capable to please and oblige all who know him. When he is in Town, he lives in Soho-Square. It is faid, he keeps himself a Bachelor by reafon he was croffed in Love by a perverse beautiful Widow of the next County to him. Before this Disappointment, Sir ROGER was what you call a fine Gentleman, had often fupped with my Lord Rochester and Sir George Etherege, fought a Duel upon his firft coming to Town, and kick'd Bully Dawson in a public Coffee-house for calling him Youngfter. But being ill-ufed by the above-mentioned Widow, he was very ferious for a Year and a half; and though, his Temper being naturally jovial, he at laft got over it, he grew careless of himself, and never dreffed afterwards. He continues to wear a Coat and Doublet of the fame Cut that were in Fashion at the Time of his Repulfe, which, in his merry Humors, he tells us, has been in and out twelve times fince he first wore it. "Tis faid Sir ROGER grew humble in his Defires after he had forgot this cruel Beauty, infomuch that it is reported he has frequently offended in point of Chastity with Beggars and Gipfies: But this is looked upon by his Friends rather as Matter of Rallery than Truth. He is now in his fifty-fixth Year, chearful, gay, and hearty; keeps a good Houfe both in Town and Country; a great Lover of Mankind; but there is fuch a mirthful Caft in his Behaviour, that he is rather beloved than esteemed, Tis Tenants grow rich, his Servants look fatisfied, all the young Women profefs Love to him, and the young Men are glad of his Company: When he comes into a Houfe he calls the Servants by their Names, and talks all the Way up Stairs to a Vifit. I muft not omit, that Sir ROGER is a Juftice of the Quorum; that he fills the Chair at a Quarter-Seffion with great Abilities, and three Months ago gained universal Applause by explaining a Paffage in the Game-Act.

THE Gentleman next in Efteem and Authority among us, is another Bachelor, who is a Member of the Inner-Temple; a Man of great Probity, Wit, and Understanding; but he has chofen his Place of Refidence rather to obey the Direction of an old humorfom Father, than in purfuit of his own 'Inclinations. He was placed there to study the Laws of the Land, and is the most learned

of

of any of the House in those of the Stage. Ariftotle and Longinus are much better understood by him than Littleton or Coke. The Father fends up every Poft Questions relating to Marriage-Articles, Leafes, and Tenures, in the Neighbourhood; all which Questions he agrees with an Attorney to answer and take care of in the Lump. He is ftudying the Paffions themselves when he should be inquiring into the Debates among Men which arife from them. He knows the Argument of each of the Orations of Demofthenes and Tully, but not one Case in the Reports of our own Courts. No one ever took him for a Fool, but none except his intimate Friends, know he has a great deal of Wit. This Turn makes him at once both difinterested and agreeable: As few of his Thoughts are drawn from Bufinefs, they are most of them fit for Converfation. His Tafte of Books is a little too juft for the Age he lives in; he has read all, but approves of very few. His Familiarity with the Cuftoms, Manners, Actions, and Writings of the Ancients, makes him a very delicate Observer of what occurs to him in the prefent World. He is an excellent Critick, and the Time of the Play is his Hour of Business; exactly at five he paffes thro' New-Inn, croffes thro' Ruffel-Court, and takes a turn at Will's till the Play begins; he has his Shoes rubbed and his Periwig powdered at the Barber's as you go into the Rofe. It is for the good of the Audience when he is at a Play, for the Actors have an Ambition to please him.

THE Perfon of next Confideration, is Sir ANDREW FREEPORT, a Merchant of great Eminence in the City of London. A Perfon of indefatigable Induftry, ftrong Reafon, and great Experience. His Notions of Trade are noble and generous, and (as every rich Man has ufually fome fly Way of Jefting, which would make no great Figure were he not a rich Man) he calls the Sea the British Common. He is acquainted with Commerce in all its Parts, and will tell you that it is a ftupid and barbarous Way to extend Dominion by Arms; for true Power is to be got by Arts and Induftry. He will often argue, that if this Part of our Trade were well cultivated, we should gain from one Nation; and if another, from another. I have heard him prove, that Diligence

Diligence makes more lafting Acquifitions than Valour, and that Sloth has ruin'd more Nations than the Sword. He abounds in feveral frugal Maxims, amongft which the greatest Favorite is, A Peny faved is a Peny got.' A general Trader of good Senfe is pleasanter Company than a general Scholar; and Sir ANDREW having a natural unaffected Eloquence, the Perfpicuity of his Difcourfe gives the fame Pleafure that Wit would in another Man. He has made his Fortunes himself; and fays that England may be richer than other Kingdoms, by as plain Methods as he himself is richer than other Men; though at the fame time I can fay this of him, that there is not a Point in the Compass but blows home a Ship in which he is an Owner.

NEXT to Sir ANDREW in the Club-Room fits Captain SENTRY, a Gentleman of great Courage, good Understanding, but invincible Modefty. He is one of thofe that deferve very well, but are very aukward at putting their Talents within the Obfervation of fuch as fhould take notice of them. He was fome Years a Captain, and behaved himself with great Galantry in feveral Engagements and at feveral Sieges; but having a fmall Estate of his own, and being next Heir to Sir ROGER, he has quitted a Way of Life in which no Man can rife fuitably to his Merit, who is not fomething of a Courtier, as well as a Soldier. I have heard him often lament, that in a Profeffion where Merit is placed in fo confpicuous a View, Impudence fhould get the better of Modefty. When he has talked to this Purpose I never heard him make a four Expreffion, but frankly confefs that he left the World, because he was not fit for it. A strict Honesty and an even regular Behaviour, are in themselves Obftacles to him that must prefs through Crowds, who endeavour at the fame End with himfelf, the Favor of a Commander. He will however in his way of Talk excufe Generals, for not difpofing according to Mens Defert, or inquiring into it: For, fays he, that great Man who has a mind to help me, has as many to break through to come at me, as I have to come at him: Therefore he will conclude, that the Man who would make a Figure, efpecially in a Military Way, muft get over all falfe Mo

defty,

defty, and affift his Patron against the Importunity of other Pretenders, by a proper Affurance in his own Vindication. He fays it is a civil Cowardise to be backward in afferting what you ought to expect, as it is a military Fear to be flow in attacking when it is your Duty. With this Candor does the Gentleman speak of himfelf and others. The fame Frankness runs through all his Conversation. The Military Part of his Life has furnished him with many Adventures, in the Relation of which he is very agreeable to the Company; for he is never overbearing, though accustomed to command Men in the utmoft Degree below him; nor ever too obfequious, from an Habit of obeying Men highly above him.

BUT that our Society may not appear a Set of Humorifts unacquainted with the Galantries and Pleasures of the Age, we have among us the galant WILL HONEYCOMB a Gentleman who according to his Years fhould be in the Decline of his Life, but having ever been very careful of his Perfon, and always had a very eafy Fortune, Time has made but a very little Impreffion, either by Wrinkles on his Forehead, or Traces in kis Brain. His Perfon is well turn'd, of a good Height. He is very ready at that fort of Difcourfe with which Men ufually entertain Women. He has all his Life dreffed very well, and remembers Habits as others do Men. He can fmile when one fpeaks to him, and laughs eafily. He knows the Hiftory of every Mode, and can inform you from which of the French King's Wenches our Wives and Daughters had this Manner of curling their Hair, that Way of placing their Hoods; whofe Frailty was covered by fuch a fort of Petticoat, and whofe Vanity to fhew her Foot made that part of the Drefs so short in fuch a Year. In a word, all his Conversation and Knowledge have been in the female World: As other Men of his Age will take notice to you what fuch a Minifter faid upon fuch and fuch an Occafion, he will tell you, when the Duke of Monmouth danced at Court, fuch a Woman was then fmitten, another was taken with him at the Head of his Troop in the Park. In all these important Relations, he has ever about the fame time received a kind Glance or a Blow of a Fan from fome

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celebrated Beauty, Mother of the prefent Lord fuch-aone. If you speak of a young Commoner that faid a lively thing in the Houfe, he starts up, He has good • Blood in his Veins, Tom Mirabell begot him, the Rogue cheated me in that Affair, that young Fellow's • Mother used me more like a Dog than any Woman I ever made Advances to.' This way of Talking of his very much enlivens the Conversation among us of a more fedate Turn; and I find there is not one of the Company, but myself, who rarely fpeak at all, but fpeaks of him as of that fort of Man who is ufually called a well-bred fine Gentleman. To conclude his Character, where Women are not concerned, he is an honeft worthy Man.

I cannot tell whether I am to account him whom I am next to speak of, as one of our Company; for he visits us but feldom, but when he does it adds to every Man elfe a new Enjoyment of himself. He is a Clergyman, a very Philofophic Man, of general Learning, great Sanctity of Life, and the moft exact good Breeding. He has the Misfortune to be of a very weak Conftitution, and confequently cannot accept of fuch Cares and Bufinefs as Preferments in his Function would oblige him to : He is therefore among Divines what a Chamber-Counsellor is among Lawyers. The Probity of his Mind, and the Integrity of his Life, create him followers, as being eloquent or loud advances others. He feldom introduces the Subject he speaks upon; but we are fo far gone in Years, that he obferves when he is among us, an Earneftnefs to have him fall on fome divine Topic, which he always treats with much Authority, as one who has no Interests in this World, as one who is haftening to the Object of all his Wishes, and conceives Hope from his Decays and Infirmities. These are my ordinary Companions.

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Saturday,