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in the pronunciation of our forefathers were 'drowneth, walketh, arriveth.' This has wonderfully multiplied a letter which was before too frequent in the English tongue, and added to that hissing in our language, which is taken so much notice of by foreigners; but at the same time humours our taciturnity, and eases us of many superfluous syllables.

I might here observe, that the same single letter on many occasions does the office of a whole word, and represents the 'his' and 'her' of our forefathers. There is no doubt but the ear of a foreigner, which is the best judge in this case, would very much disapprove of such innovations, which indeed we do ourselves in some measure, by retaining the old termination in writing, and in all the solemn offices of our religion. As in the instances I have given we have epitomized many of our particular words to the detriment of our tongue, so on other occasions we have drawn two words into one, which has likewise very much untuned our language, and clogged it with consonants, as mayn't, can't, shan't, won't,' and the like, for may not, can not, shall not, will not,' &c.

It is perhaps this humour of speaking no more than we needs must, which has so

whether they may have admission or not; and will never be decided until we have something like an academy, that by the best authorities and rules drawn from the analogy of languages shall settle all controversies between grammar and idiom.

I have only considered our language as it shows the genius and natural temper of the English, which is modest, thoughtful, and sincere, and which, perhaps, may recommend the people, though it has spoiled the tongue. We might, perhaps, carry the same thought into other languages, and deduce a great part of what is peculiar to them from the genius of the people who speak them. It is certain, the light talkative humour of the French has not a little infected their tongue, which might be shown by many instances; as the genius of the Italians, which is so much addicted to music and ceremony, has moulded all their words and phrases to those particular uses. The stateliness and gravity of the Spaniards shows itself to perfection in the solemnity of their language; and the blunt honest humour of the Germans sounds better in the roughness of the High-Dutch, than it would in a politer tongue.

Parthis mendacior.

Hor. Lib. 2. Ep. i. 112.

C.

miserably curtailed some of our words, that No. 136.] Monday, August 6, 1711.
in familiar writings and conversations they
often lose all but their first syllables, as in
mob. rep. pos. incog.' and the like; and as
all ridiculous words make their first entry
into a language by familiar phrases, I dare
not answer for these, that they will not in
time be looked upon as a part of our tongue.
We see some of our poets have been so in-
discreet as to imitate Hudibras's doggrel
expressions in their serious compositions,
by throwing out the signs of our substan-
tives, which are essential to the English
language. Nay, this humour of shortening
our language had once run so far, that some
of our celebrated authors, among whom we
may reckon Sir Roger L'Estrange in par-
ticular, began to prune their words of all
superfluous letters, as they termed them,
in order to adjust the spelling to the pro-
nunciation; which would have confounded
all our etymologies, and have quite de-

A greater liar Parthia never bred. ACCORDING to the request of this strange fellow, I shall print the following letter:

stroved our tongue.

We may here likewise observe that our proper names when familiarized in English, generally dwindle to monosyllables, whereas in other modern languages they receive a softer turn on this occasion, by the addition of a new syllable.-Nick in Italian is Nicolina; Jack in French Janot; and so of the rest.

There is another particular in our language which is a great instance of our frugality of words, and that is, the suppressing of several particles which must be produced in other tongues to make a sentence intelligible. This often perplexes the best writers, when they find the relatives, 'whom, which,' or 'they,' at their mercy,

'MR. SPECTATOR,-I shall without any manner of preface or apology acquaint you, that I am, and ever have been from my youth upward one of the greatest liars this island has produced. I have read all the moralists upon the subject, but could never find any effect their discourses had upon me, but to add to my misfortune by new thoughts and ideas, and making me more ready in my language, and capable of sometimes mixing seeming truths with my improbabilities. With this strong passion towards falsehood in this kind, there does not live an honester man, or a sincerer friend; but my imagination runs away with me, and whatever is started, I have such a scene of adventures appears in an instant before me, that I cannot help uttering them, though to my immediate confusion, I cannot but know I am liable to be detected by the first man I meet.

'Upon occasion of the mention of the battle of Pultowa,* I could not forbear giving an account of a kinsman of mine, a young merchant who was bred at Moscow, that had too much mettle to attend books of entries and accounts, when there was so

*Fought July 8, 1709, between Charles XII. of Swe. den and Peter I. emperor of Russia: wherein Charles was entirely defeated, and compelled to seek refuge in Turkey.

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active a scene in the country where he re- | consequently been subject to the more ridi-
sided, and followed the Czar as a volunteer.cule. I once endeavoured to cure myself of
This warm youth (born at the instant the this impertinent quality, and resolved to
thing was spoke of) was the man who un-hold my tongue for seven days together; I
horsed the Swedish general, he was the did so, but then I had so many winks and
occasion that the Muscovites kept their fire unnecessary distortions of my face upon
in so soldier-like a manner, and brought up what any body else said, that I found I only
those troops which were covered from the forbore the expression, and that I still lied
enemy at the beginning of the day; besides in my heart to every man I met with. You
this, he had at last the good fortune to be are to know one thing, (which I believe you
the man who took Count Piper. With all will say is a pity, considering the use I
this fire I knew my cousin to be the civilest should have made of it,) I never travelled
creature in the world. He never made any in my life; but I do not know whether I
impertinent show of his valour, and then he could have spoken of any foreign country
had an excellent genius for the world in with more familiarity than I do at present,
every other kind. I had letters from him in company who are strangers to me.
(here I felt in my pockets) that exactly have cursed the inns in Germany; com-
spoke the Czar's character, which I knew mended the brothels at Venice; the free-
perfectly well; and I could not forbear con-dom of conversation in France; and though
cluding, that I lay with his imperial majesty I never was out of this dear town, and fifty
twice or thrice a week all the while he miles about it, have been three nights to-
lodged at Deptford. What is worse than gether dogged by bravos, for an intrigue
all this, it is impossible to speak to me, but with a cardinal's mistress at Rome.
you give me some occasion of coming out
with one lie or other, that has neither wit,
humour, prospect of interest, or any other
motive that I can think of in nature. The
other day, when one was commending an
eminent and learned divine, what occasion
in the world had I to say, Methinks he
would look more venerable if he were not
so fair a man?' I remember the company
smiled. I have seen the gentleman since,
and he is coal-black. I have intimations
every day in my life that nobody believes
me, yet I am never the better. I was say-
ing something the other day to an old friend
at Will's coffee-house, and he made no
manner of answer; but told me that an ac-
quaintance of Tully the orator having two
or three times together said to him, with-
out receiving any answer, "that upon his
honour he was but that very month forty
years of age;" Tully answered, "Surely
you think me the most incredulous man in
the world, if I do not believe what you have
told me every day these ten years. The
mischief of it is, I find myself wonderfully
inclined to have been present at every oc-
currence that is spoken of before me; this
has led me into many inconveniences, but
indeed they have been the fewer, because
I am no ill-natured man, and never speak
things to any man's disadvantage. I never
directly defame, but I do what is as bad in
the consequence, for I have often made a
man say such and such a lively expression,
who was born a mere elder brother. When
one has said in my hearing, "Such a one is
no wiser than he should be," I immediately
have replied, "Now, 'faith, I cannot see
that, he said a very good thing to my lord
Such-a-One, upon such an occasion, and
the like." Such an honest dolt as this has
been watched in every expression he utter-
ed, upon my recommendation of him, and

*Prime Minister of Charles XII.
† In the spring of the year 1698.

'It were endless to give you particulars
of this kind; but I can assure you, Mr. Spec-
tator, there are about twenty or thirty of
us in this town: I mean, by this town, the
cities of London and Westminster; I say
there are in town a sufficient number of us
to make a society among ourselves; and
since we cannot be believed any longer, I
beg of you to print this my letter, that we
may meet together, and be under such
regulation as there may be no occasion for
belief or confidence among us. If you think
fit, we might be called "The Historians,"
for liar is become a very harsh word. And
that a member of the society may not here-
after be ill received by the rest of the world,
I desire you would explain a little this sort
of men, and not let us historians be ranked,
as we are in the imagination of ordinary
people, among common liars, make-bates,
impostors, and incendiaries. For your in-
struction herein, you are to know that an
historian in conversation is only a person of
so pregnant a fancy, that he cannot be con-
tented with ordinary occurrences. I know
a man of quality of our order, who is of the
wrong side of forty-three, and has been of
that age, according to Tully's jest, for some
years since, whose vein is upon the roman-
tic. Give him the least occasion, and he
will tell you something so very particular
that happened in such a year, and in such
company, where by the by was present such
a one, who was afterwards made such a
thing. Out of all these circumstances, in
the best language of the world, he will join
together, with such probable incidents, an
account that shows a person of the deepest
penetration, the honestest mind, and withal
something so humble when he speaks of
himself, that you would admire. Dear sir,
why should this be lying! There is nothing
so instructive. He has withal the gravest
aspect; something so very venerable and
great! Another of these historians is a
young man whom we would take in, though

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he extremely wants parts; as people send children (before they can learn any thing,) to school, to keep them out of harm's way. He tells things which have nothing at all in them, and can neither please nor displease, but merely take up your time to no manner of purpose, no manner of delight; but he is good-natured, and does it because he loves to be saying something to you, and entertain you.

'I could name you a soldier that hath done very great things without slaughter; he is prodigiously dull and slow of head, but what he can say is for ever false, so that we must have him.

Then, sir, there is my little merchant, honest Indigo, of the 'Change, there is my man for loss and gain; there is tare and tret, there is lying all round the globe; he has such a prodigious intelligence, he knows all the French are doing, or what we intend or ought to intend, and has it from such hands.-But, alas, whither am I running! while I complain, while I remonstrate to you, even all this is a lie, and there is not one such person of quality, lover, soldier, or merchant, as I have now described in the whole world, that I know of. But I will catch myself once in my life, and in spite of nature speak one truth, to wit, that I am your humble servant, &c.'

together; the master knows not how to preserve respect, nor the servant how to give it. It seems this person is of a sullen nature, that he knows but little satisfaction in the midst of a plentiful fortune, and secretly frets to see any appearance of content in one that lives upon the hundredth part of his income, while he is unhappy in the possession of the whole. Uneasy persons, who cannot possess their own minds, vent their spleen upon all who depend upon them; which, I think, is expressed in a lively manner in the following letters.

'August 2, 1711.

'SIR,-I have read your Spectator of the 'Give me leave to tell you of one more, third of the last month, and wish I had the who is a lover; he is the most afflicted crea- happiness of being preferred to serve so ture in the world, lest what happened be- good a master as Sir Roger. The character tween him and a great beauty should ever of my master is the very reverse of that be known. Yet again he comforts himself. good and gentle knight's. All his direc"Hang the jade, her woman. If money tions are given, and his mind revealed, by can keep the slut trusty I will do it, though way of contraries: as when any thing is to I mortgage every acre; Anthony and Cleo-be remembered, with a peculiar cast of face patra for that; all for love and the world he cries, "Be sure to forget now." If I am well lost."* to make haste back, "Do not come these two hours; be sure to call by the way upon excellent way of his is, if he sets me any some of your companions." Then another thing to do, which he knows must necessarily take up half a day, he calls ten times in a quarter of an hour to know whether I have done yet. This is his manner; and the same perverseness runs through all his actions, according as the circumstances vary. Besides all this, he is so suspicious, that he submits himself to the drudgery of a spy. He is as unhappy himself as he makes his servants: he is constantly watching us, and we differ no more in pleasure and liberty than as a jailer and a prisoner. He lays traps for faults, and no sooner makes a discovery, but falls into such language, as I am more ashamed of for coming from him, than for being directed to me. This, sir, is a short sketch of a master I have served upwards of nine years; and though gauderent, dolerent, suo potius quam alterius arbitrio. Tull Epist. I have never wronged him, I confess my Even slaves were always at liberty to fear, rejoice, despair of pleasing him has very much and grieve, at their own rather than another's pleasures. abated my endeavour to do it. If you will It is no small concern to me, that I find give me leave to steal a sentence out of my so many complaints from that part of man-master's Clarendon, I shall tell you my kind whose portion it is to live in servitude, case in a word-" Being used worse than I that those whom they depend upon will deserved, I cared less to deserve well than not allow them to be even as happy as their I had done." I am, sir, your humble sercondition will admit of. There are, as these vant, RALPH VALET.' unhappy correspondents inform me, masters who are offended at a cheerful countenance, and think a servant has broke loose from them, if he does not preserve the utmost awe in their presence. There is one who says, if he looks satisfied, his master asks him, What makes him so pert this morning?' if a little sour, Hark ye, sirrah, are not you paid your wages?' The poor creatures live in the most extreme misery

T.

No. 137.] Tuesday, August 7, 1711.
At hæc etiam servis semper libera fuerunt, timerent,

*This is an allusion to Dryden's play of All for Love,

or the World well Lost. It is generally considered the best dramatic production of that great man.

'DEAR MR. SPECTER,-I am the next thing to a lady's woman, and am under both them both, that I should be very glad to my lady and her woman. I am so used by herself is of no mind in the world, and for see them both in the Specter. My lady that reason her woman is of twenty minds in a moment. My lady is one that never knows what to do with herself; she pulls on and puts off every thing she wears twenty times before she resolves upon it for that day. I stand at one end of the room, and reach things to her woman. When my

there be any occasion, wherein they may
in themselves be supposed to be unfit to
attend their master's concerns, by reason
of any attention to their own, he is so good
as to place himself in their condition. I
thought it very becoming in him, when at
dinner the other day, he made an apology
for want of more attendants. He said,
One of my footmen is gone to the wedding
of his sister, and the other I do not expect
to wait, because his father died but two
days ago.'
T.

lady asks for a thing, I hear, and have half brought it, when the woman meets me in the middle of the room to receive it, and at that instant she says, "No she will not have it." Then I go back, and her woman comes up to her, and by this time she will have that, and two or three things more, in an instant. The woman and I run to each other; I am loaded and delivering the things to her, when my lady says she wants none of all these things, and we are the dullest creatures in the world, and she the unhappiest woman living, for she shall not be drest in any time. Thus we stand, not knowing what to do, when our good lady, No. 138.] Wednesday, August 8, 1711. with all the patience in the world, tells us as plain as she can speak, that she willUtitur in re non dubia testibus non necessariis.—Tull. have temper because we have no manner He uses unnecessary proofs in an indisputable point. of understanding; and begins again to dress, and see if we can find out of ourselves what we are to do. When she is dressed she goes to dinner, and after she has disliked every thing there, she calls for a coach, then commands it in again, and then she will not go out at all, and then will go too, and orders the chariot. Now, good Mr. Specter, I desire you would, in the behalf of all who serve froward ladies, give out in your paper, that nothing can be done without allowing time for it, and that one cannot be back again with what one was sent for, if one is called back before one can go a step for that they want. And if you please, let them know that all mistresses are as like as all servants. I am your loving friend,

PATIENCE GIDDY.'

These are great calamities; but I met the other day in the Five-fields, towards Chelsea, a pleasanter tyrant than either of the above represented. A fat fellow was puffing on in his open waistcoat; a boy of fourteen in a livery, carrying after him his cloak, upper coat, hat, wig, and sword. The poor lad was ready to sink with the weight, and could not keep up with his master, who turned back every half furlong, and wondered what made the lazy young dog lag behind.

There is something very unaccountable, that people cannot put themselves in the condition of the persons below them, when they consider the commands they give. But there is nothing more common than to see a fellow (who, if he were reduced to it, would not be hired by any man living,) lament that he is troubled with the most worthless dogs in nature.

It would, perhaps, be running too far out of common life to urge, that he who is not master of himself and his own passions, cannot be a proper master of another. Equanimity in a man's own words and actions, will easily diffuse itself through his whole family. Pamphilio has the happiest household of any man I know, and that proceeds from the humane regard he has to them in their private persons, as well as in respect that they are his servants. If

ONE meets now and then with persons who are extremely learned and knotty in expounding clear cases. Tully tells us of an author that spent some pages to prove that generals could not perform the great enterprises which have made them so illustrious, if they had not had men. He asserted also, it seems, that a minister at home, no more than a commander abroad, could do any thing without other men were his instruments and assistants. On this occasion he produces the example of Themistocles, Pericles, Cyrus, and Alexander himself, whom he denies to have been capable of effecting what they did, except they had been followed by others. It is pleasant enough to see such persons contend without opponents, and triumph without victory.

The author above-mentioned by the orator is placed for ever in a very ridiculous light, and we meet every day in conversation such as deserve the same kind of renown, for troubling those with whom they converse with the like certainties. The persons that I have always thought to deserve the highest admiration in this kind are your ordinary story-tellers, who are most religiously careful of keeping to the truth in every particular circumstance of a narration, whether it concerns the main end or not. A gentleman whom I had the honour to be in company with the other day, upon some occasion that he was pleased to take, said, he remembered a very pretty repartee made by a very witty man in King Charles's time upon the like occasion. "I remember (said he, upon entering into the tale) much about the time of Oates's plot, that a cousin-german of mine and I were at the Bear in Holborn. No, I am out, it was at the Cross-keys, but Jack Thomson was there, for he was very great with the gentleman who made the answer. But I am sure it was spoken somewhere thereabouts, for we drank a bottle in that neighbourhood every evening; but no matter for all that, the thing is the same; but-'

He was going on to settle the geography of the jest when I left the room, wondering

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at this odd turn of head which can play away its words, with uttering nothing to the purpose, still observing its own impertinences, and yet proceeding in them. I do not question but he informed the rest of his audience, who had more patience than I, of the birth and parentage, as well as the collateral alliances of his family who made the repartee, and of him who provoked him to it.

It is no small misfortune to any who have a just value for their time, when this quality of being so very circumstantial, and careful to be exact, happens to show itse in a man whose quality obliges them to attend his proofs, that it is now day, and the like. But this is augmented when the same genius gets into authority, as it often does. Nay, I have known it more than once ascend the very pulpit. One of this sort taking it in his head to be a great admirer of Dr. Tillotson and Dr. Beveridge, never failed of proving out of these great authors things which no man living would have denied him upon his own single authority. One day resolving to come to the point in hand, he said, according to that excellent divine, I will enter upon the matter, or in his words, in his fifteenth sermon of the folio edition, page 160,—

"I shall briefly explain the words, and then consider the matter contained in them."

This honest gentleman needed not, one would think, strain his modesty so far as to alter his design of entering upon the matter,' to that of briefly explaining.' But so it was, that he would not even be contented with that authority, but added also the other divine to strengthen his method, and told us, with the pious and learned Dr. Beveridge, page 4th of his ninth volume, "I shall endeavour to make it as plain as I can from the words which I have now read, wherein for that purpose' we shall consider" This wiseacre was reckoned by the parish, who did not understand him, a most excellent preacher; but that he read too much, and was so humble that he did not trust enough to his own parts.

Next to these ingenious gentlemen, who argue for what nobody can deny them, are to be ranked a sort of people who do not indeed attempt to prove insignificant things, but are ever labouring to raise arguments with you about matters you will give up to them without the least controversy. One of these people told a gentleman who said he saw Mr. Such-a-One go this morning at nine of the clock towards the Gravelpits: 'Sir, I must beg your pardon for that, for though I am very loth to have any dispute with you, yet, I must take the liberty to tell you, it was nine when I saw him at St. James's.' When men of this genius are pretty far gone in learning they will put you to prove that snow is white, and when you are upon that topic can say that there

is really no such thing as colour in nature; in a word, they can turn what little knowledge they have into a ready capacity of raising doubts; into a capacity of being always frivolous and always unanswerable. It was of two disputants of this impertinent and laborious kind that the cynic said, One of these fellows is milking a ram, and the other holds the pail.'

ADVERTISEMENT.

'The exercises of the snuff-box, according to the most fashionable airs and motions, in opposition to the exercise of the fan, will be taught with the best plain or perfumed snuff, at Charles Lillie's, perfumer, at the corner of Beaufort-buildings, in the Strand, and attendance given for the benefit of the young merchants about the Exchange for two hours every day at noon, except Saturdays, at a toy-shop, near Garraway's coffee-house. There will be likewise taught the ceremony of the snuff-box, or rules for offering snuff to a stranger, a friend, or a mistress, according to the degree of familiarity or distance; with an explanation of the careless, the scornful, the politic, and the surly pinch, and the gestures proper to each of them.

'N. B. The undertaker does not question but in a short time to have formed a body of regular snuff-boxes ready to meet and make head against all the regiment of fans which have been lately disciplined, and are now in motion.'

T.

No. 139.] Thursday, August 9, 1711.

ficta omnia celeriter, tanquam flosculi, decidunt, nec Vera gloria radices agit, atque etiam propagatur simulatum potest quidquam esse diuturnum. Tull.

True glory takes root, and even spreads: all false pretences, like flowers, fall to the ground; nor can any counterfeit last long.

The

Of all the affections which attend human life, the love of glory is the most ardent. According as this is cultivated in princes, it produces the greatest good or the greatest evil. Where sovereigns have it by impressions received from education only, it creates an ambitious rather than a noble mind: where it is the natural bent of the prince's inclination, it prompts him to the pursuit of things truly glorious. two greatest men now in Europe (according to the common acceptation of the word great)_are Lewis King of France, and Peter Emperor of Russia. As it is certain that all fame does not arise from the practice of virtue, it is, methinks, no unpleasing amusement to examine the glory of these potentates, and distinguish that which is empty, perishing, and frivolous, from what is solid, lasting, and important.

Lewis of France had his infancy attended by crafty and worldly men, who made extent of territory the most glorious instance of power, and mistook the spreading of fame for the acquisition of honour. The

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