before this Society, was about ‘Bartholomew’ Fair; but the Debates being long, they were at last adjourned to the next Fair, when we suppose it will be decided; so being not willing to trouble the World with anything twice over, we refer that to next ‘August’.

On the 10th of September last, there was a long Hearing, before the Club, of a Fellow that said he had killd the Duke of ‘Bavaria’.  Now as David punishd the Man that said he had killd King ‘Saul’, whether it was so or no, twas thought this Fellow ought to be delivered up to Justice, tho the Duke of ‘Bavaria’ was alive.

Upon the whole, twas voted a scandalous Thing, That News.  Writers shoud kill Kings and Princes, and bring them to life again at pleasure; and to make an Example of this Fellow, he was dismissd, upon Condition he should go to the Queens-bench once a Day, and bear Fuller, his Brother of the Faculty, company two hours for fourteen Days together; which cruel Punishment was executed with the utmost Severity.

The Club has had a great deal of trouble about the News-Writers, who have been continually brought before them for their ridiculous Stories, and imposing upon Mankind; and tho the Proceedings have been pretty tedious, we must give you the trouble of a few of them in our next.

The addition to the heading, ‘Translated out of French,’ appears only in No. 1, and the first title ‘Mercure Scandale’ (adopted from a French book published about 1681) having been much criticized for its grammar and on other grounds, was dropped in No. 18.  Thenceforth Defoe’s pleasant comment upon passing follies appeared under the single head of ‘Advice from the Scandalous Club.’  Still the verbal Critics exercised their wits upon the title.

‘We have been so often on the Defence of our Title,’ says Defoe, in No. 38, ’that the world begins to think Our Society wants Employment ...  If Scandalous must signify nothing but Personal Scandal, respecting the Subject of which it is predicated; we desire those gentlemen to answer for us how ‘Post-Man’ or ‘Post-Boy’ can signify a News-Paper, the Post Man or Post Boy being in all my reading properly and strictly applicable, not to the Paper, but to the Person bringing or carrying the News?  Mercury also is, if I understand it, by a Transmutation of Meaning, from a God turned into a Book—­From hence our Club thinks they have not fair Play, in being deny’d the Privilege of making an Allegory as well as other People.’

In No. 46 Defoe made, in one change more, a whimsical half concession of a syllable, by putting a sign of contraction in its place, and thenceforth calling this part of his Review, Advice from the Scandal Club.  Nothing can be more evident than the family likeness between this forefather of the ‘Tatler’ and ‘Spectator’ and its more familiar descendants.  There is a trick of voice common to all, and some papers of Defoe’s might have