I could not but smile upon reading a Passage in the Account which Mr.
Baxter
gives of his own Life, wherein he represents it as a great
Blessing, that in his Youth he very narrowly escaped getting a Place at
Court.
It must indeed be confessed that Levity of Tamper takes a Man off his
Guard, and opens a Pass to his Soul for any Temptation that assaults it.
It favours all the Approaches of Vice, and weakens all the Resistance of
Virtue. For which Reason a renowned Statesman in Queen
Elizabeth's
Days, after having retir'd from Court and publick Business, in order to
give himself up to the Duties of Religion; when any of his old Friends
used to visit him, had still this Word of Advice in his Mouth,
Be
serious.
An eminent
Italian
Author of this Cast of Mind, speaking of the great
Advantage of a serious and composed Temper, wishes very gravely, that
for the Benefit of Mankind he had
Trophonius's
Cave in his Possession;
which, says he, would contribute more to the Reformation of Manners than
all the Work-houses and Bridewells in
Europe.
We have a very particular Description of this Cave in
Pausanias
, who
tells us, that it was made in the Form of a huge Oven, and had many
particular Circumstances, which disposed the Person who was in it to be
more pensive and thoughtful than ordinary; insomuch that no Man was ever
observed to laugh all his Life after, who had once made his Entry into
this Cave. It was usual in those Times, when any one carried a more than
ordinary Gloominess in his Features, to tell him that he looked like one
just come out of
Trophonius's
Cave.
On the other hand, Writers of a more merry Complexion have been no less
severe on the opposite Party; and have had one Advantage above them,
that they have attacked them with more Turns of Wit and Humour.
After all, if a Man's Temper were at his own Disposal, I think he would
not chuse to be of either of these Parties; since the most perfect
Character is that which is formed out of both of them. A Man would
neither chuse to be a Hermit nor a Buffoon: Humane Nature is not so
miserable, as that we should be always melancholy; nor so happy, as that
we should be always merry. In a Word, a Man should not live as if there
was no God in the World; nor, at the same Time, as if there were no Men
in it.
Contents
|
Monday, September 27, 1714 |
|
It has been my Custom, as I grow old, to allow my self in some little
Indulgencies which I never took in my Youth. Among others is that of an
Afternoon's Napp, which I fell into in the Fifty fifth Year of my Age,
and have continued for the three Years last past. By this means I enjoy
a double Morning, and rise twice a-day fresh to my Speculations. It
happens very luckily for me, that some of my Dreams have proved
instructive to my Countrymen, so that I may be said to sleep, as well as
to wake, for the Good of the Publick. I was Yesterday meditating on the
Account with which I have already entertained my Readers concerning the
Cave of
Trophonius.
I was no sooner fallen into my usual Slumber, but
I dreamt that this Cave was put into my Possession, and that I gave
publick Notice of its Virtue, inviting every one to it, who had a mind
to be a serious Man for the remaining Part of his Life. Great Multitudes
immediately resorted to me. The first who made the Experiment was a
Merry-Andrew
, who was put into my Hands by a neighbouring Justice of
Peace, in order to reclaim him from that profligate kind of Life. Poor
Pickle-herring had not taken above one Turn in it, when he came out of
the Cave, like a Hermit from his Cell, with a penitential Look, and a
most rueful Countenance. I then put in a young laughing Fop, and,
watching for his Return, asked him, with a Smile, how he liked the
Place? He replied, Pr'ythee Friend be not impertinent; and stalked by me
as grave as a Judge. A Citizen then de
Sir
ed me to give free Ingress and
Egress to his Wife, who was dressed in the gayest coloured Ribbons I had
ever seen. She went in with a Flirt of her Fan and a smirking
Countenance, but came out with a Severity of a Vestal, and throwing from
her several Female Gugaws, told me with a Sigh, that she resolved to go
into deep Mourning, and to wear Black all the rest of her Life. As I had
many Coquets recommended to me by their Parents, their Husbands, and
their Lovers, I let them in all at once, de
Sir
ing them to divert
themselves together as well as they could. Upon their emerging again
into Day-light, you would have fancied my Cave to have been a Nunnery,
and that you had seen a solemn Procession of Religious marching out, one
behind another, in the most profound Silence and the most exemplary
Decency. As I was very much delighted with so edifying a Sight, there
came towards me a great Company of Males and Females laughing, singing,
and dancing, in such a manner that I could hear them a great while
before I saw them. Upon my asking their Leader, what brought them
thither? they told me all at once, that they were
French
Protestants
lately arrived in
Great-Britain
, and that finding themselves of too
Gay a Humour for my Country, they applyed themselves to me in order to
compose them for
British
Conversation. I told them, that to oblige
them I would soon spoil their Mirth; upon which I admitted a whole Shole
of them, who, after having taken a Survey of the Place, came out in a
very good Order, and with Looks entirely
English.
I afterwards put in
a
Dutch
Man, who had a great Fancy to see the
Kelder
, as he called
it, but I could not observe that it had made any manner of Alteration in
him.
A Comedian who had gained great Reputation in Parts of Humour, told me,
that he had a mighty Mind to act
Alexander
the Great, and fancied that
he should succeed very well in it, if he could strike two or three
laughing Features out of his Face: He tried the Experiment, but
contracted so very solid a Look by it, that I am afraid he will be fit
for no Part hereafter but a
Timon
of
Athens
, or a Mute in the
Funeral.
I then clapt up an empty fantastic Citizen, in order to qualifie him for
an Alderman. He was succeeded by a young Rake of the
Middle-Temple
,
who was brought to me by his Grandmother; but to her great Sorrow and
Surprize, he came out a
Quaker.
Seeing my self surrounded with a Body
of
Free-thinkers
, and Scoffers at Religion, who were making themselves
merry at the sober Looks and thoughtful Brows of those who had been in
the Cave; I thrust them all in, one after another, and locked the Door
upon 'em. Upon my opening it, they all looked, as if they had been
frighted out of their Wits, and were marching away with Ropes in their
Hands to a Wood that was within Sight of the Place. I found they were
not able to bear themselves in their first serious Thoughts; but knowing
these would quickly bring them to a better Frame of Mind, I gave them
into the Custody of their Friends 'till that happy Change was wrought in
them.
The last that was brought to me was a young Woman, who at the first
Sight of my short Face fell into an immoderate fit of Laughter, and was
forced to hold her Sides all the while her Mother was speaking to me.
Upon this I interrupted the old Lady, and taking her Daughter by the
Hand, Madam, said I, be pleased to retire into my Closet, while your
Mother tells me your Case. I then put her into the Mouth of the Cave,
when the Mother, after having begg'd Pardon for the Girl's Rudeness,
told me, that she often treated her Father and the gravest of her
Relations in the same manner; that she would sit giggling and laughing
with her Companions from one End of a Tragedy to the other; nay, that
she would sometimes burst out in the Middle of a Sermon, and set the
whole Congregation a staring at her. The Mother was going on, when the
young Lady came out of the Cave to us with a composed Countenance, and a
low Curtsie. She was a Girl of such exuberant Mirth, that her Visit to
Trophonius
only reduced her to a more than ordinary Decency of
Behaviour, and made a very pretty Prude of her. After having performed
innumerable Cures, I looked about me with great Satisfaction, and saw
all my Patients walking by themselves in a very Pensive and musing
Posture, so that the whole Place seem'd covered with Philosophers. I was
at length resolv'd to go into the Cave my self, and see what it was that
had produced such wonderful Effects upon the Company; but as I was
stooping at the Entrance, the Door being something low, I gave such a
Nodd in my Chair, that I awaked. After having recovered my self from my
first Startle, I was very well pleas'd at the Accident which had
befallen me, as not knowing but a little Stay in the Place might have
spoiled my
Spectators
.
Contents
|
Wednesday, September 29, 1714 |
Addison |
I have always taken a particular Pleasure in examining the Opinions
which Men of different Religions, different Ages, and different
Countries, have entertained concerning the Immortality of the Soul, and
the State of Happiness which they promise themselves in another World.
For whatever Prejudices and Errors human Nature lies under; we find that
either Reason, or Tradition from our first Parents, has discovered to
all People something in these great Points which bears Analogy to Truth,
and to the Doctrines opened to us by Divine Revelation. I
lately
discoursing on this Subject with a learned Person who has been very much
conversant among the Inhabitants of the more Western Parts of
Africk.
Upon his conversing with several in that Country, he tells me that
their Notion of Heaven or of a future State of Happiness is this, That
every thing we there wish for will immediately present it self to us. We
find, say they, our Souls are of such Nature that they require Variety,
and are not capable of being always delighted with the same Objects. The
Supreme Being therefore, in Compliance with this Taste of Happiness
which he has planted in the Soul of Man, will raise up from time to
time, say they, every Gratification which it is in the Humour to be
pleased with. If we wish to be in Groves or Bowers, among running
Streams or Falls of Water, we shall immediately find our selves in the
midst of such a Scene as we de
Sir
e. If we would be entertained with
Musick and the Melody of Sounds, the Consort rises upon our Wish, and
the whole Region about us is filled with Harmony. In short, every De
Sir
e
will be followed by Fruition, and whatever a Man's Inclination directs
him to will be present with him. Nor is it material whether the Supreme
Power creates in Conformity to our Wishes, or whether he only produces
such a Change in our Imagination, as makes us believe our selves
conversant among those Scenes which delight us. Our Happiness will be
the same, whether it proceed from external Objects, or from the
Impressions of the Deity upon our own private Fancies. This is the
Account which I have received from my learned Friend. Notwithstanding
this System of Belief be in general very chimerical and visionary, there
is something sublime in its manner of considering the Influence of a
Divine Being on a Human Soul. It has also, like most other Opinions of
the Heathen World upon these important Points, it has, I say, its
Foundation in Truth, as it supposes the Souls of good Men after this
Life to be in a State of perfect Happiness, that in this State there
will be no barren Hopes, nor fruitless Wishes, and that we shall enjoy
every thing we can de
Sir
e. But the particular Circumstance which I am
most pleas'd with in this Scheme, and which arises from a just
Reflection upon Human Nature, is that Variety of Pleasures which it
supposes the Souls of good Men will be possessed of in another World.
This I think highly probable, from the Dictates both of Reason and
Revelation. The Soul consists of many Faculties, as the Understanding,
and the Will, with all the Senses both outward and inward; or to speak
more Philosophically, the Soul can exert herself in many different Ways
of Action. She can understand, will, imagine, see, and hear, love, and
discourse, and apply herself to many other the like Exercises of
different Kinds and Natures; but what is more to be considered, the Soul
is capable of receiving a most exquisite Pleasure and Satisfaction from
the Exercise of any of these its Powers, when they are gratified with
their proper Objects; she can be entirely happy by the Satisfaction of
the Memory, the Sight, the Hearing, or any other Mode of Perception.
Every Faculty is as a distinct Taste in the Mind, and hath Objects
accommodated to its proper Relish. Doctor
Tillotson
somewhere says
that he will not presume to determine in what consists the Happiness of
the Blest, because God Almighty is capable of making the Soul happy by
Ten thousand different Ways. Besides those several Avenues to Pleasure
which the Soul is endowed with in this Life; it is not impossible,
according to the Opinions of many eminent Divines, but there may be new
Faculties in the Souls of good Men made perfect, as well as new Senses
in their glorified Bodies. This we are sure of, that there will be new
Objects offer'd to all those Faculties which are essential to us.
We are likewise to take Notice that every particular Faculty is capable
of being employed on a very great Variety of Objects. The Understanding,
for Example, may be happy in the Contemplation of Moral, Natural,
Mathematical, and other Kinds of Truth. The Memory likewise may turn
itself to an infinite Multitude of Objects, especially when the Soul
shall have pass'd through the Space of many Millions of Years, and shall
reflect with Pleasure on the Days of Eternity. Every other Faculty may
be consider'd in the same Extent.
We cannot question but that the Happiness of a Soul will be adequate to
its Nature, and that it is not endowed with any Faculties which are to
lie useless and unemploy'd. The Happiness is to be the Happiness of the
whole Man, and we may easily conceive to our selves the Happiness of the
Soul, whilst any one of its Faculties is in the Fruition of its chief
Good. The Happiness may be of a more exalted Nature in Proportion as the
Faculty employed is so, but as the whole Soul acts in the Exertion of
any of its particular Powers, the whole Soul is happy in the Pleasure
which arises from any of its particular Acts. For notwithstanding, as
has been before hinted,
as it has been taken Notice of by one of the
greatest modern Philosophers
, we divide the Soul into several Powers
and Faculties, there is no such Division in the Soul it self, since it
is the whole Soul that remembers, understands, wills, or imagines. Our
manner of considering the Memory, Understanding, Will, Imagination, and
the like Faculties, is for the better enabling us to express our selves
in such abstracted Subjects of Speculation, not that there is any such
Division in the Soul it self.
Seeing then that the Soul has many different Faculties, or in other
Words, many different Ways of acting; that it can be intensely pleas'd,
or made happy by all these different Faculties, or Ways of acting; that
it may be endow'd with several latent Faculties, which it is not at
present in a Condition to exert; that we cannot believe the Soul is
endow'd with any Faculty which is of no Use to it; that whenever any one
of these Faculties is transcendently pleased, the Soul is in a State of
Happiness; and in the last Place considering that the Happiness of
another World is to be the Happiness of the whole Man; who can question
but that there is an infinite Variety in those Pleasures we are speaking
of; and that this Fulness of Joy will be made up of all those Pleasures
which the Nature of the Soul is capable of receiving.
We shall be the more confirmed in this Doctrine, if we observe the
Nature of Variety, with regard to the Mind of Man. The Soul does not
care to be always in the same bent. The Faculties relieve one another by
Turns, and receive an additional Pleasure from the Novelty of those
Objects about which they are conversant.
Revelation likewise very much confirms this Notion, under the different
Views which it gives us of our future Happiness. In the Description of
the Throne of God, it represents to us all those Objects which are able
to gratify the Senses and Imagination: In very many Places it intimates
to us all the Happiness which the Understanding can possibly receive in
that State, where all Things shall be revealed to us, and we shall know,
even as we are known; the Raptures of Devotion, of Divine Love, the
Pleasure of conversing with our Blessed Saviour, with an innumerable
Host of Angels, and with the Spirits of Just Men made Perfect, are
likewise revealed to us in several Parts of the Holy Writings. There are
also mentioned those Hierarchies or Governments, in which the Blest
shall be ranged one above another, and in which we may be sure a great
Part of our Happiness will likewise consist; for it will not be there as
in this World, where every one is aiming at Power and Superiority; but
on the contrary, every one will find that Station the most proper for
him in which he is placed, and will probably think that he could not
have been so happy in any other Station. These and many other
Particulars are marked in Divine Revelation, as the several Ingredients
of our Happiness in Heaven, which all imply such a Variety of Joys and
such a Gratification of the Soul in all its different Faculties, as I
have been here mentioning.
Some of the Rabbins tell us, that the Cherubims are a Set of Angels who
know most, and the Seraphims a Set of Angels who love most. Whether this
Distinction be not altogether Imaginary, I shall not here examine; but
it is highly probable that among the Spirits of good Men, there may be
some who will be more pleased with the Employment of one Faculty than of
another, and this perhaps according to those innocent and virtuous
Habits or Inclinations which have here taken the deepest Root.
I might here apply this Consideration to the Spirits of wicked Men, with
relation to the Pain which they shall suffer in every one of their
Faculties, and the respective Miseries which shall be appropriated to
each Faculty in particular. But leaving this to the Reflection of my
Readers, I shall conclude, with observing how we ought to be thankful to
our great Creator, and rejoice in the Being which he has bestowed upon
us, for having made the Soul susceptible of Pleasure by so many
different Ways.
We see by what a Variety of Passages, Joy and Gladness may enter into
the Thoughts of Man; how wonderfully a human Spirit is framed, to imbibe
its proper Satisfactions, and taste the Goodness of its Creator. We may
therefore look into our selves with Rapture and Amazement, and cannot
sufficiently express our Gratitude to him, who has encompassed us with
such a Profusion of Blessings, and opened in us so many Capacities of
enjoying them.
There cannot be a stronger Argument that God has designed us for a State
of future Happiness, and for that Heaven which he has revealed to us,
than that he has thus naturally qualified the Soul for it, and made it a
Being capable of receiving so much Bliss. He would never have made such
Faculties in vain, and have endowed us with Powers that were not to be
exerted on such Objects as are suited to them. It is very manifest, by
the inward Frame and Constitution of our Minds, that he has adapted them
to an infinite Variety of Pleasures and Gratifications, which are not to
be met with in this Life. We should therefore at all times take Care
that we do not disappoint this his gracious Purpose and Intention
towards us, and make those Faculties which he formed as so many
Qualifications for Happiness and Rewards, to be the Instruments of Pain
and Punishment.
Footnote 1:
Addison's father, who wrote an account of West Barbary,
died in 1703.
Footnote 2:
Locke.
Contents
|
Friday, October 1, 1714 |
Henry Grove |
Greek: Ho anthrôpos euergetòs pephykôs' Antonin. Lib. 9.translation
following Essay comes from an Hand which has entertained my Readers
once before
.
Notwithstanding a narrow contracted Temper be that which obtains most in
the World, we must not therefore conclude this to be the genuine
Characteristick of Mankind; because there are some who delight in
nothing so much as in doing Good, and receive more of their Happiness at
second hand, or by rebound from others, than by direct and immediate
Sensation. Now tho' these Heroic Souls are but few, and to Appearance so
far advanced above the groveling Multitude, as if they were of another
Order of Beings, yet in Reality their Nature is the same, moved by the
same Springs, and endowed with all the same essential Qualities, only
cleared, refined, and cultivated.
Water is the same fluid Body in Winter and in Summer; when it stands
stiffened in Ice as when it flows along in gentle Streams gladdening a
thousand Fields in its Progress. 'Tis a Property of the Heart of Man to
be diffusive: Its kind Wishes spread abroad over the Face of the
Creation; and if there be those, as we may observe too many of them, who
are all wrapt up in their own dear selves, without any visible Concern
for their Species, let us suppose that their Good-nature is frozen, and
by the prevailing Force of some contrary Quality restrained in its
Operations. I shall therefore endeavour to assign some of the principal
Checks upon this generous Propension of the Human Soul, which will
enable us to judge whether, and by what Method, this most useful
Principle may be unfettered, and restored to its native Freedom of
Exercise.
The first and leading Cause is an unhappy Complexion of Body. The
Heathens, ignorant of the true Source of Moral Evil, generally charged
it on the Obliquity of Matter, which, being eternal and independent, was
incapable of Change in any of its Properties, even by the Almighty Mind,
who, when He came to fashion it into a World of Beings, must take it as
he found it. This Notion, as most others of theirs, is a Composition of
Truth and Error. That Matter is eternal, that from the first Union of a
Soul to it, it perverted its Inclinations, and that the ill Influence it
hath upon the Mind is not to be corrected by God himself, are all very
great Errors, occasioned by a Truth as evident, that the Capacities and
Dispositions of the Soul depend, to a great Degree, on the bodily
Temper. As there are some Fools, others are Knaves, by Constitution; and
particularly, it may be said of many, that they are born with an
illiberal Cast of Mind; the Matter that composes them is tenacious as
Birdlime, and a kind of Cramp draws their Hands and their Hearts
together, that they never care to open them unless to grasp at more.
'Tis a melancholy Lot this; but attended with one Advantage above
theirs, to whom it would be as painful to forbear good Offices, as it is
to these Men to perform them; that whereas Persons naturally Beneficent
often mistake Instinct for Virtue, by reason of the Difficulty of
distinguishing when one rules them and when the other, Men of the
opposite Character may be more certain of the Motive that predominates
in every Action. If they cannot confer a Benefit with that Ease and
Frankness which are necessary to give it a Grace in the Eye of the
World, in requital, the real Merit of what they do is inhanc'd by the
Opposition they surmount in doing it. The Strength of their Virtue is
seen in rising against the Weight of Nature, and every time they have
the Resolution to discharge their Duty, they make a Sacrifice of
Inclination to Conscience, which is always too grateful to let its
Followers go without suitable Marks of its Approbation. Perhaps the
entire Cure of this ill Quality is no more possible, than of some
Distempers that descend by Inheritance. However, a great deal may be
done by a Course of Beneficence obstinately persisted in; this, if any
thing, being a likely way of establishing a moral Habit, which shall be
somewhat of a Counterpoise to the Force of Mechanism. Only it must be
remembred, that we do not intermit, upon any Pretence whatsoever, the
Custom of doing Good, in regard if there be the least Cessation, Nature
will watch the Opportunity to return, and in a short time to recover the
Ground it was so long in quitting: For there is this Difference between
mental Habits, and such as have their Foundation in the Body; that these
last are in their Nature more forcible and violent, and, to gain upon
us, need only not to be opposed; whereas the former must be continually
reinforced with fresh Supplies, or they will languish and die away. And
this suggests the Reason why good Habits, in general, require longer
time for their Settlement than bad, and yet are sooner displaced; the
Reason is, that vicious Habits (as Drunkenness for Instance) produce a
Change in the Body, which the others not doing, must be maintained the
same way they are acquired, by the mere Dint of Industry, Resolution,
and Vigilance.
Another Thing which suspends the Operations of Benevolence, is the Love
of the World; proceeding from a false Notion Men have taken up, that an
Abundance of the World is an essential Ingredient into the Happiness of
Life. Worldly Things are of such a Quality as to lessen upon dividing,
so that the more Partners there are, the less must fall to every Man's
private Share. The Consequence of this is, that they look upon one
another with an evil Eye, each imagining all the rest to be embarked in
an Interest, that cannot take Place but to his Prejudice. Hence are
those eager Competitions for Wealth or Power; hence one Man's Success
becomes another's Disappointment; and, like Pretenders to the same
Mistress, they can seldom have common Charity for their Rivals. Not that
they are naturally disposed to quarrel and fall out, but 'tis natural
for a Man to prefer himself to all others, and to secure his own
Interest first. If that which Men esteem their Happiness were like the
Light, the same sufficient and unconfined Good, whether Ten Thousand
enjoy the Benefit of it, or but One, we should see Mens Good-will, and
kind Endeavours, would be as universal.
Homo qui Erranti comiter monstrat Viam,
Quasi Lumen de suo Lumine accendat, facit,
Nihilominus ipsi luceat, cum illi accenderit.
But, unluckily, Mankind agree in making Choice of Objects, which
inevitably engage them in perpetual Differences. Learn therefore, like a
wise Man, the true Estimate of Things. De
Sir
e not more of the World than
is necessary to accommodate you in passing through it; look upon every
thing beyond, not as useless only, but burthensome. Place not your Quiet
in Things, which you cannot have without putting others beside them, and
thereby making them your Enemies; and which, when attain'd, will give
you more Trouble to keep, than Satisfaction in the Enjoyment. Virtue is
a Good of a nobler kind; it grows by Communication, and so little
resembles earthly Riches, that the more Hands it is lodged in, the
greater is every Man's particular Stock. So, by propagating and mingling
their Fires, not only all the Lights of a Branch together cast a more
extensive Brightness, but each single Light burns with a stronger Flame.
And lastly, take this along with you, that if Wealth be an Instrument of
Pleasure, the greatest Pleasure it can put into your Power, is that of
doing Good. 'Tis worth considering, that the Organs of Sense act within
a narrow Compass, and the Appetites will soon say they have enough:
which of the two therefore is the happier Man? He, Who confining all his
Regard to the Gratification of his own Appetites, is capable but of
short Fits of Pleasure? Or the Man, who, reckoning himself a Sharer in
the Satisfactions of others, especially those which come to them by his
Means, enlarges the Sphere of his Happiness?
The last Enemy to Benevolence I shall mention is Uneasiness of any Kind.
A guilty, or a discontented Mind, a Mind ruffled by ill Fortune,
disconcerted by its own Passions, sowered by Neglect, or fretting at
Disappointments, hath not Leisure to attend to the Necessity or
Reasonableness of a Kindness de
Sir
ed, nor a Taste for those Pleasures
which wait on Beneficence, which demand a calm and unpolluted Heart to
relish them. The most miserable of all Beings is the most envious; as,
on the other hand, the most communicative is the happiest. And if you
are in search of the Seat of perfect Love and Friendship, you will not
find it till you come to the Region of the Blessed, where Happiness,
like a refreshing Stream, flows from Heart to Heart in an endless
Circulation, and is preserv'd sweet and untainted by the Motion. 'Tis
old Advice, if you have a Favour to request of any one, to observe the
softest times of Address, when the Soul, in a Flush of good Humour,
takes a Pleasure to shew it self pleased. Persons conscious of their own
integrity, satisfied with themselves, and their Condition, and full of
Confidence in a Supreme Being, and the Hope of Immortality, survey all
about them with a Flow of Good-will. As Trees which like their Soil,
they shoot out in Expressions of Kindness and bend beneath their own
precious Load, to the hand of the Gatherer. Now if the Mind be not thus
easie, 'tis an infallible Sign that it is not in its natural State;
Place the Mind in its right Posture, it will immediately discover its
innate Propension to Beneficence.
Footnote 1:
No.
Contents
|
Monday, October 4, 1714 |
Budgell |
The following Letter comes from a Gentleman, who, I find, is very
dilgent in making his Observations, which I think too material not to be
communicated to the Publick.
Sir ,
'In order to
execute the Office of Love-Casuist to
Great Britain,
with which I take my self to be invested by your Paper of September 8
1, I shall make some further Observations upon the two Sexes in
general, beginning with that which always ought to have the upper
Hand. After having observed with much Curiosity the Accomplishments
which are apt to captivate female Hearts, I find that there is no
Person so irresistable as one who is a Man of Importance, provided it
be in Matters of no Consequence. One who makes himself talked of, tho'
it be for the particular Cock of his Hat, or for prating aloud in the
Boxes at a Play, is in a fair way of being a Favourite. I have known a
young Fellow make his Fortune by knocking down a Constable; and may
venture to say, tho' it may seem a Paradox, that many a Fair One has
died by a Duel in which both the Combatants have survived.
About three Winters ago I took Notice of a young Lady at the Theatre,
who convceived of a Passion for a notorious Rake that headed a Party
of Cat-calls; and am credibly informed, that the Emperor of the
Mohocks married a rich Widow within three Weeks after having rendered
himself formidable in the Cities of
London and
Westminster.
Scowring and breaking Windows have done frequent Execution upon the
Sex; but there is no Sett of these Male Charmers who make their way
more successfully, than those who have gained themselves a Name for
Intrigue, and have ruined the greatest Number of Reputations. There is
a strange Curiosity in the female World to be acquainted with the dear
Man who has been loved by others, and to know what it is that makes
him so agreeable. His Reputation does more than half his Business.
Every one that is ambitious of being a Woman of Fashion, looks out for
Opportunities of being in his Company; so that to use the old Proverb,
When his Name is up he may lie a-Bed.
'I was very sensible of the great Advantage of being a Man of
Importance upon these Occasions on the Day of the King's Entry, when I
was seated in a Balcony behind a Cluster of very pretty Country
Ladies, who had one of these showy Gentlemen in the midst of them. The
first Trick I caught him at was bowing to several Persons of Quality
whom he did not know; nay, he had the Impudence to hem at a Blue
Garter who had a finer Equipage than ordinary, and seemed a little
concerned at the Impertinent Huzzas of the Mob, that hindered his
Friend from taking Notice of him. There was indeed one who pull'd off
his Hat to him, and upon the Ladies asking who it was, he told them,
it was a Foreign Minister that he had been very merry with the Night
before; whereas in Truth, it was the City Common Hunt.
'He was never at a Loss when he was asked any Person's Name, tho' he
seldom knew any one under a Peer. He found Dukes and Earls among the
Aldermen, very good-natured Fellows among the Privy-Counsellors, with
two or three agreeable old Rakes among the Bishops and Judges.
'In short, I collected from his whole Discourse, that he was
acquainted with every Body, and knew no Body. At the same Time, I am
mistaken if he did not that Day make more Advances in the Affections
of his Mistress, who sat near him, than he could have done in half a
Year's Courtship.
'
Ovid has finely touched this Method of making Love, which I shall
here give my Reader in Mr.
Dryden's Translation.
(Page the Eleventh.)
Thus Love in Theatres did first improve,
And Theatres are still the Scene of Love:
Nor shun the Chariots, and the Coursers Race;
The Circus is no inconvenient Place.
Nor Need is there of talking on the Hand,
Nor Nods, nor Sighs, which Lovers understand;
But boldly next the Fair your Seat provide,
Close as you can to hers, and Side by Side:
Pleas'd or unpleas'd, no Matter; crowding sit;
For so the Laws of publick Shows permit.
Then find Occasion to begin Discourse,
Enquire whose Chariot this, and whose that Horse;
To whatsoever Side she is inclin'd,
Suit all your Inclinations to her Mind;
Like what she likes, from thence your Court begin,
And whom she favours, wish that he may win.
(Again, Page the Sixteenth.)
O when will come the Day, by Heav'n design'd,
When thou, the best and fairest of Mankind,
Drawn by white Horses, shall in Triumph ride,
With conquer'd Slaves attending on thy Side;
Slaves, that no longer can be safe in flight,
O glorious Object! O surprizing Sight!
O Day of publick Joy, too good to end in Night!
On such a Day, if thou, and next to thee
Some Beauty sits, the Spectacle to see;
If she enquire the Names of conquer'd Kings,
Of Mountains, Rivers, and their hidden Springs;
Answer to all thou knowest; and, if Need be,
Of Things unknown seem to speak knowingly:
This is Euphrates, crown'd with Reeds; and there
Flows the swift Tigris, with his Sea-green hair,
Invent new Names of Things unknown before;
Call this Armenia, that, the Caspian Shore:
Call this a Mede, and that a Parthian Youth;
Talk probably; no Matter for the Truth.