ADVERTISEMENT. Whereas Plagius has been told again and again, both in public and private, that he preaches excellently well, and still goes on to preach as well as ever, and all this to a polite would not hereafter be so eloquent, except to a and learned audience: this is to desire, that he country congregation; the proprietors of Tillotlaw, whether preaching a sermon they have son's works having consulted the learned in the published, is not to be construed publishing their copy? Mr. Dogood is desired to consider, that his story is severe upon a weakness, and not a folly. No. 270.] Saturday, December 30, 1710. Cum pulchris tunicis sumet nova consilia et spes. 'MR. BICKERSTAFF,-I now take leave to address you in your character of Censor, and complain to you that among the various errors in conversation which you have corrected, there is one which, though it has not escaped a general reproof, yet seems to deserve a more particular severity. It is a humour of jesting on disagreeable subjects, and insisting on the jest, the more it creates uneasiness; and this some men think they have a title to do as friends. Is the design of jesting, to provoke? or does friendship give a privilege to say things with a design to shock ? How can that be called a jest which has nothing in it but bitterness? It is generally allowed necessary, for the peace of company, that men should a little study the tempers of each other; but certainly that must be in order to shun what is offensive, not to make it a constant entertainment. The frequent repetition of what appears harsh, will unavoidably leave a rancour that is fatal to friendship; and I doubt much whether it would be an argument of a man's good-humour, if he should be roused by perpetual teazing, to treat those who do it as his enemies. In a word, whereas, it is a common practice to let a story die, merely because it does not touch, I hink such as mention one they find does, are as troublesome to society, and as unfit for it, as wags, men of figure, good talkers, or any other apes in conversation; and therefore, for the public benefit, I hope you will cause them to be branded with such a name as they deserve. I am, sir, your's, PATIENT FRIENDLY.' The case of Ebenezer is a very common one, and is always cured by neglect. These fantastical returns of affection proceed from a certain vanity in the other sex, supported by a pervert. ed taste in ours. I must publish it as a rule, that no faults which proceed from the will, either in a mistress or a friend, are to be tole'Jack's Coffee-house, near Guildhall, Dec. 27. rated: but we should be so complaisant to ladies as to let them displease when they aim at doing liar blessing of our family to be always above 'COUSIN BICKERSTAFF,-It has been the pecuit. Pluck up a spirit, Ebenezer; recover the the smiles or frowns of fortune, and, by a ceruse of your judgment, and her faults will ap-tain greatness of mind, to restrain all irregular pear, or her beauties vanish. Her faults begin to please me as well as my own,' is a sentence very prettily put into the mouth of a lover by the comic poet; but he never designed it for a maxim of life, but the picture of an imperfection. If Ebenezer takes my advice, the same temper which made her insolent to his love will make her submissive to his indifference. I cannot wholly ascribe the faults, mentioned in the second letter, to the same vanity or pride in companions who secretly triumph over their friends, in being sharp upon them in things where they are most tender. But when this sort of behaviour does not proceed from that source, it does from barrenness of invention, and an inability to support a conversation in a way less offensive. It is the same poverty which makes men speak or write smuttily, that forces them to talk vexingly. As obscene language is an address to the lewd for applause, so are sharp allusions an appeal to the ill-natured. But mean and illiterate is that conversation, where one man exercises his wit to make another exercise his patience. * Congreve; see 'The way of the World,' act 1. sc. 3. From my own Apartment, December 29. ACCORDING to my late resolution, I take the holidays to be no improper season to entertain the town with the addresses of my correspondents. In my walks every day, there appear all round me very great offenders in the point of dress. An armed tailor had the impudence yesterday in the Park to smile in my face, and pull off a laced hat to me, as it were in contempt of my authority and censure. However, it is a very great satisfaction that other people, as well as myself, are offended with these improprieties. The following notices, from persons of different sexes and qualities, are a sufficient instance how useful my lucubrations are to the public. fondnesses or passions. From hence it is, that though a long decay, and a numerous descent, have obliged many of our house to fall into the has ever made an appearance that betrayed our arts of trade and business, no one person of us being unsatisfied with our own station of life, or has ever affected a mien or gesture unsuitable to it. 'You have up and down in your writings very justly remarked, that it is not this or the other profession or quality among men that gives ourselves in those characters. It is, therefore, us honour or esteem, but the well or ill behaving with no small concern, that I behold in coffeehouses and public places my brethren, the tradesmen of this city, put off the smooth, even, and ancient decorum of thriving citizens, for a fantastical dress and figure, improper for their perthat order and distinction, which of right ought sons and characters, to the utter destruction of to be between St. James's and Milk-street, the Camp and Cheapside.' 'I have given myself some time to find out how distinguishing the frays in a lot of muslins, or drawing up a regiment of thread laces, or making a panegyric on pieces of sagathy or Scotch plaid, should entitle a man to a laced hat or sword, a wig tied up with ribbands, or an embroidered coat. The college say, this enormity proceeds from a sort of delirium in the brain, which makes it break out first about the head, and, for want of timely remedies, fall upon the left thigh, and from thence, in little mazes and windings, run over the whole body, as appears by pretty ornaments on the buttons, button-holes, garterings, sides of the breeches, and the like. I beg the favour of you to give us a discourse wholly upon the subject of habits, which will contribute to the better government of conversation among us, and in particular oblige, sir, your affectionate cousin, 'FELIX TRANQUILLUS.' 'To Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire, Censor of Great Britain. The humble Petition of Ralph Nab, Haberdasher of Hats, and many other poor Sufferers of the same Trade, showeth, 'That for some years last past the use of gold and silver galoon upon hats has been almost universal; being undistinguishably worn by soldiers, esquires, lords, footmen, beaux, sportsmen, traders, clerks, prigs, smarts, cullies, pretty fellows, and sharpers. long, and so much powdered, that your petitioner took notice of it, and said, "she wondered that lawyer would so spoil a new gown with powder." To which it was answered, "that he was no lawyer, but a clergyman." Upon a wager of a pot of coffee, we overtook him, and your petitioner was soon convinced she had lost. "Your petitioner, therefore desires your worship to cite the clergymen before you, and to settle and adjust the length of canonical periwigs, and the quantity of powder to be made use of in them, and to give such other directions as you shall think fit. 'And your petitioner, &c. Query, whether this gentleman be not chaplain to a regiment, and, in such case, allow powder accordingly. After all that can be thought on these subwith a certain ambition to appear more than jects, I must confess, that the men who dress they are, are much more excusable than those who betray, in the adorning their persons, a secret vanity and inclination to shine in things, wherein, if they did succeed, it would rather lessen than advance their character. For this reason, I am more provoked at the allegations relating to the clergyman, than any other hinted at in these complaints. I have indeed a long 'That the said use and custom has been two time, with much concern, observed abundance ways very prejudicial to your petitioners. First, of pretty fellows in sacred orders, and shall in in that it has induced men, to the great damage due time let them know, that I pretend to give of your petitioners, to wear their hats upon ecclesiastical as well as civil censures. A man their heads; by which means the said hats last well-bred and well-dressed in that habit, adds to much longer whole, than they would do if worn the sacredness of his function an agreeableness under their arms. Secondly, in that very often not to be met with among the laity. I own I a new dressing and a new lace supply the place have spent some evenings among the men of of a new hat, which grievance we are chiefly wit of that profession with an inexpressible desensible of in the spring-time, when the com- light. Their habitual care of their character pany is leaving the town; it so happening com- gives such a chastisement to their fancy, that all monly, that a hat shall frequent, all winter, the which they utter in company is as much above finest and best assemblies without any ornament what you meet with in other conversation, as at all, and in May shall be tricked up with gold the charms of a modest, are superior to those or silver, to keep company with rustics, and ride of a light, woman. I therefore earnestly desire in the rain. All which premises your petition-our young missionaries from the universities, to ers humbly pray you to take into your consideration, and either to appoint a day in your Court of Honour when all pretenders to the galoon may enter their claims, and have them approved or rejected, or to give us such other relief as to your great wisdom shall seem meet. And your petitioners, &c.' Order my friend near Temple-bar, the author of the hunting-cock, to assist the court when this petition is read, of which Mr. Lillie to give him notice. consider where they are, and not dress, and look, and move like young officers. It is no disadvantage to have a very handsome white hand; but, were I to preach repentance to a gallery of ladies, I would, methinks, keep my gloves on. I have an unfeigned affection to the class of mankind appointed to serve at the altar, therefore am in danger of running out of my way, and growing too serious on this occasion; for which reason I shall end with the following epistle, which, by my interest in Tom Trot, the pennypost, I procured a copy of: 'To Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire, Censor of Great To the Rev. Mr. Ralph Incense, Chaplain to THE printer having informed me, that there are as many of these papers printed as will make four volumes, I am now come to the end of my ambition in this matter, and have nothing further to say to the world under the character of Isaac Bickerstaff. This work has, indeed, for some time been disagreeable to me, and the purpose of it wholly lost by my being so long understood as the author. I never designed in it to give any man any secret wound by my concealment, but spoke in the character of an old man, a philosopher, a humorist, an astrologer, and a censor, to allure my reader with the variety of my subjects, and insinuate, if I could, the weight of reason with the agreeableness of wit. The general purpose of the whole has been to recommend truth, innocence, honour, and virtue, as the chief ornaments of life; but I considered, that severity of manners was absolutely necessary to him who would censure others, and for that reason, and that only, chose to talk in a mask. I shall not carry my humility so far as to call myself a vicious man, but at the same time must confess, my life is at best but pardonable. And, with no greater character than this, a man would make but an indifferent progress in attacking prevailing and fashionable vices, which Mr. Bickerstaff has done with a freedom of spirit, that would have lost both its beauty and efficacy, had it been pretended to by Mr. Steele. As to the work itself, the acceptance it has met with is the best proof of its value; but I should err against that candour, which an honest man should always carry about him, if I did not own, that the most approved pieces in it were written by others, and those which have been most excepted against, by myself. The hand that has assisted me in those noble discourses upon the immortality of the soul, the glorious prospects of another life, and the most sublime ideas of religion and virtue, is a person who is too fondly my friend ever to own them ;† but I should little deserve to be his, if I usurped the glory of them. I must acknowledge at the same time, that I think the finest strokes of wit and humour in all Mr. Bickerstaff's lucubrations, are those for which he also is beholden to him. of them I was very little else but the transcriber. If any have been more particularly marked at, such persons may impute it to their own beha viour, before they were touched upon in publicly speaking their resentment against the author, and professing they would support any man who should insult him. When I mention this subject, I hope major-general Davenport, brigadier Bisset, and my lord Forbes, will accept of my thanks for their frequent good offices, in professing their readiness to partake any danger that should befall me in so just an undertaking, as the endeavour to banish fraud and cozenage from the presence and conversation of gentlemen. But what I find the least excusable part of all this work is, that I have, in some places in it, touched upon matters which concern both church and state. All I shall say for this is, that the points I alluded to, are such as concerned every Christian and freeholder in Eng. land; and I could not be cold enough to conceal my opinion on subjects which related to either of those characters. But politics apart. I must confess it has been a most exquisite pleasure to me to frame characters of domestic life, and put those parts of it which are least observed into an agreeable view; to inquire into the seeds of vanity and affectation, to lay before the readers the emptiness of ambition: in a word, to trace human life through all its mazes and recesses, and show much shorter methods than men ordinarily practise, to be happy, agreeable, and great. But to inquire into men's faults and weaknesses has something in it so unwelcome, that I have often seen people in pain to act before me, whose modesty only makes them think themselves liable to censure. This, and a thousand other nameless things, have made it an irksome task to me to personate Mr. Bickerstaff any longer; and I believe it does not often happen, that the reader is delighted where the author is displeased. All I can do now for the further gratification of the town, is to give them a faithful explication of passages and allusions, and sometimes of persons intended in the several scattered parts of the work. At the same time, I shall discover which of the whole have been written by me, and which by others, and by whom, as far as I am able, or permitted.* As for the satirical part of these writings, those against the gentlemen who profess gaming Thus, I have voluntarily done what I think are the most licentious; but the main of them I all authors should do when called upon. I have take to come from losing gamesters, as invec-published my name to my writings and given tives against the fortunate; for in very many * Steele's last Tatler came out to-day. You will see it before this comes to you, and how he takes leave of the world. He never told so much as Addison of it, who was surprised as much as I; but, to say the truth, it was time, for he grew cruel dull and dry. To my knowledge, he had several good hints to go upon; but he was so lazy, and weary of the work, that he would not improve them.-Swift's Works, vol. xxii. † Addison was the assistant here alluded to. myself up to the mercy of the town, as Shakspeare expresses it, with all my imperfections on my head.' The indulgent reader's most obliged, most obedient, humble servant, RICHARD STEELE. * This is done in the original preface to the fourth volume of the Tatler, printed at the beginning of the present edition. |