Now, Sir, my complaint is this, that I am only made ufe of to ferve a turn, being always difcarded as foon as a proper perfon is found out to fill up my place. 'If you have ever been in the playhoufe before the curtain rifes, you see most of the front-boxes filled with men of my family, who forthwith turn out and refign ⚫ their stations upon the appearance of those for whom they are retained. BUT the most illuftrious branch of the Blanks are thofe who are planted in high pofts till fuch time as perfons of greater confequence can be found out to fupply them. One of those Blanks is equally qualified for all offices; he can serve in time of need for a foldier, a 'politician, a lawyer, or what you pleafe. I have known ' in my time many a brother Blank. that has been born under a lucky planet, heap up great riches, and swell into a man of figure and importance, before the grandees of his party could agree among themselves which of them should step into his place. Nay, I have known a Blank continue fo long in one of thefe vacant posts (for fuch it is to be reckoned all the time a Blank is in it) that he has grown too formidable and dangerous to be removed. 'BUT to return to myfelf. Since I am fo very com'modious a perfon, and fo very neceffary in all well-regulated governments, I defire you will take my cafe into confideration, that I may be no longer made a tool of, and only employed to stop a gap. Such ufage, without a pun, makes me look very blank. For all which reafons I humbly recommend myfelf to your protection, • and am: Your moft obedient fervant, BLANK' · P. S. I herewith fend you a paper, drawn up by a country-attorney employed by two gentlemen, whose names he was not acquainted with, and who did not think fit to let him into the fecret, which they were tranfacting. I heard him call it a blank inftrument, and read it after the following manner. You may fee by this fingle inftance of what ufe I am to the bufy world "I T. Blank, Efq; of Blank town, in the county of "Blank, do own myself indebted in the fum of Blank, "to goodman Blank, for the fervice he did me in procuring for me the goods following, Blank: And I do hereby promise the faid Blank to pay unto him the "faid fum of Blank, on the Blank day of the month of "Blank next enfuing, under the penalty and forfeiture " of Blank." ઃઃ ima I SHALL take time to confider the case of this my ginary correfpondent, and in the mean while fhall prefent my reader with a letter which feems to come from a perfon that is made up of flesh and blood. • Good Mr SPECTATOR, I Aм married to a very honeft gentleman that is exceedingly good-natured, and at the fame time very • choleric. There is no standing before him when he is in a paffion; but as foon as it is over he is the best-hu'moured creature in the world. When he is angry he breaks all my china-ware that chances to lie in his way, • and the next morning fends me in twice as much as he broke the day before. I may pofitively fay, that he has broke me a child's fortune fince we were first married ⚫ together. As foon as he begins to fret, down goes every thing that is within reach of his cane. I once prevailed upon ' him never to carry a stick in his hand, but this faved me nothing; for upon feeing me do fomething that did not please him, he kicked down a great jar, that cost him above ten pounds but the week before. I then laid 'the fragments together in a heap, and gave him his cane again, defiring him, that if he chanced to be in anger, he would spend his paffion upon the china that was broke to his hand; but the very next day, upon my giving a wrong meffage to one of the fervants, he ' flew into such a rage, that he swept down a dozen teadishes, which, to my misfortune, ftood very convenient for a fide-blow. " "I THEN removed all my china into a room which he 'never frequents; but I got nothing by this neither, for 'my looking-glaffes immediately went to rack. IN fhort, Sir, whenever he is in a paffion he is angry at every thing that is brittle; and if on fuch occafions he had nothing to vent his rage upon, I do not know whether my bones would be in fafety. Let me beg of you, Sir, to let me know whether there be any cure for this unaccountable distemper; or if not, that you will be pleased to publish this letter: for my husband having a great veneration for your writings, will by that means ⚫ know you do not approve of his conduct. No. 564. I am, Your most humble fervant, &c.' Wednesday, July 7. -Adfit Regula, peccatis quæ pœnas irroget æquas : Let rules be fix'd that may our rage contain, Creech. T is the work of a philofopher to be every day fubduing his paffions, and laying afide his prejudices. I endeavour at least to look upon men and their actions only as an impartial Spectator, without any regard to them as they happen to advance or crofs my own private intereft. But while I am thus employed myfelf, I cannot help obferving, how thofe about me fuffer themfelves to be blinded by prejudice and inclination, how readily they pronounce on every man's character, which they can give in two words, and make him either good for nothing, or qualified for every thing. On the contrary, thofe who fearch thoroughly into human nature, will find it much more difficult to determine the value of their fellow-creatures, and that mens characters are not thus to be given in general words. There is indeed no fuch thing as a perfon perfon entirely good or bad; virtue and vice are blended and mixed together, in a greater or lefs proportion, in every one; and if you would fearch for fome particular good quality in its moft eminent degree of perfection, you will often find it in a mind, where it is darkened and eclipfed by an hundred other irregular paffions. MEN have either no character at all, fays a celebrated author, or it is that of being inconfiftent with themselves. They find it easier to join extremities, than to be uniform and of a piece. This is finely illustrated in Xenophon's life of Cyrus the Great. That author tells us, that Cyrus having taken a moft beautiful lady named Panthea, the wife of Abradatas, committed her to the custody of Arafpas, a young Perfian nobleman, who had a little before maintained in difcourfe, that a mind truly virtuous was incapable of entertaining an unlawful paffion. young gentleman had not long been in poffeffion of hist fair captive, when a complaint was made to Cyrus, that he not only folicited the lady Panthea to receive him in the room of her absent husband, but that finding his entreaties had no effect, he was preparing to make use of force. Cyrus, who loved the young man, immediately fent for him, and in a gentle manner reprefenting to him his fault, and putting him in mind of his former affertion, the unhappy youth, confounded with a quick fenfe of his guilt and fhame, burft out into a flood of tears, and fpoke as follows. AH Oн Cyrus, I am convinced that I have two fouls. Love has taught me this piece of philofophy. If I had' but one foul, it could not at the fame time pant after virtue and vice, wish and abhor the fame thing. It is certain therefore we have two fouls: when the good foul rules, I undertake noble and virtuous actions; but when "the bad foul predominates, I am forced to do evil. I can fay at prefent is, that I find my good foul, encouraged by your prefence, has got the better of my bad.' I KNOW not whether my readers will allow of this piece of philofophy; but if they will not, they must confefs we meet with as different paffions in one and the fame foul, as can be supposed in two. We can hardly read the life of a great man who lived in former ages, or conVOL. VIII. verfe verfe with any who is eminent among our contemporaries, that is not an instance of what I am faying. BUT as I have hitherto only argued against the partiality and injustice of giving our judgment upon men in grofs, who are fuch a compofition of virtues and vices, of good and evil, I might carry this reflection still farther, and make it extend to most of their actions. If on the one hand, we fairly weighed every circumftance, we should frequently find them obliged to do that action we at first fight condemn, in order to avoid another we should have been much more displeased with. If on the other hand we nicely examined fuch actions as appear more dazzling to the eye, we should find most of them either deficient and lame in feveral parts, produced by a bad ambition, or directed to an ill end. The very fame action may fometimes be fo oddly circumftanced, that it is difficult to determine whether it ought to be rewarded or punished. Those who compiled the laws of England were fo fenfible of this, that they have laid it down as one of their first maxims, It is better fuffering a mischief than an inconvenience;' which is as much as to fay, in other words, that fince no law can take in or provide for all cases, it is better private men should have some injustice done them, than that a public grievance fhould not be redressed. This is ufually pleaded in defence of all thofe hardships which fall on particular perfons in particular occafions, which could not be foreseen when a law was made. To. remedy this however as much as poffible, the court of chancery was erected, which frequently mitigates and breaks the teeth of the common law, in cafe of mens properties, while in criminal cafes there is a power of pardoning ftill lodged in the crown. NOTWITHSTANDING this, it is perhaps impoffible in a large government to distribute rewards and punishments ftrictly proportioned to the merits of every action. The Spartan commonwealth was indeed wonderfully exact in is particular; and I do not remember in all my reading to have met with so nice an example of justice as that recorded by Plutarch, with which I fhall clofe my paper for this day. THE city of Sparta being unexpectedly attacked by a powerful army of Thebans, was in very great danger of falling |