tainment of thefe fine obfervers Shakespeare has de • fcribed to confift In talking of the Alps and Apennines, and then concludes with a figh, Now this is worshipful fociety! I would not be thought in all this to hate fuch honeft creatures as dogs; I am only unhappy that I cannot partake in their diverfions. But I love them fo well, as dogs, that I often go with my pockets stuffed with bread to difpenfe my favours, or make my way through them at neighbours houses. There is in particular a young hound of great expectation, vivacity, and enterprize, that attends my flights. wherever he fpies me. This creature obferves my countenance, and behaves himself accordingly. His mirth, his frolic, and joy upon the fight of me has been obferved, and I have been gravely defired not to encourage him fo much, for it fpoils his parts; but I think he fhews them fufficiently in the feveral boundings, frifkings, and fcourings, when he makes his court to me: But I foresee in a little time he and I must keep company with one another only, for we are fit for no other in these parts. Having informed you how I do pafs my time in the country where I am, I must proceed to tell you how I would pass it, had I fuch a fortune as would put me above the ob⚫fervance of ceremony and cuftom. My fcheme of a country life then should be as fol• lows. As I am happy in three or four very agreeable friends, thefe I would conftantly have with me; and the freedom we took with one another at fchool and the univerfity, we would maintain and exert upon all occafions with great courage. There fhould be certain hours of the day to be employed in reading, during which time it fhould be impoffible for any one of us to enter the other's chamber, unless by ftorm. Af. ter this we would communicate the trash or treasure we had met with, with our own reflexions upon the matter; the juftness of which we would controvert with good-humoured warmth, and never fpare one another out of that complaifant fpirit of converfation, ' which makes others affirm and deny the fame matter in a quarter of an hour. If any of the neighbouring ‹ Gentlemen, not of our turn, should take it in their heads to vifit me, I fhould look upon these persons in ⚫ the fame degree enemies to my particular state of happiness, as ever the French were to that of the public, ⚫ and I would be at an annual expence in fpies to ob• ferve their motions. Whenever I should be furprised with a vifit, as I hate drinking, I would be brifk in fwilling bumpers, upon this maxim, that it is better to trouble others with my impertinence, than to be troubled myself with theirs. The neceffity of an infirmary makes me refolve to fall into that project; and as we should be but five, the terrors of an involuntary feparation, which our number cannot fo well < admit of, would make us exert ourselves, in oppofition to all the particulars mentioned in your inftitution of that equitable confinement. This my way of life I know would fubject me to the imputation of a morofe, covetous, and fingular fellow. These and ⚫ all other hard words, with all manner of infipid jests, and all other reproach, would be matter of mirth to me and my friends: Befides, I would destroy the application of the epithets morofe and covetous, by a yearly relief of my undefervedly neceffitous neighbours, and by treating my friends and domestics with an humanity that fhould exprefs the obligation to lie • rather on my fide; and as for the word fingular, I was always of opinion every man must be fo, to be what one would defire him. Your very bumble fervant, Mr.. SPECTATOR, A J. R. BOUT two years ago, I was called upon by the younger part of a country family, by my mother's fide related to me, to visit Mr. Campbell, the dumb man, for they told me that that was chiefly 6. • what what brought them to town, having heard wonders of him in Effex. I who always wanted faith in mat"ters of that kind, was not easily prevailed on to go; but left they fhould take it ill, I went with them; when to my furprize, Mr. Campbell related all their paft life; in fhort, had he not been prevented, fuch. a difcovery would have come out, as would have ruined the next defign of their coming to town, viz. buying wedding clothes. Our names though he never heard of us before-and we endeavoured to conceal were as fàmiliar to him as to ourselves. To be fure, Mr. SPECTATOR, he is a very learned and wife man. Being impatient to know my fortune, having paid my refpects in a family-Jacobus, he told me (after his manner) among feveral other things, that in a year and nine months I fhould fall ill of a "new fever, be given over by my physicians, but should with much difficulty recover: That the first time I took the air afterwards, I fhould be addressed to by a young Gentleman of a plentiful fortune, good fenfe, and a generous fpirit. Mr. SPECTATOR, he is the purest man in the world, for all he faid is come to pafs, and I am the happieft fhe in Kent. I have been in queft of Mr. Campbell these three months, and cannot find him out. Now hearing you are a dumb man too, I thought you might correfpond, and be able to tell me fomething; for I think myself highly obliged to make his fortune, as he has mine. It is very poffible your worship, who has fpies all over this town, can inform me how to fend to him: If you can, I beseech you be as fpeedy as poffible, and you will highly oblige Your conftant reader and admirer, Dulcibella Thankley. Ordered, That the inspector I employ about wonders, inquire at the Golden-Lion, oppofite to the Half-Moon tavern in Drury-Lane, into the merits of this filent fage, and report accordingly. T Thursday, No 475 Thursday, September 4. Quæ res in fe neque confilium, neque modum. Habet ullum, eam confilio regere non potes. Ter. Eun. A&. 1. Sc. 1. Advice is thrown away, where the cafe admits of neither counsel nor moderation. T is an old obfervation, which has been made of politicians who would rather ingratiate themselves with their fovereign, than promote his real fervice, that they accommodate their counfels to his inclinations, and advise him to fuch actions only as his heart is naturally fet upon. The privy-counsellor of one in love muft obferve the fame conduct, unless he would forfeit the friendship of the perfon who defires his advice. I have known feveral odd cafes of this nature. Hipparchus was going to marry a common woman, but being refolved to do nothing without the advice of his friend Philander, he confulted him upon the occafion. Philander told him his mind freely, and reprefented his mistress to him in fuch ftrong colours, that the next morning he received a challenge for his pains, and be fore twelve o'clock was run through the body by the man who had asked his advice. Celia was more prudent on the like occafion; fhe defired Leonilla to give her opinion freely upon a young fellow who made his addreffes to her. Leonilla, to oblige her, told her with great frankness, that he looked upon him as one of the most worthlefs- ·Celia, forefeeing what a character she was to expect, begged her not to go on, for that he had been privately married to him above a fortnight. The truth of it is, a woman feldom asks advice before fhe has bought her wedding clothes, When he has made her own choice, for form's fake the fends a Congé d'elire to her friends. If we look into the fecret fprings and motives that fet people at work on thefe occafions, and put them upon asking afking advice which they never intend to take; I look upon it to be none of the leaft, that they are incapable of keeping a fecret which is fo very pleafing to them. A girl longs to tell her confident, that the hopes to be married in a little time, and, in order to talk of the pretty fellow that dwells fo much in her thoughts, afks her very gravely, what he would advise her to do in a cafe of fo much difficulty. Why elfe fhould Meliffa, who had not a thousand pounds in the world, go into every quarter of the town to ask her acquaintance whe ther they would advise her to take Tom Townly, that made his addreffes to her with an effate of five thousand a year? It is very pleasant on this occafion, to hear the Lady propofe her doubts, and to fee the pains the is at to get over them. I must not here omit a practice which is in ufe among the vainer part of our own sex, who will often ask a friend's advice in relation to a fortune whom they are never like to come at. WILL HONEYCOMBE, who is now on the verge of threefcore, took me afide not long fince, and asked me in his most serious look, whether I would advise him to marry my Lady Betty Single, who, by the way, is one of the greatest fortunes about town. I ftared him full in the face upon fo ftrange a queftion; upon which he immediately gave me an inventory of her jewels and eftate, adding, that he was refolved to do nothing in a matter of fuch confequence without my approbation. Finding he would have an anfwer, I told him, if he could get the Lady's confent he had mine. This is about the tenth match which, to my knowledge, WILL has confulted his friends upon, without ever opening his mind to the party herself. I have been engaged in this fubject by the following letter, which comes to me from fome notable young female fcribe, who, by the contents of it, feems to have carried matters fo far, that fhe is ripe for afking advice; but as I would not lofe her good will, nor forfeit the reputation which I have with her for wifdom, I shall only communicate the letter to the public, without returning any answer to it. Mr. |