fon in a cross line, and makes him appear not "unlike a Fly that the boys have run a pin thro', " and set a walking. He once challenged a tall "fellow for giving him a blow on the pate with "his elbow, as he paffed along the street. But "what he especially values himself upon is, that "in all the campaigns he has made, he never once "duck'd at the whizz of a cannon ball. Tim. "was full as large at fourteen years old as he is This we are tender of mentioning, your ❝ now. little Heroes being generally cholerick. "These are the gentlemen that most enliven our converfation. The difcourfe generally turns 66 upon fuch accidents, whether fortunate or un"fortunate, as are daily occafioned by our fize: "these we faithfully communicate, either as matrr ❝ter of mirth, or of confolation to each other. "The Prefident had lately an unlucky fall, being "unable to keep his legs on a ftormy day; where<< upon he informed us it was no new disaster, but "the fame a certain ancient Poet had been subject who is recorded to have been fo light that "he was obliged to poize himfelf against the wind, "with lead on one fide, and his own works on "the other. The Lover confeft the other night "that he had been cured of love to a tall woman, "by reading over the legend of Ragotine in Scar"ron, with his tea, three mornings fucceffively. "Our Hero rarely acquaints us with any of his "unfuccessful adventures and as for the Politi (6 to; an, he declares himself an utter enemy to all "kind of burlesque, fo will never difcompose the "aufterity of his afpect by laughing at our adventures, much less difcover any of his own in this "ludicrous light. Whatever he tells of any ac"cidents that befal him, is by way of complaint, nor is he ever laugh'd at but in his Abfence. '' "We are likewife particularly careful to com"municate in the club all fuch paffages of hiftory, or characters of illuftrious perfonages, as any t way reflect honour on little men. Tim. Tuck "having but just reading enough for a military "man, perpetually entertains us with the fame "ftories, of little David that conquered the mighty "Goliah, and little Luxembourg that made Louis "xiv. a grand Monarque, never forgetting little "Alexander the great. Dick Distick celebrates "the exceeding humanity of Auguftus, who call"ed Horace lepidiffimum homunciolum; and is wonderfully pleafed with Voiture and Scarron, for "having fo well defcribed their diminutive forms "to pofterity. He is peremptorily of opinion, "against a great Reader and all his adherents, that Æfop was not a jot properer or handsomer than "he is represented by the common pictures. But "the Soldier believes with the learned person "above-mentioned; for he thinks none but an "impudent tall author could be guilty of fuch an "unmannerly piece of fatire on little warriors, as his Battle of the Mouse and the Frog. The "Politician is very proud of a certain King of Egypt, called Bocchor, who, as Diodorus af"fures us, was a person of a very low ftature, but "far exceeded all that went before him in difcre"tion and politicks. "As I am Secretary to the club, 'tis my bufi"nefs, whenever we meet, to take minutes of the "transactions: this has enabled me to fend you "the foregoing particulars, as I may hereafter other "memoirs. We have fpies appointed in every "quarter of the town, to give us informations of "the misbehaviour of fuch refractory perfons as re"fuse to be subject to our statutes. Whatsoever "afpiring practices any of these our people fhall "be guilty of in their Amours, fingle Combats, ' "or any indirect means to manhood, we shall cc certainly be acquainted with, and publish to the "world, for their punishment and reformation. "For the Prefident has granted me the fole pro 66 priety of expofing and fhewing to the town all "fuch intractable Dwarfs, whofe circumstances "exempt them from being carried about in Boxes: "referving only to himself, as the right of a Poet, "thofe smart characters that will fhine in Epi66 grams. Venerable Neftor, I falute you in the name of the club. BOB. SHORT, Secretary. N°. 173. September 29, 1713. Nec fera comantem Narciffum, aut flexi tacuiffem vimen Acanthi, Pallentesque hederas, et amantes littora myrtos. VIRG. Lately took a particular friend of mine to my house in the country, not without fome apprehenfion, that it could afford little entertainment to a man of his polite tafte, particularly in architecture and gardening, who had fo long been converfant with all that is beautiful and great in either. But it was a pleasant surprize to me, to hear him often declare he had found in my little retirement that beauty which he always thought wanting in the most celebrated feats (or, if you will, Villa's) of the nation. This he defcribed to me in those verses with which Martial begins one of his epigrams : Baiana roftri villa, Basse, Fauftini, There is certainly fomething in the amiable fimplicity of unadorned Nature, that spreads over the mind a more noble fort of tranquillity, and a loftier sensation of pleasure, than can be raised from the nicer fcenes of art. This was the taste of the Ancients in their gardens, as we may difcover from the defcriptions extant of them. The two most celebrated wits of the world have each of them left us a particular picture of a garden; wherein those great masters being wholly unconfined, and painting at pleasure, may be thought to have given a full idea of what they esteemed moft excellent in this way. These (one may obferve) confift intirely of the ufeful part of horticulture, fruit trees, herbs, water, etc. The pieces I am speaking of are Virgil's account of the garden of the old Corycian, and Homer's of that of Alcinous in the feventh Odyffey, to which I refer the reader. Sir William Temple has remarked, that this garden of Homer contains all the jufteft rules and provifions which can go toward compofing the best gardens. Its extent was four Acres, which, in those times of fimplicity, was looked upon as a large one, even for a Prince. It was inclofed all round for defence; and for conveniency joined close to the gates of the Palace. He mentions next the Trees, which were ftandards, and fuffered to grow to their full height. The fine description of the Fruits that never failed, and the eternal Zephyrs, is only a more noble and poetical way of expreffing the continual fuc ceffion ceffion of one fruit after another throughout the year. The Vineyard feems to have been a plantation diftinct from the Garden; as alfo the beds of Greens mentioned afterwards at the extremity of the inclofure, in the ufual place of our Kitchen Gardens. The two Fountains are difpofed very remarkably. They rose within the inclofure, and were brought in by conduits or ducts; one of them to water all parts of the gardens, and the other underneath the Palace into the Town, for the fervice of the publick. How contrary to this fimplicity is the modern practice of gardening? We feem to make it our study to recede from Nature, not only in the various tonfure of greens into the most regular and formal fhapes, but even in monftrous attempts beyond the reach of the art itself: we run into fculpture, and are yet better pleased to have our Trees in the most aukward figures of men and animals, than in the most regular of their own. Hinc et nexilibus videas e frondibus hortos, I believe it is no wrong obfervation, that perfons of genius, and thofe who are moft capable of art, are always moft fond of nature; as fuch are chiefly fenfible, that all art confifts in the imitation and study o nature: On the contrary, people of the common level of understanding are principally delighted with the little niceties and fantaftical operations of art, and conftantly think that fineft which U 4 |