to. Therefore, CLIDAMIRA, you are a PRET"TY; but, DAMIA, you are a VERY PRETTY "lady: for," faid I, "beauty lofes its force, if not 66 accompanied with modefty. She that has an "humble opinion of herself, will have every "body's applaufe, because the does not expect "it; while the vain creature lofes approbation "through too great a fenfe of deferving it."

From my own Apartment, June 27.

Being of a very spare and hective conftitu tion, I am forced to make frequent journeys of a mile or two for fresh air; and indeed by this laft, which was no farther than the village of Chelsea, I am farther convinced of the neceffity of travelling to know the world for, as it is ufual with young voyagers, as foon as they land upon a fhore, to begin their accounts of the nature of the people, their foil, their government, their inclinations, and their paffions; fo really I fancied I could give you an immediate description of this village, from the five fields where the robbers lie in wait, to the coffeehoufe where the Literati fit in council. A great anceftor of ours by the mother's fide, Mr. Juftice OVERDO* (whofe history is written by BEN JONSON), met with more enormities by

ADAMOVERDO, a name given to a Juftice of Peace whofe character is drawn in "Bartholomew Fair," a comedy fo called, by BEN JONSON, 1614.

VOL. I.

CC

walking

walking incognito than he was capable of correcting; and found great mortifications in obferving alfo perfons of eminence, whom he before knew nothing of. Thus it fared with me, even in a place fo near the town as this. When I came into the coffee-house, I had not time to falute the company, before my eye was diverted by ten thousand gimcracks round the room, and on the cieling. When my first aftonishment was over, comes to me a fage of a thin and meagre countenance; which aspect made me doubt, whether reading or fretting had made it fo philofophic: but I very foon perceived him to be of that fect which the antients call Gingivista; in our language, toothdrawers. I immediately had a respect for the man; for these practical philofophers go upon a very rational hypothefis, not to cure, but take away the part affected. My love of mankind made me very benevolent to Mr. SALTER *; for fuch is the name of this eminent barber and

*

antiquary. Men are usually, but unjustly, distinguished rather by their fortunes than their talents, otherwise this perfonage would make a great figure in that clafs of men which I dif

Mr. SALTER was a noted barber, who began to make a collection of natural curiofities, which acquired him the name (probably firit given him by STEELE) of DON SALTERO. He latterly kept a coffee-house, which still fubfifts, where his curiofities are yet to be feen, and are shown by his daughter. P. See TAT. Nos 195. and 226.

tinguish under the title of Odd Fellows. But it is the misfortune of perfons of great genius to have their faculties diffipated by attention to too many things at once. Mr. SALTER is an inftance of this: if he would wholly give himself up to the string*, instead of playing twenty beginnings to tunes, he might, before he dies, play Roger de Caubly quite out. I heard him go through his whole round, and indeed I think he does play the "Merry Christ Church bells +" pretty juftly; but he confeffed to me, he did that rather to fhew he was orthodox, than that he valued himself upon the mufic itself. Or, if he did proceed in his anatomy, why might he not hope in time to cut off legs, as well as draw teeth? The particularity of this man put me into a deep thought, whence it should proceed, that of all the lower order, barbers fhould go further in hitting the ridiculous than any other fett of men. Watermen brawl, coblers fing: but why must a barber be for ever a politician, a mufician, an anatomist, a poet, and a phyfician? The learned VosSIUS fays, his

There was no paffing his house, if he was at home, with ⚫ut having one's ears grated with the found of his fiddle, on which he scraped most execrably.

† A well known, and still celebrated, catch, compofed by Dr. HENRY ALDRICH, Dean of Christ Church.

"C'est le nom de la Cathedrale de cette Ville la fameufe par "l'Univerfité qui fe vante d'etre le Boulevart de l'Orthodoxie, & qui l'eft depuis long-tems du Jacobitifine."

46

BABILLARD.

And

barber used to comb his head in lambies. indeed, in all ages, one of this useful profeffion, this order of cofmetic philofophers, has been celebrated by the most eminent hands. You fee the barber in Don QUIXOTE is one of the principal characters in the hiftory; which gave me fatisfaction in the doubt, why Don SAL TERO writ his name with a Spanish termination: for he is defcended in a right line, not from JOHN TRADESCANT *, as he himself afferts, but from that memorable companion of the Knight of MANCHA. And I hereby certify all the worthy citizens who travel to fee his rarities, that his double-barrelled piftols, targets, coats of mail, his Sclopeta and sword of Toledo, were left to his ancestor by the faid Don QUIXOTE, and by the faid ancestor to all his progeny down to Don SALTERO. Though I go thus far in favour of Don SALETRO's great merit, I cannot allow a liberty he takes of impofing feveral names (without my licence) on the collections he has made, to the abufe of

TRADESCANT was the perfon who collected the curiofities which ELIAS ASHMOLE left to the University of Oxford.

Biog. Brit. Art. ASHMOLE.

See a good account of the TRADESCANTS, father and fon, in Phil. Tranf. vol. LXIII. p. 88, by Dr. DUCAREL, F. R. and A. SS. A monument to their memory, in Lambeth churchyard, was a few years ago replaced by Mr. BUCKMASTER, of Lambeth, who took the trouble to folicit for that purpose a pub lic fubfcription.

the

the good people of England; one of which is particularly calculated to deceive religious perfons, to the great fcandal of the well-difpofed, and may introduce heterodox opinions. He fhews you a ftraw-hat, which I know to be made by Madge Pefkad, within three miles of Bedford; and tells you, "It is PONTIUS PI"LATE'S wife's chambermaid's fifter's hat." To my knowledge of this very hat it may be added, that the covering of straw was never ufed among the Jews, fince it was demanded of them to make bricks without it. Therefore this is really nothing but, under the fpecious' pretence of learning and antiquities, to impose upon the world. There are other things which I cannot tolerate among his rarities: as, the china figure of a lady in the glass-cafe; the Italian engine for the imprisonment of those who go abroad with it: both which I hereby order to be taken down, or elfe he may expect to have his letters-patent for making punch fuperfeded, be debarred wearing his muff next winter, or ever coming to London without his

* Vice Admiral MUNDEN, and fome other fea officers, who had been much upon the coafts of Spain, and in the Mediterranean, frequented this house, and gave this Spanish termination to the name of the landlord, which foon came into general ufe. They likewife gave him the greateft part of his real or pretended curiofities, and among them a coffin containing the body or relics of a Spanish faint, who had wrought miracles, which had fallen fome how or other into their hands.