OURS is the only Country, perhaps, in the whole World, where every Man, rich and poor, dares to have a Humour of his own, and to avow it upon all Occafions. I make no doubt, but that it is to this great Freedom of Temper, and this unconstrained manner of Living that we owe, in a great Measure, the Number of fhining Genius's, which rife up amongft us from time to time, in the feveral Arts and Sciences, for the Service and for the Ornament of Life. This frank and generous Difpofition in a People, will likewife never fail to keep up in their Minds an Averfion to Slavery, and be, as it were, a ftanding Bulwark of their Liberties. So long as ever Wit and Humour continues, and the Generality of us will have their own way of Thinking Speaking and Acting, this Nation is not like to give any Quarter to an Invader, and much less to bear with the Abfurdities of Popery, in Exchange for an established and a reasonable Faith.

N° 145.

Thursday, August 27.

Fura neget fibi nata, nihil non arroget armis. Hor.

A

MONGST the feveral Challenges and Letters which my Paper of the 25th has brought upon me, there happens to be one which I know not well what to make of. I am doubtful whether it is the Archuefs of fome Wag,, or the serious Refentment of a Coxcomb, that vents his Indignation with an infipid Pertnefs. In either of these two Lights I think it may divert my Readers, for which Reafon I fhall make no fcruple to comply with the Gentleman's Requeft, and make his Letter Publick.

Old Tefty,

YOUR

Tilt yard Coffee-house,

YOUR grey Hairs for once fhall be your Protection, and this Billet a fair Warning to you for your audacious Raillery upon the Dignity of long Swords.

Look

Look to it for the future; confider, we Brothers of the • Blade are Men of a long Reach: Think betimes,

་

How many Perils do environ

The Man that meddles with cold Iron.

It has always been held dangerous to play with EdgeTools. I grant you, we Men of Valour are but aukward Jefters; we know not how to repay Joke for Joke, but then we always make up in Point what we want in Wit. He that fall rafhly attempt to regulate our Hilts, or reduce our Blades, had need to have a ‚' Heart of Oak, as well as Sides of Iron. Thus much for the Prefent. In the mean time Bilbo is the Word, remember that and tremble.

Tho. Swagger.

THIS jocofe manner of bullying an old Man, so long as it affords fome Entertainment to my Friends, is what I fhall not go about to difcourage. However, my witty Antagonist must give me leave, fince he attacks me in Proverbs, to exchange a Thruft or two with him at the fame Weapons; and fo let me tell Mr. Swagger, There is no catching old Birds with Chaff; and that Bragg is a good Dog, but Hold fast is a better. Fore-warned, fore-armed. Having difpatched this Combatant, and given him as good as he brings, I proced to exhibit the Cafe of a Person who is the very Reverse of the former; the which he lays befare me in the following Epiftle.

Worthy SIR,

Arn the most unfortunate of Men, if you do not fpeedily interpofe with your Authority in behalf of a Gentleman, who by his own Example has for these fix Months endeavoured, at the Peril of his Life, to bring little Swords into Fashion, in hopes to prevail upon the Gentry by that means (winning them over Inch by Inch) to appear without any Swords at all. It was my Miffortune to call in at Tom's laft Night a little fudled, where I happened only to point towards an odd Fellow with a monftrous Sword, that made a Ring round him, as he turned upon his Heel to speak to one or other in

the

the Room. Upon this Peccadillo, the bloody-minded ⚫ Villain has fent me a Challenge this Morning. I tremble at the very Thoughts of it, and am Sick with the Apprehenfion of feeing that Weapon naked, which terrified me in the Scabbard. The unconscionable Ruffian defires, in the most civil Terms, he may have the Honour of measuring Swords with me. Alas, Sir, mine is not (Hilt and all) above Foot and half. I take • the Liberty of enclosing it to you in my Whig-Box, and fhall be eternally obliged to you, if, upon fight of it, your Compaffion may be fo far moved, as to occafion you to write a good Word for me to my Adverfary, or to fay any thing that may fhame him into Reason, and fave at once the Life and Reputation of,

Good Mr. Bodkin,

ΤΗ

SIR, Your most devoted Slave,

Timothy Bodkin.

HE Perufal of this Paper will give you to underftand, that your Letter, together with the little Implement you sent me in the Band-Box, came fafe to my Hands. From the Dimensions of it I perceive your Courage lies in a narrow Compafs. Suppofe you fhould fend this Bravo the Fellow to it, and defire him to meet you in a Closet, letting him know, at the fame time, that you fight all your Duels under Lock and Key for the fake of Privacy. But, if this Propofal feems a little too rash, I fhall fend my Servant with your Sword to the Perfon offended, and give him Inftructions to tell him, you are a little Pur-blind, and dare not for that Reason trust to a longer Weapon, and that an Inch in his Body will do your Business as an Ell: Or, if you would have me proceed yet more cautiouffy, my Servant fhall let him know, as from me, that he fhould meddle with his Match; and that alone, if he be a Man of Honour, will make him reflect; if otherwife (as I am very inclinable to doubt it) you need give your felf no farther unneceffary Fears; but rely upon the Truth of my Remarks upon the Terribles. I have bethought my felf of one Expedient more for you, which feems to be the moft likely to fucceed. Send your own Servant to wait upon the Gentleman.

Let

1

Let him carry with him your Sword, and a Letter, in which you tell him, that admiring the Magnificence and Grandeur of his Weapon at Tom's, you thought it great Pity, fo Gallant a Cavalier fhould not be compleatly armed; for which Reason you humbly request, that you may have the Honour of presenting him with a Dagger. I am, S IR,

Your Faithful Servant,

NESTOR IRONSIDE.

I received a Letter laft Week from one of my Female Wards, who fubfcribes her felf Teraminta. She feems to be a Lady of great Delicacy, by the Concern fhe fhows for the Lofs of a fmall Covering, which the generality of the Sex have laid afide. She is in Pain, and full of thofe Fears, which are natural in a State of Virginity, leaft any, the fmalleft Part of her Linnen, fhould be in the Poffeffion of a Man. In Compliance therefore with her Requeft, and to gratifie her Modefty fo far as lies in my Power, I have given Orders to my Printer to make Room for her Advertisement in this Day's Paper.

ADVERTISEMENT.

Auguft 19. Whereas a Modefty-Piece was loft at the Masquerade laft Monday Night, being the 17th Inftant, between the Hours of Twelve and One, the Author of this Paper gives Notice, that if any Perfon will put it into the Hands of Mr. Daniel Button, to be returned to the Owner, it shall by her be acknowledged as the last Favour, and no Questions asked.

N. B. It is of no Ufe, but to the Owner.

Friday,

N° 146.

Friday, August 28.

Primus hominum leonem manu tractare aufus, & oftendere manfuefactum, Hanno è clariffimis Panorum traditur.

T

Plin.

HE Generality of my Readers, I find, are fo well pleafed with the Story of the Lion, in my Paper of the 20th Inftant, and with my Friend's Defign of compiling a Hiftory of that noble Species of Animals; that a great many Ingenious Perfons have promised me their Affiftance to bring in Materials for the Work, from all the Store-houses of Ancient and Modern Learning, as well as from Oral Tradition. For a farther Encouragement of the Undertaking, a confiderable number of Virtuofi have offered, when my Collections fhall fwell into a reasonable Bulk, to contribute very handfomly, by way of Subfcription, towards the Printing of them in Folio, on a large Royal Paper, curiously adorned with Variety of Forefts, Defarts, Rocks and Čaves, and Lions of all Sorts and Sizes upon Copper Plates by the best Hands. A rich old Batchelor of Lyon's-Inn, (who is Zealous for the Honour of the Place in which he was Educated) fends me Word, I may depend upon a Hundred Pounds from him, towards the Embellishing of the Work; affuring me, at the same time, that he will fet his Clerk to search the Records, and enquire into the Antiquities of that House, that there may be no Stone left unturned to make the Book compleat. Confidering the Volumes, that have been written upon Infects and Reptiles, and the vast Expence and Pains fome Philofophers have been at to difcover, by the help of Glaffes, their almost imperceptible Qualities and Perfections; it will not, I hope, be thought unreafonable, if the Lion (whofe Majeftick Form lies open to the naked Eye) should take up a first-rate Folio. A worthy Merchant, and a Friend of mine, fends me the following Letter, to be inferted in my Commentaries upon Lions.

SIR,