fear of the frost: aud, upon the said person's refusing to go in the chaise alone, or to trust to Solomon's appointment, and being in ill health, Solomon fell into a formal quarrel with that person, and foully misrepresented the whole affair, to justify himself. Solomon had published a humorous ballad, called Ballyspellin," whither he had gone to drink the waters, with a new favourite lady. The ballad was in the manner of Mr. Gay's on Molly Mogg, pretending to contain all the rhymes of Ballyspellin. His friend, the person so often mentioned, being at a gentleman's house in the neighbourhood, and merry over Solomon's ballad, they agreed to make another, in dispraise of Ballyspellinwells, which Solomon had celebrated, and with all new rhymes not made use of in Solomon's. The thing was done,t and all in a mere jest and innocent merriment. Yet Solomon was prevailed upon, by the lady he went with, to resent this as an affront on her and himself; which he did accordingly, against all the rules of reason, taste, good-nature, judgment, gratitude, or common manners. He will invite six or more people of condition to dine with him on a certain day, some of them living five or six miles from town. On the day appointed, he will be absent, and know nothing of the matter, and they all go back disappointed: when he is told of this, he is pleased, because it shews him to be a genius and a man of learning. Having lain many years under the obloquy of a high tory and jacobite, upon the present queen's birth-day he writ a song, to be performed before the government and those who attended them, in praise of the queen and * Printed in the eleventh volume. N. king, on the common topics of her beauty, wit, family, love of England, and all other virtues, wherein the king and the royal children were sharers. It was very hard to avoid the common topics. A young collegian, who had done the same job the year before, got some reputation on account of his wit. Solomon would needs vie with him, by which he lost all the esteem of his old friends the tories, and got not the least interest with the whigs; for they are now too strong to want advocates of that kind; and therefore one of the lords justices, reading the verses in some company, said, "Ah! Doctor, this shall not do." His name was at length in the titlepage; and he did this without the knowledge or advice of one living soul, as he himself confesseth. His full conviction of having acted wrong in an hundred instances, leaves him as positive in the next instance as if he had never been mistaken in bis life: and if you go to him the next day, and find him convinced in the last, he hath another instance ready, wherein he is as positive as he was the day before. ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE HONOUR OF THE KINGDOM OF IRELAND 1738. THIS is to inform the public, that a gentleman of long study, observation, and experience, hath employed himself for several years in making collections of facts, relating to the conduct of divines, physicians, lawyers, soldiers, merchants, traders, and squires, containing an historical account of the most remarkable corruptions, frauds, oppressions, knaveries, and perjuries: wherein the names of the persons concerned shall be inserted at full length, with some account of their families and stations. But whereas the said gentleman cannot complete his history without some assistance from the public, he humbly desires, that all persons, who have any memoirs, or accounts, relating to themselves, their families, their friends, or acquaintance, which are well attested, and fit to enrich the work, will please to send them to the printer of this advertisement: and if any of the said persons, who are disposed to send materials, happen to live in the country, it is desired their letters may be either franked, or the post paid. This collection is to commence with the year 1700, and be continued to the present year, 1738. The work is to be entitled, "The Author's Critical History of his own Times." It is intended to be printed by subscription, in a large octavo; each volume to contain five hundred facts, and to be sold for a British crown; the author proposeth that the whole work (which will take in the period of thirty-eight years) shall be contained in eighteen volumes. Whoever shall send the author any accounts of persons, who have performed any acts of justice, charity, public spirit, gratitude, fidelity, or the like, attested by indubitable witnesses, within the same period; the said facts shall be printed by way of appendix at the end of each volume, and no addition to the price of the work demanded. But, lest such persons may apprehend that the relating of these facts may be injurious to their reputations, their names shall not be set down without particular direction. N. B. There will be a small number printed on royalpaper, for the curious, at only two British crowns. There will also be the effigies of the most eminent per sons mentioned in this work, prefixed to each volume, curiously engraved by Mr. Hogarth. Subscriptions are taken in by the printer hereof, and by the booksellers of London and Dublin. A LETTER, GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF A PESTILENT NEIGHBOUR. SIR, You must give me leave to complain of a pestilent fellow in my neighbourhood, who is always beating mortar, yet I cannot find he ever builds. In talking he useth such hard words, that I want a druggerman to interpret them. But all is not gold that glisters. A pot he carries to most houses where he visits. He makes his prentice his galley-slave. I wish our lane were purged of him. Yet he pretends to be a cordial man. Every spring his shop is crowded with country folks; who, by their leaves, in my opinion, help him to do a great deal of mischief. He is full of scruples; and so very litigious, that he files bills against all his acquaintances; and though he be much troubled with the simples, yet I assure you he is a jesuitical dog; as you may know by his bark. Of all poetry he loves the dram-a-tick best. I am, &c. |