fore Socrates, which represents theLife of Man under this View, as I have here translated it Word forWord. Be not grieved, fays he, above Measure for thy deceased Friends. They are not dead, but have only finished that Journey which it is necessary for every one of us to take: We ourfelves must go to that great Place of Reception in which they are allof them assembled, and in this general Rendezvous of Mankind, live together in another State of Being.

I think I have in a former Paper, takenNotice of those beautiful Metaphors in Scripture, where Life is termed a Pilgrimage,and those who pafs through it are calledStrangers and Sojourners upon Earth. I fhall conclude this with a Story, which I have fomewhere read in the Travels of Sir John Chardin ; that Gentleman, after having told us, that the Inns which receive the Caravans in Perfia, and the Eastern Countries, are called by the Name of Caravanfaries, gives us a Relation to the following Purpose.

A Dervife,travelling through Tartary, being arrived at the Town of Balk, went into the King's Palace by a Miftake, as thinking it to be a publick Inn or Caravansary. Having looked about him for fome Time, he entred into a long Gallery, where he laid down his Wallet, and spread his Carpet, in order to repose himself upon it after the Manner of the Eaftern Nations. He had not been long in this Pofture before he was difcovered by fome of the Guards, who asked him what was his Bufinefs in that Place? The Dervife told them he intended to take up his Night's Lodging in that Caravanfary. The Guards let him know, in a very angry Manner, that the House he was in, was not a Caravanfary, but the King's Palace. It happened that theKing himself paffed through theGallery during this Debate, and fmiling at the Miftake of the Dervife, asked him how he could poffibly be fo dull as not to diftinguifh a Palace from a Caravanfary? Sir, fays the Dervife, give me leave to ask your Majefty a Question or two. Who were the Perfons that lodged in this Houfe when it was first built? the King replied, His Ancestors. And who, fays the Dervife, was the laft Person that lodged here?he King Replied, His Father. And who is it, fays the Derwife, that lodges here at prefent? The King told him that it was he himself. And who, fays the Der

wife, will be here after you? The King anfwered, The young Prince his Son. Ah Sir, faid the Dervife, a

Houfe that changes its Inhabitants fo often, and receives fuch a perpetual Succeffion of Guefts, is not a Palace but a Caravanfary.

L

No. 290. Friday, February 1.

Prejicit ampullas & fefquipedalia verba.

TH

Hor.

HE Players, who know I am very much their Friend, take all Opportunities to express a Gratitude to me for being fo. They could not have a better Occafion of obliging me, than one which they lately took hold of. They defired my Friend WILL. Ho NEYCOMB to bring me to the Reading of a new Tragedy, it is called the Diftreffed Mother. I muft confefs, tho' fome Days are paffed fince I enjoyed that Entertainment, the Paffions of the feveral Characters dwell ftrongly upon my Imagination; and I congratulate to the Age, that they are at laft to fee Truth and human Life reprefented in the Incidents which concern Heroes and Heroines. The Style of the Play is fuch as becomes those of the firft Education, and the Sentiments worthy thofe of the highest Figure. It was a moft exquifite Pleasure to me, to obferve real Tears drop from the Eyes of thofe who had long made it their Profeffion to diffemble Affliction; and the Player, who read, frequently threw down the Book, till he had given Vent to the Humanity which rofe in him at fome irrefiftible Touches of the imagined Sorrow. We have feldom had any Female Diftrefs on the Stage, which did not, upon cool Examination, appear to flow from the Weaknefs rather than the Misfortune of the Perfon reprefented: But in this Tragedy you are not entertained with the ungoverned Paflions of fuch as are enamoured of each other meerly as they are Men and Women, but their Regards are founded upon high Conceptions of each other's Virtue and Merit; and the Character

which gives Name to the Play, is one who has behaved herfelf with heroick Virtue in the most important Circumftances of a Female Life, thofe of a Wife, a Widow, and a Mother. If there be thofe whofe Minds have been too attertive upon the Affairs of Life, to have any Notion of the Paffion of Love in fuch Extremes as are known only to particular Tempers, yet in the above-mentioned Confiderations, the Sorrow of the Heroine will move even the Generality of Mankind. Domestick Virtues concern all the World, and there is no one living who is not interested that Andromache fhould be an imitable Character. The ge-nerous Affection to the Memory of her deceased Hufband, that tender Care for her Son, which is ever heightened with the Confideration of his Father, and thefe Regards preferved in fpight of being tempted with the Poffeffion of the highest Greatness, are what cannot but be venerable even to fuch an Audience as at present frequents the English Theatre. My Friend WILL. HONEYCOMB commended feveral tender Things that were faid, and told me they were very genteel; but whifper'd me, that he feared the Piece was not bufy enough for the present Tafte. To fupply this, he recommended to the Players to be

very careful in their Scenes, and above all Things, that every Part fhould be perfectly new dreffed. I was very glad to find that they did not neglect my Friend's Admonition, because there are a great many in his Clafs of Criticifm who may be gained by it; but indeed the Truth is, that as to the Work itself, it is every where Nature. The Perfons are of the highest Quality in Life, even that of Princes but their Quality is not reprefented by the Poet, with Direction thatGuards and Waiters fhould follow them in every Scene, but their Grandeur appears in Greatness of Sentiment, flowing from Minds worthy their Condition. To make a Character truly Great, this Author understands that it fhould have its Foundation in fuperior Thoughts and Maxims of Conduct. It is very certain, that many an honest Woman would make no Difficulty, tho' fhe had been the Wife of Hector, for the Sake of a Kingdom, to marry the Enemy of her Hufband's Family and Country; and indeed who can deny but fhe might be ftill an honeft Woman, but no Heroine? That may be defensible; nay laudable, in one Character, which would be in the

highest

highest Degree exceptionable in another. When Cato Uticenfis killed himself, Cottius, a Roman of ordinary Quality and Character, did the fame Thing; upon which one faid fmiling, Cottius might have lived, tho' Cæfar has feized the Roman Liberty. Cottius's Condition might have been the fame, let Things at the upper End of the World pass as they would. What is further very extraordinary in this Work is, that the Perfons are all of them laudable, and their Misfortunes arise rather from unguarded Virtue than Propenfity to Vice. The Town has an Opportunity of doing itfelf Juftice in fupporting the Representations of Paffion, Sorrow, Indignation, even Defpair itself, within the Rules of Decency, Honour, and good Breeding; and fince there is no one can flatter himself his Life will be always fortunate, they may here fee Sorrow as they would wish to bear it whenever it arrives.

6

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Am appointed to act a Part in the new Tragedy,' called The Diftreffed Mother: It is the celebrated Grief of Oreftes which I am to perfonate; but I fhall not act as I ought, for I fhall feel it too intimately to be able to utter it.. I was laft Night repeating a Para⚫ graph to myself, which I took to be an Expreffion of Rage, and in the Middle of the Sentence there was a Stroke of Self-pity, which quite unmanned me. pleased, Sir, to print this Letter, that when I am oppreffed in this Manner at fuch an Interval, a certain • Part of the Audience may not think I am out; and I hope with this Allowance to do it to Satisfaction. I am, S IR,

6

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Be

Your most humble Servant,
George Powell.

SI was walking t'other Day in the Park, I faw a

A Gentleman with a very thort Face; I defire to

⚫ know whether it was you. Pray inform me as foon as you can, left I become the most heroick Hecatiffa's Your humble Servant to Command,

• Rival.

SOPHIA.

Dear

4

T

Dear Madam,

IT is not me you are in love with, for I was very ill, and kept my Chamber all that Day.

Your most humble Servant,

The SPECTATOR.

No. 291. Saturday, February 2.

I

Ubi plura nitent in carmine, non ego paucis
Offendar maculis, quas aut incuria fudit,
Aut humana parum cavit natura

Hort

Have now confidered Milton's Paradife Loft under thofe four great Heads of the Fable, the Characters, the Sentiments, and the Language; and have fhewn that he excels, in general, under each of thefe Heads. I hope that I have made feveral Discoveries which may ap pear new, even to those who are verfed in critical Learning. Were I indeed to chufe my Readers, by whose Judgment I would stand or fall, they should not be fuch as are acquainted only with the French and Italian Criticks, but alfo with the Antient and Modern who have written in either of the learned Languages. Above all, I would have them well versed in the Greek and Latin Poets, without which a Man very often fancies that he underftands a Critick, when in Reality he does not comprehend his Meaning.

IT is in Criticism, as in all other Sciences and Speculations; one who brings with him any implicit Notions and Obfervations which he has made in his reading of the Poets, will find his own Reflections methodized and explained, and perhaps feveral little Hints that had paffed in his Mind perfected and improved in the Works of a good Critick; whereas one who has not these previous Lights, is very often an utter Stranger to what he reads, and apt to put a wrong Interpretation upon it.

NOR