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⚫ moft generous Affection, replied, No, Seneca, faid fhe, I am not a Woman to fuffer you to go alone in fuch a Neceffity. I will not have you think that the virtuous Examples of your Life liave not yet taught me how to die; and when can I ever better or more. decently do it, or more to my own Defire, than with you! and therefore affure your felf I will go along with you.

MY Paulina, replied the Sage, I have fufficiently • inftructed thee in what will ferve thee happily to live,, but thou more coveteft, I fee, the Honour of dying; in ⚫ truth I will not grudge it thee: The Conftancy and Re⚫ folution in our common End are the fame, but the Beauty and Glory of thy Part is much greater.

"I will not dwell upon the difmal Scene; their Chirurgeons open'd both their Veins, that they might bleed. to Death together. They could neither, though their own Pain was nothing, bear the Sight of each other. He prevail'd upon her, therefore, to withdraw to her. • Chamber. The old Man's Veins being fhrunk, did not bleed out Life faft enough; he therefore took from his Phyfician, Statius Anneus, a Draught of Poison, but by too much Effufion of Blood, the Paffage was too cold to carry the Operation to his Heart, he was therefore put in a Hot-Bath to haften it, and washing • his Head in the bloody Water, he expired with these Words in his Mouth, This Sacrifice I offer to thee, O Jupiter.

IN the mean time, Nero, having notice of it, fent out of a political Fear, to fave Paulina. The MeffenIger found her half dead, but she ever wore the Mark of her Good-will in the Palenefs of her Complexion.

I am ftruck with equal Admiration of both theirLoves,. when I fee an old Philofopher of his Humour bravely live for a young Wife, and when I behold a young Woman of a tender Heart fo defirous to die, and dying for an old Husband. This is indeed an Example for the Marry'd, but when will they follow it?

Friday,

N° 692. Friday, July 25.

Dulce eft defipere in loco.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Hor.

AVING the Curiofity to vifit the University of

H Cambridge, of which I was formerly a Member,

to pay my laft Respects to that once most beloved Place, the most famous for its ancient and well-endow'd Foundations and magnificent Structures, and most ceJebrated for the Education of many great Men, perhaps of any in the whole World: I was furpris'd to find the Students, at their Hours of Diverfion, which now are generally from twelve o'clock to five in the Afternoon, befides the Evenings, and fometimes I believe almost all the Morning, ufing fuch ridiculous and childish Exercifes, as they would have been afham'd of at School. In my Time you might meet them walking foberly in the Fields and Meadows; meditating on the Works of Providence, infpecting the Variety which appears in every Species of Flowers and Herbs, and observing their Qualities, whether delightful to the Eye, or pleafing to the Tafte or Smell; or laftly, curioufly inquiring into the Beauties of every particular Stone, its Colour, its Figure, its Properties; admiring in them the imperfect Productions of Nature, whilft fhe intimates in fome, the Shells of Fishes, in others Geometrical Figures, the Spherical, the Triangular, &c. We had none of those which are now their favourite Sports, as Chuck-farthing, Hat-fhilling, and Buffetting one another with their Gownfleeves, for which I think the Jonians are most eminent: You might fee the grave Fellows, playing at Bowls, without twifting their agile Bodies into a thousand antick Poftures at every Determination of the Bowl; without any of those Exclamations, of fly, fly, rub, rub, or any of thofe Hyperboles, which are used at every Caft, if the Bowl goes a little narrow, or fhort, or wide. In short,

every thing concurred, to my great Diffatisfaction, to warn me from that Delight which I once took there, and from envying any more their Case and Felicity.

Philo Cenforius.

Confefs I am very much amazed to find thefe Complaints in a Letter from one who had formerly been a Member of that Univerfity; I know the Country People, who imagine that every one who wears a Gown, tho' he has not feen twenty Years, must be as grave and demure as their Country Parfon, are often offended to fee them so very wild, as they are pleased to call it, when they come to Sturbridge-Fair, or any publick Commencement: And I am afraid this Gentleman has been fo inured to an obfcure fedentary Life, that he cannot relish any thing elfe, otherwise, perhaps, if he would look back into his past Life, he might find, that he himfelf had once eagerly promoted thole childish Exercises he fo much inveighs againft; however it be, I am sure he may reasonably be accused of too much Severity. It is certain, the more one drinks of Folly, the more it intoxicateth; and it is as certain, that those Habits, which would difgrace our Manhood, are never too soon caft off: But feeing an old Head is rarely feen upon a young. Pair of Shoulders, and the greatest part of these Societies confifts in Perfons fcarce come to Maturity, it is very reafonable to find fome feeming Extravagancies of Youth, when the Blood is agitated in its circular Motion, with the greatest Violence, by a redundant Plenty of Spirits, playing in wild Disorder, fcorning all Refiftance, like Vapours fpringing up from the teeming Earth, at the Diffufion of attractive Heat; befides, the Mind of Man requires fome Intervals, fome Intermiffions, from its moft difficult Tasks; for an uniterrrupted Employment of our intellectual Faculties in intricate and obfcure Studies, is as great a Fatigue to the Soul, as inceffant Labour to the Body. What Course then must we take for the Refreshment of our Minds? To turn from the Contemplation of one Object to the Contemplation of another, may, by the Variety of our Thoughts, alleviate in fome measure, the Fatigue of Thinking, but not wholly remove it; Surely it is a much greater Pleasure to a Man, wearied out with Toil and

La

Labour, to fit down, after the Body has perform'd its Duty, and exercise his Mind in Reading and Meditating, than to return again, though to a different Work, that requires the bodily Pains; from whence we may conclude, that the Body and Soul are happily constituted for the mutual Affiftance of each other's Miseries, and confequently, one ought to be apply'd to for the Refreshment of the other: However were it not fo, there would be no Neceffity to lay that Reftraint upon our Behaviour, as to be always guarded against every thing that is jocofe, or comical? or, in a word, not serious, and speak little, and that without an overbearing Aufterity; let these Beggars in Knowledge ufe Tricks and Stratagems to maintain the Credit of their Sufficiency; let their Silence proclaim them wife, and their abrupt Paradoxes feem Myfteries in Philofophy. Where true Wisdom and found Judgment are naturally implanted, a forced Severity favours too much of Popularity and the Defire of Applaufe, like putting a Veil over a modest Face. The Scipio's the Scavola's, amidst all their Aufterity and Reservedness of Temper, would fometimes refolve their contracted Brows, into the most pleasant courteous Afpect, and be as entertaining in their Converfation, as the gayeft Wits of Rome. The Cafe, indeed, is fomewhat altered, and every one that is confpicuous for Birth, or Learning, or Virtue, must be more grave, perhaps, than is neceffary to fatisfy the World, which is grown more cenforious, but very little wiser, in its declining Age, than it was in its Infancy: Hard Fate! that an Eminency in our Profession must exclude us from all Pretences to Good-manners, or what they modeftly call Breeding; that a careless Mien, and easy Addrefs fhould be at once accounted the distinguishing Character of a Gentleman, and forbidden to every one who defires to recommend himself to the World.

IT may not, perhaps, be amifs to infert a Letter to the fame purpose with the former, but very remarkable for its Simplicity, from a Grafier to his Son, a Student in the University of Cambridge.

Dear Son,

I

Muft tell you plainly, that we hear ftrange things of you Cambridge-Scholars; how that you go to

• every

every Puppet-Show, and to every Pofture-Mafter, or High German Artift, that can fhew you any Legerdemain Tricks; and that you strive more, who can throw the Bar fartheft, or who can run fastest at Foot-ball, than who can read moft Books; one would think that you should have left off all fuch Fiddle-cum-faddle Tricks by now: I promise you, Boy, if I find you at thefe Sports, when I come to fee you, you fhall change your Quarters; for you may learn as much at Home, and fave me many a Pound.

Farewel

N 693.

B

Monday June 28.

·Honos erit huic quoque pomo.

Virg.

EING the other Day with a young Nephew of mine, who hath at prefent intangled himself in a little Chancery Suit, and is fetting Matters right for his Marriage; his Advocate, who has Chambers in Simmons's-Inn, exprefs'd his great Defires, when Bufinefs was over, to entertain and refresh us with a Glass of fomething or another, but he would have the old Gentleman name what it fhould be; and whether I liked French or Port the beft, was the next Question. I told him, if there was any good Cider near, that a Glass of it would be more acceptable and relishing to me, and added, that I thought the Juice flowing from the Fruits which flourish in our own Climate, might be, tho' not quite fo wealthy, yet more healthful and more adapted to the Conftitution of Inhabitants of this Island, than any thing of foreign Growth. He fmiled, and told me, he was glad he could accommodate me beft, with what I liked beft; he called in his Clerk, who was by far a more fpruce-dreft Gentleman than his Mafter. Tom, fays he, I know that as neat and as nice a Gen