Obrázky stránek
PDF
ePub
[blocks in formation]

HAD occafion to go a few miles out of town, fome

I days aftage-coach, where it of tor

days fince, in a stage-coach, where I had for my fellow-travellers a dirty beau, and a pretty young Quakerwoman. Having no inclination to talk much at that time, I placed myself backward, with a defign to furvey them, and pick a fpeculation out of my two companions. Their different figures were fufficient of themselves to draw my attention. The gentleman was dreffed in a fuit, the ground whereof had been black, as I perceived from fome few fpaces that had escaped the powder, which was incorporated with the greatest part of his coat: his periwig, which coft no small fum, was after fo flovenly a manner caft over his shoulders, that it seemed not to have been combed fince the year 1712; his linnen, which was not much concealed, was daubed with plain Spanish from the chin to the lowest button, and the diamond upon his finger (which naturally dreaded the water) put me in mind how it fparkled amidst the rubbish of the mine, where it was first difcovered. On the other hand, the pretty Quaker appeared in all the elegance of cleanlinefs. Not a fpeck was to be found on her. A clear clean oval face, juft edged about with little thin plaits of the pureft cambric, received-great advantages from the fhade of her black hood; as did the whitenefs of her arms from that fober-coloured stuff, in which she had clothed herfelf. The plainnefs of her dress was very well fuited to the fimplicity of her phrases, all which put together, though they could not give me a great opinion of her religion, they did of her innocence.

THIS adventure occafioned my throwing together a few hints upon cleanliness, which I fhall confider` as one of the half-virtues, as Ariftotle calls them, and shall recommend it under the three following heads. As it is a mark of politenefs; as it produces love; and as it bears analogy to purity of mind,

FIRST, It is a mark of politenefs. It is univerfally agreed upon, that no one, unadorned with this virtue, can go into company without giving a manifest offence. The eafier or higher any one's fortune is, this duty rifes proportionably. The different nations of the world are as much diftinguished by their cleanliness, as by their arts and fciences. The more any country is civilized, the more they confult this part of politenefs. We need but compare our ideas of a female Hottentot, and an English beauty, to be fatisfied of the truth of what hath been advanced.

In the next place, cleanliness may be faid to be the fofter-mother of love. Beauty indeed moft commonly produces that paffion in the mind, but cleanliness preferves it. An indifferent face and person, kept in perpetual neatness, hath won many a heart from a pretty flattern. Age itself is not unamiable, while it is preferved clean and unfullied; like a piece of metal conftantly kept fmooth and bright, we look on it with more pleasure than on a new veffel that is cankered with ruft.

I MIGHT obferve further, that as cleanliness renders us agreeable to others, fo it makes us eafy to ourselves; that it is an excellent prefervative of health; and that feveral vices, deftructive both to mind and body, are inconfiftent with the habit of it. But thefe reflections I fhall leave to the leifure of my readers, and fhall obferve in the third place, that it bears a great analogy with purity of mind, and naturally infpires refined fentiments and paffions.

WE find from experience, that through the prevalence of cuftom, the most vicious actions lofe their horror, by being made familiar to us. On the contrary, thofe who live in the neighbourhood of good examples, fly from the first appearance of what is fhocking. It fares with us

much after the fame manner, as to our ideas. Our fenfes, which are the inlets to all the images conveyed to the mind, can only tranfmit the impreffion of fuch things as ufually furround them. So that pure and unfullied thoughts are naturally fuggefted to the mind, by thofe objects that perpetually encompafs us, when they are beautiful and elegant in their kind.

In the Eaft, where the warmth of the climate makes cleanlinefs more immediately neceffary than in colder counaries, it is made one part of their religion: the Jewish

law

law (and the Mahometan, which in fome things copies after it) is filled with bathings, purifications, and other rites of the like nature. Though there is the above-named convenient reafon to be affigned for these ceremonies, the chief intention undoubtedly was to typify inward purity and cleannefs of heart by thofe outward washings. We read several injunctions of this kind in the book of Deuteronomy, which confirm this truth; and which are but ill accounted for by faying, as fome do, that they were only inftituted for convenience in the defart, which otherwife could not have been habitable for fo many years.

I SHALL conclude this effay, with a story which I have fomewhere read in an account of Mahometan fuperftitions. A DERVISE of great fanctity one morning had the miffortune as he took up a crystal cup, which was confecrated to the prophet, to let it fall upon the ground, and dafh it in pieces. His fon coming in, fometime after, he ftretched out his hands to blefs him, as his manner was every morning; but the youth going out ftumbled over the threshold and broke his arm. As the old man wondered at these events, a caravan passed by in its way from Месса. The Dervife approached it to beg a bleffing; but as he stroked one of the holy camels, he received a kick from the beaft, that forely bruifed him. His forrow and amazement increased upon him, till he recollected, that through hurry and inadvertency he had that morning come abroad without washing his hands.

N° 632.

Monday, December 13.

-Explebo numerum, reddarque tenebris.

Virg. Æn. 6. v. 545

-The number I'll complete,

Then to obfcurity well pleas'd retreat.

TH

HE love of fymmetry and order, which is natural to the mind of man, betrays him fometimes into very whimfical fancies. This noble principle,' fays a French author, loves to amuse itself on the most trifling occa*fions. You may fee a profound philofopher,' fays he,

[ocr errors]

walk

[ocr errors]

⚫ walk for an hour together in his chamber, and industriously treading, at every step, upon every other board ' in the flooring.' Every reader will recollect feveral inftances of this nature without my affistance. I think it was Gregorio Leti, who had published as many books as he was years old; which was a rule he had laid down, and punctually obferved to the year of his death. It was, perhaps, a thought of the like nature, which determined Homer himself to divide each of his poems into as many books as there are letters in the Greek alphabet. Herodotus has in the fame manner adapted his books to the number of the mufes, for which reafon many a learned man hath wifhed there had been more than nine of that fifterhood.

SEVERAL epic poets have religiously followed Virgil as to the number of his books; and even Milton is thought by many to have changed the number of his books from ten to twelve, for no other reafon; as Cowley tells us, it was his defign, had he finished his Davedeis, to have also imitated the Eneid in this particular. I believe every one will agree with me, that a perfection of this nature hath no foundation in reafon; and, with due refpect to these great names, may be looked upon as fomething whimsical.

I MENTION thefe great examples in defence of my bookfeller, who occafioned this eighth volume of Spectators, because, as he faid, he thought feven a very odd number. On the other fide, feveral grave reasons were urged on this important fubject; as, in particular, that feven was the precife number of the wife men, and that the most beautiful conftellation in the heavens was compofed of feven ftars. This he allowed to be true, but ftill infifted that feven was an odd number: fuggesting at the fame time that if he were provided with a fufficient flock of leading papers, he fhould find friends ready enough to carry on the work. Having by this means got his veffel launched and fet afloat, he hath committed the fteerage of it, from time to time, to fuch as he thought capable of conducting it.

THE clofe of this volume, which the town may now expect in a little time, may poffibly afcribe each fheet to its proper author.

IT were no hard task to continue this paper a confider

able

able time longer, by the help of large contributions fent from unknown hands.

I CANNOT give the town a better opinion of the Spectator's correfpondents, than by publishing the following letter, with a very fine copy of verfes upon a fubject perfectly new.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Mr SPECTATOR,

Dublin, Nov. 30. 1714.

O U lately recommended to your female readers the good old cuftom of their grandmothers, who used to lay out a great part of their time in needle-work: I • entirely agree with you in your fentiments, and think it 'would not be of less advantage to themselves, and their 'pofterity, than to the reputation of many of their good neighbours, if they paft many of those hours in this innocent entertainment, which are loft at the tea-table. I 'would, however, humbly offer to your confideration the cafe of the poetical ladies; who, though they may be 'willing to take any advice given them by the Spectator, 6. yet can't fo eafily quit their pen and ink, as you may imagine. Pray allow them, at least now and then, to indulge themselves in other amusements of fancy, when they are tired with stooping to their tapestry. There is a very particular kind of work, which of late feveral la'dies here in our kingdom are very fond of, which feems very well adapted to a poetical genius: it is the making of grottos. I know a lady who has a very beautiful one, compofed by herself, nor is there one fhell in it not stuck up by her own hands. I here fend you a poem to the fair architect, which I would not offer to herself, till I knew whether this method of a lady's paffing her time were approved of by the British Spectator, which, with 'the poem, I fubmit to your cenfure, who am,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Your conftant reader,

To Mrs

and humble fervant,

A. B.'

-on her grotto.

A grotto fo complete, with fuch defign,

What hands, Calypfo, cou'd have form'd but thine?

Each

« PředchozíPokračovat »