fon to loquacity, give me a good deal of employment when I enter any houfe in the country; for I cannot for my heart leave a room, before I have thoroughly ftudied the walls of it, and examined the feveral printed papers which are ufually pafted upon them. The last piece that I met with upon this occafion gave me a most exquifite pleafure. My reader will think I am not ferious, when I acquaint him that the piece I am going to speak of was the old ballad of the 'Two Children in the Wood,' which is one of the darling fongs of the common people, and has been the delight of moft Englishmen in fome part of their age.

This fong is a plain fimple copy of nature, deftitute of the helps and ornaments of art. The tale of it is a pretty tragical ftory, and pleases for no other reafon but because it is a copy of nature. There is even a despicable fimplicity in the verfe; and yet because the fentiments appear genuine and unaffected, they are able to move the mind of the most polite reader with inward meltings of humanity and compaffion. The incidents grow out of the fubject, and are fuch as are the most proper to excite pity; for which reason the whole narration has fomething in it very moving, notwithftanding the author of it, whoever he was, has delivered it in fuch an abject phrafe and poorness of expreffion, that the quoting any part of it would look like a defign of turning it into ridicule. But though the language is mean, the thoughts, as I have before faid, from one end to the other, are natural, and therefore cannot fail to pleafe thofe who are not judges of language, or thofe who, notwithstanding they are judges of language, have a true and unprejudiced tafte of nature. The condition, fpeech, and behaviour of the dying parents, with the age, innocence, and diftrefs of the children, are fet forth in fuch tender circumftances, that it is impoffible for a reader of common humanity not to be affected with them. As for the circumtance of the Robin-red-breast, it is in

I have heard that the late Lord Dorfet, who had the greateft wit tempered with the greatest candour, and was one of the finest critics as well as the beft poets of his age, had a numerous collection of old English ballads, and took a particular pleasure in the reading of them. I can affirm the fame of Mr. Dryden, and know feveral of the most refined writers of our prefent age who are of the fame humour.

I might likewife refer my reader to Moliere's thoughts on this fubject, as he has expreffed them in the character of the Mifanthrope; but thofe only who are endowed with a true greatnefs of foul and genius can diveft themfelves of the images of ridicule, and admire nature in her fimplicity and nakedness. As for the little conceited wits of the age, who can only fhew their judgment by find ing fault, they cannot be fuppofed to admire thefe productions which have nothing to recommend them but the beauties of nature, when they do not know how to relish even thofe compofitions that, with all the beauties of nature, have alfo the additional advantages of

TH

HERE are feveral arts which all men are in fome measure masters of, without having been at the pains of learning them. Every one that speaks or reafons is a grammarian and a logician, though he may be wholly unacquainted with the rules of grammar or logic, as they are delivered in books and fyftems. In the fame manner, every one is in fome degree a matter of that art which is generally diftinguished by the name of Phyfiognomy; and naturally forms to himself the character or fortune of a ftranger, from the features and lineaments of his face. We are no fooner prefented to any one we never faw before, but we are immediately ftruck with the idea of a proud, a reserved, an affable, or a good-natured man; and upon our first going into a company of ftrangers, our benevolence or averfion, awe or contempt, rifes naturally towards feveral particular perfons, before we have heard them speak a fingle word, or fo much as know who they are.

Évery paffion gives a particular caft to the countenance, and is apt to dif cover itself in some feature or other. I have seen an eye curse for half an hour together, and an eyebrow call a man a fcoundrel. Nothing is more common than for lovers to complain, refent, languifh, defpair, and die in dumb fhow. For my own part, I am fo apt to frame a notion of every man's humour or circumftances by his looks, that I have fometimes employed myself from Charing Crofs to the Royal Exchange in drawing the characters of those who have paffed by me. When I fee a man with a four rivelled face, I cannot forbear pitying his wife; and when I meet with an open ingenuous countenance, think on the happiness of his friends, his family, and relations.

I cannot recollect the author of a famous faying to a ftranger who stood filent in his company- Speak that I ་ may fee thee. But with fubmiffion,

ADDISON.

I think we may be better known by our looks than by our words, and that a man's fpeech is much more eafily dif guifed than his countenance. In this cafe, however, I think the air of the whole face is much more expreffive than the lines of it: the truth of it is, the air is generally nothing else but the inward difpofition of the mind made vifible.

Those who have established phyfiognomy into an art, and laid down rules of judging men's tempers by their faces, have regarded the features much more than the air. Martial has a pretty epigram on this fubject

Crine ruber, niger ore, brevis pede, lumine læfus:

Rem magnam præftas Zoïle, fi bonus es.

EPIG. LIV. L. 12.

Thy beard and head are of a diff'rent dye;
Short of one foot, diftorted in an eye:
With all these tokens of a knave compleat,
Should it thou be honest, thou'rt a dev'lish
cheat.

I have feen a very ingenious author on this fubject, who founds his fpeculations on the fuppofition, that as a man hath in the mould of his face a remote likeness to that of an ox, a fheep, a lion,. an hog, or any other creature'; he hath the fame refemblance in the frame of his mind, and is fubject to those paffions which are predominant in the creature that appears in his countenance. Accordingly he gives the prints of feveral faces that are of a different mould, and by a little overcharging the likeness, difcovers the figures of these feveral kinds of brutal faces in human features. I remember, in the life of the famous Prince of Conde, the writer obferves, the face of that prince was like the face of an eagle, and that the prince was very well pleafed to be told fo. In this cafe, therefore, we may be fure, that he had in his mind fome general impli cit notion of this art of phyfiognomy which I have juft now mentioned; and

that

that when his courtiers told him his face was made like an eagle's, he understood them in the fame manner as if they had told him, there was fomething in his looks which fhewed him to be ftrong, active, piercing, and of a royal descent. Whether or no the different motions of the animal fpirits, in different paffions, may have any effect on the mould of the face when the lineaments are pliable and tender, or whether the fame kind of fouls require the fame kind of habitations, I fhall leave to the confideration of the curious. In the mean time I think nothing can be more glorious than for a man to give the lye to his face, and to be an honeft, juft, good-natured man, in fpite of all thofe marks and fignatures which nature feems to have fet upon him for the contrary. This very often happens among thofe, who, inhead of being exasperated by their own looks, or envying the looks of others, apply themselves intirely to the cultivating of their minds, and getting thofe beauties which are more lafting and more ornamental. I have feen many an amiable piece of deformity; and have obferved a certain chearfulness in as bad a fyftem of features as ever was clapped together, which hath appeared more lovely than all the blooming charms of an infolent beauty. There is a double praife due to virtue, when it is lodged in a body that feems to have been prepared for the reception of vice; in many fuch cafes the foul and the body do not feem to be fellows.

Socrates was an extraordinary inftance of this nature. There chanced to be a great phyfiognomift in his time at Athens, who had made ftrange difcoveries of men's tempers and inclinations by their outward appearances. Socrates's difciples, that they might put this artist to the trial, carried him to their master, whom he had never feen before, and

Τ

did not know he was then in company with him. After a fhort examination of his face, the phyfiognomist pronounc ed him the moft lewd, libidinous, drunken old fellow that he had ever met with in his whole life. Upon which the difciples all burft out a laughing, as thinking they had detected the fall. hood and vanity of his art. But Socrates told them, that the principles of his art might be very true, notwithstanding his prefent mistake: for that he himfelf was naturally inclined to thofe particular vices which the physiognomist had discovered in his countenance, but that he had conquered the strong difpofitions he was born with by the dictates of philofophy.

We are indeed told by an ancient author, that Socrates very much refembled Silenus in his face; which we find to have been very rightly obferved from the ftatues and butts of both, that are ftill extant; as well as on feveral antique feals and precious ftones, which are fre quently enough to be met with in the cabinets of the curious. But however obfervations of this nature may fometimes hold, a wife man fhould be particularly cautious how he gives credit to a man's outward appearance. It is an irreparable injuftice we are guilty of towards one another, when we are prejudiced by the looks and features of those whom we do not know. How often do we conceive hatred againit a perfon of worth, or fancy a man to be proud or ill-natured by his afpect, whom, we think, we cannot efteem too much when we are acquainted with his real character! Dr. Moore, in his admirable fyftem of Ethics, reckons this particular inclination to take a prejudice against a man for his looks, among the fmaller vices in morality, and, if I remember, gives it the name of a Profopolepfia.

DRYDEN.

L

tion to their perfons, whether beautiful

or defective. As the fecrets of the Ugly Club were exposed to the public, that

men

men might fee there were fome noble fpirits in the age, who are not at all difpleated with themfelves upon confiderations which they had no choice in; fo the difcourfe concerning Idols tended to leffen the value people put upon themselves from perfonal advantages and gifts of nature. As to the latter fpecies of mankind, the Beauties, whether male or female, they are generally the most untractable people of all others. You are fo exceflively perplexed with the particularities in their behaviour, that, to be at eafe, one would be apt to with there were no fuch creatures. They expect fo great allowances, and give fo little to others, that they who have to do with them find in the main, a man with a better perfon than ordinary, and a beautiful woman, might be very happily changed for fuch to whom nature has been lefs liberal. The handfome fellow is ufually fo much a gentleman, and the fine woman has fomething fo becoming, that there is no enduring either of them. It has therefore been generally my choice to mix with chearful ugly creatures, rather than gentlemen who are graceful enough to omit or do what they pleafe; or beauties who have charms enough to do and fay what would be difobliging in any but them.

felves.

Diffidence and prefumption, upon account of our perfons, are equally faults;

and both arife from the want of know

ing, or rather endeavouring to know, ourfelves, and for what we ought to be valued or neglected. But indeed, I did not imagine thefe little confiderations and coquetries could have the ill confequence as I find they have by the following letters of my correfpondents, where it fecins beauty is thrown into the accompt, in matters of fale, to those who receive no favour from the charmers.

catiffa have been admitted with so muck applaufe. I do not want to be put in mind how very defective I am in every thing that is ugly: I am too sensible of my own unworthinefs in this particular, and therefore I only propofe myself as a foil to the club.

You fee how honeft I have been to confefs all my imperfections, which is a great deal to come from a woman, and what I hope you will encourage with the favour of your interest.

There can be no objection made on the fide of the matchlefs Hecatiffa, fince it is certain I fhall be in no danger of giving her the leaft occafion of jealousy: and then a joint-ftool in the very lowest place at the table, is all the honour that is coveted by your most humble and obedient fervant, ROSALINDA.

P. S. I have facrificed my necklace to put into the public lottery against the common enemy. And laft Saturday, about three of the clock in the afternoon, I began to patch indifferently on both fides of my face.

LONDON, JUNE 7, 1711.

MR. SPECTATOR,

UPON reading your late differtation

concerning Idols, I cannot but complain to you that there are, in fix or feven places of this city, coffee-houses kept by perfons of that fifterhood. Thefe Idols fit and receive all day long the adoration of the youth within fuch and fuch diftricts: I know in particular, goods are not entered as they ought to be at the Custom-house, nor law-reports perufed at the Temple; by reafon of one beauty who detains the young merchants too long near 'Change, and another fair-one who keeps the ftudents at her houfe when they fhould be at ftudy. It would be worth your while to fee how the idolaters alternately offer incenfe tó their Idols, and what heart-burnings arife in those who wait for their turn to receive kind afpects from thofe little thrones, which all the company, but thefe lovers, call the bars. I faw a gentleman turn as pale as afhes, becaufe an Idol turned the fugar into a tea-difh for his rival, and carelessly cailed the boy to ferve him, with a

Sir

rah! why do you not give the gentleman the box to please himself? Certain it is, that a very hopeful young man was taken with leads in his pockets

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