fame man who drew the rest of the play. The meeting between Welford and him fhews a wretch without any notion of the dignity of his function; and it is out of all common fenfe that he should give an account of himfelf as one fent four or five miles in a morning on foot for eggs. It is not to be denied, but this part and that of the maid, whom he makes love to, are excellently well performed; but a thing which is blamable in itself, grows ftill more fo by the fuccefs in the execution of it. It is fo mean a thing to gratify a loofe age with a scandalous reprefentation of what is reputable among men, not to fay what is facred, that no beauty, no excellence in an author ought to atone for it; nay fuch excellence is an aggravation of his guilt, and an argument that he errs against the conviction of his own understanding and confcience. Wit should be tried by this rule, and an audience fhould rife against such a scene as throws down the reputation of any thing which the confideration of religion or decency fhould preferve from contempt. But all this evil arifes from this one corruption of mind, that makes men refent offences against their virtue, less than thofe against their underftanding. An author fhall write as if he thought there was not one man of honour or woman of chastity in the houfe, and come off with applaufe: For an infult upon all the ten commandments with the little criticks, is not fo bad as the breach of an unity of time and place. Half wits do not apprehend the miferies that must neceffarily flow from degeneracy of manners; nor do they know that order is the fupport of fociety. Sir Roger and his mistress are monfters of the poet's own forming; the fentiments in both of them are fuch as do not arife in fools of their education. We all know that a filly fcholar, inftead of being below every one he meets with, is apt to be exalted above the rank of fuch as are really his fuperiors: His arrogance is always founded upon particular notions of diftinction in his own head, accompanied with a pedantick fcorn of all fortune and pre-eminence, when compared with his knowledge and learning. This very one character of Sir Roger, as filly as it really is, has done more towards the difparagement of holy orders, and confequently of virtue itfelf, than than all the wit that author or any other could make.up for in the conduct of the longest life after it. I do not pretend, in saying this, to give myfelf airs of more virtue than my neighbours, but affert it from the principles by which mankind must always be governed. Sallies of imagination are to be overlooked, when they are committed out of warmth in the recommendation of what is praife-worthy; but a deliberate advancing of vice, with all the wit in the world, is as ill an action as any that comes before the magiftrate, and ought to be received as fuch by the people. T XX N° 271 Thursday, January 10. Mille trahens varios adverfo fole colores. XX Virg. Æn. 4. ver. 701. Drawing a thousand colours from the light. DRYDEN, Receive a double advantage from the letters of my correfpondents, firft, as they fhew me which of my papers are most acceptable to them; and in the next place as they furnish me with materials for new speculations. Sometimes indeed I do not make use of the letter itself, but form the hints of it into plans of my own invention; fometimes I take the liberty to change the language or thought into my own way of fpeaking and thinking, and always (if it can be done without prejudice to the fenfe) omit the many compliments and applaufes which are ufually beftowed upon me. Befides the two advantages above-mentioned which I receive from the letters that are fent me, they give me an opportunity of lengthening out my paper by the fkilful management of the fubfcribing part at the end of them, which perhaps does not a little conduce to the eafe, both of myself and reader. Some will have it, that I often write to my felf, and am the only punctual correfpondent I have. This objection would indeed be material, were the letters I com municate to the public ftuffed with my own commendations; and if inftead of endeavouring to divert or inftru& my readers, I admired in them the beauty of my own performances. But I fhall leave these wife conjecturers to their own imaginations, and produce the three following letters for the entertainment of the day. 4 a 4 SIR, I Was laft Thursday in an affembly of Ladies, where there were thirteen different coloured hoods. Your Spectator of that day lying upon the table, they or'dered me to read it to them, which I did with a very ' clear voice, until I came to the Greek verse at the end ' of it. I must confefs I was a little flartled at its popping upon me fo unexpectedly. However, I covered my confufion as well as I could, and after having muttered two or three hard words to myself, laughed heartily, and cryed, A very good jeft, faith. The Ladies defired me to explain it to them; but I begged their pardon for that, and told them, that if it had been proper for them to hear, they might be sure the author would not have wrapped it up in Greek. I then let drop feveral expreffions, as if there was fomething in it that was not fit to be spoken before a company of Ladies. Upon which the matron of the affembly, who was dreffed in a cherry-coloured 'hood, commended the difcretion of the writer for having thrown his filthy thoughts into Greek, which was likely to corrupt but few of his readers. At the fame time fhe declared herself very well pleafed, that he had not given a decifive opinion upon the newfashioned hoods; for to tell you truly. fays fhe, I was 'afraid he would have made us afhamed to fhew our heads. Now, Sir, you must know, fince this un 'lucky accident happened to me in a company of La'dies, among whom I paffed for a moft ingenious man, 'I have confulted one who is well verfed in the Greek language, and he affures me upon his word, that your late quotation means no more than that Manners not dress are the ornaments of a woman. If this comes to the knowledge of my female admirers, [ shall be very hard put to it to bring myself off hand 'fomely. fomely. In the mean while, I give you this account, " that you may take care hereafter not to betray any well-wishers into the like inconveniences. It is in the number of these that I beg leave to fub'fcribe myself, of your Mr. SPECTATOR, You Tom Trippit. Our readers are fo well pleafed with your character of Sir ROGER DE COVERLEY, that there appeared a fenfible joy in every coffee-houfe, upon hearing the old Knight was come to town. I am now with a knot of his admirers, who make it their joint request to you, that you would give us publick notice of the window or balcony where the Knight intends to make his appearance. He has already given great fatisfaction to feveral who have seen him at Squire's coffee house. If you think fit to place your 'fhort face at Sir ROGER's left elbow, we shall take the 'hint, and gratefully acknowledge fo great a favour. I am, SIR, SIR, your most devoted humble fervant, C. D. Knowing that you are very inquifitive after every that is curious in nature, I will wait on you if you please in the dufk of the evening, with my bow upon my back, which I carry about with me in a box, as only confifting of a man, a woman, ' and an horfe. The two first are married, in which 'ftate the little cavalier has fo well acquitted himself, that his Lady is with child. The big bellied wo man, and her husband, with their whimsical palfry, are fo very light, that when they are put together into a fcale, an ordinary man may weigh down the whole family. The little man is a bully in his nature; but when he grows cholerick I confine him to his box until his wrath is over, by which means I have hitherto prevented him from doing mischief. His horfe is likewife very vicious, for which reason I am 'forced to tie him clofe to his manger with a pack 'thread. thread. The woman is a coquette. She ftruts as much as it is poffible for a lady of two foot high, and 'would ruin me in filks, were not the quantity that goes to a large pin-cushion fufficient to make her a gown and petticoat. She told me the other day, that The heard the ladies wore coloured hoods, and ordered me to get her one of the finest blue. I am forced to comply with her demands whilst fhe is in her pre⚫ fent condition, being very willing to have more of the fame breed. I do not know what he may produce me, but provided it be a how I thall be very well fa'tisfied. Such novelties fhould not, I think, be con•cealed from the British Spectator; for which reason I • hope you will excufe this prefumption in Great is the injury, and long the tale. Mr. SPECTATOR, T HE occasion of this letter is of fo great im portance, and the circumftances of it fuch, that I know you will but think it just to infert it, in preference of all other matters that can pre• fent themselves to your confideration. I need not, afI have faid this, tell you that I am in love. The ⚫ circumftances of my paffion I shall let you under and.. as well as a difordered mind will admit. That curfed 'pickthank Mrs. Jane! Alas, I am railing by her name as familiarly as if you were ter at one to you acquainted ' with |