God to it was made by the hands of that great whom it is confecrated. The Kings of Granajah and of the Six Nations believe that it was created with the earth, and produced on the fame day with the fun and moon. But, for my own part, by the best information that I could get of this matter, I am apt to think that this prodigious pile was fashioned into the fhape it now bears by feveral tools and inftruments, of which they have • a wonderful variety in this country. It was probably at first an huge mif-fhapen rock that grew upon the top of the hill, which the natives of the country (after having cut it into a kind of regular figure) bored and hollowed with incredible pains and induftry, until they had wrought in it all thofe beautiful vaults and caverns into which it is divided at this day. As foon as this rock was thus curioufly scooped to their liking, a prodigious number of hands muft have been employ⚫ed in chipping the outside of it, which is now as fmooth as the surface of a pebble; and is in feveral places hewn out into pillars that ftand like the trunks of fo many trees bound about the top with garlands of leaves. It is probable that when • this great work was begun, which must have been many hundred years ago, there was fome religion among this people; for they give it the name of a temple, and have a tradition that it was defigned for men to pay their devotions in. And • indeed there are feveral reasons which make us think that the natives of this country had formerly among them fome fort of worship; for they fet apart every feventh day as facred: but, " upon my going into one of thefe holy houfes on that day, I could not obferve any circumftance • of devotion in their behaviour. There was indeed a man in black who was mounted above the reft, and feemed to utter fomething with a great • deal of vehemence; but as for thofe underneath • him, I • him, instead of paying their worship to the Deity of the place, they were most of them bowing and courtesying to one another, and a confiderable number of them faft afleep. The queen of the country appointed two men to attend us, that had enough of our language to • make themselves underftood in fome few particulars. But we foon perceived thefe two were great • enemies to one another, and did not always agree in the fame ftory. We could make a fhift to ga⚫ther out of one of them, that this ifland was very much infefted with a monftrous kind of animals, in the fhape of men, called Whigs; and he often. told us, that he hoped we fhould meet with none ⚫ of them in our way, for that, if we did, they would be apt to knock us down for being kings. Our other interpreter used to talk very much of a kind of animal called a Tory, that was as great a monster as the Whig, and would treat us as ill for being foreigners. Thefe two creatures, it seems, are born with a fecret antipathy to one another, ⚫ and engage when they meet as naturally as an elephant and the rhinoceros. But, as we faw none of either of these species, we are apt to think that our guides deceived us with misrepresentations and • fictions, and amused us with an account of such monsters as are not really in their country. These particulars we made a fhift to pick out from the difcourfe of our interpreters; which we · put together as well as we could, being able to understand but here and there a word of what they faid, and afterwards making up the meaning of it < among ourfelves. The men of the country are very cunning and ingenious in handicraft works, but withal fo very idle, that we often faw young lufty raw-boned fellows carried up and down the streets in little covered rooms by a couple of porters, who are hired for that fervice. Their dress is likewife " very barbarous, for they almoft ftrangle themfelves VOL. I. † T • about about the neck, and bind their bodies with many ligatures, that we are apt to think are the occafion of feveral diftempers among them, which our country is entirely free from. Inftead of thofe beautiful feathers with which we adorn our heads, they often buy up a monftrous bufh of hair, which ¢ covers their heads, and falls down in a large fleece below the middle of their backs; with which they walk up and down the streets, and are as proud of it as if it was of their own growth. We were invited to one of their public diverfions, where we hoped to have feen the great men of their country running down a ftag, or pitching a bar, that we might have difcovered who were the perfons of the greatest abilities among them; but, inftead of that, they conveyed us into a huge room, lighted up with abundance of candles, where this lazy people fat ftill above three hours to fee ⚫ several feats of ingenuity performed by others, who it feems were paid for it. As for the women of the country, not being able to talk with them, we could only make our remarks upon them at a diftance. They let the hair of their heads grow to a great length; but as the men make a great fhow with heads of hair that are none of their own, the women, who they fay have very fine heads of hair, tie it up in a knot, • and cover it from being feen. The women look like angels, and would be more beautiful than the fun, were it not for little black spots that are apt to break out in their faces, and sometimes rife in very odd figures. I have obferved that those little < blemishes wear off very foon; but when they difappear in one part of the face, they are very apt to break out in another, infomuch that I have feen a fpot upon the forehead in the afternoon, which was upon the chin in the morning.' The author then proceeds to fhew the abfurdity of breeches and petticoats, with many other curious obfer obfervations, which I fhall referve for another occafion. I cannot, however, conclude this paper without taking notice, that amidst thefe wild remarks there now and then appears fomething very reasonable. I cannot likewife forbear obferving, that we are all guilty, in fome measure, of the fame narrow way of thinking, which we meet with in this abftract of the Indian journal, when we fancy the customs, dreffes, and manners of other countries are ridiculous and extravagant, if they do not resemble thofe of our own. C No. 51. SATURDAY, APRIL 28. Torquet ab obfcenis jam nunc fermonibus aurem. HOR. Ep. i. 1. ii. ver. 127. He from the taste obscene reclaims our youth. • Mr. SPECTATOR, POPE. MY fortune, quality, and perfon, are fuch as render me as confpicuous as any young. woman in town. It is in my power to enjoy it in • all its vanities, but I have, from a very careful education, contracted a great averfion to the forward air and fashion which is practifed in all pub. lic places and affemblies. I attribute this very much to the ftyle and manners of our plays. I was last night at the Funeral, where a confidentlover in the play, speaking of his mistress, cries • out-Ob that Harriot! to fold thefe arms about the waste of that beauteous, ftruggling, and at laft yielding fair! Such an image as this ought, by no means, to be prefented to a chafte and regular au T 2 dience.. dience. I expect your opinion of this fentence, ⚫ and recommend to your confideration, as a SPECTATOR, the conduct of the stage at present with relation to chaftity and modefty. I am, SIR, • Your conftant reader and well-wifher.' The complaint of this young lady is fo juft, that the offence is great enough to have difpleafed per- . fons who cannot pretend to that delicacy and modefty of which he is mistress. But there is a great deal to be faid in behalf of an author. If the audience would but confider the difficulty of keeping up a fprightly dialogue for five acts together, they would allow a writer, when he wants wit, and cannot please any otherwife, to help it out with a little fmuttinefs. I will anfwer for the poets, that no one ever writ bawdry for any other reafon but dearth of invention. When the author cannot strike out of himself any more of that which he has fuperior to those who make up the bulk of his audience, his natural recourfe is to that which he has in common with them; and a description which gratifies a sensual appetite will please, when the author has nothing about him to delight a refined imagination. It is to fuch a poverty we must impute this and all other fentences in plays, which are of this kind, and which are commonly termed luscious expreffions. This expedient, to fupply the deficiencies of wit, has been used more or lefs by moft of the authors who have fucceeded on the stage; though I know but one who has profeffedly writ a play upon the bafis of the defire of multiplying our fpecies, and that is the polite Sir George Etherege; if I underftand what the lady would be at in the play called She would if he could. Other poets have, here and there, given an intimation that there is this defign under all the disguises and affectations which a lady |