was for higher Beings than Men to join Happiness and Greatness in the fame Idea; but that in our Condition we have no Conception of superlative Excellence, or Heroism, but as it is furrounded with a Shade of Diftress. IT is certainly the proper Education we should give ourfelves, to be prepared for the ill Events and Accidents we are to meet with in a Life fentenced to be a Scene of Sorrow: But instead of this Expectation, we soften our felves with Profpects of conftant Delight, and deftroy in our Minds the Seeds of Fortitude and Virtue,which should fupport us in Hours of Anguish. The conftant Pursuit of Pleasure has in it fomething infolent and improper for our Being. There is a pretty fober Liveliness in the Ode of Horace to Delius, where he tells him, loud Mirth, or immoderate Sorrow, Inequality of Behaviour either in Profperity or Adverfity, are alike ungraceful in Man that is born to die. Moderation in both Circumstances is peculiar to generous Minds: Men of that Sort ever tafte the Gratifications of Health, and all other Advantages of Life, as if they were liable to part with them, and when bereft of them, refign them with a Greatness of Mind which fhews they know their Value and Duration. The Contempt of Pleasure is a certain Preparatory for the Contempt of Pain: Without this, the Mind is as it were taken fuddenly by any unforeseen Event; but he that has always, during Health and Profperity, been abstinent in his Satisfactions, enjoys, in the worst of Difficulties, the Reflection, that his Anguish is not aggravated with the Comparison of paft Pleafures which upbraid his prefent Condition. Tully tells us a Story after Pompey, which gives us a good Tafte of the pleafant Manner the Men of Wit and Philofophy had in old Times, of alleviating the Diftreffes of Life by the Force of Reafon and Philofophy. Pompey, when he came to Rhodes, had a Curiofity to vifit the famous Philofopher Poffidonius; but finding him in his fick Bed, he bewailed the Misfortune that he should not hear a Difcourfe from him: But you may, answered Poffidonius; and immediately entered into the Point of Stoical Philofophy, which fays Pain is not an Evil. During the Discourse, upon every Puncture he felt from his Diltemper, he fmiled and cried out, Pain, Pain, be as impertinent and troublesome as you please, I shall never own thou art an Evil.

Mr.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

H

AVING feen in feveral of your Papers, a Concern for the Honour of the Clergy, and their do⚫ing every thing as becomes their Character, and parti⚫cularly performing the publick Service with a due Zeal

and Devotion; I am the more encouraged to lay before them, by your Means, feveral Expreffions used by fome ⚫ of them in their Prayers before Sermon, which I am not well fatisfied in: As their giving fome Titles and Epithets to great Men, which are indeed due to them • in their several Ranks and Stations, but not properly used, I think, in our Prayers. Is it not Contradiction to fay, Illuftrious, Right Reverend, and Right Honourable poor Sinners? Thefe Diftinctions are fuited only to our State here, and have no Place in Heaven : We fee they are omitted in the Liturgy, which I think the Clergy fhould take for their Pattern in their own Forms of Devotion. There is another Expreffion ' which I would not mention, but that I have heard it • feveral times before a learned Congregation, to bring

in the laft Petition of the Prayer in thefe Words, Ủ • let not the Lord be angry and I will speak but this once ; · as if there was no Difference between Abraham's interceding for Sodom, for which he had no Warrant as we can find, and our asking thofe Things which we are required to pray for; they would therefore have much more Reason to fear his Anger if they did not make fuch Petitions to him. There is another pretty Fancy: "When a young Man has a Mind to let us know who gave him his Scarf, he fpeaks in a Parenthesis to the Almighty, Blefs, as I am in Duty bound to pray, the Right Honourable the Countefs; is not that as much as to fay, Blefs her, for thou knoweft I am her Chap• lain P

SIDIO 6:00:0d:

No. 313. Thursday, February 28.

Exigite ut mores teneros ceu pollice ducat,
Ut fi quis cerâ vultum facit-

Juv.

I

Shall give the following Letter no other Recommendation,than by telling my Readers that it comes from the fame Hand with that of last Thursday.

SIR,

I

Send you, according to my Promife, fome farther Thoughts on the Education of Youth, in which • I intend to difcufs that famous Queftion, Whether the • Education at a publick School, or under a private Tutor is to be preferr'd?

As fome of the greatest Men in moft Ages have ⚫ been of very different Opinions in this Matter, I shall • give a fhort Account of what I think may be beft urged ⚫ on both Sides, and afterwards leave every Perfon to determine for himself.

Ir is certain from Suetonius, that the Romans thought the Education of their Children a Business properly belonging to the Parents themfelves; and Plutarch, in the Life of Marcus Cato, tells us, that as foon as his Son was capable of Learning, Cato would fuffer no. body to teach him but himself, tho' he had a Servant named Chilo, who was an excellent Grammarian, and 'who taught a great many other Youths.

On the contrary, the Greeks feemed more inclined to publick Schools and Seminaries.

A private Education promifes in the firft Place Virtue and Good-breeding; a publick School manly Affurance, and an early Knowledge in the Ways of the World.

MR. Locke, in his celebrated Treatife of Education,. ⚫ confeffes that there are Inconveniencies to be feared on both Sides; If, fays he, I keep my Son at home, he is in. danger of becoming my young Mafter; If I fend him A• broad, it is fcarce poffible to keep him from the reigning • Contagion

Contagion of Rudeness and Vice. He will perhaps be more innocent at home, but more ignorant of the World, and more sheepish when he comes Abroad. However, as this learned Author afferts, That Virtue is much more dif❝ficult to be attained than a Knowledge of the World; and that Vice is a much more stubborn, as well as a more dangerous Fault than Sheepishness, he is altogether for a private Education; and the more fo, because he does not fee why a Youth, with right Management, might not attain the fame Affurance in his Father's Houfe, as at a publick School. To this End he advifes Parents to accustom their Sons to whatever ftrange Faces come to the House; to take them with them when they vifit their Neighbours, and to engage them in Converfation with Men of Parts and Breeding.

Ir may be objected to this Method, that Converfation is not the only Thing neceffary, but that unless it be a Converfation with fuch as are in fome Measure their Equals in Parts and Years, there can be no room for Emulation, Contention, and feveral of the most lively Paffions of the Mind; which, without being fometimes moved by these Means, may poffibly contract a Dulness and Infenfibility.

ONE of the greatest Writers our Nation ever produced obferves, That a Boy who forms Parties, and makes himself popular in a School of a College, would act the fame Part with equal Ease in a Senate or a Privy Council; and Mr.Osburn fpeaking like a Man verfed in the Ways of the World, affirms, that the well laying ⚫ and carrying on of a Defign to rob an Orchard, trains up. a Youth infenfibly to Caution, Secrecy and Circumfpection,and fits him for Matters of greater Importance.

IN fhort, a private Education feems the most natural Method for the forming of a virtuous Man; a publick Education for making a Man of Eufinefs. The first would furnish out a good Subject for Plato's Republick, the latter a Member for a Community over-run with Artifice and Corruption.

• Ir must however be confeffed, that a Person at the Head of a publick School has fometimes fo many Boys under his Direction, that it is impoffible he fhould extend a due Proportion of his Care to each of them.

L5

This

This is however, in reality, the Fault of the Age, in which we often see twenty Parents, who tho' each expects his Son fhould be made a Scholar, are not con• tented all together to make it worth while for any Man ' of a liberal Education to take upon him the Care of their Inftruction.

IN our great Schools indeed this Fault has been of ⚫late Years rectified, so that we have at present not only ingenious Men for the chief Masters, but such as have proper Ufhers and Affiftants under them; I must nevertheless own, that for want of the fame Encouragement in the Country, we have many a promifing-Ge⚫nius spoiled and abused in those little Seminaries.

I am the more inclined to this Opinion, having my ⚫ felf experienced the Ufage of two Rural Masters, each of them very unfit for the Trust they took upon them to discharge. The firft impofed much more upon me 6 than my Parts, tho' none of the weakest, could endure; and ufed me barbarously for not performing Im poffibilities. The latter was of quite another Temper; and a Boy, who would run upon his Errands, wash his Coffee-pot, or ring the Bell, might have as little Con⚫ verfation with any of the Clafficks as he thought fit. "I have known a Lad at this Place excused his Exercise for affifting the Cook-maid; and remember a neighbouring Gentleman's Son was among us five Years, ⚫ most of which Time he employed in airing and watering our Master's grey Pad. I fcorned to compound for my Faults, by doing any of these elegant Offices, and was accordingly the beft Scholar, and the worst ufed of any Boy in the School.

I fhall conclude this Difcourfe with an Advantage ⚫ mentioned by Quintilian, as accompanying a publick Way of Education, which I have not yet taken notice of; namely, That we very often contract fuch Friendships at School, as are a Service to us all the following Parts of our Lives.

I fhall give you, under this Head, a Story very ⚫ well known to feveral Perfons, and which you may depend upon as a real Truth.

EVERY one, who is acquainted with WestminsterSchool, knows that there is a Curtain which ufed to be

⚫ drawn.