heathens, indeed, feem to have valued a man more for his good fortune than for any other quality, which I think is very natural for thofe who have not a ftrong belief of another world. For how can I conceive a man crowned with many diftinguishing bleffings, that has not fome extraordinary fund of merit and perfcction in him, which lies open to the fupreme eye, thigh perhaps it is not discovered by my obfervation? What is the reafon Homer's and Virgil's heroes do not form a resolution, or strike a blow, without the conduct and direction of fome deity? Doubtless, because the poets efteemed it the greatest honour to be favoured by the gods, and thought the best way of praifing a man was to recount thofe favours which naturally implied an extraordinary merit in the perfon on whom they defcended. Those who believe a future ftate of rewards and punishments at very abfurdly, if they form their opinions of a man's merit from his fucceffes. But certainly, if I thought the whole circle of our being was concluded between our births and deaths, I should think a man's good fortune the measure and ftandard of his real merit, fince Providence would have no opportunity of rewarding his virtue and perfections, but in the prefent life. A virtuous unbeliever, who lies under the preffure of misfortunes, has reafon to cry out, as they fay Brutus did a little before his death, "O virtue, I have worshipped thee as a "substantial good, but I find thou art an empty "name." But to return to our first point: though pradence does undoubtedly in a great measure produce our good or ill fortune in the world, It is certain there are many unforeseen accidents and occurrences, which very often pervert the fineft fchemes that can be laid by human wifdom. "The race is not always to the fwift, "nor the battle to the ftrong." Nothing lefs than infinite w.fdom can have an abfolute command over fortune; the highest degree of it, which man can poffefs, is by no means equal to fortuitous events, and to fuch contingencies as may rife in the profecution of our affairs. Nay, it very often happens, that prudence, which has always in it a great mixture of caution, hinders a man from being fo fortunate as he might poffibly have been without it. A perfon who only aims at what is likely to fucceed, and follows clofely the dictates of human prudence,' never meets with thofe great and unforefeen fucceffes, which are often the effect of a fanguine temper, or a more happy rashness; and this perhaps may be the reafon, that, according to the common obfervation, fortune, like other females, delights rather in favouring the young than the oid. Upon the whole, fince man is fo short-fighted creature, and the accidents which may happen to him fo various, I cannot but be of Dr. Tillotfon's opinion in another cafe, that were there any doubt of a Providence, yet it certainly would be very defirable there fhould be fuch a Being of infinite wifdom and goodness, on whofe direction we might rely in the conduct of human Life. It is a great prefumption to afcribe our fucceffes to our own management, and not to esteem ourfelves upon any blefing, rather as it is the bounty of heaven. than the acquifition of our own prudence. I am very well pleated with a medial that was ftruck by queen Elizabeth, a little after the defeat of the invincible armada, to perpetuate the memory of that extraordinary event. It is well known how the king of Spain, and others who were the enemies of that great princess, to derogate from her glory, afcribed the ruin of their fleet rather to the violence of storms and tempefts, than to the bravery of the English. Queen Elizabeth, instead of looking upon this as a diminution of her honour, valued herself upon fuch a fingular favour of Providence, and accordingly, in the reverfe of the medal abovementioned, has reprefented a fleet beaten by a tempeft, and falling foul upon one another, with that religious infcription, Affiavit Deus, & diffipantur. "He blew with his wind, and they were fcattered." It is remarkable of a famous Grecian general, whofe name I cannot at prefent recollect, and who had been a particular favourite of fortune, that, upon recounting his victories among his friends, he added at the end of feveral great actions, "and in this fortune ltad no fhare." After which it is obferved in hiftory, that he never profpered in any thing he undertook. As arrogance, and a conceitednefs of our own abilities, are very shocking and offenfive to men of fenfe and virtue, we may be fure they are highly difpleafing to that Being who delights in an humble mind, and by feveral of his difpenfations feems purpofely to fhew us, that our own fchemes or prudence have no share in our ad vancements. Since on this fubje&t I have already admitted feveral quotations which have occurred to my memory upon writing this paper, I will conclude it with a little Perfian fable. A drop of water fell out of a cloud into the fea, and finding itself loft in such an immenfity of fluid matter, broke out into the following reflexion: Alas! What an infignificant creature am I in "this prodigious ocean of waters; my existence "is of no concern to the univerfe, I am reduced "to a kind of nothing, and am lefs than the leaft of the works of God," It fo happened that an oyfter, which lay in the neighbourhood of this drop, chanced to gape and fwallow it up in the midst of this its humble foliloquy. The drop, fays the fable, lay a great while hardening in the thell, until by degrees it was ripened into a pearl, which falling into the hands of a diver, after a long feries of adventures, is at prefent that famous pearl which is fixed on the top of the Perfian diadem. N° 294. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 6. T the proper use of riches implies that a man fhould exert all the good qualities imaginable; and if we mean by a man of condition or quality, one who, according to the wealth he is mafter of, fhews himself juft, beneficent, and charitable, that term ought very deservedly to be had in the highest veneration; but when wealth is ufed only as it is the support of pomp and luxury, to be rich is very far from being a recommendation to honour and refpect. It is indeed the greatest infolence imaginable, in a creature who would feel the extremes of thirst and hunger, if he did not prevent his appetites before they call upon him, to be fo forgetful of the common neceffity of human nature, as never to caft an eye upon the poor, and needy. The fellow who efcaped from a fhip which struck upon a rock in the weft, and joined with the country-people to deftroy his brother failors, and make her a wreck, was thought a most execrable creature; but does not every man who enjoys the poffeffion of what he naturally wants, and is unmindful of the unfupplied diftrefs of other men, betray the same temper of mind? When a man looks about him, and with regard to riches and poverty beholds fome drawn in pomp and equipage, and they and their very fervants with an air of fcorn and triumph overlooking the multitude that pafs by them; and, in the fame ftreet, a creature of the fame make crying out in the name of all that is good and facred to behold his mifery and give him fome fupply against hunger and nakedness; who would believe thefe two beings were of the fame fpecies? But fo it is, that the confideration of fortune has taken up all our minds, and, as, I have often complained, poverty and riches ftand in our imaginations in the places of guilt and innocence. But in all feafons there will be fome inftances of perfons who have fouls too large to be taken with popular prejudices, and while the reft of mankind are contending for fuperiority in power and wealth, have their thoughts bent upon the neceffities of thofe below them. The charity schools, which have been erected of late years, are the greatest inftances of public fpirit the age has produced: but indeed when we confider how long this fort of beneficence has been on foot, it is rather from the good management of those inftitutions, thán from the number or value of the benefactions to them, that they make fo great a figure. One would think it impoffible that in the fpace of fourteen years there fhould not have been five thousand pounds bestowed in gifts this way, nor fixteen hundred children, including males and females, put out to methods of industry. It is not allowed me to fpeak of luxury and folly with the fevere fpirit they deferve; I fhall only therefore fay, I fhall very readily compound with any lady in a hoop-petticoat, if the gives the price of one half yard of the filk towards clothing, feeding, and inftructing an innocent helpless creature of her own fex in one of these schools. The confcioufnefs of fuch an action will give her features a nobler life on this illuftrious day, than all the jewels that can hang in her hair, or can be cluttered in her bofom. It would be uncourtly to speak in harther words to the fair, but to men one may take a little more freedom. It is monstrous how a man can live with fo little reflexion as to fancy he is not in a condition very unjust and difproportioned to the rest of mankind, while he enjoys wealth, and exerts no benevolence or bounty to others. As for this particular occafion of these fchools, there cannot any offer more worthy a generous mind. Would you do an handsome thing without return? do it for an infant that is not fenfible of the obligation. Would you do it for public good? do it for one who would be an honeft artificer. Would you do it for the fake of heaven? give it to one who shall be inftructed in the worship of him for whofe fake you give it. It is methinks a most laudable inftitution this, if it were of no other expectation than that of producing a race of good and ufeful fervants, who will have more than a liberal, a religious education. What would not a man do, in common prudence, to lay out in purchafe of one about him, who would add to all his orders he gave, the weight of the commandments to enforce an obedience to them? for one who would confider his mafter as his father, his friend, and benefactor, upon the easy terms, and in expectation of no other return but moderate wages and gentle ufage? It is the common vice of children to run too much among the fervants; from fuch as are educated in thefe places they would fee nothing but lowlinefs in the fervant, which would not be difingenuous in the child. All the ill offices and defamatory whispers, which take their birth from domestics, would be prevented if this charity could be made univerfal; and a good man might have a knowledge of the whole life of the perfons he defigns to take into his houfe for his own fervice, or that of his family or children, long before they were admitted. This would create endearing dependencies and the obligation would have a paternal air in the mafter, who would be relieved from much care and anxiety from the gratitude and diligence of an humble friend attending him as a fervant. I fall into this difcourfe from a letter fent to me, to give me notice that fifty boys would be clothed, and take their feats, at the charge of fome generous benefactors, in St. Bride's church on Sunday next. I wish I could promife to myfelf any thing which my correfpondent feems to expect from a publication of it in this paper; for there can be nothing added to what so many excellent and learned men have faid on this occafion: but that there may be fomething here which would move a generous mind, like that of him who writ to me, I fhall transcribe an handfome paragraph of Dr. Snape's fermon on thefe charities, which my correfpondent inclofed with his letter. "The wife Providence has amply compen"fated the difadvantages of the poor and in"digent, wanting many of the conveniencies "of this life, by a more abundant provifion for "their happiness in the next, Had they been "higher born or more richly endowed, they "would have wanted this manner of education, "of which thofe only enjoy the benefit, who "are low enough to fubmit to it; where they "have fuch advantages without money, and "without price, as the rich cannot purchafe << with it. The learning which is given, is "generally more edifying to them, than that "which is fold to others: thus do they become "more exalted in goodness, by being depreffed "in fortune, and their poverty is, in reality, their preferment." 3 B4 T No. N° 295. THURSDAY, FEB. 7. But womankind, that never knows a mean, Down to the dregs their finking fortunes drain: Hourly they give, and spend, and wafte, and wear, And think no pleasure can be bought too dear. DRYDEN. I Mr. Spectator, Am turned of my great climateric, and am naturally a man of a meek temper. About a dozen years ago I was married, for my fins, to a young woman of a good family, and of an high fpirit; but could not bring her to clofe with me, before I had entered into a treaty with her longer than that of the grand alliance. Among other articles, it was therein ftipulated, that the fhould have 400 1. a year for pin-money, which I obliged myfelf to pay quarterly into the hands of one who acted as her flenipotentiary in that affair. I have ever fince religioutly obferved my part in this folemn agreement. Now, Sir, fo it is, that the lady has had feveral children fince I married her; to which, if I fhould credit our malicious neighbours, her pin-money has not a little contributed. The education of thefe my children, who, contrary to my expectation, are born to me every year, ftraitens me fo much, that I have begged their mother to free me from the obligation of the above mentioned pin-money, that it may go towards making a provifion for her family. This propofal makes her noble blood fweil in her veins, infomuch that finding me a little tardy in her last quarter's payment, the threatens me every day to arrest me ; and proceeds fo far as to tell me, that if I do not do her juftice, I fhall die in a jail. To this the adds, when her paffion will let her argue calmly, that he has feveral play debts on her hand, which must be difcharged very fuddenly, and that the cannot lofe her money as becomes a woman of her fashion, if the makes me any abatements in this article. I hope, Sir, you will take an occafion from hence to give your opinion upon a fubject which you have not yet touched, and inform as if there are any precedents for this ufage among our ancestors; or whether you find any mention of pin-money in Grotius, Puffendorf, or any other of the civilians. I am ever the humbleft of your admirers, Jofiah Fribble, Efq. As there is no man living who is a more profeffed advocate for the fair fex than myself, fo there is none who would be more unwilling to invade any of their ancient rights and privileges; but as the doctrine of pin-money is of a very late date, unknown to our great grand-mothers, and not yet received by many of our modern ladies, I think it is for the intereft of both fexes to keep it from fpreading. Mr. Fribble may not, perhaps, be much miftaken where he intimates, that the fupplying a man's wife with pin-money, is furnishing her with arms against himself, and in a manner becoming acceffary to his own difhonour. We may, indeed, generally obferve, that in proportion as a woman is more or lefs beautiful, and her husband advanced in years, the ftands in need of a greater or lefs number of pins, and upon a treaty of marriage, rifes or falls in her demands accordingly. It must likewife be owned, that high quality in mistress does very much inflame this article in the marriage reckoning. But where the age and circumftances of both parties are pretty much upon a level, I cannot but think the infifting upon pin-money is very extraordinary; and yet we find several matches broken off upon this very head. What would a foreigner, or one who is a ftranger to this practice, think of a lover that forfakes his mistress, becaufe he is not willing to keep her in pins; or what would he think of the mistress, thould he be in formed that the afks five or fix hundred pounds a year for this ufe? Should a man unacquainted with our customs be told the fums which are allowed in Great-Britain, under the title of pinmoney, what a prodigious confumption of pins would he think there was in this ifland?" A pin a day," fays our frugal proverb, is a groat a "year," fo that, according to this calculation, my friend Fribble's wife muft every year make ufe of eight millions fix hundred and forty thou fand new pins. I am not ignorant that our British ladies alledge they comprehend under this general term feveral other conveniencies of life; I could therefore with, for the honour of my countrywomen, that they had rather called it needle-money, which might have implied fomething of good housewifery, and not have given the malicious world occafion to think, that drefs and trifle have always the uppermoft place in a woman's thoughts.. I know feveral of my fair readers urge, in defence of this practice, that it is but a neceffary provifion they make for themfelves, in cafe their hufband proves a churl or a mifer; fo that they confider this allowance as a kind of alimony, which they may lay their claim to without actually feparating from their husbands. But with fubmiffion, I think a woman who will give up herself to a man in marriage, where there is the leaft room for fuch an apprehenfion, and truft her perfon to one whom the will not, rely on for the common neceffaries of life, may very properly be accufed, in the phrafe of an homely proverb, of being penny wife and pound foolith." It is obferved of over-cautious generals, that they never engage in a battle without fecuring a retreat, in cafe the event fhould not anfwer their expectations: on the other hand, the greatest conquerers have burnt their hips, or broke down the bridges behind them, as being determined either to fucceed, or die in the engagement. In the fame manner I fhould very much fufpcct a woman who takes fuch precautions for her retreat, and contrives methods how the may live happily, without the affection of one to whom the joins herself for life. Separate purfes between man and wife are, in my opinion, as unnatural as feparate beds. A marri age cannot be happy, where the pleasures, inclinations, and interefts of both parties are not the fare. There is no greater incitement to love in the mind of man, than the fenfe of a perfon's depending upon him for her cafe and happiness; as a woman ufes all her endeavours to please the perfon whom the looks upon as her honour, her comfort, and her fupport. For ance of a fpelling-book it is legible; which qua For this reafon I am not very much furprifed at the behaviour of a rough country 'fquire; who,lity the Greek wants: and fince the introduction being not a little fhocked at the proceeding of a young widow that would nor recede from her demands of pin-money, was fo enraged at her mercenary temper, that he told her in great wrath, as much as the thought him her flave, he "would fhew all the world he did not care pin for her." Upon which he flew out of the room, and never faw her more Socrates, in Plato's Alcibiades, fays, he was informed by one who had travelled through Perfia, that as he paffed over a great tract of lands, and inquired what the name of the place was, they told him it was the Queen's girdle; to which he adds, that another wide field, which lay by it, was called the Queen's veil; and that in the fame manner there was a large portion of ground fet afide for every part of her Majefty's drefs. Thefe lands might not improperly be called the Queen of Perfia's pin-money. of operas into this nation, the ladies are fo charmed with founds abftracted from their ideas, that they adore and honour the found of Latin as it is old Italian. I am a folicitor for the fair-fex, and therefore think myself in that character more likely to be prevalent in this request, than if I fhould fubfcribe myself by my proper name. " J. M. I defire you may infert this in one of your fpeculations, to fhew my zeal for removing the diffatisfaction of the fair-fex, and reftoring you to their favour.' I SIR, Was fome time fince in company with a young officer, who entertained us with the conqueft he had made over female neighbour of his; when a gentleman who stood by, as I fuppofe, envying the captain's good fortune, afked him what reafon he had to believe the lady admired him? Why, fays he, my lodgings are appofite to her's, and the is continually at her window either at work, reading, taking fnuff, or putting herfelf in fome toying pofture on purpofe to draw my eyes that way. The confeflion of this vain foldier made me reflect on fome of 6 my own actions; for you must know, Sir, I am often at a window which fronts the apartments of feveral gentlemen, who I doubt noz have the fame opinion of me. I must own I love to look at them all, one for being well dreffed, a fecond for his fine eye, and one particular one, because he is the leaft man I ever faw; but there is fomething fo eafy and pleasant in the manner of my little man, that I obferve he is a favourite of all his acquaintance. I could go on to tell you of many others, that I believe think I have encouraged them from my I remember my friend Sir Roger, who I dare fay never read this paffage in Plato, told me fome time fince, that upon his courting the preverfe widow, of whom I have given an account in former papers, he had difpofed of an hundred acres in a diamond ring, which he would have prefented her with, had the thought fit to accept it; and that upon her wedding day the would have carried on her head fifty of the tallest oaks upon his eftate. He further informed me that he would have given her a coal-pit to keep her in clean linen; that he would have allowed her the profits of a wind-mill for her fans, and have presented her once in three years with the thearing of his theep for her under-petticoats. To which the knight always adds, that though he did not care for fine cloaths himself, there fhould not have been a woman in the country better dreffed than my lady Coverley. Sir Roger, perhaps, may in this, as well as in many other of his devices, appear something odd and fingular; but if the humour of pin-money prevails, I think it would be very 'pro-window: but pray let me have your opinion of per for every gentleman of an eftate to mark out fo many acres of it under the title of "The "Pins." L the ufe of the window in a beautiful lady; and how often the may look out at the fame man, without being fuppofed to have a mind to jump out to him. Having lately converfed much with the fair fex on the fubject of your fpeculations, 4 which, fince their appearance in public, have been the chief exercife of the female loquacious faculty, found the fair ones poffeffed with a diffatisfaction at your prefixing Greek mottoes to the frontispiece of your late papers; and, as a man of gallantry, I thought it a duty incumbent on me to impart it to you, in hopes of a reformation, which is only to be effected by a reftoration of the Latin to the ufual dignity in your papers, which, of late, the Greek, to the great difpleafure of your female readers, has ufurped; for though the Latin has the recommendation of being as unintelligible to them as the Greek, yet being written of the fame character with their mother tongue, by the affift • Mr. Spectator, I Have for fome time made love to a lady, who received it with all the kind returns I ought to expect: but without any provocation, that I know of, the has of late thunned me with the utmost abhorrence, infomuch that the went out of church last Sunday in the midft of divine fervice, upon my coming into the fame pew. Pray, Sir, what muft I do in this business? Your fervant, of Mrs. Judith Lovebane, born in the year 1680. Mr. Spectator, Your humble fervant, Sufanna Lovebane.' E are feveral of us, gentlemen and la The fable of every poem is, according to Ariftotle's divifion, either fimple or implex. It is called fimple when there is no change of fortune in it; implex, when the fortune of the chief actor changes from bad to good, or from good to bad. The implex fable is thought to be the most perfect; I fuppofe, because it is more proper to ftir up the paffions of the reader, and to furprise him with a greater variety of accidents. The implex fable is therefore of two kinds; in the first the chief actor makes his way through a long feries of dangers and difficulties, until he arrives at honour and profperity, as we fee W dies, who board in the fame houfe, and in the story of Ulyffes. In the fecond, the chief after dinner one of our company, an agreeable man enough otherwife, ftands up and reads your paper to us all. We are the civileft people in the world to one another, and therefore I am forced to this way of defiring our reader, when he is doing this office, not to ftand afore the fire. This will be a general good to our family this cold weather. He will, I know, take it to be our common requeft when he comes to thefe words, "Pray, Sir, fit down ;" which I defire you to infert, and you will particularly oblige Your daily reader, I SIR, Charity Froft.' AM a great lover of dancing, but cannot perform fo well as fome others; however, by my out-of-the-way capers, and fome original grimaces, I do not fail to divert the company, particularly the ladies, who laugh immoderately all the time. Some, who pretend to be my friends, tell me they do it in derifion, and would advise me to leave it off, withal that I make myfelf ridiculous. I do not know what to do in this affair, but I am refolved not to give over upon any account, until I have the opinion of the Spectator. I Your humble fervant, John Trott. F Mr. Trott is not aukward out of time, he has a right to dance let who will laugh; but if he has no ear he will interrupt others; and I am of opinion he fhould fit ftill. Given under my hand this fifth of February, 1711-12. T The Spectator actor in the poem falls from fome eminent pitch of honour and profperity, into mifery and difgrace. Thus we fee Adam and Eve finking from a ftate of innocence and happiness, into the moft abject condition of fin and forrow. The most taking tragedies among the ancients, were built on this laft fort of implex fable, particularly the tragedy of Oedipus, which proceeds upon a ftory, if we may believe Ariftotle, the moft proper for tragedy that could be invented by the wit of man. I have taken fome pains in a former paper to fhew, that this kind of implex fable, wherein the event is unhappy, is more apt to affect an audience than that of the first kind; notwithstanding many excellent pieces among the ancients, as well as moft of those which have been written of late years in our own country, are raifed upon contrary plans. I muft however own, that I think this kind of fable, which is the most perfect in tragedy, is not fo proper for an heroic poem. Milton feems to have been fenfible of this imperfection in his fable, and has therefore en deavoured to cure it by feveral expedients; particularly by the mortification which the great adverfary of mankind meets with upon his return to the affembly of infernal spirits, as it is defcribed in a beautiful paffage in the tenth book; and likewife by the vifion wherein Adam at the clofe of the poem fees his offspring triumphing over his great enemy, and himself reftored to a happier Paradife than that from which he fell. There is another objection against Milton's fable, which is indeed almost the fame with the former, though placed in a different light, namely, that the hero in Paradife Loft is unfuccefsful, and by no means a match for his enemies. This gave occafion to Mr. Dryden's reflexion, that the devil was in reality Milton's hero. I think I have obviated this objection in my first paper. The Paradife Loft is an epic or a narrative poem, and he that looks for an hero in it, fearches for that which Milton never intended; but if he will needs fix the name of an hero upon any perfon in it, it is certainly the Meffah who is the hero, both in the principal action, and in the chief epifode. Paganism could not furnish out a real action for a fable greater than that of the Iliad or Æneid, and therefore an heathen could not form an higher notion of a poem than one of that kind, which they call an heroic. Whether Milton's is not of a fublimer nature I will not prefume to determine: it is fufficient that I fhew there is in the Paradife Loft all the greatness of plan, regularity of defign, and masterly beauties which we difcover in Homer and Virgil, |