Actions of this kind are popular without being invidious: for every Man of ordinary Circumftances looks upon a Man who has this known Benignity in his Nature, as a Person ready to be his Friend upon fuch Terms as he ought to expect it; and the wealthy, who may envy fuch a Character, can do no Injury to its Interefts but by the Imitation of it, in which the good Citizen will rejoice to be rivalled. I know not how to form to myself a greater Idea of hu-man Life, than in what is the Practice of fome wealthy Men whom I could name, that make no Step to the Improvement of their own Fortunes, wherein they do not alfo advance those of other Men who would languish in Poverty without that Munificence. In a Nation where there are so many publick Funds to be fupported, I know not whether he can be called a good Subject, who does not imbark fome part of his Fortune with the State, to whose Vigilance he owes the Security of the whole. This certainly is an immediate way of laying an Obligation upon many, and extending his Benignity the furtheft a Man can poffibly, who is not engaged in Commerce. But he who trades, befides giving the State fome part of this fort of Credit he gives his Banker, may in all the Occurrences of his Life have his Eye upon the removing Want from the Door of the Induftrious, and defending the unhappy upright Man from Bankruptcy. Without this Benignity, Pride or Vengeance will precipitate a Man to choose the Receipt: of half his Demands from one whom he has undone, rather than the whole from one to whom he has fhewn Mercy. This Benignity is effential to the Character of a fair Trader, and any Man who defigns to enjoy his Wealth with Honour and Self-Satisfaction: Nay, it would not be hard to maintain, that the Practice of fupporting good and industrious Men, would carry a Man further even to his Profit, than indulging the Propenfity of ferv. ing and obliging the Fortunate. My Author argues on this Subject, in order to incline Mens Minds to those who want them moft, after this manner; We must always con-fider the Nature of things, and govern our felves accordingly. The wealthy Man, when he has repaid you, is upon a Balance with you; but the Perfon whom you favour'd with a Loan, if he be a good Man, will think himfelf in your Debt after he has paid you. The Wealthy and

the

the Confpicuous are not obliged by the Benefit you do them, they think they conferred a Benefit when they receive one• Your good Offices are always fufpected, and it is with them the fame thing to expect their Favour as to receive it. But the Man below you, who knows in the Goody you have done him, you refpected himself more than his Circumftances, does not act like an obliged Man only to him from whom he bas received a Benefit, but also to all who are capable of doing him one. And whatever little Offices he can do for you, he is fo far from magnifying it, that he will labour to extenuate it in all his Actions and Expreffions. Moreover, the Regard to what you do to a great Man, at beft is taken notice of no further than by himself or his Family; but what you do to a Man of an humble Fortune, (provided always that he is a good and a modeft Man) raifes the Affections towards you of all Men of that Character (of which there are many) in the whole City.

THERE is nothing gains a Reputation to a Preacher fo much as his own Practice; I am therefore cafting about what Act of Benignity is in the Power of a SPECTATOR. Alas, that lies but in a very narrow Compafs, and I think the most immediately under my Patronage, are either Players, or fuch whose Circumstances bear an Affinity with theirs: All therefore I am able to do at this time of this Kind, is to tell the Town that on Friday the 11th. of this Inftant April, there will be perform'd in York-Buildings a Confort of Vocal and Inftrumental Musick, for the Benefit of Mr. Edward Keen, the Father of twenty Children; and that this Day the haughty George Powell hopes. all the good-natur'd part of the Town will favour him, whom they applauded in Alexander, Timon, Lear, and Oreftes, with their Company this Night, when he hazards all his heroick Glory for their Approbation in the humbler Condition of honeft Jack Falstaffe.

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Tuesday,

N° 347. Tuesday, April 8.

I

Quis furor, 6 Cives! quæ tanta licentia ferri! Lucan.

Do not queftion but my Country Readers have been very much surprised at the feveral Accounts they have met with in our publick Papers of that Species of Men among us, lately known by the Name of Mohocks. I find the Opinions of the Learned, as to their Origin and Defigns, are altogether various, infomuch that very many begin to doubt whether indeed there were ever any fuch Society of Men. The Terror which spread it self over the whole Nation fome Years fince on account of the Irish, is ftill fresh in most Peoples Memories, tho' it afterwards appeared there was not the least Ground for that general Confternation.

THE late Panick Fear was, in the Opinion of many deep and penetrating Perfons, of the fame Nature. Thefe. will have it, that the Mohocks are like thofe Spectres and Apparitions which frighten several Towns and Villages in her Majefty's Dominions, tho' they were never seen by any of the Inhabitants. Others are apt to think that these Mobocks are a kind of Bull-Beggars, firft invented by prudent married Men, and Mafters of Families, in order to deter their Wives and Daughters from taking the Air at unfeasonable Hours; and that when they tell them the Mohocks will catch them, it is a Caution of the fame nature with that of our Fore-fathers, when they bid their Children have a care of Raw-head and Bloody-bones.

FOR my own part, I am afraid there was too much reafon for that great Alarm the whole City has been in upon this Occafion; tho' at the fame time I must own that I am in fome doubt whether the following Pieces are genuine and authentick: and the more fo, because I am not fully fatisfied that the Name by which the Emperor fub. fcribes himself, is altogether conformable to the Indian Orthography.

I fhall

I fhall only further inform my Readers, that it was fame time fince I receiv'd the following Letter and Manifefto, tho' for particular Reasons I did not think fit to publish them till now.

6.

6.

SIR,

To the SPECTATOR.

INDING that our earneft Endeavours for the Good of Mankind have been bafely and maliciously reprefented to the World, we fend you inclofed our Imperial Manifefto, which it is our Will and Pleasure that you forthwith communicate to the Publick, by inserting ⚫ it in your next daily Paper. We do not doubt of your ready Compliance in this Particular, and therefore bid you heartily Farewel.

6.

Sign'd,

Taw Waw Eben Zan Kaladar,
Emperor of the Mohocks..

The Manifefto of Taw Waw Eben Zan Kaladar, Emperor of the Mohocks.

WHEREAS we have receiv'd Information from

fundry Quarters of this great and populous City, of feveral Outrages committed on the Legs, Arms, • Nofes and other Parts of the good People of England, by fuch as have ftiled themselves our Subjects; in order to vindicate our Imperial Dignity from the falfe Afper⚫fions which have been caft on it, as if we our felves might ⚫have encouraged or abetted any fuch Practices; we have, by these Presents, thought fit to fignify our utmost Abhorrence and Deteftation of all fuch tumultuous and irregular Proceedings; and do hereby further give notice, that if any Perfon or Perfons has or have fuffered any Wound, Hurt, Damage or Detriment in his or their Limb or Limbs, otherwise than fhall be hereafter specified, the faid Perfon or Perfons upon applying themselves to fuch as we shall appoint for the Infpection and Redress of the Grievances aforefaid, fhall be forthwith commit⚫ted to the Care of our principal Surgeon, and be cured at our own Expence, in fome one or other of thofe Hofpitals which we are now erecting for that purpose.

AND

• AND to the end that no one may, either through Ignorance or Inadvertency, incur thofe Penalties which we have thought fit to inflict on Perfons of loose and diffolute Lives, we do hereby notify to the Publick, • that if any Man be knock'd down or affaulted while he is employed in his lawful Bufinefs, at proper Hours, ⚫ that it is not done by our Order; and we do hereby permit and allow any fuch Perfon fo knocked down or affaulted, to rife again, and defend himself in the 'beft manner that he is able.

• WE do alfo command all and every our good Subjects, that they do not prefume, upon any pretext whatfoever, to iffue and fally forth from their respective • Quarters till between the Hours of Eleven and Twelve. • That they neverTip the Lion upon Man, Woman, or Child, 'till the Clock at St. Dunstan's fhall have struck One.

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THAT the Sweat be never given but between the Hours of One and Two; always provided, that our Hunters may begin to Hunt a little after the Clofe of the Evening, any thing to the contrary herein notwithstanding. Provided alfo, that if ever they are reduced to the Neceffity of Pinking, it fhall always be in the most fleshy • Parts, and fuch as are leaft expos'd to View.

IT is alfo our Imperial Will and Pleasure, that our good Subjects the Sweaters do eftablish their Hummums in fuch clofe Places, Alleys, Nooks, and Corners, that ⚫ the Patient or Patients may not be in danger of catching Cold.

THAT the Tumblers, to whofe Care we chiefly 'commit the Female Sex, confine themselves to Drury• Lane and the Purlieus of the Temple and that every other Party and Divifion of our Subjects do each of them keep within their respective Quarters we have allotted to them. Provided nevertheless, that nothing herein contained fhall in any wife be conftrued to ex· tend to the Hunters, who have our full Licence and • Permiffion to enter into any Part of the Town where6 ever their Game fhall lead them.

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⚫ AND whereas we have nothing more at our Impe rial Heart than the Reformation of the Cities of London and Westminster, which to our unfpeakable Satisfaction we have in fome meafure already effected, we do hereby

earneftly