1 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. 000 00 NUMB. VI. Saturday, April 17, 17.56. Eft natura hominum novitatis avida. PLIN. apud LILLIUM. Men generally swallow news with a voracious appetite. A S the public is generally very inquifitive about an author and his family, I shall 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 existed 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 suppose, crack a few jokes on our name and descent, and attempt to show, 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 shall only receive all jokes, witticisms, and waggeries of that kind, with a felf-fufficient shrug, and a contemptuous smile. 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 difcovered and named by another. The branch which settled in Turkey dwindled away indeed surprizingly, and is now almost extinct; but those who peopled France increased amazingly, and the descendants from them retain to this day the original name Babillard. Some of this branch travelling into Italy, were called Babaleo; and a noble Ragusan of that name paid a visit 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 boaft of being nearly related to crowned heads. A certain British monarch, noted for the prolixity of his speeches from the throne, was undoubtedly descended from a female branch of our family. 4 • These important alliances have perhaps given rife to the fupercilious air which sometimes appears in our behaviour, when our words are not listen'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 those who are not thoroughly acquainted with us: the last propenfity has occafioned a great many diverting scenes and humorous dialogues among our relations at their hofpitable meetings, with some of which I may, one day perhaps, entertain my readers. 1. This fondness for loquacity has been more or less prevalent among us, according to our natural tempers and constitutions. My grandfather, Sir GREGORY BABBLE, was so delighted with the music of his own voice, and so obstinately pre possess'd in favour of his oratorical talents, that he he would scarce permit his auditors to utter a fyllable. This gentleman happening to marry a lady who was not so well inclin'd to be a hearer, as he was to be a speaker, led so uncomfortable a life with her, that he advised my father, (who was also very much addicted to loquacity) with great earnestness, either to live single, or to look out for a woman of a meek and pliable difposition; my father followed his advice, and thought himself uncommonly fortunate in being united to a Grizzel, who fuffer'd him to indulge his ruling passion without molestation. 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 listen'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; i > : Doubly Doubly like echo found is her delight, YOUNG. I don't see this venerable sister of mine often, for tho' I can check the volubility of my own tongue, I am not always disposed to hear all the has to say. She prates fometimes, I own, sensibly enough, but generally pours out her words with so much impetuofity, that the rattling of them founds in my ears more like the clack of a mill than a human voice. She is also apt to give advice with an air of fuperiority, which I am never inclined to hear with patience, because I am never convinc'd that I want to be tutor'd. A failing to which thousands of both fexes will find themselves extremely liable, if they will condescend to examine their hearts thoroughly and impartially. : This talent of my sister's raised her so high in the esteem of an old rich maiden aunt of ours, that she 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 persons by talking fluently, and making a prodigious |