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man, in fome of our modern Comedies, make his first Advances to his Miftrefs under the difguife of a Painter or a Dancing-Mafter.

THE Difference is, that in a Lad of Genius thefe are only fo many Accomplishments, which in another ⚫ are Effentials; the one diverts himself with them, the o•ther works at them. In fhort, I look upon a great Ge

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nius, with thefe little Additions, in the fame Light as I regard the Grand Signior, who is obliged, by an exprefs • Command in the Alcoran, to learn and practise fome Handycraft Trade. Tho' I need not have gone for my • Instance further than Germany, where feveral Emperors • have voluntarily done the fame thing. Leopold the laft ⚫ worked in Wood; and I have heard there are several handycraft Works of his making to be seen at Vienna fo neatly turned, that the best Joiner in Europe might fafely own them, without any difgrace to his Profeffion. 'I would not be thought, by any thing I have said, to be againft improving a Boy's Genius to the utmost pitch it can be carry'd. What I would endeavour to thew in this Effay, is, that there may be Methods taken, ⚫ to make Learning advantageous even to the meaneft Ca < pacities.

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OU have in fome of your Difcourfes describ'd moft 'forts of Women in their diftinct and proper Claffes, as the Ape, the Coquet, and many others; but I think you have never yet faid any thing of a Devotee.

A De

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vetee is one of thofe who difparage Religion by their • indifcreet and unfeasonable Introduction of the Men⚫tion of Virtue on all occafions: She profeffes the is what no body ought to doubt fhe is; and betrays the • Labour fhe is put to, to be what the ought to be with Chearfulness and Alacrity. She lives in the World, and ⚫ denies her felf none of the Diverfions of it, with a con* ftant Declaration how infipid all things in it are to her. She ⚫ is never herself but at Church; there fhe difplays her Virtue, and is fo fervent in her Devotions, that I have frequently feen her pray herself out of breath. While other young Ladies in the House are dancing, or playing at Questions and Commands, the reads aloud in her Clofet. She fays all Love is ridiculous, except it be Celeftial; but the fpeaks of the Paffion of one Mortal to another with too much Bitterness, for one that had no Jealoufy mixed with her Contempt of it. If at any time fhe fees a Man warm in his Addreffes to his Mistress, fhe will lift up her Eyes to Heaven, and cry, What Nonfenfe is that Fool talking? Will the Bell never ring for Prayers? We have an eminent Lady of this Stamp in our Country, who pretends to Amusements very much above the rest of her Sex. She never carries a white Shock-dog with Bells under her Arm, nor a Squirrel or Dormouse in her Pocket, but always an abridg'd Piece of Morality to fteal out when he is fure of being ob⚫ferv'd. When fhe went to the famous Afs-Race (which • I must confefs was but an odd Diverfion to be encouraged by People of Rank and Figure) it was not, like other Ladies, to hear thofe poor Animals bray, nor to • fee Fellows run naked, or to hear Country Squires in bob Wigs and white Girdles make love at the fide of a Coach, and cry, Madam this is dainty Weather. Thus fhe de• fcribed the Diverfion; for the went only to pray heartily that no body might be hurt in the Crowd, and to fee if the poor Fellow's Face, which was distorted with Grinning, might any way be brought to it felf again. She never chats over her Tea, but covers her Face, and is • fuppofed in an Ejaculation before fhe taftes a Sup. This ⚫ oftentatious Behaviour is such an Offence to true Sanity, ' that

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that it difparages it, and makes Virtue not only unamiable, but alfo ridiculous. The Sacred Writings are full of • Reflections which abhor this kind of Conduct; and a • Devotee is fo far from promoting Goodness, that the de"ters others by her Example. Folly and Vanity in one of thefe Ladies, is like Vice in a Clergyman; it does not only debase him, but makes the inconfiderate Part of the World think the worse of Religion.

I am, SIR,

Mr. SPECTATOR,

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Your Humble Servant,

Hotspur.

ENOPHON, in his short Account of the Spar'tan Commonwealth, fpeaking of the Behaviour of their young Men in the Streets, fays, There was fo much Modefty in their Looks, that you might as foon ⚫ have turned the Eyes of a Marble Statue upon you as theirs; and that in all their Behaviour they were more modeft than a Bride when put to bed upon her WeddingNight: This Virtue, which is always join'd to Magnanimity, had fuch an influence upon their Courage, that in ⚫ Battel an Enemy could not look them in the Face; and they durft not but die for their Country.

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WHENEVER I walk into the Streets of London and Westminster, the Countenances of all the young Fellows that país by me, make me with my felf in Sparta: I meet with fuch blustering Airs, big Looks, and bold Fronts, that to a fuperficial Obferver would bespeak a Courage above thofe Grecians. I am arrived to that • Perfection in Speculation, that I understand the Language of the Eyes, which would be a great misfortune to me, ⚫ had I not corrected the Teftinefs of old Age by Philofophy. There is fcarce a Man in a red Coat who does not tell me, with a full Stare, he's a bold Man: I fee • feveral swear inwardly at me, without any Offence of mine, but the Oddnefs of my Perfon: I meet Contempt in every Street, exprefs'd in different Manners, by the fcornful Look, the elevated Eye-brow, and the fwelling Noftrils of the Proud and Profperous. The Prentice fpeaks his Difrespect by an extended Finger, and the : Porter

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• Porter by stealing out his Tongue. If a Country Gen⚫tleman appears a little curious in obferving the Edifices, Signs, Clocks, Coaches, and Dials, it is not to be imagined how the Polite Rabble of this Town, who are acquainted with thefe Objects, ridicule his Rufticity. I < have known a Fellow with a Burden on his Head fteal a • Hand down from his Load, and flily twirle the Cock of a Squire's Hat behind him; while the offended Perfon <is fwearing, or out of countenance, all the Wag-Wits in the High-way are grinning in applause of the ingenious Rogue that gave him the tip, and the Folly of him who had not Eyes all round his Head to prevent receiving it. These things arife from a general Affectation of Smartness, Wit, and Courage: Wycherly fomewhere rallies the Pretenfions this Way, by making a Fellow fay, • Red Breeches are a certain Sign of Valour; and Otway • makes a Man, to boaft his Agility, trip up a Beggar on Crutches. From fuch Hints I beg a Speculation on this Subject; in the mean time I fhall do all in the power of • a weak old Fellow in my own defence: for as Diogenes, being in queft of an honeft Man, fought for him when it was broad Day-light with a Lanthorn and Candle, fo • I intend for the future to walk the Streets with a dark Lanthorn, which has a convex Chrystal in it; and if any Man ftares at me, I give fair Warning that I'll direct the Light full into his Eyes. Thus defpairing to find Men Modeft, I hope by this means to evade their Impudence.

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I am, SIR,

Your most humble Servant,

T

Sophrofunius.

Thursday,

N° 355. Thursday, April 17.

I

Non ego mordaci diftrinxi carmine quenquam. Ovid.

HAVE been very often tempted to write Invectives upon those who have detracted from my Works, or spoken in derogation of my Perfon; but I look upon it as a particular Happiness, that I have always hindred my Refentments from proceeding to. this extremity. I once had gone thro' half a Satire, but found fo many Motions of Humanity rifing in me towards the Perfons whom I had feverely treated, that I threw it into the Fire without ever finishing it. I have been angry enough to make feveral little Epigrams and Lampoons; and after having admired them a day or two, have likewife committed them to the Flames. Thefe I look upon as fo many Sacrifices to Humanity, and have received much greater Satisfaction from the fuppreffing fuch Performances, than I could have done from any Reputation they might have procur'd me, or from any Mortification they might have given my Enemies, in cafe I had made them publick. If a Man has any Talent in writing, it fhews a good Mind to forbear anfwering Calumnies and Reproaches in the fame Spirit of Bitterness with which they are offered: But when a Man has been at fome pains in making suitable Returns to an Enemy, and has the Inftruments of Revenge in hands, to let drop his Wrath, and ftifle his Refentment feems to have fomething in it great and heroical. There is a particular Merit in fuch a way of forgiving an Enemy; and the more violent and unprovok'd the Offence has been, the greater still is the Merit of him who thus forgives it.

I never met with a Confideration that is more finely fpun, and what has better pleased me, than one in Epictetus, which places an Enemy in a new Light, and gives us a view of him altogether different from that in

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