would have been the most infipid Animal breathing. The other Day Laura, who has a Voice like an Angel, began to fing to him: Fie, Madam, he cried, we must be past all these Gaieties. Phillis has a Note as rude and as loud as that of a Milk-maid: When fhe begins to warble; well, fays he, There is fuch a pleafing Simplicity in all that Wench does. In a Word, the affectionate Part of his Heart being corrupted, and his true Taste that way wholly loft, he has contracted a Prejudice to all the Behaviour of Laura, and a general Partiality in Favour of Phillis. It is not in the Power of the Wife to do a pleafing Thing, nor in the Mistress to commit one that is difagreeable. There is fomething too melancholy in the Reflection on this Circumftance to be the Subject of Raillery. He faid a four Thing to Laura at Dinner the other Day; upon which the burst into Tears. What the Devil, Madam, fays he, can't I fpeak in my own House? He answered Phillis a little abruptly at Supper the fame Evening, upon which fhe threw his Periwig into the Fire. Well, said he, thou art a brave Termagant Jade: Do you know, Huffy, that fair Wig coft forty Guineas? Oh Laura! Is it for this that the faithful Cromius figh'd for you in vain? How is thy Condition altered, fince Crowds of Youth hung on thy Eye, and watched its Glances? It is not many Months fince Laura was the Wonder and Pride of her own Sex, as well as the Defire and Paffion of ours. At Plays and at Balls, the juft Turn of her Behaviour, the Decency of her Virgin Charms, chaftis'd, yet added to Diverfions. At publick Devotions, her winning Modefty, her refigned Carriage, made Virtue and Religion appear with new Ornaments, and in the natural Apparel of Simplicity and Beauty. In ordinary Conversations, a fweet Conformity of Manners, and an Humility which heightened all the Complacencies of Good-Breeding and Education, gave her more Slaves than all the Fride of her Sex ever made Women wish for. Laura's Hours are now spent in the fad Reflection on her Choice, and that deceitful Vanity (almost infeparable from the Sex) of believing, she could reclaim one that had so often enfnared others; as it now is, it is not even in the Power of Duumvir himself to do her Juftice: For though Beauty and Merit are Things

real

real and independent on Tafte and Opinion, yet Agreeableness is arbitrary, and the Mistress has much the Advantage of the Wife. But whenever Fate is so kind to her and her Spouse as to end her Days, with all this Paffion for Phillis, and Indifference for Laura, he has a fecond Wife in View, who may avenge the Injuries done to her Predeceffor. Aglaura is the deftined Lady, who has lived in Affemblies, has Ambition and Play for her Entertainment, and thinks of a Man, not as the Object of Love, but the Tool of her Interest or Pride. If ever Aglaura comes to the Empire of this Inconftant, fhe will endear the Memory of her Predeceffor. in the mean Time it is melancholy to confider, That the Virtue of a Wife is like the Merit of a Poet, never juftly valued till after Death.

From my own Apartment, Auguft 11.

But

AS we have professed, that all the Actions of Men are our Subject, the most folemn are not to be omitted, if there happen to creep into their Behaviour any Thing improper for fuch Occafions. Therefore the Offence mentioned in the following Epiftles (though it may seem to be committed in a Place facred from Obfervation) is fuch, that it is our Duty to remark upon it; for though he who does it is himself only guilty of an Indecorum, he occafions a criminal Levity in all others who are present at it.

I

Mr. Bickerfaff,

T being mine, as well as the Opinion of many others, that your Papers are extremely well fitted to reform any irregular or indecent Practice, I prefent the following as one which requires your Correction. Myfelf, and a great many good People who frequent the Divine Service at St. Paul's, have been a long Time fcandalized by the imprudent Conduct of Stentor in that Cathedral. This Gentleman you must know, is always very exact and zealous in his Devotion, which I believe no body blames; but then he is accuftomed to roar and bellow fo terribly loud in the Refponfes, that he frightens even us of the Congregation who are daily ufed to him: And one of our Petty Canons,

a Punning Cambridge Scholar, calls his Way of Worship a Bull Offering. His barfb untunable Pipe is no more fit than a Raven's to join with the Mufick of a Choir; yet no body having been enough his Friend, I suppose, to inform him of it, he never fails, when present, to drown the Harmony of every Hymn and Anthem, by an Inundation of Sound beyond that of the Bridge at the Ebb of the Tide, or the neighbouring Lions in the Anguifh of their Hunger. This is a Grievance, which, to my certain Knowledge, feveral worthy People defire to fee redress'd; and if by inferting this Epifle in your Paper, or by reprefenting the Matter your own Way, you can convince Stentor, that Discord in a Choir is the fame Sin that Schifm is in the Church in general, you would lay a great Obligation upon us, and make fome Atonement for certain of your Paragraphs which have ́ not been highly approved by us. I am,

St. Paul's Churchyard, Aug. 11.

SIR,

Your most humble Servant,
Feoffry Chanticleer.

IT is wonderful there fhould be fuch a general Lamentation, and the Grievance fo frequent, and yet the Offender never know any thing of it. I have received the following Letter from my Kinsman at the HeraldsOffice, near the fame Place.

Dear Coufin,

T

HIS Office, which has had its Share in the impartial Justice of your Cenfures, demands at prefent your Vindication of their Rights and Privileges. There are certain Hours when our young Heralds are exercifed in the Faculties of making Proclamation, and other Vociferations, which of Right belong to us only to utter: But at the fame Hours, Stentor in St. Paul's Church, in spite of the Coaches, Carts, London Cries, and all other Sounds between us, exalts bis Throat to fo high a Key, that the most noify of our Order is utterly unheard. If you please to obferve upon this, will ever oblige, &c.

you

THERE have been communicated to me fome other ill Confequences from the fame Caufe; as, the Overturning of Coaches by fudden Starts of the Horfes as

they

they pass'd that Way, Women pregnant frighten'd, and Heirs to Families loft; which are publick Difafters, 'tho' arifing from a good Intention: But it is hoped, after this Admonition, that Stentor will avoid an Act of fo great Supererogation, as finging without a Voice.

BUT I am diverted from profecuting Stentor's Reformation, by an Account, That the two faithful Lovers, Lifander and Coriane, are dead; for no longer ago than the firft of the laft Month they swore eternal Fidelity to each other, and to love till Death. Ever fince that Time, Lifander has been twice a Day at the Chocolatehoufe, vifits in every Circle, is miffing four Hours in four and twenty, and will give no Account of himself. Thefe are undoubted Proofs of the Departure of a Lover; and confequently Coriana is alfo dead as a Mistress. I have written to Stentor to give this Couple three Calls at the Church-door, which they must hear if they are living within the Bills of Mortality; and if they do not answer at that Time, they are from that Moment added to the Number of my Defunct.

N°.55.

W

·Paulo majora canamus.

Let's fing a higher Strain.

Tuesday, August 16, 1709.

White's Chocolate house, August 15.

HILE others are bufied in Relations which concern the Interests of Princes, the Peace of Nations, and the Revolutions of Empire, I think (though these are very great Subjects) my Theme of Difcourfe is fometimes to be of Matters of a yet higher Confideration. The flow Steps of Providence and Nature, and range Events which are brought about in an Inftant,

arc

are what, as they come within our View and Obfervation, shall be given to the Publick. Such Things are not accompanied with Shew and Noife, and therefore feldom draw the Eyes of the unattentive Part of Mankind; but are very proper at once to exercise our Humanity, please our Imaginations, and improve our Judgments. It may not therefore be unuseful to relate many Circumftances, which were obfervable upon a late Cure done upon a young Gentleman who was born blind, and on the 29th of June laft received his Sight at the Age of twenty Years, by the Operation of an Oculift. This happened no farther off than Newington, and the Work was prepared for in the following Manner.

THE Operator, Mr. Grant, having observed the Eyes of his Patient, and convinced his Friends and Relations, among others the Reverend Mr. Cafell, Minifter of the Place, that it was highly probable he fhould remove the Obftacle which prevented the Use of his Sight; all his Acquaintance, who had any Regard for the young Man, or Curiofity to be present when one of full Age and Understanding received a new Senfe, affembled themselves on this Occafion. Mr. Cafwell being a Gentleman particularly curious, defired the whole Company, in cafe the Blindnefs fhould be cured, to keep Secret, and let the Patient make his own Obfervations, without the Direction of any Thing he had received by his other Senfes, or the Advantage of discovering his Friends by their Voices. Among feveral others, the Mother, Brethren, Sifters, and a young Gentlewoman for whom he had a Paffion, were prefent. The Work was performed with great Skill and Dexterity. When the Patient firft received the Dawn of Light, there appeared fuch an Ecftafy in his Action, that he seemed ready to fwoon away in the Surprize of Joy and Wonder. The Surgeon ftood before him with his Inftruments in his Hands. The young Man obferved him from Head to Foot; after which he furveyed himself as carefully, and feemed to compare him to himself; and obferving both their Hands, feemed to think they were exactly alike, except the Inftruments, which he took for Parts of his Hands. When he had continued