[Footnote 175:  See No. 3.]

[Footnote 176:  The letter is by Heneage Twysden. (See Steele’s Preface.) Heneage Twysden was the seventh son of Sir William Twysden, Bart., of Roydon Hall, East Peckham, Kent.  At the time of his death (1709, aged 29) he was a captain of foot in Sir Richard Temple’s Regiment, and aide-de-camp to John, Duke of Argyle.  Near his monument in the north aisle of the Abbey are two other small ones to the memory of his brothers Josiah and John.  Josiah, a captain of foot, was killed in Flanders in 1708, in his 23rd year; John was a lieutenant in the admiral’s ship, under Sir Cloudesley Shovel, and perished with him in 1707, in his 24th year. [Chalmers.]—­Heneage Twysden was killed at the battle of Blarequies.]

[Footnote 177:  The allusion is to the staff carried by the First Lord of the Treasury.]

[Footnote 178:  The House of Commons.]

[Footnote 179:  “Any ladies who have any particular stories of their acquaintance, which they are willing privately to make public, may send them by the penny-post to Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq., enclosed to Mr. John Morphew, near Stationers’ Hall” (folio).]

No. 12. [STEELE.

From Thursday, May 5, to Saturday, May 7, 1709.

* * * * *

May 5.

When a man has engaged to keep a stage-coach, he is obliged, whether he has passengers or not, to set out:  thus it fares with us weekly historians; but indeed, for my particular, I hope I shall soon have little more to do in this work, than to publish what is sent me from such as have leisure and capacity for giving delight, and being pleased in an elegant manner.  The present grandeur of the British nation might make us expect, that we should rise in our public diversions, and manner of enjoying life, in proportion to our advancement in glory and power.  Instead of that, take and survey this town, and you’ll find, rakes and debauchees are your men of pleasure; thoughtless atheists, and illiterate drunkards, call themselves free thinkers; and gamesters, banterers, biters,[180] swearers, and twenty new-born insects more, are, in their several species, the modern men of wit.  Hence it is, that a man who has been out of town but one half-year, has lost the language, and must have some friend to stand by him, and keep him in countenance for talking common sense.  To-day I saw a short interlude at White’s of this nature, which I took notes of, and put together as well as I could in a public place.  The persons of the drama are, Pip, the last gentleman that has been made so at cards; Trimmer, a person half undone at them, and is now between a cheat and a gentleman; Acorn, an honest Englishman, of good plain sense and meaning; and Mr. Friendly, a reasonable man of the town.

White’s Chocolate-house, May 5.

[Enter PIP, TRIM, and ACORN.

AC.  What’s the matter, gentlemen?  What!  Take no notice of an old friend?