wit 'office than I am: For I am an ugly fellow of great and fagacity. My father was an hale country fquire, my mother a witty beauty of no fortune: The match was made by confent of my mother's parents against her own, and I am the child of the rape on the wedding-night; so that I am as healthy and as homely as my father, but as fprightly and agreeable as my 'mother. It would be of great eafe to you if you 'would use me under you, that matches might be better regulated for the future, and we might have no more children of fquabbles. I fhall not reveal all my 'pretenfions until I receive your answer; and am SIR, Mr. SPECTATOR, I : your moft bumble fervant, Mules Palfrey. Am one of those unfortunate men within the citywalls, who am married to a woman of quality, but her temper is fomething different from that of Lady Anvil. My Lady's whole time and thoughts are spent in keeping up to the mode both in apparel and furni" ture. All the goods in my houfe have been changed 'three times in feven years. I have had seven children by her and by our marriage articles fhe was to have 'her apartment new furnished as often as fhe lay-in. Nothing in our house is useful but that which is fashionable; my pewter holds out generally half a year, my plate a full twelve-month; chairs are not fit to fit in 'that were made two years fince, nor beds fit for any thing but to fleep in that have stood up above that time. My dear is of opinion that an old-fashioned grate con'fumes coals, but gives no heat: If the drinks out of glaffes of last year, fhe cannot distinguish wine from Imall-beer. Oh, dear Sir, you may guess all the reft. Yours. • P. S. I could bear even all this, if I were not obliged 'alfo to eat fashionably. I have a plain stomach, and ⚫ have a conftant loathing of whatever comes to my own ⚫ table; for which reason I dine at the Chophouse three ' days N° 308 days in a week: Where the good company wonders they never fee you of late. I am fure by your unpre'judiced difcourfes you love broth better than foup. Mr. SPECTATOR, You Will's, Feb. 19. OU may believe you are a perfon as much talked of as any man in town. I am one of your best friends in this house, and have laid a wager you are fo 'candid a man and fo honeft a fellow, that you will print this letter, though it is in recommendation of a new " paper called The Hiftorian. I have read it carefully, and 'find it written with skill, good fenfe, modesty and fire. • You must allow the town is kinder to you than you de'ferve; and I doubt not but you have fo much fense of the world, change of humour, and inftability of all human things, as to understand, that the only way to preferve favour is to communicate it to others with good-nature and judgment. Yon are so generally read, that what you fpeak of will be read. This with men of sense and tafte is all that is wanting to recommend • The Hiftorian. I am, SIR, your daily Advocate, Reader Gentle. I was very much furprised this morning, that any one fhould find out my lodging, and know it fo well, as to come directly to my clofet-door, and knock at it, to give me the following letter. When I came out I opened it, and faw by a very strong pair of shoes and a warm coat the bearer had on, that he walked all the way to bring it me, though dated from York. My misfortune is that I cannot talk, and I found the meffenger had fo much of me, that he could think better than speak. He had, I obferved, a polite difcerning hid under a fhrewd rufticity: He delivered the paper with a Yorkshire tone and a town leer. Mr. SPECTATOR, TH HE privilege you have indulged John Trot has proved of very bad confequence to our illuftrious affembly, which, befides the many excellent maxims it is 'is founded upon, is remarkable for the extraordinary decorum always obferved in it. One inftance of which is that the Carders, (who are always of the first quality) never begin to play until the French-dances are finished, and the country-dances begin: But John Trot having now got your commiffion in his pocket, (which every one here has a profound respect for) has the affurance to fet up for a minuet-dancer. Not only fo, but he has brought down upon us the whole body of the Trots, which are very numerous, with their auxiliaries the hoblers and the skippers, by which means the time is fo much wafted, that unless we break all rules of government, it must redound to the utter fubverfion of the Brag Table, the difcreet members of which value time, as Fribble's wife does her pin-money. We are pretty well affured that your indulgence to Trot was only in relation to country cdances; however, we have deferred iffuing an order of council upon the premises, hoping to get you to join with us, that Trot, nor any of his clan, prefume for the future to dance any but country dances, unless a hornpipe upon a feftival-day. If you will do this you will oblige a great many Ladies, and particularly I York, Feb. 16. Your most humble Servant, Eliz. Sweepstakes. Never meant any other than that Mr. Trot should confine himself to country-dances. And I further direct, that he shall take out none but his own relations according to their nearness of blood, but any Gentlewoman may take out him. London, Feb. 21. The SPECTATOR. T N° 309 Saturday, February 23. I Di, quibus imperium eft animarum, umbreque filentes, Virg. Æn. 6. ver. 264. Ye realms, yet unreveal'd to human fight, DRYDEN. Have before observed in general, that the perfons whom Milton introduces into his poem always difco. ver such sentiments and behaviour as are in a peculiar manner conformable to their respective characters. Every circumftance in their speeches and actions is with great juftnefs and delicacy adapted to the perfons who fpeak and act. As the poet very much excels in this confiftency of his characters, I fhall beg leave to confider feveral paffages of the second book in this light. That fuperior greatness and mock-majefty, which is afcribed to the prince of the fallen angels, is admirably preferved in the beginning of this book. His opening and clofing the debate: His taking on himself that great enterprise at the thought of which the whole infernal affembly trembled: His encountering the hideous phantom who guarded the gates of hell, and appeared to him in all his terrors; are inftances of that proud and daring mind which could not brook submission even to Omnipotence. Satan was now at hand, and from his feat The d The fame boldness and intrepidity of behaviour dif covers itself in the feveral adventures which he meets with during his paffage through the regions of unformed matter, and particularly in his address to thofe tremendous powers who are defcribed as prefiding over it. The part of Moloc is likewife in all its circumstances full of that fire and fury which distinguish this spirit from the reft of the fallen angels. He is defcribed in the first book as befmeared with the blood of human facrifices, and delighted with the tears of parents and the cries of children. In the fecond book he is marked out as the fierceft fpirit that fought in heaven: "And if we confider the figure which he makes in the fixth book, where the battle of the angels is defcribed, we find it every way answerable to the fame furious enraged character. Where the might of Gabriel fought, It may be worth while to obferve, that Milton has reprefented this violent impetuous fpirit, who is hurried on by fuch precipitate paffions, as the firft that rifes in that affembly, to give his opinion upon their prefent pofture of affairs. Accordingly he declares himself abruptly for war and appears incenfed at his companions, for lofing fo much time as even to deliberate upon it. All his fentiments are rash, audacious, and defperate. Such is that of arming themselves with their tortures, and turning their punishments upon him who inflicted them. -No, let us rather choose, Arm'd with hell flames and fury, all at once Against the tort'rer; when to meet the noise Of his almighty engine he ball hear VOL. IV. L Infernal |