Knowledge of you, no Man should have been more willing to have served you; but that he, for his part, had always had regard to his own Conscience, as well as other Peoples Merit; and he did not know but that you might be a handsome Fellow; for as for your own Certificate, it was every Body’s Business to speak for themselves.”

  Mr. President immediately retorted,

    “A handsome Fellow! why he is a Wit (Sir) and you know the Proverb;”

  and to ease the old Gentleman of his Scruples, cried,

    “That for Matter of Merit it was all one, you might wear a Mask.”

  This threw him into a Pause, and he looked, desirous of three Days to
  consider on it; but Mr. President improved the Thought, and followed
  him up with an old Story,

    “That Wits were privileged to wear what Masks they pleased in all
    Ages; and that a Vizard had been the constant Crown of their
    Labours, which was generally presented them by the Hand of some
    Satyr, and sometimes of Apollo himself:” 

  For the Truth of which he appealed to the Frontispiece of several
  Books, and particularly to the English Juvenal, [3] to which he
  referred him; and only added,

    “That such Authors were the Larvati [4] or Larva donati of the
    Ancients.”

  This cleared up all, and in the Conclusion you were chose Probationer;
  and Mr. President put round your Health as such, protesting,

    “That tho’ indeed he talked of a Vizard, he did not believe all the
    while you had any more Occasion for it than the Cat-a-mountain;”

so that all you have to do now is to pay your Fees, which here are very reasonable if you are not imposed upon; and you may stile your self Informis Societatis Socius:  Which I am desired to acquaint you with; and upon the same I beg you to accept of the Congratulation of,

  SIR,

  Your oblig’d humble Servant,

  R. A. C.

  Oxford March 21.

[Footnote 1:  this]

[Footnote 2:  At the coming of William III.]

[Footnote 3:  The third edition of Dryden’s Satires of Juvenal and Persius, published in 1702, was the first ‘adorn’d with Sculptures.’  The Frontispiece represents at full length Juvenal receiving a mask of Satyr from Apollo’s hand, and hovered over by a Cupid who will bind the Head to its Vizard with a Laurel Crown.]

[Footnote 4:  Larvati were bewitched persons; from Larva, of which the original meaning is a ghost or spectre; the derived meanings are, a Mask and a Skeleton.]

* * * * *

No. 33 Saturday, April 7, 1711.  Steele.

      ’Fervidus tecum Puer, et solutis
      Gratiae zonis, properentque Nymphae,
      Et parum comis sine te Juventas,
      Mercuriusque.’