from any other, I fhall enter into a regular Criticifm upon his Paradife Loft," which I fhall publish every Saturday 'till I have given my Thoughts upon that Poem. I fhall not however prefume to impofe upon others my own particular Judgment on this Author, but only deliver it as my private Opinion. Criticism is of a very large Extent, and every particular Matter in this Art has his favourite Paffages in an Author, which do not equally frike the beft Judges. It will be fufficient for me if I' difcover many Beauties or Imperfections which others have not attended to, and I should be very glad to fee any of our eminent Writers publish their Difcoveries on the fame Subject. In fhort, I would always be understood to write my Papers of Criticism in the Spirit which Horace has expreffed in those two famous Lines

-Si quid novifti rectius iftis,

Candidus imperti; fi non, his utere mecum. If you have made any better Remarks of your own, communicate them with Gandour; if not, make use of these I present you with.

I 4

C

Tuef

N° 263. Tuesday, January 1. 1712.

T

Gratulor quod eum quem necesse erat diligere, qualiscunque effet, talem habemus ut libenter quoque diligamus.

Trebonius apud Tull.

Mr. SPECTAT O R,

Am the happy Father of a very towardly Son, in whom I do not only fee my Life, but also my Manner of Life, renewed. It 'would be extreamly beneficial to Society, if you would frequently refume C Subjects which ferve to bind these fort of Relations fafter, and endear the Tyes of Blood with those of 'Good-will, Protection, Obfervance, • Indulgence and Veneration. I would, ⚫ methinks, have this done after an un'common Method, and do not think any one, who is not capable of wri"ting a good Play, fit to undertake a Work wherein there will neceffarily: occur fo many fecret Inftincts, and

• Biaffes

Biaffes of humane Nature, which would pass unobferved by common Eyes. I thank Heaven I have no outragious Offence against my own ex'cellent Parents to answer for, but when I am now and then alone, and look back upon my past Life, from my earliest Infancy to this Time, there are many Faults which I committed that did not appear to me, even 'till "I my felf became a Father. I had not ''till then a Notion of the Earnings ' of Heart, which a Man has when he fees his Child do a laudable Thing, or the fudden Damp which feizes him ' when he fears he will act fomething unworthy. It is not to be imagined, what a Remorfe touched me for a long train of childish Negligence of my Mother, when I faw my Wife the other Day look out of the Window, and turn as pale as Ashes upon feeing my younger Boy fliding upon the Ice. These flight Intimations will give you to understand, that there are number'lefs little Crimes, which Children take 'no Notice of while they are doing, which, upon Reflection, when they 'fhall themselves become Fathers, they look upon with the utmost Sorrow

and Contrition that they did not regard, before those whom they offended were to be no more feen. How many thousand things do I remember, which would have highly plea fed my Father, and Fomitted, for no other Reafon but that I thought "what he propofed the Effect of Humour and old Age, which I am now f convinced had Reafon and good Senfe in it. I cannot now go into the Parlour to him, and make his Heart glad ' with an Account of a Matter which was of no Confequence, but that. F told it, and acted in it. The good Man and Woman are long fince in their Graves, who used to fit and plot the Welfare of us their Children, while, perhaps, we were fometimes laughing at the old Folks at another end of the Houfe. The truth of it is, were we merely to follow Nature in thefe great Duties of Life, though "we have a ftrong Instinct towards the performing of them, we should be on both fides very deficient. Age is fo • unwelcome to the Generality of Mankinds and growth towards Manhood fo defirable to all, that Refignation to Decay is too difficult a task in the

Fa

ཝ

Fathers and Deference, amidst the Impulse of gay Defires, appears unrea→ fonable to the Son. There are fo few who can grow old with a good grace, • and yet fewer who can come flow e nough into the World, that a Fa ther, were he to be actuated by his Defires, and a Son, were he to con fult himself only, could neither of them behave himself as he ought to the other... But when Reafon inter pofes against Inftinct, where it would carry either out of the Interefts of the other, there arifes that happief Intercourfe of good Offices between thofe dearest Relations of humane Life. The Father, according to the Opportunities which are offered to him, is throwing down Bleffings on the Son, and the Son endeavouring to appear the worthy Offspring of fuch a Father. It is after this manner Sthat Camillus and his first-born dwell together. Camillus enjoys a pleafing and indolent old Age, in which Pal fion is fubdued, and Reafon exalteda He waits the day of his Diffolution with a Refignation mixed with De flight, and the Son fears the Acceffion of his Father's Fortune with Diffide ce

"left