queftions, and general converfation, make the filly part of her votaries full of hopes, while the wife fly from her power. She well knows the is too beautiful and too witty to be indifferent to` any who converse with her, and therefore knows she does not lessen herself by familiarity, but gains occafions of admiration, by feeming ignorance of her perfections.

Eudofia adds to the height of her ftazure a nobility of spirit which still diftinguishes her above the rest of her fex. Beauty in others is lovely, in others agreeable, in others attractive; but in Eudofia it is commanding: love towards Eudofia is a fentiment like the love of glory. The lovers of other women are foftened into fondnefs, the admirers of Eudofia exalted into ambition.

Eucratia prefents herself to the imagination with a more kindly pleafure; and as she is woman, her praife is wholly feminine. If we were to form an image of dignity in a man, we should give him wifdom and valour, as being ellential to the character of manhood. In like manner, if you defcribe a right woman in a laudable fenfe, the fhould have gentle foftnefs, tender fear, and all thofe parts of life, which diftinguith her from the other fex, with fome fubordination to it, but fuch an inferiority that makes her ftill more lovely. Eucratia is that creature, the is all over woman, kindnefs is all her art, and beauty all her arms. Her look, her voice, her gefture, and whole behaviour, is truly feminine. A goodness mixed with fear, gives a

I'

tincture to all her behaviour. It would be favage to offend her, and cruelty to ufe art to gain her. Others are beautiful, but Eucratia, thou art beauty!

Omnamante is made for deceit, the has an aspect as innocent as the famed Lucrece, but a mind as wild as the more famed Cleopatra. Her face fpeaks a veftal, but her heart a Meffalina. Who that beheld Omnamante's negligent unobferving air, would believe that the hid under that regardless manner the witty proftitute, the rapacious wench, the prodigal courtezan? She can, when she pleafes, adorn thofe eyes with tears like an infant that is chid; she can caft down that pretty face in confufion, while you rage with jealousy, and storm at her perfidioufnefs; the can wipe her eyes, tremble and look frighted, until you think yourself a brute for your rage, own yourself an offender, beg pardon, and make her new presents.

But I go too far in reporting only the dangers in beholding the beauteous, which I defign for the inftruction of the fair as well as their beholders; and shall end this rhapfody with mentioning what I thought was well enough faid of an ancient fage to a beautiful youth, whom he faw admiring his own figure in brafs. What,' faid the philofopher, could that image of yours fay for itself if it could fpeak?' It might fay,' anfwered the youth,' that it is very beautiful. And are not you ashamed," replied the cynic, to value yourself upon that only of which a piece of brass • is capable?'

HOR. EP. XVIII. L. I. V. 29.

F the following enormities are not amended upon the first mention, I defire farther notice from my correfpondents.

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of Court, whofe fathers have provided for them fo plentifully, that they need not be very anxious to get law into their heads for the fervice of their country at the bar; but are of thofe who are sent, as the phrafe of parents is, to the Temple, to know how to keep their own. One of these gentlemen is very loud and captious at a coffee-houfe which I frequent, and being in his nature troubled with an humour of contradiction, though withal exceffive ignorant, he has found a way to indulge this temper, go on in idlenefs and ignorance, and yet ftill give himself the air of a very learned and knowing man, by the strength of his pocket. The misfortune of the thing is, I have, as it happens fometimes, a greater stock of learning than of money. The gentleman I am speaking of, takes advantage of the narrowness of my circumstances in such a manner, that he has read all that I can pretend to, and runs me down with such a pofitive air, and with such powerful arguments, that from a very learned perfon I am thought a mere pretender. Not long ago I was relating that I had read fuch a paffage in Tacitus, up ftarts my young gentleman in a full company, and pulling out his purfe, offered to lay me ten guineas, to be staked immediately in that gentleman's hands, pointing to one fmoking at another table, that I was utterly mistaken. I was dumb for want of ten guineas; he went on unmercifully to triumph over my ignorance how to take him up, and told the whole room he had read Tacitus twenty times over, and fuch a remarkable incident as that could not escape him. He has at this time three confiderable wagers depending between him and fome of his companions, who are rich enough to hold an argument with him. He has five guineas upon queftions in geography, two that the Isle of Wight is a peninfula, and three guineas to one that the world is round. We have a gentleman comes to our coffee-houfe, who deals mightily in antique fcandal; my difputant has laid him twenty pieces upon a point of history, to wit, that Cæfar never lay with Cato's fifter, as is fcandalously reported by fome people. "

There are feveral of this fort of fellows in town, who wager themfelves into statesmen, hiftorians, geographers, mathematicians, and every other art, when the perfons with whom they talk

have not wealth equal to their learning. I beg of you to prevent, in these youngfters, this compendious way to wisdom, which cofts other people fo much time and pains, and you will oblige

Your humble fervant.

COFFEE-HOUSE NEAR THE TEMPLE, AUG. 12, 1711.

MR. SPECTATOR,

HERE is a young gentleman that fings opera tunes, or whiftles in a full house. Pray let him know that he has no right to act here as if he were in an empty room. Be pleafed to divide the fpecies of a public room, and certify whiftlers, fingers, and common

orators, that are heard further than their portion of their room comes to, that the law is open, and that there is an equity

which will relieve us from fuch as interrupt us in our lawful difcourfe, as much as against fuch as top us on the road. I take these perfons, Mr. Spectator, to be fuch trefpaffers as the officer in your ftage-coach, and am of the fame sentiment with counsellor Ephraim. It is true the young man is rich, and, as the vulgar fay, needs not care for any body; but fure that is no authority for him to go whistle where he pleases.

I am, Sir, your most humble fervant.

P. S. I have chambers in the Temple, and here are ftudents that learn upon the hautboy; pray defire the benchers, that all lawyers who are proficients in windmufic may lodge to the Thames.

MR. SPECTATOR,

WE are a company of young women

who pass our time very much together, and obliged by the mercenary humour of the men to be as mercenarily inclined as they are. There vifits among us an old bachelor whom each of us has a mind to. The fellow is rich, and knows he may have any of us, therefore is particular to none, but exceflively illbred. His pleafantry confifts in romping, he fnatches, kiffes by furprife, puts his hand in our necks, tears our fans, robs us of ribbons, forces letters out of our hands, looks into any of cur papers, and a thousand other rudeneffes. Now what I will defire of you is to acquaint him, by printing this, that if he does not marry one of us very fuddenly, we have all agreed, the next time he pretends to be merry, to affront him, and

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fecretly approve our practice, by imitating our pyramidical form. The skirt of your fathionable coats forms as large a circumference as our petticoats; as these are set out with whalebone, so are those with wire, to increase and sustain the bunch of fold that hangs down on each fide; and the hat, I perceive, is decreafed in just proportion to our headdreffes. We make a regular figure, but I defy your mathematics to give name to the form you appear in. Your architecture is mere Gothic, and betrays a worse genius than ours; therefore if you are partial to your own fex, I shall be lefs than I am now T Your humble fervant.

W minds are capable of enjoying

E know the highest pleasure our

with compofure, when we read fublime thoughts communicated to us by men of great genius and eloquence. Such is the entertainment we meet with in the

philofophic parts of Cicero's writings. Truth and good fenfe have there fo charming a dress, that they could hardly be more agreeably reprefented with the addition of poetical fiction and the power of numbers. This ancient author, and a modern one, have fallen into my hands within thefe few days; and the impreffions they have left upon me, have at the prefent quite fpoiled me for a merry fellow. The modern is that admirable writer the author of The

• Theory of the Earth.' The fubjects with which I have lately been entertained in them both bear a near affinity; they are upon inquiries into hereafter, and the thoughts of the latter feem to me to be raised above thofe of the former, in proportion to his advantages of Scripture and Revelation. If I had a mind to it, I could not at prefent talk of any thing elfe; therefore I fhall tranflate a paffage in the one, and transcribe a paragraph out of the other, for the fpeculation of this day. Cicero tells us, that Plato reports Socrates, upon receiving his fentence, to have fpoken to his judges in the following manner,

TULL.

I have great hopes, O my judges, that it is infinitely to my advantage

that I am fent to death: for it muft of neceffity be, that one of these two things must be the confequence. Death must take away all these fenfes, or convey me to another life. If all fenfe is to be taken away, and death is no more than that profound fleep without dreams, in which we are fometimes buried, O Heavens! how defirable is it to die? how many days do we know in life preferable to fuch a ftate? But if it be true that death is but a paffage to places which they who lived before us do now inhabit, how much still happier is it to go from those who call themfelves Judges, to appear before thofe that really are fuch; before Minos, Rhadamanthus,

acus, and Triptolemus, and to meet men who have lived with justice and truth? Is this, do you think, no happy journey? Do you think it nothing to speak with Orpheus, Mufæus, Homer, and Hefiod? I would, indeed, fuffer many deaths to enjoy these things. With what particular delight fhould 'I talk to Palamedes, Ajax, and others, who like me have fuffered by the iniquity of their judges! I fhould examine the wifdom of that great prince, who carried fuch mighty forces against Troy; and argue with Ulyffes and • Sifyphus,

Sifyphus, upon difficult points, as I ⚫ have in conversation here, without being in danger of being condemned. But let not thofe among you who have ' pronounced me an innocent man be afraid of death. No harm can arrive at a good man whether dead or living; • his affairs are always under the direction of the Gods; nor will I believe the fate which is allotted to me myfelf this day to have arrived by chance: nor have I ought to fay either against my judges or accufers, but that they thought they did me an injury-But I detain you too long, it is time that I retire to death, and you to your affairs of life; which of us has the better is 'known to the Gods, but to no mortal 'man.'

The divine Socrates is here reprefented in a figure worthy his great wisdom and philofophy, worthy the greateft mere man that ever breathed. But the modern difcourfe is written upon a subject no lefs than the diffolution of nature itfelf. O how glorious is the old age of that great man, who has fpent his time in fuch contemplations as has made this being, what only it should be, an education for Heaven! He has, according to the lights of Reafon and Revelation, which feemed to him cleare, traced the steps of Omnipotence: he has, with a celeftial ambition, as far as it is confiftent with humility and devotion, examined the ways of Providence, froin the creation to the diffolution of the visible world. How pleafing must have been the fpeculation, to obferve Nature and Providence move together, the physical and moral world march the fame pace: to obferve paradife and eternal fpring the feat of innocence, troubled feafons and angry skies the portion of wickednefs and vice. When this admirable author has reviewed all that has paffed, 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 it's courfes or changes, fpeak 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 ftood?

Let us only, if you please, to take

leave of this fubject, reflect upon this ⚫ occafion on the vanity and tranfient glory of this habitable world. How by the force of one element breaking loofe upon the reft, all the vanities of nature, all the works of art, all the labours of men, are reduced to nothing. All that we admired and adored be'fore as great and magnificent, is obliterated or vanished; and another form and face of things, plain, fimple, and every where the fame, overfpreads the whole earth. Where are now the great empires of the world, and their great imperial cities? Their pillars, trophies, and monuments of glory? Shew me where they stood, read the infcription, 'tell me the victor's name. What re

mains, what impreffions, what dif'ference, or diftinction, do you fee in this mafs of fire? Rome itself, eternal

Rome, the great city, the empress of the world, whofe domination and fu'perftition, ancient and modern, make a great part of the hiftory of this earth, what is become of her now? She laid her foundations deep, and her palaces were ftrong and fumptuous" She "glorified herfelf, and lived deliciously, "and faid in her heart, "I fit a queen, "and fhall fee no forrow:" but her

hour is come, fhe is wiped away from the face of the earth, and buried in everlasting oblivion. But it is not cities only, and works of men's hands, but the everlasting hills, the mountains and rocks of the earth, are melted as wax before the fun, and-" their "place is no where found." Here stood the Alpes, the load of the earth, that covered many countries, and reached their arms from the ocean to the Black Sea; this huge mafs of tone is foftened and diffolved as a tender cloud into rain. Here ftood the African mountains, and Atlas with his top above the clouds; there was frozen Caucafus, and Taurus, and Imaus, and the mountains of Afia; and yonder towards the north, ftood the Riphæan hills, clothed in ice and fnow. Ail thefe are vanifhed, dropped away as the fnow upon their heads. "Great "and marvellous are thy works, juft " and true are thy ways, thou King of "Saints! Hallelujah.”

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N° CXLVII.

MR. SFECTATOR,

HE well-reading of the Common

and fo much neglected, that I take the liberty to offer to your confideration fome particulars on that fubject: and what more worthy your obfervation than this? A thing fo public, and of so high confequence. It is indeed wonderful, that the frequent exercise of it frould 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 wholly neglected, or at least read to very little purpofe, without any due obfervations made to them of the proper accent and manner of reading; by this means they have acquired fuch ill habits as will not easily be removed. The only way that I know of to remedy this, is to propofe fome perfon of great ability that way as a pattern for them; example being moft effectual to convince the learned, as well as inftruct the ignorant.

You must know, Sir, I have been a conftant frequenter of the fervice of the church of England for above these four years laft paft, and until Sunday was feven-night never difcovered, to fo great a degree, the excellency of the commonprayer. When being at St. James's Garlick Hill church, I heard the fervice read so distinctly, fo emphatically, and fo fervently, that it was next to an impoffibility to be unattentive. My eyes and my thoughts could not wander as ufual, but were confined to my prayers: I then confidered I addreffed myfelf to the Almighty, and not to a beautiful face. And when I reflected on my former performances of that duty, I found I had run it over as a matter of form, in comparifon to the manner in which I then discharged it. My mind was really affected, and fervent wifes accompanied my words. The confeffion was read with fuch a refigned hu

mility, the abfolution with fuch a comfortable authority, the thanksgivings feel thofe affections of the mind in the manner I never did before. To remedy therefore the grievance above complained of, I humbly propofe, that this excellent reader, upon the next and every annual affembly of the clergy of Sion College, and all other conventions, fhould read prayers before them. For then thofe that are afraid of ftretching their mouths, and fpoiling their foft voice, will learn to read with clearness, loudnefs, and ftrength, Others that affect a rakish negligent air, by folding their arms, and lolling on their book, will be taught a decent behaviour, and comely erection of body. Thofe that read fo falt as if impatient of their work, may learn to fpeak deliberately. There is another fort of perfons whom I call Pindaric readers, as being confined to no fet measure; these pronounce five or fix words with great deliberation, and the five or fix fubfequent ones with as great celerity: the first part of a fentence with a very exalted voice, and the latter part with a fubmiffive one: fometimes again with one fort of a tone, and immediately after with a very different

one.

Thefe gentlemen will learn of my admired reader an evennefs of voice and delivery. And all who are innocent of thefe affectations, but read with fuch an indifferency as if they did not underftand the language, may then be informed of the art of reading movingly and fervently, how to place the emphafis, and give the proper accent to each word, and how to vary the voice according to the nature of the fentence. There is certainly a very great difference between the reading a prayer and a gazette, which I beg of you to inform a fet of readers, who affect, forfooth, a certain gentleman-like familiarity of tone, and mend the language as they go on, crying inftead of Pardoneth and Abfolveth, Pardons and Abfolves. Thefe are often pretty claffical fcholars, and

would