tolemus, and to meet inen who have lived | All that we admired and adored before as with justice and truth? Is this, do you great and magnificent, is obliterated or vanthink, no happy journey? Do you think it ished; and another form and face of things, nothing to speak with Orpheus, Museus, plain, simple, and every where the same, Homer, and Hesiod? I would, indeed, suf- overspreads the whole earth. Where are fer many deaths to enjoy these things. With now the great empires of the world, and what particular delight should I talk to their great imperial cities? their pillars, Palamedes, Ajax, and others who like me trophies, and monuments of glory? show have suffered by the iniquity of their judges. me where they stood, read the inscription, I should examine the wisdom of that great tell me the victor's name. What remains, prince, who carried such mighty forces what impressions, what difference or disagainst Troy; and argue with Ulysses and tinction do you see in this mass of fire? Sisyphus upon difficult points, as I have in Rome itself, eternal Rome, the great city, conversation here, without being in danger the empress of the world, whose dominaof being condemned. But let not those tion and superstition, ancient and modern, among you who have pronounced me an make a great part of the history of the innocent man be afraid of death. No harm earth, what is become of her now? She laid can arrive at a good man, whether dead or her foundations deep, and her palaces were living; his affairs are always under the strong and sumptuous. "She glorified herdirection of the gods; nor will I believe the self, and lived deliciously, and said in her fate which is allotted to me myself this day heart, I sit a queen, and shall see no sorto have arrived by chance; nor have I aught row:" But her hour is come, she is wiped to say either against my judges or accusers, away from the face of the earth, and buried but that they thought they did me an in- in everlasting oblivion. But it is not cities jury.—But I detain you too long, it is only, and works of men's hands, but the time that I retire to death, and you to your everlasting hills, the mountains and rocks affairs of life; which of us has the better is of the earth are melted as wax before the known to the gods, but to no mortal man.' sun, and "their place is no where found." Here stood the Alps, the load of the earth, that covered many countries, and reached their arms from the ocean to the Black Sea; this huge mass of stone is softened and dissolved as a tender cloud into rain. Here stood the African mountains, and Atlas with his top above the clouds; there was frozen Caucasus, and Taurus, and Imaus, and the mountains of Asia; and yonder towards the north, stood the Riphaan hills clothed in ice and snow. All these are vanished, dropt away as the snow upon their heads. "Great and marvellous are thy works, just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints! Hallelujah. The divine Socrates is here represented in a figure worthy his great wisdom and philosophy, worthy the greatest mere man that ever breathed. But the modern discourse is written upon a subject no less than the dissolution of nature itself. Oh how glorious is the old age of that great man, who has spent his time in such contemplations as has made this being, what only it should be, an education for heaven! He has, according to the lights of reason and revelation, which seemed to him clearest, traced the steps of Omnipotence. He has with a celestial ambition, as far as it is consistent with humility and devotion, examined the ways of Providence, from the creation to the dissolution of the visible world. How pleasing must have been the No. 147.] Saturday, August 18, 1711. speculation, to observe Nature and Providence move together, the physical and moral world march the same pace: to observe paradise and eternal spring the seat of innocence, troubled seasons and angry skies the portion of wickedness and vice. When this admirable author has reviewed all that has past, or is to come, which relates to the habitable world, and run through the whole face of it, how could a guardian angel, that had attended it through all its courses or changes, speak more emphatically at the end of his charge, than does our author when he makes, as it were, a funeral oration over this globe, looking to the point where it once stood? 'Let us only, if you please, to take leave of this subject, reflect upon this occasion on the vanity and transient glory of this habitable world. How by the force of one element breaking loose upon the rest, all the varieties of nature, all the works of art, all the labours of men are reduced to nothing. T. Pronunciatio est vocis, et vultus et gestus moderatio Tull. cum venustate. Good delivery is a graceful management of the voice, countenance, and gesture. 'MR. SPECTATOR,-The well reading of the Common Prayer is of so great importance, and so much neglected, that I take the liberty to offer to your consideration some particulars on that subject. And what more worthy your observation than this? A thing so public, and of so high consequence. It is indeed wonderful, that the frequent exercise of it should not make the performers of that duty more expert in it. This inability, as I conceive, proceeds from the little care that is taken of their reading, while boys and at school, where, when they are got into Latin, they are looked upon as above English, the reading of which is *Burnet's Theory of the Earth, 1684. fol. Book III. Chap. 12. p. 110, 111. wholly neglected, or at least read to very | to place the emphasis, and give the proper little purpose, without any due observations accent to each word, and how to vary the made to them of the proper accent and voice according to the nature of the senmanner of reading; by this means they have tence. There is certainly a very great difacquired such ill habits as will not easily be ference between the reading a prayer and removed. The only way that I know of to a Gazette, which I beg of you to inform a remedy this, is to propose some person of set of readers, who affect, forsooth, a cergreat ability that way as a pattern for them; tain gentleman-like familiarity of tone, and example being most effectual to convince mend the language as they go on, crying, the learned, as well as instruct the ignorant. instead of pardoneth and absolveth,' par"You must know, sir, I have been a con- dons and absolves. These are often pretty stant frequenter of the service of the church classical scholars, and would think it an unof England for above these four years last pardonable sin to read Virgil or Martial past, and until Sunday was seven-night with so little taste as they do divine service. never discovered to so great a dègree, the "This indifferency seems to me to rise from excellency of the Common Prayer. When, the endeavour of avoiding the imputation being at St. James's Garlick-Hill church,* of cant, and the false notion of it. It will be I heard the service read so distinctly, so proper therefore to trace the original and emphatically, and so fervently, that it was signification of this word. "Cant" is, by next to an impossibility to be unattentive. some people, derived from one Andrew My eyes and my thoughts could not wander Cant, who, they say, was a Presbyterian as usual, but were confined to my prayers. minister in some illiterate part of Scotland, I then considered I addressed myself to the who by exercise and use had obtained the Almighty, and not to a beautiful face. And faculty, alias gift, of talking in the pulpit in when I reflected on my former perform- such a dialect, that it is said he was underances of that duty, I found I had run it over stood by none but his own congregation, and as a matter of form, in comparison to the not by all of them. Since master Cant's manner in which I then discharged it. My time, it has been understood in a larger mind was really affected, and fervent wishes sense, and signifies all sudden exclamations, accompanied my words. The Confession whinings, unusual tones, and in fine all praywas read with such a resigned humility, ing and preaching, like the unlearned of the the Absolution with such a comfortable au- Presbyterians. But I hope a proper elevathority, the Thanksgivings with such a re-tion of voice, a due emphasis and accent, ligious joy, as made me feel those affections are not to come within this description. So of the mind in a manner I never did before. that our readers may still be as unlike the To remedy therefore the grievance above Presbyterians as they please. The discomplained of, I humbly propose, that this senters (I mean such as I have heard,) do excellent reader, upon the next, and every indeed elevate their voices, but it is with annual assembly of the clergy of Sion-col- sudden jumps from the lower to the higher lege, and all other conventions, should read part of them; and that with so little sense prayers before them. For then those that or skill, that their elevation and cadence is are afraid of stretching their mouths, and bawling and muttering. They make use spoiling their soft voices, will learn to read of an emphasis, but so improperly, that it with clearness, loudness, and strength. is often placed on some very insignificant Others that affect a rakish, negligent air, particle, as upon 'if' or 'and.' Now if by folding their arms and lolling on their these improprieties have so great an effect books, will be taught a decent behaviour, on the people, as we see they have, how and comely erection of body. Those that great an influence would the service of our read so fast, as if impatient of their work, church, containing the best prayers that may learn to speak deliberately. There is ever were composed, and that in terms another sort of persons, whom I call Pin- most affecting, most humble, and most exdaric readers, as being confined to no set pressive of our wants, and dependence on measure; these pronounce five or six words the object of our worship, disposed in most with great deliberation, and the five or six proper order, and void of all confusion; subsequent ones with as great celerity: the what influence, I say, would these prayers first part of a sentence with a very exalted have, were they delivered with a due emvoice, and the latter part with a submissive phasis, and apposite rising and variation of one: sometimes again with one sort of a voice, the sentence concluded with a gentle tone, and immediately after with a very cadence, and in a word, with such an accent different one. These gentlemen will learn and turn of speech as is peculiar to prayer. of my admired reader an evenness of voice and delivery, and all who are innocent of these affectations, but read with such an indifferency as if they did not understand the language, may then be informed of the art of reading movingly and fervently, how *The rector of this parish at that time was Mr. Philip Stubbs, afterwards archdeacon of St. Alban's. 'As the matter of worship is now managed, in dissenting congregations, you find insignificant words and phrases raised by a lively vehemence; in our own churches, the most exalted sense depreciated, by a dispassionate_indolence. I remember to have heard Doctor Set say in his † Probably Dr. Smallridge. pulpit, of the Common Prayer, that, at whatsoever any thing above mere necesleast, it was as perfect as any thing of hu-saries. man institution. If the gentlemen who err in this kind would please to recollect the many pleasantries they have read upon those who recite good things with an ill grace, they would go on to think that what in that case is only ridiculous, in themselves is impious. But leaving this to their own reflections, I shall conclude this trouble with what Cæsar said upon the irregularity of tone in one who read before him. "Do you read or sing? If you sing, you sing very ill."* Your most humble servant.' T. No. 148.] Monday, August 20, 1711. As we in England are a sober people, and generally inclined rather to a certain bashfulness of behaviour in public, it is amazing whence some fellows come whom one meets with in this town; they do not at all seem to be the growth of our island; the pert, the talkative, all such as have no sense, of the observation of others, are certainly of foreign extraction. As for my part, I am as much surprised when I see a talkative Englishman, as I should be to see the Indian pine growing on one of our quickset hedges. Where these creatures get sun enough, to make them such lively animals and dull men, is above my philosophy. our eyes. There are another kind of impertinents which a man is perplexed with in mixed company, and those are your loud speakers. These treat mankind as if we were all deaf; they do not express but declare themselves. My correspondents assure me that the Many of these are guilty of this outrage out enormities which they lately complained of, well; or that they have their own persons of vanity, because they think all they say is and I published an account of, are so far in such veneration, that they believe nofrom being amended, that new evils arise thing which concerns them can be insignievery day to interrupt their conversation, ficant to any body else. For these people's in contempt of my reproofs. My friend who sake, I have often lamented that we cannot writes from the coffee-house near the Tem-close our ears with as much ease as we can ple, informs me that the gentleman who constantly sings a voluntary in spite of the whole company, was more musical than ordinary after reading my paper; and has not been contented with that, but has danced up to the glass in the middle of the room, and practised minuet-steps to his own humming. The incorrigible creature has gone still farther, and in the open coffee-house, with one hand extended as leading a lady in it, he has danced both French and country-dances, and admonished his supposed partner by smiles and nods to hold up her head, and fall back, according to the-r -respective facings and evolutions of the dance. Before this gentleman began this his exercise, he was pleased to clear his throat by coughing and spitting a full half hour; and as soon as he struck up, he appealed to an attorney's clerk in the room, whether he hit as he ought, Since you from death have saved me?" and then asked the young fellow (pointing to a chancery-bill under his arm,) whether that was an opera-score he carried or not? Without staying for an answer, he fell into the exercise abovementioned, and practised his airs to the full house who were turned upon him, without the least shame or repentance for his former transgressions. I am to the last degree at a loss what to do with this young fellow, except I declare him an outlaw, and pronounce it penal for any one to speak to him in the said house which he frequents, and direct that he be obliged to drink his tea and coffee without sugar, and not receive from any person * Si legis, cantas: si cantas, male cantas. necessarily be under persecution. Next to It is very uneasy that we must these bawlers, is a troublesome creature who comes with the air of your friend and There is one of them at a coffee-house your intimate, and that is your whisperer. which I myself frequent, who observing me to be a man pretty well made for secrets, gets by me, and with a whisper tells me things which all the town knows. It is no very hard matter to guess at the source of this impertinence, which is nothing else but a method or mechanic art of being wise. You never see any frequent in it, whom you to do. These persons are worse than bawcan suppose to have any thing in the world lers, as much as a secret enemy is more dancoffee-house friend would take this for an gerous than a declared one. I wish this my intimation, that I have not heard one word he has told me for these several years; whereas he now thinks me the most trusty repository of his secrets. The whisperers have a pleasant way of ending the close you think so? Then whisper again, and conversation, with saying aloud, 'Do not then aloud, But you know that person;' then whisper again. The thing would be well enough, if they whispered to keep the folly of what they say among friends; but, alas, they do it to preserve the importance of their thoughts. I am sure I could name you more than one person whom no man living ever heard talk upon any subject in nature, or ever saw in his whole life with a book in his hand, that, I know not how, can whisper something like knowledge of what has and does pass in the world: which you would think he learned from some fa miliar spirit that did not think him worthy | being really so? Come to us; forget the to receive the whole story. But in truth gigglers; let your inclination go along with whisperers deal only in half accounts of you, whether you speak or are silent; and what they entertain you with. A great help let all such women as are in a clan or sisto their discourse is, 'That the town says, terhood go their own way; there is no room and people begin to talk very freely, and for you in that company who are of the they had it from persons too considerable common taste of the sex. to be named, what they will tell you when things are riper.' My friend has winked upon me any day since I came to town last, and has communicated to me as a secret, that he designed in a very short time to tell me a secret; but I shall know what he • For women born to be controll'd T. means, he now assures me, in less than a No. 149.] Tuesday, August 21, 1711. fortnight's time. Cui ut manu sit quem esse dementem velit, Who has it in her pow'r to make men mad, But I must not omit the dearer part of mankind, I mean the ladies, to take up a whole paper upon grievances which concern the men only; but shall humbly propose, that we change fools for an experiment only. A certain set of ladies complain they are frequently perplexed with a visitant, who affects to be wiser than they are; which character he hopes to preserve 'MR. SPECTATOR,-I am the young by an obstinate gravity, and great guard widow of a country gentleman, who has against discovering his opinion upon any left me entire mistress of a large fortune, Occasion whatsoever. A painful silence which he agreed to as an equivalent for the has hitherto gained him no farther advan- difference in our years. In these circumtage, than that as he might, if he had be- stances it is not extraordinary to have a haved himself with freedom, been excepted crowd of admirers; which I have abridged against, but as to this and that particular, in my own thoughts, and reduced to a couhe now offends in the whole. To relieve ple of candidates only, both young, and these ladies, my good friends and corre- neither of them disagreeable in their perspondents, I shall exchange my dancing sons: according to the common way of outlaw for their dumb visitant, and assign computing, in one the estate more than dethe silent gentleman all the haunts of the serves my fortune, in the other my fortune dancer; in order to which, I have sent more than deserves the estate. When I them by the penny-post the following let-consider the first, I own I am so far a ters for their conduct in their new conver-woman I cannot avoid being delighted with sations. the thoughts of living great; but then he 'SIR,—I have, you may be sure, heard seems to receive such a degree of courage of your irregularities without regard to my looks as if he was going to confer an obligafrom the knowledge of what he has, he observations upon you; but shall not treat you with so much rigour as you deserve. If tion on me; and the readiness he accosts me with, makes me jealous I am only hearyou will give yourself the trouble to repair to the place mentioned in the postscript to ing a repetition of the same things he has this letter, at seven this evening, you will said to a hundred women before. When I be conducted into a spacious room, well-consider the other, I see myself approachlighted, where there are ladies and music. such a doubt of himself, as betrays, meed with so much modesty and respect, and You will see a young lady laughing next the window to the street; you may take thinks, an affection within, and a belief at her out, for she loves you as well as she the same time that he himself would be does any man, though she never saw you unexceptionable husband could I make out the only gainer by my consent. What an before. She never thought in her life, any of both! but since that is impossible, I beg more than yourself. She will not be sur to be concluded by your opinion. It is abprised when you accost her, nor concerned when you leave her. Hasten from a place solutely in your power to dispose of, your where you are laughed at, to one where you will be admired. You are of no consequence, therefore go where you will be welcome for being so. Your humble servant.' SIR,-The ladies whom you visit, think a wise man the most impertinent creature living, therefore you cannot be offended that they are displeased with you. Why will you take pains to appear wise, where you would not be the more esteemed for most obedient servant, SYLVIA.' 'MADAM,-You do me great honour in your application to me on this important occasion; I shall therefore talk to you with the tenderness of a father, in gratitude for You your giving me the authority of one. between these gentlemen as to their perdo not seem to make any great distinction circumstances and behaviour. If the one sons; the whole question lies upon their * Waller. is less respectful because he is rich, and the other more obsequious because he is not so, they are in that point moved by the same principle, the consideration of fortune, and you must place them in each other's circumstances before you can judge of their inclination. To avoid confusion in discussing this point, I will call the richer man Strephon, and the other Florio. If you believe Florio with Strephon's estate would behave himself as he does now, Florio is certainly your man; but if you think Strephon were he in Florio's condition, would be as obsequious as Florio is now, you ought for your own sake to choose Strephon; for where the men are equal, there is no doubt riches ought to be a reason for preference. After this manner, my dear child, I would have you abstract them from their circumstances; for you are to take it for granted, that he who is very humble only because he is poor, is the very same man in nature, with him who is haughty because he is rich. "When you have gone thus far, as to consider the figure they make towards you; you will please, my dear, next to consider the appearance you make towards them. If they are men of discerning, they can observe the motives of your heart: and Florio can see when he is disregarded only upon account of fortune, which makes you to him a mercenary creature; and you are still the same thing to Strephon, in taking him for his wealth only; you are therefore to consider whether you had rather oblige, than receive an obligation. other's person and conduct. In company they are in a purgatory, when only together in a hell. 'The happy marriage is where two persons meet and voluntarily make choice of each other, without principally regarding or neglecting the circumstances of fortune or beauty. These may still love in spite of adversity or sickness: the former we may in some measure defend ourselves from, the other is the portion of our very make. When you have a true notion of this sort of passion, your humour of living great will vanish out of your imagination, and you will find love has nothing to do with state. Solitude, with the person beloved, has a pleasure, even in a woman's mind, beyond show or pomp. You are therefore to consider which of your lovers will like you best undressed, which will bear with you most when out of humour; and your way to this is to ask of yourself, which of them you value most for his own sake? and by that judge which gives the greater instances of his valuing you for yourself only. After you have expressed some sense of the humble approach of Florio, and a little disdain at Strephon's assurance in his address, you cry out, What an unexceptionable husband could I make out of both!' It would therefore, methinks, be a good way to determine yourself. Take him in whom what you like is not transferable to another; for if you choose otherwise, there is no hope your husband will ever have what you liked in his rival; but intrinsic qualities in one man may very probably purchase every thing that is adventitious in another. In plainer terms: he whom you take for his personal perfections will sooner arrive at the gifts of fortune, than he whom you take for the sake of his fortune, attain to personal perfections. If Strephon is not as accomplished and agreeable as Florio, marriage to you will never make him so: but marriage to you may make Florio as rich as Strephon. Therefore to make a sure purchase, employ_fortune upon certainties, but do not sacrifice certainties to fortune. I am, your most obe The marriage-life is always an insipid, a vexatious, or a happy condition. The first is, when two people of no genius or taste for themselves meet together upon such a settlement as has been thought reasonable by parents and conveyancers, from an exact valuation of the land and cash of both parties. In this case the young lady's person is no more regarded, than the house and improvements in purchase of an estate: but she goes with her fortune, rather than her fortune with her. These make up the crowd or vulgar of the rich, and fill up the lumber of human race, without beneficence towards those below them, or respect to-dient, humble servant.' wards those above them; and lead a despicable, independent, and useless life, without T. sense of the laws of kindness, good-nature, No. 150.] Wednesday, August 18, 1711. mutual offices, and the elegant satisfactions which flow from reason and virtue. Nil habet infelix paupertas durius in se, The vexatious life arises from a conJuv. Sat. iii. 152. junction of two people of quick taste and Want is the scorn of every wealthy fool, And wit in rags is turn'd to ridicule.--Dryden. resentment, put together for reasons well known to their friends, in which special As I was walking in my chamber the care is taken to avoid (what they think the morning before I went last into the counchief of evils) poverty, and ensure to them try, I heard the hawkers with great veheriches, with every evil besides. These mence crying about a paper, entitled, The good people live in a constant constraint Ninety-nine Plagues of an Empty Purse. before company, and too great familiarity I had indeed sometime before observed, alone. When they are within observation that the orators of Grub-street had dealt they fret at each other's carriage and very much in plagues. They have albehaviour; when alone they revile each ready published in the same month, The |