N° 616. Friday, November 5. Qui bellus homo eft, Cotta, pufillus homo eft. C Martial. ICERO hath obferved, that a Jeft is never uttered with a better Grace, than when it is accompanied with a ferious Countenance. When a pleafant Thought plays in the Features, before it difcovers it felf in Words, it raifes too great an Expectation, and lofes the Advantage of giving Surprife. Wit and Humour are no lefs poorly recommended by a Levity of Phrafe, and that kind of Language which may be diftinguished by the Name of Cant. Ridicule is never more strong, than when it is concealed in Gravity. True Humour lies in the Thought, and arifes from the Reprefentation of Images in odd Circumstances, and uncommon Lights. A pleafant Thought ftrikes us by the Force of its natural Beauty; and the Mirth of it is generally rather palled, than heighten'd by that ridiculous Phrafeology, which is fo much in Fashion among the Pretenders to Humour and Pleafantry. This Tribe of Men are like our Mountebanks; they make a Man a Wit, by patting him in a fantastick Habit. OUR little Burlefque Authors, who are the Delight of ordinary Readers, generally abound in thefe pert Phrafes, which have in them more Vivacity than Wit. I lately faw an Inftance of this kind of Writing, which gave me fo lively an Idea of it, that I could not forbear begging a Copy of the Letter from the Gentleman who fhew'd it to me. It is written by a Country Wit, upon the Occafion of the Rejoicings on the Day of the King's Coronation. Dear 6 Dear Jack, I Paft two o Clock and a frofty Morning. Have just left the Right Worfhipful and his Myrmidons about a Sneaker of Five Gallons. The whole Magistracy was pretty well difguifed before I gave 'em the Slip. Our Friend the Alderman was half Seas over before the Bonefire was out. We had with us the Attorney, and two or three other bright Fellows. The Doctor plays leaft in fight. AT Nine o' Clock in the Evening we fet Fire to the Whore of Babylon. The Devil acted his Part to a Miracle. He has made his Fortune by it. We equipp'd the young Dog with a Tefter a-piece. Ho• neft old Brown of England was very drunk, and showed his Loyalty to the Tune of a hundred Rockets. The Mob drank the King's Health on their Marrowbones, in Mother Day's Double. They whipped us half a dozen Hogfheads. Poor Tom Tyler had like to • have been demolished with the End of a Sky-Rocket, • that fell upon the Bridge of his Nofe as he was drinking the King's Health, and spoiled his Tip. The Mob were very loyal 'till about Midnight, when they grew a little mutinous for more Liquor. They had like to • have dumfounded the Justice; but his Clerk came in C to his Affiftance, and took them all down in Black and • White. WHEN I had been huzza'd out of my Seven Senfes, • I made a Vifit to the Women, who were guzzling very comfortably. Mrs. Mayorefs clipped the King's Eng lifh. Clack was the Word. I forgot to tell thee, that every one of the Poffe had his Hat cocked with a Diftich: The Senators fent us down a Cargo of Ribbon and Metre for the Occafion. SIR Richard, to fhew his Zeal for the Proteftant • Religion, is at the Expence of a Tar-Barrel and a Bail. I peeped into the Knight's great Hall, and faw a very pretty Bevy of Spinfters. My dear Relict was among t them, and ambled in a Country-Dance as notably as the best of 'em. & MAY MAY all his Majefty's liege Subjects love him as well as his good People of this his ancient Borough. Adieu. N° 617. Monday, November 8. Torva Mimallineis implerunt cornua bombis, T Perfius. HERE are two Extremes in the Stile of Humour, one of which confifts in the Ufe of that little pert Phrafeology which I took notice of in my laft Paper; the other in the Affectation of trained and pompous Expreffions, fetched from the learned Languages.. The firft favours too much of the Town; the other of the College. AS nothing illuftrates better than Example, I fhall here prefent my Reader with a Letter of Pedantick Humour, which was written by a young Gentleman of the Univerfity to his Friend; on the fame Occafion, and from. the fame Place, as the lively Epistle published in my laft Spectator. Dear Cham, IT T is now the third Watch of the Night, the greateft Part of which I have fpent round a capacious Bowl of China, filled with the choiceft Products of both the Indies. I was placed at a quadrangular Table, diametrically oppofite to the Mace-bearer. The Vifage of that venerable Herald was, according to Cuftom, moft gloriously illuminated on this joyful Occafion. The Mayor and Aldermen, thofe Pillars of our Conflitution, began to totter; and if any one at the Board could have fo far articulated, as to have demanded intelligibly a Reinforcement of Liquor, the whole 'whole Affembly had been by this time extended under the Table. THE Celebration of this Night's Solemnity was opened by the obftreperous Joy of Drummers, who, with their Parchment Thunder, gave a Signal for the Appearance of the Mob under their feveral Claffes and Denominations. They were quickly joined by the melodious Clank of Marrow-bone and Cleaver, while a Chorus of Bells filled up the Confort. A Pyramid of Stack-Faggots cheared the Hearts of the Populace with the Promife of a Blaze: The Guns had no fooner uttered the Prologue, but the Heavens were brightned with artificial Meteors, and Stars of our own making; and all the High-ftreet lighted up from one End to another, with a Galaxy of • Candles. We collected a Largefs for the Multitude, who tippled Eleemofynary till they grew exceeding Vociferous. There was a Pafte-board Pontiff, with a little fwarthy Dæmon at his Elbow, who, by his diabolical Whispers and Infinuations tempted his Holiness into the Fire, and then left him to shift ' for himself. The Mobile were very farcaftick with their Clubs, and gave the old Gentleman several Thumps upon his triple Head-piece. Tom Tyler's Phiz is fomething damaged by the Fall of a Rocket, which hath almoft fpoiled the Gnomon of his CounThe Mirth of the Commons grew fo very outrageous, that it found Work for our Friend of the Quorum, who, by the help of his Amanuenfis, took down all their Names and their Crimes, with a Defign to produce his Manuscript at the next Quarter-Seffions, • &c. &c. &c. tenance. I fhall fubjoin to the foregoing Piece of a Letter, the following Copy of Verfes tranflated from an Italian Poet, who was the Cleveland of his Age, and had Multitudes of Admirers. The Subject is an Accident that happened under the Reign of Pope Leo, when a Firework, that had been prepared upon the Castle of St. Angelo, begun to play before its time, being kindled by a Flash of Lightning. The Author hath writ. ten 3 ten his Poem in the fame kind of Stile, as that I have Every Line in it is a be forced to confider it know that the Cynick's already exemplified in Profe. Riddle, and the Reader must twice or thrice, before he will Tenement is a Tub, and Bacchus his Caft-coat a Hogfbead, &c. 'Twas Night, and Heav'n, a Cyclops, all the Day, The Pile, fill big with undifcover'd Shows, Whilft now the Multitude expect the Time, The Clouds invelop'd Heav'n from Humane Sight, Виз |