e of in their
Advertisements; and at the same time must own to you, that I have
seldom seen a Shop furnished with such a Variety of Medicaments, and
in which there are fewer Soporifics. The several Vehicles you have
invented for conveying your unacceptable Truths to us, are what I most
particularly admire, as I am afraid they are Secrets which will die
with you. I do not find that any of your Critical Essays are taken
Notice of in this Paper, notwithstanding I look upon them to be
excellent Cleansers of the Brain, and could venture to superscribe
them with an Advertisement which I have lately seen in one of our
News-Papers, wherein there is an Account given of a Sovereign Remedy
for restoring the Taste of all such Persons whose Palates have been
vitiated by Distempers, unwholesome Food, or any the like Occasions.
But to let fall the Allusion, notwithstanding your Criticisms, and
particularly the Candour which you have discovered in them, are not
the least taking Part of your Works, I find your Opinion concerning
_Poetical Justice_, as it is expressed in the first Part of your
Fortieth _Spectator_, is controverted by some eminent Criticks; and as
you now seem, to our great Grief of Heart, to be winding up your
Bottoms, I hoped you would have enlarged a little upon that Subject.
It is indeed but a single Paragraph in your Works, and I believe those
who have read it with the same Attention I have done, will think there
is nothing to be objected against it. I have however drawn up some
additional Arguments to strengthen the Opinion which you have there
delivered, having endeavoured to go to the Bottom of that Matter,
which you may either publish or suppress as you think fit.

'_Horace_ in my Motto says, that all Men are vicious, and that they
differ from one another, only as they are more or less so. _Boileau_
has given the same Account of our Wisdom, as _Horace_ has of our
Virtue.

'Tous les homines sont fous, et, malgre tous leurs soins,
Ne different entre eux, que du plus et du moins.'

All Men, says he, are Fools, and, in spite of their Endeavours to the
contrary, differ from one another only as they are more or less so.

'Two or three of the old _Greek_ Poets have given the same turn to a
Sentence which describes the Happiness of Man in this Life;

[Greek: To zaen alypos, andros esti eutuchous]

'That Man is most happy who is the leas