THERE is very Plato's: HERE is fomething very fublime, defcription of the Supreme Being, that Truth is his body, and light his fha dow. According to this definition, there is nothing fo contradictory to his nature, as error and falfhood. The Platonifts had fo just a notion of the Almighty's aversion to every thing which is falfe and erroneous, that they looked upon truth as no less neceffary than virtue to qualify a human foul for the enjoyment of a separate state. For this reafon as they recommended moral duties to qualify and feason the will for a future life, fo they prefcribed feveral contemplations and fciences to rectify the understanding. Thus Plato has called mathematical demonftrations the cathartics or purgatives of the foul, as being the most proper means to cleanse it from error, and to give it a relish of truth; which is the natural food and nourish ment of the understanding, as virtue is the perfection and happiness of the will. There are many authors who have fhewn wherein the malignity of a lye confifts, and fet forth, in proper colours, the heinoufnefs of the offence. I fhall here confider one particular kind of this crime, which has not been fo much fpoken to; I mean that abominable practice of party-lying. This vice is fo very predominant among us at prefent, that a man is thought of no principles, who does not propagate a certain fyftem of lyes. The coffee-houses are fupported by them, the prefs is choaked with them, eminent authors live upon them. Our bottle-converfation is fo infected with them, that a party-lye is grown as fashionable an entertainment as a lively catch or a merry story: the truth of it is, half the great talkers in the nation would be ftruck dumb, were this fountain of difcourfe dried up. There is, however, one advantage refulting from this deteftable practice; the very appearances of truth are fo little regarded, that lyes are at prefent difcharged in the air, and begin to hurt

from a franger, we consider whether be nobody. When we hear a party-fory is a Whig or a Tory that relates it, and immediately conclude they are words of course, in which the honeft gentleman defigns to recommend his zeal, without any concern for his veracity. ↑ A map. is looked upon as bereft of common fenfe, that gives credit to the relations of party-writers; nay his own friends thake their heads at him, and confider him in no other light than as an officious tool or a well-meaning idiot. When it was formerly the fathion to bufband 4 lye, and trump it up in fome extrao, dinary emergency, it generally did execution, and was not a little ferviceable to the faction that made use of it; but at prefent every man is upon his guard, the artifice has been too often repeated to take effect. sexy and

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I have frequently wondered to see men of probity, who would scorn to utter a falfhood for their own particular advantage, give fo readily into a lye when it becomes the voice of their faction, notwithstanding they are thoroughly fenfible of it as fuch. How is it poffible for those who are men of honour in their perfons, thus to become notorious liars in their party? If we look into the bottom of this matter, we may find, I think, three reafons for it, and at the fame time difcover the infufficiency of thefe reafons to justify fo criminal a practice.

In the first place, men are apt to think that the guilt of a lye, and confequently the punishment, may be very much diminithed, if not wholly worn out, by the multitudes of thofe who partake in it. Though the weight of a falfhood would be too heavy for one to bear, it grows light in their imaginations, when it is fhared among many. But in this cafe a man very much deceives himself; guilt, when it fpreads through numbers, is not fo properly divided as multiplied: every one is criminal in proportion to the offence which he commits, not to the number of thofe who are his companions in it. Both the crime and the penalty

lie as heavy upon every individual of an offending multitude, as they would upon any fingle perfon had none shared with him in the offence. In a word, the divifion of guilt is like to that of matter; though it may be feparated into infinite portions, every portion fhall have the whole effence of matter in it, and confift of as many parts as the whole did before it was divided.

But in the fecond place, though mul. titudes, who join in a lye, cannot exempt themfelves from the guilt, they may from the fhame of it. The scandal of alye is in a manner lost and annihilated, when diffused among several thousands; as a drop of the blackest tincture wears away and vanishes, when mixed and confused in a confiderable body of wa ater; the blot is still in it, but is not able to difcover itself. This is certainly a very great motive to several party of fenders, who avoid crimes, not as they are prejudicial to their virtue, but to, their reputation. It is enough to fhew the weakness of this reafon, which pal liates guilt without removing it, that every man who is influenced by it de clares himself in effect an infamous hy. pocrite, prefers the appearance of virtue to it's reality, and is determined in his conduct neither by the dictates of his own confcience, the fuggeftions of true honour, nor the principles of religion.

The third and last great motive for men's joining in a popular falfhood, or,

as I have hitherto called it, a party lye, notwithstanding they are convinced of it as fuch, is the doing good to a cause which every party may be fuppofed to look upon as the moft meritorious. The unfoundness of this principle has been fo often expofed, and is fo univerfally acknowledged, that a man must be an utter ftranger to the either of

natural religion or chris who fuf fers himself to be guided by it. If man might promote the fuppofed good of his country by the blackelt calumnies and falfhoods, our nation abounds more in patriots than any other of the Chrif tian world. When Pompey was defired not to fet fail in a tempeft that would hazard his life It is neceffary for me," fays he, to fail, but it is not neceffary

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for me to live:" every man fhould fay to himfelf, with the fame fpirit. It is my duty to speak truth, though it is

not my duty to be in an office.' One of the fathers hath carried this point fo high, as to declare, he would not tell a lye, though he were fure to gain heaven by it. However extravagant fuch a proteftation may appear, every one will own, that a man may fay very reafonably, he would not tell a lye if he were fure to gain hell by it; or if you have` a mind to foften the expreffion, that he would not tell a lye to gain any temporal reward by it, when he fhould run the hazard of lofing much more than it was poffible for him to gain. O

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acts of notable oppreffion and injustice; and thefe are the rulers in all clubs and meetings. In other governments, the punishments of fome have been alleviated by the rewards of others; but what makes the reign of thefe poten tates fo particularly grievous, is, that they are exquifite in punishing their fubjects, at the fame time they have it not in their power to reward them. That the reader may the better comprehend the nature of these monarchs, as well as the miferable state of those that are their vaffals, I fhail give an account of the king of the company I am fallen into, whom for his particular tyranny I fhall call Dionyfius; as alfo of the feeds that fprung up to this odd fort of empire.

Upon all meetings at taverns, it is neceffary fome one of the company should take it upon him to get all things in fuch order and readiness, as may contribute as much as poffible to the felicity of the convention; fuch as haftening the fire, getting a fufficient number of candies, tafting the wine with a judicious fmack, fixing the fupper, and being brifk for the difpatch of it. Know then, that Dionyfius went through these offices with an air that feemed to exprefs a fatisfaction rather in ferving the public, than in gratifying any particular inclination of his own. We thought him a perfon of an exquifite palate, and therefore by confent befeeched him to be always our proveditor, which poft, after he had handfomely denied, he could not do otherwife than accept. At first he made no other ufe of his power, than in recommending fuch and fuch things to the company, ever allowing thefe points to be difputable; infomuch that I have often carried the debate for partridge, when his majesty has given intimation of the high relish of duck, but at the fame time has chearfully fubmit ted, and devoured his partridge with moft gracious refignation. This fubmiffion on his fide naturally produced the like on our's; of which he in a little time made fuch barbarous advantage, as in all thofe matters which before feemned indifferent to him, to issue out certain edicts as uncontrolable and unalterable as the laws of the Medes and Perfians. He is by turns outrageous, peevith, froward, and jovial. He thinks it our duty for the little offices, as proveditor, that in return all converfation is

to be interrupted or promoted by his inclination for or againft the prefent humour of the company. We feel, at prefent, in the utmost extremity, the in. folence of office; however, I, being naturally warm, ventured to oppofe him in a difpute about a haunch of venifon. I was altogether for roafting, but Dionyfius declared himself for boiling with fo much prowefs and refolution, that the cook thought it neceffary to confult his own fafety, rather than the luxury of my propofition. With the fame authority that he orders what we fhall eat and drink, he also commands us where to do it, and we change our taverns according as he fufpects any treasonable practices in the settling the bill by the mafter, or fees any bold rebellion in point of attendance by the waiters. An other reafon for changing the feat of empire, I conceive to be the pride he takes in the promulgation of our flavery, though we pay our club for our entertainments even in these palaces of our grand monarch. When he has a mind to take the air, a party of us are commanded out by way of life-guard, and we march under as great reftrictions as they do. If we meet a neighbouring king, we give or keep the way accord ing as we are out-numbered or not; and if the train of each is equal in number, rather than give battle, the fuperiority is foon adjusted by a desertion from one of them.

Now, the expulfion of thefe unjust rulers out of all focieties would gain a man as everlasting a reputation, as either of the Brutus's got from their endeavours to extirpate tyranny from among the Romans. I confefs myself to be in a confpiracy against the ufurper of our club; and to thew my reading as well as my merciful difpofition, fhall allow him until the ides of March to dethrone himfelf. If he feems to affect empire until that time, and does not gradually recede from the incurfions he has made upon our liberties, he shall find a dinner dreffed which he has no hand in, and fhall be treated with an order, magnificence, and luxury, as fhall break his proud heart; at the fame time that he fhall be convinced in his ftomach he was unfit for his post, and a more mild and fkilful prince receive the acclamations of the people, and be fet up in his room: but, as Milton fays

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not difcharged yourfelf thereof. But, forafmuch as you feemed to depend upon advice from others what to do in that point, have fat down to write you the needful upon that fubje&t. But, before I enter thereupon, I fhall take this opportunity to oblerve to you, that the thriving frugal man fhews it in every part of his expence, drefs, fervants, and house; and I muft, in the firit place, complain to you, as Specta. tor, that in thefe particulars there is at this time, throughout the city of London, a lamentable change from that fimplicity of manners, which is the true fource of wealth and profperity. I just now faid, the man of thrift fhews regularity in every thing; but you may, perhaps, laugh that I take notice of fuch a particular as I am going to do, for an intance that this city is declining, if their ancient economy is not restored. The thing which gives me this profpect, and fo much offence, is the neglect of the Royal Exchange, I mean the edifice fo called, and the walks appertaining thereunto. The Royal Exchange is a fabric that well deferves to be fo called, as well to exprefs that our monarchs highest glory and advantage confifts in being the patrons of trade, as that it is commodious for bufinefs, and an inftance of the grandeur both of prince and people. But, alas! at prefent it hardly feems to be fet apart for any fuch ufe or purpose. Instead of the affembly of honourable merchants, fubftantial tradefmen, and knowing mafters of fhips; the mumpers, the halt, the blind, and the lame; your venders of trash, apples, plums; your raggamuffins, rakeshames, and wenches, have juftled the greater number of the former out of that place. Thus it is, efpecially on the evening change: fo that what with the din of fquallings, oaths, and cries of beggars, men of the greatest confequence in our city abfent themfelves from the place. This particular, by the way, is of evil confequence; for if the 'Change be no place for men of the higheft credit to frequent, it will not be a difgrace to thofe of lefs abilities to abfent. I remember the time when rafcally company were kept out, and the unlucky boys with toys and bails were whipped away by a beedle. I have feen this done indeed of late, but then it has been only to chafe the lads from chuck, that the beadle might feize their copper,

I must repeat the abomination, that the walnut-trade is carried on by old women within the walks, which makes the place impassable by reason of shells and trash. The benches around are fo filthy, that no one can fit down, yet the beadles and officers have the impudence at Christmas to afk for their box, though they deferve the ftrapado. I do not think it impertinent to have mentioned this, because it speaks a neglect in the domeftic care of the city, and the do. mestic is the truest picture of a man every where else.

But I defigned to speak on the bufi. nefs of money and advancement of gain. The man proper for this, fpeaking in the general, is of a fedate, plain, good understanding, not apt to go out of his way, but fo behaving himself at home, that bufinefs may come to him. Sir William Turner, that valuable citizen, has left behind him a most excellent rule, and couched it in very few words, fuited to the meanest capacity. He would fay- Keep your hop, and your

fhop will keep you. It must be confeffed, that if a man of a great genius could add fteadiness to his vivacities, or fubftitute flower men of fidelity to tranf act the methodical part of his affairs, fuch a one would outstrip the rest of the world: but business and trade are not to be managed by the fame heads which write poetry, and make plans for the conduct of life in general. So though we are at this day beholden to the late witty and inventive Duke of Bucking. ham for the whole trade and manufacture of glass, yet I suppose there is no one will aver, that, were his Grace yet living, they would not rather deal with my diligent friend and neighbour, Mr. Gumley, for any goods to be prepared and delivered on fuch a day, than he would with that illuftrious mechanic above mentioned.

No, no, Mr. Spectator, you wits mutt not pretend to be rich; and it is poffible the reafon may be, in fome measure, because you defpife, or at least you do not value it enough to let it take up your chief attention; which the trader muft do, or lose his credit, which is to him what honour, reputation, fame, or glory, is to other fort of men.

I fhall not fpeak to the point of cath itself, until I fee how you approve of thefe my maxims in general: but, I think a fpeculation upon Many a little

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