controverfie. One of these People told a Gentleman who faid he faw Mr. fuch a one go this Morning at nine a Clock towards the Gravel-Pits, Sir, I muft beg your Pardon for that, for tho' I am very loth to have any Difpute with you, yet I must take the Liberty to tell you it was nine when I faw him at St. James's. When Men of this Genius are pretty far gone in Learning they will put you to prove that Snow is white, and when you are upon that Topick can fay that there is really no fuch thing as Colour in Nature; in a Word, they can turn what little Knowledge they have, into a ready Capacity of raifing Doubts; into a Capacity of being always frivolous and always unanfwerable. It was of two Difputants of this impertinent and laborious kind that the Cynick faid, One of thefe Fellows is Milking a Ram, and the other holds the Pail.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE Exercife of the Snuff Box, according to the most fashionable Airs and Motions, in oppofition to the Exercife of the Fan, will be Taught with the best plain or perfumed Snuff, at Charles Lillie's Perfumer at the Corner of Beaufort Buildings in the Strand, and Attendance given for the Benefit of the young Merchants about the Exchange for two Hours every Day at Noon, except Saturdays, at a ToyShop near Garraway's Coffee-Houfe. There will be likewife Taught The Ceremony of the Snuff-Box, or Rules for offering Snuff to a Stranger, a Friend, or a Miftress, according to the Degrees of Familiarity or Distance; with an Explanation of the Careless, the Scornful, the Politick, and the Surly Pinch, and the Geftures proper to each of

them.

N. B

N. B. The Undertaker does not queftion but in a short time to have formed a Body of Regular Snuff-Boxes ready to meet and make Head against all the Regiment of Fans which have been lately Difciplined, and are now in Motion.

T

N° 139. Thursday, August 9.

Vera Gloria radices agit, atque etiam propagatur. Ficta omnia celeriter, tanquam flofculi, decidunt, nec fimulatum poteft quidquam effe diuturnum.

OF

Tull.

F all the Affections which attend Humane Life, the Love of Glory is the moft ardent. According as this is Cultivated in Princes, it produces the greatest Good or the greatest Evil. Where Sovereigns have it by Impreffions received from Education only, it creates an Ambitious rather than a Noble Mind; where it is the natural Bent of the Prince's Inclination, it prompts him to the Purfuit of Things truly Glorious. The two greatest Men now in Europe (according to the common Acceptation of the Word Great) are Lewis King of France, and Peter Emperor of Ruffia. As it is certain that all Fame does not arife from the Practice of Virtue, it is, methinks, no unpleafing Amusement to examine the Glory of thefe Potentates, and diftinguish that which is empty, perifhing and frivolous, from what is folid, lafting, and important. Lewis of France had his Infancy attended by Crafty and Worldly Men, who made Extent of Territory the moft glorious Inftance of Power, and miftook the spreading of Fame for the Acquifition of Honour. The young Monarch's Heart was by fuch Converfation easily deluded into a Fondnefs for Vain-glory, and upon thefe unjuft Principles to form or fall in with fuitable Projects of Invafion, Rapine, Murder, and all the Guilts that attend War when it is unjuft. At the fame time this Tyranny was laid, Sciences and Arts were encouraged in the most generous manner, as if Men of higher

higher Faculties were to be bribed to permit the Maffacre of the rest of the World. Every Superftructure which the Court of France built upon their firft Designs, which were in themselves vicious, was fuitable to its falfe Foundation. The Oftentation of Riches, the Vanity of Equipage, Shame of Poverty, and Ignorance of Modefty, were the common Arts of Life: The generous Love of one Woman was changed into Gallantry for all the Sex, and Friendships among Men turned into Commerces of Intereft, or mere Profeffions. While these were the Rules of Life, Perjuries in the Prince, and a general Corruption of Manners in the subject, were the Snares in which France has entangled all her Neighbours. With fuch falfe Colours have the Eyes of Lewis been enchanted from the Debauchery of his early Youth, to the Superftition of his prefent old Age. Hence it is, that he has the Patience to have Statues erected to his Prowess, his Valour, his Fortitude; and in the Softneffes and Luxury of a Court, to be applauded for Maguanimity and Enterprize in Military Atchievements.

PETER ALEXOVITZ of Ruffia, when he came to Years of Manhood, though he found himself Emperor of a vast and numerous People, Mafter of an endless Territory, abfolute Commander of the Lives and Fortunes of his Subjects, in the midft of this unbounded Power and Greatnefs turned his Thoughts upon himself and People with Sorrow. Sordid Ignorance and a Brute Manner of Life this Generous Prince beheld and contemned from the Light of his own Genius. His Judgment fuggested this to him, and his Courage prompted him to amend it. In order to this he did not fend to the Nation from whence the rest of the World has borrowed its Politenefs, but himfelf left his Diadem to learn the true Way to Glory and Honour, and Application to ufeful Arts, wherein to employ the Laborious, the Simple, the Honeft part of his People. Mechanick Employments and Operations were very justly the firft Objects of his Favour and Obfervation. With this glorious Intention he travelled into Foreign Nations in an obfcure Manner, above receiving little Honours where he fojourned, but prying into what was of more Confequence, their Arts of Peace and of War. By this means

has

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