The WONDER of ALL the WONDERS, that N ever the WORLD wondered at. For all perfons of quality and others. EWLY arrived at this city of Dublin the famous artist Jolin Emanuel Scholtz, who, to the great furprize and fatisfaction of all spectators, is ready to do the following wonderful performances; the like before never seen in this kingdom. He will heat a bar of iron red-hot, and thrust it into a barrel of gun powder before all the company, and yet itfhall not take fire. He lets any gentleman charge a blunderbufs with the fame gun-powder, and twelve leaden bullets; which blan derbufs the faid artift difcharges full in the face of the faid company, without the leaft hurt, the bullets fticking in the wall behind them. He takes any gentleman's own fword, and runs it thro' the faid gentleman's body, fo that the point appears bloody at the back to all the spectators; then he takes out the fword, wipes it clean, and returns it to the owner, who receives no manner of hurt. He takes a pot of fcalding oil, and throws it by great Tadles full directly at the ladies, without fpoiling their cloths or burning their skins. He takes any person of quality's child, from two years old to fix, and lets the child's own father or mother take a pike in their hands; then the artift takes the child in his arms, and toffes it upon the point of the pike, where it fticks, to the great fatisfaction of all spectators; and is then taken off without fo much as a hole in his coat. He mounts upon a scaffold just over the fpectators, and from thence throws down a great quantity of large tiles and ftones, which fall like fo many pillows, without fo much as difcompofing either perukes or head-dreffes. He takes any perfon of quality up to the faid fcaffold, which perfon pulls off his fhoes, and leaps nine foot diEf 2 rectly rectly down on a board prepared on purpose, fuli of sharp fpikes fix inches long, without hurting his feet or dama ging his ftockings. He places the faid board on a chair, upon which a lady fits down with another lady in her lap, while the spikes, instead of entering into the under-lady's flesh, will feel like a velvet cushion. He takes any perfon of quality's footman, tyes a rope about his bare neck, and draws him up by pullies to the ceiling, and there keeps him hanging as long as his ma fter or the company pleases, the faid footman, to the wonder and delight of all beholders, having a pot of ale in one hand and a pipe in the other; and when he is let down, there will not appear the leaft mark of the cord about his neck. He bids a lady's maid put her finger into a cup of clear quor like water, upon which her fice and both her hands are immediately withered like an old woman of fourfcore; her belly fwells as if he were within a week of her time, and her legs are as thick as mill-pofts; but upon putting her finger into another cup,, fhe becomes as young and handiome, as the was before. He gives any gentleman leave to drive forty twelvepenny nails up to the head in a po ter's backside, and then places the faid porter on a loadstone chair, which draws out every nail, and the porter feels no pain. He likewife draws the teeth of half a dozen gentlemen, mixes and jumbles them in a hat, gives any perfon leave to blindfold him, and returns each their own, and fixes them as well as ever. With his fore-finger and thumb he thrufts feveral gentlemens and ladies eyes out of their heads, without the leaft pain,, at which time they fee an unspeakable number of beautiful colours; and after they are entertained to the fall, he places them again in their proper fockets, without any damage to the fight, He lets any gentleman drink a quart of hot melted lead, and by a draught of prepared liquor, of which he takes part himfelf, he makes the faid lead pafs through the faid gentleman before all the fpectators, without any. damage; after which it is produced in a cake to the company. With many other wonderful performances of art, too tedious here to mention. The faid artist has performed before most kings and princes in Europe with great applause. He performs every day (except Sundays), from ten of the clock to one in the forenoon; and from four till feven in the evening, at the new inn in Smithfield. The first feat a British crown, the fecond a British half crown, and the lowest a British fhilling. N. B. The beft hands in town are to play at thes faid show.. A PROPOSAL for correcting, improving, and afcertaining the ENGLISH TONGUE. In a LETTER to the Moft Honourable ROBERT Earl of OXFORD and MORTIMER, Lord High Treasurer of GREAT BRITAIN. To the Most Honourable ROBERT Earl of OXFORD, &C: My LORD, WHAT I had the honour of mentioning to your W lordship fome time ago in converfation, was not a new thought just then started by accident or occafion, but * It is well known, that if the Queen had lived a year or two longer, this propofal would, in all probability, have taken effect. For the Lord Treafurer had already nominated feveral perfons, without diftinction of quality or party, who were to compose a fociety for the purposes mentioned by the author; and refolved to ufe his credit with her Majefty, that a fund should be applied to fupport the expence of a large room, where the fociety should meet, and for other incidents. But this fcheme fell to the ground, partly by the diffenfions among the great men at court, but chiefly by the lamented death of that glorious princess. Dub. edit. This piece might have been a very useful performance, if it had : been longer, and less eclipfed by compliments to the noble perfon to whom it is addreffed. It feems to have been intended as a preface to fome more enlarged defign: at the head of which fuch anintroduction must have appeared with great propriety. A work of this kind is much wanted, as our language, instead of being improved, is every day growing worfe and more debased. We bewilder ourfelves in various 'orthography; we fpeak and we write at random; and if a man's common converfation were to be committed to paper, he would be ftartled for to find himself guilty in a few fentences, of so many folecisms and fuch falfe English. I believe we are 1 t but the refult of long reflexion; and I have been confirmed in my fentiments by the opinion of fome very judicious perfons, are the ouly people in the Christian world, who repeat the Lord's prayer in an ungrammatical manner; and I remember to have heard,. that when a motion was made in the convocation to alter the word i which for the word who, the propofition was rejected by the majori ty, This inftance may fhew you of what fort of men, the moft learned, and even the moft reverend affemblies are fometimes compofed. But let us consider the conduct of a neighbouring nation. How industrious have the French been to improve their language? and to what a state of perfection have they brought it? Rome, by her conquests, made her dialect univerfal: France, by her policy, has done the fame. By policy, I mean the encouragement of arts and sciences; which will often render a nation more powerful than arms. Nothing has contributed so much to the purity and excel-lence of the French tongue, as the noble academies established for that purpose: and, until some public work of the fame kind is un-dertaken in England; we cannot flatter ourselves with any hopes of amending the errors, or afcertaining the limits of our style. I shall not prefume even to whisper to you, that I think a defign of this fort is fufficiently momentous to attract the confideration of our legiflative powers. Their thoughts are otherwife employed, and their faculties otherwife applied. But I will venture to fay, that if to our hofpitals for lunatics, an hofpital was added for the reception and fupport of men of fenfe and learning, it would be of the higheft honour to the prefent age, and of no lefs advantage to pofterity. I call it an hofpital, because I fuppofe it to be erected for the benefit of fuch perfons, whofe infirm fortunes, or difeafed revenues, may have rendered the strength and abilities of their minds weak and ufelefs to the public; for I entirely agree with Aristotle, where he fays, in the words of his scholiast, Eum praeclara et magna vix posse exequi et praeftare, cui facultates defunt: quonium per amicos et civilem potentiam, veluti per inftrumenta, neceffe eft pleraque effici. The reflections that arife from this theme, I find, are driving me beyond due bounds: therefore I fhall only add, that I heartily wish you may think an attention to your native language as ufeful and improving a ftudy as can be purfued, in whatever station of life Providence may allot you. Orrery. |