6 N° 196 Monday, October 15, 1711. EA Ulubris, animus fi te non deficit æquus. "True happiness is to no place confin'd, "But ftill is found in a contented mind." • Mr. SPECTATOR, T Here is a particular fault which I have obferved in moft of the Moralifts in all ages, and that is, that they are always profeffing themselves, and teaching others to be happy. This ftate is not to be arrived at in this life, therefore I would recommend to you to talk in an humbler ftrain than your predeceffors have done, and instead of prefuming to be happy, inftruct us only to be eafy. The thoughts of him who would be difcreet, and aim at practica⚫ble things, fhould turn upon allaying our pain rather than promoting our joy. Great inquietude is to be avoided, but great felicity is not to be attained. The great leffon is equanimity, a regularity of fpirit, which is a little above chearfulness and below mirth. • Chearfulness is always to be fupported if a man is out of pain, but mirth to a prudent man thould al6 ways be accidental. It fhould naturally arife out of the occafion, and the occafion seldom be laid for it ; for thofe tempers who want mirth to be pleafed, are ⚫ like the constitutions which flag without the use of brandy. Therefore, I fay, let your precept be, BE EASY. That mind is diffolute and ungoverned, which • must be hurried out of itself by loud laughter or fen• fual pleasure, or elfe be wholly unactive. There are a couple of old fellows of my acquaintance who meet every day and fmoke a pipe, and by their natural love to each other, tho' they have been men 'men of business and bustle in the world, enjoy a greater tranquillity than either could have worked himself into by any chapter of Seneca. Indolence of body and mind, when we aim at no more, is very frequently enjoyed; but the very inquiry after happinefs has fomething reftlets in it, which a man who lives in a series of temperate meals, friendly conver'fations, and easy flumbers, gives himself no trouble about. While men of refinement are talking of tranquillity, he poffeffes it. What I would by thefe broken expreffions recom. 'mend to you, Mr. SPECTATOR, is, that you would fpeak of the way of life, which plain men may pursue, 'to fill up the fpaces of time with fatisfaction. It is a ' lamentable circumftance, that wisdom, or as you call it, philofophy, fhould furnish ideas only for the learned; and that a man must be a philofopher to know how to pafs away his time agreeably. It would there'fore be worth your pains to place in a handsome light. 'the relations and affinities among men, which render 'their converfation with each other fo grateful, that 'the highest talents give but an impotent pleasure in ' comparison with them. You may find defcriptions ' and difcourfes which will render the fire-fide of an ' honeft artificer as entertaining as your own club is to you. Good-nature has an endless fource of pleafures in it; and the reprefentation of domeftic life filled ' with its natural gratifications, instead of the neceffary' vexations which are generally infifted upon in the writings of the witty, will be a very good office to fociety. The viciffitudes of labour and reft in the lower part of mankind, make their being pafs away with that fort of relish which we exprefs by the word COMFORT; and fhould be treated of by you, who are a SPECTATOR, as well as fuch fubjects which appear indeed more fpeculative, but are less inftruc⚫tive. In a word, Sir, I would have you turn your thoughts to the advantage of fuch as want you • moft; and shew that fimplicity, innocence, industry ⚫ and temperance, are arts which lead to tranquillity, as as much as learning, wifdom, knowledge, and contemplation. Mr. SPECTATOR, ΙΑ Am the young woman whom you did fo much juftice to fome time ago, in acknowledging that I am perfect miftrefs of the fan, and use it with the utmost knowledge and dexterity *. Indeed the world, as malicious as it is, will allow, that from a hurry of laughter I recollect myself the most suddenly, make a curtfy, and let fall my hands before me, clofing my fan at the fame inftant, the best of any woman in England. I am not a little delighted that I have had your notice and approbation; and however other young women may rally me out of envy, I triumph in it, and demand a place in your friendship. You must therefore permit me to lay before you the prefent ftate of my mind. I was reading your Spectator of the 9th inftant, and thought the circumftance of the afs divided between the two bundles of hay which equally affected his fenfes, was a lively representation of my prefent condition: for you are to know that I am extremely enamoured with two young gentlemen who at this time pretend to me. One must hide nothing when one is afking advice, therefore I will own to you, that I am very amorous, and very covetous. My lover WILL is very rich, and my lover Toм very handfome.. I can have either of them when I please: but when I debate the question in my own mind, I cannot take Tom for fear of lofing Will's eftate, norenter upon Will's eftate, and bid adieu to Tom's per• fon. I am very young, and yet no one in the world, dear Sir, has the main chance more in her head than myfelf. Tom is the gayeft, the blitheft creature! He dances well, is very civil, and diverting at all hours and feafons. Oh he is the joy of my eyes! But then again Will is fo very rich and careful of the main. * See in Vol. II, No. 134. Benjamin Eafy's Petition. C • How How many pretty dreffes does Tom appear in to charm 'me! But then it immediately occurs to me, that a man ⚫ of his circumstances is fo much the poorer. Upon the whole, I have at laft examined both thefe defires of love and avarice, and upon ftrictly weighing the matter I begin to think I fhall be covetous longer than fond; therefore if you have nothing to fay to the con← trary, I shall take Will. Alas poor Tom! Alter rixatur de lanâ fæpe caprinâ, et Hor. 1 Ep. xviii. 15. "On trifles fome are earnestly abfurd; "You'll think the world depends on every word. "What! is not every mortal free to speak? "I'll give my reafons, though I break my neck! "And what's the queftion? If it fhines or rains; "Whether 'tis twelve or fifteen miles to STAINES." E PITT. Very age a man paffes through, and way of life he engages in, has fome particular vice or imperfection naturally cleaving to it, which it will require his nicest care to avoid. The feveral weaknesses to which youth, old age, and manhood are exposed, have have long fince been fet down by many both of the poets and philofophers; but I do not remember to have met with any author who has treated of thofe ill habits men are fubject to, not fo much by reafon of their different ages and tempers, as the particular profeffions or bufinefs in which they were educated and brought up. I am the more furprised to find this fubject fo little touched on, fince what I am here fpeaking of is fo apparent, as not to escape the moft vulgar obfervation. The bufinefs men are chiefly converfant in, does not only give a certain caft or turn to their minds, but is very often apparent in their outward behaviour, and fome of the most indifferent actions of their lives. It is this air diffufing itself over the whole man, which helps us to find out a perfon at his first appearance ; fo that the most careless obferver fancies he can fcarce be mistaken in the carriage of a seaman or the gait of a tailor. The liberal arts, though they may poffibly have lefs effect on our external mien and behaviour, make fo deep an impreffion on the mind, as is very apt to bend it wholly one way. The mathematician will take little lefs than demonftration in the most common discourse, and the fchoolman is as great a friend to definitions and fyllogifms. The phyfician and divine are often heard to dictate in private companies with the fame authority which they exercise over their patients and difciples; while the lawyer is putting cafes and raising matter for difputation out of every thing that occurs. I may poffibly fome time or other animadvert more at large on the particular fault each profeffion is moft infected with; but fhall at prefent wholly apply myself to the cure of what I last mentioned, namely that fpirit of ftrife and contention in the converfations of gentle. men of the long robe. This is the more ordinary, because these gentlemen regarding argument as their own proper province, and very often making ready-money of it, think it unfafe to yield before company. They are fhewing in common talk how zealously they could defend a cause in court, and therefore frequently forget to keep that tem per |