future Poets, when he comes to the Topick of Honour, ingeniously refers his Readers to the Word Butcher; tacitly implying that the Thoughts upon both Heads have a Coherence, as the Terms themselves are synonomous. In short, your Practitioners in Duelling are so barbarous in their Nature; that their whole Study is picking up Occasions to be engaged in a Quarrel. They are a sort of Quixots, whose heads are so full of mischievous Chivalry, that they will mistake the Sails of a Wind-mill for the Arms of a Gyant; and it is fifty to one, if the most innocent Motions, Looks, or Smiles, are not, by their Prepossessions, construed Airs of Defiance, Offence, or Ridicule. There is a Passage in Hamlet, which never fails of raising Laughter in the Audience; 'tis where the Clowns are preparing a Grave for Ophelia, and descanting on the Unreasonableness of her being buried in Christian Burial, who willfully sought her own Salvation. Will you ha' the Truth or on't? says one of them wisely, if this had not been a Gentlewoman, she should have been buried out of Christian Burial. Why there though say'st it; replies his Fellow, and the more is the Pity that great Folk should have Countenance in this World to drown, or hang themselves more than us poor Folk. The Application is so easy, that I shall leave it for everyone to make it for himself.

Next to my first Wish, that Duelling were totally restrain'd, methinks, I could be glad that our young hot Bravo's would not be altogether brutal, but quarrel mathematically, and with some Discretion. I would recommend the Caution, which Shakespear has prescrib'd by an Example, of offering and accepting a Challenge. In one of his Plays, there is an hereditary Quarrel betwixt two Families, and the Servants on each Side are so zealous in their Masters Cause, that they never meet without a Desire of fighting, yet are shy of giving the Occasion of Combat. The transcribing a short Passage will give the best Idea of their Conduct.

Samp. I will bite my Thumb at them, which is a Disgrace to them if they bear it.

Abra. Do you bite your Thumb at Us, Sir?

Samp. I do bite my Thumb, Sir.

Abra. Do you bite your Thumb at Us, Sir?

Samp. Is the Law on our Side, if I say, Ay?

Greg. No.

     Samp. No, Sir; I do not bite my Thumb at you, Sir; but I bite my
     Thumb, Sir.

The most beneficial Things to a Commonwealth will have some of its Members who will think them a Grievance. I have just now receiv'd the following Letter from a Fencing-Master, who is very apprehensive of Business falling off, if the Act against Duelling should take place.

"Sir,

"As you are both a Knight and a Gentleman (which now-a-days don't always meet in one Man) I will make bold to Expostulate with you upon a Bill depending in the House of Commons, I mean that against Duelling. Every good Subject has a right of dissenting to any Bill propos'd, either by petition, or Pamphlet, before it passes into a Law; and this concerns the Honour of all Orders of Men from the Prince to the private Gentleman. I make free to tell you in a Word, if this passes, there's an End of good Manhood in the King's Dominions. How must all the Important Quarrels, which happen in Life, among men of Honour, be decided? Must a heedless sawcy Coxcomb frown, or tread upon a Gentleman's Toes with Impunity? No, I suppose, the great Cause of Honour must be determined by the womanish Revenge of Scolding; and when two Peers or Gentlemen have had some manly Difference, they must chuse their Seconds from Billingsgate or the Bar—Consider, Sir, how many brave Gentleman have comfortably kept good Company, and had their Reckoning always paid, only by shewing a broad Blade, and cherishing a fierce Pair of Whiskers. Good Manners must certainly die with Chivalry; for what keeps all the pert Puppies about Town in Awe, but the Fear of being call'd to Account? Don't you know that there are a Set of impertinent Wretches, who are always disturbing publick Assemblies with Riots and Quarrels, only upon a presumption of being hinder'd from fighting, by the Crowd? There will be no end of such Grievances, if this Law takes Place. Besides, Sir, I hope it will be consider'd, what will become of us Brothers of the Blade; the Art we profess will grow of no Use to Mankind; and, of Consequence, we shall be expos'd to Poverty and Disgrace. Consider, Sir, how many bright Qualifications must go to the finishing one of us; we require Parts as elegant, generous, and manly, as any Profession whatsoever; therefore, I hope, that some publick Spirit in the House of Commons, who is a Lover of his Country, and a Friend to Arts and Sciences, will start up and distinguish himself against this Bill. You know that our Profession is justly call'd the Noble Science of Defence, and makes a considerable Branch of the Mathematicks; if the Ignorant should gain this Point against us, they won't stop here; no doubt, their Design is to attack all Arts and Sciences, and beat them one by one quite out of the Nation; the Assault, 'tis true, seems only made against us; but wise Men foresee that all Learning is in Danger. Our Adversaries are upon the Longe with their Swords just at our Breasts, I desire therefore your Advice and Assistance, in what Guard we must stand to parry this fatal Thrust. Yours,

"FLANKANADE."

* * * * *

Printed for W. BOREHAM, at the Angel in Pater-Noster-Row, where
Advertisements and Letters from Correspondents are taken in.

Numb. XVIII.

THE

THEATRE.

By Sir JOHN FALSTAFFE.

To be Continued every Tuesday and Saturday.

Price Two-pence.

Totum hominem Deus adsumit, quia totus ab ipsô est; Et totum redimit quem sumpserat, omne reducens Quicquid homo est, istud Tumulis, ast istud Abyssô.

Prudent.

[Greek: Phthenxomai hois themis osti, thuras d' epithesthe bebêlois.]

Orpheus.

Saturday, April 16. 1720.

The Person, who confines himself to the Task of writing a Paper of Entertainment, is not thereby obliged to be continually ludicrous in his Composition, or to expect that his Readers should always be upon the broad Grin. The rational, as well as risible, Faculties are to be exercised; and if I think fit to be too precisely serious to Day, my good-natur'd Customers will give me an Indulgence, and believe that I will make it up to them with Mirth on Tuesday.

As I devoted the spare Hours of yesterday to Meditation, I could not help reflecting, what little Notion we have at this Time of Prodigies and Phenomena, that are not in the common Course of Nature. We are grown Epicureans in our Principles, and force our selves to believe, that it is Fear, Superstition, or Ignorance, to fancy that Providence sends the World a Warning in