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cure, and which will bring along with it Fulness of Joy and Pleafures for evermore.

HOW the Purfuit after Fame may hinder us in the Attainment of this great End, I fhall leave the Reader to collect from the three following Confiderations.

FIRST, Because the strong Defire of Fame breeds feveral vicious Habits in the Mind.

SECONDLY, Because many of thofe Actions, which are apt to procure Fame, are not in their Nature conducive to this our ultimate Happiness.

THIRDLY, Because if we should allow the fame Actions to be the proper Inftruments, both of acquiring Fame, and of procuring this Happinefs, they would nevertheless fail in the Attainment of this laft End, if they proceeded from a Defire of the firft,

THESE three Propofitions are felf-evident to thofe who are verfed in Speculations of Morality. For which Reafon I fhall not enlarge upon them, but proceed to a Point of the fame Nature, which may open to us a more uncommon Field of Speculation.

FROM what has already been obferved, I think we may have a natural Conclufion, that it is the greatest Folly to feek the Praife or Approbation of any Being, befides the Supreme, and that for these two Reafons, Becaufe no other Being can make a right Judgment of us, and esteem us according to our Merits; and Because we can procure no confiderable Benefit or Advantage from the Efleem and Approbation of any other Being.

IN the first Place, No other Being can make a right Judgment of us, and esteem us according to our Merits. Created Beings fee nothing but our Outfide, and can therefore only frame a Judgment of us from our exterior Actions and Behaviour; but how unfit thefe are to give us a right Notion of each other's Perfections, may appear from feveral Confiderations. There are many Virtues, which in their own Nature are incapable of any outward Representation: Many filent Perfections in the Soul of a good Man, which are great Ornaments to human Nature, but not able to difcover themselves to the Knowledge of others; they are tranfacted in private, without Noife or Show, and are only visible to the great Searcher of Hearts. What Actions can exprefs the intire

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Purity

Purity of Thought which refines and fanctifies a virtuous Man? That fecret Reft and Contentedness of Mind, which gives him a Perfect Enjoyment of his prefent Condition? That inward Pleasure and Complacency, which he feels in doing Good? That Delight and Satisfaction which he takes in the Profperity and Happiness of another? These and the like Virtues are the hidden Beauties of a Soul, the fecret Graces which cannot be discovered by a mortal Eye, but make the Soul lovely and precious in his Sight, from whom no Secrets are concealed. Again, there are many Virtues which want an Opportunity of exerting and fhewing themselves in Actions. Every Virtue requires Time and Place, a proper Object and a fit Conjuncture of Circumftances, for the due Exercife of it. A State of Poverty obfcures all the Virtues of Liberality and Munificence. The Patience and Fortitude of a Martyr or Confeffor lie concealed in the flourishing Times of Chriftianity. Some Virtues are only feen in Affliction, and fome in Profperity; fome in a private, and others in a publick Capacity. But the great Sovereign of the World beholds every Perfection in its Obfcurity, and not only fees what we do, but what we would do. He views our Behaviour in every Concurrence of Affairs, and fees us engaged in all the Poffibilities of Action. He difcovers the Martyr and Confeffor without the Trial of Flames and Tortures, and will hereafter entitle many to the Reward of Actions, which they had never the Opportunity of performing. Another Reafon why Men cannot form a right Judgment of us is, because the fame Actions may be aimed at different Ends, and arife from quite contrary Principles. Actions are of fo mixt a Nature, and fo full of Circumftances, that as Men pry into them more or lefs, or obferve fome Parts more than others, they take different Hints, and put contrary Interpretations on them; fo that the fame Actions may represent a Man as hypocritical and defigning to one, which makes him appear a Saint or Hero to another. He therefore who looks upon the Soul through its outward Actions, often fees it through a deceitful Medium, which is apt to discolour and pervert the Object: So that on this Account alfo, he is the only proper Judge of our Perfections, who does not guess at the Sincerity of our Intentions from the Goodness of

our

our Actions; but weighs the Goodness of our Actions by the Sincerity of our Intentions.

BUT further; it is impoffible for outward Actions to represent the Perfections of the Soul, because they can never fhew the Strength of thofe Principles from whence they proceed. They are not adequate Expreffions of our Virtues, and can only fhew us what Habits are in the Soul, without difcovering the Degree and Perfection of fuch Habits. They are at beft but weak Refemblances of our Intentions, faint and imperfect Copies that may acquaint us with the general Defign, but can never exprefs the Beauty and Life of the Original. But the great Judge of all the Earth knows every different State and Degree of human Improvement, from thofe weak Stirrings and Tendencies of the Will which have not yet formed themfelves into regular Purposes and Defigns, to the laft intire Finishing and Confummation of a good Habit. He beholds the first imperfect Rudiments of a Virtue in the Soul, and keeps a watchful Eye over it in all its Progrefs, 'till it has received every Grace it is capable of, and appears in its full Beauty and Perfection. Thus we fee that none but the fupreme Being can efteem us according to our proper Merits, fince all others muft judge of us from our outward Actions, which can never give them a juft Eftimate of us, fince there are many Perfections of a Man which are not capable of appearing in Actions; many which, allowing no natural Incapacity of fhewing themfelves, want an Opportunity of doing it; or fhould they all meet with an Opportunity of appearing by Actions, yet thofe Actions may be mifinterpreted, and applied to wrong Principles; or though they plainly difcovered the Principles from whence they proceeded, they could never fhew the Degree, Strength and Perfection of thofe Principles.

AND as the fupreme Being is the only proper Judge of our Perfections, fo is he the only fit Rewarder of them. This is a Confideration that comes home to our Intereft, as the other adapts itself to our Ambition. And what could the most afpiring, or the most selfish Man defire more, were he to form the Notion of a Being to whom he would recommend himself, than fuch a Knowledge as can discover the least Appearance of Per

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fection

fection in him, and fuch a Goodnefs as will proportion a Reward to it?

LET the ambitious Man therefore turn all his Defire of Fame this Way; and, that he may propofe to himself a Fame worthy of his Ambition, let him confider that if he employs his Abilities to the best Advantage, the Time will come when the fupreme Governor of the World, the great Judge of Mankind, who fees every Degree of Perfection in others, and poffeffes all poffible Perfection in himself, fhall proclaim his Worth before Men and Angels, and pronounce to him in the Prefence of the whole Creation that best and most significant of Applaufes, Well done thou good and faithful Servant, enter thou into thy Maf ser's Joy.

No 258. Wednesday, December 26.

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tures.

Divide & Impera.

LEASURE and Recreation of one Kind or other are abfolutely neceffary to relieve our Minds and Bodies from too conftant Attention and Labour: Where therefore publick Diverfions are tolerated, it behoves Perfons of Distinction, with their Power and Example, to prefide over them in fuch a Manner as to check any thing that tends to the Corruption of Manners, or which is too mean or trivial for the Entertainment of reasonable CreaAs to the Diverfions of this Kind in this Town, we owe them to the Arts of Poetry and Mufick: My own private Opinion, with Relation to fuch Recreations, I have heretofore given with all the Frankness imaginable; what concerns thofe Arts at prefent the Reader fhall have from my Correfpondents. The first of the Letters with which I acquit my felf for this Day, is written by one who propofes to improve our Entertainments of Dramatick Poetry, and the other comes from three Perfons who, as foon as named, will be thought capable of advancing the present State of Mufick.

Mr.

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Mr. SPECTATOR,

Am confiderably obliged to you for your fpeedy Publication of my laft in yours of the 18th Inftant, ⚫ and am in no small Hopes of being fettled in the Poft of Comptroller of the Cries. Of all the Objections I have hearkened after in publick Coffee-houses there is but one that seems to carry any Weight with it, viz. That fuch a Poft would come too near the Nature of a Monopoly. Now, Sir, because I would have all Sorts of People made eafy, and being willing to have more Strings than one to my Bow; in cafe that of Comptroller fhould fail me, I have fince formed another Project, which, being grounded on the dividing a present Monopoly, I hope will give the Publick an Equivalent to their full Content. You know, Sir, it is allowed that the Bufinefs of the Stage is, as the Latin has it, Jucunda & Idonea dicere Vita. Now there being but one Dramatick Theatre licensed for the Delight and Profit of this extenfive Metropolis, I do humbly propofe, for the Convenience • of fuch of its Inhabitants as are too diftant from CoventGarden, that another Theatre of Eafe may be erected in fome fpacious Part of the City; and that the Direction' thereof may be made a Franchise in Fee to me, and my Heirs for ever. And that the Town may have no Jealoufy of my ever coming to an Union with the Set of Actors now in being, I do further propofe to constitute for my Deputy my near Kinsman and Adventurer Kitt Crotchet, whofe long Experience and Improvements in thofe Affairs need no Recommendation. 'Twas obvious to every Spectator what a quite different Foot the Stage was upon during his Government; and had he not 'been bolted out of his Trap-Doors, his Garrifon might • have held out for ever, he having by long Pains and • Perfeverance arriv'd at the Art of making his Army fight ' without Pay or Provifions. I must confefs it with a melancholy Amazement, I fee fo wonderful a Genius laid afide, and the late Slaves of the Stage now become its Masters, Dunces that will be fure to fupprefs all The'atrical Entertainments and Activities that they are not able themselves to fhine in!

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