reet and manner cades, patrcei

form a car of time, na premi efectulis, at i modest puster. A vien may be inTerstood for her acote lecet à Dung comman of his ort aims i esteem mixei viT AFfection and Concur, ind reers viti 10 lemmation: or f de toes, ne vid malice is were me vi i indisturbed jemeverance in der vence. Tasteli fre there are vich covers if mettes out tis town, that if the peace were not sent jy sime imper near "ongues of their own sex. Vaich keep them ander wome restraint, we would have to manner of engagement upon them to keep them in my terible

As I am a Spectator, and behoid how puinly one part of vomankind balance the behaviour of the other. whatever I may think of tale-bearers or sunderers, I cannot wholly suppress them, no more than a generai would discourage spies. The enemy would easy surprise him whom they knew had no intellgence of their motions. It is so far otherwise with me, that I acknowledge I permit a she-slanderer or two in every quarter of the town, to live in the characters of coquettes, and take all the innocent free

doms of the rest, in order to send me information of the behaviour of their respective sisterhoods.

But, as the matter of respect to the world, which looks on, is carried on, methinks it is so very easy to be what is in the general called virtuous, that it need not cost one hour's reflection in a month to preserve that appellation. It is pleasant to hear the pretty rogues talk of virtue and vice among each other. 6 She is the laziest creature in the world, but, I must confess, strictly virtuous; the peevishest hussy breathing, but as to her virtue, she is without blemish. She has not the least charity for any of her acquaintance, but I must allow rigidly virtuous.' As the unthinking part of the male world call every man a man of honour, who is not a coward; so the crowd of the other sex terms every woman who will not be a wench, virtuous.

No. 391. THURSDAY, MAY 29, 1712.

-Non tu prece poscis emaci,

Quæ nisi seductis nequeas committere divis ;
At bona pars procerum tacitâ libabit acerrâ.

Haud cuivis promptum est, murmurque humilesque susurros
Tollere de templis; et aperto vivere voto.

'Mens bona, fama, fides,' hæc clarè, et ut audiat hospes.
Illa sibi introrsum et sub lingua immurmurat: 'O si
Ebullit patrui præclarum funus! Et, O si

Sub rastro crepet argenti mihi seria dextro

Hercule! pupillumve utinam, quem proximus hæres
Impello, expungam ! '-

-Thou know'st to join

PERS. SAT. ii. 3.

No bribe unhallow'd to a prayer of thine;
Thine, which can every ear's full test abide,
Nor need be mutter'd to the gods aside!
No, thou aloud may'st thy petitions trust:
Thou need'st not whisper, other great ones must.
For few, my friend, few dare like thee be plain,
And prayer's low artifice at shrines disdain.
Few from their pious mumblings dare depart,
And make profession of their inmost heart.
Keep me, indulgent Heaven, through life sincere,
Keep my mind sound, my reputation clear:
These wishes they can speak, and we can hear.
Thus far their wants are audibly exprest;

Then sinks the voice, and muttering groans the rest :
'Hear, hear at length, good Hercules, my vow!
O chink some pot of gold beneath my plough!

Could I, O could I, to my ravish'd eyes

See my rich uncle's pompous funeral rise;
Or could I once my ward's cold corpse attend:
Then all were mine!'-

WHERE Homer represents Phoenix, the tutor of Achilles, as persuading his pupil to lay aside his resentments, and give himself up to the entreaties

of his countrymen, the poet, in order to make him speak in character, ascribes to him a speech full of those fables and allegories which old men take delight in relating, and which are very proper for instruction. The gods,' says he, suffer themselves to be prevailed upon by entreaties. When mortals have offended them by their transgressions, they appease them by vows and sacrifices. You must know, Achilles, that prayers are the daughters of Jupiter. They are crippled by frequent kneeling, have their faces full of cares and wrinkles, and their eyes always cast towards heaven. They are constant attendants on the goddess Atè, and march behind her. This goddess walks forward with a bold and haughty air; and, being very light of foot, runs through the whole earth, grieving and afflicting the sons of men. She gets the start of Prayers, who always follow her, in order to heal those persons whom she wounds. He who honours these daughters of Jupiter, when they draw near to him, receives great benefit from them; but as for him who rejects them, they intreat their father to give his orders to the goddess Atè, to punish him for his hardness of heart.' This noble allegory needs but little explanation: for, whether the goddess Atè signifies injury, as some have explained it; or guilt in general, as others; or divine justice, as I am more apt to think; the interpretation is obvious enough.

I shall produce another heathen fable, relating to prayers, which is of a more diverting kind. Öne would think by some passages in it, that it was composed by Lucian, or at least by some author who has endeavoured to imitate his way of writing; but as dissertations of this nature are more curious than useful, I shall give my reader the fable, without any further inquiries after the author.

"Menippus the philosopher was a second time taken up into heaven by Jupiter, when for his entertainment, he lifted up a trap-door that was placed by his footstool. At its rising, there issued through it such a din of cries as astonished the philosopher. Upon his asking what they meant, Jupiter told him they were the prayers that were sent up to him from the earth. Menippus, amidst the confusion of voices, which was so great that nothing less than the ear of Jove could distinguish them, heard the words, riches,' 'honour,' and 'long life,' repeated in several different tones and languages. When the first hubbub of sounds was over, the trap-door being left open, the voices came up more separate and distinct. The first prayer was a very odd one; it came from Athens, and desired Jupiter to increase the wisdom and the beard of his humble supplicant. Menippus knew it, by the voice, to be the prayer of his friend Licander the philosopher. This was succeeded by the petition of one who had just laden a ship, and promised Jupiter, if he took care of it, and returned it home again full of riches, he would make him an offering of a silver cup. Jupiter thanked him for nothing; and, bending down his ear more attentively than ordinary, heard a voice complaining to him of the cruelty of an Ephesian widow, and begging him to breed compassion in her heart. This,' says Jupiter, 'is a very honest fellow. I have received a great deal of incense from him; I will not be so cruel to him as to hear his prayers.' He was then interrupted with a whole volley of vows which were made for the health of a tyrannical prince by his subjects who prayed for him in his presence. Menippus was surprised, after having listened to prayers offered up with so much ardour and devotion, to hear low whispers