I thought fit, however, to give this notice, that you may not be surprised at my appear. ing à la mode de Paris on the next birth-night. 'I am, Sir, · your humble fervant, Teraminta. As I was taking my leave, the milliner farther informed me, that with the affistance of a watch-maker, who was her neighbour, and the ingenious Mr. Powel, the had alfo contrived another puppet, which by the help of feveral little fprings to be wound up within it, could move all its limbs, and that the had fent it over I received another from the owner of the pup- various leanings and bendings of the head, the to her correfpondent in Paris to be taught the Within an hour after I had read this letter pet. 'SIR, ON N Sunday laft, being the 12th inftant, there arrived at my house in King-street, < Covent-Garden, a French baby for the year 1712. I have taken the utmost care to have her dreffed by the most celebrated tire-women ⚫ and mantua-makers in Paris, and do not find ❝ that I have any reason to be forry for the expence I have been at in her cloaths and importation: however, as I know no perfon ⚫ who is fo good a judge of dress as yourself, if · you please to call at my houfe in your way to the city, and take a view of her, I promife to amend whatever you fhall disapprove in · your next paper, before I exhibit her as a pattern to the public. 'I am, Sir, Your most humble admirer, As I am willing to do any thing in reason for the fervice of my countrywomen, and had much rather prevent faults. than find them, I went last night to the house of the above-mentioned Mrs. Crofs-ftitch. As foon as I entered, the maid of the fhop, who, 1 fuppofe, was prepared for my coming, without asking me any questions, introduced me to the little damfel, and ran away to call her miftrefs. The puppet was dreffed in a cherry-coloured gown and petticoat, with a short working apron over it, which difcovered her fhape to the most advantage. Her hair was cut and divided very prettily, with feveral ribbons stuck up and down in it. The milliner affured me, that her complexion was fuch as was worn by all the ladies of the best fashion in Paris. Her head was extremely high, on which fubject having long fince declared my fentiments, I fhall fay nothing more to it at prefent. I was also offended at a small patch the wore on her breast, which I cannot fuppofe is placed there with any good defign. Her necklace was of an immoderate length, being tied before in fuch a manner, that the two ends hung down to her girdle; but whether thefe fupply the place of kifling-strings in our enemy's country, and whether our British ladies have any occafion for them, I thall leave to their ferious confideration. -After having obferved the particulars of her drefs, as I was taking a view of it altogether, the fhop-maid, who is a pert wench, told me that Madamoifelle had fomething very curious in the tying of her garters; but as I pay a due respect even to a pair of fticks when they are under petticoats, I did not examine into that particular. Upon the whole I was well enough pleafed with the appearance of this gay lady, and the more so because the was not talkative, a quality very rarely to be hit with in the rest of her atrywomen, rifings of the bofom, the courtesy and recovery, the genteel trip, and the agreeable jet, as they are now practised at the court of France. She added, that the hoped the might depend upon having my encouragement as foon as it arrived; but as this was a petition of too great importance to be answered extempore, I left her without reply, and made the best of my way to Will Honeycomb's lodgings, without whofe advice I never communicate any thing to the public of this nature. No 278. FRIDAY, JANUARY 18. X Hor. Ep 1. lib. 2. ver. 250 I rather choose a low and creeping stile. Y OUR having done confiderable fervices in this great city, by rectifying the dif ' orders of families, and feveral wives having 'preferred your advice and directions to those of their husbands, emboldens me to apply 'to you at this time. . I am a fhop-keeper, and though but a young man, I find by experience that nothing but 'the utmost diligence both of husband and wife, among trading people, can keep affairs in any ⚫ tolerable order. My wife at the beginning of our establishment fhewed herself very affifting to me in my business as much as could lie in her way, and I have reafon to believe it was with her inclination; but of late fhe has got acquainted with a fchoolman, who values 'himself for his great knowledge in the Greek tongue. He entertains her frequently in the fhop with difcourfes of the beauties and excellencies of that language; and repeats to her feveral paffages out of the Greek poets, wherein he tells her there is unfpeakable harmony and agreeable founds that all other languages are wholly unacquainted with. He 'has fo infatuated her with his jargon, that inftead of using her former diligence in the shop, 'fhe now neglects the affairs of the house, and is wholly taken up with her tutor in learning by heart fcraps of Greek, which the vents upon all occafions. She told me fome days ago, that whereas I ufe fome Latin infcriptions in my fhop, the advised me with a great deal ⚫ of concern to have them changed into Greek; 'it being a language lefs understood, would be 'more conformable to the mystery of my pro nencies of the like náture make me very uneafy; and if your remonftrances have no more effect upon her than mine, I am afraid I shall be obliged to ruin myfelf to procure her a fet⚫tlement at Oxford with her tutor, for he is already too mad, for Bedlam. Now, Sir, you fee the danger my family is expofed to, and the likelihood of my wife's becoming both troublesome and ufelefs, unless her reading herself in your paper may make her reflect. She is fo very learned that I cannot pretend by word of mouth to argue with her. She laughed out. at your ending a paper in Greek, and faid it was a hint to women of literature, and very civil not to tranflate it to expofe them to the vulgar. You fee how it is with, Sir, your humble fervant.' • Mr. Spectator, F you have that humanity and compassion in make one think you have, you will not deny your advice to a diftreffed damfel, who intends to be determined by your judgment in a matter of great importance to her. You must know then, there is an agreeable young fellow · to whofe perfon, wit, and humour no body makes any objection, that pretends to have 'been long in love with me. To this I must add, whether it proceeds from the vanity of 6 my nature, or the feeming fincerity of my lover, I will not pretend to fay, that I verily believe he has a real value for me; which, if I true, you will allow may juftly augment his merit with his miftrefs. In short, I am fo fenfible of his good qualities, and what I " owe to his paffion, that I think I could fooner ⚫ refolve to give up my liberty to him than any body elfe, were there not an objection to be made to his fortunes, in regard they do not anfwer the utmost mine may expect, and are not fufficient to fecure me from undergoing the reproachful phrafe, fo commonly used, that he has played the fool. Now, though I * am one of thofe few who heartily defpife equi· page, diamonds, and a coxcomb, yet fince fuch oppofite notions from mine prevail in the world, even amongst the best, and such as < are esteemed the most prudent people, I cannot find in my heart to refolve upon incurring the cenfure of thofe wife folks, which I am confcious I fhall do, if when I enter into a < married state, I difcover a thought beyond that of equalling, if not advancing my fortunes. Under this difficulty I now labour, not being in the leaft determined whether I 'fhall be governed by the vain world, and the frequent examples I met with, or hearken to the voice of my lover, and the motions I find in my heart in favour of him. Sir, your • opinion and advice in this affair, is the only thing I know can turn the balance; and which I earnestly entreat I may receive foon; for until I have your thoughts upon it, I am engaged not to give my fwain a final difcharge, Befides the particular obligation you will lay on me, by giving this fubject room in one of " your papers, it is poffible it may be of ufe to fome others of my fex, who will be as grateful for the favour as, Sir, your humble servant, Florinda.' P. S. To tell you the truth, I am married to him already, but pray fay fomething to 'juftify me.' Mr. Spectator, Y OU will forgive us profeffors of music if we make a fecond application to you, in order to promote our defign of exhibiting ' entertainments of mufic in York-buildings. 'It is industriously insinuated that our intention is to destroy operas in general, but we beg of " you to infert this plain explanation of our'felves in your paper. Our purpofe is only to improve our circumftances, by improving the · art which we profefs. We fee it utterly de'ftroyed at present, and as we were the perfons who introduced operas, we think it a groundless imputation that we should set up against the opera itself. What we pretend to affert is, that the fongs of different authors 'injudiciously put together, and a foreign tone ' and manner which are expected in every thing C now performed amongst us, has put mufic 'itfelf to a ftand; infomuch that the ears of. 'the people cannot now be entertained with · any thing but what has an impertinent gai ety, without any juft fpirit, or a lànguith'ment of notes, without any paffion or com'mon fenfe. We hope thofe perfons of fenfe and quality who have done us the honour to 'fubfcribe, will not be ashamed of their pa· tronage towards us, and not receive impreffi, " ons that patronifing us is being for or against the opera, but truly promoting their own diverfions in a more juft and elegant manner than has been hitherto performed. We are, Sir, Your moft obedient fervants, Thomas Clayto Nicolino Haym, Charles Dieupart There will be no performance in Yorkbuildings until after that of the fubfcription.' W T N° 279. SATURDAY, JANUARY 19. Reddere perfonæ fcit convenientia cuique. Hor. Ars Poet, ver. 316. He knows what best befits each character. have already taken a general furvey of the fable and characters of Milton's Paradife Loft. The parts which remain to be confidered, according to Ariftotle's method, are the fentiments and language. Before I enter upon the first of these, I must advertise my reader, that it is my defign, as foon as I have finished my general reflexions on these four feveral heads, to give particular instances out of the poem which is now before us of beauties. and imperfections which may be obferved under each of them, as alfo of fuch other particulars as may not properly fall under any of them. This I thought fit to premife, that the reader may not judge too haftily of this picce of criticifm, or look upon it as imperfect, before he has feen the whole extent of it. The fentiments in an epic poem are the thoughts and behaviour which the author afcribes to the perfons whom he introduces, and are are just when they are conformable to the characters of the feveral perfons. The fentiments have likewife a relation to things as well as perfons, and are then perfect when they are fuch as are adapted to the fubject. If in either of thefe cafes the poet endeavours to argue or cxplain, to magnify or diminifh, to raife love or hatred, pity or terror, or any other paffion, we ought to confider whether the fentiments he makes ufe of are proper for thofe ends. Homer is cenfured by the critics for his defect as to this particular in feveral parts of the Iliad and Odyffey, though at the fame time thofe, who have treated this great poet with candour, have attributed this defect to the times in which he lived. It was the fault of the age, and not of Homer, if there wants that delicacy in fome of his fentiments, which now appears in the works of men of a much inferior genius. Be fides, if there are blemishes in any particular thoughts, there is an infinite beauty in the greatest part of them. In fhort, if there are many poets who would not have fallen into the meanness of fome of his fentiments, there are none who could have rifen up to the greatnefs of others. Virgil has excelled all others in the propriety of his fentiments. Milton fhines likewife very much in this particular nor muft we omit one confideration which adds to his honour and reputation. Homer and Vir gil introduced perfons whofe characters are commonly known among men, and fuch as are to be met with either in history, or in ordinary converfation. Milton's characters, moft of. them lie out of nature, and were to be formed purely by his own invention. It fhews a great er genius in Shakespear to have drawn his Calyban, than his Hotipur or Julius Cæfar: the one was to be fupplied out of his own imagination, whereas the other might have been icrmed upon tradition, hiftory and obfervation. It was much easier therefore for Homer to find proper fentiments for an affembly of Grecian generals, than for Milton to diverfify his inferñal council with proper characters, and inspire them with a variety of fentiments. The loves of Dido and Æneas are only copies of what has paffed between other perfons. Adam and Eve, before the fall, are a different fpecies from that of mankind, who are defcended from them; and none but a poet of the most unbounded invention, and the most exquifite judgment could have filled their converfation and behaviour with fo many apt circumstances during their state of innocence. Nor is it fufficient for an epic poem to be filled swith fuch thoughts as are natural, unlefs. it abound alfo with fuch as are fublime. Virgil in this particular falls fhort of Homer. He has not indeed fo many thoughts that are low and vulgar: but at the fame time has not fo many thoughts that are fublime and noble. The truth of it is, Virgil feidom rifes into very aftonishing fentiments, where he is not fired by the Iliad. He every where charms and pleafes us by the force of his own genius; but feldom elevates and tranfports us where he does not fetch his hints from Homer. Milton's chief talent, and indeed his diftinguifhing excelenco, lies in the fublimity of his thoughts. There are others of the moderns who rival him in every other part of poetry; bet in the greatnefs of his fentiments he tri umphs over all the poets both modern and ancient, Homer only excepted. It is impoffible for the imagination of man to diftend itself with greater ideas, than those which he has laid together in his firft, fecond, and fixth books. The feventh, which defcribes the creation of the world, is likewife wonderfully fublime, though not fo apt to ftir up emotion in the mind of the reader, nor confequently fo perfect in the epic way of writing, because it is filled with less action. Let the judicious reader compare what Longinus has obferved on feveral paffages in Homer, and he will find parallels, for most of them in the Paradise Loft. From what has been faid we may infer, that as there are two kinds of fentiments, the natural and the fublime, which are always to be purfued in an heroic poem, there are also two kinds of thoughts which are carefully to be avoided. The firft are fuch as are affected and unnatural; the fecond fuch as are mean and vulgar. As for the firft kind of thoughts, we meet with little or nothing that is like them in Virgil: he has none of thofe trifling points and puerilities that are fo often to be met with in Ovid, none of the epigrammatic turns of Lucan, none of thofe fwelling fentiments which are fo frequent in Statius and Claudian, none of those mixed embellishments of Taffo. Every thing is just and natural. His fentiments fhew that he had a perfect infight into human nature, and that he knew every thing which was the most proper to affect it. Mr. Dryden has in fome places, which I may hereafter take notice of, mifrepresented Virgil's way of thinking as to this particular, in the tranflation he has given us of the Æneid. I do not remember that Homer any where falls into the faults above mentioned, which were indeed the falfe refinements of later ages. Milton, it must be confeft, has fometimes crred in this refpect, as I fhall fhow more at large in ano. ther paper; though confidering how all the poets of the age in which he writ were infected with this wrong way of thinking, he is rather to be admired that he did not give more into it, than that he did fometimes comply with the vicious tafte which ftill prevails fo much among modern writers. But fince feveral thoughts may be natural which are low and groveling, an epic poet fhould not only avoid fuch fentiments as are unnatural or affected, but alfo fuch as are mean and vulgar. Homer has opened a great field of raillery to men of more delicacy than greatnefs of genius, by the homeliness of fome of his fentiments. But, as I have before faid, thefe are rather to be imputed to the fimplicity of the age in which he lived, to which I may also add, of that which he described, than to any imperfection in that divine poet. Zoilus, among the ancients, and Monfieur Perrault, among the moderns, pufhed their ridicule very far upon him, on account of fome fuch fentiments. There is no blemish to be observed in Virgil under this head, and but a very few in Milton. I fhall give but one inftance of this impropriety of thought in Homer, and at the fame time compare it with an inftance of the fame nature, both in Virgil and Milton. Sentiments, which raife laughter, can very feldom be admitted with any decency into an heroic poem, whose bufinefs it is to excite paffions of a much nobler na ture. ture. Homer, however, in his characters of Vulcan and Therfites, in his ftory of Mars and Venus, in his behaviour of Irus, and in other paffages, has been obferved to have lapfed into the burlesque character and to have departed from that ferious air which feems effential to the magnificence of an epic poem. I remember but one laugh in the whole neid, which rifes in the fifth book, upon Monotes, where he is reprefented as thrown overboard, and drying himself upon a rock. But this piece of mirth is fo well timed, that the fevereft critic can have nothing to fay against it; for it is in the book of games and diverfions, where the reader's mind may be fuppofed to be fufficiently relaxed for fuch an entertainment. The only picce of pleafantry in Paradife Loft, is where the evil fpirits are defcribed as rallying the angels upon the fuccefs of their new-invented artillery. This paffage I look npon to be the most exceptionable in the whole poem, as be ing nothing elfe but a ftring of puns, and thofe too very indifferent ones. Somewhat extravagant, and wild; perhaps Leader, the terms we fent were terms of Of hard contents, and full of force urg'd home; N° 280. MONDAY, JANUARY 21. L Hor. Ep. 17. lib. 1. ver. 35. To please the great is not the smallest praife. TH CREECH. leaders one may draw up all thofe who make tron, in an honeft nature, would be more grievous than that of wearing his livery; therefore we will speak of thofe methods only, which are worthy and ingenuous. The happy talent of pleasing either thofe above you or below you, feems to be wholly owing to the opinion they have of your fincerity. This quality is to attend the agreeable man in all the actions of his life; and I think there need no more be faid in honour of it, than that it is what forces the approbation even of your opponents. The guilty man has an honour for HE defire of pleafing makes a man agree- the judge who with juftice pronounces against able or unwelcome to thofe with whom him the fentence of death itfelf. The author of he converfes, according to the motive from the fentence at the head of this paper, was an which that inclination appears to flow. If excellent judge of human life, and paffed his your concern for pleafing others arifes from inown in company the most agreeable that ever nate benevolence, it never fails of fuccefs: if was in the world. Auguftus lived amongst from a vanity to excel, its difappointment is no his friends as if he had his fortune to make in lefs certain. What we call an agreeable man, his own court: candour and affability, accomis he who is endowed with the natural bent to panied with as much power as ever mortal was do acceptable things from a delight he takes in vefted with, were what made him in the utmost them merely as fuch; and the affectation of that manner agreeable among a set of admirable character is what conftitutes a fop. Under thefe men, who had thoughts too high for ambition, and and views too large to be gratified by what he could give them in the difpofal of an empire, without the pleasures of their mutual conver fation. A certain unanimity of taste and judgment, which is natural to all of the fame order in the fpecies, was the band of this fociety; and the emperor affumed no figure in it, but N° 281. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22. what he thought was his due from his private H talents and qualifications, as they contributed to advance the pleasures and fentiments of the company.. Cunning people, hypocrites, all who are but half virtuous, or half wife, are incapable of ting the refined pleasure of fuch an equal pany as could wholly exclude the regard of fortune in their converfations. Horace, in the difcourfe from whence I take the hint of the prefent fpeculation, lays down excellent rules for conduct in converfation with men of power; but he speaks it with an air of one who had no need of fuch an application for any thing which related to himself. It fhews he understood what it was to be a fkilful courtier, by juft admonitions against importunity, and fhewing how forcible it was to fpeak modeftly of your own wants. There is indeed fomething fo fhamelefs in taking all opportunities to speak of your own affairs, that he who is guilty of it towards him on whom he depends, fares like the beggar, who expofes his fores, which instead of moving compaffion makes the man he begs of turn away from the object. I cannot tell what is become of him, but I remember about fixteen years ago an honeft fellow, who so justly understood how difagreeable the mention or appearance of his wants would make him, that I have often reflected upon him as a counterpart of Irus, whom I have formerly mentioned. This man, whom I have miffed for fome years in my walks, and have heard was fome way employed about the army, made it a maxim, that good wigs, delicate linen, and a chearful air, were to a poor dependent the fame that working tools are to a poor artificer. It was no fmall entertainment to me, who knew his circumftances, to fee him who had fafted two days, attribute the thinnefs they told him of, to the violence of fome gallantries he had lately been guilty of. The skilful diffembler carried this on with the utmost addrefs and if any fufpected his affairs were narrow, it was attributed to indulging himself in fome fashionable vice rather than an irreproachable poverty, which faved his credit with thofe on whom he depended. : The main art is to be as little troublesome as you can, and make all you hope for come rather as a favour from your patron than claim from you. But I am here prating of what is the method of pleasing so as to fucceed in the world, when there are crowds who have, in city, town, court, and country, arrived at confiderable acquifitions, and yet feem incapable of acting in any conftant tenor of life, but have gone on from one fuccefsful error to another; therefore I think I may shorten this inquiry after the method of pleasing; and as the old Leau faid to his fon, once for all, "Pray, Jack, be a "fine gentleman," so may I, to my reader, abridge my inftructions, and finish the art of pleasing, in a word, " Be rich,' T Anxious the reeking entrails he confults. AVING already given an account of the diffection of a beau's Head, with the feveral difcoveries made on that occafion; I fhall here, according to my promife, enter upon the diffection of a coquette's heart, and communicate to the public fuch particularities as we obferved in that curious piece of anatomy. I should perhaps have waved this undertaking, had not I been put in mind of my promise by feveral of my unknown correfpondents, who are very importunate with me to make an example of the coquette, as I have already done of the beau. It is therefore in compliance with the request of friends, that I have looked over the minutes of my former dream, in order to give the public an exact relation of it, which I fhall enter upon without farther preface. Our operator, before he engaged in this vifionary diffection, told us, that there was nothing in his art more difficult than to lay open the heart of a coquette, by reafon of the many labyrinths and receffes which are to be found in it, and which do not appear in the heart of any other animal. He defired us first of all to observe the pericardium, or outward cafe of the heart, which we did very attentively; and by the help of our glaffes difcerned in it millions of little fcars, which feemed to have been occafioned by the points of innumerable darts and arrows, that from time to time had glanced upon the outward coat though we could not difcover the smallest orifice, by which any of them had entered and pierced the inward fubftance. : Every fmatterer in anatomy knows that this pericardium, or cafe of the heart, contains in it a thin reddish liquor, fuppofed to be bred from the vapours which exhale out of the heart, and being stopped here, are condenfed into this watery fubitance. Upon examining this liquor, we found that it had in it all the qualities of that spirit which is made use of in the thermometer, to fhew the change of weather. Nor must I here omit an experiment one of the company affured us he himself had made with this liquor, which he found in great quantity about the heart of a coquette whom he had formerly diffected. He affirmed to us, that he had actually inclosed it in a small tube made after the manner of a weather-glafs; but that inftead of acquainting him with the variations of the atmosphere, it fhewed him the qualities of thofe perfons who entered the room where it ftood. He affirmed alfo, that it rofe at the approach of a plume of feathers, an embroidered coat, or a pair of fringed gloves; and that it fell as foon as an ill-shaped periwig, a clumsy pair of fhoes, or an unfashionable coat came into his houfe: nay, he proceeded so far as to affure us, that upon his laughing aloud when he ftood by it, the liquor mounted very fenfibly, and immediately funk again upon his looking ferious. In fhort, he told us, that he knew very well by this invention whenever he had a man of fenfe or a coxcomb in his room. |