6 come to pafs: The Child is the Occafion that the Blood of the old Man is fpilt; but know, that the old Man * whom thou faw'ft, was the Murderer of that Child's Father. No. 238. Monday, December 3. Nequicquam populo bibulas donaveris Aures ; Perfius, Sat. 4. V. 50. Please not thy felf the flatt'ring Crowd to bear; A DRYDEN, MONG all the Diseases of the Mind, there is not one more epidemical or more pernicious than the Love of Flattery. For as where the Juices of the Body are prepared to receive a malignant Influence, there the Disease rages with moft Violence; fo in this Distemper of the Mind, where there is ever a Propenfity and Inclination to fuck in the Poison, it cannot be but that the whole Order of reasonable Action must be overturn'd, for, like Mufick, it So foftens and difarms the Mind, That not one Arrow can Refiftance find. FIRST we flatter our felves, and then the Flattery of others is fure of Succefs. It awakens our Self-love within, a Party which is ever ready to revolt from our better Judgment, and join the Enemy without. Hence it is, that the Profufion of Favours we fo often fee poured upon the Parafite, are reprefented to us, by our Self-Love, as Ju ftice done to the Man, who so agreeably reconciles us to our felves. When we are overcome by fuch foft Infinuations and enfnaring Compliances, we gladly recompenfe the Artifices that are made ufe of to blind our Reason, and which triumph over the Weaknesses of our Temper and Inclinations. BUT were every Man perfuaded from how mean and low a Principle this Paffion is derived, there can be no doubt doubt but the Perfon who should attempt to gratify it, would then be as contemptible as he is now fuccessful, 'Tis the Defire of fome Quality we are not poffeffed of, or Inclination to be fomething we are not, which are the Causes of our giving our felves up to that Man, who beftows upon us the Characters and Qualities of others; which perhaps fuit us as ill and were as little defign'd for our wearing, as their Clothes. Inftead of going out of our own complexional Nature into that of others, 'twere a better and more laudable Induftry to improve our own, and instead of a miferable Copy become a good Original; for there is no Temper, no Difpofition fo rude and untractable, but may in its own peculiar Caft and Turn be brought to fome agreeable Ufe in Converfation, or in the Affairs of Life. A Perfon of a rougher Deportment, and lefs tied up to the ufual Ceremonies of Behaviour, will, like Manly in the Play, please by the Grace which Nature gives to every Action wherein she is complied with; the Brifk and Lively will not want their Admirers, and even ǎ more referved and melancholy Temper may at fome times be agreeable. WHEN there is not Vanity enough awake in a Man to undo him, the Flatterer ftirs up that dormant Weaknefs, and infpires him with Merit enough to be a Coxcomb. But if Flattery be the most fordid Act that can be complied with, the Art of Praifing juftly is as commendable: For 'tis laudable to praise well; as Poets at one and the fame time give Immortality, and receive it themfelves for a Reward: Both are pleafed, the one whilft he receives the Recompence of Merit, the other whilft he fhews he knows how to discern it; but above all, that Man is happy in this Art, who, like a kilful Painter, retains the Features and Complexion, but ftill foftens the Picture into the most agreeable Likeness. THERE can hardly, I believe, be imagin'd a more defirable Pleasure, than that of Praise unmix'd with any Poffibility of Flattery. Such was that which Germanicus enjoyed, when, the Night before a Battle, defirous of fome fincere Mark of the Efteem of his Legions for him, he is defcribed by Tacitus liftening in a Difguife to the Difcourfe of a Soldier, and wrapt up in the Fruition of his Glory, whilft with an undefigned Sincerity they praifed. his noble and majeftick Mien, his Affability, his Valour, Conduct, and Succefs in War. How muft a Man have his Heart full-blown with Joy in such an Article of Glory as this? What a Spur and Encouragement ftill to proceed in thofe Steps which had already brought him to fo pure a Tafte of the greateft of mortal Enjoyments? IT fometimes happens, that even Enemies and envious Perfons bestow the fincereft Marks of Efteem when they leaft defign it. Such afford a greater Pleasure, as extorted. by Merit, and freed from all Sufpicion of Favour or Flattery. Thus it is with Malvolio; he has Wit, Learning, and Difcernment, but temper'd with an allay of Envy, Self-Love and Detraction: Malvolio turns pale at the Mirth and Good-humour of the Company,if it center not in his Perfon; he grows jealous and difpleased when he ceases to be the only Perfon admired, and looks upon the Commendations paid to another as a Detraction from his Merit, and an Attempt to leffen the Superiority he affects; but by this very Method, he beftows fuch Praife as can never be fufpected of Flattery. His Uneafinefs and Diftaftes are fo many fure and certain Signs of another's Title to that Glory he défires, and has the Mortification to find himself not poffeffed of. A good Name is fitly compared to a precious Ointment, and when we are praised with Skill and Decency, 'tis indeed the most agreeable Perfume, but if too ftrongly admitted into a Brain of a lefs vigorous and happy Texture, 'twill, like too strong an Odour, overcome the Senfes, and prove pernicious to thofe Nerves 'twas intended to refresh. A generous Mind is of all others the moft fenfible of Praise and Difpraise; and a noble Spirit is as much invigorated with its due Proportion of Honour and Applaufe, as 'tis depreffed by Neglect and Contempt: But 'tis only Perfons far above the common Level who are thus affected with either of these Extremes; as in a Thermometer, 'tis only the purest and most fublimated Spirit that is either contracted or dilated by the Benignity or Inclemency of the Seafon. Mr. SPECTATOR, T HE Translations which you have lately given us from the Greek, in fome of your laft Papers, have been the Occafion of my looking into fome of • thofe thofe Authors; among whom I chanced on aCollection ⚫ of Letters which pass under the Name of Ariftenetus. ⚫ Of all the Remains of Antiquity, I believe there can be • Nothing produc'd of an Air fo gallant and polite; each Letter contains a little Novel or Adventure, which is ⚫ told with all the Beauties of Language and heightened with a Luxuriance of Wit. There are feveral of them • translated, but with fuch wide Deviations from the Original, and in a Stile fo far differing from the Author's, that the Tranflator feems rather to have taken Hints for the expreffing his own Senfe and Thoughts, than to have ⚫ endeavoured to render those of Ariftanetus. In the following Tranflation, I have kept as near the Meaning of the Greek as I could, and have only added a few Words ⚫to make the Sentences in English fit together a little bet⚫ter than they would otherwife have done. The Story ⚫feems to be taken from that of Pigmalion and the Statue in Ovid: Some of the Thoughts are of the fame Turn, and the whole is written in a kind of Poetical Profe. 66 Philopinax to Chromation. Man, 1 taftical a Paffion as mine. I have painted a beau"tiful Woman, and am despairing, dying for the Picture. "My own Skill has undone me; 'tis not the Dart of "Venus, but my own Pencil has thus wounded me. Ah "me! with what Anxiety am I neceffitated to adore 66 my own Idol? How miferable am I, whilft every one "must as much pity the Painter as he praises the Picture, "and own my Torment more than equal to my Art. "But why do I thus complain? Have there not been more unhappy and unnatural Paffions than mine'? Yes, "I have feen the Representations of Phædra, Narciffus, "and Pafiphae. Phedra was unhappy in her Love; that "of Pafiphae was monftrous; and whilft the other caught "at his beloved Likeness,he deftroyed the watery Image, "which ever eluded his Embraces. The Fountain re 66 prefented Narciffus to himfelf, and the Picture both "that and him, thirfting after his adored Image. But I am yet lefs unhappy, I enjoy her Prefence continually, " and if I touch her, I deftroy not the beauteous Form, " but the looks pleased, and a sweet Smile fits in the "charming charming Space which divides her Lips. One would "fwear that Voice and Speech were iffuing out, and that "one's Ears felt the melodious Sound. How often have "I deceived by a Lover's Credulity, hearkned if the had not fomething to whisper me? and when fruftrated "of my Hopes, how often have I taken my Revenge in Kiffes from her Cheeks and Eyes, and foftly wooed her to my Embrace, whilft fhe (as to me it feem'd) only "withheld herTongue the more to inflame me. But, Mad 66 man that I am, fhall I be thus taken with the Represen"tation only of a beauteous Face, and flowing Hair, and *thus waste my self and melt to Tears for a Shadow ? "Ah, fure 'tis fomething more, 'tis a Reality! for fee her "Beauties fhine out with new Luftre, and she seems to "upbraid me with fuch unkind Reproaches. Oh may I "have a living Mistress of this Form, that when I fhall compare the Work of Nature with that of Art, I may be ftill at a lofs which to choose, and be long perplex'd "with the pleafing Uncertainty. T No. 239. Tuesday, December 4. I Bella, borrida bella! Virg. Æn. 6. v. 86. Wars, borrid Wars! DRYDEN. HAVE fometimes amused my felf with confidering the feveral Methods of managing a Debate which have obtained in the World. THE firft Races of Mankind used to difpute, as our ordinary People do now-a-days, in a kind of wild Lo gick, uncultivated by Rules of Art. SOCRATES introduced a catechetical Method of Arguing. He would ask his Adverfary Question upon Question, till he had convinced him out of his own Mouth that his Opinions were wrong. This Way of Debating drives an Enemy up into a Corner, feizes all the Paffes through which he can make an Escape, and forces him to furrender at Difcretion. ARIS |