• spent his Reputation all at once, and ventur'd it at one throw: But if he be to continue in the World, and ❝ would have the Advantage of Conversation whilst he ❝ is in it, let him make use of Truth and Sincerity in all his Words and Actions; for nothing but this will last ⚫ and hold out to the end: all other Arts will fail, but Truth and Integrity will carry a Man through, and bear ⚫ him out to the last.

T

No 353. Tuesday, April 15.

In tenui labor

Virg.

THE Gentleman who obliges the World in general,. and me in particular with his Thoughts upon Education, has juft fent me the following Letter.

6.

SIR,

I

Take the Liberty to fend you a fourth Letter upon the Education of Youth: In my laft I gave you my Thoughts about fome particular Tasks which I concieved it might not be amifs to mix with their usual Exercifes, in order to give them an early Seasoning of Vir• tue; I fhall in this propofe fome others, which I fancy might contribute to give them a right turn for the "World, and enable them to make their way i y in it.

6

THE Defign of Learning is, as I take it, either to render a Man an agreeable Companion to himself, and • teach him to support Solitude with Pleasure, or if he is ⚫ not born to an Estate, to supply that Defect, and furnish them with the means of acquiring one. A Perfon who applies himself to Learning with the firft of thefe Views may be faid to study for Ornament, as he who ⚫ proposes to himself the fecond, properly ftudies for Ufe. The one does it to raise himself a Fortune, the other to fet off that which he is already poffeffed of. But as far the greater part of Mankind are included in the latter Clafs, I fhall only propofe fome Methods at prefent for

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"the Service of fuch who expect to advance themselves in the World by their Learning: In order to which, I shall premife, that many more Estates have been acquir'd by little Accomplishments than by extraordinary ones; thofe Qualities which make the greatest Figure in the eye of the World, not being always the most useful in themselves, or the most advantageous to their Owners.

THE Pofts which require Men of fhining and uncommon Parts to discharge them, are fo very few, that many a great Genius goes out of the World without ever having had an opportunity to exert it felf; where6 as Perfons of ordinary Endowments meet with Occafions fitted to their Parts and Capacities every day in the common Occurrences of Life.

I am acquainted with two Perfons who were formerly School-fellows, and have been good Friends ever • fince. One of them was not only thought an impene• trable Blockhead at School, but still maintain'd his Reputation at the Univerfity; the other was the Pride of his Master, and the most celebrated Perfon in the Cotlege of which he was a Member. The Man of Genius is at prefent buried in a Country Parfonage of eightfcore • Pounds a year; while the other, with the bare Abilities of a common Scrivener, has got an Estate of above an • hundred thousand Pounds.

I fancy from what I have faid it will almost appear ⚫ a doubtful Cafe to many a wealthy Citizen, whether or no he ought to with his Son fhould be a great Genius ;. 6 but this I am fure of, that nothing is more abfurd than to give a Lad the Education of one, whom Nature has not favour'd with any particular Marks of Diftinction.

THE Fault therefore of our Grammar-Schools is, that every Boy is pushed on to Works of Genius; whereas, it would be for more advantageous for the greateft part of them to be taught fuch little practical Arts ⚫ and Sciences as do not require any greet fhare of Parts 6 to be Mafter of them, and yet may come often into. play during the Course of a Man's Life.

SUCH are all the Parts of practical Geometry. I • have knowna Man contract a Friendship with a Minister of State, upon cutting a Dial in his Window; and remember a Clergyman who got one of the best Benefices.

in the Weft of England, by fetting a Country Gentleman's Affairs in fome Method, and giving him an exact Survey of his Estate.

WHILE I am upon this Subject, I cannot forbear ⚫ mentioning a Particular which is of use in every Station ⚫ of Life, and which methinks every Master should teach •his Scholars, I mean the writing of English Letters. To ⚫ this end, instead of perplexing them with Latin Epiftles, • Themes and Verfes, there might be a punctual Corre⚫ fpondence established between two Boys, who might act ⚫ in any imaginary Parts of Business, or be allowed fome⚫ times to give a range to their own Fancies, and commu⚫nicate to each other whatever Trifles they thought fit, provided neither of them ever fail'd at the appointed time to answer his Correspondent's Letter.

• I believe I may venture to affirm, that the generality ⚫ of Boys would find themselves more advantaged by this Cuftom, when they come to be Men, than by all the • Greek and Latin their Mafters can teach them in feven or eight Years.

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THE want of it is very visible in many learned Per• fons, who while they are admiring the Stiles of DemoAthenes or Cicero, want Phrafes to exprefs themselves on the most common Occafions. I have feen a Letter from one of these Latin Orators, which would have been defervedly laught at by a common Attorney.

UNDER this Head of Writing I cannot omit Accounts and Short-hand, which are learned with little pains, and very properly come into the Number of such Arts as I have been here recommending.

YOU muft doubtless, Sir, observe, that I have hi⚫therto chiefly infifted upon these things for fuch Boys as 'do not appear to have any thing extraordinary in their • natural Talents, and confequently are not qualified for ⚫ the finer Parts of Learning; yet I believe I might carry this Matter ftill further, and venture to affert that a Lad of Genius has fometimes occafion for these little Ac⚫quirements,to be as it were the Forerunners of his Parts, and to introduce him into the World.

HISTORY is full of Examples of Perfons, who tho' they have had the largest Abilities, have been obliged to infinuate themselves into the Favour of great Men by

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these trivial Accomplishments; as the complete Gentleman, in some of our modern Comedies, makes his first • Advances to his Mistress under the disguise of a Painter, or a Dancing-Master.

THE Difference is, that in a Lad of Genius these are only fo many Accomplishments, which in another are Effentials; the one diverts himself with them, the • other works at them. In fhort, I look upon a great Genius, with these little Additions, in the fame Light as I regard the Grand Seignior, who is obliged, by an exprefs • Command in the Alcoran, to learn and practise fome • Handicraft Trade. Tho' I need not to have gone for my • Inftance farther than Germany, where several Emperors ⚫ have voluntarily done the fame thing. Leopold the laft ' worked in Wood; and I have heard there are feveral ⚫ handicraft Works of his making to be feen at Vienna fo neatly turn'd, that the beft Joiner in Europe might safely own them without any Difgrace to his Profeffion.

I would not be thought, by any thing I have faid, to be against improving a Boy's Genius to the utmost 'pitch it can be carry'd. What I would endeavour to fhew in this Effay, is, that there may be Methods taken to make Learning advantageous even to the meanest Capacities.

X

I am, SIR,

Yours, &c.

N° 354. Wednesday, April 16.

Cum magnis virtutibus affers

Grande fupercilium.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Y

Juv.

OU have in fome of your Difcourfes defcrib'd moft forts of Women in their distinct and proper Claffes, as the Ape, the Coquet, and many others; but 'I think you have never yet faid any thing of a Devotee. A Devotee is one of those who difparage Religion by their

indifcreet and unfeasonable Introduction of the Men⚫tion of Virtue on all occafions: She profeffes fhe is ⚫ what no body ought to doubt she is; and betrays the

Labour fhe is put to, to be what the ought to be with • Chearfulness and Alacrity. She lives in the World, and • denies her felf none of the Diverfions of it, with a conftant • Declaration how infipid all things in it are to her. She is never herself but at Church; there fhe displays her • Virtue, and is so fervent in her Devotions, that I have frequently feen her pray herself out of breath. While other young Ladies in the Houfe are dancing, or playing at Questions and Commands, fhe reads aloud in her Clofet. She fays all Love is ridiculous except it be Celeftial; but the fpeaks of the Paffion of one Mortal to another, with too much Bitterness, for one that had no Jealoufy mixed with her Contempt of it. If at any time the fees a Man warm in his Addreffes to his Mif⚫ trefs, she will lift up her Eyes to Heaven and cry, What • Nonfenfe is that Fool talking? Will the Bell never ring

for Prayers? We have an eminent Lady of this Stamp ⚫ in our Country, who pretends to Amusements very much ⚫ above the reft of her Sex. She never carries a white

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Shock-dog with Bells under her Arm, nor a Squirrel or • Dormouse in her Pocket, but always an abridg'd Piece of Morality to fteal out when she is fure of being obferved. When she went to the famous Afs-Race (which I must confefs was but an odd Diverfion to be encouraged by People of Rank and Figure) it was not, like other Ladies, to hear those poor Animals bray, nor to 'fee Fellows run naked, or to hear Country Squires in bob Wigs and white Girdles make love at the fide of a Coach, and cry, Madam, this is dainty Weather. Thus fhe de• fcribed the Diverfion; for fhe went only to pray hear'tily that no body might be hurt in the Crowd, and to fee

if the poor Fellow's Face, which was distorted with Grin⚫ning, might any way be brought to it felf again. She never chats over her Tea, but covers her Face, and is fuppofed in an Ejaculation before the taftes a Sup. This oftentatious Behaviour is fuch an Offence to true Sanctity, that it difparages it, and makes Virtue not only unamiable, but also ridiculous. The Sacred Writings are full of Reflexions which abhor this kind of Conduct; and a • Devoter