of the greatness of France; which he has always faid, "was to be promoted rather by the "arts of peace, than thofe of war." His delivering himself freely on this fubject has formerly appeared an unsuccessful way to power in that court; but in its present circumstances, thofe maxims are better received; and it is thought a certain argument of the fincerity of the French king's intentions, that this minifter is at present made ufe of. The marquis is to return to Paris within few days, who has fent a courier thither to give notice of the reafons of his return, that the court may be the fooner able to dispatch commiffions for a formal treaty.

The expectations of peace are increased by advices from Paris of the twelfth inftant, which fay, the Dauphin has altered his refolution of commanding in Flanders the enfuing campaign. The Saxon and Pruffian reinforcements, toge ther with Count Mercy's regiment of imperial horfe, are incamped in the neighbourhood of Bruffels; and fufficient ftores of corn and forage are transported to that place and Ghent, for the fervice of the confederate army.

They write from Mons, that the Elector of Bavaria had advice, that an advanced party of the Portugueze army had been defeated by the Spaniards,

We hear from Languedoc, that their corn, olives, and figs, were wholly destroyed; but that they have a hopeful profpect of a plentiful vintage.

N 17.

N° 17.

Tuesday, May 19, 1709.
STEEL E.

Quicquid agunt homines —

noftri eft furrago libelli.

Juv. Sat. i. 85, 86.

"Whate'er men do, or fay, or think, or dream, "Our motley paper feizes for its theme.”

TH

Will's Coffee-house, May 18.

P.

'HE difcourfe has happened to turn this evening upon the true panegyric, the perfection of which was afferted to confift in a certain artful way of conveying the applause in an indirect manner. There was a gentleman gave us feveral inftances of it. Among others, he quoted (from Sir FRANCIS BACON, in his "Advancement of Learning,") a very great compliment made to Tiberius *, as follows: In a full debate upon public affairs in the Senate, one of the affembly rofe up,, and with a very grave air said, he thought it for the honour and dignity of the commonwealth, that Tiberius should be declared a God, and have

* An allufion to an inftance of artful flattery practised by MESSALA VALERIUS, and recorded but somewhat differently by TACITUS. Ann. lib. I. cap. 8.

divine worship paid him. The Emperor was furprized at the propofal, and demanded of him to declare, whether he had made any application to incline him to that overture? The Senator answered, with a bold and haughty tone, "Sir, in matters that concern the common

66

wealth, I will be governed by no man." Another gentleman mentioned fomething of the fame kind, spoken by the late duke of BUCKINGHAM to the late Earl of ORRERY; "My lord," (fays the duke, after his libertine way)" you "will certainly be damned. "How, my lord!" fays the earl, with fome warmth. "Nay, (faid the duke)" there is no help for it, for it is "pofitively faid, Curfed is he of whom all men

fpeak well *." This is taking a man by furprize, and being welcome when you have fo furprized him. The perfon flattered receives you into his closet at once; and the fudden change of his, heart, from the expectation of an ill-wisher, to find you to find you his friend, makes you in his full favour in a moment, The fpirits that were raifed fo fuddenly against you, are as fuddenly for you. There was another inftance given of this kind at the table a gentleman, who had a very great favour done him, and an employment

LUKE vi. 26. His Grace did not understand, nor quote fairly, the paffage of Scripture, to which he thought it fo witty, thus impioufly to allude,

bestowed

bestowed upon him, without fo much as being perfonally known to his benefactor, waited upon the great man who was fo generous, and was beginning to say, he was infinitely obliged. "Not at all," fays the patron, turning from him to another," had I known a more deferv"ing man in England, he should not have had "it *.".

We should certainly have had more examples had not a gentleman produced a book which he thought an inftance of this kind : it was a pamphlet, called "The Naked Truth." The idea any one would have of that work from the title was, that there would be much

* Cardinal RICHELIEU did not discover this delicacy of fentiment to VAUGELAS, on whom he had fettled a penfion of 2000 livres to enable him to go on with the Dictionary of the Academy. When VAUGELAS waited upon him, and began to thank him," At leaft," fays the Cardinal," be fure not to "forget the word PENSION in your Dictionary." BABILLARD.

+ It has been faid that the pamphlet called "The Naked "Truth" was written by a lawyer of the name of NELMY; but if WILLIAM Viscount GRIMSTON was not the author of it, he wrote remarks upon this critique on it, in a treatise which he dedicated to the Hon. EDWARD HOWARD, as we are informed in TAT. N° 21. No notice is taken of this publication in the "Catalogue of royal and noble authors," under the Article of this Irish peer. The writer of this note has never been able to find the pamphlet here criticised, or the defence of it mentioned, TAT, N° 21. but he has feen an anonymous pamphlet entirely different from this, and dated about the fame time, bearing likewife the title of "Naked Truth." WOOD metions a book intituled " Naked Truth, published in 1694.” Aih. Oxon. vol. II, p. 866. See TAT. No 21, and-note.

plain dealing with people in power, and that we fhould fee things in their proper light, ftipped of the ornaments which are usually given to the actions of the great: but the skill of this author is fuch, that he has, under that rugged appearance approved himself the fineft gentleman and courtier that ever writ. The language is extremely fublime, and not at all to be understood by the vulgar: the fentiments are fuch as would make no figure in ordinary words; but fuch is the art of the expreffion, and the thoughts are elevated to fo high a degree, that I queftion whether the discourse will fell much. There was an ill-natured' fellow prefent, who hates all panegyric mortally; “P——— take him," faid he, "what the devil "means his NAKED TRUTH, in fpeaking no

thing but to the advantage of all whom he " mentions? This is juft fuch a great action as "that of the champion's on a coronation-day, "who challenges all mankind to dispute with

him the right of the fovereign, surrounded "with his guards." The gentleman who produced the treatife defired him to be cautious, and faid, it was writ by an excellent foldier, which made the company obferve it more narrowly; and (as critics are the greatest conjurers at finding out a known truth) one faid, he was fure it was writ by the hand of his swordarm. I could not perceive much wit in that expref