The charity-fchools which have been erected of late years, are the greatest inftances of public fpirit the age has produced: but indeed when we confider how long this fort of beneficence has been on foot, it is rather from the good management of thofe inftitutions, than from the number or value of the benefactions fo them, that they make so great a figure. One would think it impoffible that in the space of fourteen years there fhould not have been five thousand pounds bestowed in gifts this way, nor fixteen hundred children, including males and females, put out to methods of industry. It is not allowed me to fpeak of luxury and folly with the fevere fpirit they deferve; I fhall only therefore fay, I fhall very readily compound with any lady in a hooppetticoat, if the gives the price of one half yard of the filk towards cloathing, feeding, and intructing, an innocent helpless creature of her own fex in one of thefe fchools. The confcioufnefs of fuch an action will give her features a nobler life on this illuftrious day, than all the jewels that can hang in her hair, or can be cluttered in her bofom. It would be uncourtly to speak in harfher words to the fair, but to men one may take a little more freedom. It is monfrous how a man can live with fo little reflection as to fancy he is not in a condition very unjust and disproportioned to the rest of mankind, while he enjoys wealth, and exerts no benevolence or bounty to others. As for this particular occafion of these schools, there cannot any offer more worthy a gneous mind. Would you do an handfome thing without return? do it for an infant that is not fenfible of the obligation. Would you do it for pubte good? do it for one who would be an honest artificer. Would you do it for the take of Heaven? give it to one who shall be inftructed in the worship of him for whofe fake you give it. It is methinks a moit laudable inftitution this, if it were of no other expectation than that of producing a race of good and uteful fervants, who will have more than a liberal, a religious education, What would not a man do, in common prudence, to lay out in purchafe of one about ham, who would add to all his orders he gave the weight of the com mandments to enforce an obedience to them? for one who would consider his mafter as his father, his friend, and be nefactor, upon the easy terms, and in expectation of no other return but inoderate wages and gentle ufage? It is the common vice of children to run too much among the fervants; from fuch as are educated in thefe places they would fee nothing but lowlinefs in the fervant, which would not be difingenuous in the child. All the ill offices and defamatory whispers, which take their birth from domeftics, would be prevented, if this charity could be made univerfal; and a good man might have a knowledge of the whole life of the perfons he defigns to take into his house for his own fervice, or that of his family or children, long before they were admitted. This would create endearing dependencies: and the obligation would have a paternal air in the mafter, who would be relieved from much care and anxiety from the gratitude and diligence of an humble friend attending him as a fervant. I fall into this difcourfe from a letter fent to me, to give me notice that fifty boys would be cloathed, and take their feats, at the charge of fome generous benefactors, in St. Bride's church on Sunday next. I wish I could promife to myself any thing which my correfpondent feems to expect from a publication of it in this paper; for there can be nothing added to what so many excellent and learned men have faid on this occafion: but that there may be fomething here which would move a generous mind, like that of him who writ to me, I shall transcribe an hand. fome paragraph of Dr. Snape's fermon on thefe charities, which my corre fpondent inclofed with his letter. The wife Providence has amply ' compenfated the disadvantages of the poor and indigent, wanting many of the conveniencies of this life, by a · more abundant provifion for their hap pinefs in the next. Had they been higher born or more richly endowed, they would have wanted this manner of education, of which thofe only enjoy the benefit, who are low enough 'to submit to it; where they have foch advantages without money, and without price, as the rich cannot purchase with it. The learning which is given is generally more edifying to them, than that which is fold to others: thus do they become more exalted in goodnefs, by being dep effed in forton i and their poverty is, in reality, thei preferment,' T N° CCXCV. 13 N° CCXCV. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 7. PRODIGA NON SENTIT PEREUNTEM FOEMINA CENSUM: Juv. SAT. VI. VER. 361. BUT WOMANKIND, THAT NEVER KNOWS A MEAN, MR. SPECTATOR, DRYDEN ufage among our ancestors; or whether I or you find any mention of pin-money in Am turned of my great climacteric, temper. About a dozen years ago I was married, for my fins, to a young woman of a good family, and of an high spirit; but could not bring her to close with me, before I had entered into a treaty with her longer than that of the grand alliance. Among other articles, It was therein ftipulated, that the should have 400l. a year for pin-money, which I obliged myself to pay quarterly into the hands of one who acted as her plenipotentiary in that affair. I have ever fince religiously obferved my part in this folemn agreement. Now, Sir, fo it is, that the lady has had feveral children fince I married her; to which, if I fhould credit our malicious neighbours, her pin-money has not a little contributed. The education of these my children, who, contrary to my expectations, are born to me every year, ftraitens me fo much, that I have begged their mother to free me from the obligation of the above-mentioned pin-money, that it may go towards making a provision for her family. This propofal makes her noble blood fwell in her veins, infomuch that finding me a little tardy in her last quarter's payment, fhe threatens me every day to arreft me; and proceeds fo far as to tell me, that if I do not do her juftice, I fhall die in a jail. To this The adds, when her paffion will let her argue calmly, that the has feveral playdebts on her hand, which must be difcharged very fuddenly, and that the cannot lose her money as becomes a woman of her fashion, if the makes me any abatements in this article, I hope, Sir, you will take an occafion from hence to give your opinion upon a fubject which you have not yet touched, and inform if there are any precedents for this civilians. I am ever the humblest of your admirers, JOSIAH FRIBBLE, Efq. As there is no man living who is a more profeffed advocate for the fair-fex than myself, fo there is none who would be more unwilling to invade any of their ancient rights and privileges; but as the doctrine of pin-money is of a very late date, unknown to our great grandmothers, and not yet received by many of our modern ladies, I think it is for the interest of both fexes to keep it from fpreading. Mr. Fribble may not, perhaps, be much mistaken where he intimates, that the fupplying a man's wife with pinmoney, is furnishing her with arms against himself, and in a manner becoming acceffary to his own dishonour. We may, indeed, generally obferve, that in proportion as a woman is more or lefs beautiful, and her husband advanced in years, she stands in need of a greater or lefs number of pins, and upon a treaty of marriage, rifes or falls in her demands accordingly. It must likewise be owned, that high quality in a mittress does very much inflame this article in the marriage reckoning. But where the age and circumftances of both parties are pretty much upon a level, I cannot but think the infifting upon pin-money is very extraordinary; and yet we find feveral matches broken off upon this very head. What would a foreigner, or one who is a ftranger.to this practice, think of a lover that forfakes his mistress, because he is not willing to keep her in pins; or what would he think of the miftrefs, fhould he be informed that the afks five or fix hun dred dred pounds a year for this ufe? Should a man unacquainted with our customs be told the fums which are allowed in Great Britain, under the title of pinmoney, what a prodigious confumption of pins would he think there was in this ifland? 'A pin a day,' fays our frugal proverb, is a groat a year;' fo that, according to this calculation, my friend Fribble's wife must every year make use of eight millions fix hundred and forty thousand new pins. I am not ignorant that our British ladies alledge they comprehend under this general term feveral other conveniencies of life; I could therefore with, for the honour of my countrywomen, that they had rather called it needlemoney, which might have implied fomething of good housewifery, and not have given the malicious world occafion to think that drefs and trifle have always the uppermoft place in a woman's thoughts. I know feveral of my fair readers urge, in defence of this practice, that it is but a neceffary provision they make for themfelves, in cafe their husband proves a churl or a mifer; fo that they confider this allowance as a kind of alimony, which they may lay their claim to without actually feparating from their hufbands. But with fubmiffion, I think a woman who will give up herself to a man in marriage, where there is the leaft room for fuch an apprehenfion, and truft her perfon to one whom the will not rely on for the common neceffaries of life, may very properly be accused, in the phrafe of an homely proverb, of being penny wife and pound foolish.' It is obferved of over-cautious generals, that they never engage in a battle without fecuring a retreat, in cafe the event fhould not answer their expe&ations; on the other hand, the greatest conquerors have burnt their hips, or broke down the bridges behind them, as being determined either to fucceed, or die in the engagement. In the fame manner I fhould very much fufpect a woman who takes fuch precautions for her retreat, and contrives methods how the may live happily, without the affection of one to whom the joins herself for life. Separate purfes between man and wife are, in my opinion, as unnatural as feparate beds. A mariage cannot be happy, where the pleasures, inclina tions, and interefts of both parties, are not the fame. There is no greater incitement to love in the mind of man, than the fenfe of a perfon's depending upon him for her eafe and happiness; as a woman ufes all her endeavours to please the perfon whom the looks upon as her honour, her comfort, and her fupport. For this reafon I am not very much furprised at the behaviour of a rough country 'fquire, who, being not a little fhocked at the proceeding of a young widow that would not recede from her demands of pin money, was so enraged at her mercenary temper, that he told her in great wrath, as much as the thought him her flave, he would fhew all the world he did not care a pin for her.' Upon which he flew out of the room, and never faw her more. Socrates, in Plato's Alcibiades, fays, he was informed by one who had travelled through Perfia, that as he paffed over a great tract of lands, and inquired what the name of the place was, they told him it was the Queen's Girdle; to which he adds, that another wide field, which lay by it, was called the Queen's Veil; and that in the fame manner there was a large portion of ground fet aside for every part of her majefty's dress. These lands might not improperly be called the Queen of Perfia's pin-money. I remember my friend Sir Roger, who I dare fay never read this paffage in Plato, told me fome time fince, that upon his courting the perverse widow, of whom I have given an account in former papers, he had difpofed of an hundred acres in a diamond-ring, which he would have presented her with, had the thought fit to accept it; and that upon her wedding-day he would have carried on her head fifty of the tallest oaks upon his eftate, He further informed me that he would have given her a coal-pit to keep her in clean linen; that he would have allowed her the profits of a wind-mill for her fans, and have prefented her once in three years with the thearing of his fheep for her under-petticoats. To which the knight always adds, that though he did not care for fine cloaths himself, there should not have been a woman in the country better dreffed than my Lady Coverley. Sir Roger, perhaps, may in this, as well as in many other of his devices, appear DEAR SPEC, HA -NUGIS ADDERE PONDUS. HOR. EP. XIX. LIB. I. VER. 42. ADD WEIGHT TO TRIFLES. AVING lately converfed much with the fair-fex on the subject of your fpeculations, which, fince their appearance in public, have been the chief exercise of the female loquacious faculty, I found the fair ones poffeffed with a diffatisfaction at your prefixing Greek mottos to the frontispiece of your late papers; and, as a man of gallantry, I thought it a duty incumbent on me to impart it to you, in hopes of a reformation, which is only to be effected by a restoration of the Latin to the ufual dignity in your papers, which, of late, the Greek, to the great displeasure of your female readers, has ufurped; for though the Latin has the recommendation of being as unintelligible to them as the Greek, yet being written of the fame character with their mother-tongue, by the affiftance of a spelling-book it is legible; which quality the Greek wants: and fince the introduction of operas into this nation, the ladies are fo charmed with founds abstracted from their ideas, that they adore and honour the found of Latin as it is old Italian. I am a folicitor for the fair-fex, and therefore think myself in that character more likely to be prevalent in this requeft, than if I fhould fubfcribe myfelf by my proper name. J. M. L 'fhe is continually at her window either at work, reading, taking fnuff, or putting herself in fome toying pofture on purpofe to draw my eyes that way.' The confeffion of this vain foldier made me reflect on fome of my own actions; for you must know, Sir, I am often at a window which fronts the apartments of feveral gentlemen, who I doubt not have the fame opinion of me. I must own I love to look at them all, one for being well dreffed, a fecond for his fine eye, and one particular one, because he is the leaft man I ever faw; but there is fomething fo eafy and pleafant in the manner of my little man, that I obferve he is a favourite of all his acquaintance. I could go on to tell you of many others, that I believe think I have encouraged them from my window but pray let me have your opinion of the ufe of the window in a beautiful lady; and how often the may look out at the fame man, without being fuppofed to have a mind to jump out to him. Your's, AURELIA CARELESS. Twice. MR.SPECTATOR, I Have for fome time made love to a lady, who received it with all the kind returns I ought to expect; but without any provocation, that I know of, fhe has of late fhunned me with the utmoft abhorrence, infomuch that the went out of church laft Sunday in the midst of divine fervice, upon my coming into the fame pew. Pray, Sir, what muft I do in this bufinefs? Your fervant, EUPHUES. Let her alone ten days. YORK, JAN. 20, 1711-12. MR. SPECTATOR, WE have in this town a fort of peo ple who pretend to wit, and write lampoons: I have lately been the fub ject ject of one of them. The fcribbler had not genius enough in verfe to turn my age, as indeed I am an old maid, into raillery, for affecting a youthier turn than is confiftent with my time of day; and therefore he makes the title of his Madrigal, the character of Mrs. Judith Lovebane, born in the year 1680. What difallow I defire of you is, that you that a coxcomb, who pretends to write verfe, fhould put the moft malicious thing he can fay in profe. This I humbly conceive will difable our country wits, who indeed take a great deal of pains to fay any thing in rhyme, though they fay it very ill. I amn, Sir, your humble fervant,' SUSANNA LOVEBANE. MR. SPECTATOR, weather. He will, I know, take it to be our common request when he comes to these words-'Pray, Sir, fit down which I defire you to infert, and you will particularly oblige your daily reader, CHARITY FROST. SIR, I WE are feveral of us, gentlemen and til I have the opinion of the Spectator. Your humble fervant, ladies, who board in the fame house, and after dinner one of our company, an agreeable man enough otherwife, ftands up and reads your paper to us all. We are the civilest people in the world to one another, and therefore I am forced to this way of defiring our reader, when he is doing this office, not to ftand afore the fire. This will be a general good to our family this cold JOHN TROTT. IF Mr. Trott is not aukward out of time, he has a right to dance let who will laugh: but if he has no ear he will interrupt others; and I am of opinion he fhould fit ftill. Given under my hand this fifth of February, 1711-12. THE SPECTATOR. T N° CCXCVII. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9. VELUT SI EGREGIO INSPERSOS REPRENDAS CORPORE NÆVOS. HOR. SAT. VI. LIB. I. VER. 66. AS PERFECT BEAUTIES OFTEN HAVE A MOLE. FTER what I have faid in my Alaft Saturday's paper, I shall enter on the fubject of this without further preface, and remark the feveral defects which appear in the fable, the characters, the fentiments, and the language of Milton's Paradife Loft; not doubting but the reader will pardon me, if I alledge at the fame time whatever may be faid for the extenuation of fuch defects. The first imperfection which I fhall obferve in the fable is, that the event of it is unhappy. The fable of every poem is, according to Ariftotle's divifion, either fimple or implex. It is called fimple when there is no change of fortune in it; implex, when the fortune of the chief actor changes from bad to good, or CREECH, from good to bad. The implex fable is thought the most perfect; I suppose, because it is more proper to stir up the paffions of the reader, and to furprift him with a greater variety of accidents. The implex fable is therefore of two kinds; in the first the chief actor makes his way through a long feries of dangers and difficulties, until he arrives at honour and profperity, as we fee in the ftory of Ulyffes. In the fecond, the chief actor in the poem falls from fome eminent pitch of honour and profperity, into mifery and difgrace. Thus we fee Adam and Eve finking from a ftate of innocence and happiness, into the most abject condition of fin and forrow. The most taking tragedies among the ancients, |