And that's a tack (God help them both)

That always holds for life.

The lawyer studys how to tack

His client to the laws;

Th' attorney tacks whole quires and reams
To lengthen out the cause.

The commons, lords, and English crown
Are all three tackt together,
And if they e're chance to untack
No good can come to either.
The crown is tackt unto the church,
The church unto the crown,

The whiggs are slightly tack't to both
And so may soon come down.
Since all the world's a general tack
Of one thing to another;
Why then about one honest tack

Do fools make such a pother?

Oct. 13. I saw last night a letter in Latin from Mr. John Friend, the physician, to Mr. Keil of Christ Church, giving an account of the feaver raging in Portugal, with the methods he used for remedy. Amongst the best preservatives, he mentions malt and oat beer.

Oct. 14. The Mr. Cowper who is made lord keeper, is but forty-one years of age, being the youngest lord keeper ever known; but he is a man of parts and learning, tho' of very bad principles

and morals, being well known to have had two wives at a time; a man of no religion, &c. Some report that Mr. Harris, formerly of St. Gregorie's, has a grant to be his chaplain.

Oct. 15. In Dr. Charlett's study is Ant. à Wood's head taken in plaister de Paris, which shews him to have been a melancholly thoughtfull man.

Oct. 17. Being last night with Dr. Mill, Mr. Pearce, who was then with him too, was pleased to run down Mr. Alsop of Christ Churche's sermon, preached upon these words: And now that he descended what is it but that he also ascended, &c. affirming that there was neither style, sense or judgment shewn in it. Dr. Mill concurred with him, and from thence proceeded to call him the greatest blockhead that ever lived. Upon which, knowing Mr. Alsop had the universal character of being a man of singular modesty, wit and good learning, I spoke for him, and told them that the sermon bore an extraordinary character in the university, and that divers of the best judges concluded it to be a neat, polite, well-penned discourse, and that he shewed himself a person of a very clear head in delivering the several opinions about Hades, and afterwards pitching upon what he thought the best. Which Dr. Mill so much resented, (as if I detracted from his own character, believing himself to be a better judge than the whole university besides,) that

he abused me very much, and afterwards, being not contented with this, he and Mr. Pearce went on to the rest of the members of Christ Church, not sparing the dean himself, and giving them no better quarter than they had done Mr. Alsop: not to mention some other colleges, which they fell foul upon also. All which suits well with the character I received concerning Mr. Pearce, just as he came to our hall; that he was one of the most ill-natured men in Oxford.

Oct. 18. Mr. Lesley was in the public library this afternoon, with some Irish ladies. He He goes under the name of Smith.

Oct. 20. Sir Will. Pittett is in custody for writing the pamphlett called The Bonefire, which reflects on the burning of The Memorial.

Selecta Numismata antiqua ex Musæo Jacobi de Wilde. Amst. 1692. 4to. T. 45. Art. There are there four coyns of Amyntas (all brass) the father of Philip, grandfather of Alexander the Great, and fourth of the Macedonian kings. They have all on the front Amyntas's head, covered with a lyon's skin, (according to the custom of the ancient heroes,) and on the reverse, an eagle, treading on a serpent, and pulling it in pieces; denoting perhaps the conquest of Thessaly by Amyntas, in which, as Solynus has observed, there is a great number of serpents; un

less it belongs rather to some prodigy, which happened to the king. But I like the former conjecture best. The first of these coyns has on the reverse ΑΜΥΝΤΑ., the second ΠΥΔΝΑΙΩΝ., the third ΠΥΔΝΑΙΟΝ., and the fourth ΠΥΔΝΑΙΩΝ.; by which it appears that the three last were struck at Pydna, a city of Macedonia, and upon that account they are great rarities, it having been observed, that the antiquaries had observed no coyns struck at this city before these were found, which was in the year 1685, by Theodorus Van Haghe, who took them all four (and so 'tis likely the 1st was struck at Pydna also) in an earthen urn about Thessalonica.

Oct. 27. On Thursday (25th instant) the Parliament met. Candidates for speaker to the house of commons were Mr. Bromley and Mr. Smith. The former had 205 votes, the latter 248. Divers speeches were made on both sides, and though several very good objections were made against Smith, as his voting for a standing army &c. yet the whiggs took no notice of them, but carried it against Mr. Bromley, against whom they could object nothing but that he was a tacker, and a true friend of the church. Mr. Tilly's sermon was reflected on by their speeches, and a great many bitter words dropt against the universitys, especially Oxford. All good men now fear that 248 will prove 48.

Oct. 28. There was a great contest on Thursday,

and a great many warm speeches, in the house of commons, before the choice of a speaker was made, each side endeavouring to lessen the ability of the contrary candidate. Against the honourable gentleman that fills the chair they objected a speech he made in the house in the late reign, for keeping a-foot a considerable body of regimental troops, as necessary in that conjuncture; of being at a late meeting in which a peer was prest about agreeing upon a person to be speaker, &c. all which was easily answered. Against the other, they printed his juvenal travels', with a ridiculous index made to the

• Remarks made in Travels through France and Italy. With many Publick Inscriptions. Lately taken by a Person of Quality. Lond. 1693. 8vo. The editor of the second edition in 1705. represents this tour to have been made in 1691, at which time Mr. Bromley would have been at least six and twenty. I conjecture however that it was undertaken some years earlier, as the author was at Rome in 1688, when he heard of the prince of Orange's intended expedition to England, before it was known in this country, (Wood, Ath. Oxon. iv. 664.) The ridiculous index prefixed to the second edition was drawn up (according to Dr. Rawlinson in a MS. note to the copy which he gave to the Bodleian) by Robert Harley, earl of Oxford; but this was probably nothing more than party rumour. It is indeed sufficiently ludicrous, as the following examples will shew:

"Chatham, where and how situated, viz. on the other side Rochester "bridge, though commonly reported to be on this side. page 1.

"Boulogne, the first city on the French shore, lies on the coast. p. 2. "Crosses and crucifixes on the roads in France prove it not England. "p. 3.

"Eight pictures take up less room than sixteen of the same size. P. 14. "Medicinal herbs and plants in a physic garden. p. 22.

"A deep snow in January, and the weather cold. p. 45.

"Carpioni, a fish in the lake Di Guarda. By the similitude of the fish and

"the name, the author much questions if they are not the same with our carps. p. 50.

"February an ill season to see a garden in. p. 53.

"An English sky-colour'd mugg, with a pewter cover to it, and a dun