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Sir, fays I, pray be advised by a friend, and make the best of your speed out of my doors; for 1 hear my wife's voice (which, by the bye, is pretty distinguishable), and in that corner of the room ftands a good cudgel, which fomebody has felt before now; if that light in her hands, and the know the bufinefs you come about, without confulting the stars, I can affure you it will be employed very much to the detriment of your perfon. Sir, cries he, bowing with great civility, I perceive extreme grief for the lofs of the doctor disorders you a little at present, but early in the morning I will wait on you with all neceffary. materials. Now I mention no Mr. Bickerstaff; nor do fay, that a certain star-gazing 'fquire has been playing. my executor before his time; but I leave the world to judge; and he that puts things and things fairly together, will not be much wide of the mark.

Well, once more I got my doors clofed, and prepared for bed, in hopes of a little repofe after fo many ruffling adventures; just as I was putting out my light in order to it, another bounces as hard as he can knock; I-open the window, and ask who is there, and what he wants; I am Ned the Sexton, replies he, and come to know whether the doctor left any orders for a funeral fermon, and where he is to be laid, and whether his grave is to be plain or bricked? Why, firrah, fays I, you know me well enough; and you know I am not dead, and how dare you affront me after this manner? Alack-a-day, Sir, replies the fellow, why it is in print, and the whole town knows you are dead; why, there is Mr. White the joiner is but fitting forews to your coffin; he will be here with it in an inftant: he was afraid you would have wanted it before this time. Sirrah, firral, fays I, you fhall know to-morrow, to your coft, that I am alive, and alive like to be. Why, it is strange, Sir, fays he, you should make fuch a fecret of your death to us that are your neighbours ; it looks as if you had a design to defraud the church of its dues; and let me tell you, for one that has lived fo long by the heavens, that is unhandsomely done. Hift, hift, fays another rogue that ftood by him; away, doctor, into your flannel gear as fast as you can, for heré is a whole pack of difmals coming to you with their black equipage, and how indecent will it look for you to stand frightening

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frightening folks at your window, been in your coffin this three hours? in fhort, what with undertakers, embalmers, joiners, fextons, and your dam ned elegy hawkers, upon a late practitioner in phy fic and aftrology, I got not one wink of fleep that night, nor carce a moment's reft ever fince. Now I doubt not, but this villainous 'fquire has the impudence to affert, that these are entirely ftrangers to him; he, good man, knows nothing of the matter, and honeft Ifaac Bickerstaff, I warrant you, is more a man of honour, than to be an accomplice with a pack of rafcals, that walk the streets on nights, and difturb good people in their beds; but he is out, if he thinks the whole world is blind; for there is one John Partridge can smell a knave as far as Grubstreet,-although he lies in the most exalted garret, and writes himself 'quire but I will keep my temper, and proceed in the narra

tion.

I could not stir out of doors for the space of three months after this, but presently one comes up to me in the street; Mr. Partridge, that coffin you was last buried in, I have not yet been paid for: doctor, cries another dog, how do you think people can live by making of graves for nothing? next time you die, you may even A third rogue tips toll out the bell yourfelf for Ned. me by the elbow, and wonders how I have the confcience to sneak abroad without paying my funeral expences. Lord, fays one, I durft have (wore that was honest Dr. Partridge, my old friend; but poor man, he is gone.. I beg your pardon, fays another, you look fo like my old acquaintance, that I used to confult on fome private occafions; but, alack, he is gone the way of all fliefh..

Look, look, look, cries a third, after a competent space of staring at me, would not one think our neighbour the almanack-maker was crept out of his grave to take the other peep at the ftars in this world, and fhew how much he is improved in fortune-telling, by having taken a journey to the other?

Nay, the very reader of our parish, a good sober, dif creet perfon, has fent two or three times for me to come and be buried decently, or fend him fufficient reafons to the contrary; or, if I have been interred in

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rifh, to produce my certificate, as the act* requires. My poor wife is almost run diftracted with being called widow Partridge, when fhe knows it is falfe; and once a term she is cited into the court, to take out letters of adminiftration. But the greatest grievance is, a paultry quack, that takes up my calling juft under my nofe, and in his printed directions, with Ñ. B.-says, he lives in the houfe of the late ingenious Mr. Partridge, an eminent practitio ner in leather, phyfic, and aftrology.

But to fhew how far the wicked fpirit of envy, malice, and refentment, can hurry fome men, my nameless old perfecutor had provided me a monument at the stone-cutter's, and would have erected it in the parish church; and this piece of notorious aud expensive villainy had actually fucceeded, if I had not used my utmost interest with the veftry, where it was carried at last but by two voices, that I am alive. That ftratagem failing, out comes a long fable elegy, bedecked with hour-glaffes, mattocks, fculis, fpades, and skeletons, with an epitaph as confidently writ ten to abuse me, and my profession, as if I had been under ground thefe twenty years.

And, after fuch barbarous treatment as this, can the world blame me, when I afk, what is become of the freedom of an Englishman? and where is the liberty and property, that my old glorious friend came over to affert we have drove Popery out of the nation, and sent flavery to foreign climes. The arts only remain in bondage, when a man of fcience and character fhall be openly in fulted in the midst of the many ufeful fervices he is daily paying the public. Was it ever heard, even in Turkey or Algiers, that a state-aftrologer was bantered out of bis life by an ignorant impoftor, or bawled out of the world by a pack of villainous, deep mouthed hawkers ? though I print almanacks, and publish advertisements; though I produce certificates under the minifters and church-wardens hands I am alive, and atteft the fame on oath at quarter-feffions, out comes a full and true relation

*The ftatute of 30. Car. II, for burying in woollen, requires, that oath shall be made of the compliance with this act, and a certificate thereof lodged with the minifter of the parish, within eight. days after interment. Hawkef.

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of the death and interment of John Partridge; truth is bore down, atteftations neglected, the testimony of fober perfons defpifed, and a man is looked upon by his neighbours as if he had been feven years dead, and is buried alive in the midst of his friends and acquaintance.

Now, can any man of common feufe think it confiftent with the honour of my profeffion, and not much beneath the dignity of a philofopher, to ftand bawiing before his own door?-alive! alive ho! the famous Dr. Partridge! no counterfeit, but all alive!-as if I had the twelve celestial monsters of the zodiac to fhew within, or was forced for a livelihood to turn retailer to May and Bartholomew-fairs. Therefore, it her Majefty would but graciously be pleased to think a hardfhip of this nature worthy her royal confideration, and the next parliament, in their great wildon, caft but an eye towards the deplorable cafe of their old philomath, that annually beftows his poetical good wifhes on them, I am fure there is one Ifaac Bickerstaff, Efq; would foon be truffed up for his bloody predictions, and putting good fubjects in terror of their lives and that henceforward to murder a man by way of prophecy, and bury him in a printed letter, either to a Lord or Commoner, fhall as legally entitle him to the prefent poffeffion of Tyburn, as if he robbed on the highway, or cut your throat in bed.

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I fhall demonftrate to the judicious, that France and Rome are at the bottom of this horrid confpiracy against me; and that Culprit aforefaid is a Popifh emiffary, has paid his vifits to S. Germains, and is now in the measures of Lewis XIV: That in attempting my reputation, there is a general maffacre of learning defigned in these realms; and through my fides there is a wound given to all the Proteftant almanack-makers in the universe.

Vivat Regina.

A

A Vindication of ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, Efq; against what is objected to him by Mr. PARTRIDGE, in his almanack for the present year 1709.

By the faid ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, Efq;

Written in the year 1709.

R. PARTRIDGE hath been lately pleafed to treat

MR me after a very rough manner, in that which is

called, his almanack for the present year: fuch usage is ve ry undecent from one gentleman to another, and doth not at all contribute to the difcovery of truth, which ought to be the great end in all disputes of the learned. To call a man fool and villain, and impudent fellow, only for differing from him in a point merely fpeculative, is, in my humble opinion, a very improper style for a perfon of his education. I appeal to the learned world, whether in my last year's predictions I gave him the leaft provocation for fuch unworthy treatment. Philofophers have differed in all ages; but the difcreteft among them have always differed as became philofophers. Scurrility and paffion, in a controversy among scholars, is just so much of nothing to the purpose, and, at beft, a tacit confeffion of a weak caufe: my concern is not fo much for my own reputation, as that of the republic of letters, which Mr. Partridge hath endeavoured to wound through my fides. If men of public spirit must be fupercilioully treated for their ingenious attempts, how will true ufeful knowledge be ever advanced? I with Mr. Partridge knew the thoughts which foreign univerfities have conceived of his ungenerous proceedings with me; but I am too tender of his reputation to publish them to the world. That fpirit of envy and pride, which blasts so many rifing genius's in our nation, is yet unknown among profeffors abroad: the neceffity of juftifying myfelf will excufe my vanity, when I tell the reader, that I have near a hundred honorary letters

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