N° 616. Friday, November 5, 1714. Qui bellus homo eft, Cotta, pufillus homo eft. MARTIAL Epig. x. i. A pretty fellow is but half a man.' ICERO hath obferved, that a jeft is never uttered with a better grace than when it is accompanied with a ferious countenance. When a pleasant thought plays in the features before it discovers itself in words, it raifes too great an expectation, and lofes the advantage of giving furprife. Wit and humour are no lefs poorly recommended by a levity of phrafe, and that kind of language which may be distinguished by the name of Cant. Ridicule is never more ftrong than when it is concealed in gravity. True humour lies in the thought, and arifes from the reprefentation of images in odd circumftances and uncommon lights. A pleasant thought ftrikes us by the force of its natural beauty; and the mirth of it is generally rather palled than heightened, by that ridiculous phrafeology which is so much in fashion among the pretenders to humour and pleasantry. This tribe of men are like our mountebanks; they make a man a wit by putting him in a fantastic habit. Our little burlefque authors, who are the delight of ordinary readers, generally abound in thefe pert phrafes which have in them more vivacity than wit. I lately I lately faw an inftance of this kind of writing, which gave me fo lively an idea of it, that I could not forbear begging a copy of the letter from the gentleman who fhewed it to me. It is written by a country wit, upon the occafion of the rejoicings on the day of the king's coronation. • Dear Jack, I Paft two o'clock and a frosty morning.' HAVE just left the right worshipful and his myrmidons about a sneaker of five galgallons. The whole magiftracy was pretty 'well difguifed before I gave them the flip. Our 'friend the alderman was half-feas over before the bonfire was out. We had with us the attorney, ' and two or three other bright fellows. The ⚫ doctor plays leaft in fight. At nine o'clock in the evening we fet fire 'to the whore of Babylon. The devil acted his part to a miracle. He has made his fortune by it. We equipped the young dog with a tefter a-piece. Honeft old Brown of England was very drunk, and fhewed his loyalty to 'the tune of a hundred rockets. The mob 'drank the king's health on their marrow bones, in mother Day's double. They whipped us half a dozen hogfheads. Poor Tom Tyler had like to have been demolished with the end • of a skyrocket, that fell upon the bridge of his nofe as he was drinking the king's health, and spoiled his tip. The mob were very loyal until about midnight, when they grew a little mutinous for more liquor. They had like to • have have dumfounded the juftice; but his clerk came in to his affiftance, and took them all • down in black and white. When I had been huzzaed out of my feven fenfes, I made a vifit to the women, who were guzzling very comfortably. Mrs. Mayorefs clipped the king's English. Clack was the word. I forgot to tell thee that every one of the poffé had his hat cocked with a diftich; the fenators fent us down a cargo of ribbon and metre for the occafion. Sir Richard, to fhew his zeal for the Proteftant religion, is at the expenfe of a tar• barrel and a ball. I peeped into the knight's great hall and faw a very pretty bevy of spinfters. My dear relict was amongst them, and ambled in a country-dance as notably as the beft of them. May all his majesty's liege fubjects love him as well as his good people of this his ancient borough. Adieu*." *This letter feems to have been dated from Stockbridge, for which Sir RICHARD STEELE was member of Parliament. The letter in the next Paper, N° 617, was written, it is faid, from the fame place, and on the fame occafion as this. These two letters were probably communicated to ADDISON by his friend, and for any thing that clearly appears to the contrary, were, it may be, all the parts in the papers of that volume in which STEELE had directly or indirectly any fort of concern. This whole eighth volume was published originally as the other volumes were in half-fheets, with fewer advertisements, an argument of it's lefs extenfive fale; under the fole direction of ADDISON and Mr. E. Budgell. N° 617. N° 617. Monday, November 8, 1714. Torva Mimalloneis implerunt cornua bombis, PERSIUS, Sat. i. 104. Their crooked horns the Mimallonian crew 'Evion from woods and floods repairing echo's ' found.' Th DRYDEN HERE are two extremes in the ftyle of humour, one of which confifts in the ufe of that little pert phrafeology which I took notice of in my laft Paper; the other in the affectation of trained and pompous expreffions, fetched from the learned languages. The first favours too much of the town; the other of the college. As nothing illuftrates better than example, I fhall here prefent my reader with a letter of pedantic humour, which was written by a young gentleman of the university to his friend, on the fame occafion, and from the fame place, 5 as as the lively epiftle published in my laft SPECTATOR: Dear CHUM*. "T is now the third watch of the night, the greatest part of which I have spent round a capacious bowl of China, filled with the • choiceft products of both the Indies. I was placed at a quadrangular table, diametrically oppofite to the mace-bearer. The vifage of that venerable herald was, according to cuftom, moft gloriously illuminated on this joyful occafion. The mayor and aldermen, those pillars of our conftitution, began to totter; and if any one at the board could have fo far articulated, as to have demanded intelligibly a reinforcement of liquor, the whole affembly had been by this time extended under ⚫ the table. 6 The celebration of this night's folemnity ⚫ was opened by the obftreperous joy of drummers, who, with their parchment thunder, gave a fignal for the appearance of the mob under their feveral claffes and denominations. They were quickly joined by the melodious clank of marrow bones and cleavers, while a • chorus of bells filled up the concert. A pyra• mid of stack-faggots cheered the hearts of the populace with a promise of a blaze; the had no fooner uttered the prologue, but the heavens were brightened with artificial me guns * A cant word for a chamber-companion and bed-fellow at college • teors |