Service. If I was a Lord or a Bishop, and kept a Barge, I would not put a Fellow in my Livery that had not a Wooden-Leg.

MY old Friend, after having feated himself, and trimmed the Boat with his Coachman, who, being a very fober Man, always ferves for Ballast on these Occafions, we made the best of our way for Fox-Hall. Sir ROGER obliged the Waterman to give us the History of his right Leg, and hearing that he had left it at La Hague, with many Particulars which paffed in that glorious Action, the Knight in the I'riumph of his Heart made feveral Reflexions on the Greatnefs of the British Nation; as, that one Englishman could beat three Frenchmen; that we could never be in danger of Popery fo long as we took care of our Fleet; that the Thames was the noblest River in Europe; that London-Bridge was a greater piece of Work, than any of the feven Wonders of the World; with many other honeft Prejudices which naturally cleave to the Heart of a true Englishman.

AFTER fome fhort Paufe, the old Knight turning about his Head twice or thrice, to take a Survey of this great Metropolis, bid me obferve how thick the City was fet with Churches, and that there was fcarce a fingle Steeple on this fide Temple. Bar. A moft Heathenifh Sight! fays Sir ROGER: There is no Religion at this End of the Town. The fifty new Churches will very much mend the Profpect; but Church-work is flow, Church-work is Now!

I do not remember I have any where mentioned, in Sir ROGER'S Character, his Cuftom of faluting every body that paffes by him with a Good-morrow, or a Goodnight. This the old Man does out of the Overflowings. of his Humanity, though at the fame time it renders him fo popular among all his Country Neighbours, that it is thought to have gone a good way in making him once or twice Knight of the Shire. He cannot forbear this. Exercife of Benevolence even in Town, when he meetswith any one in his morning or evening Walk. It broke. from him to feveral Boats that paffed by us upon the Water; but to the Knight's great Surprife, as he gave the Good-night to two or three young Fellows a little before our Landing, one of them, inftead of returning the Ci-.

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vility,

vility, asked us, what queer old Put we had in the Boat, and whether he was not afhamed to go a Wenching at his Years? with a great deal of the like Thames-Ribaldry. Şir ROGER feem'd a little fhock'd at first, but at length affuming a Face of Magistracy, told us, That if he were a Middlefex Justice, he would make fuch Vagrants know that her Majesty's Subjects were no more to be abused by Water than by Land.

WE were now arrived at Spring-Garden, which is exquifitely pleasant at this time of the Year. When I confidered the Fragrancy of the Walks and Bowers, with the Choirs of Birds that fung upon the Trees, and the loofe Tribe of People that walked under their Shades, I could not but look upon the Place as a kind of Mahometan Paradife. Sir ROGER told me it put him in mind of a little Coppice by his House in the Country, which his Chaplain ufed to call an Aviary of Nightingales. You muft understand, fays the Knight, there is nothing in the World that pleafes a Man in Love fo much as your Nightingale. Ah, Mr. SPECTATOR! the many Moon-light Nights that I have walked by my felf, and thought on the Widow by the Mufick of the Nightingale! He here fetched a deep Sigh, and was falling into a Fit of mufing, when a Mask, who came behind him, gave him a gentle Tap upon the Shoulder, and asked him if he would drink a Bottle of Mead with her? But the Knight being startled at fo unexpected a Familiarity, and difpleafed to be interrupted in his Thoughts of the Widow, told her, She was a wanton Baggage, and bid her go about her Bufinefs.

WE concluded our Walk with a Glass of Burton-Ale, and a Slice of Hung-Beef. When we had done eating our felves, the Knight called a Waiter to him, and bid him carry the Remainder to the Waterman that had but one Leg. I perceived the Fellow ftared upon him at the oddnefs of the Meffage, and was going to be faucy; upon which I ratified the Knight's Commands with a peremptory Look.

AS we were going out of the Garden, my old Friend thinking himself obliged, as a Member of the Quorum, to animadvert upon the Morals of the Place, told the Miftrefs of the Houfe, who fat at the Bar, That he fhould be

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a better Customer to her Garden, if there were more Nightingales, and fewer Strumpets.

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N° 384. Wednesday, May 21.

Hague, May 24. N. S. The fame Republican Hands, who have fo often fince the Chevalier de St. George's Recovery killed him in our publick Prints, have now reduced the young Dauphin of France to that defperate Condition of Weakness, and Death it felf, that it is hard to conjecture what Method they will take to bring him to Life again. Mean time we are affured by a very good Hand from Paris, That on the 20th Infant, this young Prince was as well as ever he was known to be fince the Day of his Birth. As for the other, they are now fending his Ghoft, we fuppofe, (for they never had the Modefty to contradict their Afsertions of his Death) to Commerci in Lorrain, attended only by four Gentlemen, and a few Domefticks of little Confideration. The Baron de Bothmar having delivered in his Credentials to qualify him as an Ambaffador to this State, (an Office to which his greateft Enemies will acknowledge him to be equal) is gone to Utrecht, whence he will proceed to Hanover, but not ftay long at that Court, for fear the Peace should be made during his lamented Abfence. Pof-Boy, May 20.

I Should be thought not able to read, bould I overlook Some excellent Pieces lately come out. My Lord Bishop · of St. Afaph has just now published fome Sermons, the Preface to which feems to me to determine a great Point. He has, like a good Man and a good Chriftian, in oppofition to all the Flattery and bafe Submission of false Friends to Princes, afferted, that Chriftianity left as where it found us as to our Civil Rights. The prefent Entertainment fhall confif only of a Sentence out of the Poft-Boy, and the faid Preface of the Lord of St. Alaph. I should think it a little odd if the Author of the Post-Boy Should

with Impunity call Men Republicans for a Gladness on Report of the Death of the Pretender ; and treat Baron Bothmar, the Minifter of Hanover, in such a manner as you fee in my Motto. I must own, I think every Man in England concerned to Jupport the Succeffion of that Fa mily.

THE publishing a few Sermons, whilft I live, the lateft of which was preached about eight Years fince, and the first above feventeen, will make it very natural for People to inquire into the Occafion of doing fo; And to fuch I do very willingly affign these following Reafons.

FIRST, From the Obfervations I have been able < to make, for these many Years laft paft, upon our publick Affairs, and from the natural Tendency of several Principles and Practices, that have of late been ftudioufly revived, and from what has follow'd thereupon, I could not help both fearing and prefaging, that these Nations would fome time or other, if ever we should have an enterprizing Prince upon the Throne, of more Ambition than Virtue, Juftice and true Honour, fall into the way of all other Nations, and lose their Li•berty.

Nor could I help forefeeing to whofe Charge a great deal of this dreadful Mischief, whenever it fhould happen, would be laid, whether juftly or unjustly, was not my Bufinefs to determine; but I refolved for my own particular part, to deliver my felf, as well as I could, from the Reproaches and the Curfes of Pofterity, by publickly declaring to all the World, That although in the conftant Course of my Miniftry, I have never failed on proper Occafions to recommend, urge, and infift upon the loving, honouring, and reverencing the Prince's Perfon, and holding it, according to the • Laws, inviolable and facred; and paying all Obedience ⚫ and Submiffion to the Laws, though never fo hard and ⚫ inconvenient to private People: Yet did I never think

my felf at liberty, or authorised to tell the People, that either Chrift, St. Peter or St. Paul, or any other Holy • Writer, had by any Doctrine delivered by them, fubverted the Laws and Conftitutions of the Country in

which they lived, or put them in a worse Condition, with refpect to their Civil Liberties, than they would have been had they not been Chriftians. I ever thought it a moft impious Blafphemy against that holy Religion, 6 to father any thing upon it that might encourage Tyranny, Oppreffion, or Injuftice in a Prince, or that eafily tended to make a free and happy People Slaves and Miferable. No: People may make themselves as 'wretched as they will, but let not God be called into ⚫ that wicked Party. When Force and Violence, and hard Neceffity have brought the Yoke of Servitude upon a People's Neck, Religion will fupply them with a patient and fubmiffive Spirit under it till they can innocently fhake it off; but certainly Religion never puts it on. This always was, and this at prefent is, my Judgment of these Matters: And I would be tranfmitted to Pofterity (for the little Share of Time fuch Names as • mine can live) under the Character of one who lov'd his Country, and would be thought a good Englishman, as well as a good Clergyman.

THIS Character I thought would be tranfmitted by the following Sermons, which were made for, and preached in a private Audience, when I could think of ⚫ nothing else but doing my Duty on the Occafions that were then offered by God's Providence, without any manner of defign of making them publick: And for that reason I give them now as they were then delivered; by which I hope to fatisfy thofe People who have objected a Change of Principles to me, as if I were not now the fame Man I formerly was. I never • had but one Opinion of these Matters; and that I think • is so reasonable and well-grounded, that I believe I never can have any other.

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ANOTHER Reafon of my publishing these Sermons at this time is, that I have a mind to do my felf fome Honour, by doing what Honour I cou'd to the Memory of two moft excellent Princes, and who have very highly deferved at the hands of all the People of thefe Dominions, who have any true Value for the Proteftant Religion, and the Conftitution of the English Government, of which they were the great Deliverers and Defenders. I have lived to fee their illuftrious

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