I must confefs, were I left to myfelf, I fhould rather aim at inftructing than diverting: but if we will be ufeful to the world, we must take it as we find it. Authors of profeffed severity difcourage the loofer part of mankind from having any thing to do with their writings. A man must have virtue in him, before he will enter upon the reading of a Seneca or an Epictetus. The very title of a moral treatife has fomething in it auftere and fhocking to the careless and inconfiderate.

For this reafon feveral unthinking perfons fall in my way, who would give no attention to lectures delivered with a religious ferioufnefs or a philofophic gravity. They are infpared into fentiments of wisdom and virtue when they do not think of it; and if by that means they arrive only at fuch a degree of confideration as may difpofe them them to liften to more ftudied and elaborate difcourfes, I fhall not think my fpeculations ufelefs. I might likewife obferve, that the gloominefs in which fometimes the minds of the beft men are involved, very often stands in need of fuch little incitements to mirth and laughter, as are apt to difperfe melancholy, and put our faculties in good humour. To which fome will add, that the British climate, more than any other, makes entertainments of this nature in a manner neceffary.

If what I have here faid does not recommend, it will at leaft excufe the variety of my fpeculations. I would not willingly laugh but in order to inftruct, or if I fometimes fail in this point, when my mirth ceases to be inftructive, it fhall never ceafe to be innocent. A fcrupulous conduct in this particular, has, perhaps, more merit in it than the generality of readers imagine; did they know how many thoughts occur in a point of humour, which a difcreet author in modefty fuppreffes; how many ftrokes of raillery present themselves, which could not fail to please the ordinary tafte of mankind, but are ftifled in their birth by reafon of fome remote tendency which they carry in them to corrupt the minds of thofe who read them; did they know how many glances of ill-nature are induftriously avoided for fear of doing injury to the reputation of another, they would be apt to think kindly of thofe writers who endeavour to make themselves diverting, without being

immoral. One may apply to these authors that paffage in Waller,

"Poets lofe half the praise they would have got, "Were it but known what they discreetly blot."

As nothing is more easy than to be a wit, with all the above-mentioned liberties, it requires fome genius and invention to appear fuch without them.

What I have here faid is not only in regard to the public, but with an eye to my particular correfpondent, who has fent me the following letter, which I have eaftrated in some places upon these confiderations.

S IR,

• HAVING lately feen your difcourfe upon a match of grinning, I cannot forbear giving you an account of a whiftling match, which, with many others, I was ⚫ entertained with about three years fince at the Bath. The prize was a guinea, to be conferred upon the ableft whistler, that is, on him who could whiftle clearest, and go through his tune without laughing, to which at the fame time he was provoked by the antic poftures of a merry-andrew, who was to ftand upon the stage, and play his tricks in the eye of the performer. There were three competitors for the guinea. The 'first was a ploughman of a very promifing afpect; his features were fteady, and his muscles compofed in fo • inflexible a stupidity, that upon his firft appearance every one gave the guinea for loft. The pickled herring however found the way to shake him; for upon his whistling a country jig, this unlucky wag danced to it with fuch variety of diftortions and grimaces, that the countryman could not forbear fmiling upon him, and by that means spoiled his whistle, and loft the prize.

The next that mounted the ftage was an under⚫ citizen of the Bath, a perfon remarkable among the inferior people of that place for his great wildoin and his broad band. He contracted his mouth with much gravity, and, that he might difpofe his mind to be more ferious than ordinary, begun the tune of "The children in the wood," and went through part of it with

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good fuccefs; when on a fudden the wit at his elbow, 'who had appeared wonderfully grave and attentive for fome time, gave him a touch upon the left shoulder, and ftared him in the face with fo bewitching a grin, that the whistler relaxed his fibres into a kind of fimper, and at length burst out into an open laugh. The third who entered the lifts was a footman, who in defiance of the merry-andrew, and all his arts, whistled a Scotch tune and an Italian sonata, with so fettled a countenance, that he bore away the prize, to the great admiration of some hundreds of perfons, 'who, as well as myself, were prefent at this trial of 'fkill. Now, fir, I humbly conceive, whatever you ⚫ have determined of the grinners, the whiftlers ought to be encouraged, not only as their art is practifed without diftortion, but as it improves country mufic, promotes gravity, and teaches ordinary people to keep their countenances, if they fee any thing ridiculous in their betters; befides that, it feems an entertainment very particularly adapted to the Bath, as it is ufual for a rider to whistle to his horfe when he would make his waters pass.'

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'I am, Sir, &c.

POSTSCRIPT.

After having difpatched thefe two important points of grinning and whiftling, I hope you will oblige the world with fome reflections upon yawning, as I have seen it practifed on a twelfth-night among ⚫ other Christmas gambols at the house of a very worthy gentleman, who always entertains his tenants at that time of the year. They yawn for a Chefhire cheese, and begin about midnight, when the whole < company is difpofed to be drowsy. He that yawns wideft, and at the fame time fo naturally as to pro'duce the moft yawns among the fpectators, carries home the cheese. If you handle this fubject as you ought, I queftion not but your paper will fet half the kingdom a yawning, though I dare promife you it ⚫ will never make any body fall asleep.'

<

L.

N° 180.

Wednefday, September 26.

Delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi.

HOR. Ep. 2. 1. 1. ver. 14.

The people fuffer when the prince offends. CREECH.

THE following letter has fo much weight and good

fenfe, that I cannot forbear inferting it, though it relates to an hardened finner, whom I have very little hopes of reforming, viz. Lewis XIV. of France.

་

Mr. SPECTATOR,

' AMIDST the variety of fubjects of which you ' have treated, I could wish it had fallen in your way, to expofe the vanity of conquefts. This thought would naturally lead one to the French king, who has ⚫ been generally esteemed the greatest conqueror of our age, until her majefty's armies had torn from him fo many of his countries, and deprived him of the fruit of ' all his former victories. For my own part, if I were to draw his picture, I fhould be for taking him no lower than to the peace of Refwick, juft at the end of his triumphs, and before his reverse of fortune and even then I fhould not forbear thinking his ambition had 'been vain and unprofitable to himself and his people.

:

As for himself, it is certain he can have gained nothing by his conquefts, if they have not rendered him 'mafter of more fubjects, more riches, or greater power. What I fhall be able to offer upon thefe heads, I re'folve to submit to your confideration.

To begin then with his increase of fubjects. From the time he came of age, and has been a manager for himself, all the people he had acquired were fuch only as he had reduced by his wars, and were left in his poffeffion by the peace; he had conquered not above VOL. III, C

' one-third part of Flanders, and confequently no more than one third part of the inhabitants of that province.

About 100 years ago the houses in that country 'were all numbered, and by a juft computation the in'habitants of all forts could not then exceed 750,000 fouls. And if any man will confider the defolation by almoft perpetual wars, the numerous armies that have lived almoft ever fince at difcretion upon the people, and how much of their commerce has been removed for more fecurity to other places, he will have little ⚫ reafon to imagine that their numbers have fince increased; and therefore with one-third part of that pro'vince that prince can have gained no more than onethird part of the inhabitants, or 250,000 new fubjects, even though it should be supposed they were all con⚫tented to live still in their native country, and transfer 'their allegiance to a new mafter.

The fertility of this province, its convenient fitua⚫tion for trade and commerce, its capacity for furnishing employment and fubfiftence to great numbers, and the vast armies that have been maintained here, make it credible that the remaining two-thirds of Flanders are equal to all his other conquefts; and confequently by all he cannot have gained more than 750,000 new fubjects, men, women, and children, especially if a deduction fhall be made of fuch as have retired 'from the conqueror to live under their old inafters.

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It is time now to fet his lofs against his profit, and to fhew for the new fubjects he had acquired, how old ones he had loft in the acquifition: I think that in his wars he has feldom brought lefs into the 'field in all places than 200,000 fighting nien, befides what have been left in garrifons; and I think the common computation is, that of an army, at the end of a campaign, without fieges or battles, fcarce fourfifths can be muftered of thofe that came into the field at the beginning of the year. His wars at fe.veral times until the laft peace have held about 20 years; and if 40,000 yearly loft, or a fifth part of his armies, are to be multiplied by 20, he cannot have loft less than 800,000 of his old fubjects, and all