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Deceit in the Purfuit of what we wish for. A Gentleman here this Evening was giving me an Account of a dumb Fortune-Teller, who outdoes Mr. Partridge, my felf, or the Unborn Doctor, for Predictions. All his Vilitants come to him full of Expectations, and pay his own Rate for the Interpretations they put upon his Shrugs and Nods. There is a fine rich CityWidow ftole thither the other Day, (though it is not Six Weeks fince her Husband's Departure from her Company to reft) and, with her trufty Maid, demanded of him, Whether fhe fhould marry again, by holding up Two Fingers, like 5 Horns on her forehead. The Wizard held up both her Hands forked. The Relict defired to know, Whether he meant by his holding up both Hands, to reprefent that he had one Hufband before, and that the fhould have another? Or that he intimated, she should have Two more? The Cunning Man look'd a little four; upon which Betty jogged her Miftrefs, who gave t'other Guinea, and he made her understand, She fhould pofitively have Two more; but tha ked his Head, and hinted, that they fhould not live long with her. The Widow fighed, and gave him t'other half Guinea. After this Prepoffeffion, all that he had next to do, was to make Sallies to our End of the Town, and find out who it is her Fate to have. There are Two who frequent this Place, whom he takes for Men of Vogue, and of whom her Imagination has given her the Choice. They are both the Appearances of fine Gentlemen, to fuch as do not know when they fee Perfons of that Turn; and indeed, they are induftrious enough to come at that CharaEter, to deferve the Reputation of being fuch. But this Town will not allow us to be the Thing we feem to aim at, and are too difcerning to be fobb'd off with Pretences. One of these pretty

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Flows fails by his laborious Exa&tnefs; the other, by his as much studied Negligence. Frank Careless, as foon as his Valet has helped on and adjufted his Clothes, goes to his Glafs, fets his Wig awry, tumbles his Cravat; and in short, undreffes himself to go into Company. Will Nice is fo little fatisfied with his Drefs, that all the Time he is at a Vifit, he is ftill mending it, and is for that Reafon the more infufferable for he who ftudies Carelefnefs, has, at least," his Work the fooner done of the Two. The Widow is diftracted whom to take for her fift Man; for Nice is every Way fo careful, that he fears his Length of Days; and Frank is fo loofe, that he has Apprehenfions for her own Health with him. I am puzzled how to give a juft Idea of them; but in a Word, Careless is a Coxcomb, and Nice a Fop: Both, you'll fay, very hopeful Candidates for a gay Woman just fet at Liberty. But there is a Whisper, her Maid will give her to Tom Terrour the Gamefter. This Fellow has undone fo many Women, that he'll certainly fucceed if he is introduced; for nothing fo much prevails with the vain Part of that Sex, as the Glory of deceiving them who have deceived others. Defunt Multa.

St. James's Coffee boule, May 11.

Letters from Berlin, bearing Date May 11. N.S. inform us, That the Birth-Day of her Pruffian Majefty has been celebrated there with all poffible Magnificence; and the King made her, on that Occafion, a prefent of Jewels to the Value of Thirty Thoufand Crowns. The Marquis de Quefne, who has diftinguifhed himself by his great Zeal for the Proteftant Intereft, was, at the Time of the Difpatch of thefe Letters, at that Court, foliciting the King to take Care,

that

that an Article in Behalf of the Refugees, admitting their Return to France, fhould be inferted in the Treaty of Peace. They write from Hanover of the 14th, That his Electoral Highnefs had received an Express from Count Merci, reprefenting how neceffary it was to the Common Caufe, that he would please to haften to the Rhine; for that nothing but his Presence could quicken the Measures towards bringing the Imperial Army into the Field. There are very many Speculations upon the intended Interview of the King of Denmark and King Auguftus. The latter has made fuch Preparations for the Reception of the other, that it is faid, his Danish Majesty will be entertained in Saxony | with much more Elegance than he met with in Italy it felf.

Letters from the Hague of the 18th Instant, N.S. fay, That his Grace the Duke of Marlborough landed the Night before at the Brill, after having been kept out at Sea by adverfe Winds two Days longer than is ufual in that Paffage. His Excellency the Lord Townshend, Her Majesty's Ambaffador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the State General, was driven into the Ver in Zealand on Thursday laft, from whence he came to the Hague within few Hours after the Arrival of his Grace. The Duke, foon after his coming to the Hague, had a Vifit from the Penfioner of Holland. All Things relating to the Peace were in Sufpence till this Interview; nor is it yet known what Refolutions will be taken on that Subject; for the Troops of the Allies have fresh Orders difpatched to them to move 4 from their respective Quarters, and march with all Expedition to the Frontiers, where the Enemy are making their utmost Efforts for the Defence of their Country. Thefe Advices further inform us, That the Marquis de Torcy had re

ceiv'd an Anfwer from the Court of France to his Letters which he had fent thither by an Exprefs on the Friday before.

Mr. Bickerstaff has received Letters from Mr. Coltitaff, Mr. Whipftaff, and Mrs. Rebecca Wagstaff; all which relate chiefly to their being left out in the Genealogy of the Family lately pubLifhed; but my Coufin being a Clerk in the Herald's Office who writ that Draught, and being at prefent under the Difpleasure of the Chapter; it is feared, if that Matter should be touched upon at this Time, the young Gentleman would lofe his Place for Treafon against the Kings at Arms.

The TATLER. [N° 15. From Thurfd. May 12. to Saturd. May 14. 1709.

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From my own Apartment, May 12.

Have taken a Refolution hereafter, on any Want of Intelligence, to carry my Familiar abroad with me, who has promifed to give me very proper and just Notices of Perfons and Things, to make up the Hiftory of the paffing Day. He is wonderfully skilful in the Knowledge of Men and Manners, which has made ine niore than ordinary curious to know how he came to that Perfection, and I communicated to him that Doubt. Mr. Pacolet, faid I, I am mightily furpriz'd to fee you fo good a Judge of our Nature and Circumftances, fince you are a meer Spirit, and have no Knowledge of the Bodily Parts of us. He answered, fmiling, You are mitaken, I have been one of you, and lived a Month amongst you, which gives me an exact Senfe of your Condition. You are to know, That all who enter into Humane Life, have a certain Date or Stamen given to their Being,

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which they only who die of Age may be faid to have arrived at; but it is ordered fometimes by Fate, that fuch as die Infants, are after Death to attend Mankind to the End of that Stamen of Being in themselves, which was broke off by Sickness or any other Difafter. These are proper Guardians to Men, as being infenfible of the Infirmity of their State. You are Philofopher enough to know, that the Difference of Men's Understanding proceeds only from the various Difpofitions of their Organs; fo that he who dies at a Month old, is in the next Life as knowing (tho' more innocent) as they who live to Fifty; and after Death, they have as perfect a Memory and Judgment of all that pafs'd in their Life-time, as I have of all the Revolutions in that uneafie, turbulent Condition of yours; LI and, you'd fay, I had enough of it in a Month, were I to tell you all my Misfortunes. A Life of a Month, can't have, one would think, much Variety; but pray, said I, let us have your Story.

Then he proceeds in the following Manner:It was one of the most wealthy Families in Great Britain into which I was born, and it was a very great Happiness to me that it fo happen'd, otherwife had ftill, in all Probability, been living: But I hall recount to you all the Occurrences of my fhort and miferable Existence, juft as, by examining into the Traces made in my Brain, they appeared to me at that Time. The firit Thing that ever ftruck my Senfes, was a \1 Noife over my Head of one fhrieking; after which, methought I took a full Jump, and found my felf in the Hands of a Sorcerefs, who feem'd as if he had been long waking, and employed in fome Incantation: I was throughly frightned, and cried out, but the immediately feem'd to go on in fome Magical Operation, and

anointed

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