1 No. XII. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14. Veteres avias tibi de pulmone revello. PERS. I root th' old woman from my trembling heart. AT my coming to London, it was fome time before two or days; I could fettle myself in a houfe to my liking. I was forced to quit my first lodgings, by reafon of an officious landlady, that would be asking me every morning how I had flept. I then fell into an honest family, and lived very happily for above a week; when my landlord, who was a jolly good-natured man, took it into his head that I wanted company, and therefore would frequently come into my chamber to keep me from being alone. This I bore for three day but telling me one day that he was afraid I was me. lancholy, I thought it was high time for me to be gone, and accordingly took new lodgings that very night. About a week after, I found my jolly landlord, who, as I faid before, was an honest hearty man, had put me into an advertisement of the Daily Courant, in the following words: "Whereas a melancholy man left his lodgings on Thursday last in the afternoon, and was "afterwards seen going towards Iflington; if any one can give notice of him to R. B. fithmonger in the "Strand, he shall be very well rewarded for his pains." As I am the best man in the world to keep my own counsel, and my landlord the fishmonger not knowing my name, this accident of my life was never discovered to this very day. I am now fettled with a widow-woman, who has a great many children, and complies with my humour in every thing. I do not remember that we have exchanged a word together these five years; my coffee comes into my chamber every morning without afking for it; if I want fire, I point to my chimney; if water, to my bafon; upon which my landlady nods; as much as to fay the takes my meaning, and immediately obeys my fignals. fignals. She has likewife inodelled her family so well, that when her little boy offers to pull me by the coat, or prattle in my face, his eldeft fifter imm immediately calls him off, and bids him not disturb the gentleman. At my first entring into the family, I was troubled with the civility of their rifing up to me every time I came into the room; but my landlady, observing that upon thefe occafions I always cried pith, and went out again, has forbidden any fuch ceremony to be ufed in the house; fo that at prefent I walk into the kitchen or parlour without being taken notice of, or giving any interruption to the bufinets or difcourse of the family. The maid will ask her mistress (though I am by) whether the gentleman is ready to go to dinner, as the miftrefs (who is indeed an excellent housewife) fcolds at the fervants as heartily before my face as behind my back. In short, I move up and down the house, and enter into all companies with the fame liberty as a cat, or any other domeftic animal, and am as little fufpected of telling any thing that I hear or fee. I remember, laft winter there were feveral young girls of the neighbourhood fitting about the fire with my landlady's daughters, and telling stories of fpirits and apparitions. Upon my opening the door, the young women broke off their difcourse; but iny landlady's daughter telling them that it was nobody but the gentleman (for that is the name which I go by in the neighbourhood, as well as in the family) they went on without minding me. I feated myfelf by the candle that flood on a table at one end of the room; and pretending to read a book that I took out of my pocket, heard feveral dreadful ftories of ghosts as pale as ashes that had ftood at the fect of a bed, or walked over a church-yard by moonlight; and of others that had been conjured into the Red Sea for disturbing people's reft, and drawing their curtains at midnight; with many other old womens fables of the like nature. As one fpirit raised another, I observed that at the end of every story the whole company clofed their ranks, and crowded about the fire. I took notice in particular of a little boy, who was fo attentive to every story, that I am mistaken if he ventures to go to bed by himself this twelve-month. Indeed they talked fo long, that the imaginations of the whole affembly were manifeftly crazed; and, I am fure, will be the worfe for it as long as they live. I heard one of the girls, that had looked upon me over her shoulder, asking the company how long I had been in the room, and whether I did not look paler than I used to do. This put me under fome apprehenfions that I should be forced to explain myself if I did not retire; for which reason I took the candle in my hand, and went up into my chamber, not without wondering at this unaccountable weakness in reasonable creatures, that they should love to aftonish and terrify one another. Were I a father, I fhould take a particular care to preferve my children from these little horrors of imagination which they are apt to contract when they are young, and are not able to shake off when they are in years. I have known a foldier that has entered a breach, affrighted at his own shadow, and look pale upon a little scratching at his door, who the day before had marched up against a battery of cannon. There are inftances of perfons who have been terrified, even to diftraction, at the figure of a tree or the shaking of a bullrush. The truth of it is, I look upon a found imagination as the greatest bleffing of life; next to a clear judgment and a good confcience. In the mean time, fince there are very few whose minds are not more or less subject to these dreadful thoughts and apprehenfions, we ought to arm ourselves against them by the dictates of reafon and religion; " to pull the old woman “ out of our hearts" (as Perfius expresses it in the motto of my paper) and extinguish that impertinent notions which we imbibed at a time that we were not able to judge of their abfurdity. Or if we believe, as many wife and good men have done, that there are fuch phantoms and apparitions as those I have been speaking of, let us endeavour to establish to ourselves an interest in Him who holds the reins of the whole creation in his hand, and moderates them after fuch a manner, that it is impoffible poffible for one being to break loofe upon another without his knowledge and permuifion. For my own part, I am apt to join in opinion with those who believe that all the regions of nature swarm with fpirits; and that we have multitudes of spectators on all our actions, when we think ourselves most alone; but, inftead of terrifying myself with fuch a notion, I am wonderfully pleased to think that I am always engaged with fuch an innumerable society, in fearching out the wonders of the creation, and joining in the fame confort of praife and adoration. Milton has finely described this mixed communion of men and spirits in Paradife; and had doubtless his eve upon a verse in old Heiod, which is almoft word for word in the fame with his third line in the following paf fage: --Nor think, though men were none, No. XIII. THURSDAY, MARCH 15. Dic mihi, fi fias tu leo, qualis eris? Were you a lion, how would you behave? c. MART. THERE is nothing that of late years has afforded matter of greater amusement to the town than Sig F2 nior nior Nicolini's combat with a Lion in the Hay-market, which has been very often exhibited, to the general fatisfaction of most of the nobility and gentry in the kingdom of Great Britain. Upon the first rumour of this intended combat, it was confidently affirmed, and is ftill believed by many in both galleries, that there would be a tame lion fent from the Tower every opera-night, in order to be killed by Hydafpes. This report, though altogether groundless, so univerfally prevailed in the upper regions of the play-house, that fome of the most refined politicians in those parts of the audience gave it out in whifper, that the lion was a couin-german of the tiger who made his appearance in King William's days, and that the flage would be fupplied with lions at the public expence, during the whole feffion. Many likewife were the conjectures of the treatment which this lion was to meet with from the hands of Signior Nicolini: forme supposed that he was to fubdue hiin in recitativo, as Orpheus used to ferve the wild beatts in his time, and afterwards to knock him on the head; fome fancied that the lion would not pretend to lay his paws upon the hero, by reason of the received opinion, that a lion will not hurt a virgin several, who pretended to have feen the opera in Italy, had informed their friends that the lion was to act a part in High Dutch, and roar twice or thrice to a thorough-bass before he fell at the feet of Hydafpes. To clear up a mater that was fo varioufly reported, I have made it my business to examine whether this pretended lion is really the favage he appears to be, or only a counterfeit. But before I communicate my discoveries, I must acquaint the reader, that upon my walking behind the scenes laft winter, as I was thinking of fomething else, I accidentally jostled against a monstrous animal that extremely startled me, and, upon my nearer furvey of it, appeared to be a lion rampant. The lion, feeing me very much furprised, told me, in a gentle voice, that I might come by him if I pleased; "for," fays he, " I " do not intend to hurt any body." I thanked him very kindly, and passed by him; and in a little time after faw |