• P. S. If I must be mad I defire the young ' lady may believe it is for her.'

'The humble Petition of JOHN A NOKES and JOHN A STYLES,

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'Sheweth,

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HAT your petitioners have caufes depending in Westminster-hall above five hundred years, and that we despair of ever feeing them brought to an iffue: that your petitioners have not been involved in these lawsuits out of any litigious temper of their own, but by the inftigation of contentious perfons; that the young lawyers in our inns of court are continually fetting us together by the ears, and think they do us no hurt, be'cause they plead for us without a fee; that many of the gentlemen of the robe have no • other clients in the world befides us two; that when they have nothing else to do they • make us plaintiffs and defendants, though they were never retained by any of us; that they traduce, condemn, or acquit us, without any manner of regard to our reputations and good names in the world. Your petitioners 'therefore, being thereunto encouraged by the favourable reception which you lately gave to our kinfman Blank, do humbly pray that you will put an end to the controverfies which have been fo long depending between us your faid petitioners, and that our enmity may not endure from generation to genera

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tion;

tion; it being our refolution to live hereafter as it becometh men of peaceable difpofitions. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, • fhall ever pray, &c.'***

No 578. Monday, Auguft 9, 1714.

-éque feris humana in corpora tranfit,

Inque feras nofter.

OVID. Met. XV. 167.

Th' unbodied spirit flies

And lodges where it lights in man or beast."

T

DRYDEN.

HERE has been very great reason, on several accounts, for the learned world to endeavour at fettling what it was that might be faid to compofe perfonal identity.

Mr. Locke, after having premifed that the word perfon properly fignifies a thinking intelligent being that has reafon and reflection, and can confider itself as itself, concludes, that it is consciousness alone, and not an identity of fubstance, which makes this perfonal identity of fameness. "Had I the fame confcioufnefs, fays that author, " that I faw the ark and

** A new method for difcovery of the longitude by fea and land, by W,Whifton, A. M. fome time profeffor of the mathematics in the univerfity of Cambridge; and H. Ditton, mafter of the new mathematic fchool in Chrift's Hofpital: which method has been fo far improved by this prefent parliament, that they have ordered £20,000 reward for such a discovery. Price IS. SPECT. in folio, "Noah's

"Noah's flood, as that I faw an overflowing "of the Thames laft winter; or as that I now "write; I could no more doubt that I who "write this now, that faw the Thames over"flow laft winter, and that viewed the flood "at the general deluge, was the fame self, "place that felf in what fubftance you please, "than that I who write this am the fame myself "now while I write, whether I confift of all "the fame fubftance, material or immaterial or

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no, that I was yesterday; for as to this point "of being the fame felf, it matters not whe"ther this present self be made up of the fame 66 or other fubftances."

I was mightily pleased with a story in fome measure applicable to this piece of philofophy, which I read the other day in the Perfian Tales, as they are lately very well tranflated by Mr. Philips; and with an abridgment whereof I shall here present my readers.

I fhall only premise that these ftories are writ after the Eastern manner, but fomewhat more correct.

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“Fadlallah, a prince of great virtue, fuc"ceeded his father Bin Ortoc, in the kingdom "of Moufel. He reigned over his faithful fubjects for fome time, and lived in great happiness with his beauteous confort Queen "Zemroude, when there appeared at his court 66 a young Dervis of fo lively and entertaining "a turn of wit, as won upon the affections of every one he converfed with. His reputation See No. 576, Advertisement.

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grew fo faft every day, that it at last raised a curiofity in the prince himself to fee and "talk with him. He did fo; and, far from

finding that common fame had flattered him, "he was foon convinced that every thing he ❝ had heard of him fell fhort of the truth.

"Fadlallah immediately loft all manner of relifh for the converfation of other men; and, as he was every day more and more fatisfied "of the abilities of this ftranger, offered him "the firft pofts in his kingdom. The The young

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Dervis, after having thanked him with a very fingular modefty, defired to be excufed, as having made a vow never to accept of any " employment, and preferring a free and independent ftate of life to all other conditions. "The king was infinitely charmed with fo great an example of moderation; and, though he could not get him to engage in a life of "bufinefs, made him however his chief companion and first favourite.

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As they were one day hunting together, "and happened to be feparated from the reft "of the company, the Dervis entertained "Fadlallah with an account of his travels and "adventures. After having related to him "feveral curiofities which he had feen in the "Indies, It was in this place,' fays he, that I contracted an acquaintance with an old Brachman, who was killed in the most hidden powers of nature: he died within my

arms, and with his parting breath communicated to me one of the moft valuable fecrets,

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on condition I fhould never reveal it to any ' man.' "The king immediately, reflecting on "his young favourite's having refufed the late "offers of greatness he had made him, told "him he prefumed it was the power of making gold.' No, Sir,' fays the Dervis, it is fomewhat more wonderful than that; it is the power of reanimating a dead body, by flinging my own foul into it.'

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"While he was yet fpeaking, a doe came bounding by them, and the king, who had "his bow ready, fhot her through the heart; telling the Dervis, that a fair opportunity "now offered for him to fhew his art. The

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young man immediately left his own body "breathlefs on the ground, while at the fame "inftant that of the doe was reanimated. She "came to the king, fawned upon him, and, "after having played feveral wanton tricks, fell again upon the grafs; at the fame inftant the "body of the Dervis recovered its life. The king was infinitely pleafed at fo uncommon an operation, and conjured his friend by every thing that was facred to communicate it to him. The Dervis at first made fome fcruple "of violating his promise to the dying Brach"man; but told him at laft that he found he "could conceal nothing from fo excellent a "prince; after having obliged him therefore "by an oath to fecrecy, he taught him to re

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peat two cabalaftic words, in pronouncing "of which the whole fecret confifted. The "king, impatient to try the experiment, im

"mediately