75: Perhaps Cornelius Wood. See No. 144.]

[Footnote 276: In writing of Aristaeus, Steele seems to have had Addison
in his mind. His friend had recently left London for Ireland.]

No. 177. [STEELE.

From _Thursday, May 25_, to _Saturday, May 27, 1710_.

--Male si palpere, recalcitrat undique tutus.
HOR., 2 Sat. i. 20.

* * * * *

_Sheer Lane, May 26._

The ingenious Mr. Penkethman,[277] the comedian, has lately left here a
paper or ticket, to which is affixed a small silver medal, which is to
entitle the bearer to see one-and-twenty plays at his theatre for a
guinea. Greenwich is the place where, it seems, he has erected his
house; and his time of action is to be so contrived, that it is to fall
in with going and returning with the tide: besides, that the bearer of
this ticket may carry down with him a particular set of company to the
play, striking off for each person so introduced one of his twenty-one
times of admittance. In this warrant of his, he has made me a high
compliment in a facetious distich, by way of dedication of his
endeavours, and desires I would recommend them to the world. I must
needs say, I have not for some time seen a properer choice than he has
made of a patron: who more fit to publish his work than a novelist[278]?
who to recommend it than a censor? This honour done me, has made me turn
my thoughts upon the nature of dedications in general, and the abuse of
that custom, as well by a long practice of my predecessors, as the
continued folly of my contemporary authors.

In ancient times, it was the custom to address their works to some
eminent for their merit to mankind, or particular patronage of the
writers themselves, or knowledge in the matter of which they treated.
Under these regards, it was a memorable honour to both parties, and a
very agreeable record of their commerce with each other. These
applications were never stuffed with impertinent praises, but were the
native product of their esteem, which was implicitly received, or
generally known to be due to the patron of the work: but vain flourishes
came into the world, with other barbarous embellishments; and the
enumeration of titles, and great actions, in the patrons themselves, or
their sires, are as foreign to the matter in hand as the ornaments are
in a Gothic building. This is clapping together per