N° 639. Friday, January 14. In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas 'A' Ovid. Metam. LIGHTING the other Night out of a Coach, I ftepp'd by chance into a Puddle over my Shoes, and wetted my Feet; which put me, as I am very old and provident of my Health, into a great Con-fternation, and I cry'd out vehemently to the Coachman to fhew me any Place with a Fire, that I might dry my felf by. The only Accommodation that he could find me, was in a little blind Alehoufe: I was glad of any Thing, and fuffered my felf to be introduced accordingly; all the while I was comforting my Feet, and refreshing 'em with a Rub of warm Napkins, to divert any felf a little in this Circumftance, that I thought very difaftrous and doleful, I fell into Talk with a young. Fellow in a Threadbare Scarlet Coat, that fat fmoking. in the Chimney-Corner. He had a good Look and handfom Carriage, a genteel Accent, and a mannerly Turn of Phrafe, which made me fuspect him fome Gentleman in Difguife, which feem'd rather to be caufed by Diftress than any other Reafon; this made me the more willing to talk with him. I found he was defirous to fpeak in fecret, and would be backward otherwise in revealing to me his Heart, which yet he feem'd ready, frankly and fully to open to me. I gave a Sign to the Man of the Houfe, who 'till that time attended upon me, to withdraw; and then the Gentleman, after a few Paufes of Modefty, caufed in him by being unacquainted with the Sharpness required in fo low a Condition, made me the ensuing Relation; SIR, (faid he ) I am a broken Officer, who bore a Colours, and have fince the Peace undergone a deal of Hardship and Difficulty, in the various Courses of my Life; Life; I have Children, Sir, Sir, (fays he) with a Sigh, that feem'd to vent inutterable Grief, I am Married, and here he broke off. He was mightily depreffed in Spirits at firft, 'till I infufed into him a proper Gaity, and then he told me, in very ludicrous Terms, that when Poverty began to feize him, his Shifts were as follow; HE boarded fix Days upon his Shoe-buckles. THAT he drank up heartily two Pair of Silk Stockings in the fame Time. THAT this Cloke covered him from the Cold for two Months, after 'twas gone out of his Hands, and placed him in a very good Lodging. THAT during that Time he wash'd his Linen with two Pair of Gold-fringed Gloves. THAT he was a long time before he could mumble up the Pommel of his Sword, the Hilt being Silver; the Guard fenced against a Famine for a Month, and the Grasp served him with Bread and Salt. His Lac'd Coat cloth'd him with a thin Camblet of the fame Colour at the Brokers, for the Depth of Winter, put five Ounces in his Pocket, and placed him in new Credit among the Corps, and furnished him with many a Treat. HIS Beauifh Wig kept him up in a Club of Men of equal Rank with himself. HIS Campaigner, being well twifted, and of a light Colour, bought him a Black one, which he now wears, of a Valet of the Duke D'Aumont's, and purchafed him two or three Pounds of Saufages. HE toffed his Hat into the Frying-pan, and made a Beef-stake of it, and drank up the Hat-band. HE turned fix Pair of new white Gloves into one Pair of Shoes. AND bought two Pair of Stockings with his Ruffles. HE has now got a Jofephus, that cost him half a dozen fine Holland Shirts. HE fhew'd me an old Black-Silk Cravat, that he had flit, and made into a pair of Garters. AND with a fine Gold Sword-Knot, which used to adorn it, he has bought him a Second-hand' BrasenHilted Sword. THEN THEN he eat up his Buttons; and his Watch went four Months for Lodging, without giving him the Trouble of once winding it up. HE fhaved himself with eight or nine Perfumes of Charles Lilly's, converted into Wafh-Balls, and turn'd his Blade into a Razor. HE made as many Metamorphofes as are in Ovid, and too many to recount at present. HE got Credit for this laft Fortnight, from his Landlady, with a Wash he took not long fince from a Lady of Quality, and is promised a great deal more for a Pot of Paint; tho' fhe is really a Presbyterian, and she has been fince obferved to have more white and ruddy Colour than usually is natural; but then fhe only takes it to keep it out of ill Hands it may get into. HE filled the Infide of his Belly, this Evening, with what he wore on the Outside, ever fince he left off the laudable Cuftom of wearing Gloves; I mean, he made a Muff that was form'd of a Beaver-Skin, into a VealCutlet. AND expects to pifs out the Silver Ring, by which he hung it upon a Button against the Wall; and is to Morrow to be upon a Level with a Common-Beggar, &.c. I found in my Breast a very particular Kind of Feeling, which feemed to refult from the Touches of two Paffions at once, I mean, Compaffion and the Joy of having a deferving indigent Man's Relief in my Power. HE has an uncommon way of Thinking, that is, as delicate as it is uncommon. And fince it seems to be able to entertain others, I thought proper to put him in a way of diverting the World and himself too; I proposed him to write now and then a Spectator. THE poor Half-pay, is tranfported with this, intends to grope his Way better thro' the World with his Quill, than he could ever yet carve it out with his Sword, in what he calls the happy Days of War. I begg'd of him to take Earneft, and placed in his Hands half a dozen Guineas, wrapp'd up in a Note that directed him where to find me; and left him in a very good Humour. SO that hereafter, when you fee any of these Papers, written in a more Bold and Daring Manner than ordinary, and with an Air truly Militant, remember then, that Polemicus writes the Spectator, and to commend him the more, think of his having been a Soldier. W N 640. Monday, January 17. Marriage the happiest Bond of Love might be, Ld. Lanfdown's British Enchanters. O oblige my Correfpondent, I fhall infert his following Letter intire; which fhall ferve for the Entertaintment of this Day; tho' I must own, I cannot give into his Sentiments in every Point; but more of that hereafter. Mr. SPECTATOK, AM MONG the various Errors of our Lives, whofe Reformation falls properly under your Cognifance, I don't remember you ever touch'd upon that common Mistake most Parents run into, of not only oppofing their Children's Inclinations, but even obtruding on them, as Companion for Life, (to gratify a Mercenary, or fome other Principle as little juftifiable) Perfons fo difagreeable, that they have no Profpect of ever enjoying, with them, the leaft Share of Happiness; but, from the Minute of entering into the matrimonial Noofe, look. upon themselves, as thence forward, facrific'd to a continued State of Mifery. THIS is an Evil, which, as it principally regards the Welfare of our Lives, deferves a more particular Animadverfion; I fhall therefore beg leave to fay something on this Head, in hopes, that if you don't think me fit to appear in Print, and therefore deny me a Place in your Paper, I may, at least, be fo ferviceable to the Publick, Publick, as to engage your own proper Sentiments on this Subject. "TIS a Matter of fome Difficulty, to diveft People of a Prejudice, which they receive from a fordid Adherence to Intereft, and a falfe Belief, that they must be Happy, who are Rich; but furely if a Parent could be once perfuaded, that folid Satisfaction does not confift in Shew or Grandeur, Titles, fine Equipage, or a great Eftate, especially when attain'd to at the Expence of the many Inconveniencies he runs his Child into, by his Oppofition to a well-grounded Paffion, for a deferving Object, he would never venture fubjecting his Child to the many Calamities that flow from a fix'd Averfion to his Choice, created by the Child's Prepoffeffion for another. This is what the leaft Reflexion may convince People into a juft Sense of; and a due Obfervation of the many unhappy Inftances of this kind, may make fo obvious, as to give a different Turn to the Actings of Parents, in this important Article of Life, who think they fufficiently acquit themselves, by blindly confulting their Intereft, without ever having any View towards their jufter Gratifications of their Children's Incli nations. ALL Parents declare, that their fole Aim is the Happiness of their Children; this, they tell you, is the chief End of all their Endeavours in the difpofing of them; but how inconfiftent their Actions are to this Profeffion, is left to the Determination of any unbiafs'd Man of Fortune; when at the fame time a Booby, with the Advantage of a large Fortune, fhall be preferr'd to a Man, otherwife unexceptionable; who, if there were were no Competition, might reasonably expect, and properly engage the ready Concurrence of her Friends in his Favour. 'Tis true indeed, that, were it in the Power of a Perfon, to make the Happiness of another center in the fame Object, that he places it in, then Parents may be allowed to intend their Childrens, in regarding only their Intereft; but as 'tis by all confefs'd, that Felicity is only feated in the Mind, and therefore repofed in different Objects and Enjoyments, according to the various Inclinations of those, who purfue that ultimate End; fo they can no more be faid to provide for a Child's |