Italic character, hath also a very good effect upon the eye of the purchaser; not to mention scribbler, liar, rogue, rascal, knave, and villain, without which it is impossible to carry on a modern controversy. Our party-writers are so sensible of the secret virtue of an innuendo to recommend their productions, that of late they never mention the Q-n or Pt at length, though they speak of them with honour, and with that deference which is due to them from every private person. It gives a secret satisfaction to the peruser of those mysterious works, that he is able to decypher them without help, and, by the strength of his own natural parts, to fill up a blank space, or make out a word that has only the first or last letter to it. Some of our authors, indeed, when they would be more satirical than ordinary, omit only the vowels of a great man's name, and fall most unmercifully upon all the consonants. This way of writing was first of all introduced by T-m Br-wn, of facetious memory, who, after having gutted a proper name of all its intermediate vowels, used to plant it in his works, and make as free with it as he pleased, without any danger of the statute That I may imitate these celebrated authors, and publish a paper which shall be more taking than ordinary, I have here drawn up a very curious libel; in which the reader of penetration will find a great deal of concealed satire; and if he be acquainted with the present posture of affairs, will easily discover the meaning of it. "If there are four persons in the nation who endeavour to bring all things into confusion, and ruin their native country, I think every honest Engl-shm-n ought to be upon his guard. That there are such, every one will agree with me, who hears me name *** with his first friend and favourite ***, not to mention These people may cry ch-rch, ch-rch, as long as they please; but to make *** nor *** use of a homely proverb, The proof of the p-dd-ing is in the eating." This I am sure of, that if a certain prince should concur with a certain prelate, (and we have Monsieur Zn's word for it,) our posterity would be in a sweet p-ckle. Must the British nation suffer forsooth, because my Lady Q-p-t-s has been disobliged? Or is it reasonable that our English fleet, which used to be the terror of the ocean, should lie wind-bound for the sake of a ? I love to speak out, and declare my mind clearly, when I am talking for the good of my country. I will not make my court to an ill man, though he were a B- -y or a T-t. Nay, I would not stick to call so wretched a politician, a traitor, an enemy to his country, and a bl-nd-rb-ss, &c. &c." The remaining part of this political treatise, which is written after the manner of the most celebrated authors in Great Britain, I may communicate to the public at a more convenient season. In the mean while, I shall leave this with my curious reader, as some ingenious writers do their enigmas; and if any sagacious person can fairly unriddle it, I will print his explanation, and, if he pleases, acquaint the world with his name. I hope this short essay will convince my readers, it is not for want of abilities that I avoid state-tracts, and that if I would apply my mind to it, I might in a little time be as great a master of the political scratch as any the most eminent writer of the age. I shall only add, that in order to outshine all the modern race of syncopists, and thoroughly content my English readers, I intend shortly to publish a SPECTATOR, that shall not have a single vowel in it. I was yesterday in a coffee-house not far from the Royal Exchange, where I observed three persons in close conference over a pipe of tobacco upon which, having filled one for my own use, I lighted it at the little wax candle that stood before them: and after having thrown in two or three whiffs amongst them, I sat down, and made one of the company. I need not tell my reader, that lighting a man's pipe at the same candle, is looked upon among brother-smokers, as an overture to conversation and friendship. As we here laid our heads together, in a very amicable manner, being intrenched under a cloud of our own raising, I took up the last SPECTATOR, and casting my eye over it, "The SPECTATOR (says I) is very witty to-day;" upon which a lusty lethargic old gentleman, who sat at the upper-end of the table, having gradually blown. out of his mouth a great deal of smoke, which he had been collecting for some time before, "Ay, (says he,) more witty than wise, I am afraid." His neighbour, who sat at his right-hand, immediately coloured, and being an angry politician, laid down his pipe with so much wrath, that he broke it in the middle, and by that means furnished me with a tobacco-stopper. I took it up very sedately, and looking him full in the face, made use of it from time to time all the while he was speaking. "This fellow (says he) cannot, for his life, keep out of politics. Do you see how he abuses four great men here?" I fixed my eye very attentively on the paper, and asked him if he meant those who were represented by asterisks. Asterisks, (says he,) do you call then? They are all of them stars. He might as well have put garters to them. Then pray, do but mind the two or three next lines, ch-rch and p-dd-ng in the same sentence! Our clergy are very much beholden to him." Upon this, the third gentleman, who was of a mild disposition, and, as I found, a Whig in his heart, desired him not to be too severe upon the SPECTATOR neither; "For (says he) you find he is very cautious of giving offence, and has therefore put two dashes into his pudding." "A fig for his dash, (says the angry politician.) In his next sentence he gives a plain innuendo, that our posterity will be in a sweet p-ckle. What does the fool mean by his pickle? Why does he not write it at length, if he means honestly?" "I have read over the whole sentence, (says I ;) but I look upon the parenthesis in the belly of it, to be the most dangerous part, and as full of insinuations as it can hold. But who (says I) is my Lady Q-p-t-s ?" "Ay, answer that, if you can, Sir, (says the furious statesman to the poor Whig, that sat over-against him. But, without giving him time to reply,) I do assure you, (says he,) were I my Lady Q-p-t—s, I would sue him for fcandalum magnatum. What is the world come to? Must every body be allowed to -?" He had by this time filled a new pipe, and applying it to his lips, when we expected the last words of his sentence, put us off with a whiff of tobacco; which he redoubled with so much rage and trepidation, that he almost stifled the whole company. After a short pause, I owned, that I thought the SPECTATOR had gone too far in writing so many letters of my Lady Q-p-t-s's name; "but, however, (says I,) he has made a little amends for it in his next sentence, where he leaves a blank space, without so much as a consonant to direct us! I mean (says I,) after those, The fleet, that used to be the terror of the ocean, should lie wind-bound for the sake of a;' after which ensues a chasm, that, in my opinion, looks modest enough," "Sir, 1 (says my antagonist,) you may easily know his meaning by his gaping: I suppose he designs his chasm, as you call it, for an hole to creep out at; but I believe it will hardly serve his turn. Who can endure to see the great officers of state, the B-y's, and T-t's, treated after so scurrilous a manner?" "I cannot, for my life, (says I,) imagine who the SPECTATOR means?" "No! (says he) Your humble servant, Sir!" Upon which he flung himself back in his chair, after a contemptuous manner, and smiled upon the old lethargic gentleman on his left-hand, who I found was his great admirer. The Whig, however, had begun to conceive a good will towards me, and seeing my pipe out, very generously offered me the use of his box; but I declined it with great civility, being obliged to meet a friend about that time in another quarter of the city. At my leaving the coffee-house, I could not forbear reflecting with myself, upon that gross tribe of fools who may be termed the over-wise, and upon the difficulty of writing any thing in this censorious age, which a weak head may not construe into private satire and personal reflection. A man who has a good nose at an innuendo, smells treason and sedition in the most innocent words that can be put together, and never sees a vice or folly stigmatised, but finds out one or other of his acquaintance pointed at by the writer. I remember an empty pragmatical fellow in the country, who, upon reading over the Whole Duty of Man, had written the names of several persons in the village at the side of every sin which is mentioned by that excellent author; so that he had converted one of the best books in the world into a libel against the 'squire, church-wardens, overseers of the poor, and all other the most considerable persons in the parish. This book, with these extraordinary marginal notes, fell accidentally into the hands of one who had never seen it before; upon which there arose a cur |