⚫ enough to rescue many) my defign is to retire with them to an agreeable folitude; though within the neighbourhood of a city, for the convenience of their being inftructed in music, dancing, drawing, defigning, or any other fuch accomplishments, which it is conceived may make as proper diverfions for them, and almost as pleafant, as the little fordid games which dirty fchool-boys are fo much delighted with. It may eafily be imagined, how fuch a pretty fociety, converfing with none beneath themselves, and fometimes admitted, as perhaps not unentertaining parties, amongft better company, commended and careffed for their little performances, and turned by fuch converfations to a certain gallantry of foul, might be brought early acquainted with fome of the mofl polite English writers. This having given them fome ⚫ tolerable tafte of books, they would make themselves mafters of the Latin tongue by methods far easier than thofe in Lilly, with as little difficulty or reluctance as young ladies learn to speak French, or to fing Italian Operas. When they had advanced thus far, it would be time to form their tafte fomething more exactly. One that had any true relish of fine writing, might, with great pleasure both to himfelf and them, run over together with them the beft Roman hiftorians, poets, and orators, and point out their more remarkable beauties; give them a ⚫ short scheme of Chronology, a little view of Geography, Medals, Aftronomy, or what elfe might beft feed the bufy inquifitive humour fo natural to • that age. Such of them as had the leaft fpark of genius, when it was once awakened by the fhining thoughts and great fentiments of thofe admired writers, could not, I believe, be easily withheld from attempting that more difficult filter language, whose exalted beauties they would have heard fo often celebrated as the pride and wonder of the whole learned world. In the mean while, it would be requifite to • exercise their ftile in writing any light pieces that afk ⚫ more of fancy than of judgment: and that frequently in their native language, which every one methinks fhould be moft concerned to cultivate, efpecially

9

letters,

< letters, in which a Gentleman muft have fo frequent < occafions to diftinguish himself. A fet of genteel ⚫ good-natured youths fallen into fuch a manner of life, would form almost a little academy, and doubtless. prove no fuch contemptible companions, as might not often tempt a wifer man to mingle himself in their ⚫ diverfions, and draw them into fuch serious sports as might prove nothing lefs inftructing than the graveft ⚫ leffons. I doubt not but it might be made fome of their favourite plays, to contend which of them should ⚫ recite a beautiful part of a poem or oration most gracefully, or fometimes to join in acting a scene of Terence, Sophocles, or our own Shakespear. The cause of Milo might again be pleaded before more favourable Judges, Cæfar a fecond time be taught to ⚫ tremble, and another race of Athenians be afresh enraged at the ambition of another Philip. Amidst these noble amufements, we could hope to fee the early dawnings of their imagination daily brighten into fenfe, their innocence improve into virtue, and ⚫ their unexperienced good-nature directed to a generous love of their country.

T⭑

'I am, &c.'

By STEELE.

N° 231 Saturday, November 24, 1711.

L

O Pudor! O Pietas

"O modefty! O piety!"

Ooking over the letters which I have lately received from my correfpondents, I met with the following one, which is written with such a spirit of politeness, that I could not but be very much pleased with it myself, and question not but it will be as acceptable to the reader."

• Mr.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

You

OU, who are no ftranger to public affemblies, cannot but have obferved the awe they often ftrike on fuch as are obliged to exert any talent before them. This is a fort of elegant diftrefs, to which ingenious minds are the moft liable, and may therefore deferve fome remarks in your Paper. Many a brave fellow, who has put his enemy to flight in the • field, has been in the utmoft diforder upon making a fpeech before a body of his friends at home. One would think there was fome kind of fascination in the eyes of a large circle of people, when darting altogether upon one perfon. I have feen a new actor in a tragedy fo bound up by it as to be fcarce able to fpeak or move, and have expected he would have died above three acts before the dagger or cup of poifon were brought in. It would not be amifs, if fuch an one were at first introduced as a ghoft, or a statue, until he recovered his fpirits, and grew fit for fome living part.

As this fudden defertion of one's felf fhews a diffidence, which is not difpleafing, it implies at the fame time the greatest refpect to an audience that can "be. It is a fort of mute eloquence, which pleads for their favour much better than words could do; and we find their generofity naturally moved to fupport those who are in fo much perplexity to entertain them. I was extremely pleafed with a late inftance of this kind at the Opera of Almahide, in the encouragement given to a young finger,* whofe more than ordinary concern on her first appearance, recommended her no less than her agreeable voice, and just performance. Meer bafhfulness without merit is aukward; and merit without modefty, infolent. But modeft merit has a double claim to acceptance, and generally meets with as many patrons as beholders.

'I am, &c. t'

It is impoffible that a perfon fhould exert himself to advantage in an affembly, whether it be his part either

* Mrs. BARBIER. See a curious account of this lady, in Siɛ John HAWKINS's "History of Mufic." Vol. v. p. 156.

This letter was written by Mr. John HUGHES.

to

to fing or fpeak, who lies under too great oppreffions of Modefty. I remember, upon talking with a friend of mine concerning the force of pronunciation, our dif courfe led us into the enumeration of the feveral organs of fpeech which an orator ought to have in perfection, as the tongue, the teeth, the lips, the nofe, the palate, and the wind-pipe. Upon which, fays my friend, you have omitted the moft material organ of them all, and that is the forehead.

But notwithstanding an excefs of Modesty obftructs the tongue, and renders it unfit for its offices, a due proportion of it is thought fo requifite to an orator, that rhetoricians have recommended it to their difciples as a particular in their art. Cicero tells us that he never hked an orator, who did not appear in fome little confufion at the beginning of his speech, and confeffes that he himself never entered upon an oration without trembling and concern. It is indeed a kind of deference which is due to a great affembly, and feldom fails to raise a benevolence in the audience towards the perfon who speaks. My correfpondent has taken notice that the braveft men often appear timorous on thefe occa fions, as indeed we may obferve, that there is generally no creature more impudent than a coward.

Lingua melior, fed frigida bello

Dextera

Virg. Æn. xi. 338.

"Bold at the council board;

But cautious in the field, he fhunn'd the fword."
DRYDEN.

A bold tongue and a feeble arm are the qualifications of Drances in Virgil; as Homer, to exprefs a man both timorous and faucy, makes ufe of a kind of point, which is very rarely to be met with in his writings; namely, that he had the eyes of a dog, but the heart of a deer *.

A juft and reasonable Modefty does not only recommend eloquence, but fets off every great talent which a man can be poffeffed of. It heightens all the virtues Iliad. i. 225.

which

which it accompanies; like the fhades in paintings, it raifes and rounds every figure, and makes the colours more beautiful, though not fo glaring as they would be without it.

Modefty is not only an ornament, but also a guard to virtue. It is a kind of quick and delicate FEELING in the foul, which makes her fhrink and withdraw herfelf from every thing that has danger in it. It is fuch an exquifite fenfibility, as warns her to fhun the first appearance of every thing which is hurtful.

I cannot at prefent recollect either the place or time of what I am going to mention; but I have read fomewhere in the hiftory of ancient Greece, that the women of the country were feized with an unaccountable melancholy, which difpofed several of them to make away with themselves. The fenate, after having tried many expedients to prevent this felf murder, which was fo frequent among them, publifhed an edict, That if any woman whatever fhould lay violent hands upon herfelf, her corps fhould be expofed naked in the street, and dragged about the city in the moft publick manner. This edict immediately put a stop to the practice which was before fo common. We may fee in this instance the ftrength of Female Modefty, which was able to overcome the violence even of madness and defpair. The fear of fhame in the fair fex, was in those days more prevalent than that of death.

If Modefty has fo great an influence over our actions, and is in many cafes fo impregnable a fence to virtuę; what can more undermine morality than that politene fs which reigns among the unthinking part of mankind, and treats as unfafhionable the most ingenious part of our behaviour; which recommends impudence as goodbreeding, and keeps a man always in countenance, not because he is innocent, but because he is fhameless?

Seneca thought Modefty fo great a check to vice, that he prefcribes to us the practice of it in fecret, and advifes us to raise it in ourselves upon imaginary occafions, when fuch as are real do not offer themselves; for this is the meaning of his precept, That when we are by ourselves, and in our greatest folitudes, we should fancy that Cato ftands before us and fees every thing we

do.