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Athenian Deacle:

Being an ENTIRE

COLLECTION

Of all the VALUABLE

QUESTIONS

AND

ANSWERS

IN THE

Old ATHENIAN Mercuries.

Intermix'd with many CASES in Divinity,
Hiftory, Philofophy, Mathematicks, Love,
Poetry, never before Published.

To which is added,

An Alphabetical Table for the speedy
finding of any QUESTIONS.

By a Member of the Athenian's SOCIETY.
Vol. III. and laft.

LONDON,

Printed, for Andzew Bell, at the Cross-Keys and
Bible, in Cornbil, near Stocks-Market, 1704.

TAT

I

THE

Athenian

ORACLE.

Queft.

Vol. III.

Hether the Au-feems to be Reason as well as thors of the A-Inclination and Custom, to authenian Oracle thorize fuch a Practice. We are not Bachelors, they speak fo owe the Happiness of Society, obligingly of the Fair Sex? the Defence of Nations, the Anfw. If they are not Batchel-beft Riches of Kingdoms, which ors, they are (or wou'd be confifts in the multitude of Inthought) Gentlemen, and all habitants; nay, even the conwho pretend to that Name, as tinuance of the World, which well as all civiliz'd Mankind, without them, cou'd live at have ever treated Women with furtheft, no longer than the that refpect and tenderness next Age, to that Sex whom which their Beauty, or at least we are fo willing to oblige their Sex, deferve. Nay, we Nor are we much concern'd may go yet further, and not at the Cenfures we may only affirm that the fierceft poffibly meet with for this Nations, and moft bar arous of piece of Juftice, from fome Cannibals, have acknowledg'd Men whofe acquaintance aand practis'd this piece of good mong that Sex, have perhaps Breeding, but even the Beaits been of fuch a Character, that themselves teach it us, were they think they may be allow'd there any fear of forgetting it, to fail at all the Sex, because as well as many other good fome of 'em have given 'em so Leffons: And indeed there much Reafon for't.

Q. A

Q. A Perfon having lov'd a of young Ladies, &c. be not Lady fome time, and made publick very difingenuous and ridiculous; Profeffion ofit, till he found him- and if so, what fort of Punifbfelf lov'd again; after which, went ought to be inflicted on the finding his Paffion decay, and his Authors of fuch impertinent and Efteem wholly vanife, whether is reflective difingenuity? be not oblig'd by the Laws of Generofity and Fuftice, rather to make known his Change as handfomly as he can, than to marry, and run the hazard of making both miferable?

4. The very fuppofition argues great Weakness,if not Falthood. If the Gentleman has not feen another Lady whom he loves better, and therefore forfakes his former Mistress; yet 'tis certain, if he has, as the queftion fuppofes, for fome time made a Profeffion of Love, he might in that time, before he had engag'd theLadysAffections, have difcover'd whether there were any thing in her Perfonor Behaviour cou'd make him cease to Love her: However, be it real Imperfections in her, or be it only Ficklenefs in him, when things are once reduced to that pals, that he can Love no longer, two evils he ought to choose the lefs, and rather make her only unhappy for a little while, till fhe forgets or wears it out,than make em both for one of their Lifetimes fo miferable, as in fuch a Condition they would certain. ly be. And if he has not a handiomer way to difcover fuch his change to the Lady, let him but fhew her this Question in our Athenian Oracle, and if the ben't extreamly dull, 'twill effectually do it.

Q. Wether the Papers lately publif'd, entituled, An Auction

A. We have received feveral Letters to this Effect, chiefly as we believe (and as fome of the Letters fuggeft) because we have heretofore treated that Fair Sex with all the Tenderness and Candour we poffibly could, and therefore it was fuppofed that in fuch a Critical Juncture, our Pen could not be idle in their Defence could we ever

be partial Advocates, we have now the greatest Temptation, but we have no need of undue Methods, to vindicate thofe whofe vertuous foft tempers can even fmile a Calumny into an Encomium.

But to the Question, we cannot but in Juftice return our Answer in the Affirmative; and we may venture to make the Auctioneers themselves their own Judges upon this Dilemma; either they had a particular Defign to abufe fuch and fuch Ladies, or they had not. If the firit, We have done, and fhan't intrude upon the Magiftrates Prerogative: Ithe last, the fofteit Construction we can make it bear, is, a Writing at random, for any one that had a mind to apply it to themselves; and in this Cafe the Folly is but a little more charitable, as 'tis more pardonable to fence with the Air and Distances, rather than to ftigmatize particularPerfons with indelibleSarcafms, fuch perhaps as only can be buried in the Abused'sGrave:

But

commonly worse than Men?

But if the worst Conftruction Women prove bad, they are fhould be put o' th' Matter, there's but little Scandal in the A. The Rarity of Examples reflections of fuch Perfons, who make them more remarkable : whilst they pretend to fet a As for inftance, a Cut-Finger is Value upon other Perfons For- fuppofed to be hit oftner than tunes and Qualities, do in the another, because the other be fame Paper, fell their own betting well, no notice is taken Qualities for one Poor Penny. when they are hit: So that I 'Tis aTeaguifb fort of Witticifm am willing to conclude the to difpofe of what's another Querift in a wrong Suppofition; Bodies, without their confent.but if it be a Truth,perhaps the The ftrife of these three gene- Imperfection of a Womans Narous Auctioneers, does a little ture may fooneit yield to a toresemble the Qualities of the tal Cancellation of the Obligalate Irib Regiment in Smithfield tions of Humanity and Natural for fuch and fuch a Houle, Religion. when all the Right they had was found inAir and Fancy.The difference lies in this, that the Pen had the lefs Courage of the two, which like fome little Sneaking Town-Beau, that has ftabb'd fome Body in the Dark, fculks invifibly into a Corner. 4.I thou'd be very loth to incur Is't not a pittiful Cowardice the Title of Superftitious, having to Publish to all the World already condemn'd it, or I cou'd what we dare not own to a tell you that Bees were always little part of it? I eiteem'd by the Ancients to be thought none but Silvia's Bully- Hierogylphicks of Wealth; and ing Satyrift could be stockt with accordingly, for that Reason, fuch Abuses; but we find more throughout the World at this o' th' breed, who no doubt to time, retain the Epithet of keep up their Title, will them-borious. I might alfo add, felves bid like like Buyers for that London, the fam'd Metro Number 1, 3, and 4. (See the fe-polis of England, has her feif cond Paper, entituled, A Conti-affum'd the Characteristical Hienuation of a Catalogue of roglyphick of Wealth,viz.A BecLadies, &c.) fit Matches for hive as is to be feen amongit fuch Authors, being known the Ruins that are engrav'd and recommended by them- | round about the Pedestal of the felves. This perhaps with the Monument. I am alio inform'd, Hot Services they have alrea- not long fince, there was anody met with by fuch Catt ether Swarm of Bees that light(which 'tis fuppos'd has made ed upon a Sign-poft in Cheapthem rage thus) may be Punish-fide, within three Doors of ment enough to reclaim them this: As alfo, that upon Whit

Q. Within thefe few days, aSwarm of Bees lit upon theCrown and Scepter in Cheapfide, no Body knows from whence they cames Pray what Conftruction do you make of it,and whether it may fortend fomething to come?

from further Auêtic

Sunday loft on Karle the Vine

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