the Man she
hates, she appoints to go off with _Lovelace_; but fearing the
Consequence of such a rash Step, and thinking it a Breach of her Duty to
leave her Father's House till urged by the last Necessity, she would
have retracted the Appointment, and waited yet a little longer, in hopes
her Friends might be influenced to change their Mind; Mr. _Lovelace_
does not take the Letter she puts in the usual Place for that purpose,
and we see by her last Letter to her Friend, dated at St. _Albans_, that
she is there with _Lovelace_. Now, how is it possible for this Story,
without being exceeding tedious, to be spun out to two Volumes,
containing each above 300 Pages?"

When the Gentleman ceased, a young Lady, whose Name was _Gibson_, took a
little Almanack out of her Pocket, and, turning to the Place where the
Births and Deaths of the Kings of _England_ were marked, gave it to the
Gentleman, and said, "that by his Rule of Writing, that was the best
History of _England_, and Almanack-makers were the best Historians".

Mr. _Johnson_, another of the Company, said, he would engage to relate
the _Roman_ History, in that manner, in as little time as had been
expended in the summing up the Story of _Clarissa_; and then, with a
Monotony in his Voice that expressed more Humour than I can describe, he
began as follows:

"_Romulus_ the Son of _Apulius_, as some say, tho' according to others
the Son of _Mars_ by one of the Vestal Virgins, built the City of
_Rome_, and reign'd there 37 Years; after him reigned six Kings
successively (their Names are of no Consequence) but the Wickedness of
the last King put an end to the regal State, and introduced the
Consular, which we may say lasted about the Space of 427 Years, tho' it
was retrenched in Power by the Tribunes of the People, and had many
Intermissions by the Creation of Dictators, the Decemviri, and the
military Tribuns; during all this time, sometimes there was War,
sometimes there was Peace, foreign Wars in abundance, great Civil Wars,
not a few Contentions for Power amongst all Degrees of Men, vast
Conquests, great Extent or Empire, till at last, in the famous Plains of
_Pharsalia_, was fought a decisive Battel for the Empire, between two
ambitious Men, namely, _Caesar_ and _Pompey_; the latter fled, and was
treacherously slain on the _Egyptian_ Shore, whilst the former remain'd
Master of the Field, and almost of the Universe."

Here Mr. _Johnson_ changed the Tone of his Voice, a