could not help laughing in my fleeve at those monied Men, who are always telling you how poor they are, that you may gratify their vanity by contradicting them.

NUMB. VI. Saturday, April 17, 1756.

AS the public is generally very inquifitive

about an author and his family, I fhall in this paper collect together all the genealogical anecdotes I can at present remember concerning the BABBLES, in order to convince my readers, that I am a man of consequence.

Though we don't pretend to be pre-adamites, nor even to carry back our pedigree to the father of mankind, there is a tradition in our family, that the founder of it exifted when the celebrated tower of Babel was in all its glory, and that he took his name from it.

Your

Your wags and half-wits will, I fuppofe, crack a few jokes on our name and descent, and attempt to fhow, that there is in the labours of my brain a great deal of the confufion which reigned in the days of our founder; but, as I highly revere my own abilities, and think I have very clear notions of things, I fhall only receive all jokes, witticisms, and waggeries of that kind, with a felf-fufficient fhrug, and a contemptuous fmile.

We have spread ourselves all over the known World. The great and magnificent city of Babylon was founded by one of our ancestors; and the island of Babelmandel in the Red Sea was discovered and named by another. The branch which fettled in Turkey dwindled away indeed furprizingly, and is now almoft extinct; but those who peopled France increased amazingly, and the defcendants from them retain to this day the original name Babillard. Some of this branch travelling into Italy, were called Babaleo; and a noble Ragufan of that name paid a vifit to England, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, and died in this metropolis.

The BABBLES are not only remarkable for their antiquity, but for their alliances with the greatest

greatest families in all kingdoms; nay we can boast of being nearly related to crowned heads. A certain British monarch, noted for the prolixity of his fpeeches from the throne, was undoubtedly defcended from a female branch of our family.

These important alliances have perhaps given rife to the fupercilious air which fometimes appears in our behaviour, when our words are not liften'd to with the attention we expect. This fuperciliousness, with a mixture of vanity, and a propenfity to be talkative, are reckoned our most glaring, and indeed our only foibles, by thofe who are not thoroughly acquainted with us: the laft propenfity has occafioned a great many diverting scenes and humorous dialogues among our relations at their hofpitable meetings, with fome of which I may, one day perhaps, entertain my readers.

This fondness for loquacity has been more or less prevalent among us, according to our natural tempers and conftitutions. My grandfather, Sir GREGORY BABBLE, was fo delighted with the mufic of his own voice, and fo obftinately prepoffefs'd in favour of his oratorical talents, that

he

he would fcarce permit his auditors to utter a fyllable. This gentleman happening to marry a lady who was not fo well inclin'd to be a hear er, as he was to be a speaker, led fo uncomforta ble a life with her, that he advifed my father, (who was also very much addicted to loquacity) with great earneftness, either to live fingle, or to look out for a woman of a meek and pliable difpofition; my father followed his advice, and thought himself uncommonly fortunate in being united to a Grizzel, who fuffer'd him to indulge his ruling paffion without moleftation. As for myself, I foon imbibed an averfion to Extremes, and by carefully avoiding the two rocks on which my parents fplit, have been ever fince liften'd to with attention and with pleasure.

The females of our family have been not a little troublesome to those who took them for better and for worse.. A fifter of mine is now alive, and in her grand climacteric, (Rebecca is her name,) who has by a conftant rotation of tongue preferv'd her virginity; for every man who made his addresses to her, was very foon talk'd out of his paffion;

Doubly

Doubly like echo found is her delight,
And the last word is her eternal right.

2

YOUNG.

I don't fee this venerable fifter of mine often, for tho' I can check the volubility of my own tongue, I am not always difpofed to hear all fhe has to fay. She prates fometimes, I own, fenfibly enough, but generally pours out her words with fo much impetuofity, that the rattling of them founds in my ears more like the clack of a mill than a human voice. She is alfo apt to give advice with an air of fuperiority, which I am never inclined to hear with patience, becaufe I am never convinc'd that I want to be tutor❜d. A failing to which thoufands of both fexes will find themfelves extremely liable, if they will condescend to examine their hearts thoroughly and impar tially.

This talent of my fifter's raifed her fo high in the esteem of an old rich maiden aunt of ours, that the left the bulk of her fortune to her, and nothing but a paltry legacy to me, My aunt had a great many very odd notions; the thought that perfons by talking fluently, and making a prodigious