6 ፡ myself in the poffeffion of my new fortune. I have continued all Sir Roger's fervants, except fuch as it was a relief to difmifs into little 'beings within my manour: those who are in a lift of the good knight's own hand to be taken care of by me, I have quartered upon fuch as have taken new leafes of me, and added fo " many advantages during the lives of the perfons fo quartered, that it is the intereft of those whom they are joined with, to cherish and ⚫ befriend them upon all occafions. I find a 'confiderable fum of ready money, which I am 'laying out among my dependents at the com< mon intereft, but with a defign to lend it ac'cording to their merit, rather than according 6 · to their ability. I fhall lay a tax upon fuch as I have highly obliged, to become security to C " · " " me for fuch of their own poor youth, whether 'male or female, as want help towards getting ' into fome being in the world. I hope I fhall be able to manage my affairs fo, as to improve < my fortune every year, by doing acts of kind- · nefs. I will lend my money to the use of none 'but indigent men, fecured by fuch as have < " ceafed to be indigent by the favour of my fa'mily or myself. What makes this the more practicable, is, that if they will do any one ' good with my money, they are welcome to it · upon their own fecurity: and I make no ex· ceptions against it, because the perfons who ' enter into the obligations, do it for their own 'family. I have laid out four thousand pounds this way, and it is not to be imagined what a 'croud of people are obliged by it. In cafes where Sir Roger has recommended, I have lent 'money to put out children, with a claufe < which makes void the obligation, in cafe the 'infant dies before he is out of his apprentice< fhip; by which means the kindred and masters are extremely careful of breeding him to in'dustry, that he may repay it himfelf by his labour, in three years journey-work after his time is out, for the ufe of his fecurities. Op'portunities of this kind are all that have occurred fince I came to my eftate, but I affure you I will preferve a conftant difpofition to catch at all the occafions I can to promote the good and happiness of my neighbourhood. " There is a prejudice in favour of the way of life to which a man has been educated, which I know not whether it would not be faulty to overcome: it is like a partiality to the interest of one's own country before that of any other nation. It is from an habit of thinking, grown upon me from my youth spent in arms, that I have ever held gentlemen, who have preferved modefty, good-nature, justice, and humanity in a foldier's life, to be the most valuable and " worthy perfons of the human race. To pafs thro' imminent dangers, fuffer painful watchings, frightful alarms, and laborious marches for the greater part of a man's time, and pafs the rest in fobriety conformable to the rules of the most virtuous civil life, is a merit too great to deferve the treatment it ufually meets with among the other part of the world. But I affure you, Sir, were there not very " . But give me leave to lay before you a little < establishment which has grown out of my past T life, that, I doubt not, will adminifter great fatisfactiom to me in that part of it, whatever that is, which is to come. many who have this worth, we could never have feen the glorious events which we have in our days. I need not fay more to illustrate the character of a foldier, than to tell you he is the very contrary to him you obferve loud, faucy, and over-bearing in a red coat about town. But I was going to tell you, that in honour of the profeffion of arms, I have fet apart a certain fum of money for a table for 'fuch gentlemen as have ferved their country in the army, and will please from time to time to fojourn all, or any port of the year, at Coverley. Such of them as will do me that honour, fhall find horfes, fervants, and all 'things neceffary for their accommodation, and enjoyment of all the conveniencies of life in a pleasant various country. If Colonel Camperfelt be in town, and his abilities are not employed another way in the fervice, there is no man would be more welcome here. That gentleman's thorough knowledge in his profeffion, together with the fimplicity of his manners and goodness of his heart, would induce others like him to honour my abode; and I 'fhould be glad my acquaintance would take 'themselves to be invited or not, as their cha'racters have an affinity to his. : 'I would have all my friends know, that they 'need not fear, though I am become a country gentleman, I will trefpafs against their temperance and fobriety. No, Sir, I fhall retain 'fo much of the good fentiments for the condu& of life, which we cultivated in each other at our club as, to contemn all inordinate pleafures but particularly remember, with our beloved Tully, that the delight in food conffts in defire, not fatiety. They who moft paffionately purfue pleasure, feldomeft arrive at it. Now I am writing to a philofopher, I cannot forbear mentioning the fatisfaction I took in the paffage I read yesterday in the fame Tully. A nobleman of Athens made a com、 'pliment to Plato the morning after he had fup'ped at his houfe" "Your entertainments do "not only please when you give them, but also "the day after." I am, my worthy friend, William Sentry. N° 545. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25. Quin potiùs pacem æternam pa&tefque Hymenaos Exercemus 1 Let us in bonds of lafting peace unite, I Cannot but think the following letter from the Emperor of China to the Pope of Rome, propofing a coalition of the Chinese and Roman churches, will be acceptable to the curious. I must confefs I myfelf being of opinion, that the Emperor has as much authority to be interpreter to him he pretends to expound, as the Pope has to be a vicar of the facred perfor he takes upon him to reprefent, I was not a little pleafed with their treaty of alliance. What progrefs the negotiation between his Majefty of Rome and his Holiness of China makes, as we daily writers fay N. n 2 upon 1 upon fubjects where we are at a lofs, time will let us know. In the mean time, fince they agree in the fundamentals of power and authority, and differ only in matters of faith, we may expect the matter will go on without difficulty. Copia di littera del Re della China al Papa, interpretata dal Padre Segretario dell' India della Compagna di Giefu. A voi Benedetto fopra i benedetti P P, ed inter- TL favorito amico di Dio Gionata fettimo, Efendo arrivato il tempo in cui il fiore della reale noftro gioventu deve maturare i frutti della noura vecuezza, e confortare con quell' i defiderii de i populi noftri divoti, e propagare il feme di quella pianta che deve proteggerli, habbiamo fiabilito d'accompagnarci con una virgine eccelfa ad amorofa allattata alla mammella della leonefla forte e dell' agnella manfueta. Percio effendo ci ftato figurato fempre il voftro populo Europeo Romano per paefe di donne invitte, i forte, e caite; allongiamo la noftra mano potente, a fringere una di loro, e queftra fara una voftro nipote, o nipote di qualche altrograi Sa<cerdote Latino, che fia guardata dall' occhio dritto di Dio, fara feminata in lei l'autorita di Sara, la fedelta d'Efther, e la fapienza di Abba; la vogliamo con l'occhio che guarda il cielo, e la terra, e con la bocca dello conchiglia che fi pafce della ruggiada del matino La fua eta non paffi ducento corfi della Luna, la fua ftatura fia alta quanto la fpicca dritta del grano verde, e la fua groffezza quanto un manipolo di grano fecco. Noi la mandaremmo a veftire per li noftri Mandatici Ambafciadori, e chi la conduranno a noi, e noi incontraremmo alla riva del fiume grande facendola falire fuo noftro cocchio. Ella potra adorare apreffo di noi il fuo Dio, con venti < quatro altre a fua ellezione, e potra cantare con loro come la tortora alla primavera. " e confederato, ed ordiniamo che quefto fog li fia fegnato col nostro segno imperiale della noftra citta, capo del mondo, il quinto giorno della terza Lunatione, l'anno quarto del noftro imperio. • Sodisfando noi Padre a amico noftro queftra noftra brama, farete caggione di unire in perpetua cotetti voftri regni d'Europa al nostro dominante imperio, e fi abbracciranno le noftri leggi comme l'edere abbraccia la pianta, e noi medefemi fpargeremo del noftro feme realle in cotefte provincei, rifcaldando i letti di vostri Principi con il fuoco amorcio delle noftre Amazoni, d'alcune delle quali i noftri Mandatici Ambafciad ri vi porteranno le fomiglianze dedepinte. V. Confirmiamo di tenere in pace le due buone religiofo famiglie delli Mimionarii, gli'neri figlioli' d'Ignazio, e li bianchi e neri figlioli di Dominico, il cui configlio degl' uni e degl' altri ferve di fcorta del noftro regimento e di lume ad interpretare le divine legge come appunto fa lume l'oglia che fi getta in mare. In tanto alxandoci dal noftro trono per abbracciarvi, vi dichiariamo noftro conguinto THE HE favourite friend of God Gionotto the Seventh, most powerful above the most powerful of the earth, highest above the highest under the fun and moon, who fits on a throne of emerald of China, above one hundred steps of gold, to interpret the language of God to the faithful, and who gives life and death to one hundred and fifteen kingdoms, and one hundred and feventy islands; he writes with the quill of a virgin Ostrich, and fends health and increase of old age. Being arrived at the time of our age, in which the flower of our royal youth ought to ripen into fruit towards old age, to comfort therewith the defire of our devoted people, and to propagate the feed of the plant which must protect them; we have determined to accompany ourfelves with an high amorous virgin, fuckled at the breaft of a wild lionefs, and a meek lamb;' and imagining with ourselves that your European Roman people is the father of many unconquerable and chafte ladies; we ftretch out our 'powerful arm to embrace one of them, and the fhall be one of your neices, or the neice of fome other great Latin prieft, the darling of God's right eye. Let the authority of Sarah be fown in her, the fidelity of Efther, and the wifdom ❝ of Abba. We would have her eye like that of a dove, which may look upon heaven and earth, with the mouth of a fhell-fish to feed upon the dew of the morning; her age must not exceed two hundred courfes of the moon; let her ftature be equal to that of an ear of green corn, and her girth a handful. We will fend our Mandarines Ambaffadors to clothe her, and to conduct her to us, and we' will meet her on the back of the great river, 'making her to leap up into our chariot. She' may with us worthip her own God; together with twenty-four virgins of her own choofing; and she may fing with them as the turtle in the fpring. You, O father and friend, complying with this our defire, may be an occafion of uniting in perpetual friendship our high em'pire with your European kingdoms, and we may embrace your laws as the ivy embraces the tree; and we ourselves may scatter our royal blood into your provinces, warming the chief of your ' princes with the amorous fire of our Amazons, the the refembling pictures of fome of which our faid Mandarines Ambaffadors fhall convey to • you. of the performance. Mrs. Oldfield, who, it feems, is the heroic daughter, had fo just a conception of her part, that her action made what the spoke appear decent, juft, and noble. The paffions of terror and compaffion, they made me believe were very artfully railed, and the whole conduct of the play artful and furprifing. We authors do not relish the endeavours of players in this kind; but have the fame difdain as phyficians and lawyers have when attorneys and apothecaries give advice. Cibber himself took the liberty to tell me, that he expected I would do him justice, and allow the play well prepared for his fpectators, whatever it was for his readers. He added very many particulars not uncurious concerning the manner of taking an audience, and laying wait not only for their fuperficial applaufe, but alfo for infinuating into their affections and paffions, by the artful management of the look, voice and gefture of the speaker. I could not but confent that the heroic daughter appeared in the rehearsal a moving entertainment wrought out of a great and exemplary virtue. We exhort you to keep in peace two good religious families of Miffionaries, the black fons of Ignatius, and the white and black fons of Dominicus; that the counfel, both of the one and the other, may ferve as a guide to us in our government, and a light to interpret the divine law, as the oil caft into the fea produces light. 6 To conclude, we rifing up in our throne to embrace you, we declare you our ally and confederate; and have ordered this leaf to be fealed with our imperial fignet, in our royal city the head of the world, the eighth day of the third lunation, and the fourth year of our reign.' Letters from Rome fay, that the whole conversation both among gentlemen and ladies has turned upon the fubject of this epiftle ever fince it arrived. The Jefuit who tranflated it fays, it lofes much of the majefty of the original in the Italian. It feems there was an offer of the fame nature made by a predeceffor of the prefent Emperor to Lewis the Thirteenth of France, but no lady of that court would take the voyage, that fex not being at that time fo much ufed in politic negotiations. The manner of treating the Pope is, according to the Chinese ceremonial, very respectful: For the Emperor writes to him with the quill of a virgin Ostrich, which was never ufed before but in writing prayers. Inftructions are preparing for the lady who fhall have fo much zeal as to undertake this pilgrimage, and be an Empress for the fake of her religion. The principal of the Indian Miffionaries has given in a lift of the reigning fins in China, in order to prepare indulgencies neceflary to this lady and her retinue, in advancing the interefts of the Roman Catholic Religion in those kingdoms. 1 To the SPECTATOR-GENERAL. The advantages of action, show and dress on thefe occafions are allowable, because the merit confifts in being capable of impofing upon us to our advantage and entertainment. All that I was going to fay about the honefty of an author in the fale of his ware, was that he ought to own all that he had borrowed from others, and lay in a clear light all that he gives his fpectators for their money, with an account of the first manufacturers. But I intended to give the lecture of this day upon the common and prostituted behaviour of traders in ordinary commerce. The philofopher made it a rule of trade, that your profit ought to be the common profit; and it is unjuft to take any step towards gain, wherein the gain of even thofe to whom you fell is not alfo confulted. A man may deceive himself if he thinks fit, but he is no better than a cheat who fells any thing without telling the exceptions against it, as well as what is to be faid to its advantage. The fcandalous abuse of language and hardening of confcience, which may be obferved every day in going from one place to another, is what makes a whole city to an unprejudiced eye a den of thieves. It was no fmall pleasure to me for this reafon to remark, as I paffed by Cornhill, that the fhop of that worthy, honeft, though lately unfortunate citizen, Mr. John Morton, fo well known in the linen trade, is fitting up anew. Since a man has been in a faction to have paffed through it in fuch a mandiftreffed condition, it ought to be a great fatif ner as not to have loft the friendship of those who fuffered with him, but to receive an honourable It gives me very great fand, in buying all man- very perfons to whom the law had configned aft ever go, how much his man- estate. The misfortune of this citizen is like to prove of a very general advantage to thofe who fhall deal with him hereafter: for the ftock with which he now fets up being the loan of his friends, he cannot expofe that to the hazard of giving credit, but enters into a ready money trade, by which means he will both buy and fell the best and cheapest. He impofes upon himself a rule of affixing the value of each piece he fells to the piece itself; fo that the most ignorant fervant or child will be as good a buyer at his fhop as the most skilful in the trade. For all which, you have all his hopes and fortune for your fecurity. To encourage dealing after this way, there is not only the avoiding the the most infamous guilt in ordinary bartering; but this obfervation, that he who buys with ready money, faves as much to his family as the ftate exacts out of his land for the fecurity and fervice of his country; that is to fay, in plain English, fixteen will do as much as twenty fhillings. Mr. Spectator, M Y heart is fo fwelled with grateful fentiments on account of fome favours which I have lately received, that I must beg ⚫ leave to give them utterance amongst the croud of other anonymous correfpondents; and writing, I hope, will be as great a relief to my forced filence, as it is to your natural taciturnity -My generous benefactor will not fuffer me to fpeak to him in any terms of acknowledgement, but ever treats me as if he had the greatest obligations, and ufes me with a diftinction that is not to be expected from one fo much my fuperior in fortune, years, and understanding. He infinuates, as if he had a certain right to his favours from fome merit, which his particular indulgence to me has difcovered; but that is only a beautiful artifice to leffen the pain an honeft mind feels in receiving obligations, when there is no probability of returning them. A gift is doubled when accompanied with fuch a delicacy of addrefs; but what to me gives it an inexpreffible value is its coming from the man I moft efteem in the world. It pleases me indeed, as it is an advantage and addition to my fortune; but when I conider it as an instance of that good man's friendthip, it overjoys, it tranfports me; I look on it with a lover's eye, and no longer regard the gift, but the hand that 'gave it. For my friendíhip is fo intirely void of any gainful views, that it often gives me pain to think it should have been chargeable to him; and I cannot at fome melancholy hours help doing his generofity the injury of fearing it fhould cool on this account, and that the laft favour might be a fort of legacy of a departing ⚫ friendship. I confeis thefe fears feem very groundless and unjuft, but you must forgive them to the apprehenfion of one poffeffed of a great treafure, who is frighted at the moft diftant fhadow of • danger. Since I have thus far opened my heart to you, I will not conceal the fecret fatisfaction I feel there of knowing the goodness of my friend will not be unrewarded. I am pleafed with thinking the providence of the Almighty hath fufficient bleflings in ftore for him, and will certainly discharge the debt, though I am not made the happy inftrument of doing it. However nothing in my power shall be wanting to fhew my gratitude; I will make it the business of my life to thank him, and finall efteem (next to him) thofe my best friends, who give me the greatest affiftance in this good 'work. Printing this letter would be fome little inftance of my gratitude; and your fa. vour herein will very much oblige Nov. 24. T No. 547. THURSDAY, Nov. 27. Si vulnus tibi, monftratâ radice vel berba, Your most humble fervant, &c. (W. C.' HOR. Ep. 2. 1. 2. ver. 149. Suppofe you had a wound, and one had show'd An herb, which you apply'd, but found no good; Wou'd you be fond of this, increase your pain, And use the fruitless remedy again? Creech. I T is very difficult to praise a man without lowing correspondent has found out this uncommon art, and, together with his friends, has celebrated fome of my fpeculations after such a concealed but diverting manner, that if any of my readers think I am to blame in publishing my own commendations, they will allow I fhould have deserved their cenfure as much, had I fuppreffed the humour in which they are conveyed to me, ‹ SIR, Am often in a private affembly of wits of both fexes, where we generally defcant upon your fpeculations, or upon the subjects on which you have treated. We were laft Tuesday talking of thofe two volumes which you had lately published. Some were commending one of your papers, and fome ano'ther; and there was fcarce a fingle perfon in the company that had not a favourite speculation. Upon this a man of wit and learning 'told us, he thought it would not be amifs, if we paid the Spectator the fame compliment that is ' often made in our public prints to Sir William Read, Doctor Grant, Mr. Moor the apothecary, and other eminent phyficians, where it is ufual for the patients to publish the cures which have been made upon them, and the feveral diftemapers under which they laboured. The propofal took, and the lady where we vifited having the two laft volumes in large paper interleaved for her own private used ordered them to be brought down, and laid in the window, whither every one in the company retired,and writ down a particular advertisement in the ftile and phrafe of the like ingenious compofitions which we frequently meet with at the end of our news-papers. When we had 'finished our work, we read them with a great deal of mirth at the fire-fide, and agreed nemine contradicente, to get them transcribed, and fent to the Spectator. The gentleman who made the propofal entered the following advertise'ment before the title page, after which the rest 'fucceeded in order. I Remedium efficax & univerfum; or, an effec'tual remedy adapted to all capacities; fhewing how any perfon may cure himself of ill-nature, pride, party-fpleen, or any other distemper incident to the human fyftem, with an easy way ⚫ to know when the infection is upon him. This panacea is as innocent as bread, agreeable to the taste, and requires no confinement. It has not its equal in the univerfe, as abundance of the nobility and gentry throughout the kingdom have experienced., < N. B. No family ought to be without it.' Over the Spectators on Jealoufy, being the two firft in the third volume. " 'I William Crazy, aged threefcore and seven, having been for feveral years afflicted with uneafy doubts, fears, and vapours, occafioned by the youth and beauty of Mary my wife, aged 6 twenty-five, do hereby, for the benefit of the public, give notice, that I have found great relief from the two following dofes, having 'taken them two mornings together with a dish of chocolate. Witnefs my hand, &c.' For the benefit of the poor. In charity to fuch as are troubled with the 'disease of levee-hunting, and are forced to feek 'their bread every morning at the chamber < doors of great men, I A. B. do teftify, that for " many years past I laboured under this fashionable diftemper, but was cured of it by a remedy which I bought of Mrs. Baldwin, contained in a half-sheet of paper, marked N° 193, where < any one may be provided with the fame remedy · at the price of a single penny. • An infallible cure for hypochondriac melancholy, No. 173. 184. 191. 203. 209. 221. 233. • 235. 239. 245. 247. 251. Probatum eft. Charles Eafy. I Chriftopher Query, having been troubled 'with a certain diftemper in my tongue, which 'fhewed itself in impertinent and fuperfluous interrogatories, have not afked one unneceffary question fince my perufal of the prescription marked N° 228. The Britannic Beautifier, being an Effay on Modefty, No. 231, which gives fuch a delightful blushing colour to the cheeks of thofe that are white or pale, that it is not to be diftinguished from a natural fine complexion, nor ⚫ perceived to be artificial by the nearest friend: is nothing of paint, or in the leaft hurtful. It renders the face delightfully handsome; is not fubject to be rubbed off, and cannot be 'paralleled by either wath, powder, cosmetic, • &c. It is certainly the best beautifier in the ⚫ world. • Martha Gloworm. I Samuel Self, of the parish of St. James's, having a conftitution which naturally abounds with acids, made ufe of a paper of directions marked No. 177, recommending a healthful exercife called good-nature, and have found it a moft excellent fweetner of the blood. 'fhort letters, from the hands of the invisible doctor. They were marked at the bottom Nathaniel Henrooft, Alice Threadneedle, Re'becca Nettletop, Tom Lovelefs, Mary Meanwell, Thomas Smokey, Anthony Freeman, Tom Meggot, Ruftic Sprightly, &c. which have had fo good an effect upon me, that I now find myself chearful, lightfome and eafy; ' and therefore do recommend them to all fuch as labour under the fame diftemper. Not having room to infert all the advertifements which were fent me, I have only picked out fome few from the third volume, referving the fourth for another opportu⚫nity. No 548. FRIDAY, Nov. 28. -Vitiis nemo fine nascitur, optimus ille Hox. Sat. 3, 1. 1. ver. 68. There's none but has fome fault, and he's the beft, Most virtuous he, that's spotted with the least. • Mr. Spectator, Nov. 27, 1712. I 6 < Have read this day's paper with a great deal of pleasure, and could fend you an account of feveral elixirs and antidotes in your third volume, which your correfpondents have not taken notice of in their advertisements; and at the fame time must own to you, that I have 'feldom seen a shop furnished with fuch a variety ' of medicaments, and in which there are fewer foporifics. The feveral vehicles you have in' vented for conveying your unacceptable truths to us, are what I most particularly admire, as I am afraid they are fecrets which will die with you. I do not find that any of your critical effays are taken notice of in this paper, ' notwithstanding I look upon them to be ex'cellent cleanfers of the brain, and could ven " · ture to fuperfcribe them with an advertisement which I have lately feen in one of our newspapers, wherein there is an account given of a fovereign remedy for reftoring the tafte of all 'fuch perfons whofe palates have been vitiated by diftempers, unwholefome food, or any the like occafions. But to let fall the allufion, ' notwithstanding your criticifms, and particularly the candour which you have difcovered in them, are not the least taking part of your 'works, I find your opinion concerning poetical juftice, as it is expreffed in the first part of your fortieth Spectator, is controverted by fome eminent critics; and as you now feem, to our great grief of heart, to be winding up your bottoms, I hoped you would have enlarged a little upon that fubject. It is indeed but a fingle paragraph in your works, and I believe thofe who have read it with the fame attention I have done, will think there is nothing to be 'objected against it. I have however, drawn up 'fome additional arguments to ftrengthen the opinion which you have there delivered, having ' endeavoured to go to the bottom of that mat6 ter, which you may either publifh or fupprefs as you think fit. Whereas I, Elizabeth Rainbow, was trou'bled with that diftemper in my head, which about a year ago was pretty epidemical < 6 among the ladies, and difcovered itfelf in the colour of their hoods, having made ufe of the doctor's Cephalic Tincture, which he exhibited to the public in one of his last year's I recovered in a very few days. papers, 'I George Gloom, having for a long time been troubled with the spleen, and being advifed by my friends to put myfelf into a courfe of Steele, did for that end make ufe of re medies conveyed to me feveral mornings, la S |
