MAY all his Majefty's liege Subjects love him as well as his good Poople of this his ancient Borough. • Adieu.

No. 617.

Monday, November 8.

Torva Mimalloneis implerunt cornua bombis,
Et raptum vitulo caput ablatura fuperbo
Baffaris, & lyncem Manas flexura corymbis,
Evion ingeminat: reparabilis adfonat Echo. Perfius.

TH

HERE are two Extreams in the Stile of Humour, one of which confifts in the Ufe of that little pert Phrafeology which I took Notice of in my laft Paper; the other in the Affectation of strained and pompous Expreffions, fetched from the learned Languages. The first favours too much of the Town; the other of the College.

As nothing illuftrates better than Example, I fhall here prefent my Reader with a Letter of pedantick Humour, which was written by a young Gentleman of the University to his Friend; on the fame Occafion, and from the fame Place, as the lively Epiftle published in my last Spectator.

Dear Chum,

T is now the third Watch of the Night, the great

• Ieft Part of which I have spent round a capacious

• Bowl of China, filled with the choiceft Products of both the Indies. I was placed at a quadrangular Table, diametrically oppofite to the Mace-bearer. The Vifage of that venerable Herald was, according to Cuftom, moft gloriously illuminated on this joyful Occafion. The Mayor and Aldermen, thofe Pillars ⚫ of our Constitution, began to totter; and if any one at the Board could have fo far articulated, as to have ⚫ demanded intelligibly a Reinforcement of Liquor, the whole

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'whole Affembly had been by this time extended under 'the Table..

6

THE Celebration of this Night's Solemnity was opened by the obftreperous Joy of Drummers, who, with their Parchment Thunder, gave a Signal for the Appearance of the Mob under their feveral Claffes and Denominations. They were quickly joined by the melodious Clank of Marrow-bone and Cleaver, whilft a Chorus of Bells filled up the Confort. A Pyramid of Stack-Faggots cheared the Hearts of the Populace with the Promise of a Blaze: The Guns had no fooner uttered the Prologue, but the Heavens were brightned with artificial Meteors, and Stars of our own making; and all the High-freets lighted up from one End to another, with a Galaxy of Candles. We col⚫lected a Largefs for the Multitude, who tippled Eleemofynary till they grew exceeding Vociferous. There was a Pafte-board Pontiff with a little fwarthy Dæmon at his Elbow, who, by his diabolical Whispers and Infinuations tempted his Holiness into the Fire, and then left him to fhift for himself. The Mobile were very ⚫ farcaftick with their Clubs, and gave the old Gentleman feveral Thumps upon his triple Head-piece. Tom Tyler's Phiz is fomething damaged by the Fall of a Rocket, which hath almoft fpoiled the Gnomon of his Countenance. The Mirth of the Commons grew fo very outragious, that it found Work for our Friend of the Quorum, who, by the Help of his Amanuenfis, took down all their Names and their Crimes, with a Defign to produce his Manufcript at the next Quarter Seffions, &c. &c. &c.

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I fhall fubjoin to the foregoing Piece of a Letter, the following Copy of Verfes tranflated from an Ita-. lian Poet, who was the Cleveland of his Age, and had Multitudes of Admirers, The Subject is an Accident that happened under the Reign of Pope Leo, when a Firework, that had been prepared upon the Caftle of, St. Angelo, begun to play before its Time, being kindled by a Flash of Lightning. The Author hath writ-. ten his Poem in the fame kind of Stile, as that I have

already

already exemplified in Profe. Every Line in it is a Riddle, and the Reader must be forced to confider it twice or thrice, before he will know that the Cynick's Tenement is a Tub, and Bacchus his Caft-coat a Hogshead, &c.

'Twas Night, and Heav'n, a Cyclops, all the Day,
An Argus now did countless Eyes difplay;
In ev'ry Window Rome her Joy declares,
All bright, and ftudded with terreftrial Stars.
A blazing Chain of Lights her Roofs entwines,
And round her Neck the mingled Luftre fhines,
The Cynick's rowling Tenement confpires,
With Bacchus his Caft-coat, to feed the Fires.

The Pile, ftill big with undiscover'd Shows,
The Tufcan Pile did laft its Freight difclofe,
Where the proud Tops of Rome's new Etna rife,
Whence Giants fally, and invade the Skies.

Whilft now the Multitude expect the Time,
And their tir'd Eyes the lefty Mountain climb,
A thousand Iron Mouths their Voices try,
And thunder out a dreadful Harmony;
In treble Notes the fmall Artill'ry plays,
The deep-mouth'd Cannon bellows in the Bass,
The lab'ring Pile now heaves, and having giv'n
Proofs of its Travail, fighs in Flames to Heav'n.

The Clouds invelop'd Heav'n from human Sight,
Quench'd every Star, and put out ev'ry Light;
Now real Thunder grumbles in the Skies,
And in difdainful Murmurs Rome defies;
Nor doth its anfer'd Challenge Rome decline;
But whilft both Parties in full Confort join,
While Heav'n and Earth in rival Peals refound,
The doubtful Cracks the Hearer's Senfe confound;
Whether the Claps of Thunderbolts they bear,
Or else the Burst of Cannon wounds their Ear;
Whether Clouds raged by ftruggling Metals rent,
Or Aruggling Clouds, in Roman Metals pent.

But

But O, my Mufe, the whole Adventure tell,
As ev'ry Accident in order fell.

Tall Groves of Trees the Hadrian Tow'r furround,
Fictitious Trees with Paper Garlands crown'd.
Thefe know no Spring, but when their Bodies fprout
In Fire, and foot their gilded Bloffoms out;
When blazing Leaves appear above their Head,
And into branching Flames their Bodies spread,
Whilft real Thunder Splits the Firmament,
And Heav'n's whole Roof in one vaft Cleft is rent,
The three-fork'd Tongue amidft the Rupture lolls,
Then drops, and on the airy Turret falls.
The Trees now kindle, and the Garland burns,
And thousand Thunderbolts for one returns :
Brigades of burning Archers upwards fly
Bright Spears and shining Spear-men mount on high,
Flafb in the Clouds, and glitter in the Sky.

A feven-fold Shield of Spheres doth Heav'n defend,
And back again the blunted Weapons fend;
Unwillingly they fall, and dropping down,

}

Pour out their Souls, their fulph'rous Souls, and groan

With Joy, great Sir, we view'd this pompous
Show,

While Heav'n, that fate Spectator fill, 'till now,
It felf turn'd Actor, proud to pleafure you.
And fo'tis fit, when Leo's Fires appear,

That Heav'n it felf should turn an Engineer;
That Heav'n it felf fhould all it's Wonders Show,
And Orbs above consent with Orbs below.

Wednesday,

No. 618. Wednesday, November 10.

Neque enim concludere verfum

Dixeris effe fatis: neque fiquis fcribat, uti nos,
Sermoni propriora, putes hunc effe Poetam.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Hor.

YOU having in your two laft Spectators, given. the Town a couple of remarkable Letters in very different Styles: I take this Opportunity to offer to you fome Remarks upon the Epiftolary · way of Writing in Verfe. This is a Species of Poetry by it felf; and has not fo much as been hinted at in any of the Arts of Poetry, that have ever fallen into my Hands: Neither has it in any Age, or any Nation, been fo much cultivated, as the other feveral • Kinds of Poefie. A Man of Genius may, if he pleases, write Letters in Verfe upon all manner of Subjects, that are capable of being embellished with Wit and Language, and may render them new and agreeableby giving the proper Turn to them. But in fpeaking, at prefent, of Epiftolary Poetry, I would be un⚫derstood to mean only fuch Writings in this Kind, as have been in Use amongst the Ancients, and have been copied from them by fome Moderns. These may be • reduced into two Claffes: In the one I fhall range Love-Letters, Letters of Friendship, and Letters upon mournful Occafions : In the other I fhall place fuch Epiftles in Verfe, as may properly be called Familiar, Critical, and Moral; to which may be added • Letters of Mirth, and Humour. Ovid for the firft, ⚫ and Horace for the latter, are the best Originals we ⚫ have left.

• HE that is ambitious of fucceeding in the Ovidian " way, fhould first examine his Heart well, and feel whether his Paffions (especially thofe of the gentler Kind)