I consider courts with the same regard to the governments which they superintend, as Ovid's palace of Fame with regard to the universe. The eyes of a watchful minister run through the whole people. There is scarce a murmur or complaint that does not reach his ears. They have news-gatherers and intelligencers distributed into their several walks and quarters, who bring in their respective quotas, and make them acquainted with the discourse and conversation of the whole kingdom or commonwealth where they are employed. The wisest of kings, alluding to these invisible and unsuspected spies, who are planted by kings and rulers OTer their fellow-citizens, as well as to those voluntary informers that are buzzing about the ears of a great man, and making their court by such secret methods of intelligence, has given us a very prudent caution.—" Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber; for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter."* As it is absolutely necessary for rulers to make use of other people's eyes and ears, they should take particular care to do it in such a manner, that it may not bear too hard on the person whose life and conversation are inquired into. A man who is capable of so infamous a calling a3 that of a spy, is not very much to be relied upon. He can have no great ties of honour, or checks of conscience to restrain him in those covert evidences, where the person accused has no opportunity of vindicating himself. He will be more industrious to carry that which is grateful than that which is true. There will be no occasion for him if he does not hear and see things worth discovery: so that he naturally inflames every word and circumstance, aggravates what is faulty, perverts what is good, and misrepresents what is indifferent. Nor is it to be doubted but that such ignominious wretches let their private passions into these their clandestine informations, and often wreak their particular spite and malice against the person whom they are set to watch. It is a pleasant scene enough, which an Italian author describes between a spy and a cardinal who employed him. The cardinal is represented as minuting down everything that is told him. The spy begins with a low voice, " Such an one, the advocate, whispered to one of his Mends, within my hearing, that your eminence was a very great poltroon;" and, after having given his patron time to take it down, adds that another called him a mercenary rascal in a public conversation. The cardinal replies, "Very well," and bids him go on. The spy proceeds, and loads him with reports of the same nature, till the cardinal rises in great wrath, calls hirn an impudent scoundrel, and kicks him out of the room. It is observed of great and heroic minds, that they have not only i a particular disregard to those unmerited reproaches which • Ecclea. i. 20, have been east upon them, but have been altogether free from that impertinent curiosity of inquiring after them, or the poor revenge of resenting tliem. The histories of Alexander and Cresar are full of this kind of instances. Vulgar souls are of a quite contrary character. Dionysius, the tyrant of Sicily, had a dungeon, which was a very curious piece of architecture; and of which, as 1 am informed, there are still to be seen some remains in that island. It was called Dionysius's Ear, and built with several little windings and labyriutbs, in the form of a real ear. The structure of it made it a kind of whispering place, hut such a one as gathered the voice of him who spoke into a funnel which was placed at the very top of it. The tyrant used to lodge all his state criminals, or those whom ho supposed to be engaged together in any evil designs upon him, in this dungeon. He had at the same time an apartment over it, where he used to apply himself to the funnel, and by that means overheard everything that was whispered in the dungeon. I believe one may venture to affirm, that a Coesar or an Alexander would have rather died by the treason, than have used such disingenuous means for the detecting of it. A man who in ordinary life is very inquisitive after everything which is spoken ill of him, passes bis time hut very indifferently. He is wounded by every arrow that is shot at him, and puts it in the power of every insignificant enemy to disquiet him. Nay, he will suffer from what has beeu said of him, when it is forgotten by those who said or heard it. For this reason I could never bear one of those officious friends, that would be telling every malicious report, every idle censure that passed upon me. The tongue of man is so petulant, and his thoughts so variable, that one should not lay too great a stress upon any present speeches and opinions. Praise and obloquy proceed very frequently out of the same mouth upon the same person, and upon the same occasion. A generous enemy will sometimes bestow commendations, as the dearest friend cannot sometimes refrain from speaking ill. The man who is indifferent in either of these respects, gives his opinion at random, and praises or disapproves as he finds himself in humouf. I shall conclude this essay with part of a character, which is finely drawn by the Earl of Clarendon, in the first book of his history, and which gives us the lively picture of a great man teasing himself with an absurd curiosity. " He hud not that application and submission, and reverence for the queen, as might have been expected from his wisdom and breeding; and often crossed her pretences and desires with more rudeness than was natural to him. Yet he was impertinently solicitous to know what her majesty said of him in private, and what resentments she had towards him. And when by some confidants, who had their ends upon him from those offices, he was informed of some bitter expressions fallen from her majesty, he was so exceedingly afflicted aDd tormented with the sense of it that sometimes by passionate complaints and representations to the king; sometimes by more dutiful addresses andexpostulationB with the queen in bewailing bis misfortune; he frequently exposed himself, and left his condition worse than it was before, and the eclaircisseraent commonly ended in the discovery of the persons from whom he had received his most secret intelligence." No. 440. FRIDAY, JULY 25, 1712. Vivcre si lecte nescis, decede pcritis. Hor 2. Bp. II. 213. Learn to live well, or fairly make your will. Pop*. I Have already given my reader an account of a set of merry fellows who are passing their summer together in the country, being provided of a great house, where there is not only a convenient apartment for every particular person, but a large infirmary for the reception of such of them as are any way indisposed, or out of humour.* Having lately received a letter from the secretary of the society, by order of the whole fraternity, which acquaints me »itb their becTaviour during the last week, I shall here make a present of it to the public. " Mb. Spectator, " We are glad to find, that you approve the establishment which *e have here made for the retrieving of good manners and agreeable conversation, 8nd shall use our best endeavours so to improve ourselves in this our summer retirement, that we may ncx.t winter *rre as patterns to the town. But to the end that this our institution may be no less advantageous to the public than to ourselves, we shall communicate to you one week of our proceedings, desiring you at the same time, if" you see any thing faulty in them, to favour us with your admonitions; for you must know, Sir, that it his been proposed amongst us to choose you for our visitor; to which I must further add, that one of the college having declared last week he did not like the Spectator of the day, and not being able to assign any just reasons for such his dislike, he was sent to the infirmary, nemine contradicente. "On Monday the assembly was in very good humour, having '(reived some recruits of French claret that morning; when, unluckily, towards the middle of the dinner, one of the company i*ore at his servant in a very rough manner, for having put too much water in bis wine Upon which the president of the day, »'ho is always the mouth of the company, after having convinced * See Nob. 424 and 429. VOL. III. A A him of the impertinence of his passion, and the insult he hat mado upon the company, ordered his man to take him from th< table, and convey him to the infirmary. There was hut one mon sent away that day; this was a gentleman, who is reckoued b; some persons one of the greatest wits, and by others one of thi greatest boobies about town. This you will say is a strange cha racter, but what makes it stranger yet, it is a very true one, for hi is perpetually the reverse of himself, being always merry or dul to excess. We brought him hither to divert us, which he did ver well upon the road, having lavished away as much wit and laugh ter upon the hackney-coachman as might have served him duriii| his whole stay here, had it been duly managed. He had beei lumpish for two or three days, but was so far connived at, in hope of recovery, that we dispatched one of briskest fellows among th brotherhood into the infirmary for having told him at table he wa not merry. But our president observing that he indulged himsel in this long fit of stupidity, and construing it as a contempt of th college, ordered him to retire into the place prepared for such con panions. He was no sooner got into it, but his wit and mirth n turned upon him in so violent a manner, that be shook the whole ii firmary with the noise of it, and had so good an effect upon th rest of the patients, that he brought them all out to dinner wit him the next day. "On Tuesday we were no sooner sat down, but one of the con pany complained that his head ached ; upon which another aske him, in an insolent manner what he did there then: this insensibl frew into some warm words: so that the president, in order t eep the peace, gave directions to take them both from the tabli and lodge them in the infirmary. Not long after, anotherof the con pany telling us he knew by a pain in his shoulder, that we shoul have some rain, the president ordered him to be removed, an placed as a weather-glass in the apartment above mentioned. " On Wednesday a gentleman having received a letter writte in a woman's hand, and changing colour twice or thrice as he rea it, desired leave to retire into the infirmary. The president coi sented, but denied him the use of pen, ink, and paper, till sue time as he had slept upon it. One of the company being seated i the lower end of the table, and discovering his secret disconten by finding fault with every dish that was served up, and refusui to laugh at any thing that was said, the president told him, thi he found he was in an uneasy seat, and desired him to aecommoda' himself better in the infirmary. After dinner, a very honest fello chancing to let a pun fall from him, his neighbour cried out, "1 the infirmary ;"at the same time pretending to be sick at it. i having the same natural antipathy to a pun, which some have I a cat. This produced a long debate. Upon the whole the pui ster was acquitted, and his neighbour sent off. "On Thursday there was butone delinquent. This was a gentleman of strong voice, but weak understanding. He had unluckily engaged himself in a dispute with a man of excellent sense, but of a modest elocution. The man of heat replied to every answer of his antagonist with a louder voice than ordinary, and only raised his voice when he should have enforced his argument. Finding himself at length driven to an absurdity, he still reasoned in a more clamorous and confused manner; and, to make the greater impression upon his hearers, concluded with a loud thump upon the table. The president immediately ordered him to be carried off, and dieted with water-gruel, till such time as he should be sufficiently weakened for conversation. " On Friday there passed very little remarkable, saving only that several petitions were read of the persons in custody, desiring to be released from their confinement, and vouching for one another's good behaviour for the future. "On Saturday we received many excuses from persons who had found themselves in an unsociable temper, and had voluntarily shut themselves up. The infirmary was, indeed, never so full as on this day, which I was at some loss to account for, till upon my going abroad, I observed that it was an easterly wind. The retirement of most of my friends has given me opportunity and leisure of writing you this letter, which I must not conclude without assuring you, that all the members of our college, as well those who are under confinement, as those who are at liberty, are your very humble servants, though none more than, • " &c." ADDISON. C. No. 441. SATURDAY, JULY 26, 17J2. Si fractus illaDatur orbis Should the whole frame of nature round him break, In ruin and confusion hurl'd, And stand 6ecure amidst a railing world. ■ Anon. Man, considered in himself, is a very helpless and a very wretched beiDg. He is subject every moment to the greatest calamities and misfortunes. He is beset with daugers on all sides; •ad may become unhappy by numberless casualties, which he could not foresee, nor have prevented had be foreseen them. It is our comfort, while we are obnoxious to so many accidents |