adverfity, are alike ungraceful in man that is born to die. Moderation in both circumstances is peculiar to generous minds: Men of that fort ever taste the gratifications of health, and all other advantages of life, as if they were liable to part with them, and when bereft of them, refign them with a greatness of mind which fhews they knew their value and duration. The contempt of pleafure is a certain preparatory for the contempt of pain: Without this the mind is as it were taken fuddenly by an unforefeen event; but he that has always, during health and profperity, been abftinent in his fatisfactions, enjoys, in the worst of difficulties, the reflexion, that his anguifh is not aggravated with the comparison of paft pleafures which upbraid his prefent condition. Tully tells us a ftory after Pompey, which gives us a good tafte of the pleafant manner the men of wit and philofophy had in old times of alleviating the diftreffes of life by the force of reafon and philofophy. Pompey, when he came to Rhodes, had a curiofity to vifit the famous philofopher Poffidonius; but finding him in his fick bed, he bewailed the misfortune that he fhould not hear a difcourfe from him: But you may, anfwered Poffidonius; and immediately entered into the point of ftoical philofophy, which fays pain is not an evil. During the difcourfe, upon every puncture he felt from his distemper, he fmiled and cried out, Pain, Pain, be as impertinent and troublesome as you please, I fhall never own that thou art an evil.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Aving seen in feveral of your papers, a concern for the honour of the clergy, and their doing every thing as becomes their character, and particularly performing the publick service with a due zeal and devotion; I am the more encouraged to lay before them, by your means, feveral expreffions used by fome of them in • their prayers before fermon, which I am not well fatis'fied in: As their giving fome titles and epithets to great • men, which are indeed due to them in their several ranks and ftations, but not properly used, I think, in our prayers. Is it not contradiction to fay, Illuftrious, right reverend, and right honourable poor finners?

Thefe

⚫ These distinctions are fuited only to our ftate here, and have no place in heaven: We fee they are omitted in the liturgy; which I think the clergy should take for their pattern in their own forms of devotion. There is another expreffion which I would not mention, but " that I have heard it several times before a learned congregation, to bring in the laft petition of the prayer in these words, O let not the Lord be angry and I will speak but this once; as if there was no difference between Abraham's interceding for Sodom, for which he had no warrant as we can find, and our asking those things which we are required to pray for; they would therefore have much more reafon to fear his anger if they did not make fuch petitions to him. There is ano· ther pretty fancy: When a young man has a mind to 'let us know who gave him his fcarf, he speaks a pa⚫renthefis to the Almighty, Blefs, as I am in duty bound to pray, the right honourable the Countefs; is not that as much as to fay, Blefs her, for thou knowest I am ' her chaplain ?

T

Your humble fervant,

J. O.

N° 313

Thursday, February 28.

Exigite ut mores teneros ceu police ducat,
Ut fi quis cerâ vultum facit

Juv. Sat. 7. ver. 237.

Bid him befides his daily pains employ,
To form the tender manners of the boy,
And work him, like a waxen babe, with art,
To perfect fymmetry in ev'ry part.

I

CH. DRYDEN.

Shall give the following letter no other recommendation, than by telling my readers that it comes from the fame hand with that of last Thursday.

SIR,

I

Send you, according to my promife, fome farther thoughts on the education of youth, in which I 'intend to difcufs that famous queftion, Whether the education at a publick school, or under a private tutor, is to be preferred?

'As fome of the greatest men in most ages have been * of very different opinions in this matter, I shall give a fhort account of what I think may be beft urged on 'both fides, and afterwards leave every person to deter'mine for himself.

'It is certain from Suetonius, that the Romans thought the education of their children a business properly belonging to the parents themselves; and Plutarch, in the life of Marcus Cato, tells us, that as foon as his ⚫fon was capable of learning, Cato would fuffer no body to teach him but himself, though he had a fervant named Chilo, who was an excellent grammarian, and who taught a great many other youths.

On the contrary, the Greeks feemed more inclined to publick schools and feminaries.

·A

A private education promifes in the first place virtue and good breeding; a publick fchool manly af ⚫ furance, and an early knowledge in the ways of the • world.

Mr. Locke, in his celebrated treatise of education, confeffes that there are inconveniences to be feared on both fides; If, fays he, I keep my fon at home, he is in danger of becoming my young mafter; If I send him abroad, it is fcarce poffible to keep him from the reigning contagion of rudeness and vice. He will perhaps be more innocent at home, but more ignorant of the world, and more sheepis when he comes abroad. However as this learned author afferts, That virtue is much more difficult to be at'tained than knowledge of the world, and that vice is a more stubborn, as well as a more dangerous fault than fheepishness, he is altogether for a private education; and the more fo, because he does not fee why a youth, with right management, might not attain the fame affurance in his father's house, as at a publick fchool. To this end he advises parents to accustom their fons to whatever strange faces come to the house; to take them with them when they vifit their neighbours, and to engage them in converfation with men ' of parts and breeding.

G

It may be objected to this method, that converfation is not the only thing neceffary, but that unless it be a converfation with fuch as are in fome measure their equals in parts and years, there can be no room for emulation, contention, and feveral of the most lively ⚫ paffions of the mind; which, without being sometimes 'moved, by thefe means may poffibly contract a dulness • and infenfibility.

'One of the greatest writers our nation ever produced obferves, That a boy who forms parties, and makes ' himself popular in a school or a college, would act the ⚫ fame part with equal eafe in a fenate or a privy-council; and Mr. Oborne, fpeaking like a man verfed in the ways of the world, affirms that the well laying and carrying on of a defign to rob an orchard, trains up a youth infenfibly to caution, secrecy, and circumspection, and • fits him for matters of greater importance.

In fhort, a private education feems the most natural method for the forming of a virtuous man; a publick education for making a man of bufinefs. The 'firft would furnish out a good fubject for Plato's republick, the latter a member for a community overrun with artifice and corruption.

'It must however be confeffed, that a perfon at the head of a publick school has fometimes fo many boys ' under his direction, that it is impoffible he should extend a due proportion of his care to each of them. This is, however, in reality, the fault of the age, in which we often fee twenty parents, who, though each expects his fon fhould be made a scholar, are not contented all together to make it worth while for any man of a liberal education to take upon him the care of their inftruction.

In our great schools indeed this fault has been of late years reftified, fo that we have at present not only ingenious men for the chief mafters, but fuch as have proper ufhers and affiftants under them. I muft nevertheless own, that for want of the fameen

couragement in the country, we have many a promifing genius fpoiled and abused in thofe little femi

naries.

I am the more inclined to this opinion, having my"felf experienced the ufage of two rural masters, each of them very unfit for the truft they took upon them to difcharge. The first impofed much more upon me than my parts, though none of the weakeft, could endure; and ufed me barbaroufly for not performing impoffibilities. The latter was of quite another temper; and a boy, who would run upon his errands, wash his coffee-pot, or ring the bell, might have as little converfation with any of the clafficks as he thought fit. I have known a lad of this place excufed his exercise for affifting the cook-maid: And remember a neighbouring Gentleman's fon was among us five years, most of which time he employed in airing and watering our mafter's gray pad. I fcorned to compound 'for my faults, by doing any of thefe elegant offices, and was accordingly the beft fcholar, and the, worst ⚫ used of any boy in the school.