ons, or learning from them how we ought to reverence our kings. To receive laws, or rules of conduct, from them, what is it, but to confefs ourselves inferior to them? *་༢.....༢་•ནཾ་་ OBSERVATIONS TOM OM Lizard told us a ftory, the other day, of fome perfons which our family knew very well, with fo much humour and life, that it caufed a great deal of mirth at the tea-table. His brother Will, the Templar, was highly delighted with it; and, the next day, being with fome of his inns-of-court acquaintance, refolved (whether out of the benevolence, or the pride of his heart, I will not determine) to entertain them, with what he called, a pleasant humour enough. I was in great pain for him, when I heard him begin; and was not at all furprised, to find the company very little moved by it. Will blufhed, looked round the room; and with a forced laugh, Why, gentlemen, faid he, I do not know what makes you look fo grave; it was an admirable ftory, when I heard it. WHEN I came home, I fell into a profound contemplation upon ftory-telling; and, as I have nothing fo much at heart as the good of my country, 1 refolved to communicate my obfervations on this fubject. I have often thought, that a ftory-teller is born, as well as a poet. It is, I think, certain, that fome men men have such a peculiar caft of mind, that they fee things in another light, than men of grave difpofitions. Men of a lively imagination, and a mirthful temper, will reprefent things to their hearers, in the fame manner as they themselves were affected with them; and, whereas ferious fpirits might, perhaps, have been difgufted at the fight of fome odd occurrences in life, yet the very fame occurrences fhall please them in a well-told story, where the difagreeable parts of the images are concealed, and thofe only which are pleasing exhibited to the fancy. Storytelling is, therefore, not an art, but what we call a knack. It doth not so much fubfift upon wit, as upon humour: and I will add, that it is not perfect, without proper gefticulations of the body, which naturally attend fuch merry emotions of the mind. Į know very well, that a certain gravity of countenance, fets fome ftories off to advantage, where the hearer is to be surprised in the end. But this is, by no means, a general rule; for it is, frequently, convenient to aid and affift, by chearful looks, and whimsical agi tations. I will go yet farther, and affirm, that the fuccefs of a story, very often, depends upon the make of the body, and formation of the features, of him who relates it. I have been of this opinion, ever fince I criticifed upon the chin of Dick Dewlap. I very often had the weakness to repine at the profperity of his conceits, which made him pass for a wit, with the widow at the coffee-house, and the ordinary mechanics that frequent it; nor could I myfelf forbear laughing at them moft heartily, though, upon examination, I thought moft of thein very flat and infipid. I found, after fome time, that the merit of his wit, was founded upon the fhaking of a fat paunch, and the toffing up of a pair of rofy jowls. Poor Dick had a fit of fickness, F 5 fickness, which robbed him of his fat and his fame at once; and it was full three months before he regained his reputation, which rose in proportion to his floridity. He is now very jolly and ingenious, and hath a good conftitution for wit. THOSE who are thus adorned with the gifts of nature, are apt to fhew their parts with too much oftentation: I would, therefore, advise all the profeffors of this art, never to tell ftories, but as they seem to grow out of the fubject-matter of the converfation, or, as they serve to illuftrate or enliven it. Stories that are very common, are generally irksome; but may be aptly introduced, provided they be only hinted at, and mentioned by way of allufion. Thofe that are altogether new, fhould never be ushered in, without a fhort and pertinent character of the chief perfons concerned; because, by that means, you make the company acquainted with them; and it is a certain rule, that flight and trivial accounts of those who are familiar to us, adminifter more mirth, than the brightest points of wit in unknown characters.A little circumftance, in the complexion or drefs of the man you are talking of, fets his image before the hearer, if it be chofen aptly for the ftory. Thus, I remember, Tom Lizard, after having made his fifters merry with an account of a formal old man's way of complimenting, owned very frankly, that his ftory would not have been worth a farthing, if he had made the hat of him whom he reprefented one inch narrower. Befides the marking diftinct characters, and felecting pertinent circumftances, it is likewife neceffary, to leave off in time, and end fmartly. So that there is a kind of drama, in forming of a story; and the manner of conducting and pointing it, is the fame as in an epigram. It is a miferable thing, after -one one hath raised the expectation of the company, by humorous characters, and a pretty conceit, to pursue the matter too far. There is no retreating; and how poor is it for a story-teller, to end his relation, by faying, That's all! As the choofing of pertinent circumftances is the life of a story, and that wherein humour principally confifts; fo the collectors of impertinent particulars, are the very bane and opiates of converfation. Olá men are great tranfgreffors in this way. Poor Ned Poppy was a very honest man, but fo exceffively tedious over his pipe, that he was not to be endured. He knew fo exactly, what they had for dinner, when fuch a thing happened; in what ditch his bay ftone-. horfe had his fprain, at that time; and how his man John-no! 'twas William, ftarted a hare in the common field, that he never got to the end of his tale. Then, he was extremely particular in marriages and intermarriages, and coufins twice or thrice removed; and whether fuch a thing happened the latter end of July, or the beginning of Auguft. He had a mar- vellous tendency, likewife to digreffions: infomuch, that if a confiderable perfon was mentioned in his story, he would, ftraitway, launch out into an episode of him; and again, if in that perfon's ftory he had occafion to remember a third man, he broke off, and gave us his hiftory, and so on. He always put me in mind of what Sir William Temple imforms us, of the tale-tellers in the North of Ireland, who are hired? to tell ftories of giants and inchanters to lull people afleep. These hiftorians are obliged, by their bargain, to go on without ftopping; fo that, after the patient hath, by this benefit, enjo ed a long nap, he is fure to find the operator proceeding in his work.. Ned produced the like effect in me, the laft time I was with him. As he was in the third hour of his ftory, and very thankful that his memory did not fail him, I fairly nodded in the elbow-chair. He was much affronted at this, till I told him, Old friend, you have your infirmity, and I have mine. BUT, of all evils in ftory-telling, the humour of telling tales, one after another, in great numbers, is the leaft fupportable. Sir Harry Pandolf, and his fon, give my Lady Lizard great offence in this particular. Sir Harry hath what they call a string of ftories, which he tells over every opportunity. When our family vifit them, we are, conftantly, after fupper, entertained with the Glaftonbury Thorn. When we have wondered at that a little, Ay, but father, fays the fon, let us have the spirit in the Wood. After that has been laughed at, Ay, but father, cries the booby again, tell us how you ferved the robber. Alack-a-day, faith Sir Harry, with a smile, and rubbing his forehead, I have almost forgot that; but 'tis a pleasant conceit, to be fure. Accordingly, he tells that, and twenty more, in the fame independent order, and without the leaft variation, at this day, as he hath done, to my knowledge, ever fince the Re-. volution. As the telling of stories is a great help and life to converfation, I always encourage them, if they are pertinent and innocent; in oppofition to those gloomy mortals, who difdain every thing but matter of fact. Thofe grave fellows are my averfion, who fift every thing with the utmost nicety, and find the malignity of a lie in a piece of humour, pushed a little beyond exact truth. I likewife have a poor opinion of those, who have got a trick of keeping a steady countenance, that cock their hats, and look glum when |