a Gentleman as you are, you never think much of being my Meffenger into Chancery-lane to the Hand and Apple; therefore ftep thither, and call hither your good Friend Mr. Davis, and bid him bring along with him the best Rough and Smooth he can recommend to us. The genteel Meffenger made a leg, adapted himfelf to his Bufinefs, put on directly the Air of one of your Drawers, that study to be engaging in their Way, and s could hear him fcamper and rattle down Stairs just like them, with a great Nimbleness and an obliging Swiftnefs of Foot. Then his Mafter addrefs'd himself to me and as he does not want for a certain Gaiety of Mind that is agreeable, he was pleafed to rally himself and thofe of his Profeffion in thefe Words. Sir, fays he, this Mr. Davis keeps a Cellar, and we Brothers of the Quill, who are a kind of Terriers, in any Gentleman's Grounds where we can get our Nofes in, and where there is the leaft Scent of lawful Game to be at, refort thither very much, and make merry under Ground, and a Circle of our Miners think it a proper Place to regale in. We have got Mufick there, that very much vivifies and enlivens Converfation, fets afide the Horror of Mortality in the Vault, and puts us in mind, that we are still in a Capacity of writing the last Will and Teftament of many puny, fickly, confumptive Beaus, who are ftrutting carelefly over our Heads, and even of many of thofe hale, corpulent Mortals your Traders, that are plodding above Ground, to make their Pofterity enjoy other Peoples Fortunes, when they are laid low in the Grave. I think, Sir, continued he, you have been pleased to mention Mr. Davis, and this his Welsh-Tavern in one of your Papers. Animated and fired, as it were, with fo great an Applaufe, poor Perry the Mufician, is grown within a few Days to excel himself, and itrikes bolder Strokes upon his Harp than ever, to the Admiration of all his Hearers. Oh! and there's one thing more I must tell you, and that is, that the other Day a Dif pute arifing at a Tavern near this Place, between two Gentlemen, about calling for Party Tunes, a third that fat by Neuter, put an end to it immediately by Laughing, faying, Gentlemen, Don't you know how near you are to the SPECTATOR'S Mufick? If this Wrangle VOL. IX. N ben't

ben't hufh'd presently, I'll fend for old Perry to you out of hand. The Confequence was this, A Tune was play'd, the Words of which were written by that dexterous Lyrick, Mr. D'Urfey, which chides People for diftinguishing themselves into Wbig and Tory, which hath for its Burden, Here's a Health to all honeft Men.

BY this time Mr. Davis had got his Liquids ready, and entered the Room with great Complaifance; after telling us, that, Tho' he faid it, who should not say it, yet he would, and might juftly fay it, That no Cider in London, came in Competition with that which he had brought us. When this Ceremonial Preface was over, elevating, by degrees, his Bottle-hand above his Head, and lowering in the fame manner his Glafs-hand below the Pocket-holes, he pour'd out with great Evenness, as from an high and eminent Fountain, the foaming racy Liquor into three crystal Rummers, which were to the Eye like fo many tranfparent Cafcades. During this Operation, I muft needs fay, his CIDER made his Words good, at its firft Appearance, and recommending itfelf to our Lips, by fmiling and fparkling fo briskly in our Eyes; and I must further do it the Juftice to add, that the Tafte had no wrong Intelligence from the Eye; but that Goufty Senfe receiv'd a Pleasure very much fuperior to that enjoy'd only by the Senfe of Seeing. I ask'd Mr. Davis if my Mufician was below? He told me he was, and then bufied in playing to Company; and fignified that I fhould do him a great deal of Service by my Prefence there. Now I, who love to do any honeft Man Good, of what Condition foever, tho' I put my felf to a little Inconvenience in doing it, answer'd, That I would comply with his Requeft, if I was not a little too decrepid, too untrue of Foot for his pair of Stairs. I could perceive he looked a little dejected at my negative kind of Answer, and fo I told him, If he would lead me himself, and insure me to carry me down, and bring me up again fafe and found in Wind and Limb, that I would venture. He undertook it with great Joy, and had a special Care of my Perfon. I did not indeed think to have met with fuch good Company, and fuch cleanly Accommodation, as I found in this Place. I fat above a Quarter of an Hour there, and then was led

fafe

fafe up. I could fee him exprefs in his Looks a Gratitude at my Departure, as if I had done him fome great Favour. As foon as I got home, and had clapp'd myself down in my Elbow-Chair,_my_Servant told me, there was a little Hamper of CIDER fent by one Mr. Davis, upon which was this Infcription, Choice CIDER for the SPECTATOR's own Drinking. I order'd it to be open'd, and a Pottle to be pour'd out into Half Pottles, which is my Cuftom. I drank a whole Half Pint by my felf; and in my Fancy did not wonder that this Liquor fhould be a fruitful Subject for fo excellent a Poem, as that written by Mr. Philips, from whence I have taken these following Lines.

N

OW turn thine Eye to view Alcurian's Groves,

The Pride of the Pheacean Ifle, from whence Sailing the Spaces of the boundless Deep,

To Ariconium precious Fruits arriv'd;

The Pippin burnish'd o'er with Gold, the Moile
Of fweetest honey'd Tafte, the fair Permain

Temper'd, like comeliest Nymph, with Red and White;
Salopian Acres flourish with a Growth
Peculiarly ftiled Ottley: See thou first ¦
This Apple to tranfplant, if to the Name
Its Merit answers, no where fhalt thou find
A Wine more priz'd, or laudable of Tafte.
Nor does the Eliot leaft deferve thy Care,
Nor John-Apple, whose wither'd Rind, intrench'd
With many a Furrow aptly represents
Decrepid Age; nor that from Harvey nam'd,
Quick-relishing. Why fhould we fing the Thrift,
Codling or Pomroy, or of pimpled Coat
The Ruffet, or the Cats-heads weighty Orb,
Enormous in its Growth; for various Ufe,
Tho' these are meet, that after full Repast
Are oft requir'd, and crown the rich Desart?
What tho' the Pear Tree rival not the worth
Of Acriconian Products? Yet her Freight
Is not contemn'd, and her wide branching Arms
Beft screen thy Manfion from the fervent Dog,
Adverse to Life; the Wintry Hurricanes

In vain employ their Roar, her Trunk unmov'd

N 2

Breaks

Breaks the ftrong Onfet, and controls their Rage;
Chiefly the Besbury, whofe large Increase
Annual, in fumptuous Banquets claims Applaufe;
Thrice acceptable Bev'rage! could but Art
Subdue the floating Lee, Pomona's felf

Would dread thy Praife, and fhun the dubious Strife.
Be it thy Choice when Summer Heats annoy,
To fit beneath her Leafy Canopy,

Quaffing rich Liquids Oh! how fweet t'enjoy
At once her. Fruits and hospitable Shade!

BUT how with equal Number shall we match
The Mufick's furpafling Worth? That earliest gives
Sure Hopes of racy Wine, and in its Youth,
Its tender Nonage, loads the fpreading Boughs
With large and juicy Offspring, that defies
The Vernal Nippings and cold Siderial Blasts!
Yet let her to the Redstreak yield, that once
Was of the Sylvan kind, unciviliz'd,
Of no regard, 'till Scudamore's skilful Hand
Improv'd her, and by courtly Discipline
Taught her the favage Nature to forget.
Hence ftil'd the Scudamorean Plant; whofe Wine
Whoever taftes, let him with grateful Heart
Refpect that loyal, ancient Houfe, and with
The noble Peer, that now tranfcends our Hopes |
In early Worth, his Country's justest Pride
Uninterrupted Joy, and Health intire.

In another Place he defcribes elegantly well the different
Tafes arifing from this delicate Liquid.

THERE are that compounded. Fluid drain'd
From different Mixtures, Woodcock, Pippin, Moyle,
Rough Eliot, fweet Permain, the blended Stream
(Each mutually correcting each) create
A pleafurable Medley, of what Tafte
Hardly diftinguifh'd; as the fhow'ry Arch
With lifted Colours gay, Or, Azure, Gules,
Delights and puzzles the Beholder's Eye,
That views the watry Breed, with thousand Shows
Of Painture vary'd, yet's unskill'd to tell
Or where one Colour rifes or one faints.

SOME

SOME Ciders have, by Art or Age, unlearn'd
Their genuine Relish, and of fundry Vines
Affum'd the Flavour: One fort counterfeits
The Spanish Product: This to the Gauls has feem'd
The fparkling Nectar of Champaign; with that
A German oft has fwill'd his Throat, and fworn,
Deluded, that Imperial Rhine beltow'd

The Gen'rous Rummer, whilft the Owner pleas'd,
Laughs only at his Guefts, thus entertain'd

With Foreign Vintage from his CIDER CASK.

B

·N° 694.

Friday, July 31.

Virg.

In tenui Labor; at tenuis non Gloria..

TH

HE Camp in Hide-Park hath notwithstanding my Preadmonitions as to that Point, inspired the Souls of our BRITISH LADIES With Thoughts of a warlike Turn, and their tender Difpofitions are now grown Martial and Enterprizing. I fanfy fome of them take a cruel kind of Pleasure in their Imagination, and wifh for a Skirmish, in which they can foretel the Victor's Will, after all their Triumphs, yield themselves up the Slaves of their Beauty. I fhall therefore present my Female Readers with a POEM, that I need not calle excellent, becaufe originally written by Mr. ADDISON, and tranflated by a good Hand. The Subject is a Battle; the Catastrophe of which is not too Tragical to be read over without weeping, by a well-inclin'd, fruitful, and watry Eye. The Parties concern'd in this Hoftility, are, that Diminutive Nation of Dwarfith little People called Pigmies, and a flying Army of Cranes, by which the Empire of the former was intirely overthrown.