fides over the Deliberations of State; and is fo highly valued by all Men for his fingular Probity, Courage, Affability, and Love of Mankind, that his being placed in that Station has diffipated the Fears of that People, who of all the World are the moft jealous of their Liber ty and Happiness. The next Member of their Society is Horatio, who makes all the Publick Difpatches. This Minifter is Master of all the Languages in Ufe to great Perfection. He is held in the highest Veneration imaginable for a fevere Honefty, and Love of his Country: He lives in a Court unfullied with any of its Artifices, the Refuge of the Oppreffed, and Terror of Oppreflors. Martio has joined himfelf to this Council; a Man of moft undauntcd Refolution and great Knowledge in Maritime Affairs; famous for deftroying the Navy of the Franks, and fingularly happy in one Particular, That he never preferred a Man who has not proved remarkably serviceable to his Country. Philander is mentioned with particular Diftinction; a Nobleman who has the moft refined Taft of the true Pleasures and Elegance of Life, joined to an indefatigable Industry in Bulinefs: A Man eloquent in Affemblies, agreeable in Conversation, and dextrous in all Manner of Publick Negotiations. Thefe Letters add, That Verono, who is alfo of this Council, has lately fet Sail to his Government of Patricia, with Defign to confirm the Affections of the People in the Interests of his Queen. This Minifter is Mafter of great Abikities, and is as induftrious and restless for the Prefervation of the Liberties of the People, as the greatest Enemy can be to fubvert them. The Influence of thefe Perfonages, who are Men of fuch diftinguished Parts and Virtues, makes makes the People enjoy the utmost Tranquility in the Midft of a War, and gives them undoubt ed Hopes of a fecure Peace from their Vigilance and Integrity. The TATLER. [N° 5. From Tuefd. April 19. to Thursd. April 21. 1709. White's Chocolate-house, April 20. WHO names that loft Thing, Love, without a Tear, 66 This was long ago a witty Author's Lamentation, but the Evil itill continues; and if a Man of any Delicacy were to attend the Difcourfes of the young Fellows of this Age, they would believe there were none but Prostitutes to make the Objects of Paffion. So true it is what the Author of the above Verfes faid, a little before his Death, of the modern Pretenders to Gallantry: They fet up for Wits in this Age, by faying when they are Sober, what they of the "laft fpoke only when they were Drunk. But Cupid is not only Blind at prefent, but Deaddrunk; he has loft all his Faculties: Elfe how fhould Celia be fo long a Maid with that agreeable Behaviour? Corinna, with that fprightly Wit? Lesbia, with that Heavenly Voice? And Sachariffa, with all thofe Excellencies in one Perfon, frequent the Park, the Play, and murder the poor Tits that drag her to publick Places, and not a Man turn pale at her Appearance? But fuch is the fallen State of Love, that if it were not for honeft Cynthie, C 3 who who is true to the Caufe, we fhould hardly have Leave the reft to her, and Fate; But the Stars I am fo intimately acquainted with, that I can affure him he will never have her: For would you believe it, tho' Cynthio has Wit, Good Senfe, Fortune, and his very Being depends upon her, the Termagant for whom he fighs, is in Love with a Fellow, who ftares in the Glafs all the Time he is with her, and lets he plainly fee, fhe may poffibly be his Rival, but never his Miftrefs. Yet Cynthio, the fame unhappy Man whom I mentioned in my firft Narrative, pleafes himself with a vain Imagination, that with the Language of his Eyes, now he has found who fhe is, he fhall conquer her, though her Eyes are intent upon one who looks from her; which is ordinary with the Sex. It is certainly a Mistake in the Ancients, to draw abe little Gentleman, Love, as a blind Boy; for his real Character is, a little Thief that fquints. For ask Mrs. Meddle, who is a Confident, or Spy, upon all the Paffions in Town, and fhe'll tell you, that the Whole is a Game of Crofs Purposes. The Lover is generally pursuing one who is in Purfuit of another, and running from one that defires to meet him. Nay, the Nature of this Paffion is fo juttly reprefented in a fquinting little Thief, (who is always in a Double Action) that do but obferve Clariffa next Time you fee her, and you'll find, when her Eyes have made their foft Tour round the Company, fhe makes no Stay on him they fay fhe is to marry, but refts Two Seconds of a Minute on Wildair, who neither looks nor thinks on her, or any Woman elfe. However, Cynthio had a Bow from her t'other Day, upon which he is very much come to himself; and I heard him fend his Man of an Errand Yesterday without any Manner of Hefitation; a Quarter of an Hour after which he reckoned Twenty, remember'd he was to fup with a Friend, and went exactly to his Appointment. I fent to know how he did this Morning, and I find he hath not forgot that he spoke to he Yefterday. Will's Coffee-houfe, April 20. This Week being Sacred to Holy Things, and no publick Diverfions allowed, there has been taken Notice of, even here, a little Treatife, called, A Project for the Advancement of Reli gion: Dedicated to the Countess of Berkeley. The Title was fo uncommon, and promised fo peculiar a Way of Thinking, that every Man here has read it, and as many as have done fo, have approved it. It is written with the Spirit of one who has feen the World enough to undervalue it with good Breeding. The Author muft certainly be a Man of Wisdom, as well as Piety, and have spent much Time in the Exercife of both. The real Caufes of the Decay of the Interest of Religion, are fet forth in a clear and lively Manner, without unfeasonable Paffions; and the whole Air of the Book, as to the Language, the Sentiments, and the Reasonings, fhow it was written by one whofe Virtue fits eafie about him, and to whom Vice is throughly contemptible. It was faid by one of C 4 this this Company, alluding to that Knowledge of the World the Author feems to have, the Man writes much like a Gentleman, and goes to Heaven with a very good Mien. St. James's Coffee-house, April 20. Letters from Italy fay, That the Marquis de Prie, upon the Receipt of an Exprefs from the Court of Vienna, went immediately to the Palace of Cardinal Paulucci, Minister of State to his Holiness, and demanded in the Name of his Imperial Majefty, that King Charles fhould be forthwith acknowledged King of Spain, by a folemn Act of the Congregation of Cardimals appointed for that Purpofe: He declared at the fame Time, That if the leaft Hesitation were made in this molt important Article of the late Treaty, he fhould not only be obliged to leave Rome himself, but alfo tranfmit his Master's Orders to the Imperial Troops to face about, and return into the Ecclefiaftical Dominions. When the Cardinal reported this Meffage to the Pope, his Holinefs was ftruck with fo fenfible an Affliction, that he burst into Tears. His Sorrow was aggravated by Letters which immediately after arrived from the Court of Madrid, wherein his Nuncio acquainted him, That upon the News of his Accommodation with the Emperor, he had received a Meffage to forbear coming to Court; and the People were fo highly provoked, that they could hardly be reftrain'd from infulting his Palace. Thefe Letters add, That the King of Denmark was gone from Florence_to Pifa, and from Pifa to Leghorn, where the Governour paid his Majefty all imaginable Honours. The King defigned to go from thence to Lucca, where a Magnificent Tournament was prepared for his Diverfion. An English Man of War, which came from Port Mahon to Leghorn |