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Winds over us whisper'd, Flocks by us did bleat,
And chirp went the Grafhopper under our Feet.
But now he is abfent, tho' till they fing on,
The Woods are but lonely, the Melody's
gone:
Her Voice in the Confort, as now I have found,
Gave ev'ry thing else its agreeable Sound.
VIII.

Rofe, what is become of thy delicate Hue?
And where is the Violet's beautiful Blue?
Does ought of its Sweetness the Bloom beguile,
That Meadow, thofe Daifies, why do they not smile?
Ab! Rivals, I fee what it was that you dreft,
And made your felves fine for; a Place in her Breaft:
You put on your Colours to pleasure her Eye,
To be pluckt by her Hand, on her Bofom to die.

IX.

How flowly Time creeps, till my Phebe return?
While amidst the foft Zephyr's cool Breezes I burn;
Methinks if I knew whereabouts he would tread,
I could breathe on his Wings, and 'twould melt_down the
Lead.

Fly fwifter, ye Minutes, bring hither my Dear,
And reft fo much longer for't when she is here.
Ab Colin! old Time is full of Delay,

Nor will budge one Foot fafter for all thou canft fay.
X.

Will no pitying Power that hears me complain,
Or cure my Difquiet, or foften my Pain?

To be cur'd, thou must, Colin, thy Paffion remove ;
But what Swain is fo filly to live without Love?
No, Deity, bid the dear Nymph to return,
For ne'er was poor Shepherd jo fadly forlorn.
Ab! What fall I do? I shall die with Defpair;
Take heed, all ye Swains, how ye love one fo fair.

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Friday,

N° 604.

Friday, October 8.

Tu ne quefieris (fcire nefas) quem mihi, quem tibi,
Finem Dii dederint, Leuconoe; nec Babylonios
Tentaris numeros

T

Hor.

HE Defire of knowing future Events, is one of the ftrongest Inclinations in the Mind of Man. Indeed an Ability of foreseeing probable Accidents is what, in the Language of Men, is called Wifdom and Prudence: But, not fatisfied with the Light that Reason holds out, Mankind hath endeavoured to penetrate more compendiously into Futurity. Magick, Oracles, Omens, lucky Hours, and the various Arts of Superftition owe their Rife to this powerful Caufe. As this Principle is founded in Self-Love, every Man is fure to be follicitous in the firft Place about his own Fortune, the Courfe of his Life, and the Time and Manner of his Death.

IF we confider that we are free Agents, we fall difcover the Abfurdity of fuch Enquiries. One of our Actions, which we might have performed or neglect. ed, is the Cause of another that fucceeds it, and fo the whole Chain of Life is link'd together. Pain, Poverty, or Infamy, are the natural Product of vicious and imprudent Acts; as the contrary Bleffings are of good ones; fo that we cannot fuppofe our Lot to be determined without Impiety. A great Enhancement of Pleafure arifes from its being unexpected; and Pain is doubled by being foreseen. Upon all thefe, and feveral other Accounts, we ought to reft fatisfied in this Portion bestowed on us; to adore the Hand that hath fitted every Thing to our Nature, and hath not more. difplay'd his Goodness in our Knowledge than in our Ignorance.

IT is not unworthy Obfervation, that fuperftitious Enquiries into future Events prevail more or lefs, in proportion to the Improvement of liberal Arts and useful Knowledge in the feveral Parts of the World. Accordingly we find, that magical Incantations remain in Lapland; in the more remote Parts of Scotland they have their fecond Sight, and several of our own Countrymen have seen abundance of Fairies. In Afia this Credulity is ftrong; and the greateft Part of refined Learning there confifts in the Knowledge of Amulets, Taliímans, occult Numbers, and the like.

WHEN I was at Grand Cairo, I fell into the Acquaintance of a good-natured Muffulman, who promised me many good Offices, which he defigned to do me when he became the Prime Minister, which was a Fortune bestowed on his Imagination by a Doctor very deep in the curious Sciences. At his repeated Sollicitations I went to learn my Deftiny of this wonderful Sage. For a fmall Sum I had his Promife, but was requir'd to wait in a dark Apartment till he had run thro' the preparatory Ceremonies. Having a strong Propenfity, even then, to Dreaming, I took a Nap upon the Sofa where I was placed, and had the following Vifion, the Particulars whereof I picked up the other Day among my Papers.

I found my felf in an unbounded Plain, where methought the whole World, in feveral Habits and with different Tongues, was affembled. The Multitude glided fwiftly along, and I found in my felf a strong Inclination to mingle in the Train. My Eyes quickly fingled out fome of the moft fplendid Figures. Several in rich Caftans and glittering Turbans buftled through the Throng, and trampled over the Bodies of those they threw down; till to my great Surprise I found that the great Pace they went only haftned them to a Scaffold or a Bowstring. Many beautiful Damfels on the other Side moved forward with great Gaiety; fome danced till they fell all along; and others painted their Faces 'till they loft their Nofes. A Tribe of Creatures with bufy Looks falling into a Fit of Laughter at the Misfortunes of the unhappy Ladies,

I

I turn'd my Eyes upon them. They were each of them filling his Pockets with Gold and Jewels, and when there was no Room left for more, thefe Wretches looking round with Fear and Horror, pined away before my Face with Famine and Difcontent.

THIS Profpect of humane Mifery ftruck me dumb for fome Miles. Then it was that, to disburden my Mind, I took Pen and Ink, and did every Thing that hath fince happen'd under my Office of SPECTATOR. While I was employing my felf for the Good of Mankind, I was furpris'd to meet with very unfuitable Returns from my Fellow-Creatures. Never was poor Author fo befet with Pamphleteers, who fometimes marched directly against me, but oftner fhot at me from ftrong Bulwarks, or rofe up fuddenly in Ambush. They were of all Characters and Capacities, fome with Enfigns of Dignity, and others in Liveries; but what moft furpris'd me, was to fee two or three in black Gowns among my Enemies.

It was

no fmall Trouble to me, fometimes to have a Man come up to me with an angry Face, and reproach me for having lampooned him, when I had never feen or heard of him in my Life. With the Ladies it was otherwife: Many became my Enemies for not being particularly pointed out; as there were others who refented the Satyr which they imagined I had directed against them. My great Comfort was in the Company of half a Dozen Friends, who, I found fince, were the Club which I have fo often mentioned in my Pa-· pers. I laughed often at Sir Roger in my Sleep, and was the more diverted with Will Honeycomb's Gallantries, (when we afterwards became acquainted) because I had foreseen his Marriage with a Farmer's Daugh

ter.

The Regret which arofe in my Mind upon the Death of my Companions, my Anxieties for the Publick, and the many Calamities ftill fleeting before my Eyes, made me repent my Curiofity; when the Magician entered the Room, and awakened me, by telling me (when it was too late) that he was just going to begin.

N. B

N. B. I have only deliver'd the Prophefy of that Part of my Life which is paft, it being inconvenient to divulge the fecond Part 'till a more proper Oppor tunity.

N° 605. Monday, October 11.

Exuerint fylveftrem animum; cultuque frequenti,
In quafcunque voces artes, haud tarda fequentur.

H

Virg.

AVING perufed the following Letter, and finding it to run upon the Subject of Love, I referred it to the Learned Cafuift, whom I have retained in my Service for Speculations of that Kind. He return'd it to me the next Morning with his Report annexed to it, with both of which I hall here present my Reader.

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Mr. SPECTATOR,

F INDING that you have Entertained an useful Perfon in your Service in quality of Love-Cafuift, I apply my felf to you, under a very great Difficulty, that hath for fome Months perplexed me. I' have a Couple of humble Servants, one of which I have no Averfion to; the other I think of very kindly. The firft hath the Reputation of a Man of good Senfe, and is one of thofe People that your Sex are apt to value. My Spark is reckoned a Coxcomb among the Men, but is a Favourite of the Ladies. If 'I marry the Man of Worth, as they call him, I shall oblige my Parents and improve my Fortune; but 6 with my dear Beau I promife my felf Happiness, altho' not a Jointure. Now I would ask you, whether I fhould confent to lead my Life with a Man that I have only no Objection to, or with him againft whom all Objections to me appear frivolous. I am ⚫ determined

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