to learn the thoughts of our most eminent politicians on that occafion.

That I might begin as near the fountain-head as poffible, I first of all called in at St. James's, where I found the whole outward room in a buz of politics. The fpeculations were but very indifferent towards the door, but grew finer as you advanced to the upper end of the room, and were fo very much improved by a knot of theorists, who fat in the inner room, within the fteams of the coffee-pot, that I there heard the whole Spanish monarchy difpofed of, and all the line: of Bourbon provided for in less than a quarter of an

Hour.

I afterwards called in at Giles's, where I faw a board of French gentlemen fitting upon the life and death of their Grand Monarque. Thofe among them who had efpoufed the Whig intereft, very pofitively affirmed, that he departed this life about a week fince, and therefore proceeded without any further delay to the release of their friends in the gallies, and to their own re-establishment; but finding they could not agree among themselves, I proceeded on my intended pro-grefs.

Upon my arrival at Jenny Man's Ifaw an alerte young fellow. that cock'd his hat upon a friend of his who entered juft at the fame time with myself, and accofted. him after the following manner. Well, Jack, the old prig is dead at laft. Sharp's the word. Now or ne ver, boy. Up to the walls of Paris directly. With feveral other deep reflections of the fame nature.

I met with very little variation in the politics between Charing-Crofs and Covent-Garden. And upon my going into Will's, I found their difcourfe was gone: off from the death of the French King to that of Monfieur Boileau, Racine, Corneille, and feveral others poets, whom they regetted on this occafion, as perfons who would have obliged the world with very noble: elegies on the death of fo great a prince, and fo eminent a patron of learning..

At a coffee-house near the Temple, I found a couple of young gentlemen engaged very fmarily in a difpute the fucceffion to the Spanish monarchy, One of

C6

them

them feemed to have been retained as advocate for the Duke of Anjou, the other for his Imperial Majefty. They were both for regulating the title to that kinddom by the ftatute laws of England; but finding them going out of my depth, I paffed forward to St. Paul's church-yard, where I listened with great attention to a learned man who gave the company an account of the deplorable state of France during the minority of the deceafed King.

I then turned on my right hand into Fish-street, where the chief politician of that quarter, upon hearing the news, (after having taken a pipe of tobacco, and ruminated for fome time) If, fays he, the King of France is certainly dead, we fhall have plenty of mackerel this feafon: our fishery will not be disturbed by privateers, as it has been for thefe ten years past. He afterwards confidered how the death of this great man would affect our pilchards, and by feveral other remarks infused a general joy into his whole audience.

I afterwards entered a by-coffee-house that stood at the upper end of a narrow lane, where I met with a Nonjuror, engaged very warmly with a Laceman who was the great fupport of a neighbouring conventicle. The matter in debate was, whether the late French King was moft like Auguftus Cæfar, or Nero. The controverfy was carried on with great heat on both fides, and as each of them looked upon me very frequently during the course of their debate, I was under fome apprehenfion that they would appeal to me, and therefore laid down my penny at the bar, and made the best of my way to Cheapfide.

I here gazed upon the figns for fome time before I found one to my purpofe. The first object I met in the coffee-room, was a perfon who expreffed a great grief for the death of the French King; but upon his explaining himself, I found his forrow did not arise from the lofs of the monarch, but for his having fold out of the Bank about three days before he heard the news of it. Upon which a haberdasher, who was the oracle of the coffee-house, and had his circle of admirers about him, called feveral to witness that he had declared his opinion above a week before, that the French King

was

was certainly dead; to which he added, that confidering the late advices we had received from France, it was impoffible that it could be otherwife. As he was laying thefe together, and dictating to his hearers with great authority, there came in a gentleman from Garraway's, who told us that there were feveral letters from France juft come in, with advice that the King was in good health, and was gone out a hunting the very morning the poft came away: upon which the haberdasher stole off his hat that hung upon a wooden peg by him, and retired to his fhop with great confufion. This intelligence put a stop to my travels, which I had profecuted with fo much fatisfaction; not being a little pleased to hear fo many different opinions upon fo great an event, and to obferve how naturally upon fuch a piece of news every one is apt to confider it with regard to his particular interest and advantage.

* By ADDISON, dated London. See N° 454.

L*

N° 404

Friday, June 13, 1712.

-Non omnia poffumus omnes.

Virg. Ecl. v. 63. With different talents form'd, we varioufly excel.

N

ATURE does nothing in vain the Creator of the universe has appointed every thing to a certain ufe and purpose, and determined it to a fettled course and sphere of action, from which if it in the leaft deviates, it becomes unfit to answer thofe ends for which it was defigned. In like manner it is in the difpofitions of fociety, the civil economy is formed in a chain as well as the natural and in either cafe the breach but of one link puts the whole in fome diforder. It is, I think, pretty plain, that most of the abfurdity and ridicule we meet with in the world, is ge

nerally

nerally owing to the impertinent affectation of excelling in characters men are not fit for, and for which Nature never defigned them.

Every man has one or more qualities which may make him ufeful both to himself and others. Nature never fails of pointing them out, and while the infant continues under her guardianship, fhe brings him on in his way, and then offers herself for a guide in what remains of the journey; if he proceeds in that course, he can hardly miscarry. Nature makes good her engagements; for as he never promises what she is not.. able to perform, fo fhe never fails of performing what the promises. But the misfortune is, men defpife what they may be mafters of, and affect what they are not fit for; they reckon themfelves already poffeffed of what their genius inclined them to, and fo bend all their ambition. to excel in what is out of their reach. Thus they deftroy the use of their natural talents, in the fame manner as covetous men do their quiet and. repofe; they can enjoy no fatisfaction in what they have, because of the abfurd inclination they are pof feffed with for what they have not..

Cleanthes had. good fenfe; a great memory, and a conftitution capable of the clofeit application. In a word, there was no profeffion in which Cleanthes might. not have made a very good figure; but this won't fatisfy him, he takes up an unaccountable fondness for the character of a fine gentleman; all his thoughts are bent upon this instead of attending a diffection, frequenting the courts of justice, or ftudying the fathers, Cleanthes reads plays, dances, dreffes, and fpends his time in drawing-rooms; inftead of being a good lawyer, divine, or phyfician, Cleanthes is a downright: coxcomb, and will remain to all that knew him a contemptible example of talents mifapplied. It is to this affectation the world owes its whole race of coxcombs. Nature in her whole drama never drew fuch a part; fhe has fometimes made a fool, but a coxcomb is al-ways of a man's own making, by applying his talents otherwife than Nature defigned, who ever bears a high refentment for being put out of her courfe, and never fails of taking her revenge on thofe that do fo. Op

pofing her tendency in the application of a man's parts, has the fame fuccefs as declining from her course in the production of vegetables, by the affiftance of art. and an hot-bed. We may poffibly extort an unwilling plant, or an untimely fallad; but how weak, how tastelefs and infipid? Juft as infipid as the poetry of Valerio. Valerio had an univerfal character, was genteel, had learning, thought justly, fpoke correctly; 'was believed there was nothing in which Valerio did not excel; and 'twas fo far true, that there was but one; Valerio had no genius for poetry, yet he's refolved to be a poet; he writes verfes, and takes great pains to convince the town, that Valerio is not that extraordinary perfon he was taken for.

If men would be content to graft upon Nature, and aflift her operations, what mighty effects might we expect? Tully would not stand so much alone in oratory, Virgil in poetry, or Cæfar in war. To build upon Nature, is laying the foundation upon a rock; every thing difpofes itfelf into order as it were of course, and the whole work is half done as foon as undertaken. Cicero's genius inclined him to oratory. Virgil's to follow the train of the mufes; they pioufly obeyed the admonition, and were rewarded. Had Virgil attended the bar, his modeft and ingenuous virtue would furely have made but a very indifferent figure; and Tully's declamatory inclination would have been as useless in poetry. Nature, if left to herself, leads us on in the best course, but will do nothing by compulfion and constraint; and if we are not fatisfied to go her way, we are always the greatest fufferers by it.

Wherever Nature defigns a production, fhe always difpofes feeds proper for it, which are as abfolutely neceffary to the formation of any moral or intellectual excellence, as they are to the being and growth of plants; and I know not by what fate and folly it is, that men are taught not to reckon him equally abfurd that will write verfes in fpite of Nature, with that gardener that should undertake to raise a jonquil or tulip without the help of their respective feeds.

As there is no good or bad quality that does not affect both fexes, fo it is not to be imagined but the fair