language to her elder sister, who is also very Now, I assure you, Mr. Spectator, this did not pr from any real affection I had conceived for he being a perfect stranger to the conversation of and strongly addicted to associate with the w I knew no other language but that of love. Is however be very much obliged to you if you coul me from the perplexity I am at present in. I sent word to my old gentleman in the country, I am desperately in love with the younger s and her father, who knew no better, poor ma quainted him by the same post, that I had for time made my addresses to the elder. Upon th Testy sends me up word, that he has heard so of my exploits, that he intends immediately to me to the Sout-sea. Sir, I have occasionally so much of dying, that I begin to think there much in it; and if the old squire persists in his d I do hereby give him notice that I am providin self with proper instruments for the destruct despairing lovers : let him therefore look to consider, that by his obstinacy he may himse the son of his strength, the world an hopeful 1 my mistress a passionate lover, and you, Mr. tator, Middle Temple, "Your constant admi "JEREMY LOVEM 597. WEDNESDAY, September 22, 1714. Author unknown.' -Mens sine pondere ludit. The mind uncumber'd plays. PETR. INCE I received my friend Shadow's letter, eral of my correspondents have been pleased to me an account how they have been employed in p, and what notable adventures they have been aged in during that moonshine in the brain. I I lay before my readers an abridgment of some of their extravagancies, in hopes that they will me accustom themselves to dream a little more ne purpose. One, who styles himself Gladio, complains heavily - his fair one charges him with inconstancy, and s not use him with half the kindness which the sinity of his passion may demand; the said Gladio ing by valor and stratagem put to death tyrants, hanters, monsters, knights, &c. without number, exposed himself to all manner of dangers for her e and safety. He desires in his postscript to know, ether from a constant success in them, he may promise himself to succeed in her esteem at Another, who is very prolix in his narrative, writes word, that, having sent a venture beyond sea, he k occasion one night to fancy himself gone along h it, and grown on a sudden the richest man in Y two, a gust of wind, that forced open his casem blew him over to his native country again, wh waking at six o'clock, and the change of the ai agreeing with him, he turned to his left side in o to a second voyage: but ere he could get on shipb was unfortunately apprehended for stealing a h tried and condemned for the fact, and in a fair wa being executed, if some body, stepping hastily his chamber, had not brought him a reprieve. fellow, too, wants Mr. Shadow's advice, who, I say, would bid him be content to rise after his first and learn to be satisfied as soon as nature is. The next is a public-spirited gentleman, who me, that on the second of September at nigh whole city was on fire, and would certainly have reduced to ashes again by this time, if he had flown over it with the New River on his back, and pily extinguished the flames before they had prev too far. He would be informed whether he ha a right to petition the lord mayor and alderme a reward. A letter, dated September the ninth, acquaint that the writer being resolved to try his fortune fasted all that day; and that he might be su dreaming upon something at night, procured an some slice of bride-cake, which he placed very veniently under his pillow. In the morning memory happened to fail him, and he could rec nothing but an odd fancy that he had eaten his which being found upon search reduced to a crumbs, he is resolved to remember more o dreams another time, believing from this that may possibly be somewhat of truth in them. pations lead them to take their early rounds about the city in a morning, doing a deal of mischief, and working strange confusion in the affairs of its inhabitants. Several monarchs have done me the honor to acquaint me how often they have been shook from their respective thrones by the rattling of a coach, or the rumbling of a wheel-barrow. And many private gentlemen, I find, have been bawled out of vast estates by fellows not worth three-pence. A fair lady was just upon the point of being married to a young, handsome, rich, ingenious nobleman, when an impertinent tinker passing by forbid the banns; and an hopeful youth, who had been newly advanced to great honor and preferment, was forced by a neighboring cobler to resign all for an old song. It has been represented to me, that those inconsiderable rascals do nothing but go about dissolving of marriages, and spoiling of fortunes, impoverishing rich, and ruining great people, interrupting beauties in the midst of their conquests, and generals in the course of their victories. A boisterous peripatetic hardly goes through a street without waking half a dozen kings and princes, to open their shops or clean shoes, frequently transforming sceptres into paring-shovels, and proclamations into bills. I have by me a letter from a young statesman, who, in five or six hours came to be emperor of Europe, after which he made war upon the Great Turk, routed him horse and foot, and was crowned lord of the universe in Constantinople: the conclusion of all his successes is, that on the 12th instant, about seven in the morning, his imperial majesty was deposed by a chimney-sweeper. On the other hand, I have epistolary testimonies of gratitude from many miserable people, who owe to this clamorous tribe frequent deliverances from great misfortunes. A small-coal man, by waking one of these distressed gentlemen, saved him from ten years imprisonment. An honest watchman, bidding a loud good-morrow to another, freed him from the malice of many potent enemies, and brought all their designs against him to nothing. A certain valetudinarian confesses he has often been cured of a sore throat by the hoarseness of a carman, and relieved from a fit of the gout by the sound of old shoes. A noisy puppy, that plagued a sober gentleman all night long with his impertinence, was silenced by a cinderwench with a word speaking. Instead therefore of suppressing this order of mortals, I would propose it to my readers to make the best advantage of their morning salutations. A famous Macedonian prince, for fear of forgetting himself in the midst of his good fortune, had a youth to wait on him every morning, and bid him remember that he was a man. A citizen, who is waked by one of these criers, may regard him as a kind of remembrancer, come to admonish him that it is time to return to the circumstances he has overlooked all the night-time, to leave off fancying himself what he is not, and prepare to act suitably to the condition he is really placed in it. People may dream on as long as they please; but I shall take no notice of any imaginary adventures that do not happen while the sun is on this side the horizon. For which reason I stifle Fritilla's dream at church last Sunday, who, while the rest of the audience were enjoying the benefit of an excellent discourse, was losing her money and jewels to a gentleman at play, till after a strange run of ill luck, she was reduced to pawn three lovely pretty children for her last stake. When she had thrown them away, her companion |