579. On Adultery-Dogs which guarded ADDISON UNKNOWN 587. The Vision of Hearts......... BYROM 591. Questions and Cases of Love......... 592. Dramatic Improvements-Criticisms... ADDISON 595. On the Abuse of Metaphors ADDISON 599. The Cave of Trophonius, a Dream... UNKNOWN 607. Qualities necessary to make Marriage 608. List of Persons who demanded the 609. Letters, on the improper Dress of 610. Applause of Men not to be regarded- 611. Letter from a Lady insulted by her Seducer-Reflexions on the Subject. 614. Questions on Widows, answered by the 615. On Fear............................. 616. On vulgar Phrases-Specimen.............. 617. On strained and pompous Phrases- No: 619. Answers to various Correspondents...... UNKNOWN ...... TICKELL 620. The Royal Progress, a Poem............ 622. Memoirs of an honest Country Gen- 623. Account of the Custom of Euborne... 626. On Novelty .... UNKNOWN 627. Letter to Zelinda from her Lover- his Death...... 628. On Eternity........ Translation of Cato's Soliloquy ......... UNKNOWN ......... BLAND 629. Absurd Claims of Reward ........................................... UNKNOWN per Behaviour in Church 631. On Cleanliness ............ 632. Power of Numbers - Grotto-work- - 635. Enlargement of the Powers of the Mind in a future State .... PEARCE UNKNOWN GROVE THE SPECTATOR. N° 567. WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1714. Inceptus clamor frustratur hiantes. VIRG. En. vi. 493. -The weak voice deceives their gasping throats. DRYDEN. I HAVE received private advice from some of my correspondents, that if I would give my paper a general run, I should take care to season it with scandal. I have indeed observed of late that few writings sell which are not filled with great names and illustrious titles. The reader generally casts his eye upon a new book, and, if he finds several letters separated from one another by a dash, he buys it up and peruses it with great satisfaction, An M and an h, a T and an *, with a short line * M and an h means Marlborough, and T and an r means Treasurer. VOL. XV. between them, has sold many insipid pamphlets. Nay, I have known a whole edition go off by virtue of two or three well-written &cs. A sprinkling of the words faction, Frenchman, papist, plunderer,' and the like significant terms, in an italic character, have also a very good effect upon the eye of the purchaser; not to mention scribbler, liar, rogue, rascal, knave, and villain,' without which it is impossible to carry on a modern controversy. -n Our party writers are so sensible of the secret virtue of an inuendo to recommend their productions, that of late they never mention the Qor P-t at length, though they speak of them with honour, and with that deference which is due to them from every private person. It gives a se cret satisfaction to a peruser of these mysterious works, that he is able to decypher them without help, and, by the strength of his own natural parts, to fill up a blank space, or make out a word that has only the first or last letter to it. Some of our authors indeed, when they would be more satirical than ordinary, omit only the vowels of a great man's name, and fall most unmerci fully upon all the consonants. This way of writing was first of all introduced by T-m B-wn*, of facetious memory, who, after having gutted a proper name of all its intermediate vowels, used to plant it in his works, and make as free with it as he pleased, without any danger of the statute. That I may imitate these celebrated authors, and publish a paper which shall be more taking than ordinary, I have here drawn up a very curious libel, in which a reader of penetration will find a great deal of concealed satire, and, if he be acquainted *Tom Brown. |