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with the Coat and Wastcoat, After this Discovery, I No. 104. look'd again on the Face of the fair Amazon who had thus Friday, deceiv'd me, and thought those Features which had before June 29, offended me by their Softness, were now strengthen'd into as improper a Boldness; and tho' her Eyes, Nose, and Mouth seem'd to be form'd with perfect Symmetry, I am not certain whether she, who in Appearance was a very handsome Youth, may not be in Reality a very indifferent Woman.

There is an Objection which naturally presents it self against these occasional Perplexities and Mixtures of Dress, which is, that they seem to break in upon that Propriety and Distinction of Appearance in which the Beauty ofdifferent Characters is preserv'd; and if they shou'd be more frequent than they are at present, wou'd look like turning our publick Assemblies into a general Masquerade, The Model of this Amazonian Hunting-habit for Ladies, was, as I take it, first imported from France, and well enough expresses the Gayety of a People who are taught to do any thing so it be with an Assurance; but I cannot help thinking it fits awkardly yet on our English Modesty, The Petticoat is a kind of Incumberance upon it; and if the Amazons should think fit to go on in this Plunder of our Sex's Ornaments, they ought to add to their Spoils, and complete their Triumph over us, by wearing the Breeches. If it be natural to contract insensibly the Manners of those we imitate, the Ladies who are pleas'd with as suming our Dresses will do us more Honour than we deserve, but they will do it at their own Expence. Why should the lovely Camilla deceive us in more Shapes than her own, and affect to be represented in her Picture with a Gun and a Spaniel; while her elder Brother, the Heir of a worthy Family, is drawn in Silks like his Sister? The Dress and Air of a Man are not well to be divided; and those who would not be content with the Latter, ought never to think of assuming the Former. There is so large a Portion of natural Agreeableness among the fair Sex of our Island, that they seem betray'd into these romantick Habits without having the same Occasion for them with their Inventors: All that needs to be desir'd of them is, that they wou'd be themselves, that is, what Nature

No. 104. Friday, June 29,

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Nature designed them; and to see their Mistake when they depart from this, let them look upon a Man who affects the Softness and Effeminacy of a Woman, to learn how their Sex must appear to us when approaching to the Resemblance of a Man.

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Adprime in vita esse utile, ut nequid nimis.-Ter. Andr. Y Friend WILL. HONEYCOMB values himself very much upon what he calls the Knowledge of Mankind, which has cost him many Disasters in his Youth; for WILL reckons every Misfortune that he has met with among the Women, and every Rencounter among the Men, as Parts of his Education, and fancies he should never have been the Man he is, had not he broke Windows, knocked down Constables, disturbed honest People with his Midnight Serenades, and beat up a lewd Woman's Quarters, when he was a young Fellow, The engaging in Adventures of this nature, WILL calls the studying of Mankind; and terms this Knowledge of the Town, the Knowledge of the World. WILL ingenuously confesses, that for half his Life his Head ached every Morning with reading of Men over-night; and at present comforts himself under certain Pains which he endures from time to time, that without them he could not have been acquainted with the Gallantries of the Age. This WILL looks upon as the Learning of a Gentleman, and regards all other kinds of Science as the Accom plishments of one whom he calls a Scholar, a Bookish Man, or a Philosopher.

For these Reasons WILL shines in mixed Company, where he has the Discretion not to go out of his Depth, and has often a certain way of making his real Ignorance appear a seeming one. Our Club however has frequently caught him tripping, at which times they never spare him. For as WILL often insults us with the Knowledge

of

of the Town, we sometimes take our revenge upon him No. 105, by our Knowledge of Books,

Saturday, He was last Week producing two or three Letters which June 30, 1711. he writ in his Youth to a Coquet Lady. The Raillery of them was natural, and well enough for a meer Man of the Town; but, very unluckily, several of the Words were wrong spelt. WILL laught this off at first as well as he could, but finding himself pushed on all sides, and especially by the Templer, he told us, with a little Passion, that he never liked Pedantry in Spelling, and that he spelt like a Gentleman, and not like a Scholar Upon this WILL had Recourse to his old Topick of shewing the narrow Spiritedness, the Pride, and Ignorance of Pedants; which he carried so far, that upon my retiring to my Lodgings, I could not forbear throwing together such Reflections as occurred to me upon that Subject.

A Man who has been brought up among Books, and is able to talk of nothing else, is a very indifferent Com panion, and what we call a Pedant. But, methinks, we should enlarge the Title, and give it every one that does not know how to think out of his Profession, and par ticular way of Life.

What is a greater Pedant than a meer Man of the Town Barr him the Play-houses, a Catalogue of the reigning Beauties, and an Account of a few fashionable Distempers that have befallen him, and you strike him Dumb. How many a pretty Gentleman's Knowledge lies all within the Verge of the Court? He will tell you the Names of the Principal Favourites, repeat the shrewd Sayings of a Man of Quality, whisper an Intreague that is not yet blown upon by common Fame; or, if the Sphere of his Observations is a little larger than ordinary, will perhaps enter into all the Incidents, Turns, and Revolu tions in a Game of Ombre. When he has gone thus far he has shown you the whole Circle of his Accomplish ments, his Parts are drained, and he is disabled from any farther Conversation. What are these but rank Pedants? and yet these are the Men who value themselves most on their Exemption from the Pedantry of Colleges,

I might here mention the Military Pedant, who always talks in a Camp, and is storming Towns, making Lodg

ments

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ments, and fighting Battels from one end of the Year to Saturday, the other. Every thing he speaks smells of Gunpowder; June 30, if you take away his Artillery from him, he has not a Word to say for himself. I might likewise mention the Law Pedant, that is perpetually putting Cases, repeating the Transactions of Westminster Hall, wrangling with you upon the most indifferent Circumstances of Life, and not to be convinced of the Distance of a Place, or of the most trivial Point in Conversation, but by dint of Argu ment. The State-Pedant is wrapt up in News, and lost in Politicks. If you mention either of the Kings of Spain or Poland, he talks very notably; but if you go out of the Gazette, you drop him. In short, a meer Courtier, a meer Soldier, a meer Scholar, a meer any thing, is an insipid Pedantick Character, and equally ridiculous.

Of all the Species of Pedants, which I have mentioned, the Book-Pedant is much the most supportable; he has at least an exercised Understanding, and a Head which is full though confused, so that a Man who converses with him may often receive from him hints of things that are worth knowing, and what he may possibly turn to his own Advantage, tho' they are of little use to the Owner, The worst kind of Pedants among Learned Men, are such as are naturally endued with a very small Share of common_Sense, and have read a great number of Books without Taste or Distinction.

The Truth of it is, Learning, like Travelling, and all other Methods of Improvement, as it finishes good Sense, so it makes a silly Man ten thousand times more insuffer able, by supplying variety of Matter to his Impertinence, and giving him an Opportunity of abounding in Absurdities.

Shallow Pedants cry up one another much more than Men of solid and useful Learning. To read the Titles they give an Editor, or Collator of a Manuscript, you would take him for the Glory of the Common Wealth of Letters, and the Wonder of his Age; when perhaps upon Examination you find that he has only Rectify'd a Greek Particle, or laid out a whole Sentence in proper Commas. They are obliged indeed to be thus lavish of their Praises, that they may keep one another in Countenance ;

and

and it is no wonder if a great deal of Knowledge, which is No. 105. not capable of making a Man Wise, has a natural Tendency Saturday. Tendency June 30, to make him Vain and Arrogant.

No. 106.

[ADDISON.] Regan Cute why Monday, July 2,

Hinc tibi copia

Manabit ad plenum benigno

Ruris honorum opulenta cornu.-Hor,

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AVING often received an Invitation from my Friend Sir ROGER DE COVERLY to pass away a Month with him in the Country, I last Week accompanied him thither, and am settled with him for some Time at his Country house, where I intend to form several of my ensuing Speculations. Sir ROGER, who is very well acquainted with my Humour, lets me rise and go to Bed when I please, dine at his own Table or in my Chamber as I think fit, sit still and say nothing without bidding me be merry. When the Gentlemen of the Country come to see him, he only shews me at a Distance: As I have been walking in his Fields I have observed them stealing a Sight of me over an Hedge, and have heard the Knight desiring them not to let me see them, for that I hated to be stared at,

I am the more at Ease in Sir ROGER'S Family, because it consists of sober and staid Persons; for as the Knight is the best Master in the World, he seldom changes his Servants; and as he is beloved by all about him, his Servants never care for leaving him: By this Means his Domesticks are all in Years, and grown old with their Master. You would take his Valet de Chambre for his Brother, his Butler is grey-headed, his Groom is one of the gravest Men that I have ever seen, and his Coach man has the Looks of a Privy Counsellor. You see the Goodness of the Master even in the old House-dog, and in a gray Pad that is kept in the Stable with great Care and Tenderness out of Regard to his past Services, tho' he has been useless for several Years,

I could not but observe with a great deal of Pleasure the Joy that appeared in the Countenances of these ancient Domesticks upon my Friend's Arrival at his Country-Seat.

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