Neighbourhood thereof, from the highest Degree "to the loweft. I find Means to get an Infight "into the moft fecret Tranfactions of the Senat and "the Confiftory, in the Affemblies of the Great, "and the Diverfions of the meaner Sort, in Ta"verns and Coffee-houses, in Studies and Ware"houses, in Nurferies, and even among the Gof"fips in the Chambers of lying-in Women: In "fhort, there is no Door, but what my Silver"Key will open, whenever I think fit to put it "into the Hands of any of my Agents. Nor is

this meer Matter of Curiofity, but directly con"ducive to my main Purpofe, and the ultimate "View of all my Actions, the Happiness of my "Fellow-Citizens. By this Means, I can, with"out being perceived or fufpected, make Obfer

vations on the depraved Manners, evil Customs " and Vices of the Times, and likewife diftinguish "the Virtues and good Qualities of thofe, who "are fo happy as not to be tainted with them, and "dare be upright, generous and virtuous, in Spight "of that grand Incitive to Evil, Fashion, and the "Example of others; and as it is a Part of my "Employment to commit all these my Remarks "to Writing, and to animadvert upon them, fome"times in a ludicrous, and at other Times in a fe"rious Manner, I find Means to render these my "Lucubrations useful to Mankind, by geting them "inferted, without any View of farther Advantage, "and even at my own Expence, in the public "Prints; of which, as Occafion fhall offer, I fhall "fubmit fome to your Cenfure."

HERE my learned Friend finish'd his History, and I was fo highly delighted with this, and what I had before feen and heard, that I could hardly forbear bursting out, in an Ecftafy, in the following Lines, which I have fomewhere read:

Should the whole Frame of Nature round him break,
In Ruin and Confufion burl'd,

He, unconcern'd, would hear the mighty Crack,
And ftand fecure amidst a falling World.

FOR fure nothing could be able to move a Perfon of fo excellent a Compofition: Of which I fhall probably be able to give you farther Proofs in my next: 'Till when, as ever, &c.

LETTER XVII.

SIR,

M

HAMBUR G.

we

Y Friend had fcarce finifh'd the Skizzo of his Hiftory, which I gave you in my laft, when a Servant came to tell him Dinner was fited for us; thereupon return'd to the pleafant Apartment we had breakfafted in, where, finding but two Covers on the Table, I took the Liberty of afking, if I might not hope to enjoy the agreable Converfation of the Perfon who had managed the Tea-table in the Morning. My Friend's Anfwer was, fhe was but a Servant; that indeed, as fhe had been a faithful one, for many Years, and was a Woman of very good Senfe and Parts, he usually admited her to his Table when alone, but never allow'd her to come into the Company of Strangers, excepting at the Tea-table; however, as I defired it, he would for once break into that Rule, and thereupon order'd her to be call'd in, and bid her fit down. Having fucceeded in this Point, I ventured to go farther, and afk'd him, whether the

learned

learned Physician, I had been informed he kept in the House, was not allow'd that Liberty? This Queftion put my Hoft into fomething more than a Smile, and Madam in a Horfe-Laugh, which put me almost out of Countenance, not being apprefive there was any Thing ludicrous or ridiculous in what I had afk'd: But the former foon rid me at once of my Doubts and Fears. "The Phyfician, "(faid he) whom you are pleas'd to honour with the "Epithet of Learned, is no other than my identical "felf; and I have a Difguife for that Purpose, "thro' which it would not be eafy for the nearest "Friend to discover me."

OUR Dinner was plentiful and elegant, not fo ridiculously fuperfluous, as is but too common here, as well as in Bremen ; but what pleas'd me most was, that almost every Thing was of his own Product Fish out of his own Ponds, Fowls from his Barn-door, Greens and Fruit out of his own Garden: And tho' our Hoft offer'd me Variety of the most exquifite Wines, I was press'd to drink no more, than I thought fit to call for. Our Difcourfe at Table was serious, and yet diverting; merry without Levity; and I may truly fay of my Friend, with Tully, In eo facetic erant, quæ nulla arte tradi poffunt. In fhort, it would be almoft impoffible not to be pleafant, where the Hoft is fuch a one. As foon as the Table was clear'd, and we had drunk two or three Glaffes a-piece of excellent Champaign, my Friend told me, I must excuse a Weakness he had contracted during his long Refidence in Italy, which he had never been able to fhake off fince, that of fleeping an Hour or two after Dinner, offering me, at the fame Time, an Apartment where I might do the fame. I told him, it was a Cuftom I never indulg'd myself in, but that I could pafs my Time very agreably in his Garden. Upon this, he took a Key out of his Pocket, and, giving it

me, order'd a Servant to conduct me into his Library, where (faid he) you may probably find something to divert you 'till I have taken my Nap.

I FOLLOWED the Servant, full of Expectation and overjoyed to a Degree beyond Expreffion, up one Pair of Stairs, where I was let into a Gallery, about twenty-five Foot broad, which took the whole Breadth of the Houfe, on that Side next the Garden, and had a large Balcony that commanded a View of the whole. The Front of this Story, I found, was divided into feveral Lodging-Rooms,' handfomly furnish'd, and over it, was only an Attic Story, for Servants. The dark Side of the Gallery, which my Friend had chofen for his Library, was wholly taken up with Shelves for Books, difpofed in the most regular and beautiful Manner I ever faw, in different Claffes, according to their Languages, and the Subjects they treated of; and I found two Catalogues, an Alphabetical, and a Claffical one, fairly tranfcrib'd and lying on a Table. A handfom Cornice run along the Top of the whole, in a streight Line, under which were Cur tain-Rods, bearing green Silk Curtains, from one End to the other. Above the Cornice were placed fine Bufto's, of the most learned Men among the Ancients and Moderns; and, on the Edges of fome of the Shelves, were faften'd all the curious Medals, ftruck to the Honor of Men of Learning, which he had been able to procure. At each End of the Gallery, and against the Piers, betwixt the Windows, on the oppofite Side, were feveral Cupboards, or Repofitories, containing great Variety of the moft curious and scarce Things in Art and Nature, and handfomly embellifh'd with proper Mottos and Devices. Some were fill'd with Foffils, fome with petrified Fish, others with beautiful Infects, and again others were fet apart for Letters, Manufcripts, and other Papers. Of thefe latter, I obferved two

in particular, one fill'd with Foreign Letters and Papers, and the other with Inland. They had each their feveral Divifions, which were deftin'd for as many different Subjects, as 1. Philofophical; 2. Critical; 3. Political, and fo on; and these again had their proper Subdivifions, by which it was easy to find whatever was wanted. The middle Pier was Looking-glafs, from Top to Bottom; and in the Middle of the uppermoft Part, which was arch'd, I obferv'd the following Words in Golden Letters: Reddo, non facio, which I thought was as applicable to my Friend's Character, as to the Glafs.

IN the Middle of each End of the Gallery, were two large Repofitories, in which were rang'd, in an agreable Manner, great Numbers of curious Mathematical, Aftronomical, and even Chirurgical Inftruments, with which, likewife, feveral other Parts of the Gallery were decorated; and, that no Room might be loft, the very Cieling hung full of one Rarity or other. I obferved, that one of the large Repofitories, I just now mention'd, was chiefly fill'd with Inftruments (the Product, probably, of very diftant Regions) to the Ufe of which I was an utter Stranger. Of thefe, as Occafion fhall offer, I may perhaps, hereafter, obtain a farther Knowledge, which I fhall not fail to communicate to you: But what, at this Time, most commanded my Attention, was a very curious and beautiful Thermometer, which, by a Label hanging to it, I found, had been fent my Friend from Surinam, in South America, by a learned Arabian Philofopher, call'd Hai Ebn Salaman. This most exquifite Piece of Art is not above five Inches high, and ftands on a gilt Pedestal, into which the Ball of the Tube is fix'd. This Tube, which is about three Inches long, is faftened to an Ebony-Frame, of the fame Length, and about an Inch broad.