acknowledged my felf incapable. While I bufie my felf as a Stranger upon Earth, and can pretend to no other than being a Looker-on, You are confpicuous in the Bufie and Polite World, both in the World of Men and that of Letters: While I am filent and unobserv'd in publick Meetings, You are admired by all that approach You as the Life and Genius of the Converfation. What an happy Conjunction of different Talents meets in him whofe whole Discourse is at once animated by the Strength and Force of Reason, and adorned with all the Graces and Embellishments of Wit? When Learning irradiates common Life, it is then in its highest Use and Perfection; and it is to fuch as Your Lordship, that the Sciences owe the Efteem which they have with the active Part of Mankind.

Mankind. Knowledge of Books in reclufe Men, is like that fort of Lanthorn which hides him who carries it, and ferves only to pass through fecret and gloomy Paths of his own; but in the Poffeffion of a Man of Business, it is a Torch in the Hand of one who is willing and able to fhew thofe, who are bewildered, the Way which leads to their Profperity and Welfare. A generous Concern for your Country, and a Paffion for every thing which is truly Great and Noble, are what actuate all Your Life and Actions; and I hope You will forgive me that I have an Ambition this Book may be placed in the Library of fo good a Judge of what is valuable, in that Library where the Choice is fuch, that it will not be a Difparagement to be the meanest Author in it. Forgive me,

my Lord, for taking this Occafion of telling all the World how ardently I Love and Honour You; and that I am, with the utmost Gratitude for all Your Favours,

My LORD,

Your Lordship's

moft Obliged,

moft Obedient, and.

moft Humble Servant,

The SPECTATOR.

BOUT the Middle of laft Winter I went to fee an Opera at the Theatre in the HayMarket, where I could not but take Notice of two Parties of very fine Women, that had placed themfelves in the oppofite SideBoxes, and feemed drawn up in a kind of Battle-Array one against another. After a fhort Survey of them, I found they were Patched differently; the Faces on one Hand, being fpotted on the right Side of the Forehead, and thofe upon the other on the Left. I quickly perceived that they caft hoftile Glances upon one another; and that their Patches were placed in thofe different Situations, as Party-Signals to diftinguifh Friends from Foes. In the Middle-Boxes, between thefe two oppofite Bodies, were feveral Ladies who Patched indifferently on both Sides of their Faces, and feemed to fit there with no other Intention but to fee the Opera. Upon Enquiry I found, that the Body of Amazons on my right Hand were Whigs, and

A 4

thofe

thofe on my left, Tories: And that those who had pla ced themselves in the Middle-Boxes were a Neutral Party whofe Faces had not yet declared themselves. These last however, as I afterwards found, diminished daily, and took their Party with one Side or the other; infomuch that I obferved in feveral of them, the Patches, which were before difperfed equally, are now all gone over to the Whig or Tory Side of the Face. The Cenforious fay, That the Men whofe Hearts are aimed at, are very often the Occafions that one Part of the Face is thus difhonoured, and lies under a kind of Difgrace, while the other is fo much fet off and adorned by the Owner; and that the Patches turn to the Right or to the Left, according to the Principles of the Man who is moft in Favour. But whatever may be the Motives of a few fantaftical Coquets, who do not Patch for the publick Good fo much as for their own private Advantage, it is certain, that there are feveral Women of Honour who patch out of Principle, and with an Eye to the Intereft of their Country. Nay, I am informed that fome of them adhere fo ftedfaftly to zheir Party, and are fo far from facrificing their Zeal for the Publick to their Paffion for any particular Perfon, that in a late Draught of Marriage-Articles a Lady has ftipulated with her Husband, That, whatever his Opinions are, fhe fhall be at Liberty to patch on which Side fhe pleases.

I muft here take notice, that Kofalinda, a famous Whig Partizan, has most unfortunately a very beautiful Mole on the Tory Part of her Forehead; which being very confpicuous, has occafioned many Miftakes, and given an Handle to her Enemies to mifreprefent her Face, as tho it had revolted from the Whig Intereft. But, whatever this natural Patch may feem to intimate, it is well known that her Notions of Government are ftill the fame. This unlucky Mole, however, has mif-led feveral Coxcombs; and like the hanging out of falfe Colours, made fome of them converse with Rofalinda in what they thought the Spirit of her Party, when on a fudden the has given them an unexpected Fire, that has funk them all at once. If Rofalinda is unfortunate in her Mole, Nigranilla is as unhappy in a Pimple, which forces her, against her Inclinations, to patch on the Whig Side.