champers, chalk-lickers, wax-nibblers, coal-fcranchers, wall-peelers, or gravel-diggers: and, good fir, do your utmost endeavour to prevent, by exposing this, unaccountable folly, fo prevailing among the young ones of our fex, who may not meet with fuch fudden good luck as, T. Sir, • Your conftant reader, and very humble fervant, 'SABINA GREEN, " Now SABINA RENTFREE.' N° 432. Wednesday, July 16. -Inter firepit anfer olores. VIRG. Ecl. 9. v. 36. He gabbles like a goofe, amidst the fwan-like quire. Mr. SPECTATOR, . ACCORDING DRYDEN. Oxford, July 14. CCORDING to a late invitation in one of your papers to every man who pleases to write, I have fent you the following fhort differtation against the vice of being prejudiced. Your moft humble fervant.' MAN is a fociable creature, and a lover of glory; whence it is, that when feveral perfons are united in the fame fociety, they are ftudious to leffen the reputation of others, in order to rife their own. The wife are content to guide the fprings in filence, and rejoice in fecret at their regular progrefs: to prate and triumph is the part allotted to the trifling and fuperficial: the geefe were providentially ordained to 'fave the Capitol. Hence it is, that the invention of marks and devices to diftinguith parties, is owing to the beaux and belles of this ifland. Hats moulded into ་ different cocks and pinches, have long bid mutual defiance; patches have been fet against patches in battlearray; tocks have rifen or fallen in proportion to head-dreffes; and peace or war been expected, as the white or the red hood hath prevailed. Thefe are the ftanding-bearers in our contending armies, the dwarfs and 'fquires who carry the impreffes of the giants or knights, not born to fight themselves, but to prepare the way for the enfuing combat. 6 It is a matter of wonder to reflect how far men of ✦ weak understanding and ftrong fancy are hurried by their prejudices, even to the believing that the whole body of the adverfe party are a band of villains and demons. Foreigners complain that the English are the proudest nation under heaven. Perhaps they too have their fhare, but be that as it will, general charges against bodies of men is the fault I am writing against. It must be owned, to our fhame, that our common people, and moft who have not travelled, have an irrational contempt for the language, drefs, cuftoms, and even the shapes and minds of other nations. Some men, otherwife of fenfe, have wondered that a great genius fhould fpring out of Ireland; and think you mad in affirming, that fine odes have been written in Lapland. This fpirit of rivalship which heretofore reigned in the two universities, is extinct, and almost over be'twixt college and college: in parishes and fchools the thirst of glory ftill obtains. At the feafons of football and cock-fighting, thefe little republics reaffume their national hatred to each other. My tenant in the country is verily perfuaded, that the parish of the enemy hath not one honeft man in it. I always hated fatires against women, and fatites against men; I am apt to fufpect a stranger who laughs at the religion of the faculty: my fpleen rifes at a 'dull rogue, who is fevere upon mayors and aldermen; and was never better pleafed than with a piece of justice executed upon the body of a templar, who was very arch upon parfons. The neceffities of mankind require various employments; and whoever excels in his province is wor thy of praife. All men are not educated after the fame manner, nor have all the fame talents. Those who are deficient deferve our compaffion, and have a title < to our affiftance. All cannot be bred in the fame place; but in all places there arife, at different times fuch perfons as do honour to their fociety, which may raife envy in little fouls, but are admired and cherished by generous fpirits. < It is certainly a great happiness to be educated in ⚫ focieties of great and eminent men. Their inftructions and examples are of extraordinary advantage. It is highly proper to inftil fuch a reverence of the governing perfons, and concern for the honour of the place, as may fpur the growing members to worthy purfuits and honeft emulation: but to fwell young minds with vain thoughts of the dignity of their own brotherhood, by debafing ard vilifying all others, doth them a real injury. By this means I have found that their 'efforts have become languid, and their prattle irkfome, as thinking it fufficient praife that they are children ⚫ of fo illuftrious and ample a family. I should think it a furer as well as more generous method, to fet be'fore the eyes of youth fuch perfons as have made a noble progress in fraternities lefs talked of; which feems tacitly to reproach their floth, who loll fo heavily in the feats of mighty improvement; active fpirits hereby would enlarge their notions, whereas by a ⚫ fervile imitation of one, or perhaps two admired men, in their own body, they can only gain a fecondary ⚫ and derivative kind of fame. Thefe copiers of men, like thofe of authors or painters, run into affectations ⚫ of fome oddnefs, which perhaps was not difagreeable in the original, but fits ungracefully on the narrowfouled tranfcriber. By fuch early corrections of vanity, while boys are growing into men, they will gradually learn not to cenfure fuperficially; but imbibe thofe principles of general kindness and humanity, which alone can make them eafy to themselves, and beloved by others. • Reflections of this nature have expunged all prejudice out of my heart, infomuch that though I am VOL. VI. G a firm proteftant, I hope to fee the pope and cardinals without violent emotions; and though I am naturally grave, I expect to meet good company at • Paris. • I am, Sir, Mr. SPECTATOR, • Your obedient fervant.' I FIND you are a general undertaker, and have by your correfpondents or felf an infight into moft things; which makes me apply myself to you at prefent in the foreft calamity that ever befell man. My wife ⚫ has taken fomething ill of me, and has not fpoke one word, good or bad, to me, or any body in the family, fince Friday was feven-night. What must a man do in that cafe? Your advice would be a great obligation to, Mr. SPECTATOR, WHEN you want a trifle to fill up a paper, by inferting this you will lay an obligation on July 15th, 1712. "Dear Olivia, • Your humble fervant, 'OLIVIA.' "IT is but this moment I have had the happiness "of knowing to whom I am obliged for the prefent I received the second of April. I am heartily forry it "did not come to hand the day before; for I cannot but "think it very hard upon people to lose their jeft, that "offer at one but once a year. I congratulate myfelf "however upon the earnest given me of fomething further intended in my favour; for I am told, that the man who is thought worthy by a lady to make a fool of, ftands fair enough in her opinion to become one day her husband. Until fuch a time as I 66 "have the honour of being fworn, I take leave to fub "fcribe myself, F. N°. 433. Thursday, July 17. Perlege Mæonia cantatas carmine ranas, MART. Epig. 183. l. 14. To banish anxious thought, and quiet pain, THE moral world, as confifting of males and fe males, is of a mixt nature, and filled with several cuftoms, fashions, and ceremonies, which would have no place in it, were there but one fex. Had our fpecies no females in it, men would be quite different creatures from what they are at prefent; their endeavours to pleafe the oppofite fex, polifhes and refines them out of thofe manners which are most natural to them, and often fets them upon modelling themfelves, not according to the plans, which they approve in their own opinions, but according to thofe plans which they think are most agreeable to the female world. In a word, man would not only be an unhappy, but a rude unfinishedcreature, were he converfant with none but those of his own make. Women, on the other fide, are apt to form themselves in every thing with regard to that other half of reasonable creatures, with whom they are here blended and confufed; their thoughts are ever turned upon appearing amiable to the other fex; they talk, and move, and smile, with a defign upon us; every feature of their faces, every part of their drefs is filled with fnares and allure |