from Felicia, an island in America, with an account that gives me great fatisfaction, and lets me understand that the ifland was never in greater profperity, or the administration in fo good hands, fince the death of their late glorious King, Thefe letters import, that the chief minitter has entered into a firm league with the ableft and best men of the nation, to carry on the cause of liberty, to the encouragement of religion, virtue, and honour. Thofe perfons at the helm are fo ufeful, and in themfelves of fuch weight, that their ftrict alliance muft needs tend to the univerfal profperity of the people, Camillo, it feems, prefides over the deliberations of ftate; and is fo highly valued by all men for his fingular probity, courage, affability, and love of mankind, that his being placed in that station has diffipated the fears of that people, who of all the world are the most jealous of their liberty and happiness. The next member of their fociety is Horatio, who makes all the public difpatches. This minifter is mafter of all the languages in ufe to great perfection: he is held in the highest veneration imaginable for a fevere honesty, and love of his country: he lives in a court unfullied with any of it's artifices, the refuge of the oppreffed, and terror of oppreffors. Martio has joined himself to this council; a man of moft undaunted refolution and great knowledge in maritime affairs; famous for deftroying the navy of the Franks, and fingularly happy in one particular, that he never preferred a man who has not proved remarkably ferviceable to his country. Philander is mentioned with particular diftinction; a nobleman who has the most refined taste of the true pleafures and elegance of life, joined to an indefatigable industry in businefs; a man eloquent in affemblies, agreeable in converfation, and dextrous in all manner of public negociations. Thefe letters add, that Verono, who is alfo of this council, has lately fet fail to his government of Patricia, with defign to confirm the affections of the people in the interests of his queen. This minifter is master of great abilities; and is as industrious and reftlefs for the prefervation of the liberties of the people, as the greatest enemy can be to fubvert them. The influence of thefe perfonages, who are men of fuch diftinguished parts and virtues, makes the people enjoy the utmoft tranquillity in the inidft of a war, and gives them undoubted hopes of a fecure peace from their vigilance and integrity. N° V. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1709. Since fo debauch'd by ill-bred customs here? To an exact perfection they have brought The action, love, the paffion is forgot. This was long ago a witty author's lamentation, but the evil ftill continues; and if a man of any delicacy were to attend the difcourfes of the young fellows of this age, he would believe there were none but prostitutes to make the objects of paffion. So true it is what the author of the above verses faid, a little before his death, of the modern pretenders to gallantry: They fet up for wits in this age, by faying, when they are sober, what they of the laft fpoke only ⚫ when they were drunk.' But Cupid is not only blind at prefent, but dead drunk; he has lost all his faculties: elfe how fhould Celia be fo long a maid, with that agreeable behaviour? Corinna 1 with that fprightly wit? Lesbia with that heavenly voice? and Sacharissa with all thofe excellencies in one perfon, frequent the park, the play, and murder the poor tits that drag her to public places, and not a man turn pale at her appearance? But fuch is the fallen state of love, that if it were not for honest Cynthio, who is true to the caufe, we fhould hardly have a pattern left of the ancient worthies that way: and indeed he has, but very little encouragement to perfevere; but he has a devotion, rather than love, for his mistress, and fays--. Only tell her that I love, Leave the reft to her and fate; Lovers on their stars must wait. But the ftars I am fo intimately acquainted with, that I can affure him that he will never have her: for, would you believe it? though Cynthio has wit, good fenfe, fortune, and his very being depends depends upon her, the termagant for WILL'S COFFEE-HOUSE, APRIL 20. I THIS week being facred to holy things, and no public diverfions allowed, there has been taken notice of, even here, a little treatife, called A Project for the Advancement of Religion: dedicated to the Countefs of • Berkeley.' The title was fo uncommon, and promised fo peculiar a way of thinking, that every man here has read it, and as many as have done fo have approved it. It is written with the fpirit of one who has feen the world enough to undervalue it with good-breeding. The author must certainly be a man of ST. JAMES'S COFFEE-HOUSE, APRIL 20. LETTERS from [Italy fay, that the Marquis de Prie, upon the receipt of an exprefs from the court of Vienna, went immediately to the palace of Paulucci, minifter of ftate to his Holiness, and demanded in the name of his Im- dinal reported this meffage to the Pope, Lafely fafely arrived at Barcelony, with the troops and ammunition which he had taken in at Naples. General Boneval, governor of Commachio, had fummoned the magiftrates of all the towns near that place to appear before him, and take an oath of fidelity to his Imperial Majefty, commanding alfo the gentry to pay him homage, on pain of death and confifcation of goods. Advices from Switzerland inform us, that the bankers of Geneva were utterly mined by the failure of Mr. Bernard. They add, that the deputies of the Swiss Cantons were returned from Soleure, where they were affembled at the intance of the French ambassa lor, but were very much diffatisfied with the reception they had from that minister. It is true he omitted no civilities or expreffons of friendship from bis mafter, but he took no notice of their penfions and arrears: what further provoked their indignation was, that inftead of twentyfire piftoles, formerly allowed to each member for their charge in coming to the diet, he had prefented them with fix only. They write from Drefilen, that King Augustus was ftill bufy in recruiting his cavalry, and that the Danish troops that lately ferved in Hungary had orders to be in Saxony by the middle of May; and that his Majesty of Denmark was expected at Drefden in the beginning of that month. King Auguftus makes great preparations for his reception, and has appointed fixty coaches, each drawn by fix horfes, for that purpole: the interview of these princes affonts great matter for fpeculation. Letters from Paris of the 224 of this month fav, that Marshal Harcourt and the Duke of Berwick were preparing to go into Alface and Dauphiné, but that their troops were in want of all manner of necelaries. The court of France had received advices from Madrid, that on the 7th of this month the States of Spain had with much magnificence acknowledged the Prince of Afturias prefumptive-heir to the crown. This was performed at Buen-Retiro; the deputies took the oaths on that occafion from the hands of Car. dina Portocarrero. Thefe advices add, that it was fignified to the Pope's nuncio, by order of council, to depart from that court in twenty-four hours, and that a guard was accordingly appointed to conduct him to Bayonne. Letters from the Hague of the 26th inftant inform us, that Prince Eugene was to fet out the next day for Bruffels, to put all things in a readiness for opening the campaign. They add, that the Grand Penfioner having reported to the Duke of Marlborough what paffed in the laft conference with Mr. Rouilla, his Grace had taken a refolution immediately to return to Great Britain, to communicate to her Majefty all that has been tranfacted in that important affair. FROM MY OWN APARTMENT, APRIL 25. THE nature of my mifcellaneous work is fuch, that I thall always take the liberty to tell for news fuch things (let them have happened never fo much before the time of writing) as have efcaped public notice, or have been mifreprefented to the world; provided that I am fill within rules, and trefpaís not as a Tatler any farther than in an incorrectness of tile, and writing in an air of common fpeech. Thus, if any thing that is faid, even of old Anchifes or Eneas, be fet by me in a different light than has hitherto been hit upon, in order to infpire the love and adinira tion of worthy actions, you will, gentle reader, I hope, accept of it for intelli gence you had not before. But I am going upon a narrrative, the matter of which I know to be true: it is not only doing juftice to the deceafed merit of fuch perfons, as, had they lived, would not have had it in their power to thank me, but also an inftance of the greatness of fpirit in the lowest of her Majelly's fubjects. Take it as follows: At the ficge of Namur by the Allies, there were in the ranks of the company commanded by Captain Pincent, in Co lonel Frederick Hamilton's regiment, one Unnion a corporal, and one Valentine a private centinel. There happened between thofe two men a dispute about a matter of love, which, upon fome aggravations, grew to an irreconcileable hatred. Unnion being the officer of Valentine, took all opportunities even to ftrike his rival, and profefs the fpite and revenge which moved him to it. The centinel bore it without refiftance; but frequently faid, he would die to be revenged of that tyrant. They had spent whole months thus, one in uring, the other complaining; when in the midft of C this this rage towards each other, they were commanded upon the attack of the caftle, where the corporal received a shot in the thigh, and fell. The French preffing on, and he expecting to be trampled to death, called cut to his enemy Ah, Valentine! can you leave me here?' Valentine immediately ran back, and in the midst of a thick fire of the French took the corporal upon his back, and brought him through all that danger as far as the abbey of Salfine, where a cannon ball took off his head: his body fell under his enemy whom he was carrying off. Unnion immediately forgot his wound, rofe up, tearing his hair, and then threw himself upon the bleeding carcafe, crying-Ah, Valentine! " was it for me who have fo barbaroufly ufed thee, that thou haft died? I will not live after thee." He was not by any means to be forced from the body, but was removed with it bleeding in his arins, and attended with tears by all their comrades who knew their eminity. When he was brought to a tent, his wounds were dreffed by force; but the next day ftill calling upon Valentine, and lamenting his cruelties to him, he died in the pangs of remorfe and deSpair. It may be a question among men of noble fentiments, whether of these unfortunate perfons had the greater foul? he that was fo generous as to venture his life for his enemy, or he who could not furvive the man that died, in laying upon him fuch an obligation? When we fee fpirits like thefe in a people, to what heights may we not fuppofe their glory may rife? but (as it is excellently obferved in Salluft) it is not only to the general bent of a nation that I great revolutions are owing, but to the This he fays to in No VI. SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 1709. WILL'S COFFEE-HOUSE, APRIL 22. Am juft come from vifiting Sappho, As are the paffages in Milton and in Dry'den. All Milton's thoughts are won⚫derfully just and natural, in that ini mitable defcription which Adam makes ⚫ of himself in the eightht book of Para• dife Loft. But there is none of them. finer than that contained in the following lines, where he tells us his thoughts, when he was falling asleep a little after the creation: While thus I call'd, and stray'd I knew not From whence I first drew air, and first beheld I then was pailing to my former ftate 'But now I cannot forgive this odious thing, this Dryden, who, in his State of Innocence, has given my greatgrandmother Eve the fame apprehenfion of annihilation on a very different occafion; as Adam pronounces it of himfelf, when he was feized with a pleafing kind of ftupor and deadness, Eve fancies herself falling away, and diffolving in the hurry of a rapture. However, the verfes are very good, ⚫ and I do not know but what the fays may be natural; I will read them: When your kind eyes look'd languishing on And wreathing arms did foft embraces join; Immortal pleasures round my fwimming eyes did dance, And fpeechlefs joys, in whofe fweet tumults toft, I thought my breath and my new being left. She went, and faid a thoufand good things at random, but fo ftrangely mixed, that you would be apt to fay all her wit is mere good luck, and not the effect of reafon and judgment. When I made my escape hither, I found a gentleman playing the critic on two other great poets, even Virgil and Homer. He was obferving, that Virgil is more judicious than the other in the epithets he gives his hero. Homer's ufual epithet, faid he, is Пodas anus, or Пodagens, and his ⚫ indiscretion has been often raillied by ⚫ the critics, for mentioning the nim • bleness of foot in Achilles, though he defcribes him ftanding, fitting, lying 'down, fighting, eating, drinking, or in any other circumitance, however foreign or repugnant to speed and activity. Virgil's common epithet to < neas is Pias, or Pater. I have therefore confidered,' faid he, what paffage there is in any of his hero's actions, where either of thefe appellations would have been moft improper, to fee if I could catch him at the fame fault with Homer: and this, I think, is his meeting with Dido in the cave, where Pius Æneas would have been abfurd, and Pater Eneas a burlefque: the poet has therefore wifely dropped them both for Dux Trojanus Speluncam Dido dux e: Trajanus eandem which he has repeated twice in Juno's fpeech and his own narration: for he very well knew a loose action, might 'be confiftent enough with the ufual manners of a foldier, though it became neither the chastity of a pious man, nor the gravity of the father of a 'people.' GRECIAN COFFEE-HOUSE, APRIL 22. WHILE other parts of the town are amufed with the prefent actions, we generally spend the evening at this table in enquiries into antiquity, and think any thing news which gives us new knowledge. Thus we are making a very pleafant entertainment to ourselves, in putting the actions of Homer's Iliad into an exact journal. This poem is introduced by Chryfes, King of Chryfa and prieft of Apollo, who comes to re-demand his daughter, who had been carried off at the taking of that city, and given to Agamemnon for his part of the booty. The refufal he received enrages Apollo, who for nine days fhowered down darts upon them, which occafioned the peftilence. The tenth day Achilles affembled the council, and encourages Chalcas to speak for the furrender of Chryfeïs, to appease Apollo. Agamemnon and Achilles ftorm at one another; notwithstanding which, Agamemnon will not release his prifoner, unless he has Brifeïs in her ftead. After long conteftations, wherein Agamemnon gives a glorious cha C 2 racter |