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says Sir Roger; you ought to lock up your management or enjoyment of it. The natural kings better; they will carry off the body too, consequence of this was (though I wanted no if you don't take care.' director, and soon had fellows who found me The glorious names of Henry the Fifth and out for a smart young gentleman, and led me queen Elizabeth gave the knight great oppor-into all the debaucheries of which I was capatunities of shining, and of doing justice to ble), that my companions and I could not well Sir Richard Baker, who, as our knight ob- be supplied without running in debt, which I served with some surprise, had a great many did very frankly, till I was arrested, and conkings in him, whose monuments he had not veyed, with a guard strong enough for the seen in the abbey. most desperate assassin, to a bailiff's house,

For my own part, I could not but be pleas- where I lay four days, surrounded with very ed to see the knight show such an honest pas- merry, but not very agreeable company. sion for the glory of his country, and such a As soon as I had extricated myself from respectful gratitude to the memory of its that shameful confinement, I reflected upon princes. it with so much horror, that I deserted all

I must not omit, that the benevolence of my old acquaintance, and took chambers my good old friend, which flows out towards in an inn of court, with a resolution to stuevery one he converses with, made him very dy the law with all possible application. I kind to our interpreter, whom he looked upon trifled away a whole year in looking over a as an extraordinary man: for which reason thousand intricacies, without a friend to aphe shook him by the hand at parting, telling him, that he should be very glad to see him at his lodgings in Norfolk-buildings, and talk over these matters with him more at leiL.

sure.

No. 330.] Wednesday, March 19, 1711-12.
Maxima debetur pueris reverentia ·

ply to in any case of doubt; so that I only lived there among men, as little children are sent to school before they are capable of improvement, only to be out of harm's way. In the midst of this state of suspense, not knowing how to dispose of myself, I was sought for by a relation of mine, who, upon observing a good inclination in me, used me with great familiarity, and carried me to his seat in the country. When I came Juv. Sat. xiv. 47. there, he introduced me to all the good comTo youth the greatest reverence is due. pany in the county; and the great obligation I have to him for this kind notice, and resiTHE following letters, written by two very dence with him ever since, has made so strong considerate correspondents, both under twen- an impression upon me, that he has an auty years of age, are very good arguments of thority of a father over me, founded upon the the necessity of taking into consideration the love of a brother. I have a good study of many incidents which affect the education books, a good stable of horses always at my of youth.

• SIR,

command; and, though I am not now quite eighteen years of age, familiar converse on his part, and a strong inclination to exert myself 'I have long expected that, in the course of on mine, have had an effect upon me that your observations upon the several parts of makes me acceptable wherever I go. Thus human life, you would one time or other fall Mr. Spectator, by this gentleman's favour and upon a subject, which, since you have not, I patronage, it is my own fault if I am not wiser take the liberty to recommend to you. What and richer every day I live. I speak this as I mean is, the patronage of young modest men well by subscribing the initial letters of my to such as are able to countenance, and intro- name to thank him, as to incite others to an duce them into the world. For want of such imitation of his virtue. It would be a worthy assistances, a youth of merit languishes in ob- work to show what great charities are to be scurity or poverty when his circumstances are done without expense, and how many noble low, and runs into riot and excess when his for-actions are lost, out of inadvertency, in pertunes are plentiful. I cannot make myself bet-sons capable of performing them, if they were ter understood, than by sending you a history put in mind of it. If a gentleman of figure of myself, which I shail desire you to insert in a county would make his family a pattern in your paper, it being the only way I have of sobriety, good sense, and breeding, and would of expressing my gratitude for the highest kindly endeavour to influence the education obligations imaginable. and growing prospect of the young gentry

'I am the son of a merchant of the city of about him, I am apt to believe it would save London, who, by many losses, was reduced him a great deal of stale beer on a public ocfrom a very luxuriant trade and credit to very casion, and render him the leader of his counnarrow circumstances, in comparison to that ty from their gratitude to him, instead of of his former abundance. This took away being a slave to their riots and tumults in the vigour of his mind, and all manner of at- order to be made their representative. The tention to a fortune which he now thought des- same thing might be recommended to all who perate; insomuch that he died without a will, have made any progress in any parts of knowhaving before buried my mother, in the midst edge, or arrived at any degree in a profession. of his other misfortunes. I was sixteen years Others may gain preferments and fortunes from of age when I lost my father; and an estate their patrons; but I have, I hope, received of 2001. a year came into my possession, with- from mine good habits and virtues. I repeat out friend or guardian to instruct me in the to you, sir, my request to print this, in return VOL. II.

4

for all the evil an helpless orphan shall ever
escape, and all the good he shall receive in
this life; both which are wholly owing to this
gentleman's favour to,
Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

MR. SPECTATOR,

S. P.

6

papers and endeavour to restore human faces to their ancient dignity, that; upon a month's warning, he would undertake to lead up the fashion himself in a pair of whiskers.'

I smiled at my friend's fancy; but, after we parted, could not forbear reflecting on the metamorphosis our faces have undergone in this particular.

The beard, conformable to the notion of my friend Sir Roger, was for many ages looked upon as the type of wisdom. Lucian more than once rallies the philosophers of his time, who endeavoured to rival one another in beards; and represents a learned man who stood for a professorship in philosophy, as unqualified for it by the shortness of his beard.

WHEN I was last with my friend Sir Roger in Westminster-abbey, I observe that he stood longer than ordinary before the bust of a venerable old man. I was at a loss to guess the reason of it; when, after some time, he pointed to the figure, and asked me if I did not think that our forefathers looked much wiser in their beards than we do without them? For my 'I am a lad of about fourteen. I find a part,' says he, 'when I am walking in my galmighty pleasure in learning. I have been at lery in the country, and see my ancestors, who the Latin school four years. I don't know I many of them died before they were of my age, ever played truant, or neglected any task my I cannot forbear regarding them as so many old master set me in my life. I think on what I patriarchs, and at the same time, looking upon read in school as I go home at noon and night, myself as an idle smock-faced young fellow. I and so intently, that I have often gone half a love to see your Abrahams, your Isaacs, and mile out of my way, not minding whither I your Jacobs, as we have them in old pieces of went. Our maid tells me she often hears me tapestry, with beards below their girdles, that talk Latin in my sleep, and I dream two or cover half the hangings.' The knight added, three nights in a week I am reading Juvenal' if I would recommend beards in one of my and Homer. My master seems as well pleased with my performance as any boy's in the same class. I think, if I know my own mind, I would choose rather to be a scholar than a prince without learning. I have a very good, affectionate father; but though very rich, yet so mighty near, that he thinks much of the charges of my education. He often tells me he believes my schooling will ruin him; that I cost him God knows what, in books. I tremble to tell him I want one. I am forced to keep my pocket-money, and lay it out for a book now and then, that he don't know of. He has ordered my master to buy no more books for me, but says he will buy them himself. I asked him for Horace t'other day, and he told me in a passion he did not believe I Ælian, in his account of Zolius, the pretendwas fit for it, but only my master had a mind ed critic, who wrote against Homer and Plato, to make him think had got a great way in and thought himself wiser than all who had my learning. I am sometimes a month behind gone before him, tells us that this Zoilus had other boys in getting the books my master a very long beard that hung down upon his gives orders for. All the boys in the school, breast, but no hair upon his head, which he but I, have the classic authors in usum del- always kept close shaved, regarding, it seems, phini, gilt and lettered on the back. My fa- the hairs of his head as so many suckers, ther is often reckoning up how long I have been which if they had been suffered to grow, might at school, and tells me he fears I do little good. have drawn away the 'nourishment from his My father's carriage so discourages me, that chin, and by that means have starved his beard. he makes me grow dull and melancholy. My I have read somewhere, that one of the popes master wonders what is the matter with me; refused to accept an edition of a saint's works, I am afraid to tell him; for he is a man that which were presented to him, because the loves to encourage learning, and would be apt saint, in his effigies before the book, was drawn to chide my father, and, not knowing his tem-without a beard. per may make him worse. Sir, if you have We see by these instances what homage the any love for learning, I beg you would give me world has formerly paid to beards; and that some instructions in this case, and persuade a barber was not then allowed to make those parents to encourage their children when they depredations on the faces of the learned, which find them diligent and desirous of learning. have been permitted him of late years. I have heard some parents say, they would do any thing for their children, if they would but mind their learning: I would be glad to be in their place. Dear sir, pardon my boldness. If you will but consider and pity my case, I will pray for your prosperity as long as I live.

London,

March 2, 1711.
T.

Your humble servant,
'JAMES DISCIPLUS.'

No. 331.] Thursday, March 20, 1711 12.
Stolidam prabet tibi vellere barbam.
Pers. Sat. ii. 28.
Holds out his foolish beard for thee to pluck.

Accordingly several wise nations have been so extremely jealous of the least ruffle offered to their beards, that they seem to have fixed the point of honour principally in that part. The Spaniards were wonderfully tender in this particular. Don Quevedo, in his third vision on the last jugment, has carried the humour very far, when he tells us that one of his vainglorious countrymen, after having received sentence, was taken into custody by a couple of evil spirits; but that his guides happening to disorder his mustaches, they were forced to recompose them with a pair of curling-irons before they could get him to file off.

If we look into the history of our own nation, knowledged you had not then a perfect history we shall find that the beard flourished in the of the whole club, you might very easily omit Saxon heptarchy, but was very much discou- one of the most notable species of it, the sweatraged under the Norman line. It shot out, ers, which may be reckoned a sort of dancinghowever, from time to time, in several reigns masters too It is, it seems; the custom, for under different shapes. The last effort it made half a dozen, or more, of these well-disposed saseems to have been in queen Mary's days, as thevages, as soon as they have enclosed the person curious reader may find if he pleases to peruse upon whom they design the favour ofa sweat, to the figures of Cardinal Pole and Bishop Gar-whip out their swords, and, holding them padiner though, at the same time, I think it may be questioned, if zeal against popery has not induced our protestant painters to extend the beards of these two persecutors beyond their natural dimensions, in order to make them appear the more terrible.

I find but few beards worth taking notice of in the reign of King James the first.

rallel to the horizon, they describe a sort of magic circle round about him with the points. As soon as this piece of conjuration is per formed, and the patient without doubt already beginning to wax warm, to forward the operation, that member of the circle towards whom he is so rude as to turn his back first, runs bis sword directly into that part of the patient

During the civil wars there appeared one, whereon school-boys are punished; and as it is. which makes too great a figure in story to be very natural to imagine this will soon make passed over in silence: I mean that of the re-him tack about to some other point, every gendoubted Hudibras, an account of which Butler has transmitted to posterity in the following lines:

His tawny beard was th' equal grace
Both of his wisdom and his face;
In cut and dye so like a tile,
A sudden view it would beguile:
The upper part thereof was whey,

The nether orange mixt with grey.'

The whisker continued for some time among us after the expiration of beards; but this is a subject which I shall not here enter upon, having discussed it at large in a distinct treatise, which I keep by me in manuscript, upon

the mustache.

tleman does himself the same justice as often as he receives the affront. After this jig has gone two or three times round, and the patient is thought to have sweat sufficiently, he is very handsomely rubbed down by some attendants, who carry with them instruments for that purpose, and so discharged. This relation I had from a friend of mine, who has lately been under this discipline. He tells me he had the honour to dance before the emperor himself, not without the applause and acclamations both of his imperial majesty and the whole ring; though I dare say, neither 1. would have merited any reputation by his ac nor any of his acquaintance, ever dreamt he tivity.

If my friend Sir Roger's project of introducing beards should take effect, I fear the luxury "I can assure you, Mr. Spectator, I was very of the present age would make it a very ex-near being qualified to have given you a faithpensive fashion. There is no question but the ful and painful account of this walking bagnio, beaux would soon provide themselves with false if I may so call it, myself. Going the other ones of the lightest colours, and the most im- night along Fleet-street, and having, out of cumoderate lengths. A fair beard of the tapestry riosity, just entered into discourse with a wansize, which Sir Roger seems to approve, could dering female who was travelling the same way, not come under twenty guineas. The famous a couple of fellows advanced towardr us, drew golden beard of Esculapius would hardly be their swords, and cried out to each other," A more valuable than one made in the extrava-sweat! a sweat!" Whereon, suspecting they gance of the fashion. were some of the ringleaders of the bagnio, I also drew my sword and demanded a parley; but finding none would be granted me, and perceiving others behind them filing off with great diligence to take me in flank, I began to luckily betaking myself to a pair of heels, which sweat for fear of being forced to it: but very I had good reason to believe would do me justice, I instantly got possession of a very snug corner in a neighbouring alley that lay in my rear; which post I maintained for above half an hour with great firmness and resolution, though not letting this success so far overcome me as to make me unmindful of the circumNaribus horum hominum-Hor. Sat. iii. Lib. 1. 29. spection that was necessary to be observed up

Besides, we are not certain that the ladies would not come into the mode, when they take the air on horseback. They already appear in hats and feathers, coats and periwigs; and I they would have their riding-beards on the see no reason why we may not suppose that same occasion.

N. B. I may give the moral of this discoure in another paper.

No. 332.] Friday, March 21, 1712.

-Minos aptus acutis

He cannot bear the raillery of the age.

DEAR SHORT FACE,

X.

Creech

on my advancing again towards the street; by which prudence and good management I made a handsome and orderly retreat, having suffered 'IN your speculation of Wednesday last, you no other damage in this action than the loss of have given us some account of that worthy my baggage, and the dislocation of one of my society of brutes the Mohocks, wherein you shoe heels, which last I am just now informed have particularly specified the ingenious per- is in a fair way of recovery. These sweaters, formances of the lion-trippers, the dancing- by what I can learn by my friend, and by as masters, and the tumblers: but as you ac- near a view as I was able to take of them my

self, seem to me to have at present but a rude | No. 333.] Saturday, March 22, 1711-12.
kind of discipline amongst them.
It is proba-
vocat in certamina divos.-Virg.
ble, if you would take a little pains with them,
But
they might be brought into better order.
He calls embattled deities to arms.
I'll leave this to your own discretion; and will
only add, that if you think it worth while to
insert this by way of caution to those who
have a mind to preserve their skins whole
from this sort of cupping, and tell them at
the same time the hazard of treating with
night-walkers, you will perhaps oblige others,

as well as

We are now entering upon the sixth book of Paradise Lost, in which the poet describes the battle of the angels; having raised his reader's expectation, and prepared him for it by several passages in the preceding books. I vations on the former books, having puromitted quoting these passages in my obserposely reserved them for the opening of this, the subject of which gave occasion to them. The author's imagination was so inflamed with P. S. My friend will have me acquaint you, this great scene of action, that wherever he that though he would not willingly detract speaks of it, he rises, if possible, above himself. from the merit of that extraordinary strokes- Thus, where he mentions Satan in the beginman Mr. Sprightly, yet it is his real opinion, ning of his poem,

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'Your very humble servant,
JACK LIGHTFOOT.'

that some of those fellows who are employed as rubbers to his new-fashioned bagnio, have struck as bold strokes as ever he did in his life.

'I had sent this four-and-twenty hours sooner, if I had not had the misfortune of being in a great doubt about the orthography of the word bagnio. I consulted several dictionaries, but found no relief: at last having recourse both to the bagnio in Newgate-street, and to that in Chancery-lane, and finding the original manuscripts upon the sign-posts of each to agree literally with my own spelling, I returned home full of satisfaction, in order to despatch this epistle.'

MR. SPECTATOR,

'As you have taken most of the circumstances of human life into your consideration, we the underwritten thought it not improper for us also to represent to you our condition. We are three ladies who live in the country, and the greatest improvement we make is by reading.

Him the almighty Power

Hurl'd headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky,
With hideous rain and combustion, down
To bottomless perdition, there to dwell
In adamantine chains and penal fire,
Who durst defy th' Omnipotent to arms.

We have likewise several noble hints of it in the infernal conference:

O prince! chief of many throned powers, That led th' embattled seraphim to war, Too well I see and rue the dire event, That with sad overthrow and foul defeat Hath lost us heav'n; and all this mighty host In horrible destruction laid thus low. But see! the angry victor has recall'd His ministers of vengeance and pursuit Back to the gates of heav'n. The sulphurous hail Shot after us in storm, o'erblown, hath laid The fiery surge, that from the precipice Of heav'n received us falling; and the thunder, Wing'd with red lightning and impetuous rage, Perhaps has spent his shafts, and ceases now To bellow through the vast and boundless deep. There are several other very sublime images We have taken a small journal of on the same subject in the first book, as also in our lives, and find it extremely opposite to the second: your last Tuesday's speculation. We rise by seven, and pass the beginning of each day in devotion, and looking into those affairs that fall within the occurrences of a retired life; in the afternoon we sometimes enjoy the good company of some friend or neighbour, or else work or read at night we retire to our cham- of this battle, but in such images of greatness bers, and take leave of each other for the whole and terror as are suitable to the subject. Anight at ten o'clock. We take particular care mong several others I cannot forbear quoting never to be sick of a Sunday. Mr. Spectator. ed as presiding over the chaos, speaks in the that passage where the Power, who is describ we are all very good maids, but ambitious of characters which we think more lauda-second book: ble, that of being very good wives. If any of your correspondents inquire for a spouse for an honest country gentleman, whose estate is not dipped, and wants a wife that can save half his revenue, and yet make a better figure than any of his neighbours of the same estate, with finer-bred women, you shall have further notice from,

T.

'Sir,

'Your courteous readers,

'MARTHA BUSIE,

'What when we fled amain, pursued and struck
With heav'n's afflicting thunder, and besought
The deep to shelter us; this hell then seem'd
A refuge from those wounds

In short, the poet never mentions any thing

Thus Satan; and him thus the Anarch old,
With fault'ring speech and visage incompos'd,
Answer'd, "I know thee, stranger, who thou art
That mighty leading angel, who of late

Made head against heaven's King, though overthrown
I saw and heard for such a num'rous host
Fled not in silence through the frighted deep

With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout,

Confusion worse confounded; and heaven's gates
Pour'd out by millions her victorious bands
Pursuing

It required great pregnancy of invention, and strength of imagination, to fill this battle 'DEBORAH THRIFTY, with such circumstances as should raise and astonish the mind of the reader; and at the

'ALICE EARLY.'

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same time an exactness of judgment, to avoid very much swells the idea, by bringing up to every thing that might appear light or trivial. the reader's imagination all the woods that Those who look into Homer are surprised to grew upon it. There is further a greater beaufind his battles still rising one above another, ty in his singling out by names these three reand improving in horror to the conclusion of markable mountains so well known to the the Iliad. Milton's fight of angels is wrought Greeks. This last is such a beauty, as the up with the same beauty. It is ushered in scene of Milton's war could not possibly furwith such signs of wrath as are suitable to nish him with. Claudian, in his fragment Omnipotence incensed. The first engagement upon the giant's war, has given full scope to is carried on under a cope of fire, occasioned that wildness of imagination which was naby the flights of innumerable burning darts tural to him. He tells us that the giants tore and arrows which are discharged from either up whole islands by the roots, and threw them host. The second onset is still more terrible, at the gods. He describes one of them in paras it is filled with those artificial thunders, ticular taking up Lemnos in his arms, and which seem to make the victory doubtful, and whirling to the skies, with all Vulcan's shop produce a kind of consternation even in the in the midst of it.

Another tears up mount

good angels. This is followed by the tear-Ida, with the river Enipeus, which ran down ing up of mountains and promontories; till the sides of it; but the poet, not content to in the last place Messiah comes forth in the describe him with this mountain upon his fulness of majesty and terror. The pomp of shoulders, tells us that the river flowed down his appearance, amidst the roaring of his his back as he held it up in that posture. It thunders, the flashes of his lightnings, and is visible to every judicious reader, that such the noise of his chariot-wheels, is described ideas savour more of the burlesque than of with the utmost flights of human imagina-the sublime. They proceed from a wantonness of imagination and rather divert the There is nothing in the first and last day's mind than astonish it. Milton has taken engagement, which does not appear natural, every thing that is sublime in these several and agreeable enough to the ideas most read-passages, and composes out of them the folers would conceive of a fight between two ar-lowing great image:

tion.

mies of angels.

From their foundations loos'ning to and fro,
They pluck'd the seated hills, with all their load,
Rocks, waters, woods, and by the shaggy tops
Uplifting bore them in their hands.

We have the full majesty of Homer in this short description, improved by the imagination of Claudian, without its puerilities.

I need not point out the description of the fallen angels seeing the promontories hanging over their heads in such a dreadful manner, which are so conspicuous, that they cannot with the other numberless beauties in this book, escape the notice of the most ordinary reader.

The second day's engagement is apt to startle an imagination which has not been raised and qualified for such a description, by the reading of the ancient poets, and of Homer in particular. It was certainly a very bold thouht in our author, to ascribe the first use of artillery to the rebel angels. But as such a pernicious invention may be well supposed to have proceeded from snch authors so it enters very properly into the thoughts of that being, who is all along described as aspiring to the majesty of his Maker. Such engines were the only instruments he could have made use of to imitate those thunders, that in all poetry, both sacred and profane, are represented as the arms of the There are indeed so many wonderful strokes Almighty. The tearing up the hills was not of poetry in this book, and such a variety of altogether so daring a thought as the former. sublime ideas, that it would have been imposWe are, in some measure, prepared for such sible to have given them a place within the an incident by the description of the giant's bounds of this paper. Besides that I find it in war, which we meet with among the ancient a great measure done to my hand at the end poets. What still made this circumstance the of my lord Roscommon's Essay on Translated more proper for the poet's use, is the opinion Poetry. I shall refer my reader thither for of many learned men, that the fable of the some of the master-strokes of the sixth book giant's war, which makes as great a noise in of Paradise Lost, though at the same time antiquity, and gave birth to the sublimest de- there are many others which that noble author scription in Hesiod's works, was an allegory has not taken notice of. founded upon this very tradition of a fight between the good and bad angels.

Milton, notwithstanding the sublime genius he was master of, has in this book drawn to It may, perhaps, be worth while to consider his assistance all the helps he could meet with with what judgment Milton, in this narra ion, among the ancient poets. The sword of Mi has avoided every thing that is mean and tri-chael, which makes so great a havoc among vial in the description of the Latin and Greek the bad angels, was given him, we are told, poet's; and at the same time improved every out of the armoury of God:

great hint which he met with in their works
upon this subject. Homer, in that passage
which Longinus has celebrated for its sublime-
ness, and which Virgil and Ovid have copied
after him, tells us, that the giants threw Ossa
upon Olympus, and Pelion upon Ossa.
adds an epithet to Pelion (eivoriquλnov) which

He

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