No. 172. Ambition rather in acquiring to themselves the Con Monday, science of worthy Enterprizes, than in the Prospect o Sept. 17, Glory which attends them. These exalted Spirits would 1711, rather be secretly the Authors of Events which are serviceable to Mankind, than without being such, to have the publick Fame of it. Where therefore an eminen Merit is robbed by Artifice or Detraction, it does bu encrease by such Endeavours of its Enemies: The im potent Pains which are taken to sully it, or diffuse it among a Crowd to the Injury of a single Person, will naturally produce the contrary Effect; the Fire will blaze out, and burn up all that attempt to smother what they cannot extinguish. There is but one thing necessary to keep the Posses sion of true Glory, which is to hear the Opposers of it with Patience, and preserve the Virtue by which it was acquired. When a Man is thoroughly perswaded that he ought neither to admire, wish for, or pursue any thing but what is exactly his Duty, it is not in the Power of Seasons, Persons or Accidents to diminish his Value: He only is a great Man who can neglect the Applause of the Multitude, and enjoy himself independent of its Favour. This is indeed an arduous Task; but it should comfort a glorious Spirit that it is the highest Step to which humane Nature can arrive. Triumph, Applause, Acclamation, are dear to the Mind of Man; but it is still a more exquisite Delight to say to your self, you have done well, than to hear the whole humane Race pronounce you glorious, except you your self can join with them in your own Reflexions. A Mind thus equal and uniform may be deserted by little fashionable Admirers and Followers, but will ever be had in Rever ence by Souls like it self. The Branches of the Oak endure all the Seasons of the Year, though its Leaves fall off in Autumn; and these too will be restored with the returning Spring, T Tuesday are ve ent nc IN Remove fera monstra, tuaeque Na late Paper I mentioned the Project of an ingenious Author for the erecting of several Handicraft Prizes to be contended for by our British Artizans, and the Influence they might have towards the Improvement of our several Manufactures, I have since that been very much surpriz'd by the following Advertisement which I find in the Post-Boy of the 11th Instant, and es again repeated in the Post-Boy of the 15th. On the 9th of October next will be run for upon Coleshill-Heath in Warwickshire, a Plate of 6 Guineas value, 3 Heats, by any Horse, Mare or Gelding that hath not won above the Value of 5 1., the winning Horse to be Sold for 10 l, to carry 10 Stone weight, y if 14 Hands high, if above or under, to carry or be allowed weight er for Inches, and to be entred Friday the 5th at the Swan in Coleshill, before 6 in the Evening. Also a Plate of less Value to be se run for by Asses. The same Day a Gold Ring to be ts Grinn'd for by Men. d The first of these Diversions, that is to be exhibited by the 107. Race-Horses, may probably have its use; but the two last, in which the Asses and Men are concerned, is seem to me altogether extraordinary and unaccountable, Why they should keep running Asses at Coleshill, or e how making Mouths turns to account in Warwickshire, more than in any other Parts of England, I cannot com prehend. I have looked over all the Olympick_Games, and do not find any thing in them like an Ass Race, or a Match at Grinning. However it be, I am informed that several Asses are now kept in Body-Cloaths, and sweated every Morning upon the Heath, and that all the Country Fellows within ten Miles of the Swan, grinn an Hour or two in their Glasses every Morning, in order to qualifie themselves for the 9th of October. The Prize which is proposed to be grinn'd for, has raised such an Ambition among the Common People of Out-grinning one another, that many very discerning Persons are afraid it should spoil most of the Faces in the No. 173 1711. the County; and that a Warwickshire Man will be Tuesday, known by his Grinn, as Roman Catholicks imagine a Sept. 18, Kentish Man is by his Tail. The Gold Ring which is made the Prize of Deformity, is just the Reverse of the Golden Apple that was formerly made the Prize of Beauty, and should carry for its Posie the old Motto inverted, Detur tetriori. Or to accommodate it to the Capacity of the Combatants, Be the Winner. In the mean while I would advise a Dutch Painter to be present at this great Controversie of Faces, in order to make a Collection of the most remarkable Grinns that shall be there exhibited. I must not here omit an Account which I lately received of one of these Grinning Matches from a Gentleman, who upon reading the above-mentioned Advertisement, entertained a Coffee-house with the following Narrative. Upon the taking of Namur, amidst other Publick_Rejoicings made on that Occasion, there was a Gold Ring given by a Whig Justice of Peace to be grinn'd for. The first Competitor that entred the Lists, was a black swarthy French Man, who accidentally passed that way, and being a Man naturally of a wither'd Look, and hard Features, promised himself good Success, He was placed upon a Table in the Great Point of View, and looking upon the Company like Milton's Death, Grinn'd horribly a Ghastly Smile His Muscles were so drawn together on each side of his Face, that he shewed twenty Teeth at a Grinn, and put the Country in some pain, least a Foreigner should carry away the Honour of the Day; but upon a further Tryal they found he was Master only of the Merry Grinn. The next that mounted the Table was a Male/content in those Days, and a great Master in the whole Art of Grinning, but particularly excelled in the angry Grinn He did his Part so well that he is said to have made half a Dozen Women miscarry; but the Justice being apprised by 1711. by one who stood near him, that the Fellow who No. 173. Grinned in his Face was a Jacobíte, and being unwilling Tuesday, that a Disaffected Person should win the Gold Ring, and be Sept. 18, looked upon as the best Grinner in the Country, he ordered the Oaths to be tendered him upon his quitting the Table, which the Grinner refusing, he was set aside as an unqualified Person. There were several other Grot esque Figures that presented themselves, which it would be too tedious to describe, I must not however omít a Plow-man who lived in the further Part of the Country, and being very lucky in a Pair of long Lanthorn-Jaws, wrung his Face into such an hideous Grimace that every Feature of it appeared under a different Distortion. The whole Company stood astonished at such a complicated Grinn, and were ready to assign the Prize to him, had it not been proved by one of his Antagonists that he had practised with Verjuice for some Days before, and had a Crab found upon him at the very time of Grinning; upon which the best Judges of Grinning declared it, as their Opinion, that he was not to be looked upon as a fair Grinner, and therefore ordered him to be set aside as a Cheat. The Prize, it seems, fell at length upon a Cobler, Giles Gorgon by Name, who produced several new Grinns of his own Invention, having been used to cut Faces for many Years together over his Last. At the very first Grinn he cast every Human Feature out of his Countenance; at the second he became the Face of a Spout; at the third a Baboon, at the fourth the Head of a Base-Viol, and at the fifth a Pair of Nut-crackers. The whole Assembly wondered at his Accomplishments, and bestowed the Ring on him unanimously; but, what he esteemed more than all the rest, a Country Wench whom he had wooed in vain for above five Years before, was so charmed with his Grinns and the Applauses which he received on all sides, that she Married him the Week following, and to this Day wears the Prize upon her Finger, the Cobler having made use of it as his Wedding Ring, This Paper might perhaps seem very impertinent if it grew serious in the Conclusion. I would nevertheless leave it to the Consideration of those who are the Patrons of No. 173. 1711. of this monstrous Tryal of Skill, whether or no they are Tuesday not guilty, in some measure, of an Affront to their Species, Sept. 18, in treating after this manner the Human Face Divine, and turning that part of us, which has so great an Image impressed upon it, into the Image of a Monkey; whether the raising such silly Competitions among the Ignorant, proposing Prizes for such useless Accomplishments, filling the common People's Heads with such Senseless Am bitions, and inspiring them with such absurd Ideas of Superiority and Preheminence, has not in it something Immoral as well as Ridiculous. No. 174. Wednesday, September 19, Haec memini & victum frustra contendere Thyrsin.-Virg. Animosities between Parties that cannot subsist but by their Agreement: This was well represented in the Sedition of the Members of the human Body in the old Roman Fable. It is often the Case of lesser confederate States against a superior Power, which are hardly held together though their Unanimity is necessary for their common Safety: And this is always the Case of the landed and trading Interest of Great Britain; the Trader is fed by the Product of the Land, and the landed Man cannot be cloathed but by the Skill of the Trader; and yet those Interests are ever jarring, We had last Winter an Instance of this at our Club, in Sir ROGER DE COVERLY and Sir ANDREW FREEPORT, be tween whom there is generally a constant, though friendly, Opposition of Opinions. It happened that one of the Company, in an historical Discourse, was observ ing, that Carthaginian Faith was a proverbial Phrase to intimate Breach of Leagues, Sir ROGER said it could hardly be otherwise: That the Carthaginians were the greatest Traders in the World; and as Gain is the chief End of such a People, they never pursue any other: The Means to it are never regarded; they will, if it comes easily, get Money honestly; but if not, they will not scruple to attain it by Fraud or Cosenage And |