t moft skilful in the Trade. For all which, you have all his Hopes and For tune for your fecurity. To encourage Dealing after this way, there is not only the avoiding the most infamous Guilt in ordinary Bartering; but this Obfervation, That he who buys with ready Money faves as much to his Family, as the State exacts out of his Land for the Security and Service of his Country; that is to fay, in plain English, fixteen will do as much as twenty Shillings. Mr. SPECTATOR, MY Heart is fo fwelled with grate ful Sentiments on account of fome Favours which I have lately received, that I-muft beg leave to give them utterance amongst the Crowd of other anonymous Correfpondents; and Writing, I hope, will be as great C. a relief to my forced Silence, as it is to your natural Taciturnity- My gcnerous Benefactor will not fuffer me to fpeak to him in any Terms of Acknowledgment, but ever treats me as if he had the greatest Obligations, and uses me with a Diftinction that is not to be expected from one fo much my Superior in Fortune, Years, and Un M 3 Understanding. He infinuates, as if I had a certain Right to his Favours ❝ from fome Merit, which his particular • Indulgence to me has difcover'd; but that is only a beautiful Artifice to leffen the Pain an honeft Mind feels in receiving Obligations, when there is no Probability of returning them. A Gift is doubled when accompa< ny'd with fuch a Delicacy of Addrefs; but what to me gives it an inexpreffi'ble Value, is its coming from the Man I moft efteem in the World. It pleafes me indeed, as it is an Advantage and Addition to my Fortune; but when I confider it is an Inftance of " that good Man's Friendship, it overjoys, it tranfports me: I look on it with a Lover's Eye, and no longer regard the Gift, but the Hand that gave it. For my Friendship is fo entirely void of any gainful Views, that it often gives me pain to think it should have been chargeable to him; and I cannot at fome melancholly Hours help doing his Generofity the Injury of fearing it fhould cool on this Ac५ count, and that the laft Favour might be a fort of Legacy of a departing • Friendship. 'I • ६. I confefs thefe Fears seem very * groundless and unjust; but you must forgive them to the Apprehenfion of one poffeffed of a great Treasure, who is frighted at the most diftant Shadow • of Danger. SINCE I have thus far open'd my Heart to you, I will not conceal the fecret Satisfaction I feel there of knowing the Goodnefs of my Friend will not be unrewarded. I am pleased with thinking the Providence of the Almighty hath fufficient Bleffings in ftore for him, and will certainly dif charge the Debt, tho' I am not made the happy Inftrument of doing it. HOWEVER, nothing in my Power fhall be wanting to fhew my Gratitude; I will make it the Business of my Life to thank him, and shall efteem (next to him) thofe my best Friends, who give me the greatest Affiftance in this good Work. Printing this Letter would be fome little In-. ftance of my Gratitude; and your Favour herein will very much oblige Si vulnus tibi monstratâ radice vel herbâ I Hor. My T is very difficult to praise a Man without putting him out of Countenance. following Correfpondent has found out, this uncommon Art, and, together with his Friends, has celebrated fome of my. Speculations after fuch a concealed but divert ing manner, that if any of my Readers think I am to blame in publishing my own Commendations, they will allow I fhould have deferved their Cenfure as much, had I fuppreffed the Humour in which they are convey'd to me. SIR, I Am often in a private Affembly of ge generally defcant upon your Speculations, or upon the Subjects on which C you have treated. We were last TuesC day talking of thofe two Volumes which you have lately published. "Some were commending one of your Papers, and fome another; and there was fcarce a fingle Perfon in the Company that had not a favourite Speculation. Upon this a Man of Wit and Learning told us, he thought it would not be amifs if we paid the Spectator the fame Compliment that is often made in our publick Prints to Sir William Read, Dr. Grant, Mr. Moor the Apothecary, and other eminent Phyficians, where it is ufual for the Patients to publish the Cures which ⚫ have been made upon them, and the feveral Diftempers under which they laboured. The Propofal took, and the Lady where we vifited having the < two laft Volumes in large Paper interleav'd for her own private Ule, ordered them to be brought down, ' and laid in the Window, whither every one in the Company retir'd, and writ down a particular Advertisement in the Stile and Phrafe of the like ingenious Compofitions which we freMr quent |