H SUPPLEMENT to the Cap]^|ar MERCURY, No. 50.
(See Sufft. N«. 48. j
THE S T A I R-C A S E.
FRONTI NULL4 F1D £ S.
Hr ti'3t drr Its Krars fro* the Frowns of a Prude; or Hopes from the Smiles of a Coquette, and thePremiffs ofa
Coaiticr, will, one Day or other, be convinced that h« has only been making a Fool’s Cap for himlelf.
know enc’s heart, iJ. a much
morcdifiicult Task tlian molt
T uiiagiie. I d« not pre-
% tend to a thorough knowledge
•!'mine •, but if I urn in the
d acquainted with its More-
meiits,'’lomething much lu[»eri®r to Ciiri»Jity
in.luced juft now, as I came alowg the Gal
lery tapeftned on oae Side with the Spider’s
curious Web, and penciled on the other by
Lv*ve-lrtritten Swains and jolly Bacckanaiians,
to attend to a Conference between two Perlons
in an a^jolni{; Chamber, the Dotir of which
was oper'.-—It was adverfity trying a Friend,
and I found my felt, I know not how, intereft-
cd in the Event.
—Why or Mow {qKdre vel qutmodn) it ij
lo, I le:4,VL* to the Oecifi^n of Spsculacifts
bur, torpid as my Safij'h Feelings aref my phi-
l&nthrtfic oses «rc very fe!do?n alleep, elpe-
ciaily upan Oecafions #t this Sort-1 luppofe
there is iome wile Reafon or other tor t«eir
beiiig fo, and i trouble mylclf »o farther a-
ho'jt the Matter. Not tl at I have no Curio-
fiiT acither ; (I chiRk Curii-ifity, well
is as clciTer a Mobby-Fl^^rle, as a M in woiiKl
wifii to mosnt-—but give him the Reins, he s
fach a headftnjng unruly Devil, it is 5'>o to
one that, unlcfs Y«u are a very expert Rider
indeed, he throws You into a Ditch or Slough,
or fome other Place, where no Man in his
Senles would with to be.) but that I never
coaid end a Reafon, or any thing like a Rea-
fon, why I lliould tret and teaze and harals
myfelf to Death ; ©rdilqualify mylelf for thole
focial Dutiei, the difeharging which creates
tuch plealurable Senfations in the Minds of
Spc(ftitors and heavenly ones in our own, by
fnarchin^ and re-relearching into things which
I cannot comprehend; or which it I could
comprehend them, would not snaka me, in
the icall degree, a better or a more uleful
Man.
-Knowledge, fay the Learned, is im-
m?nlely valuable : Mders think the fame of
Gild, and Beggars proclaim it in the Streets,
but thefe poor milerablcs prize Gold as
Americans'lay the Apprehenfivc) are likely to
pnze Liberty—the fVeint of it ; but is
not this Apprehenfion folely ? tor who are
more free and more likely to continue fo than
Americans ^ EnthaualLS for Liberty, have
they Ror, at the lixpence of their Inter*!!,
>*?ntercd-and re-entered' into AlTociations and
Agreements, to opp^^ife arbitrary Meafures,
v/!th lb much fpirited Warmth and with fuck
falemn Promifes to perfevere, that furely, n#
Nat ion under Heaven could ever expeft to
endive them; none dare attempt it—-Def-
potifm herfelf, URControlablc as She is, with all
her State—Engines at her Heels, would fnri.ni;
ba k at the very appearance ®f luch
leltd patriotic Virtue : And I dart n#: {up-
pole that they ever will, by a mean Dcrectisn,
verify a Remark Tome one has mtcie upon the
Inlabiiity of Man; who (faith he) refolves Si re-rcfolvw,
then quietly joggs cn in the old beaten Path, leaving hia
Refolves to execute themfelves.
Trt fiappolc this will ever be applicable tothem,
is to anticipate an Evil, which, certainly, it is
impoffitjle flaould ever come to pals; tc to aati-
cipate Evils is as ioaprwdent, in general, as ic
would betoattempttodecryKnovvIfdge&Gl>ld
when fuch rcfpettable Bodies have given their
Suffrages, Nemine cen. in Favor of them :
And, though I am not quire mad •nougti
to mike thus attempt, yet, Mefirs. Micr®-
mrgaloi, and eke ye Phllarguroi, though
you fliould chaunt their Praifes from June tw
January, or, taking in the whole year, round
to June again, I'inlH: that they may both be
bought too dear, and Gold moftealily fo; nei
ther is it every Kind of Knov/ledgc that is:
worth a Man’s having upon any term;. The
Point is to be able to dillinguifli the aftful and
and imple and ealy as tius Task
may appear, ic is not in the Power ®f every
one, whether learned or unlearned, to per
form It--
A'Favor was asked with all that roodeft:
Diffidence natural to merit in Dlftrefs, and a
liul* of that ConfiJence which an Hope of
i'nccefs inipirei. I faw his Situation and pi-'"
tied him for it. I read in the Countenance of
kis Friend the IITue of his Suit...It was beared
with indifTcrence, and aalwered with a Ihort
Turn upon the He'd.
’SDeath, faid he, to be even refufed would
hav* hurt Me, but fuch Contempt from a
Man whefe ProfcfTions of Frieatifhip induced
me t® make thif Application....Ic is intolera
ble.
Vibrating betweea Contempt and Revenge,'
He was ftient for a Moment,...at lall, (aid hc^
eyeing him with indignation, you arcbeiieath
my Relentment, and almoft beneath my Con
tempt Unlulceptible as you ^ are of gene
rous Ideas, I blulh to think 1 ever called You
my Fneid...Yauarc incapable of being Or>e—
Railed, undefervedly raileu by In-
tereft, from a ftate of Infamy, Y®u brand'
every unfortunate Man with your own
Crimes....bKt he your Crimes yo«r Punifli-
ment, and to them I leave You; rubbing
the Duft off his fliocs as he turned front him.
Kfy Heart bled for him, and as ke hurried
paft me, will tke c be of any Service to You ?
laid I, offering him a few pieces which I had
put in my hand for that Purpole-—he rcfuled