,,essay ,,upon ,,wit    by    ,sir      
,richard ,blackmore    #agaf    ,with   
,commentary by ,joseph ,addison         
7,freeholder1 ,no4 #de1 #agaf7  and an  
,introduction by ,richard ,c4 ,boys     
,series ,one3 ,essays on ,wit  ,no4 #a  
,sir ,richard ,blackmore's  ,essay upon 
,wit 7#agaf7    and     ,joseph         
,addison's   ,freeholder1 ,no4 #de      
7#agaf7    ,with an ,introduction by    
,richard ,c4 ,boys      ,the ,augustan  
,reprint ,society  ,may #aidf  ,price3  
#fj;c        ,membership in the         
,augustan ,reprint ,society entitles the
 subscriber  to six publications issued 
each year4 ,the annual membership fee   
is #b4ej4 ,address subscriptions and    
communications to the ,augustan         
,reprint ,society in care of the        
,general ,editors3 ,richard ,c4 ,boys1  
,university of ,michigan1 ,ann ,arbor1  
,michigan2 or ,edward ,n4 ,hooker  or   
,h4,t4 ,swedenberg1 ,jr41 ,university of
 ,california1 ,los ,angeles #bd1        
,california4        ,introduction       

,the battle between the puritans and the
 sophisticates is never ending4  ,at    
certain stages of cultural development  
the worldly wise are in the  ascendent  
in the literary world1 as they were in  
the ,restoration and  after the first   
,world ,war4 ,yet those with a more     
sober view of life  are never submerged1
 even when they are overshadowed4 ,the  
court of  the restored ,charles gave    
full play to the indelicacy of          
,rochester1  ,dryden1 and their circles1
 but most of their contemporaries were  
probably more content to read ,george   
,herbert1 ,queries1 ,baxter1 and        
,bunyan4 ,though the fashionable and    
urbane remained dominant in letters     
through the age of ,dryden1 the forces  
of morality were rallying1 and  after   
#afhh the court 7with which ,blackmore  
was connected7 threw  its weight on the 
side of virtue4 ,jeremy ,collier was but
 the most  important voice of a great   
movement1 destined to have its effect on
  literature4    ,sir ,richard          

,blackmore contributed his share to the 
growing wave of  bourgeois morality1    
which in the #ahth century was reflected
 in the  middle-class appeal of ,addison
 and ,steel1 ,lillo's ,london ,merchant1
  and ,richardson's almost feminine plea
 for virtue rewarded4 ,a  physician1    
,blackmore had turned to poetry for     
relaxation and composed  his soporific  
epics1 by his own admission1 in the     
coffee-houses and in  his coach while   
visiting patients4 ,in the preface1 to  
,prince ,arthur  7#afie7 the ,city ,bard
 took occasion to flay the ,wits of the 
day for  their immorality1 an attack    
which he followed up in #afig with the  
,preface to ,king ,arthur1 whose thinly 
disguised political allegory  won him a 
knighthood4 ,up to this point the ,wits 
had treated him with  amused scorn1 but 
when he called his big guns into action 
in the  ,satyr against ,wit 7dated #agjj
 but issued late in #afii7 the ,wits set
  out to crush him for once and all4    
,commendatory ,verses on the ,author  of

 the ,two ,arthurs and the ,satyr       
against ,wit 7#agjj71 the reply1  was   
far from commendatory4 ,edited by ,tom  
,brown and sponsored by  ,christopher   
,codrington1 this miscellany attempted  
in scurrilous and  often bad verse to   
laugh the ,knight out of literary       
existence4 ,its  main distinction lies  
in the list of contributors1 among whom 
were ,sir  ,charles ,sedley1 ,richard   
,steele1 ,tom ,brown1 and probably ,john
  ,dennis4 ,blackmore's supporters      
answered ,commendatory ,verses with     
,discommendatory ,verses on ,those      
,which are ,truly ,commendatory1 on  the
 ,author of the ,two ,arthurs1 and the  
,satyr against ,wit4 7#agjj74  ,it is   
not at all certain that ,blackmore      
emerged second best in this  exchange of
 blows in the miscellanies4 ,at any     
rate1 unabashed he went  on to write    
more epics on ,elizabeth1 ,alfred1 ,job1
 and to win himself a  doubtful         
immortality by being pilloried in       
,pope's ,dunciad4    ,throughout his    

writings ,blackmore has a good deal to  
say about ,wit1  and much about the     
abuse of it4 ,while ,swift in the ,tale 
of a ,tub  scolds the ,wits for their   
addiction to nonsense and irreligion1   
,blackmore goes still further in the    
,satyr1 seeing ,wit as something  which1
 in common practice1 is evil and        
vicious1 to be eradicated as  quickly as
 possible4 ,it is the enemy of virtue   
and religion 7in the  ,preface to       
,creation1 #agab1 he links it with      
atheism71 a form of  insanity1 in       
opposition to ',right ,reason'1 and the 
seducer of young  men4 ,combatting its  
iniquities1 ,blackmore proposes to set  
up a ,bank  and ,mint of ,wit to assure 
that it will be refined and purified4   
,by  this process1 the works of ,dryden1
 ,congreve1 ,southerne1 ,wycherley1     
,garth1 and ,vanbrugh will be melted    
down to separate the sludge from  the   
pure metal4 ,in the ,nature of ,man     
7#agaa7 he takes a more kindly  attitude
 towards ,wit and pairs it with ,sense1 

,reason1 ,genius1 and even  ,piety4     
,while he is moderate in his            
denunciation of ,wit in the ,essay  upon
 ,wit1 he does insist that even at its  
best it can never be noble4  ,wit is    
harmful1 he states1 because it is often 
employed in immoral  subjects1 raillery1
 ridicule1 and satire4 ,it is chiefly   
useful as  ornamentation3 ,the ,addition
 of ,wit to ,proper ,subjects1 is like  
the  artful ,improvement of the ,cook1  
who by his exquisite ,sauce gives to a  
plain ,dish1 a pleasant and unusual     
,relish4    ,addison's ,freeholder essay
 7,no4 #de7 was inspired by ,blackmore's
  ,essay upon ,wit1 to which he paid a  
compliment in his opening remarks  7much
 to the disgust of ,swift1 who accused  
him of double-dealing74  ,although      
,addison had praised ,blackmore's       
,creation warmly in the  ,spectator ,no4
 #cci1 he had not always been friendly1 
for earlier  ,blackmore had sneered at  
,addison in the ,satyr against ,wit1 a  
jibe  that drew ,steele's reply in      

,commendatory ,verses4    ,blackmore's  
,essay upon ,wit appeared in his ,essays
 upon ,several  ,subjects2 the          
one-volume first edition of this work   
was published  in #agaf and was followed
 by the second edition1 in two volumes1 
the  following year4 ,the present       
reprint is from the first edition4 ,the 
#agaf ,freeholder ,no4 #de here         
reproduced is from the edition of #ageh4
  ,both copies are owned by the         
,university of ,michigan4      ,richard 
,c4 ,boys      ,university of ,michigan 
,,an ,,essay ,,upon ,,wit4      ,the    
,inclinations of ,men1 in this their    
degenerate ,state1 carry them  with     
great ,force to those voluptuous        
,objects1 that please their  ,appetites 
and gratify their ,senses2 and which not
 only by their  early ,acquaintance and 
,familiarity1 but as they are adapted to
 the  prevailing ,instincts of ,nature1 
are more esteem'd and pursu'd than all  
other ,satisfactions4 ,as those inferior
 ,enjoyments1 that only affect  the     

,organs of the ,body are chiefly        
coveted1 so next to these1 that  light  
and facetious ,qualification of the     
,mind1 that diverts the  ,hearers and is
 proper to produce ,mirth and ,alacrity1
 has1 in all  ,ages1 by the greatest    
,part of ,mankind1 been admir'd and     
applauded4 ,no  ,productions of ,human  
,understanding are receiv'd with such a 
general  ,pleasure and ,approbation1 as 
those that abound with ,wit and ,humour1
  on which the ,people set a greater    
,value1 than on the wisest and most     
instructive ,discourses4 ,hence a       
pleasant ,man is always caress'd above  
a wise one1 and ,ridicule and ,satyr1   
that entertain the ,laughers1 often  put
 solid ,reason and useful ,science out  
of ,countenance4 ,the wanton  ,temper of
 the ,nation has been gratify'd so long 
with the high  ,seasonings of ,wit and  
,raillery in ,writing and ,conversation1
 that  now almost all ,things that are  
not accommodated to their ,relish by a  
strong ,infusion of those ,ingredients1 

are rejected as the heavy and  insipid  
,performances of ,men of a plain        
,understanding and meer ,masters  of    
,sense4    ,since the ,power of ,wit is 
so prevalent1 and has obtained such     
,esteem  and ,popularity1 that a ,man   
endow'd with this agreeable ,quality1 is
 by  many look'd on as a ,heavenly      
,being1 if compar'd with others1 who    
have  nothing but ,learning and a clear 
arguing ,head2 it will be worth the     
while to search into its ,nature1 and   
examine its ,usefulness1 and take  a    
,view of those fatal ,effects which it  
produces1 when it happens to be         
misapply'd4    ,tho perhaps the ,talent 
which we call ,wit1 like that of        
,humour1 is  as clearly understood by   
its simple ,term1 as by the most        
labour'd  ,description2 an ,argument or 
which is this1 ,that many ingenious     
,persons1 by their unsuccessful ,essays 
to explain it1 have rather  obscur'd    
than illustrated its ,idea2 ,i will     
notwithstanding adventure  to give the  

,definition of it1 which tho it may fall
 short of  ,perfection1 yet ,i imagine1 
will come nearer to it1 than any that   
has  yet appear'd4 ,wit is a            
,qualification of the ,mind1 that raises
 and  enlivens cold ,sentiments and     
plain ,propositions1 by giving them an  
elegant and surprizing ,turn4    ,it is 
evident1 that ,wit cannot essentially   
consist in the ,justness and  ,propriety
 of the ,thoughts1 that is1 the         
,conformity of our ,conceptions  to the 
,objects we conceive2 for this is the   
,definition of ,truth1 when  taken in a 
,physical ,sense2 nor in the ,purity of 
,words and ,expression1  for this may be
 eminent in the ,cold1 ,didactick       
,stile1 and in the  correct ,writers of 
,history and ,philosophy3 ,but ,wit is  
that which  imparts ,spirit to our      
,conceptions and ,diction1 by giving    
them a lively  and novel1 and therefore 
an agreeable ,form3 ,and thus its       
,nature is  limited and diversify'd from
 all other intellectual ,endowments4    

,wit  therefore is the ,accomplishment  
of a warm1 sprightly1 and fertile       
,imagination1 enrich'd with great       
,variety of proper ,ideas2 which active 
,principle is however under the         
,direction of a regular ,judgment1 that 
takes care of the ,choice of just and   
suitable ,materials1 prescribes to  the 
tighter ,faculties the due ,bounds of   
their ,sport and ,activity1 and  assists
 and guides them1 while they imprint on 
the ,conceptions of the  ,mind their    
peculiar and delightful ,figures4 ,the  
,addition of ,wit to  proper ,subjects1 
is like the artful ,improvement of the  
,cook1 who by  his exquisite ,sauce     
gives to a plain ,dish1 a pleasant and  
unusual  ,relish4 ,a ,man of this       
,character works on simple ,proportions 
a rich  ,embroidery of ,flowers and     
,figures1 and imitates the curious      
,artist1  who studs and inlays his      
prepar'd ,steel with ,devices of ,gold  
and  ,silver4 ,but ,wit is not only the 
,improvement of a plain ,piece by       

intellectual ,enameling2 besides this1  
it animates and warms a cold            
,sentiment1 and makes it glow with ,life
 and ,vigor2 and this it effects1  as is
 express'd in the last ,part of the     
,definition1 by giving it as  elegant   
and surprizing ,turn4 ,it always conveys
 the ,thought of the  ,speaker or       
,writer cloath'd in a pleasing1 but     
foreign ,dress1 in which  it never      
appear'd to the ,hearer before1 who     
however had been long  acquainted with  
it2 and this ,appearance in the ,habit  
of a ,stranger  must be admirable1 since
 ,surprize naturally arises from        
,novelty1  as ,delight and ,wonder      
result from ,surprize2 which ,i have    
more fully  explain'd in the former     
,essay4    ,as to its efficient ,cause2 
,wit owes its ,production to an         
extraordinary  and peculiar ,temperament
 in the ,constitution of the ,possessors
 of it1  in which is found a            
,concurrence of regular and exalted     
,ferments1 and  an ,affluence of ,animal

 ,spirits refin'd and rectify'd to a    
great  degree of ,purity2 whence being  
endow'd with ,vivacity1 ,brightness and 
,celerity1 as well in their ,reflexions 
as direct ,motions1 they become  proper 
,instruments for the sprightly          
,operations of the ,mind2 by which      
means the ,imagination can with great   
,facility range1 the wide ,field of     
,nature1 contemplate an infinite        
,variety of ,objects1 and by observing  
the ,similitude and ,disagreement of    
their several ,qualities1 single  out   
and abstract1 and then suit and unite   
those ,ideas1 which will best  serve its
 purpose4 ,hence beautiful ,allusions1  
surprizing ,metaphors and  admirable    
,sentiments are always ready at hand3   
,and while the ,fancy is  full of       
,images collected from innumerable      
,objects and their different            
,qualities1 ,relations and ,habitudes1  
it can at pleasure dress a common       
,notion in a strange1 but becoming      
,garb2 by which1 as before observ'd1    

the same ,thought will appear a new one1
 to the great ,delight and  ,wonder of  
the ,hearer4 ,what we call ,genius      
results from this particular  happy     
,complexion in the first ,formation of  
the ,person that enjoys it1  and is     
,nature's ,gift1 but diversify'd by     
various specifick ,characters  and      
,limitations1 as its active ,fire is    
blended and allay'd by  different       
,proportions of ,phlegm1 or reduc'd and 
regulated by the  ,contrast of opposite 
,ferments4 ,therefore as there happens  
in the  ,composition of a facetious     
,genius a greater or less1 tho still an 
inferior degree of ,judgment and        
,prudence1 and different ,kinds  of     
,instincts and ,passions1 one ,man of   
,wit will be vary'd and  distinguish'd  
from another4 ,that ,distinction that   
seems common to  ,persons of this       
,denomination1 is an inferior ,degree of
 ,wisdom and  ,discretion2 and tho these
 two ,qualities1 ,wit and ,discretion1  
are  almost incapable of a friendly     

,agreement1 and will not1 but with great
  ,difficulty1 be work'd together and   
incorporated in the ,constitution of    
any ,individual2 yet this ,observation  
is not so conspicuous in any1 as  in    
those1 whose native ,complexion comes   
the nearest to a ,subversion  and       
,absence of ,mind1 tho it should never  
degenerate into that  distemper'd       
,elevation of the ,spirits3 ,nothing is 
more common1 than to  see ,persons of   
this ,class always ,think ,right1 and   
always ,act ,wrong2  admirable for the  
richness1 delicacy1 and brightness of   
their  ,imaginations1 and at the same   
,time to be pity'd for their want  of   
,prudence and common ,sense2 abounding  
with excellent ,maxims and  instructive 
,sentiments1 which however are not of   
the least ,use to  themselves in the    
,conduct of their ,lives4 ,and hence it 
is certain1  that tho the ,gentlemen of 
a pleasant and witty ,turn of ,mind     
often make  the industrious ,merchant1  
and grave ,persons of all ,professions1 

the  ,subjects of their ,raillery1 and  
expose them as stupid ,creatures1 not   
supportable in good ,company2 yet these 
in their ,turn believe they have  as    
great a right1 as indeed they have1 to  
reproach the others for  want of        
,industry1 good ,sense1 and regular     
,oeconomy1 much more valuable  ,talents 
than those1 which any mere ,wit can     
boast of2 and therefore  wise ,parents1 
who from a tender ,concern for the      
,honour and ,happiness  of their        
,children1 earnestly desire they may    
excel in intellectual  ,endowments1     
should1 instead of refin'd ,parts and a 
,genius turn'd for  pleasant            
,conversation1 wish them a solid        
,understanding and a ,faculty  of close 
and clear ,reasoning1 these             
,qualifications being likely to  make   
them good ,men1 and the other only good 
,companions4    ,and this leads to      
another ,observation1 namely1 ,that     
,persons of  facetious ,talents and     
agreeable ,humour1 in whose             

,temperament1  ,judgment1 and           
,discretion1 as before observ'd1 are    
usually found in a  disproportionate    
,measure1 are more inclin'd than others 
to ,levity and  dissolute ,manners3 ,the
 same swiftness of ,thought and         
sprightliness of  ,imagination1 that    
qualifies them for ingenious            
,conversation1 ,sports of  ,fancy and   
,comick ,writing1 do likewise give them 
an exquisite ,taste  of sensual         
,pleasures1 and expose them to the      
prevailing ,power of  ,tempting1 tho    
forbidden ,enjoyments4 ,the ,passions   
and ,appetites  of these ,men1 from the 
same ,spring from whence they derive    
their  extraordinary ,parts1 that is1 a 
,redundancy of warm and lively ,spirits1
  are more violent and impatient of     
,restraint1 than those in a cooler  and 
less active ,complexion1 who however may
 be more eminent in the  superior       
,faculties of the ,mind3 ,hence it will 
be no wonder1 that while  their         
,propensions to ,pleasure are much      

stronger1 and their ,reason much  weaker
 than those of other ,men1 they should  
be less able than others1  to resist the
 ,allurements of criminal ,delights2 and
 this ,remark is  confirm'd by daily    
,experience4 ,how few of this facetious 
and comick  ,species of ,men1 caress'd  
and applauded for their shining ,parts  
and  witty ,discourses1 escape the      
,snares that encompass them1 and        
preserve  their ,vertue and ,sobriety of
 ,manners8 ,it too often happens1 that a
  ,man elevated above the rest by his   
uncommon ,genius1 is as much            
distinguish'd by his extraordinary      
,immorality3 ,and it would be well  if  
it stop'd here2 but by degrees he often 
grows much worse1 by adding  ,impiety   
and ,profaneness to ,looseness of       
,manners3 ,for being unable1  that is1  
having a moral ,impotence of ,will to   
restrain his evil  ,propensions and     
govern his vicious ,appetites1 and      
finding his guilty  ,enjoyments1        
attended with inward ,uneasiness and    

unavoidable ,remorse1  and being        
conscious that his irregular ,life is   
inconsistent with  ,safety and          
,happiness in a ,future ,state2 to      
remove the troublesome  ,misgivings of  
his ,mind from the ,apprehensions of    
,guilt here1 and rid  himself of the    
,fears of ,suffering hereafter1 he at   
length disclaims  the ,belief of a      
,supream ,being and a ,future           
,existence1 and with  much ado brings   
over his ,judgment to the side of his   
,passions3 ,this  ingenious ,libertine1 
having too little strength of ,reason to
 subdue  his ,appetites1 and too much   
,wit to think1 that if that be not done1
  he shall escape at last ,divine       
,punishment1 abolishes his ,creed for   
the  ,quiet of his ,mind1 and renounces 
his ,god to preserve his ,vices4    ,the
 ,objects about which ,wit is exercis'd1
 are the common and less  important     
,actions of ,life4 ,it is the ,province 
of the ,civil ,magistrate  to make ,laws
 against enormous ,crimes and great     

,immoralities1 and by  punishing        
,offenders1 to deter ,men from the like 
,transgressions2 but  they take no      
notice of lower ,errors1 either because 
they have not such  noxious ,influence  
on the ,state1 or because it is         
impossible to foresee  and enumerate    
their numberless ,classes1 and prevent  
their ,growth3  ,where then the         
,legislator ends1 the ,comick ,genius   
begins1 and presides  over the low and  
ordinary ,affairs and ,manners of ,life4
 ,it extends  its ,power and            
,jurisdiction over the wide ,field of   
inferior ,faults and  ridiculous        
,follies1 over the ,districts of        
,indiscretion1 ,indecency1  and         
,impertinence1 and is ,visitor of the   
,regions void of ,discipline1           
,politeness1 and ,civility4    ,wit is  
employ'd in its own ,province1 when the 
,possessor of it  exercises his ,genius 
on the ordinary ,customs and ,manners of
 ,life1  either in ,conversation1 or    
,comick ,writing4 ,it has therefore no  

place in the ,works where severe        
,knowledge and ,judgment are chiefly    
exercis'd2 those superior ,productions  
of the ,understanding must be  express'd
 in a clear and strong manner1 without  
intervening ,strains  of ,wit or        
facetious ,fancies1 which1 were they    
admitted1 would appear  incongruous and 
impertinent1 and diminish the ,merit of 
the ,writing4  ,hence ,wit has no place 
in ,history1 ,philology1 ,philosophy1 or
 in the  greater ,lyrick or ,epick      
,poems2 the two last of which containing
  either the ,praises of ,deities or    
,demi-,gods1 or treating of lofty and   
illustrious ,subjects2 such as the      
,foundation1 ,rise1 and ,revolution of  
,kingdoms1 ,commotions of ,state1       
,battles1 ,triumphs1 solemn ,embassies1 
and various other important ,actions of 
,princes and ,heroes1 are exalted  above
 the ,sphere of ,wit and ,humour4 ,the  
,strength and ,dignity of the  sublime  
,stile is debas'd and adulterated by the
 foreign and improper  ,mixture of light

 ,sentiments1 and pretty ,fancies4      
,these ,sallies and  ,sports of the     
,imagination1 will no more advance the  
,beauty of such  superior ,productions1 
than the ,addition of glittering ,tinsel
 and glass  ,beads will improve the     
,imperial ,purple1 or adorn the ,crowns 
of great  ,monarchs4 ,and therefore we  
see1 with what judicious ,care ,virgil  
has  avoided this ,error2 how clear are 
his celebrated ,writings from the  least
 sprinkling of ,wit and pleasant        
,conceits1 which corrupt the  ,purity1  
debase the ,majesty1 and sully the      
,lustre of the greater  ,species of     
,poetry8 ,and as the ,gravity and       
,chastness of the sublime  ,stile1 in   
the ,works last mention'd1 will not     
endure the gay ,ornaments  of ,fancy2 so
 does that light ,dress more misbecome  
the pious and wise  ,discourses1 that   
come either from the ,pulpit or the     
,press4 ,wit is so  far from being a    
,grace or ,improvement of ,divine       
,eloquence1 that on the  contrary1 it   

destroys its ,dignity1 breaks its       
,force1 and renders it  base and        
puerile4    ,the ,end and ,usefulness of
 this ingenious ,qualification1 is to   
delight  and instruct4 ,it animates and 
sweetens ,conversation1 by raising      
innocent ,mirth and good ,humour2 and by
 this ,effect it relieves  ,domestick   
,cares1 revives ,men of ,business and   
studious ,professions1 and  softens the 
,asperity of morose ,dispositions4 ,it  
suspends uneasy  and anxious ,thoughts1 
dispels cloudy and fallen ,melancholy1  
and by  unbending and exhilerating the  
,minds of the ,assembly1 gives them new 
,life and ,spirit to resume the ,labour 
of their respective ,employments4  ,the 
,exercise of ,wit and a pleasant        
,genius1 excels all other  ,recreations4
 ,what is the ,satisfaction that arises 
from ,country ,sports1  or the politer  
,diversions of ,balls and ,operas1      
compar'd with the  delightful           
,conversation of ,men of ,parts and     
facetious ,talents8 ,other  ,amusements1

 how agreeable soever1 only please the  
,body and gratify the  ,senses1 but this
 strikes the ,imagination1 touches the  
,passions1 and  recreates the           
,intellectual ,faculties4 ,and as the   
,taste of the ,soul is  more delicate   
and exquisite than that of the ,body1 so
 much superior  are the ,pleasures of   
one to those of the other3 ,it is no    
wonder then1  that the ,assemblies of   
,friends are dull and heavy1 that       
,feasts and  ,wine are flat             
,entertainments1 unless some ingenious  
,persons are  present to improve their  
,taste1 and enliven the ,company by     
agreeable  ,discourses4    ,another part
 of the ,province in which ,wit is      
properly exercis'd1 are  ingenious      
,writings1 intended to please and       
improve the ,people2 and  this is more  
various and extensive than ,comick      
,poetry1 tho of the same  ,kind2 for it 
takes in not only the ,subjects of      
,prudence and ,decency1  regular        
,behaviour and vertuous ,actions1 but   

likewise the justness of  ,human        
,sentiments and ,opinions in ,points of 
,controversy2 of the  last1 the         
,dialogue of ,dr4 ,eachard against ,mr4 
,hobbes is a famous  ,example1 where1 by
 great ,strength and ,solidity of       
,reason1 mixt with  agreeable ,wit and  
,raillery1 he entertains and informs the
 ,reader1 and  at once exposes and      
confutes the conceited ,philosopher4 ,an
 ,instance of  the first is1 the        
celebrated ,history of ,don ,quixote1   
compil'd by  the ,spanish ,wit ,michael 
de ,cervantes2 a ,book so well imagin'd1
  and writ with so much ,spirit and fine
 ,raillery1 that it effectually         
procur'd the ,end of the admirable      
,author2 for by turning into ,mirth  and
 ,ridicule the reigning ,folly of       
,romantick ,chivalry1 and freeing the   
,minds of the ,people from that         
fashionable ,delusion1 he broke the     
,force  of as strong an ,enchantment1   
and destroy'd as great a ,monster as was
  ever pretended to be vanquish'd by    

their imaginary ,heroes4 ,and many  more
 ,books on other moral ,subjects have   
been compos'd with much ,wit  and       
,vivacity in our own and foreign        
,countries1 to expose ,vice  and ,folly1
 and promote ,decency and ,sobriety of  
,manners4 ,but the  ,productions of this
 ,nature1 which have of late appear'd in
 this  ,nation1 whether we regard the   
just and generous ,sentiments1 the      
fertile ,invention1 the ,variety of     
,subjects1 the surprizing ,turns of     
,wit and facetious ,imagination1 the    
genteel ,satire1 the ,purity and        
,propriety of the ,words1 and the       
,beauty and ,dignity of the ,diction1   
have surpass'd all the ,productions of  
this kind1 that have been  publish'd in 
any ,age or ,country4 ,the ,reader no   
doubt is before-hand  with me1 and      
concludes1 that ,i mean the ,tatler and 
,spectator1  which for the greatest     
,part1 have all the ,perfection of      
,writing1 and  all the ,advantages of   
,wit and ,humour1 that are requir'd to  

entertain  and instruct the ,people3    
,and it must chiefly be owing to the    
great  ,depravity of ,manners in these  
loose and degenerate ,times1 that such  
worthy ,performances have produc'd no   
better ,effects4    ,but this excellent 
and amiable ,qualification of the ,mind 
is too apt to  be abus'd and perverted  
to ill purposes4 ,instead of being      
ingag'd on  the ,side of ,vertue1 and   
us'd to promote just ,notions and       
,regularity of  ,life1 it is frequently 
employ'd to expose the most ,sacred     
,things1  to turn ,gravity and reserv'd 
,behaviour into ,ridicule1 to keep in   
,countenance ,vice and ,irreligion1 and 
with a petulant and unrestrain'd        
,liberty1 to deride the ,principles and 
,practices of the wisest and best  of   
,men4 ,the ,conversation of ingenious   
,libertines generally turns upon        
,reveal'd ,religion and the venerable   
,teachers of it2 or on those of  the    
,laity1 who seem most sincere in the    
,belief of ,christianity1 and  express  

the greatest ,conformity in their       
,actions to the ,precepts of  it4       
,nothing gives so high a ,seasoning to  
their ,raillery1 and more  improves the 
,taste of their ,jests1 than some sharp 
and pointed  ,ingredients1 that wound   
,religion and the ,professors of it2    
whereof  some are made the              
,entertainment of the ,company by these 
facetious  ,scoffers1 and expos'd as    
,persons fetter'd with ,prepossessions1 
and  biass'd by ,notions of ,vertue1    
deriv'd from ,education and the early   
,instructions of canting ,parents4      
,others are represented as indebted  for
 their ,piety to the ,prevalency of the 
,spleen1 and an immoderate  mixture of  
,melancholy in their ,complexion1 which1
 say they1 give  to the ,mind a         
superstitious ,turn1 and fill the ,head 
with religious  ,chimeras1 frightful    
,phantomes of ,guilt1 and idle ,fears of
 imaginary  ,punishments2 while others  
are ridicul'd as ,men of a cold and     
phlegmatick ,complexion1 without ,spirit

 and native ,fire2 who derive1  say     
they1 their ,vertue1 not from ,choice or
 ,restraint of ,appetite1 but  from     
their deadness and indisposition to     
,pleasure2 not from the ,power  of their
 ,reason1 but the ,weakness of their    
,passions4 ,it would be  endless to     
enumerate the various ,ways which the   
atheistical ,wit and  merry ,libertine  
employ1 to take off all ,veneration of  
,religion1  and expose its ,adherents to
 publick ,derision4 ,this is certainly  
the  greatest ,abuse of ,wit imaginable4
 ,in all the ,errors and monstrous      
,productions of ,nature1 can any appear 
more deform'd than a ,man of  ,parts1   
who employs his admirable ,qualities in 
bringing ,piety into  ,contempt1 putting
 ,vertue to the ,blush1 and making      
,sobriety of ,manners  the common       
,subject of his ,mirth2 while with ,zeal
 and ,industry1 he  propagates the      
malignant ,contagion of ,vice and       
,irreligion1 poisons  his ,friends and  
,admirers1 and promotes the ,destruction

 of his native  ,country8 ,and if these 
foolish ,wits and ingenious ,madmen     
could reflect1  they would soon be      
convinc'd1 that while they are engag'd  
against  ,religion they hurt themselves2
 and that ,wit and ,humour thus         
misapply'd1 will prove but a wretched   
,compensation for their want of         
,vertue4    ,in this ,place ,i crave    
leave to transcribe some ,passages      
relating to  this ,subject1 from the    
,writings of a good ,judge of ,wit1 and 
as great  a ,master of it as perhaps any
 ,nation ever bred1 ,i mean ,archbishop 
,tillotson2 ,i know not how it comes to 
pass1 says he1 that some  ,men have the 
,fortune to be esteem'd ,wits1 only for 
jesting out of the  common ,road1 and   
for making bold to scoff at those       
things1 which the  greatest ,part of    
,mankind reverence--4 ,if ,men did truly
 consult the  ,interest1 either of their
 ,safety or ,reputation1 they would     
never  exercise their ,wit in such      
dangerous ,matters4 ,wit is a very      

commendable ,quality1 but then a wise   
,man should have the keeping of  it4 ,it
 is a sharp ,weapon1 as apt for         
,mischief as for good ,purposes1  if it 
be not well manag'd3 ,the proper use of 
it is to season  ,conversation1 to      
represent what is ,praise-worthy to the 
greatest  ,advantage1 and to expose the 
,vices and ,follies of ,men1 such things
 as  are in themselves truly ridiculous3
 ,but if it be apply'd to the  ,abuse of
 the gravest and most serious ,matters1 
it then loses its  ,commendation4 ,if   
any ,man thinks he abounds in this      
,quality1 and  hath ,wit to spare1 there
 is scope enough for it within the      
,bounds of  ,religion and ,decency2 and 
when it transgresseth these1 it         
degenerates  into ,insolence and        
,impiety--,and afterwards3 ,a sharp ,wit
 may find  something in the wisest ,man1
 whereby to expose him to the ,contempt 
of injudicious ,people4 ,the gravest    
,book that ever was written1 may be     
made ridiculous1 by applying the        

,sayings of it to a foolish purpose1    
for a ,jest may be obtruded upon any    
thing2 and therefore no ,man ought  to  
have the less ,reverence for the        
,principles of ,religion1 or for the    
,holy ,scriptures1 because idle and     
profane ,wits can break ,jests  upon    
them4 ,nothing is so easy1 as to take   
particular ,phrases and  ,expressions   
out of the best ,book in the ,world1 and
 to abuse them1 by  forcing an odd and  
ridiculous ,sense upon them4 ,and in    
another place1  having mention'd the    
most proper ,objects of ,wit1 he thus   
expresses  himself1--,this ,i say on    
purpose to recommend to ,men a nobler   
,exercise  for their ,wits1 and if it be
 possible1 to put them out of ,conceit  
with  that scoffing ,humour1 which is so
 easy and so ill-natur'd1 and is not    
only an ,enemy to ,religion1 but to     
every thing else that is wise and       
worthy2 and ,i am very much mistaken1 if
 the ,state as well as the  ,church1 the
 ,civil ,government as well as          

,religion1 do not in a short  space find
 the intolerable ,inconvenience of this 
,humour4    ,tho the ,persons addicted  
to this impious ,folly1 expose the      
sacred  ,mysteries of ,christianity1 and
 make its ,votaries the common ,topick  
of  their ,raillery1 it cannot thence be
 concluded1 that they are certain  that 
those whom they thus deride1 as         
whimsical1 stupid1 and deluded  ,men1   
have not the least ,reason to support   
their ,religious ,principles  and       
,practice2 for if they were sure of     
this1 they would treat such  unhappy    
,persons as ,men rob'd of their ,senses1
 with ,tenderness and  ,compassion2 for 
none will allow such distemper'd ,minds 
to be proper  ,subjects of ,ridicule and
 ,derision3 ,but those1 who attentively 
observe  the ,manner and ,air of these  
jesting ,libertines1 when they laugh at 
,vertue1 will see plainly their         
licentious ,mirth springs from other    
,principles2 either from this1 ,that the
 ,example of many ,persons1 who  in     

earnest embrace and profess the         
,articles of ,religion1 continually     
disturbs their ,opinion of themselves1  
and creates severe ,misgivings  and     
,distrust in their ,minds1 lest their   
,notions about ,religion should  not be 
true1 when they observe1 that many      
,persons of eminent ,parts1  superior   
,reason and ,erudition1 maintain with   
,zeal quite contrary  ,sentiments2 or   
else it proceeds from their ,hatred of  
,men of ,vertue1  founded in the        
,dissimilitude of ,dispositions and     
,manners1 and  ,disagreement in         
,interest1 ,employments and ,designs2 or
 from an ,envy of  their great ,merit1  
innocent ,life1 and worthy ,actions1    
which from the  prevailing ,power of    
their own vicious ,inclinations1 they   
are unable  to imitate2 for after all   
their ,raillery and ,expressions of     
,contempt1  ,vertue has that native     
,lustre and amiable ,appearance1 that   
will compel  ,men secretly to esteem it1
 even while they deride the ,possessors 

of  it4 ,such is the ,pride and ,vanity 
of degenerate ,nature1 that loose ,men  
will always endeavour to level the      
eminent ,characters of religious and    
sober ,persons1 and reduce them to the  
inferior ,degree of their own3  ,and for
 that end1 they will labour to sink the 
,opinion and ,esteem of  any ,excellence
 or ,merit1 to which themselves can make
 no ,pretence4  ,while they cannot equal
 the bright ,example of ,vertue in      
others1 they  strive to sully or efface 
it1 and by turning it into ,ridicule1   
make  it seem rather the ,dishonour and 
,deformity1 than the ,beauty and        
,perfection of the ,mind3 ,and if they  
can disgrace ,religion1 and subvert  all
 moral ,distinction1 ,men will be valu'd
 only for their intellectual            
,endowments1 and then they imagine they 
have gain'd their ,point1 since  the    
,superiority of ,wit1 as they suppose1  
is on their ,side4 ,these  seem to me   
the genuine and natural ,causes1 why    
,men of great ,parts  and extraordinary 

,wit1 but of loose ,principles and      
immoral ,lives1 who  above all others   
affect ,popularity and gasp after       
,applause1 take so  much ,pleasure1     
without the least regard to ,modesty and
 ,decency1 in a  ,christian ,country to 
mock ,religion and jerk with spiteful   
,satire ,men  of ,vertue and inoffensive
 ,behaviour4    ,,wit is likewise       
misapply'd1 when exercis'd to ridicule  
any unavoidable  ,defects and           
,deformities of ,body or ,mind2 for     
since nothing is a moral  ,blemish1 but 
as it is the ,effect of our own ,choice1
 nothing can be  disgraceful but what is
 voluntary1 and brought freely upon our 
selves2  and since nothing is the proper
 ,object of ,raillery and ,ridicule1 but
  what is shameful1 it must be a        
,violence to ,reason and ,humanity1 to  
reproach and expose another for any     
thing that was not in his ,power to     
escape4 ,and therefore to make a ,man   
contemptible1 and the ,jest of  the     
,company1 by deriding him for his       

mishapen ,body1 ill figur'd ,face1      
stammering ,speech1 or low ,degree of   
,understanding1 is a great ,abuse of    
ingenious ,faculties4    ,nor is it a   
less criminal ,use of this ,talent1 when
 it is exercis'd  in lascivious and     
obscene ,discourses4 ,the ,venom is not 
less1 but more  infectious and          
destructive1 when convey'd by artful    
,insinuation and a  delicate ,turn of   
,wit2 when impure ,sentiments are       
express'd by ,men of a  heavy and gross 
,imagination1 in direct and open ,terms1
 the ,company  are put out of           
,countenance1 and nauseate the          
,coarseness of the  ,conversation3 but a
 ,man of ,wit gilds the ,poison1 dresses
 his wanton  ,thoughts in a beautiful   
,habit1 and by slanting and side        
,approaches1  possesses the ,imagination
 of the ,hearers1 before his ,design is 
well  discover'd2 by which means he more
 effectually gains ,admission to the    
,mind1 and fills the ,fancy with        
immodest ,ideas4    ,nothing can be more

 ill-manner'd1 or disagreeable to       
,persons of ,vertue  and ,sobriety of   
,manners1 than wanton and obscene       
,expressions2 on  which ,subject the    
excellent ,archbishop ,tillotson has the
 following  ,paragraph3 ,nothing that   
trespasses upon the ,modesty of the     
,company1  and the ,decency of          
,conversation1 can become the ,mouth of 
a wise and  vertuous ,person4 ,this kind
 of ,conversation would fain pass for   
,wit  among some sort of ,persons1 to   
whom it is acceptable2 but whatever     
savours of ,rudeness and ,immodesty1 and
 ,ill-,manners1 is very far from        
deserving that ,name2 and they that are 
sober and vertuous cannot  entertain any
 ,discourse of this kind1 with          
,approbation and ,acceptance4  ,a well  
bred ,person will never offend in this  
way4 ,and therefore it  cannot but be   
esteem'd as an ,affront to modest       
,company1 and a rude  presuming upon    
their ,approbation1 impudently taking it
 for granted1  that all others are as   

lewd and dissolute as themselves4       
,men of finer ,spirits do likewise abuse
 their ,parts1 as well as  misapply     
their ,time1 when to gain ,applause and 
increase their  ,popularity1 they run1  
without ,distinction1 into ,company1 and
 by  too great ,condescention and false 
,humanity1 mingle in inferior and       
unworthy ,assemblies2 where delighted   
with the silly ,approbation of  ignorant
 ,laughers1 they shine forth in a great 
,effusion of ,wit and  ,humour2 by which
 they make themselves cheap1 if not     
contemptible in  the ,opinion of wise   
and discerning ,persons4 ,men of        
singular ,wit1 like  ,women of great    
,beauty1 should never be unguarded2 for 
if not endow'd  with a decent           
,reservedness1 a modest ,air1 and a     
discreet ,behaviour1  they sink in their
 ,value1 and by appearing in all        
,places1 and becoming  common and       
familiar1 lose1 in a great measure1     
their ,honour1 and the  ,opinion of     
their ,merit4 ,it is a meretricious     

,prostitution of ,wit1 when  the        
,possessors of it can deny no           
,addresses1 and refuse no ,invitations  
and ,appointments1 but suffer themselves
 to be shown at every  ,entertainment2  
,besides the gratifying of their        
,vanity1 by a constant  pursuit of      
,approbation and ,praise1 which is the  
,spring whence this  ,prodigality of    
,parts and waste of facetious ,humour   
chiefly arise2 it  is evident1 they     
spend a great deal of ,time1 of which a 
wise ,man can  give no ,account1 while  
,wit1 which should in its proper place1 
renew  and revive the ,spirits for      
useful ,employment1 becomes a continu'd 
,diversion1 and makes everlasting       
,idleness the ,business of ,life4    ,it
 is pity that a ,man of fine ,spirit and
 a fertile1 as well  as delicate        
,imagination1 should think himself      
engag'd in high  ,conversation1 when he 
is only employ'd in the lowest ,affairs 
that  concern ,mankind4 ,his ,post is of
 the same ,kind1 and but the next  in   

,order above that of ,players on        
,instruments1 admirable ,voices1        
excellent ,actors on the ,stage1 and    
famous ,dancers2 whose ,province is     
only to amuse and recreate2 and is      
therefore far below theirs1 who  are    
either busied in governing the ,state1  
defending their ,country1  improving the
 ,minds1 or relieving the ,bodies of    
other ,men4    ,hence the ,labours of   
the meanest ,persons1 that conduce to   
the ,welfare  and ,benefit of the       
,publick1 are more valuable1 because    
more useful1  than the ,employments of  
those1 who apply themselves only1 or    
principally1 to divert and entertain the
 ,fancy2 and therefore must be  as much 
preferable to the ,occupation or        
,profession of a ,wit1 as the           
,improvement and ,happiness of ,men is  
to be regarded above their ,mirth  and  
,recreation4 ,i allow1 that the ,talents
 of these ingenious ,men  are very much 
to be esteem'd in their proper place2   
that is1 as they  unbend the ,mind1     

relieve the ,satiety of ,contemplation  
and ,labour1 and  by the ,delight which 
they give1 refresh the ,spirits and fit 
them for  the ,returns of ,study and    
,employment3 ,but then it must be       
granted1  that1 as ,i have said1 this is
 the meanest1 as being the least        
beneficial ,province in which our       
intellectual ,faculties can be  engag'd2
 and therefore these facetious ,men can 
only claim the highest  ,rank among     
those1 who are ,inventors or ,ministers 
of ,pleasure1 and  provide ,amusements  
and ,recreations for the ,busy and the  
,wise4    ,i would illustrate what ,i   
have asserted by the following          
,reflection4  ,domestick ,fowls1 the    
,hen1 the ,turkey1 and ,goose are       
preferable1 as  more useful1 to the     
singing ,bird1 and the ,parrot4 ,the    
,ox1 that ploughs  the ,field and brings
 home the ,harvest1 the ,horse1 the     
,mule1 and  even the stupid ,ass1 that  
carry their ,owners1 or their ,goods and
  ,merchandize1 are more to be regarded 

than the ,hound1 the ,lap-,dog1  and    
various other ,animals that seem to have
 been created only for  our ,pleasure   
and ,amusement3 ,and the ,reason of this
 is very evident1  ,mankind may be very 
happy1 and ,states and ,kingdoms may    
remain in a  flourishing ,condition1 tho
 there were no such diverting ,creatures
  in the ,world3 ,and from the same     
,consideration1 ,men1 tho of a lower    
,station1 who are not only beneficial1  
but necessary to the ,well-being  of    
,human ,societies1 are of far greater   
,importance1 and therefore  deserve more
 ,esteem than those1 who only are       
subservient to our  ,recreation2 for the
 ,world may still subsist1 and continue 
in very  comfortable ,circumstances     
without one1 but not without the other3 
,and  'tis easy to name some learned and
 powerful ,communities1 the ,envy and   
,terror of their ,neighbours1 who tho   
they abound in ,men of good ,sense  and 
diligent ,application to ,business1 yet 
have few ,wits and ,jesters  among them 

to make them merry4    ,the ,truth of   
what ,i have asserted will farther      
appear1 if we reflect  that generally   
,men of a plain ,understanding and good 
,sense1 but of  great ,industry and     
,capacity for ,business1 are in all     
,governments  advanc'd to ,posts of     
,trust and great ,employments in the    
,state1 while  meer ,wits are regarded  
as ,men of the lowest ,merit1 and       
accordingly are  promoted to the meaner 
and less profitable ,places1 being      
look'd on1  by reason of their          
,inapplication and volatile ,temper1 as 
unfit for a  higher ,station4           
,another pernicious ,abuse of ,wit is   
that which appears in the ,writings  of 
some ingenious ,men1 who are so hardy as
 to expose from the ,press  the most    
venerable ,subjects1 and treat ,vertue  
and ,sobriety of ,manners  with         
,raillery and ,ridicule4 ,several1 in   
their ,books1 have many  sarcastical and
 spiteful ,strokes at ,religion in      
general1 while others  make themselves  

pleasant with the ,principles of the    
,christian4 ,of  the last kind this ,age
 has seen a most audacious ,example in  
the ,book  intitul'd1 ,a ,tale of a     
,tub4 ,had this ,writing been publish'd 
in a  ,pagan or ,popish ,nation1 who are
 justly impatient of all ,indignity     
offer'd to the ,establish'd ,religion of
 their ,country1 no doubt but the       
,author would have receiv'd the         
,punishment he deserv'd4 ,but the ,fate 
of  this impious ,buffoon is very       
different2 for in a ,protestant         
,kingdom1  zealous of their ,civil and  
,religious ,immunities1 he has not only 
escap'd ,affronts and the ,effects of   
publick ,resentment1 but has  been      
caress'd and patroniz'd by ,persons of  
great ,figure and of all                
,denominations4 ,violent ,party-,men1   
who differ'd in all ,things besides1    
agreed1 in their ,turn1 to shew         
particular ,respect and ,friendship to  
this insolent ,derider of the ,worship  
of his ,country1 till at last the       

reputed ,writer is not only gone off    
with ,impunity1 but triumphs in his     
,dignity and ,preferment4 ,i do not     
know1 that any ,inquiry or ,search was  
ever made after this ,writing1 or that  
any ,reward was ever offer'd  for the   
,discovery of the ,author1 or that the  
infamous ,book was ever  condemn'd to be
 burnt in ,publick3 ,whether this       
proceeds from the  excessive ,esteem and
 ,love that ,men in ,power1 during the  
late ,reign1  had for ,wit1 or their    
defeat of ,zeal and ,concern for the    
,christian  ,religion1 will be          
determin'd best by those1 who are best  
acquainted  with their ,character4      
,but the most extensive ,abuse of ,parts
 and ,ingenuity1 appears in the  loose  
,productions of our ,writers to the     
,stage4 ,it was the ,complaint  of the  
celebrated ,wit of ,spain1 ,michael de  
,cervantes1 before-cited1  that the     
,comedies in his ,time were not only    
extravagant and monstrous  in their     
,contrivance1 but likewise the          

,exemplars of ,vice and                 
,representations of ,lewdness3 ,but had 
the ,plays in ,spain1 at that  ,time1   
been as ,immoral and ,unchaste as the   
daily ,entertainments of the  ,british  
,theatre1 which have a manifest         
,tendency to vitiate the ,taste  of the 
,people1 fill their ,imaginations with  
obscene ,ideas1 and their  ,lives with  
,levity1 ,idleness and ,luxury2 ,i say1 
if that great ,man1  whose ,judgment was
 equal to his admirable ,genius1 had    
seen ,religion  and ,vertue so derided1 
and ,modesty1 ,reservedness1 and        
,decency so  insulted and expos'd1 his  
,zeal for the ,honour of his ,country1  
and his  ,love of ,mankind1 would have  
animated him to have attack'd the       
,comick  ,poets with the same ,spirit1  
with which he assaulted the prevailing  
,folly of his ,age1 the ,romantick      
,atchievements of ,knights ,errant2 his 
,wit and good ,sense would have made    
those merry ,authors as odious for      
poisoning the ,people with their loose  

and immoral ,writings1 as he made  the  
others ridiculous for their extravagant 
and idle ,tales4    ,no doubt a ,comedy 
may be so contriv'd1 that it may at once
 become  delightful1 and promote        
,prudence and ,sobriety of ,manners2    
that is1  when the ,characters are well 
chosen1 justly delineated1 and every    
where distinguish'd2 ,when the various  
,manners are exactly imitated and       
carry'd on with ,propriety and          
,uniformity2 when the principal ,action 
contains an instructive ,moral1 and all 
the ,parts in a regular  ,connexion1    
,dependance and ,proportion1 illustrate 
and support each  other1 and have a     
manifest ,influence on the main ,event2 
,when the  ,incidents are well imagin'd1
 and result from the ,manners of the    
,dramatick ,persons1 when the ,turns are
 surprizing1 the ,knots or              
,obstructions natural and unconstrain'd1
 and the unraveling of them1  tho       
unforeseen1 yet free and easy2 and when 
the ,diction is pure1  proper and       

elegant1 as well as chaste and          
inoffensive to the modest  and vertuous 
,hearers4 ,so regular and beautiful a   
,piece as this cannot  but greatly      
please and divert1 as well as instruct  
the ,audience4 ,nor  is it1 ,i imagine1 
from want of ,knowledge of the ,rules of
 ,writing1  nor of sufficient ,genius1  
in which this ,nation abounds1 that so  
few  ,comedies1 distinguish'd by these  
,perfections1 have been produc'd3 ,but  
this ,defect arises partly from this1   
that the ,comick ,poets are often  ,men 
of loose ,manners1 and therefore        
unlikely ,persons to undertake the      
,promotion and ,encouragement of        
,vertue1 of which they have no ,taste1  
and to discountenance ,imprudence and   
,immorality1 when by doing so1  they    
must expose their own ,character to     
derision2 tho sometimes it may  happen1 
that a loose ,poet as well as ,preacher1
 merely from his just  ,manner of       
,thinking1 and his ,sense of ,decency in
 forming ,discourses  becoming his      

,character1 may entertain the ,audience 
with laudable  ,performances4           
,another1 and the chief ,cause of the   
,immorality of the ,theatre1 is  the ill
 ,taste of the ,people1 who1            
notwithstanding they have applauded     
several clean and regular ,ttagedies1   
such as those which have of late1       
appear'd that are worthy of the greatest
 ,commendation1 especially  ,cato and   
the ,plays for the most part of ,mr4    
,row1 as great a ,genius  for ,tragedy  
as any ,nation in any ,age has produc'd1
 yet still frequent  and encoutage the  
loosest ,comedies4 ,it happens1 that the
 greatest part  of ,men of ,wit and     
,humour1 who not being easy in their    
,fortunes1  work for the ,stage1 and are
 ,day-,labourers to the ,muses1 lie     
under  a ,necessity of bringing those   
,productions to ,market1 which are in   
,fashion1 and therefore vendible2 while 
others1 tho of ever so much  greater    
,value1 would be turn'd back upon their 
,hands2 nor would the  ,actors1 who live

 by their ,employment1 as the ,comick   
,writers do by  theirs1 undertake to    
represent an ,innocent1 and much less a 
,comedy of  yet higher ,merit4    ,tho  
several ,assaults have been made upon   
the ,comick ,poets in ,fashion1  and    
many ,batteries have been rais'd against
 the ,theatre1 yet hitherto  they have  
prov'd unsuccessful2 the ,stage is      
become ,impregnable1 where  loose       
,poets1 supported by ,numbers1 ,power1  
and ,interest1 in ,defiance  of all     
,rules of ,decency and ,vertue1 still   
provide new ,snares  and ,temptations to
 seduce the ,people1 and corrupt their  
,manners4  ,notwithstanding the earnest 
,cries of this great ,city1 that        
importune  these ,writers to reform the 
,theatre1 and no longer to infest her   
,youth1 and draw their ,inclinations    
from their ,professions and             
,employments2 notwithstanding the ,sighs
 and ,tears of many once  flourishing1  
but now disconsolate ,families1 ruin'd  
by the dissolute  ,lives of their chief 

,branches1 who lost their ,vertue by    
frequenting  the fatal ,entertainments  
of the ,theatre2 notwithstanding the    
wise and  sober part of the ,kingdom    
earnestly sollicit them to spare the    
,people1 to stop the spreading ,plague  
and slay the destroying ,pen1 they      
persevere with intrepid ,resolution and 
inexorable ,cruelty1 to poison  the     
,minds1 and ruin the ,morals of the     
,nation4    ,the great ,archbishop      
,tillotson has set our present ,theatre 
in a true  ,light in his ,discourse upon
 ,corrupt ,communication3    ,i shall   
only speak a few words concerning       
,plays1 which as they are  now order'd  
among us1 are a mighty ,reproach to the 
,age and ,nation4    ,to speak against  
them in general1 may be thought too     
severe1 and that  which the present ,age
 cannot so well brook1 and would not    
perhaps be  so just and reasonable2     
because it is very possible they might  
be  so fram'd and govern'd by such      
,rules1 as not only to be innocently    

diverting1 but instructing and useful1  
to put some ,vices and ,follies  out of 
,countenance1 which cannot perhaps be so
 decently reprov'd1 nor  so effectually 
expos'd and corrected any other way4    
,but as the ,stage  now is1 they are    
intollerable1 and not fit to be         
permitted in a  civiliz'd1 much less a  
,christian ,nation4 ,they do most       
notoriously  minister both to           
,infidelity and ,vice4 ,by the          
,profaneness of them1 they  are apt to  
instil bad ,principles into the ,minds  
of ,men1 and to  lessen that awe and    
reverence which all ,men ought to have  
for ,god and  ,religion3 and by their   
,lewdness they teach ,vice1 and are apt 
to infect  the ,minds of ,men1 and      
dispose them to lewd and dissolute      
,practices4    ,and therefore ,i do not 
see how any ,persons pretending to      
,sobriety and  ,vertue1 and especially  
to the pure and holy ,religion of our   
,blessed  ,saviour1 can1 without great  
,guilt1 and open ,contradiction to his  

holy  ,profession1 be present at such   
lewd and immodest ,plays1 much less     
frequent them1 as too many do1 who yet  
would take it very ill to be  shut out  
of the ,communion of ,christians1 as    
they would most certainly  have been in 
the first and purest ,ages of           
,christianity4    ,and not only wise and
 sober ,men have declar'd their         
detestation of  the ,immorality of the  
,stage1 but eminent ,poets themselves1  
who have  written the most applauded    
,comedies1 have own'd1 that the ,theatre
  stands in great need of ,restraints   
and ,regulation1 and wish'd that  ,plays
 were compil'd in such an inoffensive   
,manner1 that not only  discreet and    
vertuous ,persons of the ,laity1 but a  
,bishop himself1  without being shock'd1
 might be present while they were acted4
 ,mr4  ,dryden has1 up and down in his  
,prefatory ,discourses and ,dedications1
  freely aeknowledg'd the ,looseness of 
our ,dramatick ,entertainments1  which  
sometimes he charges upon the           

,countenance given to it by the         
dissolute ,court of ,king ,charles the  
,second1 and sometimes upon the         
vitiated ,taste of the ,people4 ,in his 
,dedication of ,juvenal1 made  ,english1
 to the late famous ,earl of ,dorset1 he
 thus bespeaks him2  ,as a ,counsellor  
bred up in the ,knowledge of the        
,municipal and  ,statute ,laws may      
honestly inform a just ,prince how far  
his ,prerogative  extends1 so ,i may be 
allow'd to tell your ,lordship1 who by  
an  indisputed ,title are the ,king of  
,poets1 what an ,extent of ,power you   
have1 and how lawfully you may exercise 
it over the petulant ,scriblers  of the 
,age4 ,as ,lord ,chamberlain1 you are   
absolute by your ,office1 in  all that  
belongs to the ,decency and good        
,manners of the ,stage2 ,you can  banish
 thence ,scurrility and ,profaneness1   
and restrain the licentious  ,insolence 
of the ,poets and their ,actors1 in all 
things that shock the  publick ,quiet or
 the ,reputation of private ,persons1   

under the ,notion  of ,humour4 ,hence it
 evidently appears1 that ,mr ,dryden    
look'd on  the ,decency of the ,stage to
 be violated in his ,time1 by licentious
 and  insolent ,poets2 and ,i wish ,i   
could say1 that there is less ,reason   
of ,complaint in ours2 ,in a ,copy of   
,verses1 publish'd in one of the        
,volumes of the ,miscellany ,poems1 the 
same celebrated ,author inveighs        
against the ,lewdness and ,pollutions of
 the ,stage in the strongest            
,expressions that can be conceiv'd2 and 
in his latter days1 when  his ,judgment 
was more ,mature1 he condemns all his   
loose and profane  ,writings to the     
,flames1 which1 he says1 they justly    
deserve3 ,which  is not only a free and 
ingenious ,confession of his ,fault1 but
 a  considerable ,mark of ,repentance1  
and worthy to be imitated by his        
,successors1 who have broken in upon the
 ,rules of ,vertue and ,modesty in  the 
like manner4    ,tho all ,men of        
,vertue1 who wish well to ,mankind1 and 

are zealous for  the ,happiness of their
 ,country1 cannot but observe the       
mischievous  ,effects of these          
licentious ,dramatick ,compositions1 yet
 they will find  it very difficult to   
suggest an effectual ,remedy for the    
,cure of so  obstinate an ,evil4 ,the   
ingenious ,spaniard mention'd before1   
for  stopping the ,progress of this     
contagious ,lewdness in his ,country1   
propos'd to the ,government1 that an    
,officer or ,inspector might be         
establish'd1 with ,authority to peruse  
and correct the ,poet's ,writings1  and 
that no ,comedies should be presented to
 the ,publick without his  ,licence and 
,approbation4    ,but if this would have
 been sufficient to have prevented or   
remov'd  this hurtful ,practice1 the    
,british ,nation would long since have  
had  no reason to complain on this      
,subject4 ,we have ,officers intrusted  
with this useful and important ,power1  
and are able1 if they please1 to  hinder
 the spreading of the ,infection1 by not

 permitting such noxious  ,productions  
to appear in ,publick3 ,but whether     
those ,inspectors have  had a true      
,taste and ,judgment themselves1 or have
 diligently apply'd  themselves to the  
,reading and ,amending the ,comedies put
 into  their ,hands for their           
,approbation1 or whether they comply    
with the  ,importunity of the ,actors1  
who tell them1 that such is the         
,disposition  of the ,audience1 that no 
,plays of that kind will appear         
beautiful1 if  they are strip'd of those
 ,embellishments and ,ornaments of ,wit1
 which  some morose and unfashionable   
,people stile impure and obscene1 and   
that to leave out those ingenious       
,strokes and ,heightnings of ,fancy1    
and put into the ,mouths of the ,actors 
only good ,sense and modest and  clean  
,expressions1 is to clear and refine our
 ,comedies from the most  entertaining  
and delightful ,parts3 ,perhaps they    
assure them1 that the  ,audience will   
endure no ,reformation of the ,stage1   

and that it were  altogether as         
adviseable to shut up the ,doors of the 
,play-,house1 as to  attempt a          
,regulation of the ,pleasures and       
,diversions of it4    ,but tho ,men who 
love their ,country1 born down with a   
,torrent of  profane ,libertines1       
,persons without ,taste and ,distinction
 of ,vertue  and ,vice1 have almost     
despair'd of seeing the ,comick ,poets  
reform'd1  and the exorbitant ,liberties
 of the ,stage restrain'd within the    
,limits  of modest ,language and decent 
,behaviour2 yet now their ,hopes revive1
  and they promise to themselves a      
sudden and effectual ,reformation of    
these ,abuses1 since the ,government has
 plac'd so worthy a ,person at  the     
,head of the ,actors1 and given him     
ample ,authority to rectify their       
,errors3 ,what a happy ,revolution1 what
 a regular and clean ,stage may  justly 
be now expected8 ,how free from all     
sordid and impure ,mixtures1  how       
innocent1 as well as diverting1 will our

 ,comedies appear1 when  they have been 
corrected and refin'd by such an        
accomplish'd ,director  of the          
,dramatick ,poets8 ,one that has a true 
and delicate ,taste1 and  who is        
sensible of the ,indecencies and hurtful
 ,nature of our ,plays2  who has engag'd
 his celebrated ,pen1 in defiance of    
sneering ,wits and  powerful            
,libertines1 on the ,side of ,vertue1   
and has propagated the  ,esteem of      
,morals1 ,humanity1 ,decorum and        
,sobriety of ,manners2 who  with great  
,spirit1 ,genius1 and ,courage1 to his  
lasting ,honour1 has  publickly expos'd 
the ,absurdities1 ,vices1 and ,follies1 
that stain  and disgrace the ,theatre2  
in which ,censure he has not spar'd his 
own  ,performances3 ,one who has        
express'd a warm ,zeal on this ,subject1
 and  declar'd his generous ,intention1 
if it were in his ,power1 to cleanse    
these polluted ,places1 and not to      
suffer a ,comedy to be presented but    
what had past a severe ,examination1 and

 where all things which might  shock a  
modest ,ear1 or be look'd on as         
repugnant to good ,manners1  might be   
expung'd4    ,but if these fair         
,expectations should be blasted in the  
,bloom1 and  notwithstanding the        
vigorous ,efforts which will be made by 
this  ,reformer1 ,immorality shall      
maintain its ground and keep ,possession
  of the ,theatre1 some other           
,expedients may be suggested to procure 
a ,regulation4 ,it might1 perhaps be    
desirable1 that a few ,persons  of      
,importance1 ,men of ,learning1         
,gravity1 and good ,taste1 might be     
commission'd by ,authority1 as a ,check 
upon the ,actors1 to censure  and       
suppress any ,dramatick ,entertainments 
that shall offend against  ,religion1   
,sobriety of ,manners1 or the ,publick  
,peace2 and all ,persons  should be     
encourag'd to send them such loose or   
profane ,passages which  they hear from 
the ,stage1 or read in the printed      
,plays3 ,nor will it  be less expedient1

 that they should be instructed to      
peruse the ,plays  already publish'd1   
and which are now publickly acted1 and  
to expunge  all offensive and criminal  
,mixtures1 that hereafter they may      
become  a clean and innocent ,diversion4
 ,besides1 this ,end would the more     
effectually be accomplish'd1 if the     
,writers of ,comedy1 ,farce1 and        
,interludes1 were rewarded and supported
 by ,means independent on the  ,actors3 
,for while the ,poets1 who write for a  
,maintenance1 are paid by  the ,theatre1
 they will be under a great ,temptation 
to write as desir'd  and directed by the
 ,actors1 which was the ,complaint of   
,cervantes  above-cited1 concerning the 
,comick ,poets of ,spain4 ,the ,actors1 
we  may safely conclude1 are not        
restrain'd by such rigorous ,precepts   
of ,vertue1 but that they will always be
 inclin'd to present those              
,performances which will best fill the  
,house and promote their  ,interest2 and
 therefore they will readily humour the 

vitiated ,taste of  the ,audience1 by   
acting the most immoral ,plays1 while   
they find their  account in doing so3   
,and that which confirms this           
,observation is1 that  they never1 as   
far as ,i have heard1 rejected any      
,comedy merely for  its ,looseness1 tho 
,i believe they have refus'd many for   
want of  that entertaining ,quality4    
,now were the ,comick ,writers provided 
of a  ,subsistence some other way1 they 
would be deliver'd from the ,necessity  
of complying with their ,actors1 by     
writing such ,plays as they  shall      
bespeak1 or at least approve1 as the    
most likely to invite a  profitable     
,audience4    ,it would prove an        
effectual ,remedy for this ,evil1 if the
 ,ladies would  discountenance these    
loose ,comedies1 by expressing their    
dislike1 and  refusing to be present    
when they are acted3 ,and this no doubt 
they  would do1 were they inform'd1 that
 the ,comedies which they encourage  by 
their ,appearance at the ,theatre1 are  

full of wanton ,sentiments1  obscene    
,allusions1 and immodest ,ideas1        
contain'd in ,expressions of  a double  
,meaning3 for it cannot be imagin'd they
 would bear with  ,unconcernedness1 much
 less with ,pleasure1 ,discourses in    
,publick1 which  they detest as         
unsufferable in private ,convention1 if 
they knew them  to be unchast4 ,and     
should the ,ladies assert their ,esteem 
of ,vertue1  and declare openly on the  
,side of ,modesty1 the most attractive  
,beauty  of the fair ,sex1 as certainly 
they would do1 if they understood how   
much those amiable ,qualities have been 
expos'd and affronted by our  most      
eminent ,comick ,poets2 this would lay  
the ,ax to the ,root1 and at  one ,blow 
destroy this pernicious ,practice2 for  
after this1 what ,writer  would         
transgress the ,rules of ,decency and   
,purity of ,expression1 when  he knows1 
that by his immodest ,mixtures he shall 
fright the ,ladies  from the ,house8    
,it would be another effectual ,means to

 redress the ,grievance of the  ,stage1 
if the ,clergy could be prevail'd upon  
to condemn from  the ,pulpit and the    
,press1 as well as in their             
,conversation1 the  unjustifiable       
,entertainments of the ,theatre2 would  
they insist upon  it1 and urge it as a  
necessary ,duty of the ,people to avoid 
these  ,occasions1 and at least         
,appearances of ,evil2 would they shew  
them1  that by frequenting these        
unwarrantable ,diversions1 they rush    
into  ,snares1 court ,temptation1 and   
invite others to follow their criminal  
,example2 would they set before them the
 ,hazard of playing on the nice  and    
dubious ,limits of ,innocence1 and      
adventuring to the utmost ,extent  of   
,vertue and the ,frontier of ,vice1     
there would be great hopes of  stemming 
this strong ,tide of ,iniquity4 ,and    
this is no more than the  indispensable 
,obligation1 which our ,divines are     
under1 whose proper  ,province it is to 
warn the ,people of their ,danger1 and  

to press  them earnestly to fly from it4
 ,this venerable ,order have1 by solemn 
,engagements1 set themselves apart1 as  
spiritual ,guides1 to point out  the    
fatal ,rocks and treacherous ,sands to  
their ,neighbours1 that they  may not   
make ,shipwreck of ,modesty and         
,innocence1 and plunge into the  ,depths
 of ,irreligion and ,vice3 ,nor is it   
obvious1 why these ,reverend  ,teachers1
 by their ,silence and ,neutrality1     
should give ,profaneness and            
,immorality such fair ,play1 as if the  
,controversy between the ,stage  and the
 ,pulpit were compremis'd1 and the      
,poets and the ,priests  were engag'd1  
as indeed they ought to be1 in the same 
good ,designs1  ,interests1 and         
,pursuits4 ,it is certain1 that this    
,mildness1 and  friendly ,behaviour of  
the ,clergy to the ,comick ,writers1    
cannot arise  from any ,respect or      
handsome ,usage which that sacred ,order
 has met  with on the ,theatre1 where   
they have been so often jerk'd and      

expos'd  in such a manner1 that their   
,divine ,function has been wounded      
through  their ,sides4    ,the ,clergy  
lie under such manifest ,obligations to 
attack publick  ,immorality1 wherever it
 is found1 and by whatsoever ,patrons of
 ,power1  ,dignity1 and ,interest it is 
shelter'd and supported1 thar1 as ,i    
have suggested1 it is not easy to       
imagine whence their ,lenity and        
,tenderness for the ,theatre can        
proceed4 ,but if the true ,reason of    
it1 whatever it is1 and which is so hard
 to be accounted for1 were  remov'd1 and
 our ,divines would interest themselves 
with ,zeal in the  ,cause of ,vertue1 in
 respect to our ,dramatick              
,entertainments1 as they  espouse and   
defend it in all other ,instances1 ,i   
cannot believe that  the ,stage1 without
 a ,regulation1 would be able to stand1 
when batter'd  with ,vigor from the     
,pulpit4 ,the ,poets and ,players would 
soon find  themselves oblig'd to        
restrain their licentious ,conduct1     

reform  the ,theatre1 and present to the
 ,town1 if not instructive1 at least    
inoffensive and unshocking ,diversions4 
,and it is very desirable1 that  this   
,expedient were set on foot1 that the   
,honour of the ,english  ,theatre may be
 retriev'd2 that while we justly boast  
of our ,priority  in ,wit and ,humour to
 our ,neighbours1 we may not be oblig'd 
to  acknowledge the great ,inferiority  
of our ,comedies1 in respect of         
,cleanness and moral ,beauty3 that we   
may not be reproach'd1 that while  we   
profess a ,reform'd and pure ,religion1 
we encourage an immodest and  unreform'd
 ,theatre1 and that we are very         
defective in the ,practice  of ,vertue  
and ,regularity of ,manners1 while these
 ,abominations are  indulg'd1 and these 
unhallow'd ,groves and ,high ,places of 
,immorality  are frequented without     
,disturbance4    ,illustration          
,no #de ,the ,,free-,,holder      ,no   
#de ,friday1 ,may #be4      ,nimium     
risus pretium esi si probitatis impendis

 constat    ,quintil4    ,laughter is   
bought too dear1 if it be at the expence
 of honesty4      ,i have lately read1  
with much pleasure1 the ,essays upon    
several  subjects published by ,sir     
,richard ,blackmore2 and though ,i agree
  with him in many of his excellent     
observations1 ,i cannot but take  that  
reasonable freedom1 which he himself    
makes use of1 with regard  to other     
writers1 to dissent from him in some few
 particulars4 ,in his  reflexions upon  
works of wit and humour1 he observes how
 unequal they  are to combate vice and  
folly2 and seems to think1 that the     
finest  rallery and satire1 though      
directed by these generous views1 never 
reclaimed one vicious man1 or made one  
fool depart from his folly4    ,this is 
a position very hard to be contradicted1
 because no ,author  knows the number or
 names of his converts4 ,as for the     
,tatlers and  ,spectators in particular1
 which are obliged to this ingenious and
  useful ,author for the character he   

has given of them1 they were so         
generally dispersed in single sheets1   
and have since been printed  in so great
 numbers1 that it is to be hoped they   
have made some  proselytes to the       
interests1 if not to the practice of    
wisdom and  virtue1 among such a        
multitude of readers4    ,i need not    
remind this learned ,gentleman1 that    
,socrates1 who was the  greatest        
propagator of morality in the heathen   
world1 and a martyr  for the ,unity of  
the ,godhead1 was so famous for the     
exercise of this  talent among the      
politest people of antiquity1 that he   
gained the name  of ,greek3 ha ,eibn the
 ,drle4    ,there are very good effects 
which visibly arose from the            
above-mentioned performances and others 
of the like nature2 as1 in the  first   
place1 they diverted rallery from       
improper objects1 and gave a  new turn  
to ridicule1 which for many years had   
been exerted on persons  and things of a
 sacred and serious nature4 ,they       

endeavoured to make  mirth instructive1 
and1 if they failed in this great end1  
they must  be allowed at least to have  
made it innocent4 ,if wit and humour    
begin  again to relapse into their      
former licentiousness1 they can never   
hope  for approbation from those who    
know that rallery is useless when it    
has no moral under it1 and pernicious   
when it attacks any thing that  is      
either unblameable or praise-worthy4 ,to
 this we may add1 what has  been        
commonly observed1 that it is not       
difficult to be merry on the  side of   
vice1 as serious objects act the most   
capable of ridicule2 as  the party1     
which naturally favour such a mirth1 is 
the most numerous2  and as there are the
 most standing jests and patterns for   
imitation in  this kind of writing4     
,in the next place3 ,such productions of
 wit and humour1 as have a  tendency to 
expose vice and folly1 furnish useful   
diversions to all  kinds of readers4    
,the good or prudent man may1 by these  

means1 be  diverted without prejudice to
 his discretion1 or morality4 ,rallery1 
under such regulations1 unbends the mind
 from serious studies and  severer      
contemplations1 without throwing it off 
from its proper bias4  ,it carries on   
the same design that is promoted by     
,authors of a graver  turn1 and only    
does it in another manner4 ,it also     
awakens reflexion  in those who are the 
most indifferent in the cause of virtue 
or  knowledge1 by setting before them   
the absurdity of such practices  as are 
generally unobserved1 by reason of their
 being common or  fashionable3 ,nay1 it 
sometimes catches the dissolute and     
abandoned  before they are aware of it3 
who are often betrayed to laugh at      
themselves1 and upon reflexion find1    
that they are merry at their own        
expence4 ,i might farther take notice1  
that by entertainments of this  kind1 a 
man may be chearful in solitude1 and not
 be forced to seek for  company every   
time he has a mind to be merry4    ,the 

last advantage ,i shall mention from    
compositions of this nature  when thus  
restrained1 is1 that they shew wisdom   
and virtue are far  from being          
inconsistent with politeness and good   
humour4 ,they make  morality appear     
amiable to people of gay dispositions1  
and refute the  common objection against
 religion1 which represents it as only  
fit  for gloomy and melancholy tempers4 
,it was the motto of a ,bishop very     
eminent for his piety and good works in 
,king ,charles the ,second's  reign1 ,in
 servi ,deo  ltare1 ',serve ,god and be 
chearful4' ,those  therefore who supply 
the world with such entertainments of   
mirth as  are instructive1 or at least  
harmless1 may be thought to deserve well
  of mankind2 to which ,i shall only    
add1 that they retrieve the honour  of  
polite learning1 and answer those sour  
,enthusiasts who affect  to stigmatize  
the finest and most elegant ,authors1   
both ancient and  modern1 7which they   
have never read7 as dangerous to        

religion1 and  destructive of all sound 
and saving knowledge4    ,our nation are
 such lovers of mirth and humour1 that  
it is impossible  for detached papers1  
which come out on stated days1 either to
 have  a general run1 or long           
continuance1 if they are not diversified
 and  enlivened from time to time1 with 
subjects and thoughts1 accommodated  to 
this taste1 which so prevails among our 
countrymen4 ,no periodical  ,author1 who
 always maintains his gravity1 and does 
not sometimes  sacrifice to the ,graces1
 must expect to keep in vogue for any   
considerable time4 ,political           
speculations in particular1 however just
  and important1 are of so dry and      
austere a nature1 that they will not  go
 down with the public without frequent  
seasonings of this kind4 ,the  work may 
be well performed1 but will never take1 
if it is not set off  with proper scenes
 and decorations4 ,a mere ,politician is
 but a dull  companion1 and1 if he is   
always wise1 is in great danger of being

  tiresom or ridiculous4    ,besides1   
papers of entertainment are necessary to
 increase the  number of readers1       
especially among those of different     
notions and  principles2 who by this    
means may be betrayed to give you a fair
  hearing1 and to know what you have to 
say for yourself4 ,i might  likewise    
observe1 that in all political writings 
there is something  that grates upon the
 mind of the most candid reader1 in     
opinions which  are not conformable to  
his own way of thinking2 and that the   
harshness  of reasoning is not a little 
softned and smoothed by the infusions of
  mirth and pleasantry4    ,political   
speculations do likewise furnish us with
 several objects  that may very         
innocently be ridiculed1 and which are  
regarded as such  by men of sense in all
 parties2 of this kind are the passions 
of our  ,states-women1 and the          
reasonings of our ,fox-hunters4    ,a   
,writer who makes fame the chief end of 
his endeavours1 and would be  more      

desirous of pleasing than of improving  
his readers1 might find  an             
inexhaustible fund of mirth in politics4
 ,scandal and satire are  never-failing 
gratifications to the public4           
,detraction and obloquy  are received   
with as much eagerness as wit and       
humour4 ,should a writer  single out    
particular persons1 or point his rallery
 at any order of  men1 who by their     
profession ought to be exempt from it2  
should he  slander the innocent1 or     
satirize the miserable2 or should he1   
even  on the proper subjects of         
derision1 give the full play to his     
mirth1  without regard to decency and   
good-manners2 he might be sure of       
pleasing a great part of his readers1   
but must be a very ill man1 if  by such 
a proceeding he could please himself4