Page images
PDF
EPUB

making a panegyric on pieces of sagathy or long, and so much powdered, that your petitioner Scotch plaid, should entitle a man to a laced hat took notice of it, and said, "she wondered that or sword, a wig tied up with ribbands, or an lawyer would so spoil a new gown with powder." embroidered coat. The college say, this enor. To which it was answered, "that he was no mity proceeds from a sort of delirium in the lawyer, but a clergyman." Upon a wager of a brain, which makes it break out first about the pot of coffee, we overtook him, and your petihead, and, for want of timely remedies, fall upon tioner was soon convinced she had lost. the left thigh, and from thence, in little mazes Your petitioner, therefore desires your worand windings, run over the whole body, as ap-ship to cite the clergymen before you, and to pears by pretty ornaments on the buttons, but-settle and adjust the length of canonical periton-holes, garterings, sides of the breeches, and wigs, and the quantity of powder to be made the like. I beg the favour of you to give us a use of in them, and to give such other direcdiscourse wholly upon the subject of habits, tions as you shall think fit. 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,
dasher of Hats, and many other poor Suffer-
ers of the same Trade, showeth,

[ocr errors]

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.

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 subHaber-with 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 commonly, that a hat shall frequent, all winter, the finest and best assemblies without any ornament at all, and in May shall be tricked up with gold or silver, to keep company with rustics, and ride in the rain. All which premises your petitioners 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.

To Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire, Censor of Great
Britain.

The humble petition of Elizabeth Slender,

Spinster, showeth,

gives such a chastisement to their fancy, that all which they utter in company is as much above what you meet with in other conversation, as the charms of a modest, are superior to those of a light, woman. I therefore earnestly desire our young missionaries from the universities, to consider where they are, and not dress, and look, and move like young officers. It is no disad vantage 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 inankind 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 the Rev. Mr. Ralph Incense, Chaplain to the countess dowager of Brumpton. 'SIR,-I heard and saw you preach last Sunday. I am an ignorant young woman, and understood not half you said; but ah! your manThat on the twentieth of this instant De-ner, when you held up both your hands towards cember, her friend, Rebecca Hive, and your pe- our pew! Did you design to win me to heaven titioner, walking in the Strand, saw a gentle.or yourself? Your humble servant, man before us in a gown, whose periwig was sol

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

PENITENCE GENTLE.'

No. 271.]

Tuesday, January 2, 1710.*

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.

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 behaviour, 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 England; 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 secds 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.

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 ;† All I can do now for the further gratification but I should little deserve to be his, if I usurped of the town, is to give them a faithful explicathe glory of them. I must acknowledge at the tion of passages and allusions, and sometimes same time, that I think the finest strokes of wit of persons intended in the several scattered and humour in all Mr. Bickerstaff's lucubra-parts of the work. At the same time, I shall tions, are those for which he also is beholden to him.

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.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »