cries.
For thee the East breath'd out a prosperous Breeze,
Bright were the Suns, and gently swell'd the Seas.
Thy Presence did each doubtful Heart compose,
And Factions wonder'd that they once were Foes;
That joyful Day they lost each Hostile Name,
The same their Aspect, and their Voice the same.
So two fair Twins, whose Features were design'd
At one soft Moment in the Mother's Mind,
Show each the other with reflected Grace,
And the same Beauties bloom in either Face;
The puzzled Strangers which is which enquire,
Delusion grateful to the smiling Sir e.
From that fair Hill, where hoary Sages boast
To name the Stars, and count the heavenly Host,
By the next Dawn doth great
Augusta
rise,
Proud Town! the noblest Scene beneath the Skies.
O'er
Thames
her thousand Spires their Lustre shed,
And a vast Navy hides his ample Bed,
A floating Forest. From the distant Strand
A Line of Golden Carrs strikes o'er the Land
:
Britannia's
Peers in Pomp and rich Array,
Before their King, triumphant, lead the Way.
Far as the Eye can reach, the gawdy Train,
A bright Procession, shines along the Plain.
So haply through the Heav'n's wide pathless Ways
A Comet draws a long-extended Blaze;
From East to West burns through2 th' ethereal Frame,
And half Heav'n's Convex glitters with the Flame.
Now to the Regal Towers securely brought,
He plans Britannia's
Glories in his Thought;
Resumes the delegated Pow'r he gave,
Rewards the Faithful and restores the Brave.
Whom shall the Muse from out the shining Throng
Select to heighten and adorn her Song?
Thee,
Halifax.
To thy capacious Mind,
O Man approved, is
Britain's
Wealth consigned.
Her Coin (while
Nassau
fought) debas'd and rude,
By Thee in Beauty and in Truth renew'd,
An Arduous Work! again thy Charge we see,
And thy own Care once more returns to Thee.
O! form'd in every Scene to awe and please,
Mix Wit with Pomp, and Dignity with Ease:
Tho' call'd to shine aloft, thou wilt not scorn
To smile on Arts thy self did once adorn:
For this thy Name succeeding Time shall praise,
And envy less thy Garter, than thy Bays.
The Muse, if fir'd with thy enlivening Beams,
Perhaps shall aim at more exalted Themes,
Record our Monarch in a nobler Strain,
And sing the opening Wonders of his Reign;
Bright
Carolina
'
s heavenly Beauties trace,
Her valiant
Consort
,
and his blooming Race.
A Train of Kings their fruitful Love supplies,
A glorious Scene to
Albion'
s ravish'd Eyes;
Who sees by
Brunswick
'
s Hand her Sceptre sway'd,
And through his Line from Age to Age convey'd.
Footnote 1:
artless Muse the
Footnote 2:
he burns
Contents
Contents, p. 8
|
Wednesday, November 17, 1714 |
|
—postquam se lumine puro
Implevit, stellasque vagas miratur et Astra
Fixa Polis, vidit quanta sub nocte jaceret
Nostra dies, risitque sui ludibria—
Lucan.
translation
The following Letter having in it some Observations out of the common
Road, I shall make it the Entertainment of this Day.
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'The common Topicks against the Pride of Man which are laboured by
florid and declamatory Writers, are taken from the Baseness of his
Original, the Imperfections of his Nature, or the short Duration of
those Goods in which he makes his Boast. Though it be true that we can
have nothing in us that ought to raise our Vanity, yet a Consciousness
of our own Merit may be sometimes laudable. The Folly therefore lyes
here: We are apt to pride our selves in worthless, or perhaps shameful
Things; and, on the other hand, count that disgraceful which is our
truest Glory.
'Hence it is, that the Lovers of Praise take wrong Measures to attain
it. Would a vain Man consult his own Heart, he would find that if
others knew his Weaknesses as well as he himself doth, he could not
have the Impudence to expect the publick Esteem. Pride therefore flows
from want of Reflection, and Ignorance of our selves. Knowledge and
Humility come upon us together.
'The proper way to make an Estimate of our selves, is to consider
seriously what it is we value or despise in others. A Man who boasts
of the Goods of Fortune, a gay Dress or a new Title, is generally the
Mark of Ridicule. We ought therefore not to admire in our selves, what
we are so ready to laugh at in other Men.
'Much less can we with Reason pride our selves in those things, which
at some time of our Life we shall certainly despise. And yet, if we
will give our selves the Trouble of looking backward and forward on
the several Changes, which we have already undergone and hereafter
must try, we shall find that the greater Degrees of our Knowledge and
Wisdom, serve only to shew us our own Imperfections.
'As we rise from Childhood to Youth, we look with Contempt on the Toys
and Trifles which our Hearts have hitherto been set upon. When, we
advance to Manhood, we are held wise in proportion to our Shame and
Regret for the Rashness and Extravagance of Youth. Old Age fills us
with mortifying Reflections upon a Life, mis-spent in the Pursuit of
anxious Wealth or uncertain Honour. Agreeable to this Gradation of
Thought in this Life, it may be reasonably supposed, that in a future
State, the Wisdom, the Experience, and the Maxims of old Age, will be
looked upon by a separate Spirit in much the same Light, as an ancient
Man now sees the little Follies and Toyings of Infants. The Pomps, the
Honours, the Policies, and Arts of mortal Men, will be thought as
trifling as Hobby-Horses, Mock Battles, or any other Sports that now
employ all the Cunning, and Strength, and Ambition of rational Beings
from four Years old to nine or ten.
'If the Notion of a gradual Rise in Beings, from the meanest to the
most High, be not a vain Imagination, it is not improbable that an
Angel looks down upon a Man, as a Man doth upon a Creature which
approaches the nearest to the rational Nature. By the same Rule (if I
may indulge my Fancy in this Particular) a superior Brute looks with a
kind of Pride on one of an inferior Species. If they could reflect, we
might imagine from the Gestures of some of them, that they think
themselves the Sovereigns of the World, and that all things were made
for them. Such a Thought would not be more absurd in Brute Creatures,
than one which Men are apt to entertain, namely, That all the Stars in
the Firmament were created only to please their Eyes and amuse their
Imaginations. Mr.
Dryden, in his Fable of the
Cock and the Fox,
makes a Speech for his Hero the Cock, which is a pretty Instance for
this Purpose,
Then turning, said to Partlet, See, my Dear,
How lavish Nature hath adorn'd the Year;
How the pale Primrose and the Violet spring,
And Birds essay their Throats, disus'd to sing:
All these are ours, and I with Pleasure see
Man strutting on two Legs, and aping me.
'What I would observe from the Whole is this, That we ought to value
our selves upon those Things only which superior Beings think
valuable, since that is the only way for us not to sink in our own
Esteem hereafter.
Contents
Contents, p. 8
|
Friday, November 19, 1714 |
|
—Fallentis Semita Vitæ.
Hor.
translation
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'In a former Speculation you have observed, that true Greatness doth
not consist in that Pomp and Noise wherein the Generality of Mankind
are apt to place it. You have there taken Notice, that Virtue in
Obscurity often appears more illustrious in the Eye of superior
Beings, than all that passes for Grandeur and Magnificence among Men.
When we look back upon the History of those who have born the Parts of
Kings, Statesmen, or Commanders, they appear to us stripped of those
out-side Ornaments that dazzled their Contemporaries; and we regard
their Persons as great or little, in Proportion to the Eminence of
their Virtues or Vices. The wise Sayings, generous Sentiments, or
disinterested Conduct of a Philosopher under mean Circumstances of
Life, set him higher in our Esteem than the mighty Potentates of the
Earth, when we view them both through the long Prospect of many Ages.
Were the Memoirs of an obscure Man, who lived up to the Dignity of his
Nature, and according to the Rules of Virtue, to be laid before us, we
should find nothing in such a Character which might not set him on a
Level with Men of the highest Stations. The following Extract out of
the private Papers of an honest Country-Gentleman will set this Matter
in a clear Light. Your Reader will perhaps conceive a greater Idea of
him from these Actions done in Secret, and without a Witness, than of
those which have drawn upon them the Admiration of Multitudes.
Memoirs.
"In my 22d Year I found a violent Affection for my Cousin
Charles's Wife growing upon me, wherein I was in danger of
succeeding, if I had not upon that Account begun my Travels into
foreign Countries.
"A little after my Return into England, at a private Meeting with
my Uncle Francis, I refused the Offer of his Estate, and prevailed
upon him not to disinherit his Son Ned.
"Mem. Never to tell this to Ned, lest he should think hardly of
his deceased Father; though he continues to speak ill of me for this
very Reason.
"Prevented a scandalous Law-suit betwixt my Nephew Harry and his
Mother, by allowing her under-hand, out of my own Pocket, so much
Money yearly as the Dispute was about.
"Procured a Benefice for a young Divine, who is Sister's Son to the
good Man who was my Tutor, and hath been dead Twenty Years.
"Gave Ten Pounds to poor Mrs.—, my Friend H—'s Widow.
"Mem. To retrench one Dish at my Table, till I have fetched it up
again.
"Mem. To repair my House and finish my Gardens in order to employ
poor People after Harvest time.
"Ordered John to let out Goodman D—'s Sheep that were pounded, by
Night: but not to let his Fellow-Servants know it.
"Prevailed upon M. T. Esq., not to take the Law of the Farmer's
Son for shooting a Partridge, and to give him his Gun again.
"Paid the Apothecary for curing an old Woman that confessed her self
a Witch.
"Gave away my favourite Dog for biting a Beggar.
"Made the Minister of the Parish and a Whig Justice of one Mind,
by putting them upon explaining their Notions to one another.
"Mem, To turn off Peter for shooting a Doe while she was eating
Acorns out of his Hand.
"When my Neighbour John, who hath often injured me, comes to make
his Request to Morrow:
"Mem. I have forgiven him.
"Laid up my Chariot and sold my Horses, to relieve the Poor in a
Scarcity of Corn.
"In the same Year remitted to my Tenants a Fifth Part of their
Rents.
"As I was airing to-day, I fell into a Thought that warmed my Heart,
and shall, I hope, be the better for it as long as I live.
"Mem. To charge my Son in private to erect no Monument for me; but
not to put this in my last Will.
Contents
Contents, p. 8
|
Monday, November 22, 1714 |
Addison1 |
Sed mihi vel tellus optem prius ima dehiscat,
Vel pater omnipotens adigat me fulmine ad umbras,
Pallentes umbras Erebi noctemque profundam,
Ante, pudor, quam te violem aut tua jura resolvam.
Ille meos, primos qui me sibi junxit, amores
Abstulit: ille habeat secum, servetque sepulchro.
Virg.
translation
I
obliged to my Friend, the
Love-Casuist
, for the following
Curious Piece of Antiquity, which I shall communicate to the Publick in
his own Words.
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'You may remember, that I lately transmitted to you an Account of an
ancient Custom, in the Manors of East
and West-Enborne,
in the
County of Berks,
and elsewhere. If a Customary Tenant die, the Widow
shall have what the Law calls her Free-Bench
in all his Copyhold
Lands, dum sola et casta fuerit,
that is, while she lives single
and chaste;
but if she commits Incontinency, she forfeits her Estate;
Yet if she will come into the Court riding backward upon a Black Ram,
with his Tail in her Hand, and say the Words following, the Steward is
bound by the Custom to re-admit her to her Free-Bench.
Here I am,
Riding upon a Black Ram,
Like a Whore as I am;
And, for my Crincum Crancum,
Have lost my Bincum Bancum;
And, for my Tail's Game,
Have done this worldly Shame;
Therefore, I pray you Mr. Steward, let me have my Land again.
'After having informed you that my Lord
Coke observes, that this is
the most frail and slippery Tenure of any in
England, I shall tell
you, since the Writing of that Letter, I have, according to my
Promise, been at great Pains in searching out the Records of the
Black Ram; and have at last met with the Proceedings of the
Court-Baron, held in that Behalf, for the Space of a whole Day. The
Record saith, that a strict Inquisition having been made into the
Right of the Tenants to their several Estates, by a crafty old
Steward, he found that many of the Lands of the Manor were, by default
of the several Widows, forfeited to the Lord, and accordingly would
have enter'd on the Premises: Upon which the good Women demanded the
Benefit of the Ram. The
Steward, after having perused their several
Pleas, adjourn'd the Court to
Barnaby-bright3, that they might
have Day enough before them.
'The Court being set, and filled with a great Concourse of People, who
came from all Parts to see the Solemnity, the first who entered was
the Widow
Frontly, who had made her Appearance in the last Year's
Cavalcade. The Register observes, that finding it an easy Pad-Ram, and
foreseeing she might have further Occasion for it, she purchased it of
the Steward.
'Mrs.
Sarah Dainty, Relict of Mr.
John Dainty, (who was the
greatest Prude in the Parish) came next in the Procession. She at
first made some Difficulty of taking the Tail in her Hand; and was
observed in pronouncing the Form of Penance, to soften the two most
emphatical Words into
Clincum Clancum: But the Steward took care to
make her speak plain
English before he would
let her have her Land
again.
'The third Widow that was
brought to this worldly Shame, being
mounted upon a vicious Ram, had the Misfortune to be thrown by him;
upon which she hoped to be excused from going thro' the rest of the
Ceremony: But the Steward being well versed in the Law, observed very
wisely upon this Occasion, that the breaking of the Rope does not
hinder the Execution of the Criminal.
'The fourth Lady upon Record was the Widow
Ogle, a famous Coquette,
who had kept half a Score young Fellows off and on for the Space of
two Years; but having been more kind to her Carter
John, she was
introduced with the Huzza's of all her Lovers about her.
'Mrs.
Sable appearing in her Weeds, which were very new and fresh,
and of the same Colour with her whimsical
Palfrey, made a very
decent Figure in the Solemnity.
'Another, who had been summoned to make her Appearance, was excused by
the Steward, as well knowing in his Heart, that the good Squire
himself had qualified her for the Ram.
'Mrs.
Quick having nothing to object against the Indictment, pleaded
her Belly. But it was remembred that she made the same Excuse the Year
before. Upon which the Steward observ'd, that she might so contrive
it, as never to do the Service of the Manor.
'The Widow
Fidget being cited into Court, insisted that she had done
no more since the Death of her Husband, than what she used to do in
his Life-time; and withal de
Sir 'd Mr. Steward to consider his own
Wife's Case, if he should chance to die before her.
'The next in order was a Dowager of a very corpulent Make, who would
have been excused as not finding any Ram that was able to carry her;
upon which the Steward commuted her Punishment, and ordered her to
make her Entry upon a black Ox.
'The Widow
Maskwell, a Woman who had long lived with a most
unblemished Character, having turned off her old Chamber-maid in a
Pet, was by that revengeful Creature brought in upon the black Ram
Nine times the same Day.
'Several Widows of the Neighbourhood, being brought upon their Tryal,
they shewed that they did not hold of the Manor, and were discharged
accordingly.
'A pretty young Creature who closed the Procession, came ambling in,
with so bewitching an Air, that the Steward was observ'd to cast a
Sheep's Eye upon her, and married her within a Month after the Death
of his Wife.
'
N. B. Mrs.
Touchwood appeared, according to Summons, but had
nothing laid to her Charge; having liv'd irreproachably since the
Decease of her Husband, who left her a Widow in the Sixty-ninth Year
of her Age.'
I am, Sir , &c.
Footnote 1:
See
to
.
Footnote 2:
See Nos.
,
,
,
, and
.
Footnote 3:
Then the 11th, now the 22nd of June, longest day of the
year.
Contents
Contents, p. 8
|
Wednesday, November 24, 1714 |
|
Audire, atque togam jubeo componere, quisquis
Ambitione mala, aut argenti pallet amore
Quisquis luxuria—
Hor.
translation
Mankind is divided into two Parts, the Busie and the Idle. The Busie
World may be divided into the Virtuous and the Vicious. The Vicious
again into the Covetous, the Ambitious, and the Sensual. The idle Part
of Mankind are in a State inferior to any one of these. All the other
are engaged in the Pursuit of Happiness, though often misplaced, and are
therefore more likely to be attentive to such Means, as shall be
proposed to them for that End. The Idle, who are neither wise for this
World, nor the next, are emphatically called by
Dr. Tillotson, Fools
at large
. They propose to themselves no End, but run adrift with every
Wind. Advice therefore would be but thrown away upon them, since they
would scarce take the Pains to read it. I shall not fatigue any of this
worthless Tribe with a long Harangue; but will leave them with this
short Saying of
Plato
, that
Labour is preferable to Idleness, as
Brightness to Rust.
The Pursuits of the Active Part of Mankind, are either in the Paths of
Religion and Virtue; or, on the other Hand, in the Roads to Wealth,
Honours or Pleasure. I shall therefore compare the Pursuits of Avarice,
Ambition and sensual Delight, with their opposite Virtues; and shall
consider which of these Principles engages Men in a Course of the
greatest Labour, Suffering and Assiduity. Most Men, in their cool
Reasonings, are willing to allow that a Course of Virtue will in the End
be rewarded the most amply; but represent the Way to it as rugged and
narrow. If therefore it can be made appear, that Men struggle through as
many Troubles to be miserable, as they do to be happy, my Readers may
perhaps be perswaded to be Good, when they find they shall lose nothing
by it.
First
, for Avarice. The Miser is more Industrious than the Saint: The
Pains of getting, the Fears of losing, and the Inability of enjoying his
Wealth, have been the Mark of Satyr in all Ages. Were his Repentance
upon his Neglect of a good Bargain, his Sorrow for being over-reached,
his Hope of improving a Sum, and his Fear of falling into Want, directed
to their proper Objects; they would make so many different
Christian
Graces and Virtues. He may apply to himself a great Part of St.
Paul's
Catalogue of Sufferings.
In journeying often; in Perils of Water, in
Perils of Robbers, in Perils among false Brethren. In Weariness and
Painfulness, in Watchings often, in Hunger and Thirst, in Fastings
often,
—At how much less Expence might he
lay up to himself Treasures
in Heaven
; or if I may, in this Place, be allowed to add the Saying of
a great Philosopher, he may
provide such Possessions, as fear neither
Arms, nor Men, nor
Jove
himself.
In the second Place, if we look upon the Toils of Ambition, in the same
Light as we have considered those of Avarice, we shall readily own that
far less Trouble is requisite to gain lasting Glory, than the Power and
Reputation of a few Years; or, in other Words, we may with more Ease
deserve Honour, than obtain it. The Ambitious Man should remember
Cardinal
Woolsey's
Complaint.
'Had I served God, with the same Application, wherewith I served my
King, he would not have forsaken me in my old Age.'
The Cardinal here softens his Ambition by the specious Pretence of
serving his King
: Whereas his Words in the proper Construction, imply,
that if instead of being acted by Ambition, he had been acted by
Religion, he should have now felt the Comforts of it, when the whole
World turned its Back upon him.
Thirdly
, Let us compare the Pains of the Sensual, with those of the
Virtuous, and see which are heavier in the Balance. It may seem strange,
at the first View, that the Men of Pleasure should be advised to change
their Course, because they lead a painful Life. Yet when we see them so
active and vigilant in quest of Delight; under so many Disquiets, and
the Sport of such various Passions; let them answer, as they can, if the
Pains they undergo, do not outweigh their Enjoyments. The Infidelities
on the one Part between the two Sexes, and the Caprices on the other,
the Debasement of Reason, the Pangs of Expectation, the Disappointments
in Possession, the Stings of Remorse, the Vanities and Vexations
attending even the most refined Delights that make up this Business of
Life, render it so silly and uncomfortable, that no Man is thought wise
till he hath got over it, or happy, but in proportion as he hath cleared
himself from it.
The Sum of all is this. Man is made an active Being. Whether he walks in
the Paths of Virtue or Vice, he is sure to meet with many Difficulties
to prove his Patience, and excite his Industry. The same if not greater
Labour, is required in the Service of Vice and Folly, as of Virtue and
Wisdom: And he hath this easie Choice left him, whether with the
Strength he is Master of, he will purchase Happiness or Repentance.
Contents
Contents, p. 8
|
Friday, November 26, 1714 |
|
The
Love Casuist
hath referred to me the following Letter of Queries,
with his Answers to each Question, for my Approbation. I have
accordingly consider'd the several Matters therein contained, and hereby
confirm and ratifie his Answers, and require the gentle Querist to
conform her self thereunto.
Sir ,
'I was Thirteen the Ninth of November last, and must now begin to
think of settling my self in the World, and so I would humbly beg your
Advice, what I must do with Mr. Fondle, who makes his Addresses to
me. He is a very pretty Man, and hath the blackest Eyes and whitest
Teeth you ever saw. Though he is but a younger Brother, he dresses
like a Man of Quality, and no Body comes into a Room like him. I know
he hath refused great Offers, and if he cannot Marry me, he will never
have any Body else. But my Father hath forbid him the House, because
he sent me a Copy of Verses; for he is one of the greatest Wits in
Town. My eldest Sister, who, with her good Will, would call me Miss
as long as I live, must be married before me, they say. She tells
them, that Mr. Fondle makes a Fool of me, and will spoil the Child,
as she calls me, like a confident thing as she is. In short, I am
resolved to marry Mr. Fondle, if it be but to spite her. But because
I would do nothing that is imprudent, I beg of you to give me your
Answers to some Questions I will write down, and deSir e you to get
them printed in the SPECTATOR, and I do not doubt but you will give
such Advice, as, I am sure, I shall follow.
'When Mr. Fondle looks upon me for half an Hour together, and calls
me Angel, is he not in Love?
Answer, No.
'May not I be certain he will be a kind Husband, that has promised me
half my Portion in Pin-money, and to keep me a Coach and Six in the
Bargain.
No.
'Whether I, who have been acquainted with him this whole Year almost,
am not a better Judge of his Merit, than my Father and Mother, who
never heard him talk, but at Table?
No.
'Whether I am not old enough to chuse for my self?
No.
'Whether it would not have been rude in me to refuse a Lock of his
Hair?
No.
'Shou'd not I be a very barbarous Creature, if I did not pity a Man
that is always Sighing for my Sake?
No.
'Whether you would not advise me to run away with the poor Man?
No.
'Whether you do not think, that if I won't have him, he won't drown
himself?
No.
What shall I say to him the next time he asks me if I will marry him?
No.
The following Letter requires neither Introduction, nor Answer.
Mr. SPECTATOR,
I wonder that in the present Situation of Affairs, you can take
Pleasure in writing any thing but News; for, in a Word, who minds any
thing else? The Pleasure of increasing in Knowledge, and learning
something new every Hour of Life, is the noblest Entertainment of a
Rational Creature. I have a very good Ear for a Secret, and am
naturally of a communicative Temper; by which Means I am capable of
doing you great Services in this way. In order to make my self useful,
I am early in the Antichamber, where I thrust my Head into the thick
of the Press, and catch the News, at the opening of the Door, while it
is warm. Sometimes I stand by the Beef-Eaters, and take the Buz as it
passes by me. At other times I lay my Ear close to the Wall, and suck
in many a valuable Whisper, as it runs in a streight Line from Corner
to Corner. When I am weary with standing, I repair to one of the
neighbouring Coffee-houses, where I sit sometimes for a whole Day, and
have the News as it comes from Court fresh and fresh. In short, Sir , I
spare no Pains to know how the World goes. A Piece of News loses its
Flavour when it hath been an Hour in the Air. I love, if I may so
speak, to have it fresh from the Tree; and to convey it to my Friends
before it is faded. Accordingly my Expences in Coach-hire make no
small Article; which you may believe, when I assure you, that I post
away from Coffee-house to Coffee-house, and forestall the
Evening-Post by two Hours. There is a certain Gentleman who hath
given me the slip twice or thrice, and hath been beforehand with me at
Child's. But I have play'd him a Trick. I have purchas'd a pair of
the best Coach-horses I could buy for Money, and now let him out-strip
me if he can. Once more, Mr. SPECTATOR, let me advise you to deal in
News. You may depend upon my Assistance. But I must break off
abruptly, for I have twenty Letters to write.
Yours in haste,
Tho. Quid-nunc.
Contents
Contents, p. 8