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know that he writ his book in the country, that he did it to pafs away fome of his idle hours, that it was published at the importunity of friends, or that his natural temper, ftudies or converfations, directed him to the choice of his fubject.

Id populus curat feilicet.

Such informations cannot be highly improving to the reader.

In works of Humour efpecially, when a man writes under a fictitious perfonage, the talking of one's felf may give fome diversion to the public; but I would advife every other writer never to speak of himfelf, unless there be fomething very confiderable in his character: though I am fenfible this rule will be of little use in the world, because there is no man who fancies his thoughts worth publishing that does not look upon himfelf as a confiderable perfon.

I fhall close this Paper with a remark upon fuch as are Egotifts in converfation: these are generally the vain or fhallow part of mankind, people being naturally full of themselves when they have nothing else in them. There is one kind of Egotifs which is very common in the world, though I do not remember that any writer has taken notice of them; I mean thofe empty conceited fellows who repeat, as fayings of their own or fome of their particular friends, feveral jefts which were made before they were born, and which every one who has converfed in the world has heard a hundred times over. A forward

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A forward young fellow of my acquaintance was very guilty of this abfurdity: he would be always laying a new scene for fome old piece of wit, and telling us that, as he and Jack fuch-aone were together, one or t'other of them had fuch a conceit on fuch an occafion; upon which he would laugh very heartily, and wonder the company did not join with him. When his mirth was over, I have often reprehended him out of Terence, Tuumne obfecro te, hoc dictum erat? vetus credidi. But finding him ftill incorrigible, and having a kindness for the young coxcomb, who was otherwife a good-natured fellow, I recommended to his perufal the Oxford and Cambridge jefts, with feveral little pieces of pleafantry of the fame nature. Upon the reading of them he was under no fmall confufion to find that all his jokes had paffed through feveral editions, and that what he thought was a new conceit, and had appropriated to his own ufe, had appeared in print before he or his ingenious friends were ever heard of. This had fo good an effect upon him, that he is content at present to pass for a man of plain fenfe in his ordinary converfation, and is never facetious but when he knows his company.

*By ADDISON. The Papers in this eighth volume were not originally diftinguished, as in the preceding volumes, by fignatures or capital letters at the ends of them. The affignments of all ADDISON's Papers in this edition reft entirely on the authority of Mr. T. Tickell, who lived familiarly with that gentleman, and had no doubt fatisfactory reasons for re-publishing them in his edition of ADDISON'S "Works," 4to. 4 vols. In the feven preceding volumes Mr. Tickell was guided by STEELE'S Lift.

No. 563.

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N° 563. Monday, July 5, 1714.

Magni nominis umbra.

The fhadow of a mighty name.'

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LUCAN. i. 135.

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SHALL entertain my reader with two very curious letters. The firft of them comes from a chimerical perfon, who I believe never writ to any body before.

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'SIR,

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AM defcended from the ancient family of the Blanks, a name well known among all 'men of business. It is always read in those little white fpaces of writing which want to be filled up, and which for that reafon are • called blank spaces, as of right appertaining to our family: for I confider myself as the lord of a manor, who lays his claim to all wastes or fpots of ground that are unappropriated. am a near kinsman to John a Styles and John a Noakes; and they, I am told, came in with the Conqueror. I am mentioned oftener in both houfes of parliament than any other perfon in Great Britain. My name is written, or, more properly speaking, not written thus I am one that can turn my hand to every thing, and appear under any 'fhape whatsoever. I can make myself man, woman, or child. I am fometimes metamor

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phofed into a year of our Lord, a day of the month, or an hour of the day. I very often reprefent a fum of money, and am generally the firft fubfidy that is granted to the crown. I have now and then fupplied the place of feveral thoufands of land foldiers, and have as frequently been employed in the fea-fervice.

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Now, Sir, my complaint is this, that I am only made ufe of to ferve a turn, being always • difcarded as foon as a proper person is found out to fill up my place.

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If you have ever been in the play-house be⚫fore the curtain rifes, you fee the most of the ⚫ front-boxes filled with men of my family, who ⚫ forthwith turn out and refign their ftations upon the appearance of those for whom they are retained.

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But the moft illuftrious branch of the Blanks are those who are planted in high pofts, till fuch time as perfons of greater confequence can •be found out to fupply them. One of these Blanks is equally qualified for all offices; he ferve in time of need for a foldier, a politician, a lawyer, or what you please. I have • known in my time many a brother Blank that • has been born under a lucky planet, heap up great riches, and fwell into a man of figure and importance, before the grandees of his party could agree among themselves which of them fhould step into his place. Nay, I have known a Blank continue fo long in one of thefe vacant pofts, (for fuch it is to be reckon-. ⚫ed all the time a Blank is in it) that he has ⚫ grown

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grown too formidable and dangerous to be re'moved..

But to return to myfelf. Since I am fo very 'commodious a perfon, and fo very neceffary in all well-regulated governments, I defire you ' will take my cafe into confideration, that I may be no longer made a tool of and only employed to stop a gap. Such ufage, without a pun, makes me look very Blank. For all which reafons I humbly recommend myself to your protection, and am

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• Your most obedient fervant,

' BLANK.'

P. S. I herewith fend you a Paper drawn up by a country-attorney, employed by two gentlemen, whofe names he was not acquainted 'with, and who did not think fit to let him into the fecret which they were tranfacting. I heard ' him call it a Blank INSTRUMENT, and read it ⚫ after the following manner. You may fee by this fingle inftance of what use I am to the bufy world.

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"I, T. Blank, Efquire, of Blank town, in "the county of Blank, do own my felf indebt"ed in the fum of Blank, to Goodman Blank, "for the fervice he did me in procuring for me "the goods following, Blank: and I do hereby promife the faid Blank to pay unto him the "faid fum of Blank, on the Blank day of the "month of Blank next enfuing, under the penalty and forfeiture of Blank.

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I fhall

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