Remarques on the humours and conversations of the town written in a letter to Sr. T.L.

TO THE READER.

THou hast often, without doubt Reader, heard of a sort of despised Animals, call'd Coun∣try-Gentlemen: if thou frequentest the Play-house, thou hast there seen us brought in with a high∣crown'd Hat, a Sword put through the wast-band of our Breeches, and a pair of antick tops; where

we tamely stand, whilst the learned man of Humours practises upon us with his sleights, and intrigues. And if thou usest the company of the Wits, thou knowest that we fur∣nish them with their most pleasant entertainment. Nay, if the Poet out of an excess of his bounty, is inclin'd to refresh the company with an extraordinary treat of Humours we are the men with whom he com∣poses the Regalio; where he swells and looks big, to see the success of his victorious Stratagems. We should be glad that our Masters the Poets can make any use of us considering our unpolisht and rough capacities; but in the mean time they must take it kindly from us

if we advise some of them also, to look well to their own glory, and to appear less ridiculous themselves, lest they should become the scorn of their own vassals. They cannot take it ill from us, if we desire a little to pry into those admirable things for which they are so much admired; the humour of our climate Abandons that Eastern State, of demanding adoration to powers wrapt up in Clouds. We have ta∣ken the boldness to approach the Heroes, and to examine their Geni∣us; which in many of them, we find not only the most wild and extra∣vagant, but the most idle and tri∣fling that ever bestrid an Age. And certainly either Historians have been

much to blame, in recommending to us a pompous name of Virtue, Glory, and Renown, acquired by our Ancestors, making that ap∣pear noble and useful to mankind, which was dull and rude, or else their Children have nothing in them worthy of their Fathers: In things so different and unlike, either they, or we must strangely have miscarri∣ed; and this we must say in fa∣vour of those that liv'd before us, that what they did was gravely and silently, but the acquists of this Age, are made with a strange af∣fectation and noise; our smallest performances creating in us more pride, than their mighty atchieve∣ments did in them, and swelling us

to a contempt of all those who are not at leisure to appear as ridicu∣lous as our selves. The following paper cannot be accused of doing injustice to any, since all are obliged to give the liberty they take: and as for the rest, since it do's not re∣flect on particular men, the Author might with reason expect that good nature from them, which they ex∣tend to comical entertainments; all are content to be taken to pieces in a Play-house; and to be exhibited for divertisement on the Stage; which are much unkinder reflections than are made in this paper. Besides, since we have to do with nothing but blemishes and errours, the Laws of writing allow those to be insisted

on, for the admonishing of others. What could be done less than to reckon up the ordinary follies of the Town life, to a person who we desired should value the innocence and manliness of a Country one. We have too great a kindness for our Relations, to desire that they should that way aspire to be Heroes; but that they should rather reserve themselves for fairer occasions of acquiring glory. Our rural affairs, and innocence, afford us that im∣ployment, that we are not at leisure to mind the Towns treatment of us; and if we might in the Country but be free from the communication of their Vices, we should easily re∣sign them all our pretences to their

renown and pleasures: 'tis not an envy of their Grandures, transports us to make remarks on their way of living, nor their Drolleries on us, that excite us to revenge, they are an unequal match for us to encoun∣ter; one stab of a Sonnet, would be mortal to the little sence we have acquired; and we only remonstrate to others, and not presume to find errours in such labour'd Editions of their great capacities. And we be∣sides, know the vanity of affron∣ting the Darlings of Fame; and we rather sit down with a submission to the capricio of her phancy, than endeavour to reclaim her femi∣nine humour: we would prevent her from aggrandizing any of our

friends with favours worse than in∣famy; and we wish so well to her Heroes, that they may triumph alone in their excess of felicity: yet if there should come a time that she might discard them, we desire not to step into their fortune; and only wish that they who next share in her esteem, may be the Authors of more benefits, and good Offices to mankind, than her present Mi∣nions have been: but if she con∣tinues in the same humour, we can∣not but pity those who come after us, that will through the mists of so much vanity, see less clearly the glory and renown of former Ages; and feel at a greater distance, a less force from that emulation.

I do not speak this, as if the Town were not abundantly furnish∣ed with persons of both sexes, that are excellent in their Generations both for understanding, good Go∣vernment, and Vertue; but still these fair endowments are rather blessings to themselves than exam∣ples to others, for they live private and to their own Consciences, whereas vice and vanity walk bare-faced; and the Mode and humour of the times (how corrupted soever) pas∣seth for the standard of Wit and good Company.