I fhall conclude this difcourfe with an advantage • mentioned by Quintilian, as accompanying a publick 'way of education, which I have not yet taken notice 'of; namely, That we very often contract fuch friendships at school, as are a service to us all the following parts of our lives.

I shall give you, under this head, a story very well known to feveral perfons, and which you may depend upon as real truth.

Every one, who is acquainted with Westminster'school, knows that there is a curtain which used to be ' drawn across the room, to separate the upper school 'from the lower. A youth happened, by fome mif'chance, to tear the above-mentioned curtain: The feverity of the mafter was too well known for the ⚫ criminal to expect any pardon for fuch a fault; fo that the boy, who was of a meek temper, was terri. 'fied to death at the thoughts of his appearance, when his friend who fat next to him, bade him be of good cheer, for that he would take the fault on 'himself. He kept his word accordingly. As foon as they were grown up to be men, the civil war broke out, in which our two friends took the oppofite fides, one of them followed the Parliament, the other the Royal party.

'As their tempers were different, the youth, who had torn the curtain, endeavoured to raise himself on the civil lift, and the other, who had borne the blame ◄ of it, on the military: The first fucceeded fo well, that he was in a fhort time made a Judge under the Pro'tector. The other was engaged in the unhappy enterprife of Penruddock and Grove in the Weft. I fuppofe, Sir, I need not acquaint you with the event of that undertaking. Every one knows that the Royal • Party was routed, and all the heads of them, among whom was the curtain champion, imprisoned at Exeter. It happened to be his friend's lot at that time to go 'the Western circuit: The trial of the rebels, as they were then called, was very short, and nothing now re'mained but to pass fentence on them; when the Judge "hearing the name of his old friend, and obferving his "face more attentively, which he had not feen for

2

many

many years, asked him, if he was not formerly a Weftminfter fcholar; by the answer, he was foon convinced 'that it was his former generous friend; and, without faying any thing more at that time, made the best of his way to London, where employing all his power and 'intereft with the Protector, he faved his friend from 'the fate of his unhappy affociates.

'The Gentleman, whofe life was thus preferved by 'the gratitude of his fchool-fellow, was afterwards the father of a fon, whom he lived to fee promoted in the church, and who ftill defervedly fills one of the highest 'ftations in it.

N° 314

X

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Friday, February 29.

Tandem define matrem

Tempeftiva fequi viro.

Hor. Od. 23. 1. 1. ver. 11.

CREECH.

Attend thy mother's heels no more,

Now grown mature for man, and ripe for joy.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

:I

་

Feb. 7, 1711-12.

Am a young man about eighteen years of age, and have been in love with a young woman of the fame age about this half year. I go to fee her fix days in the week, but never could have the happi'nefs of being with her alone. If any of her friends are at home the will fee me in their company; but if they be not in the way, fhe flies to her chamber. I can difcover no figns of her averfion; but either a 'fear of falling into the toils of matrimony, or a childish timidity, deprives us of an interview apart, and drives us upon the difficulty of languishing out our lives in fruitlefs expectation. Now Mr. SPECTATOR, if you think us ripe for economy, perfuade the dear creature, ⚫ that to pine away into barrenness and deformity under

⚫ a mother's fhade, is not fo honourable, nor does the ' appear fo amiable, as fhe would in full bloom. [There is a great deal left out before he concludes.]

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Your bumble fervant,

Bob Harmless.

F

must do him the justice to say he is the most knowing infant I have yet met with. He does not, I fear, yet understand, that all he thinks of is another woman; therefore, until he has given a further account of himfelf, the young Lady is hereby directed to keep close to her mother.

The SPECTATOR.

I cannot comply with the request in Mr. Trot's letter; but let it go just as it came to my hands for being fo familiar with the old Gentleman, as rough as he is to him. Since Mr. Tret has an ambition to make him his fatherin-law, he ought to treat him with more refpect; befides his ftile to me might have been more diftant than he has thought fit to afford me: Moreover, his mistress shall continue in her confinement, until he has found out which word in his letter is not rightly fpelt..

Mr. SPECTATOR,

:I

Shall ever own myself your obliged humble fer vant for the advice you gave me concerning my dancing; which unluckily came too late: For, as I faid, I would not leave off capering until I had your opinion ◄ of the matter; I was at our famous affembly the day ⚫ before I received your papers, and there was obferved by an old Gentleman, who was informed I had a re⚫fpect for his daughter; he told me I was an infignificant little fellow, and said that for the future he would take care of his child; fo that he did not doubt but to cross my amorous inclinations. The Lady is confined to her chamber, and for my part I am ready to hang myfelf with the thoughts that I have danced myfelf out of

5

• favour

265 'favour with her father. I hope you will pardon the 'trouble I give; but shall take it for a mighty favour, if you will give me a little more of your advice to put me in a right way to cheat the old dragon and · obtain my miftrefs. I am once more,

York, Feb. 23,

1711-12.

SIR,

your obliged humble fervant,

John Trot.

'Let me defire you to make what alterations you pleafe, and infert this as foon as poffible. Pardon 'mistakes by haste.

I Never do pardon mistakes by haste.

་

་

SIR,

PR

The SPECTATOR.

Feb. 27, 1711-12.

RAY be fo kind as to let me know what you efteem to be the chief qualification of a good poet, especially of one who writes plays; and you will very 'much oblige,

N. B.

SIR, your very humble fervant,

то

be a very well bred man.

The SPECTATOR.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Y OU are to know that I am naturally brave, and love fighting as well as any man in England. "This gallant temper of mine makes me extremely de'lighted with battles on the ftage. I give you this trouble to complain to you, that Nicolini refused to gratify me in that part of the opera for which I have 'moft tafte. I obferve it is become a custom, that whenever any gentlemen are particularly pleafed with a fong, at their crying out Encore or Altro Valto, the performer is fo obliging as to fing it over again. I was at the opera the last time Hydafpes was performed. 'At that part of it where the here engages with the VOL. IV.

lion, the graceful manner with which he put that • terrible monster to death, gave me fo great a pleasure, • and at the same time so just a fenfe of that Gentleman's intrepidity and conduct, that I could not forbear defiring a repetition of it, by crying out Altre Volto, in a very audible voice; and my friends flatter me that I pronounced thofe words with a tolerable good accent, confidering that was but the third opera I had ever seen in my life. Yet, notwithstanding all this, there was fo little regard had to me, that the lion * was carried off, and went to bed, without being killed any more that night. Now, Sir, pray confider • that I did not understand a word of what Mr. Nicolini faid to this cruel creature; befides I have no ear for ⚫ mufick; fo that during the long difpute between them, the whole entertainment I had was from my eyes; Why then have not I as much right to have grace•ful action repeated as another has a pleafing found, fince he only hears as I only fee, and we neither of us know that there is any reasonable thing a doing? Pray, Sir, fettle the bufinefs of this claim in the au⚫dience, and let us know when we may cry Altro Volto, Anglice, again, again, for the future. I am an Englishman, and expect some reason or other to be given me, ⚫ and perhaps an ordinary one may ferve; but I expect your anfwer.

I am, SIR,

your moft bumble fervant,

Toby Rentfree.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Νου. 29ο

OU muft give me leave, amongst the rest of your female correfpondents, to addrefs you about an • affair which has already given you many a fpeculation; and which, I know, I need not tell you has had a very happy influence over the adult part of our fex: But as many of us are either too old to learn, or too obftinate in the purfuit of the vanities, which have been bred up with us from our infancy, and all of us quitting the ftage whilst you are prompting us

' to