follow his Mufick, and by that means cleared the Place of those little noxious Animals.

BEFORE I difmifs this Paper, I muft inform my Reader, that I hear there is a Treaty on foot with London and Wife (who will be appointed Gardeners of the Play-house) to furnish the Opera of Rinaldo and Armida with an Orange-Grove, and that the next time it is acted,the Singing Birds will be perfonated by Tom-Tits: The Undertakers being refolved to fpare neither Pains nor Money for the Gratification of the Audience,

C

N° 6. Wednesday, March 7.

Γ.Α.

Credebant hoc grande Nefas, & Morte piandum, Si Juvenis Vetulo non affurrexerat·

Juv.

Know no Evil under the
Sun fo great as the Abuse.

I

of the Understanding, and
yet
there is no Vice more
common. It has diffufed it

felf through both Sexes and all Quali

ties of Mankind, and there is hardly that Perfon to be found, who is not more concerned for the Reputation of Wit and Senfe, than Honefly and Virtue. But this unhappy Affectation of being Wife rather than Honeft, Witty than Good-natur'd, is the Source of moft of the ill Habits of Life. Such falfe Impreffions are owing to the abandoned Writings of Men of Wit, and the aukward Imitation of the reft of Mankind.

FOR this Reafon Sir ROGER Was faying laft Night, That he was of Opinion none but Men of fine Parts deferve to be hanged. The Reflections of fuch Men are fo delicate upon all Occurrences which they are concerned in, that they should be expofed to more than ordinary Infamy and Punishment for offending against fuch quick Admonitions as their own Souls give them, and blunting the fine Edge of their Minds in fuch a manner, that they are no more shock'd at Vice and Folly, than Men of flower Capacities. There is no greater Monster in Being, than a very ill Man of great Parts: He lives like a Man in a Palfy, with one Side of him dead. While perhaps he enjoys the C 4 Satif

Satisfaction of Luxury,of Wealth,of Am bition, he has loft the Tafte of Goodwill, of Friendship, of Innocence. Scarecrow, the Beggar in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, who difabled himself in his Right Leg, and asks Alms all Day to get himself a warm Supper and a Trull at Night, is not half fo defpicable a Wretch as fuch a Man of Senfe. The Beggar has no Relifh above Senfations; he finds Rett more agreeable than Motion; and while he has a warm Fire and his Doxy, never reflects that he deferves to be whipped. Every Man who terminates his Satisfactions and Enjoyments within the Supply of his own Neceffities and Paffions, is, fays Sir ROGER, in my Eye as poor a Rogue as Scarecrow. But, continued he, for the Lofs of publick and private Virtue, we are beholden to your Men of Parts forfooth; it is with them no matter what is done, fo it be done with an Air. But to me who am fo whimfical in a corrupt Age as to act according to Nature and Reafon, a felfish Man, in the most fhining Circumftance and Equipage, appears in the fame Condition with the Fellow above-mentioned, but more contemptible, in proportion to what more he robs

the

the Publick of, and enjoys above_him. I lay it down therefore for a Rule, That the whole Man is to move together; That every Action of any Importance, is to have a Profpect of Publick Good; and that the general Tendency of our indifferent Actions, ought to be agreeable to the Dictates of Reafon, of Religion, of good Breeding; without this a Man, as I before have hinted, is hopping inftead of walking, he is not in his entire and proper Motion.

WHILE the honeft Knight was thus bewildering himself in good Starts, I looked intentively upon him, which made him, I thought, collect his Mind a little. What I aim at, fays he, is to reprefent, That I am of Opinion, to pofish our Underftandings, and neglect our Manners, is of all things the most inexcufable. Reafon fhould govern Paffion, but instead of that, you fee, it is often fubfervient to it; and as unaccountable as one would think it, a wife Man is not always a good Man. This Degeneracy is not only the Guilt of particular Perfons, but alfo at fome times of a whole People; and perhaps it may appear upon Examination, that them oft polite Ages are the leaft virCS

tuous.

tuous.

This may be attributed to the Folly of admitting Wit and Learning as Merit in themselves, without confidering the Application of them. By this Means it becomes a Rule not fo much to regard what we do, as how we do it. But this falfe Beauty will not pafs upon Men of honeft Minds and true Tafte. Sir Richard Blackmore fays, with as much good Senfe as Virtue, It is a mighty Dishonour and Shame to employ excellent Faculties and abundance of Wit to humour and please Men in their Vices and Follies. The great Enemy of Mankind, notwithstanding his Wit and Angelick Faculties, is the most odious Being in the whole Creation. He goes on foon after to fay very generously, That he undertook the Writing of his Poem to refcue the Mufes out of the Hands of Ravishers, to restore them to their sweet and chafte Manfions, and to engage them in an Employment fuitable to their Dignity. This certainly ought to be the Purpofe of every Man who appears in Publick, and whoever does not proceed upon that Foundation, injures his Country as fast as he fucceeds in his Studies. When Modefty ceases to be the chief Ornament of one Sex, and Integrity of the

other,