the heroic, as comic writers to their serious | thought very pretty company. But let us brothers in the drama. hear what he says for himself,

By this short table of laws order is kept up, and distinction preserved, in the whole republic of letters. 0.

No. 530.] Friday, November 7, 1712.

Sic visum Veneri; cui placet impares
Formas atque animos sub juga ahenea
Sævo mittere cum joco.

Hor. Od. xxxiii. Lib. 1. 10.

Thus Venus sports; the rich, the base,

Unlike in fortune and in face,

To disagreeing love provokes;

When cruelly jocose,

She ties the fatal noose,

And binds unequals to the brazen yokes.-Creech.

'MY WORTHY FRIEND,-I question not but you, and the rest of my acquaintance, wonder that I, who have lived in the smoke and gallantries of the town for thirty years together, should all on a sudden grow fond of a country life. Had not my dog of a steward ran away as he did, without making up his accounts, I had still been immersed in sin and sea-coal. But since my late forced visit to my estate, I am so pleased with it, that I am resolved to live and die upon it. I am every day abroad among my acres, and can scarce forbear filling my letters with breezes, shades, flowers, meadows, and purling streams. The simplicity of manners, which I have heard you so It is very usual for those who have been often speak of, and which appears here in severe upon marriage, in some part or perfection, charms me wonderfully. other of their lives, to enter into the frater- an instance of it I must acquaint you, and nity which they have ridiculed, and to see by your means the whole club, that I have their raillery return upon their own heads. lately married one of my tenant's daughI scarce ever knew a woman-hater that did ters. She is born of honest parents; and not, sooner or later, pay for it. Marriage, though she has no portion, she has a great which is a blessing to another man, falls upon deal of virtue. The natural sweetness and such a one as a judgment. Mr. Congreve's innocence of her behaviour, the freshness Old Bachelor is set forth to us with much of her complexion, the unaffected turn of wit and humour, as an example of this her shape and person, shot me through kind. In short, those who have most dis- and through every time I saw her, and did tinguished themselves by railing at the sex more execution upon me in grogram than in general, very often make an honourable the greatest beauty in town or court had amends, by choosing one of the most worth-ever done in brocade. In short, she is such less persons of it for a companion and yokefellow. Hymen takes his revenge in kind on those who turn his mysteries into ridicule.

As

a one as promises me a good heir to my estate; and if by her means I cannot leave to my children what are falsely called the gifts of birth, high titles, and alliances, I My friend Will Honeycomb, who was so hope to convey to them the more real and unmercifully witty upon the women, in a valuable gifts of birth-strong bodies, and couple of letters which I lately communi- healthy constitutions. As for your fine wocated to the public, has given the ladies men, I need not tell thee that I know them. ample satisfaction by marrying a farmer's I have had my share in their graces; but daughter; a piece of news which came to no more of that. It shall be my business our club by the last post. The templar is hereafter to live the life of an honest man, very positive that he has married a dairy- and to act as becomes the master of a famaid: but Will, in his letter to me on this mily. I question not but I shall draw upon occasion, sets the best face upon the matter me the raillery of the town, and be treated that he can, and gives a more tolerable to the tune of, The Marriage-hater Matchaccount of his spouse. I must confess I ed; but I am prepared for it. I have been suspected something more than ordinary, as witty upon others in my time. To tell when upon opening the letter I found that thee truly, I saw such a tribe of fashionable Will was fallen off from his former gayety, young fluttering coxcombs shot up, that I having changed 'Dear Spec,' which was did not think my post of an homme de ruelle his usual salute at the beginning of the any longer tenable. I felt a certain stiffletter, into My worthy Friend,' and sub-ness in my limbs, which entirely destroyed scribed himself in the latter end, at full length, William Honeycomb. In short, the gay, the loud, the vaín Will Honeycomb, who had made love to every great fortune that has appeared in town for above thirty years together, and boasted of favours from ladies whom he had never seen, is at length wedded to a plain country girl.

His letter gives us the picture of a converted rake.The sober character of the husband is dashed with the man of the town, and enlivened with those little cant phrases which have made my friend Will often

the jauntiness of air I was once master of. Besides, for I may now confess my age to thee, I have been eight-and-forty above these twelve years. Since my retirement into the country will make a vacancy in the club, I could wish you would fill up my place with my friend Tom Dapperwit. He

has an infinite deal of fire, and knows the

* The name of one of Tom Durfey's miserable come

dies. It was Dogget's excellent performance of a chaupon him, and marked him out as an actor of superior racter in this play, that first drew the eyes of the public talents.

town. For my own part, as I have said
before, I shall endeavour to live hereafter
suitable to a man in my station, as a pru-
dent head of a family, a good husband, a
careful father, (when it shall so happen,)
and as your most sincere friend,
0.

WILLIAM HONEYCOMB.'

to the Supreme Being, we enlarge every one of these with our own idea of infinity: and so putting them together, make car complex idea of God.'

It is not impossible that there may be many kinds of spiritual perfection, besides those which are lodged in a human soul: but it is impossible that we should have the ideas of any kinds of perfection, except those of which we have some small rays

No. 531.] Saturday, November 8, 1712. and short imperfect strokes in ourselves

Qui mare et terras, variisque mundum

Temperat horis:

Unde nil majus generatur ipso;

Nec viget quicquam simile aut secundum.

Her. Od. xii. Lib. 1. 15.

Who guides below and rules above, The great disposer, and the mighty King; Than be none greater, like him none, That can be, is, or was;

Supreme he singly fills the throne.-Creech.

SIMONIDES being asked by Dionysius the tyrant what God was, desired a day's time to consider of it before he made his reply. When the day was expired he desired two days; and afterwards, instead of returning his answer, demanded still double the time to consider of it. This great poet and philosopher, the more he contemplated the nature of the Deity, found that he waded but the more out of his depth; and that he lost himself in the thought, instead of find ing an end of it.

It would therefore be very high presump tion to determine whether the Supretie Being has not many more attributes than those which enter into our conceptious of him. This is certain, that if there be any kind of spiritual perfection which is not marked out in a human soul, it belongs in its fulness to the divine nature.

Several eminent philosophers have inagined that the soul, in her separate state, may have new faculties springing up in her, which she is not capable of exerting during her present union with the body; and whe ther these faculties may not correspond with other attributes in the divine nature. and open to us hereafter new matter of wonder and adoration, we are altogether ignorant. This, as I have said before, we ought to acquiesce in, that the Sovereign Being, the great author of nature, has in him all possible perfection, as well in kind as in degree: to speak according to our me If we consider the idea which wise men, thods of conceiving, I shall only add under by the light of reason, have framed of the this head, that when we have raised our Divine Being, it amounts to this; that he notion of this Infinite Being as high as it is has in him all the perfection of a spiritual possible for the mind of man to ge, it will nature. And since we have no notion of any fall infinitely short of what he really is kind of spiritual perfection but what weThere is no end of his greatness.' The discover in our own souls, we join infinitude most exalted creature he has made is only to each kind of these perfections, and what capable of adoring it, none but himself can is a faculty in a human soul becomes an at-comprehend it.

much, and yet come short: wherefore in some he is all. How shall we be able to magnify him? for he is great above all his works. The Lord is terrible and very great; and marvellous in his power. When you glorify the Lord, exalt him as much as you can; for even yet will he far exceed. And when you exalt him, put forth all your strength, and be not weary; for you can never go far enough. Who hath seen him, that he might tell us? and who can magnify him as he is? There are yet hid greater things than these be, for we have seen but a few of his works."

tribute in God. We exist in place and time; The advice of the son of Sirach is very the Divine Being fills the immensity of just and sublime in this light. By his space with his presence, and inhabits eter-word all things consist. We may speak nity. We are possessed of a little power and a little knowledge: the Divine Being is almighty and omniscient. In short, by adding infinity to any kind of perfection we enjoy, and by joining all these different kinds of perfection in one being, we form our idea of the great Sovereign of Nature. Though every one who thinks must have made this observation, I shall produce Mr. Locke's authority to the same purpose, out of his Essay on Human Understanding. If we examine the idea we have of the incomprehensible Supreme Being, we shall find that we come by it the same way; and that the complex ideas we have both of I have here only considered the Supreme God and separate spirits, are made up of Being by the light of reason and philosethe simple ideas we receive from reflection: phy. If we would see him in all the won v. g. having, from what we experience inders of his mercy, we must have recourse ourselves, got the ideas of existence and to revelation, which represents him to us duration, of knowledge and power of plea- not only as infinitely great and glorious, but sure and happiness, and of several other as infinitely good and just in his dispensaqualities and powers, which it is better to tions towards man. But as this is the theory have than to be without: when we would which falls under every one's consideration, frame an idea the most suitable we can though indeed it can never be sufficiently

No. 532.]

considered, I shall here only take notice of | No. 532.] Monday, November 10, 1712.

that habitual worship and veneration which we ought to pay to this Almighty Being. We should often refresh our minds with the thought of him, and annihilate ourselves before him, in the contemplation of our own worthlessness, and of his transcendent excellency and perfection. This would imprint in our minds such a constant and uninterrupted awe and veneration as that which I am here recommending, and which is in reality a kind of incessant prayer, and reasonable humiliation of the soul before him who made it.

-Fungor vice cotis, acutum
Reddere quæ ferrum valet, exsors ipsa secandi.
Hor. Ars Poet. ver. 304.

I play the whetstone: useless and unfit To cut myself, I sharpen others wit.-Creech. It is a very honest action to be studious to produce other men's merit; and I make no scruple of saying, I, have as much of this temper as any man in the world. It would not be a thing to be bragged of, but that is what any man may be master of, who will take pains enough for it. Much This would effectually kill in us all the observation of the unworthiness in being little seeds of pride, vanity, and self-con-pained at the excellence of another will ceit, which are apt to shoot up in the minds bring you to a scorn of yourself for that unof such whose thoughts turn more on those willingness; and when you have got so far, comparative advantages which they enjoy you will find it a greater pleasure than you over some of their fellow-creatures, than ever before knew to be zealous in promoton that infinite distance which is placed ing the fame and welfare of the praisebetween them and the supreme model of worthy. I do not speak this as pretending all perfection. It would likewise quicken to be a mortified self-denying man, but as our desires and endeavours of uniting our-one who had turned his ambition into a selves to him by all the acts of religion and right channel. virtue.

Such an habitual homage to the Supreme Being would, in a particular manner, banish from among us that prevailing impiety of using his name on the most trivial

occasions.

I find the following passage in an excellent sermon, preached at the funeral of a gentleman who was an honour to his country, and a more diligent as well as successful inquirer into the works of nature than any other our nation has ever produced. He had the profoundest veneration for the great God of heaven and earth that I have ever observed in any person. The very name of God was never mentioned by him without a pause and a visible stop in his discourse; in which one, that knew him most particularly above twenty years, has told me that he was so exact, that he does not remember to have observed him once to fail in it.'

claim to myself the merit of having extorted excellent productions from a person of the greatest abilities, who would not have let them appeared by any other means;t to have animated a few young gentlemen into worthy pursuits, who will be a glory to our age; and at all times, and by all possible means in my power, undermined the interest of ignorance, vice, and folly, and attempted to substitute in their stead, learning, piety, and good sense. It is from this honest heart that I find myself honoured as a gentleman-usher to the arts and sciences.-Mr. Tickell and Mr. Pope have, it seems, this idea of me. The former has writ me an excellent paper of verses, in praise, forsooth, of myself; and the other enclosed for my perusal an admirable poem, which I hope will_shortly see the light. In the mean time I cannot suppress any thought of his, but insert this sentiment about the dying words of Adrian. I will not determine in the case he mentions; but have thus much to say in favour of his argument, that many of his own works which I have seen, convince me that very pretty and very sublime sentiments may be lodged in the same bosom without diminution of its greatness.

Every one knows the veneration which was paid by the Jews to a name so great, wonderful, and holy. They would not let it enter even into their religious discourses. What can we then think of those who make use of so tremendous a name in the ordinary 'MR. SPECTATOR,-I was the other day expressions of their anger, mirth, and most impertinent passions? of those who admit it in company with five or six men of some into the most familiar questions and asser-learning: where, chancing to mention the tions, ludicrous phrases, and works of hu- famous verses which the emperor Adrian mour? not to mention those who violate it spoke on his death-bed, they were all by solemn perjuries! It would be an affront agreed that it was a piece of gayety unto reason to endeavour to set forth the hor-worthy that prince in those circumstances. ror and profaneness of such a practice. I could not but dissent from this opinion, The very mention of it exposes it suffi- Methinks it was by no means a gay but a ciently to those in whom the light of na- very serious soliloquy to his soul at the ture, not to say religion, is not utterly ex-point of his departure: in which sense I naturally took these verses at my first read tinguished. ing them, when I was very young, and be

O.

* See bishop Burnet's Sermon, preached at the funeral of the honourable Robert Boyle.

fore I knew what interpretation the world Such readers scorn'd, thou wing'st thy daring fight generally put upon them.

That your said officer has taken due no• To the supposed Author of the Spectator.tice of your instructions and admonitions

in Tat. No. 73, signed Will Trusty, and written by Mr. Cellent discourses against that unnatural

various characters of fine women preferable to Miranda. In a word, she is never guilty of doing any thing but one amiss, (if she can be thought to do amiss by me) in being as blind to my faults, as she is to her own perfections. I am, sir, your very humble, obedient servant,

“DUSTERERASTUS.”

custom of parents in forcing their children | beauty, yet there is none among all your to marry contrary to their inclinations. My own case, without farther preface, I will lay before you, and leave you to judge of it. My father and mother, both being in declining years, would fain see me, their eldest son, as they call it, settled. I am as mych for that as they can be; but I must be settled, it seems, not according to my own, but their liking. Upon this account I am teased every day, because I have not 'MR. SPECTATOR,-When you spent so yet fallen into love, in spite of nature, with much time as you did lately in censuring one of a neighbouring gentleman's daugh- the ambitious young gentlemen who ride ters; for out of their abundant generosity, in triumph through town and country on they give me the choice of four. "Jack," coach-boxes, I wish you had employed begins my father. "Mrs. Catharine is a those moments in consideration of what fine woman."-"Yes, sir, but she is rather passes sometimes within-side of those vehitoo old."-"She will make the more dis- cles. I am sure I suffered sufficiently by creet manager, boy.' Then my mother the insolence and ill-breeding of some perplays her part. "Is not Mrs. Betty exceed-sons who travelled lately with me in the ing fair?" "Yes, madam, but she is of no stage-coach out of Essex to London. I am conversation; she has no fire, no agreeable sure, when you have heard what I have to vivacity; she neither speaks nor looks with say, you will think there are persons under spirit.""True, son, but for those very the character of gentlemen, that are fit to reasons she will be an easy, soft, obliging, be no where else but on the coach-box. tractable creature."-" After all," cries an Sir, I am a young woman of a sober and old aunt, (who belongs to the class of those religious education, and have preserved who read plays with spectacles on,)" what that character; but on Monday was fortthink you, nephew, of proper Mrs. Doro- night, it was my misfortune to come to thy?""What do I think? why, I think London. I was no sooner clapped into the she cannot be above six foot two inches coach, but, to my great surprise, two perhigh. "Well, well, you may banter as sons in the habit of gentlemen attacked me long as you please, but height of stature with such indecent discourse as I cannot is commanding and majestic. "Come, repeat to you, so you may conclude not fit come," says a cousin of mine in the family, for me to hear. I had no relief but the "I will fit him; Fidelia is yet behind hopes of a speedy end of my short journey. pretty Miss Fiddy must please you. Sir, form to yourself what a persecution "Oh! your very humble servant, dear coz, this must needs be to a virtuous and chaste she is as much too young as her eldest sis- mind; and, in order to your proper handter is too old."-"Is it so, indeed," quoth ling such a subject, fancy your wife or she, "good Mr. Pert? You that are but daughter, if you had any, in such circumturned of twenty-two, and Miss Fiddy in stances, and what treatment you would half a year's time will be in her teens, then think due to such dragoons. One of and she is capable of learning any thing. them was called a captain, and entertained Then she will be so observant; she will us with nothing but filthy stupid questions, cry perhaps now and then, but never be or lewd songs, all the way. Ready to burst angry. Thus they will think for me in with shame and indignation, I repined that this matter, wherein I am more particu- nature had not allowed us as easily to shut larly concerned than any body else. If I our ears as our eyes. But was not this a name any woman in the world, one of these kind of rape? Why should there be acdaughters has certainly the same qualities. cessaries in ravishment any more than You see by these few hints, Mr. Spectator, murder? Why should not every contriwhat a comfortable life I lead. To be still butor to the abuse of chastity suffer death? more open and free with you, I have been I am sure these shameless hell-hounds depassionately fond of a young lady (whom served it highly. Can you exert yourself give me leave to call Miranda) now for better than on such an occasion? If you do these three years. I have often urged the not do it effectually, I will read no more of matter home to my parents with all the your papers. Has every impertinent felsubmission of a son, but the impatience of low a privilege to torment me, who pay a lover. Pray, sir, think of three years: my coach-hire as well as he? Sir, pray what inexpressible scenes of inquietude, consider us in this respect as the weakest what variety of misery must I have gone sex, who have nothing to defend ourselves; through in three whole years! Miranda's and I think it is as gentleman-like to chalfortune is equal to those I have mentioned; lenge a woman to fight as to talk obscenely but her relations are not intimates with in her company, especially when she has mine! Ah! there's the rub! Miranda's not power to stir. Pray let me tell you a person, wit, and humour, are what the story which you can make fit for public nicest fancy could imagine; and, though view. I knew a gentleman who, having a we know you to be so elegant a judge of very good opinion of the gentlemen of the VOL. II.

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