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O that as oft I have at Athens seen

[Where, by the way, there was no Stage till many

years after Oedipus.]

The Stage arise, and the big clouds descend;

So now in very deed, I might behold

This pond'rous Globe, and all yon marble roof,
Meet like the hands of Jove, and crush mankind,
For all the Elements, &c.

ADVERTISEMENT.

Having spoken of Mr. Powell, as sometimes raising himself applause from the ill taste of an audience; I must do him the justice to own, that he is excellently formed for a Tragedian, and, when he pleases, deserves the admiration of the best judges; as I doubt not but he will in the Conquest of Mexico, which is acted for his own benefit to-morrow night.

N° 50. Friday, April 27. [1711.]

Nunquam aliud natura, aliud sapientia dixit. Juv.

When the four Indian Kings were in this country about a twelve-month ago, I often mixed with the rabble, and followed them a whole day together, being wonderfully struck with the sight of every thing that is new or uncommon. I have, since their departure, employed a friend to make many enquiries of their Landlord the Upholsterer, relating to their manners and conversation, as also concerning the remarks which they made in this country: for, next to the forming a right notion of such strangers, I should be desirous of learning what ideas they have conceived of us.

The Upholsterer finding my friend very inquisitive about 25 these his Lodgers, brought him some time since a little bundle of papers, which he assured him were written by King Sa Ga

Yean Qua Rash Tow, and, as he supposes, left behind by some mistake. These papers are now translated, and contain abundance of very odd observations, which I find this little fraternity of Kings made during their stay in the Isle of Great Britain. I shall present my reader with a short Specimen of them in this paper, and may perhaps communicate more to him hereafter. In the article of London are the following words, which without doubt are meant of the Church of St. Paul.

"On the most rising part of the town there stands a huge "house, big enough to contain the whole nation of which I am "King. Our good Brother E Tow O Koam, King of the "Rivers, is of opinion it was made by the hands of that great "God to whom it is consecrated. The Kings of Granajah and "of the Six Nations believe that it was created with the Earth, "and produced on the same day with the Sun and Moon. But "for my own part, by the best information that I could get of "this matter, I am apt to think that this prodigious Pile was "fashioned into the shape it now bears by several tools and "instruments, of which they have a wonderful variety in this "country. It was probably at first an huge mis-shapen rock "that grew upon the top of the hill, which the natives of the "country (after having cut it into a kind of regular figure) "bored and hollowed with incredible pains and industry, till "they had wrought in it all those beautiful vaults and caverns "into which it is divided at this day. As soon as this rock was "thus curiously scooped to their liking, a prodigious number "of hands must have been employed in chipping the out-side "of it, which is now as smooth as the surface of a pebble; "and is in several places hewn out into Pillars, that stand like "the trunks of so many trees bound about the top with gar"lands of leaves. It is probable that when this great work

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was begun, which must have been many hundred years ago, "there was some religion among this people, for they give "it the name of a Temple, and have a tradition that it was

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"designed for men to pay their devotion in. And indeed, there 66 are several reasons which make us think, that the natives of "this country had formerly among them some sort of worship; "for they set apart every seventh day as sacred: but upon my 5 "going into one of these holy houses on that day, I could not

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"observe any circumstance of devotion in their behaviour: "there was indeed a man in black who was mounted above the "rest, and seemed to utter something with a great deal of vehe66 mence; but as for those underneath him, instead of paying "their worship to the Deity of the place, they were most of "them bowing and curtesying to one another, and a consider"able number of them fast asleep.

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But we soon per

"The Queen of the country appointed two men to attend 'us, that had enough of our language to make themselves "understood in some few particulars. "ceived these two were great enemies to "did not always agree in the same story. "shift to gather out of one of them, that this Island was very "much infested with a monstrous kind of Animals, in the

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one another, and We could make a

shape of men, called Whigs; and he often told us, that he "hoped we should meet with none of them in our way, for "that if we did, they would be apt to knock us down for "being Kings.

"Our other interpreter used to talk very much of a kind of "Animal called a Tory, that was as great a monster as the "Whig, and would treat us as ill for being Foreigners. These "two creatures, it seems, are born with a secret antipathy to "one another, and engage when they meet as naturally as the 'Elephant and the Rhinoceros. But as we saw none of either "of these species, we are apt to think that our guides deceived "us with misrepresentations and fictions, and amused us with an "account of such monsters as are not really in their country.

"These particulars we made a shift to pick out from the "discourse of our interpreters; which we put together as well

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as we could, being able to understand but here and there a "word of what they said, and afterwards making up the mean"ing of it among our selves. The men of the country are very "cunning and ingenious in handicraft works; but withal so "very idle, that we often saw young lusty raw-boned fellows "carried up and down the streets in little covered rooms by a couple of Porters, who are hired for that service. Their dress "is likewise very barbarous, for they almost strangle themselves "about the neck, and bind their bodies with many ligatures, "that we are apt to think are the occasion of several distempers

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among them, which our country is entirely free from. Instead "of those beautiful feathers with which we adorn our heads, "they often buy up a monstrous bush of hair, which covers their "heads, and falls down in a large fleece below the middle of "their backs; with which they walk up and down the streets, "and are as proud of it as if it was of their own growth.

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"We were invited to one of their publick diversions, where we hoped to have seen the great men of their country running "down a Stag or pitching a Bar, that we might have discovered "who were the persons of the greatest abilities among them; "but instead of that, they conveyed us into an huge room "lighted up with abundance of candles, where this lazy people "sate still above three hours to see several feats of ingenuity "performed by others, who it seems were paid for it.

"As for the women of the country, not being able to talk "with them, we could only make our remarks upon them at a "distance. They let the hair of their heads grow to a great "length; but as the men make a great show with heads of "hair that are none of their own, the women, who they say "have very fine heads of hair, tie it up in a knot, and cover it "from being seen. The women look like Angels, and would "be more beautiful than the Sun, were it not for little black "spots that are apt to break out in their faces, and sometimes "rise in very odd figures. I have observed that those little

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"blemishes wear off very soon; but when they disappear in "one part of the face, they are very apt to break out in "another, insomuch that I have seen a spot upon the fore"head in the afternoon, which was upon the chin in the 5 "morning.

The Author then proceeds to shew the absurdity of breeches and petticoats, with many other curious observations, which I shall reserve for another occasion. I cannot however conclude this paper without taking notice, that amidst these wild remarks, there now and then appears something very reasonable. I cannot likewise forbear observing, that we are all guilty in some measure of the same narrow way of thinking, which we meet with in this abstract of the Indian Journal; when we fancy the customs, dresses, and manners of other countries are ridiculous and extravagant, if they do not resemble those of our own.

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N° 70. Monday, May 21.

Interdum vulgus rectum videt.

[1711.]

Hor.

When I travelled, I took a particular delight in hearing the Songs and Fables that are come from Father to Son, and are most in vogue among the common people of the countries through which I passed; for it is impossible that any thing should be universally tasted and approved by a multitude, though they are only the rabble of a nation, which hath not in it some peculiar aptness to please and gratifie the mind of man. Human nature is the same in all reasonable creatures; and whatever falls in with it, will meet with admirers amongst Readers of all qualities and conditions. Moliere, as we are told by Monsieur Boileau, used to read all his Comedies to an old woman who was his House-keeper, as she sate with him at

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