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Mr. Spectator,

S

• Your humble fervant.

Oxford, Dec. 29. INCE you appear inclined to be a friend to the diftreffed, I beg you would affift me in an affair under which I have fuffered very much. The reigning toaft of this place is Patetia; I have purfued her with the utmoft diligence this ⚫ twelve month, and find nothing stands in my way but one who flatters her more than I can. Pride is her favourite paffion; therefore if you will be fo far my friend as to make a favourable mention of me in one of your papers, I believe I fhould not fail in my addreffes. The fcholars ftand in rows, as they did to be fure in your time, at her pew-door; and the has all the devotion paid to her by a crowd of youths who are unacquainted with the fex, and have inexperience added to their paffion: however, if it fucceeds according to my vows, you will make me the happiest man in the world, and the most obliged amongst all.

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N° 269. TUESDAY, JANUARY 8.
Evo rariffima nofre
Simplicitas Ovid. Ars Am. lib. 1. ver. 241,
And brings our old implicity again.

I

DRYDEN. WAS this morning furprifed with a great knocking at the door, when my landlady's daughter came up to me, and told me, that there was a man below defired to fpeak with me. Upon my asking her who it was, the told me it was a very grave elderly perfon, but that the did not know his name. I immediately went down to him, and found him to be the coachman of my worthy friend Sir Roger de Coverley. He told me that his matter came to town laft night, and would be glad to take a turn with me in Gray'sInn walks. As I was wondering in myself what had brought Sir Roger to town, not having lately received ary letter from him, he told me that his matter was come up to get a fight of prince Eugene, and that he defired I would immediately

meet him.

I was not a little pleafed with the curiofity of the old knight, though I did not much wonder at it, having heard him fay more than once in private difecurie, that he looked upon printe Eugenio, for fo the knight always calls him, to be a greater man than Scanderbeg.

I was no fconer come into Gray's-Inn walks, but i heard my friend upon the terrace hemming Ewice or thrice to himself with great vigour, for

he loves to clear his pipes in good air, to make ufe of his own phrafe, and is not a little pleafed with any one who takes notice of the ftrength which he ftill exerts in his morning hems.

I was touched with a fecret joy at the fight of the good old man, who before he faw me was engaged in converfation with a beggar-man that had asked an alms of him. I could hear my friend chide him for not finding out fome work; but at the fame time faw him put his hand in his pocket and give him fix-pence.

Our falutations were very hearty on both fides, confifting of many kind shakes of the hand, and feveral affectionate looks which we caft upon one another. After which the knight told me my good friend his chaplain was very well, and much at my fervice, and that the Sunday before he had made a most incomparable fermon out of Dr. Barrow. I have left, says he, all my affairs in his hands, and being willing to lay an obligation upon him, have deposited with him thirty marks, to be diftributed among his poor parishioners.

He then proceeded to acquaint me with the welfare of Will Wimble. Upon which he put his hand in his fob and presented me in his name with a tobacco-ftopper, telling me that Will had been bufy all the beginning of the winter in turning great quantities of them; and that he made a prefent of one to every gentleman in the country who has good principles, and fiokes. He added, that poor Will was at prefent under great tribulation, for that Tom Touchy had taken the law of him for cutting fome hazel sticks out of one of his hedges.

Among other pieces of news which the knight brought from his country-feat, he informed me that Moll White was dead; and that about à month after her death the wind was fo very high, that it blew down the end of one of his barns. But for my own part, fays Sir Roger, I do not think that the old woman had any hand in it.

He afterwards fell into an account of the di

Vertions which had paffed in his houfe during the holidays; for Sir Roger, after the laudable cuítom of his ancestors, always keeps open houfe at Christmas. I learned from him that he had killed eight fat hogs for this feafon, that he had dealt about his chines very liberally amongst his neighbours, and that in particular he had sent à ftring of hogs-puddings with a pack of cards to every poor family in the parish. I have often thought, fays Sir Roger, it happens very well that Chriftmas fhould fall out in the middle of winter. It is the most dead uncomfortable time of the year, when the poor people would fuffer very much from their poverty and cold, if they had not good chear, warm fires, and Christmas gambols to fupport them. I love to rejoice their poor hearts at this feafon, and to fee the whole village merry in my great hall. I allow a double quantity of malt to my fmall beer, and fet it a running for twelve days to every one that calls for it. I have always a piece of cold beef and mince-pye upon the table, and am wonderfully pleafed to fee my tenants pafs away a whole cvening in playing their innocent tricks, and fmutting one another. Our friend Will Wimble is as merry as any of them, and fhews a thoufand roguish tricks upon these occafions.

I was very much delighted with the réflexion of my old friend, which carried fo much goodnefs in it. He then launched out into the praise

of

of the late act of parliament for fecuring the Church of England, and told me with great fatiffaction, that he believed it already began to take effect, for that a rigid diffenter who chanced to dine at his houfe on Chriftmas day, had been obferved to eat very plentifully of his plumbporridge.

After having difpatched all our country matters, Sir Roger made feveral inquiries concerning the club, and particularly of his old antagonist Sir Andrew Freeport. He afked me with a kind of fmile, whether Sir Andrew had not taken the advantage of his abfence, to vent among them fome of his republican doctrines; but foon after gathering up his countenance into a more than ordinary ferioufnefs, tell me truly, fays he, do not you think Sir Andrew had a hand in the pope's proceffion ?-but without giving me time to answer him, Well, well, fays he, I know you are a wary man, and do not care to talk of public

matters,

The knight then asked me, if I had feen prince Eugenio, and made me promife to get him a ftand in fome convenient place where he might have a full fight of that extraordinary man, whofe prefence does fo much honour to the British nation. He dwelt very long on the praifes of this great general, and I found that, fince I was with him in the country, he had drawn many obfervations together out of his reading in Baker's chronicle, and other authors, who always lie in his hall window, which very much redound to the honour of this prince.

Having paffed away the greatest part of the morning in hearing the knight's reflexions, which were partly private, and partly political, he asked me if I would fmoke a pipe with him over a dish of coffee at Squire's. As I love the old man, I take delight in complying with every thing that as agreeable to him, and accordingly waited on him to the coffee-houfe, where his venerable figure drew upon us the eyes of the whole room, He had no fooner seated himself at the upper end of the high table, but he called for a clean pipe, a paper of tobacco, a difh of coffee, a wax candle, and the fupplement, with fuch an air of chearfulnefs and good-humour, that all the boys in the coffee-room, who feemed to take pleasure in ferving him, were at once employed on his feveral errands, infomuch that nobody elfe could come at a dish of tea, until the knight had got all his conveniencies about him. L

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beds of tulips. It was a pretty variation of the profpect, when any one of thefe fine ladies rofe up and did honour to herfelf and friend at a diftance, by curtefying; and gave opportunity to that friend [to fhew her charms to the fame advantage in returning the falutation. Here that action is as proper and graceful, as it is at church unbecoming and impertinent. By the way, I muft take the liberty to obferve that I did not fee any one who is ufually fo full of civilities at church, offer at any fuch indecorum during any part of the action of the play. Such beautiful profpects gladden our minds, and when confidered in general, give innocent and pleafing ideas. He that dwells upon any one object of beauty, may fix his imagination to his difquiet; but the contemplation of a whole affembly together, is a defence againft the incroachment of defire: at leaft to me, who havetaken pains to look at beauty abstracted from the confideration of its being the object of defire; at power, only as it fits upon another, without any hopes of partaking any share of it; at wifdom and capacity, without any preten fions to rival or envy its acquifitions: I fay to me, who am really free from forming any hopes by beholding the perfons of beautiful women, or warming myfelf into ambition from the fucceffes of other men, this world is not only a mere scene, but a very pleasant one. Did mankind but know the freedom which there is in keeping thus aloof from the world, I fhould have more imitators, than the powerfullest man in the nation has followers. To be no man's rival in love, or com→ petitor in bufinefs, is a character which if it does. not recommend you as it ought to benevolence among those whom you live with, yet has it certainly this effect, that you do not stand fo much in need of their approbation, as you would if you aimed at it more, in fetting your heart on the fame things which the generality dote on. By this means, and with this eafy philofophy, I am never lefs at a play than when I am at the theatre; but indeed I am seldom fo well pleased with action as in that place; for moft men follow nature no longer than while they are in their night-gowns, and all the bufy part of the day are in characters which they neither become nor act in with pleasure to themselves or their beholders. But to return to my ladies: I was very well pleased to fee fo great a crowd of them affembled at a play, wherein the heroine, as the phrafe is, is fo just a picture of the vanity of the fex in tormenting their admirers. The lady who pines for the man whom the treats with fo much impertinence and inconftancy, is drawn with much art and humour. Her refolutions to be extremely civil, but her vanity arifing just at the inftant that the refolved to exprefs hertelf kindly, are defcribed as by one who had ftudied the fex. But when my admiration is fixed upon this exeellent character, and two or three others in the play, I must confefs I was moved with the utmoft indignation at the trivial, fenfelefs, and unnatural reprefentation of the chaplain. It is poffible there may be a pedant in holy orders, and we have feen one or two of them in the world; but fuch a driveller as Sir Roger, fo bereft of all manner of pride, which is the characteristic of a pedant, is what one would not believe could come into the head of the fame man who drew the reft of the play. The meeting between Welford and him fhews a wretch without any notion of the dignity of his function; and it is

Out of all common fenfe that he fhould give an account of himself as one fent four or five "miles in a morning on foot for eggs." It is not to be denied, but this part and that of the maid, whom he makes love to, are excellently well performed; but a thing which is blameable in itself, grows ftill more fo by the fuccefs in the execution of it. It is fo mean a thing to gratify a loose age with a scandalous reprefentation of what is reputable among men, not to say what is facred, that no beauty, no excellence in an author ought to atone for it; nay, fuch excellence is an aggravation of his guilt, and an argument that he errs against the conviction of his own understanding and confcience. Wit fhould be tried by this rule, and an audience fhould rife against such a scene as throws down the reputation of any thing which the confideration of religion or decency fhould preferve from contempt. But all this evil arifes from this one corruption of mind, that makes men refent offences against their virtue, lefs than those against their under-' standing. An author fhall write as if he thought there was not one man of honour or woman of chastity in the houfe, and come off with applaufe: for an infult upon all the ten commandments with the little critics, is not so bad as the breach of an unity of time and place. Half wits do not apprehend the miferies that must neceffarily flow from degeneracy of manners; nor do they know that order is the fupport of fociety. Sir Roger and his mistress are monsters of the poet's own forming; the fentiments in both of them are fuch as do not arife in fools of their education. We all know that a filly scholar, instead of being below every one he meets with, is apt to be exalted above the rank of such as really are his fuperiors: his arrogance is always founded upon particular notions of diftinction in his own head, accompanied with a pedantie fcorn of all fortune and pre-eminence, when compared with his knowledge and learning. This very one character of Sir Roger, as filly as it really is, has done more towards the difparagement of holy orders, and confequently of virtue itfelf, than all the wit that author or any other could make up for in the conduct of the longest life after it. I do not pretend, in faying this, to give myself airs of more virtue than my neighbours, but affert it from the principles by which mankind must al.. ways be governed. Sallies of imagination are to be overlooked, when they are committed out of warmth in the recommendation of what is praifeworthy; but a deliberate advancing of vice, with all the wit in the world, is as ill an action as any that comes before the magiftrate, and ought to be received as fuch by the people. T

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form the hints of it into plans of my own invention; fometimes I take the liberty to change the language or thought into my own way of fpeaking and thinking, and always, if it can be done without prejudice to the fenfe, omit the many compliments and applaufes which are ufually beftowed upon me.

which I receive from the letters that are fent me, Befides the two advantages above-mentioned they give me an opportunity of lengthening out my paper by the skilful management of the fubfcribing part at the end of them, which perhaps does not a little conduce to the eafe, both of myself and reader.

Some will have it that I often write to myself, and am the only punctual correfpondent I have. This objection would indeed be material, were the letters I communicate to the public ftuffed with my own commendations; and if inftead of endeavouring to divert or inftruct my readers, I admired in them the beauty of my own perfor mances. But I fhall leave these wife conjecturers to their own imaginations, and produce the three following letters for the entertainment of the day.

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ping upon me fo unexpectedly. However, I 'covered my confufion as well as I could, and ' after having muttered two or three hard words to myself, laughed heartily, and cried, a very good jeft, 'faith. The ladies defired me to explain it to them; but I begged their pardon for that, and told them, that if it had been proper for them to hear, they might be fure the author 'would not have wrapped it up in Greek. I then let drop feveral expreffions, as if there was 'fomething in it that was not fit to be spoken 'before a company of ladies. Upon which the matron of the affembly, who was dreffed in a cherry-coloured hood, commended the difcretion of the writer for having thrown his filthy 'thoughts into Greek, which was likely to corrupt but few of his readers. At the fame time the declared herfelf very well pleased, that he had not given a decifive opinion upon the new'fafhioned hoods; for to tell you truly, fays fhe, I was afraid he would have made us afhamed to fhew our heads. Now, Sir, you must know, fince this unlucky accident happened to me in a company of ladies, among whom I paffed for a mort ingenious man, I have confulted one who is well verfed in the Greek language, and he affures me upon his word, that your late quotation means no more than "that manners "and not drefs are the ornaments of a woman.' If this comes to the knowledge of my female admirers, I fhall be very hard put to it to bring myfelf off handsomely. In the mean while, I give you this account, that you may take care hereafter not to betray any of your well-withers into the like inconveniencies. It is in the number of thefe that I beg leave to fubfcribe myself,

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• Tom Tripit." " Mr.

• Mr. Spectator,

Y

OUR readers are fo well pleased with your character of Sir Roger de Coverley, that there appeared a fenfible joy in every coffee-house, upon hearing the old knight was · come to town. I am now with a knot of his admirers, who make it their joint request to you, that you would give us public notice of the window or balcony where the knight intends to make his appearance. He has already given great fatisfaction to several who have seen ⚫ him at Squire's coffee-house. If you think fit ' to place your short face at Sir Roger's left elbow, we shall take the hint, and gratefully acknowledge fo great a favour. I am,

.

Sir, your most devoted humble fervant,
'C. D.'

SIR,

Knowing that you are very inquifitive after

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6 my paffion I fhall let you understand as well as a difordered mind will admit. That cursed 'pick-thank Mrs. Jane! alas, I am railing at one to you by her name as familiarly as if you 'were acquainted with her as well as myself: but I will tell you all, as faft as the alternate 'interruptions of love and anger will give me leave. There is a moft agreeable young woman in the world whom I am paffionately in 'love with, and from whom I have for fome fpace of time received as great marks of favour as were fit for her to give, or me to ' defire. The fuccefsful progrefs of the affair of all others the most effential towards a man's happiness, gave a new life and spirit not only to my behaviour and difcourfe, but also a cer'tain grace to all my actions in the commerce

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every thing that is curious in nature, I will wait on you, if you please, in the dusk of the evening, with my fhow upon my back, which I carry about with me in a box, as only consisting of a man, a woman, and an horse. The two firft are married, in which state the little cavalier has fo well acquitted himself, that his lady is with child. The big-bellied woman, and her husband, with their whim'fical palfry, are fo very light, that when they are put together into a scale, an ordinary man may weigh down the whole family. The little man is a bully in his nature; but when he grows choleric I confine him to his box until his wrath is over, by which means I have hitherto prevented him from doing mifchief. His horfe is likewife very vicious, for which reafon I am forced to tie him clofe < to his manger with a packthread. The woman is a coquette. She ftruts as much as it is poffible for a lady of two foot high, and would ruin me in filks, were not the quantity that goes to a large pin-cufhion fufficient to make her a gown and petticoat. She told me the other day, that he heard the ladies wore coloured hoods, and ordered me to get her one of the finest blue. I'am forced to comply with her demands whilft fhe is in her prefent 'condition, being very willing to have more of the fame breed. I do not know what the may produce me, but provided it be a fhow 'I fhall be very well fatisfied. Such novelties 'fhould not, 6 think, be concealed from the British Spectator; for which reason I hope you will excufe this prefumption in

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Your moft dutiful, moft obedient,
and moft humble fervant,

'S. T.'

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of life in all things though never fo remote 'from love. You know the predominant paf'fion fpreads itself through all a man's tranfactions, and exalts or depreffes him according to the nature of such paffion. But alas! I have not yet begun my ftory, and what is 'making fentences and obfervations, when a man is pleading for his life? To begin then: this lady has correfponded with me under the names of love, fhe my Belinda, 1 her Cleanthes. Though I am thus well got into the account of my affair, I cannot keep in the thread of it fo much as to give you the cha'racter of Mrs. Jane, whom I will not hide under a borrowed name; but let you know that this creature has been fince I knew her C very handfome, (though I will not allow her even what she has been for the future) and during the time of her bloom and beauty, was fo < great a tyrant to her lovers, fo over-valued herself, and under-rated all her pretenders, that they have deferted her to a man; and 'fhe knows no comfort but that common one to all in her condition, the pleasure of interrupting the amours of others. It is im'poffible but you must have seen several of these volunteers in malice, who pass their whole time in the most laborious way of life, in getting intelligence, running from place to place ' with new whifpers, without reaping any other benefit but the hopes of making others as unhappy as themselves. Mrs. Jane happened to be at a place where I, with many others well acquainted with my paffion for Belinda, paffed a Christmas-evening. There was among the reft a young lady, fo free in mirth, fo amiable in a just reserve that accompanied it; I wrong her to call it a referve, but there appeared in her a mirth or chearfulnefs which was not a forbearance of more immoderate joy, but the natural appearance of all which could flow 'from a mind poffeffed of an habit of innocenc and purity. I must have utterly forgot Belinda, to have taken no notice of one who was growing up to the fame womanly virtues which hine to perfection in her, had I not diftinguished one who feemed to promife to the world the fame life and conduct with my faithful and lovely Belinda. When the company broke up, the fine young thing permitted me to take care of her home. Mrs. Jane faw my particular regard to her, and was informed of my attending her to her father's house. She came early to Belinda the next morning, and, afked her if Mrs. Such-a-one had been with her? No. If Mr. Such-a-one's lady?

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Ne.

No. Nor your coufin Such-a-one? No. Lord,

on

-Notandi funt tibi mores.
Note well the manners.

Hor. Ars Poet. ver. 156.

let us in the next place confider the actors. This is Ariftotle's method of confidering, first the fable, and fecondly the manners; or, as we generally call them in English, the fable and the characters.

1

Homer has excelled all the heroic poets that ever wrote in the multitude and variety of his characters: every god that is admitted into his poem, acts a part which would have been fuitable to no other deity. His princes are as much diftinguished by their manners, as by their do minions; and even thofe among them, whose characters feem wholly made up of courage, differ from one another as to the particular kinds of courage in which they excel. In fhort, there is fcarce a fpeech or action in the Iliad, which the reader may not afcribe to the perfon that fpeaks or acts, without feeing his name at the head of it.

fays Mrs. Jane, what is the friendship of wo- N° 273. SATURDAY, JANUARY 12. • men? -Nay, they may well laugh at it. And did no one tell you any thing of the belaviour of your lover Mr. What-d'ye-call last night? But perhaps it is nothing to you that he is to be married to young Mrs. Tuesday next? Belinda was here ready to die with rage and jealoufy. Then Mrs. Jane goes on: I have a young kinsman who is clerk to a great conveyancer, who fhall fhew you the rough draught of the marriage-fettlement. The world fays, her father gives him two thoufand pounds more than he could have with you. I went innocently to wait on Belinda as ufual, but was not admitted; I writ to her, and my letter was sent back unopened. Poor Betty her maid, who is on my fide, has been here juft now blubbering, and told me the whole matter. She fays fhe did not think I could be fo base; and that he is now fo adious to her mistress for having fo often spoke well of me, that the dare not mention me more. All our hopes are placed in having thefe circumstances fairly reprefented in the Spectator, which Betty fays he dare not but bring up as foon as it is brought in; and has ⚫ promised when you have broke the ice to own this was laid between us and when I can come to an hearing, the young lady will fupIport what we fay by her teftimony, that I never faw her but that once in my whole life. Dear Sir, do not omit this true relation, nor think it too particular; for there are crowds of forlorn coquettes who intermingle themfelves with other ladies, and contract familiarities out of malice, and with no other defign but to blaft the hopes of lovers, the expectation of parents, and the benevolence of kindred. I doubt not but I fhall be,

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Homer does not only outshine all other poets in the variety, but also in the novelty of his characters. He has introduced among his Grecian princes a perfon who had lived thrice the age of man, and converfed with Thefeus, Hercules, Po-. lyphemus, and the firft race of heroes. His principal actor is the fon of a goddefs, not to mention the offspring of other deities, who have likewife a place in his poem, and the venerable Trojan prince, who was the father of fo many kings and heroes. There is in these feveral characters of Homer, a certain dignity as well as novelty, which adapts them in a more peculiar manner to the nature of an heroic poem. Though at the fame time, to give them the greater variety, he has defcribed a vulcan, that is a buffoon among his gods, and a Therfites among his mortals.

Virgil falls infinitely fhort of Homer in the characters of his poem, both as to their variety and novelty. Æneas is indeed a perfect character, but as for Achates, though he is ftiled the hero's friend, he does nothing in the whole poem which may deferve that title. Gyas, Mneftheus, Sergeftus and Cloanthus, are all of them men of the fame ftamp and character.

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-Fortemque Gyan, fortemque Cloantbum."

There are indeed feveral natural incidents in the part of Afcanius; as that of Dido cannot be fufficiently admired. I do not fee any thing new or particular in Turnus. Pallas and Evander are remote copies of Hector and Priam, as Laufus and Mezentius are almost parallels to Pallas and Evander. The characters of Nifus and Euryalus are beautiful, but common. We must not forget the parts of Sinon, Camilla, and fome few others, which are fine improvements on the Greek poet. In fhort, there is neither that variety nor novelty in the perfons of the neid, which we meet with in thofe of the Iliad.

If we look into the characters of Milton, we fhall find that he has introduced all the variety his fable was capable of receiving. The whole fpecies of mankind was in two perfons at the time to which the fubject of his poem is confined. We have, however, four distinct charac

ters

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