No. 124] THE SPECTATOR. His acquaintance with her by degrees grew of that care which they had bestowed upon L. gaining an heiress of so great a fortune, and No. 124.] Monday, July 23, 1711, would rather have died than attempted it by any indirect methods. Leonilla, who was a woman of the greatest beauty joined with the greatest modesty, entertained at the same time a secret passion for Florio, but conducted herself with so much prudence, that she never gave him the least intimation of it. Florio was now engaged in all those arts and improvements that are proper to raise a man's private fortune, and give him a figure in his country, but secretly tormented with that passion which burns with the greatest fury in a virtuous and noble heart, when he received a sudden summons from Leontine, to repair to him in the country the next day: for it seems Eudoxus was so filled with the report of his son's reputation, that he could no longer withhold making himself known to him. On the contrary, those who publish their The morning after his arrival at the house of his supposed father, Leontine told him that Eudoxus had something of great im- thoughts in distinct sheets, and as it were portance to communicate to him; upon by piece-meal, have none of these advanwhich the good man embraced him and tages. We must immediately fall into our wept. Florio was no sooner arrived at the subject, and treat every part of it in alively great house that stood in his neighbourhood, manner, or our papers are thrown by as but Eudoxus took him by the hand, after dull and insipid. Our matter must lie close the first salutes were over, and conducted together, and either be wholly new in itself, him into his closet. He there opened to or in the turn it receives from our expreshim the whole secret of his parentage and sions. Were the books of our best authors education, concluding after this manner: I thus to be retailed to the public, and every have no other way of acknowledging my page submitted to the taste of forty or fifty gratitude to Leontine, than by marrying thousand readers, I am afraid we should you to his daughter. He shall not lose the complain of many flat expressions, trivial pleasure of being your father by the disco- observations, beaten topics, and common very I have made to you. Leonilla too shall thoughts, which go off very well in the be still my daughter; her filial piety, though lump. At the same time, notwithstanding misplaced, has been so exemplary, that it some papers may be made up of broken deserves the greatest reward I can confer hints and irregular sketches, it is often exupon it. You shall have the pleasure of pected that every sheet should be a kind seeing a great estate fall to you, which you of treatise, and make out in thought what would have lost the relish of, had you it wants in bulk: that a point of humour known yourself born to it. Continue only should be worked up in all its parts; and a to deserve it in the same manner you did subject touched upon in its most essential before you were possessed of it. I have left articles, without the repetitions, tautoloyour mother in the next room. Her heart gies, and enlargements, that are indulged yearns towards you. She is making the to longer labours. The ordinary writers same discoveries to Leonilla which I have of morality prescribe to their readers after made to yourself.' Florio was so over- the Galenic way; their medicines are made whelmed with this profusion of happiness, that he was not able to make a reply, but threw himself down at his father's feet, and amidst a flood of tears, kissed and embraced his knees, asking his blessing, and expressing in dumb show those sentiments of love, duty, and gratitude that were too big for utterance. To conclude, the happy pair were married, and half Eudoxus's estate settled upon them. Leontine and Eudoxus passed the remainder of their lives together; and received in the dutiful and affectionate behaviour of Florio and Leonilla the just recompence, as well as the natural effects up in large quantities. An essay-writer must practise in the chymical method, and give the virtue of a full draught in a few drops. Were all books reduced thus to their quintessence, many a bulky author would make his appearance in a penny paper. There would be scarce such a thing in nature as a folio; the works of an age would be contained on a few shelves; not to mention millions of volumes that would be utterly annihilated. I cannot think that the difficulty of furnishing out separate papers of this nature, has hindered authors from communicating might help the eye of a man, could be of no use to a mole. It is not therefore for the benefit of moles that I publish these my daily essays. their thoughts to the world after such a manner: though I must confess I am amazed that the press should be only made use of in this way by news-writers, and the zealots of parties; as if it were not more advan- But besides such as are moles through tageous to mankind, to be instructed in wis- ignorance, there are others who are moles dom and virtue, than in politics; and to be through envy. As it is said in the Latin made good fathers, husbands, and sons, than proverb, That one man is a wolf to ancounsellors and statesmen. Had the philo- other,' so generally speaking, one author is sophers and great men of antiquity, who a mole to another. It is impossible for them took so much pains in order to instruct man- to discover beauties in one another's works; kind, and leave the world wiser and better they have eyes only for spots and blemishes: than they found it; had they, I say, been they can indeed see the light, as it is said possessed of the art of printing, there is no of the animals which are their namesakes, question but they would have made such but the idea of it is painful to them; they an advantage of it, in dealing out their lec- immediately shut their eyes upon it, and tures to the public. Our common prints withdraw themselves into a wilful obscuwould be of great use were they thus cal-rity. I have already caught two or three culated to diffuse good sense through the of these dark undermining vermin, and inbulk of a people, to clear up their under- tend to make a string of them, in order to standings, animate their minds with virtue, hang them up in one of my papers, as an dissipate the sorrows of a heavy heart, or example to all such voluntary moles. C. unbend the mind from its more severe employments with innocent amusements. When knowledge, instead of being bound Ne, pueri, ne tanta animis assuescite bella, up in books and kept in libraries and re- No. 125.] Tuesday, July 24, 1711. The many letters which come to me from persons of the best sense in both sexes, (for I may pronounce their characters from their way of writing) do not a little encourage me in the prosecution of this my undertaking; besides that my bookseller tells me, the demand for these my papers increases daily. It is at his instance that I shall continue my rural speculations to the end of this month; several having made up separate sets of them, as they have done before of those relating to wit, to operas, to points of morality, or subjects of humour. I am not at all mortified, when sometimes I see my works thrown aside by men of no taste nor learning. There is a kind of heaviness and ignorance that hangs upon the minds of ordinary men, which is too thick for knowledge to break through. Their souls are to be enlightened. -Nox atra cava circumvolat umbra. Virg. Æn. ii. 360. Black night enwraps them in her gloomy shade. To these I must apply the fable of the mole, that after having consulted many oculists for the bettering of his sight, was at last provided with a good pair of spectacles; but upon his endeavouring to make use of them, his mother told him very prudently, 'That spectacles, though they My worthy friend Sir Roger, when we are talking of the malice of parties, very frequently tells us an accident that hap pened to him when he was a school-boy, which was at the time when the feuds ran high between the Round-heads and Cavaliers. This worthy knight, being then but a stripling, had occasion to inquire which was the way to St. Anne's Lane; upon which the person whom he spoke to, instead of answering his question, called him a young popish cur, and asked him who had made Anne a saint? The boy, being in some confusion, inquired of the next he met, which was the way to Anne's Lane; but was called a prick-eared cur for his pains, and instead of being shown the way, was told that she had been a saint before he was born, and would be one after he was hanged. Upon this,' says Sir Roger, I did not think fit to repeat the former questions, but going into every lane of the neighbourhood, asked what they called the name of that lane?" By which ingenious artifice he found out the place he inquired after without giving offence to any party. Sir Roger generally closes this narrative with reflections on the mischief that parties do in the country; how they spoil a good neighbourhood, and make honest gentlemen hate one another; besides that they manifestly tend to the prejudice of the land-tax, and the destruction of the game. There cannot a greater judgment befal a country than such a dreadful spirit of division as rends a government into two THE SPECTATOR. distinct people, and makes them greater strangers and more averse to one another, than if they were actually two different nations. The effects of such a division are pernicious to the last degree, not only with regard to those advantages which they give the common enemy, but to those private evils which they produce in the heart of almost every particular person. This influence is very fatal both to men's morals and their understanding; it sinks the virtue of a nation, and not only so, but destroys even common sense. A furious party spirit, when it rages in its full violence, exerts itself in civil war and bloodshed; and when it is under its greatest restraints naturally breaks out in falsehood, detraction, calumny, and a partial administration of justice. In a word, it fills a nation with spleen and rancour, and extinguishes all the seeds of goodnature, compassion, and humanity. which at present prevails amongst all There is one piece of sophistry practised Plutarch says, very finely, 'that a man should not allow himself to hate even his enemies, because,' says he, 'if you indulge this passion in some occasions, it will rise of itself in others; if you hate your enemies, you will contract such a vicious habit of mind, as by degrees will break out upon those who are your friends, or those who There are certain periods of time in all are indifferent to you.' I might here observe how admirably this precept of governments when this inhuman spirit premorality (which derives the malignity of vails. Italy was long torn to pieces by the hatred from the passion itself, and not from Guelfes and Gibellines, and France by those its object) answers to that great rule which who were for and against the league: but it was dictated, to the world about an hun- is very unhappy for a man to be born in such dred years before this philosopher wrote;* a stormy and tempestuous season. It is the but instead of that, I shall only take notice, restless ambition of artful men that thus with a real grief of heart, that the minds breaks a people into factions, and draws of many good men among us appear several well-meaning persons to their insoured with party-principles, and alienated terest by a specious concern for their counfrom one another in such a manner, as try. How many honest minds are filled seems to me altogether inconsistent with with uncharitable and barbarous notions, the dictates either of reason or religion. out of their zeal for the public good Zeal for a public cause is apt to breed pas- What cruelties and outrages would they sions in the hearts of virtuous persons, to not commit against men of an adverse parwhich the regard of their own private in-ty, whom they would honour and esteem, terest would never have betrayed them. If this party spirit has so ill an effect on our morals, it has likewise a very great one upon our judgments. We often hear a poor insipid paper or pamphlet cried up, and sometimes a noble piece depreciated, by those who are of a different principle from the author. One who is actuated by this spirit is almost under an incapacity of discerning either real blemishes or beauties. A man of merit in a different principle, is like an object seen in two different mediums, that appears crooked or broken, however straight and entire it may be in itself. For this reason there is scarce a person of any figure in England, who does not go by two contrary characters, as opposite to one another as light and darkness. Knowledge and learning suffer in a particular manner from this strange prejudice, if, instead of considering them as they are represented, they knew them as they are? Thus are persons of the greatest probity seduced into shameful errors and prejudices, are made bad men even by that noblest of principles, the love of their country. I cannot here forbear mentioning the famous Spanish proverb, If there were neither fools nor knaves in the world, all people would be of one mind." For my own part I could heartily wish that all honest men would enter into an association, for the support of one another against the endeavours of those whom they ought to look upon as their common enemies, whatsoever side they may belong to. Were there such an honest body of neutral forces, we should never see the worst of men in great figures of life, because they are useful to a party; nor the best unregarded, because they are above practising Viz. by Jesus Christ. See Luke vi, 27-32 &c. those methods which would be grateful to their faction. We should then single every | have been sometimes advanced, and all this criminal out of the herd, and hunt him without any regard to his private interest, down however formidable and overgrown he might appear; on the contrary, we should shelter distressed innocence, and defend virtue, however beset with contempt or ridicule, envy or defamation. In short, we should not any longer regard our fellow-subjects as Whigs or Tories, but should make the man of merit our friend, and the villain our enemy. C. No. 126.] Wednesday, July 25, 1711. would be no small benefactor to his country. I remember to have read in Diodorus Siculus an account of a very active little animal, which I think he calls the ichneumon, that makes it the whole business of his life to break the eggs of the crocodile, which he is always in search after. This instinct is the more remarkable, because the ichneumon never feeds upon the eggs he has broken, nor any other way finds his account in them. Were it not for the incessant labours of this industrious animal, Egypt, says the historian, would be overrun with crocodiles; for the Ægyptians are so far from destroying those pernicious Rutulians, Trojans, are the same to me. Dryden. creatures, that they worship them as gods. In my yesterday's paper I proposed, If we look into the behaviour of ordinary that the honest men of all parties should partizans, we shall find them far from reenter into a kind of association for the de-sembling this disinterested animal; and fence of one another, and the confusion of their common enemies. As it is designed this neutral body should act with regard to nothing but truth and equity, and divest themselves of the little heats and prepossessions that cleave to parties of all kinds, I have prepared for them the following form of an association, which may express their intentions in the most plain and sim-I ple manner. rather acting after the example of the wild Tartars, who are ambitious of destroying a man of the most extraordinary parts and accomplishments, as thinking that upon his decease the same talents, whatever post they qualified him for, enter of course into his destroyer. As in the whole train of my speculations, have endeavoured as much as I am able to extinguish that pernicious spirit of pas'We whose names are hereunto sub- sion and prejudice which rages with the scribed, do solemnly declare, that we do in same violence with all parties, I am still our consciences believe two and two make the more desirous of doing some good in four; and that we shall adjudge any man this particular, because I observe that the whatsoever to be our enemy who endea- spirit of party reigns more in the country vours to persuade us to the contrary. We than in the town. It here contracts a kind are likewise ready to maintain, with the of brutality and rustic fierceness, to which hazard of all that is near and dear to us, men of a politer conversation are wholly that six is less than seven in all times and strangers. It extends itself even to the all places: and that ten will not be more return of the bow and the hat; and at the three years hence than it is at present. same time that the heads of parties preWe do also firmly declare, that it is our serve towards one another an outward show resolution as long as we live to call black of good-breeding, and keep up a perpeblack, and white white. And we shall tual intercourse of civilities, their tools that upon all occasions oppose such persons are dispersed in these outlying parts will that upon any day of the year shall call not so much as mingle together at a cockblack white, or white black, with the ut-match. This humour fills the country most peril of our lives and fortunes.' Were there such a combination of honest men, who without any regard to place would endeavour to extirpate all such furious zealots as would sacrifice one half of their country to the passion and interest of the other; as also such infamous hypocrites, that are for promoting their own advantage under colour of the public good; with all the profligate immoral retainers to each side, that have nothing to recommend them but an implicit submission to their leaders, we should soon see that furious party-spirit extinguished, which may in time expose us to the derision and contempt of all the nations about us. A member of this society that would thus carefully employ himself in making room for merit, by throwing down the worthless and depraved part of mankind from those conspicuous stations of life to which they with several periodical meetings of Whig jockies and Tory fox-hunters; not to mention the innumerable curses, frowns, and whispers it produces at a quarter-sessions. I do not know whether I have observed in any of my former papers, that my friends Sir Roger de Coverley and Sir Andrew Freeport are of different principles, the first of them inclined to the landed and the other to the monied interest. This humour is so moderate in each of them, that it proceeds no farther than to an agreeable raillery, which very often diverts the rest of the club. I find however that the knight is a much stronger Tory in the country than in town, which as he has told me in my ear, is absolutely necessary for the keeping up his interest. In all our journey from London to this house we did not so much as bait at a Whig ign; or if by chance the coachman stopped at a wrong place, one of Sir Roger's servants would ride up to his master full speed, and whisper to him that the master of the house was against such a one in the last election. This often betrayed us into hard beds and bad cheer; for we were not so inquisitive about the inn as the innkeeper; and provided our landlord's principles were sound, did not take any notice of the staleness of his provisions. This I found still the more inconvenient, because the better the host was, the worst generally were his accommodations; the fellow knowing very well that those who were his friends would take up with coarse diet and a hard lodging. For these reasons, all the while I was upon the road I dreaded entering into a house of any one that Sir Roger had applauded for an honest man. coffee, and hear the old knight read Dyer's letters; which he does with his spectacles upon his nose, and in an audible voice, smiling very often at those little strokes of satire, which are so frequent in the writings of that author. I afterwards communicate to the knight such packets as I receive under the quality of Spectator. The following letter chancing to please him more than ordinary, I shall publish it at his request. 'MR. SPECTATOR,-You have diverted the town almost a whole month at the expense of the country, it is now high time that you should give the country their revenge. Since your withdrawing from this place, the fair sex are run into great extravagances. Their petticoats which began Since my stay at Sir Roger's in the coun- to heave and swell before you left us, are try, I daily find more instances of this nar- now blown up into a most enormous conrow party humour. Being upon the bowl- cave, and rise every day more and more. ing-green at a neighbouring market-town In short, sir, since our women know themthe other day, (for that is the place where selves to be out of the eye of the Spectator the gentlemen of one side meet once a week) they will be kept within no compass. You I observed a stranger among them of a bet- praised them a little too soon, for the moter presence and genteeler behaviour than desty of their head-dresses; for as the huordinary; but was much surprised, that not-mour of a sick person is often driven out of withstanding he was a very fair bettor, nobody would take him up. But upon inquiry I found, that he was one who had given a disagreeable vote in a former parliament, for which reason there was not a man upon that bowling-green who would have so much correspondence with him as to win his money of him. Among other instances of this nature, I must not omit one which concerns myself. Will Wimble was the other day relating several strange stories that he had picked up, nobody knows where, of a certain great man; and upon my staring at him, as one that was surprised to hear such things in the country, which had never been so much as whispered in the town, Will stopped short in the thread of his discourse, and after dinner asked my friend Sir Roger in his ear if he was sure that I was not a fanatic. It gives me a serious concern to sce such a spirit of dissention in the country; not only as it destroys virtue and common sense, and renders us in a manner barbarians towards one another, but as it perpetuates our animosities, widens our breaches, and transmits our present passions and prejudices to our posterity. For my own part, I am sometimes afraid that I discover the seeds of a civil war in these our divisions; and therefore cannot but bewail, as in their first principles, the miseries and calamities of our children. C. No. 127.] Thursday, July 26, 1711. Quantum est in rebus inane!-Pers. Sat. i. 1. one limb into another, their superfluity of ornaments, instead of being entirely banished, seems only fallen from their heads upon their lower parts. What they have lost in height they make up in breadth, and, contrary to all rules of architecture, widen the foundations at the same time that they shorten the superstructure. Were they, like Spanish jennets, to impregnate by the wind, they could not have thought on a more proper invention. But as we do not yet hear any particular use in this petticoat, or that it contains any thing more than what was supposed to be in those of scantier make, we are wonderfully at a loss about it. "The women give out, in defence of these wide bottoms, that they are airy, and very proper for the season; but this I look upon to be only a pretence, and a piece of art, for it is well known we have not had a more moderate summer these many years, so that it is certain the heat they complain of cannot be in the weather. Besides I would fain ask these tender constitutioned ladies, why they should require more cooling than their mothers before them. I find several speculative persons are of opinion that our sex has of late years been very saucy, and that the hoop-petticoat is made use of to keep us at a distance. It is most certain that a woman's honour cannot be better intrenched than after this manner, in circle within circle, amidst such a variety of out-works and lines of circumvallation, A female who is thus invested in whalebone, is sufficiently secured against the approaches of an ill-bred fellow, who might as well think of Sir George Etherege's way of making "Love in a Tub," as in the midst of so many hoops. 'Among these various conjectures, there are men of superstitious tempers, who look |
