Being who delights in an humble mind, and by feveral of his difpenfations feems purposely to fhew us, that our own schemes or prudence have no fhare in our ad vancements. Since on this fubject I have already admitted feveral quotations which have occurred to my memory upon writing this paper, I will conclude it with a little Perfian fable. A drop of water fell out of a cloud into the fea, and finding itself loft in fuch an immenfity of fluid matter, broke out into the following reflexion: Alas! 'What an infignificant creature am I in this prodigious ocean of waters; my existence is of no concern to the univerfe, I am reduced to a kind of nothing, and am lefs than the least of the works of God.' It fo happened that an oyfter, which lay in the neighbourhood of this drop, chanced to gape and swallow it up in the midst of this its humble foliloquy. The drop, fays the fable, lay a great while hardening in the hell, until by degrees it was ripened into a pearl, which falling into the hands of a diver, after a long series of adventures, is at present that famous pearl which is fixed on the top of the Perfian diadem. T N° 294 Wednesday, February 6. Difficile eft plurimùm virtutem revereri qui femper fecundâ fortuna fit ufus. Tull, ad Herennium. The man who is always fortunate, cannot eafily have a great reverence for virtue, Nfolence is the crime of all others which every man is apt to rail at; and yet there is one respect in which almost all men living are guilty of it, and that is in the cafe of laying a greater value upon the gifts of fortune than we ought. It is here in England come into our very language, as a propriety of diftinction, to fay, when we would fpeak of perfons to their advantage, They are people of condition. There is no doubt but the proper ufe of riches implies that a man fhould exert all the good qualities imaginable; and if we mean by a man of condition or quality, one who, according to the wealth he is master of, fhews himself just, beneficent, and charitable, that term ought very defervedly to be had in the highest veneration; but when wealth is ufed only as it is the fupport of pomp and luxury, to be rich is very far from being a recommendation to honour and refpect. It is indeed the greatest infolence imaginable, in a creature who would feel the extremes of thirst and hunger, if he did not prevent his appetites before they call upon him, to be fo forgetful, of the common neceffity of human nature, as never to caft an eye upon the poor and needy. The fellow who efcaped from a fhip which ftruck upon a rock in the weft, and joined with the country-people to deftroy his brother failors, and make her a wreck, was thought a most execrable creature; but does not every man who enjoys the poffeffion of what he naturally wants, and is unmindful of the unfupplied diftrefs of other men, betray the fame temper of mind? When a man looks about him, and with regard to riches and poverty beholds fome H 3 drawn drawn in pomp and equipage, and they and their very fervants with an air of fcorn and triumph overlooking the multitude that pass by them; and, in the same street, a creature of the fame make crying out in the name of all that is good and facred to behold his mifery and give him fome fupply against hunger and nakedness ; who would believe these two Beings were of the fame fpecies? But fo it is, that the confideration of fortune has taken up all our minds, and, as I have often complained, poverty and riches stand in our imaginations in the places of guilt and innocence. But in all feasons there will be fome inftances of perfons who have fouls too large to be taken with popular prejudices, and while the rest of mankind are contending for fuperiority in power and wealth, have their thoughts bent upon the neceflities of thofe below them. The charity schools, which have been erected of late years, are the greatest inftances of publick spirit the age has produced: But indeed when we confider how long this fort of beneficence has been on foot, it is rather from the good manage ment of those inftitutions, than from the number or value of the benefactions to them, that they make fo great a figure. One would think it impoffible that in the fpace of fourteen years there fhould not have been, five thousand pounds bestowed in gifts this way, nor fixteen-hundred children, including males and females, put out to methods of industry. It is not allowed me to fpeak of luxury and folly with the fevere fpirit they deferve; I fhall only therefore fay, I fhall very readily compound with any Lady in a hoop. petticoat, if fhe gives the price of one half yard of the filk towards clothing, feeding, and inftructing an innocent helpless creature of her own fex in one of these schools. The confcioufnefs of fuch an action will give her features a nobler life on this illuftrious day, than all the jewels that can hang in her hair, or can be clustered in her bofom. It would be uncourtly to speak in harsher words to the Fair, but to men one may take a little more free. dom. It is monftrous how a man can live with fo little reflexion as to fancy he is not in a condition very unjust and difproportioned to the rest of mankind, while he enjoys wealth, and exerts no benevolence or bounty to others. others. As for this particular occasion of those schools, there cannot any offer more worthy a generous mind. Would you do an handsome thing without return? do it for an infant that is not fenfible of the obligation: Would you do it for publick good; do it for one who will be an honeft artificer: Would you do it for the fake of heaven? give it to one who fhall be inftructed in the worship of him for whofe fake you give it. It is methinks a moft laudable inftitution this, if it were of no other expectation than that of producing a race of good and useful fervants, who will have more than a liberal, a religious education. What would not a man do, in common prudence, to lay out in purchase of one about him, who would add to all his orders he gave the weight of the commandments to enforce an obedience to them? for one who would confider his master as his father, his friend, and benefactor, upon the easy terms, and in expectation of no other return but moderate wages and gentle ufage? It is the common vice of children to run too much among the fervants; from fuch as are educated in these places they would fee nothing but lowlinefs in the fervant, which would not be difingenuous in the child. All the ill offices and defama tory whifpers, which take their birth from domefticks, would be prevented, if this charity could be made univerfal; and a good man might have a knowledge of the whole life of the perfons he defigns to take into his houfe for his own fervice, or that of his family or children, long before they were admitted. This would create endearing dependencies: And the obligation would have a paternal air in the matter, who would be relieved from much care and anxiety from the gratitude and diligence of an humble friend attending him as his fervant. I fall into this difcourfe from a letter fent to me, to give me notice that fifty boys would be clothed, and take their feats (at the charge of fome generous benefactors) in St. Bride's church on Sunday next. I wish I could promife to myself any thing which my correfpondent feems to expect from a publication of it in this paper; for there can be nothing added to what fo many excel lent and tearned men have faid on this occafion: But that there may be fomething here which would move a generous H 4 generous mind, like that of him who writ to me, I shall tranfcribe an hand fome paragraph of Dr. Snape's fermon on these charities, which my correfpondent inclosed with his letter. The wife Providence has amply compenfated the difad vantages of the poor and indigent, in wanting many of the conveniences of this life, by a more abundant provifion for their happiness in the next. Had they been higher born or more richly endowed, they would have wanted this manner of education, of which thofe only enjoy the benefit who are low enough to fubmit to it; where they have juch advan tages without money, and without price, as the rich cannot purchase with it. The learning which is given, is generally more edifying to them, than that which is fold to others: Thus do they became more exalted in goodness, by being depref fed in fortune, and their poverty is, in reality, their preferment. Τ N° 295 Thursday, February 7. Prodiga non fentit pereuntem fœmina cenfum : But womankind, that never knows a mean, Mr. SPECTATOR, :I DRYDEN, Am turned of my great climacterick, and am naturally a man of a meek temper. About a dozen years ago I was married, for my fins, to a young woman of a good family, and of an high spirit; could not bring her to clofe with me, before I had en but • tered |