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fwho, perhaps, has never heard of you) oppofes your Advancement; and if you have any thing more than ordinary in you, you are flattered with a Whisper, that 'tis no Wonder People are so flow in doing for a Man of your Talents and the like.

AFTER all this Treatment, I muft ftill add the pleafanteft Infolence of all, which I have once or twice feen; to wit, That when a filly Rogue has thrown away one Part in three of his Life in unprofitable Attendance, it is taken wonderfully ill that he withdraws, and is refolved to employ the rest for himself.

WHEN we confider these Things, and reflect upon fo many honest Natures (which one, who makes Obfervation of what paffes, may have feen) that have mifcarried by fuch fort of Applications, it is too melancholy a Scene to dwell upon; therefore I fhall take another Opportunity to difcourfe of good Patrons, and distinguish fuch as have done their Duty to those who have depended upon them, and were not able to act without their Favour. Worthy Patrons are like Plato's Guardian Angels, who are always doing good to their Wards; but negligent Patrons are like Epicurus's Gods, that lie lolling on the Clouds, and instead of Bleffings pour down Storms and Tempests on the Heads of those that are offering Incenfe to them.

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No. 215.

Tuesday, November 6.

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Ingenuas didiciffe fideliter artes

Emollit mores, nec finit effe feros."

Ovid. Ep. 9. 1. 2. de Ponto. v. 47•

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Ingenuous Arts, where they an Entrance find,
Soften the Manners, and fubdue the Mind.

Confider an human Soul without Education like Marble in the Quarry, which fhews none of its inherent Beauties, 'till the Skill of the Polifher fetches out

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the Colours, makes the Surface fhine, and discovers every ornamental Cloud, Spot, and Vein that runs through the Body of it. Education, after the fame manner, when it works upon a noble Mind, draws out to View every latent Virtue and Perfection, which without fuch Helps are never able to make their Appearance.

IF my Reader will give me leave to change the Allufion fo foon upon him, I fhall make ufe of the fame Inftance to illuftrate the Force of Education, which Ariftotle has brought to explain his Doctrine of Substantial Forms, when he tells us that a Statue lies hid in a Block of Marble; and that the Art of the Statuary only clears away the fuperfluous Matter, and removes the Rubbish. The Figure is in the Stone, the Sculptor only finds it. What Sculpture is to a Block of Marble, Education is to an human Soul. The Philofopher, the Saint, or the Hero, the Wife, the Good, or the Great Man, very often lie hid and concealed in a Plebeian, which a proper Education might have dif-interred, and have brought to light. I am therefore much delighted with reading the Accounts of favage Nations, and with contemplating those Virtues which are wild and uncultivated; to fee Courage exerting it felf in Fierceness, Refolution in Obftinacy, Wisdom in Cunning, Patience in Sullennefs and Despair.

MEN's Paffions operate variously, and appear in different Kinds of Actions, according as they are more or less rectify'd and fway'd by Reafon. When one hears of Negroes, who upon the Death of their Mafters, or upon changing their Service, hang themselves upon the next Tree, as it frequently happens in our American Plantations, who can forbear admiring their Fidelity, tho' it expresses it self in fo dreadful a manner? What might not that favage Greatness of Soul which appears in these poor Wretches on many Occafions, be raised to, were it rightly cultivated? And what Colour of Excufe can there be for the Contempt with which we treat this Part of our Species? That we should not put them upon the common foot of Humanity, that we fhould only fet an infignificant Fine upon the Man who murders them; nay, that we should, as much as in us lies, cut them off from the VOL. III. Prospects

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Profpects of Happiness in another World as well as in this, and deny them that which we look upon as the proper Means for attaining it?

SINCE I am engaged on this Subject, I cannot forbear mentioning a Story which I have lately heard, and which is fo well attefted, that I have no manner of reafon to fufpect the Truth of it. I may call it a kind of wild Tragedy that paffed about twelve Years ago at St. Chriftophers, one of our British Leeward Islands. The Negroes who were the Perfons concern'd in it, were all of them the Slaves of a Gentleman who is now in England.

THIS Gentleman among his Negroes had a young Woman, who was looked upon as a moft extraordinary Beauty by thofe of her own Complexion. He had at the fame time two young Fellows who were likewise Negroes and Slaves, remarkable for the Comeliness of their Perfons, and for the Friendship which they bore to one another. It unfortunately happened that both of them fell in love with the Female Negro above-mentioned, who would have been very glad to have taken either of them for her Husband, provided they could agree between themselves which should be the Man. But they were both fo paffionately in love with her, that neither of them could think of giving her up to his Rival; and at the fame time were so true to one another, that neither of them would think of gaining her without his Friend's Confent. The Torments of these two Lovers were the Difcourfe of the Family to which they belonged, who could not forbear observing the ftrange Complication of Paffions which perplexed the Hearts of the poor Negroes, that often dropped Expreffions of the Uneafiness they underwent, and how impoffible it was for either of them ever to be happy.

AFTER a long Struggle between Love and Friendfhip, Truth and Jealoufy, they one Day took a Walk together into a Wood, carrying their Mistress along with them: Where after abundance of Lamentations, they ftabbed her to the Heart, of which fhe immediately died. A Slave who was at his Work not far from the Place where this aftonishing Piece of Cruelty was committed, hearing the Shrieks of the dying Perfon, ran to fee what

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was the Occafion of them. He there difcovered the Woman lying dead upon the Ground, with the two Negroes on each fide of her, kiffing the dead Corps, weeping over it, and beating their Breafts in the utmost Agonies of Grief and Despair. He immediately ran to the English Family with the News of what he had feen; who upon coming to the Place faw the Woman dead, and the two Negroes expiring by her with Wounds they had given themselves.

WE fee in this amazing Inftance of Barbarity, what ftrange Disorders are bred in the Minds of those Men whofe Paffions are not regulated by Virtue, and difciplined by Reason. Tho' the Action which I have recited is in it felf full of Guilt and Horror, it proceeded from a Temper of Mind which might have produced very noble Fruits, had it been informed and guided by a fuitable Education.

IT is therefore an unspeakable Bleffing to be born in those Parts of the World where Wisdom and Knowledge flourish; tho' it must be confefs'd, there are, even in these Parts, feveral poor uninftructed Perfons, who are but little above the Inhabitants of those Nations of which I have been here speaking; as those who have had the Advantages of a more liberal Education, rise above one another by several different Degrees of Perfection. For to

return to our Statue in the Block of Marble, we see it fometimes only begun to be chipped, fometimes roughhewn, and but juft sketched into an human Figure; fometimes we see the Man appearing diftinctly in all his Limbs and Features, fometimes we find the Figure wrought up to a great Elegancy, but feldom meet with any to which the Hand of Phidias orPraxitelles could not give feveral nice Touches and Finishings.

DISCOURSES of Morality, and Reflexions upon human Nature, are the best Means we can make ufe of to improve our Minds, and gain a true Knowledge of our felves, and confequently to recover our Souls out of the Vice, Ignorance, and Prejudice, which naturally cleave to them. I have all along profeft my self in this Paper a Promoter of these great Ends; and I flatter my felf that I do from Day to Day contribute fomething to the po

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lishing

No. 216. lishing of Men's Minds: at leaft my Defign is laudable, whatever the Execution may be. I muft confefs I am not a little encouraged in it by many Letters which I receive from unknown Hands, in Approbation of my Endeavours; and must take this Opportunity of returning my Thanks to those who write them, and excufing my felf for not inferting several of them in my Papers, which I am fenfible would be a very great Ornament to them. Should I publish the Praises which are fo well penned, they would do Honour to the Perfons who write them, but my publishing of them would I fear be a fufficient Inftance to the World that I did not deferve them.

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No. 216. Wednesday, November 7.

Siquidem berelè poffis, nil prius, neque fortius;
Verùm fi incipies, neque perficies naviter,
Atque, ubi pati non poteris, cùm nemo expetet,
Infectâ pace, ultrò ad eam venies, indicans
Te amare, & ferre non poffe: Actum eft, ilicet,
Perifti: eludet, ubi te victum fenferit.

Ter. Eun. A&. 1. Sc. 1.

If indeed you can keep to your Refolution, you will act a noble and a manly part: but if, when you bave fet about it, your Courage fails you, and you make a voluntary Submiffion, acknowledging the Violence of your Paffion, and your Inability to hold out any longer; all's over with you; you are undone, and may go hang your felf; fhe will infult over you, when she finds you her Slave. To Mr. SPECTATOR.

SIR,

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HIS is to inform you, that Mr. Freeman had no fooner taken Coach, but his Lady was taken ' with a terrible Fit of the Vapours, which 'tis feared ⚫ will make her miscarry, if not endanger her Life; therefore, dear Sir, if you know of any Receipt that is good against this fashionable reigning Distemper, be

pleafed

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