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as Spectators. These men think it wit to ufe us ill; Pray tell them, however worthy we are of fuch treatment, it is unworthy them to be guilty of it towards us. Pray, Sir, take notice of this, and pity the oppreffed: I wish we could add to it, the Innocent.' '* By STEELE,

N° 191 Tuesday, October 9, 1711.

ἔλον ὄνειρον.

Hom. II. ii. 6.

-"Deluding vifion of the night."

S

POPE

OME ludicrous fchoolmen have put the cafe, that if an afs were placed between two bundles of hay, which affected his fenfes equally on each fide, and tempted him in the very fame degree, whether it would be poffible for him to eat of either. They generally determine this question to the disadvantage of the afs, who they fay would ftarve in the midft of plenty, as not having a fingle grain of free-will to determine him more to the one than to the other. The bundle of hay on either fide ftriking his fight and smell in the fame proportion, would keep him in a perpetual fufpence, like the two magnets which, travellers have told us, are placed one of them in the roof, and the other in the floor of Mahomet's burying-place at Mecca, and by that means, fay they, pull the impoftor's iron coffin with fuch an equal attraction, that it hangs in the air between both of them." As for the afs's behaviour in fuch nice circumstances, whether he would ftarve fooner than violate his neutrality to the two bundles of hay, I fhall not prefume to determine; but only take notice of the conduct of our own fpecies in the fame perplexity. When a man has a mind to venture his money in a lottery, every figure of it appears equally alluring, and as likely to fucceed as any of its fellows. They all of them have the fame pretenfions

* See Bayle's Dict, Art. Manqм E T.

to

to good-luck, ftand upon the fame foot of competition, and no manner of reason can be given why a man fhould prefer one to the other before the lottery is drawn. In this cafe therefore caprice very often acts in the place of reafon, and forms to itself fome groundless imaginary mctive, where real and fubftantial ones are wanting. I know a well meaning-man that is very well pleased to rifk his good-fortune upon the number 1711, because it is the year of our Lord. I am acquainted with a tacker that would give a good deal for the number 134.* On the contrary I have been told of a certain zealous dif fenter, who being a great enemy to popery, and believing that bad men are the most fortunate in this world, will lay two to one on the number 666 against any other number, becaufe, fays he, it is the number of the beast. Several would prefer the number 12000 before any other, as it is the number of the pounds in the great prize. In fhort, fome are pleafed to find their own age in their number; fome that they have got a number which makes a pretty appearance in the cyphers; and others, because it is the fame number that fucceeded in the laft lottery. Each of thefe, upon no other grounds, thinks he ftands fairest for the great lot, and that he is poffeffed of what may not be improperly called THE GOLDEN NUMBER. Į

Thefe principles of election are the paftimes and extravagancies of human reafon, which is of fo bufy a nature, that it will be exerting itself in the meanest trifles and working even when it wants materials. The wifeft of men are fometimes acted by fuch unaccountable motives, as the life of the fool and the fuperftitious is guided by nothing else.

I am furprised that none of the Fortune-tellers, or, as the French call them, the Diseurs de bonne Avanture, whò publish their bills in every quarter of the town, have

In the year 1704 a bill was brought into the House of Commons against Occafional Conformity ; and in order to make it pass through the House of Lords, it was propofed to TACK it to a Money-bill. This occafioned warm debates, and at length it was put to the vote; when 134 were for TACKING: but a large majority being against it, the motion was over-ruled, and the bill mifcarried.

In the Revelations. See ch, xiii, ver. 18.
1 Alluding to the Numbers fo called in the Calendar.
Altuated.

not

not turned our lotteries to their advantage. Did any of them fet up for a cafter of fortunate figures, what might he not get by his pretended difcoveries and predictions?

I remember among the advertisements in the POSTBoy of September the 27th, I was furprised to fee the following one:

"THIS is to give notice, That ten fhillings over and above the market-price, will be given for the ticket in the 1500000 1. lottery, N° 132, by Nath. Cliff at "the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapfide."

This' advertisement has given great matter of fpeculation to coffee-houfe theorifts. Mr. Cliff's principles and converfation have been canvaffed upon this occafion, and various conjectures made why he fhould thus fet his heart upon No 132. I have examined all the powers in thofe numbers, broken them into fractions, extracted the fquare and cube root, divided and multiplied them all ways, but could not arrive at the fecret until about three days ago, when I received the following letter from an unknown hand; by which I find that Mr. Nathaniel Cliff is only the agent, and not the principal in this advertisement.

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Mr. SPECTATOR,

I Am the person that lately advertised I would give

ten fhillings more than the current price for the ticket N° 132 in the lottery now drawing; which is a fecret I have communicated to fome friends, who rally me inceffantly upon that account. You must know I have but one ticket, for which reason, and a • certain dream 1 have lately had more than once, I was refolved it should be the number I most approved. I am fo pofitive I have pitched upon the great lot, that I could almoft lay all I am worth of it. My vifions are fo frequent and ftrong upon this occafion, that I have not only poffeffed the lot, but difpofed of the money which in all probability it will fell for. This morning • in particular, I fet up an equipage which I look upon to be the gaieft in the town; the liveries are very rich, but not gaudy. I should be very glad to fee a Spe" culation.

'culation or two upon Lottery fubjects, in which you 'would oblige all people concerned, and in particular • Your most humble fervant,

GEORGE GOSLING.

P. S. Dear SPEC, if I get the 120co pound, I'll make thee a handfome prefent.'

After having wished my correfpondent good luck, and thanked him for his intended kindness, I fhall for this time difmifs the fubject of the Lottery, and only obferve that the greatest part of mankind are in fome degree guilty of my friend Gofling's extravagance. We are apt to rely upon future profpects, and become really expenfive while we are only rich in poffibility. We live up to our expectations, not to our poffeffions, and make a figure proportionable to what we may be, not what we are. We out-run our prefent income, as not doubting to difburfe ourfelves out of the profits of fome future place, project, or reverfion that we have in view. It is through this temper of mind, which is fo common among us, that we fee tradefmen break, who have met with no misfortunes in their bufinefs; and men of ettates reduced to poverty, who have never fuffered from loffes or repairs, tenants, taxes, or law fuits. In short, it is this foolish fanguine temper, this depending upon contingent futurities, that occafions romantic generosity, chimèrical grandeur, fenfelefs oftentation, and generally ends in beggary and ruin. The man, who will live above his prefent circumftances, is in great danger of living in a little time much beneath them, or, as the Italian proverb runs, The man who lives by hope will die by bunger.

It should be an indifpenfable rule in life, to contract our defires to our prefent condition, and whatever may be our expectations, to live within the compass of what we actually poffefs. It will be time enough to enjoy an estate when it comes into our hands; but if we anticipate our good fortune, we fhall lofe the pleafure of it when it arrives, and may poffibly never poffefs what we have fo foolishly counted upon.

* By ADDISON.

L*

Wednesday

N° 192 Wednesday, October 10, 1711.

Uno ore omnes omnia

Bona dicere, & laudare fortunas méas,

Qui Gnatum haberem tali ingenio præditum.

Ter. Andr. A&t i. Sc. 1.

"All the world

I

"With one accord faid all good things, and prais'd

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My happy fortunes, who poffefs a fon

"So good, fo liberally difpos'd.".

COLMAN.

Stood the other day, and beheld a father fitting in the middle of a room with a large family of children about him; and methought I could obferve in his countenance different motions of delight, as he turned his eye towards the one and the other of them. The man is a perfon moderate in his defigns for their preferment and welfare; and as he has an eafy fortune, he is not folicitous to make a great one. His eldeft fon is a child of a very towardly difpofition, and as much as the father loves him, I dare fay he will never be a knave to improve his fortune. I do not know any man who has a jufter relish of life than the perfon I am fpeaking of, or keeps a better guard against the terrors of want or the hopes of gain. It is usual in a croud of children, for the parent to name out of his own flock all the great officers of the kingdom. There is fomething fo very furprising in the parts of a child of a man's own, that there is nothing too great to be expected from his endowments. I know a good woman who has but three fons, and there is, fhe fays, nothing fhe expects with more certainty, than that the fhall fee one of them a bishop, the other a judge, and the third a court-phyfician. The humour is, that any thing which

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