midnight
He lived as a lodger at the house of a widow-woman , and was a great humorist in all parts of his life . This is all we can affirm with any certainty of his person and character . As for his speculations , notwithstanding the several obsolete words and obscure phrases of the age in which he lived , we still understand enough of them to see the diversions and characters of the English nation in his time : not but that we are to make allowance for the mirth and humour of the author , who has doubtless strained many representations of things beyond the truth . For if we interpret his words in their literal meaning , we must suppose that women of the first quality used to pass away whole mornings at a puppet-show ; that they attested their principles by their patches ; that an audience would sit out an evening to hear a dramatical performance written in a language which they did not understand ; that chairs and flower-pots were introduced as actors upon the British stage ; that a promiscuous assembly of men and women were allowed to meet at midnight in masks within the verge of the Court ; with many improbabilities of the like nature . We must therefore , in these and the like cases , suppose that these remote hints and allusions aimed at some certain follies which were then in vogue , and which at present we have not any notion of . We may guess by several passages in the speculations , that there were writers who endeavoured to detract from the works of this author ; but as nothing of this nature is come down to us , we can not guess at any objections that could be made to his paper . If we consider his style with that indulgence which we must show to old English writers , or if we look into the variety of his subjects , with those several critical dissertations , moral reflections , * * * * * The following part of the paragraph is so much to my advantage , and beyond anything I can pretend to , that I hope my reader will excuse me for not inserting it .