I WAS the more pleas'd with this Invention of a Philofophical Watch, because I immediately imagined it to be of our own Country, and that I had already feen or read fomething of this Nature: And I have fince had an Opportunity of finding whence this Imagination arofe, by accidentally dipping into the fecond Volume of the Tatler's, in which I find feveral Pieces, that may probably, at least, have given the ingenious Inventor of this curious Piece of Machinery, fome useful Hints to work upon.

THE Lext Thing I faw in my Friend's Library, was a Tin Box, with the Infcription UNIVERSAL SNUFF, FOR REFRESHING THE MEMORY, of which he gave me the following Account: "This "Snuff (faid he) is a Compofition of 18 choice Ve"getables, the fecret Virtues of which, a learned

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Chymift of my Acquaintance attain'd to the "Knowlege of, after great Study and Labor. It "clears and refreshes the Memory, in a very won"derful Manner; cleanfes and opens all the Doors "to the Eyes, Ears and Tongue, in which Time, "or any Accidents of Life, have occafion'd Stop"pages or Obstructions; restores those Ideas to "the Brain, which have formerly had Place there, "but, by Degrees, are loft or fupplanted. I could "give you numerous Inftances of the Succefs of "this Univerfal Snuff; but shall, at this Time, "think two fufficient.

"PARVULUS is a Perfon of mean Birth, " and not the greatest Merit: But Fortune having "taken him from behind the Plow, and placed "him in the Family of a worthy Merchant, " continued to heap her Favors, in fuch Manner, 86 upon him, that by a Chain of unforeseen and ex"traordinary Events, he is now become, in a very

fhort Time, Poffeffor not only of his Mafter's "and Benefactor's Trade, but of his Fortune too; " and Riches have recommended him to one of the

"the principal Pofts of Honor and Truft, in the Republic of This Excefs of good For"tune occafion'd fuch a total Subverfion of poor "Parvulus's Brains, that a continual Giddinefs "in the Head, and an entire Lofs of his Memory, enfued; infomuch that he could not call "to Mind ever to have had any Friends, Rela"tions or Acquaintance, but what proceeded from "thofe Alliances, which he had contracted fince "the Advancement of his Fortune. If any of "the Comrades of his youthful Days came to "congratulate his Happinefs, thinking to par"take of a Bottle with him, in the fame familiar "Manner they formerly had done, when their Names

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were fent in, he could not remember ever to "have heard of any fuch Perfons; he was either bufy or indifpos'd, and was by no means to be fpoken with: And when, in his gilt Chariot, "he happen'd to meet a Country Cart, with his

aged Parents in it, felling Peas or Turnips, "or a Load of Dung, drove by his Brothers, "he could not call to Mind ever to have seen fuch "Perfons before: Or if, when any of them came "to his Houfe, he order'd his Servants to fet a "Piece of cold Meat, and a Tankard of Beer "before them, his weak Memory would put him "in Mind of no farther Obligation to them. As "I had been an Eye-witness of fome of these Irre"gularities, and had heard of others, I refolved "to try the Effect of my Arcanum upon him, and "fee'd one of his Servants to convey it to him, "in the Room of a Cephalick Snuff he used to "take. In a few Days, I began to fee the Effect "of it: He knew and faluted his old Acquain"tance; invited them to dine with him; gave a "comfortable Subfiftence to his Parents, at his

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Country-houfe; provided for his Brothers, and is, upon Occafions, ready to affift, and supply

the

the Neceffities of fuch indigent Perfons, who, 46 as he now remembers, are in the fame Circumftances he himself once was.

"COUNT Udeno, whofe noble Ancestors had done very confiderable Services to their Country, is on that Account, in high Efteem and Credit, at the Court of : But had, not long "fince, fo miferable a Memory, that he hardly ❝ knew what he faid or did from one Moment to "the other. As great Regard is had to his Re"commendation at Court; Intereft is frequently made to him for the obtaining of Pofts in the "Government or Army, and he is fo true a Cour

tier, that he hardly ever refufes any one: But then "his Memory will fo fuddenly fail him, that it is "common for him to promife the fame Employ to a " Dozen different Perfons one after another. When "fuch a Poft becomes vacant, it is twenty to one

but he forgets every one of the twelve; and if another to whom he was never under any En"gagement before, comes with a Recommenda"tion from a Friend, or a Purfe of Gold, or

..

દ

a Letter from his Miftrefs, fuch a one is more "likely to carry off the Prize, than any of those to whom he had before pledg'd his Word and sc Honor. Honest Jack Saunter was one Day complaining to me, that Count Udeno had fed "him up with Hopes of an Employment for above "feven Years: But notwithstanding his conftant "and affiduous Attendance at his Levee, and other "public Places, where he could not escape the "Count's Notice, he was never the nearer. Having "fill'd his Box with my Snu I advis'd him to "watch his Patron when he was going to Court, and without exchanging a Word with him, to "offer him a Pinch. He followed my Counsel; "it had the defired Effect; his Lordship blush'd; "all his Promifes, Oaths and Affurances flew at

once

"once in his Face; Jack got a good Employ, and I " am not out of Hopes, if I can find any Means to get my Noftrum applied, but I may make a perfect "Cure of my Courtier, to the great Emolument "of a Number of Expectants, who otherwife may "dance as long after him as poor Saunter had

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<< done.

"THIS Arcanum (continued my Friend) has hardly ever fail'd me, except where the Malady "amounts to a Delirium, and the Perfon affected is entirely loft to himself and the whole World. "Of this I had a late Inftance, in this City. Sartor is the Son of an honeft Artificer, and himself ferved his Time to another; but a rich "Merchant, his Godfather, was perfuaded, at "the Hour of his Death, to bequeath his whole "Eftate to him, and fome will even fay, that the "Teftator happening to dy, before the Will could "be engross'd, the Attorney compleated the Actus "Donationis, by guiding his Hand. Be this as "it will, fuch unexpected Fortune fo turned poor "Sartor's Brains, that he has never been himself "fince. He has not only all the Symtoms of a "Madman, of which I cured Parvulus, but many "more incorrigible. It is no uncommon Thing "for him to rife early of a Poit-day; to order his "Horse to be faddled; put on his Boots, and a

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Hunting Habit; and after all to fit down in his "Counting-house, in that Drefs; write his Letters, go to the Exchange, dine with a Friend, vifit the "Ladies, and go to the Opera, ftill in his Hunting-Habit: And to compleat the Farce, for"geting at the Opera, that he has a Wife at "home, to rake it all Night, and coming home "the next Morning, to order his Horfe into the "Stable, which has never been out of it, and go "to Bed, to reft himself from the Fatigues of chafing an innocent Hare. This is one of the

Incurables

"Incurables on whom my Noftrum has been employ'd in vain.

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My Friend made me a Prefent of a Paper of this Univerfal Snuff; but caution'd me, at the fame Time, to use it with Difcretion, and not to offer it in all Companies, efpecially if there should chance to be any old Maids prefent. I fhall have the Satisfaction, at least, as often as I make Ufe of it myself, to call to Mind the many pleafing Hours I have pafs'd in your agreable Company, which will engage me to be ever ambitious in thewing, how much I am, &c.

SIR,

M

LETTER XXV.

HAMBURG:

Y Friend having finished his Difcourfe concerning his Univerfal Snuff; I, at the fame Inftant, obferved, in one of his Repofitories, a fmall Phial of transparent blue Water or Spirits, which I took to be the fame, the Colour only excepted, as that in the Tube of my little Thermometer, of which I gave you a Defcription in former Letters, and was about to beg a smallPortion of it, when perceiving my Eyes fix'd upon it, he took it into his Hand, and, defiring me to fit down, told me, the Virtues of that Liquor were fo extraordinary, that I probably might not think a Moment's Time mifpent, to give Attention to the brief Account he would give me of them. Being feated accordingly, he began his Difcourfe in the following Manner:

"WHEN I was at Peking in China, I had the

Pleasure