tion upon this Matter, which is, That as the Man of Sagacity beftirs himself to diftrefs his Enemy by Methods probable and reducible to Reafon, fo the 'fame Reafon will fortify his Enemy to elude these his regular Efforts; but your Fool projects, acts, and con'cludes with fuch notable Inconfiftence, that no regu 'lar Courfe of Thought can evade or counterplot his • prodigious Machinations. My Frontispiece, I believe, may be extended to imply, that feveral of our Miffortunes arife from Things as well as Perfons, that feem of very little confequence. Into what tragical Extravagancies does Shakespear hurry Othello upon the lofs of an Handkerchief only? and what Barbarities does Desdemona fuffer from a flight Inadvertency in regard to this fatal Trifle? If the Schemes of all the enterprifing Spirits were to be carefully examined, 'fome intervening Accident, not confiderable enough to occafion any Debate upon, or give 'em any Apprehenfion of ill Confequence from it, will be found to be the occafion of their ill Succefs, rather than any Error in Points of Moment and Difficulty, which naturally engag'd their matureft Deliberations. If you go to the Levée of any great Man, you will obferve him exceeding gracious to feveral very infignificant Fellows; and this upon this Maxim, That the Neglect of any • Perfon must arife from the mean Opinion you have of 'his Capacity to do you any Service or Prejudice; and that this calling his Sufficiency in queftion, muft give him Inclination, and where this is, there never wants Strength or Opportunity to annoy you. There is no body fo weak of Invention, that can't aggravate or 'make fome little Stories to vilify his Enemy; and there are very few but have good Inclinations to hear 'em, ' and 'tis infinite Pleasure to the Majority of Mankind ' to level a Perfon fuperior to his Neighbours. Befides ' in all matter of Controversy, that Party which has the greatest Abilities labours under this Prejudice, that he 'will certainly be fuppofed, upon account of his Abilities, to have done an Injury, when perhaps he has ' received one. It would be tedious to enumerate the 'Strokes that Nations and particular Friends have suffered from Perfons very contemptible. ' I think Henry IV. of France, fo formidable to his Neighbours, could no more be fecured against the refolute Villany of Ravillac, than Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, could be against that of Felton. And there is no incens'd Perfon fo deftitute, but can pro⚫vide himself with a Knife or a Piftol, if he finds fomach to apply them. That Things and Perfons of no moment fhould give fuch powerful Revolutions to the progress of thofe of the greateft, feems a providential Difpofition to baffle and abate the Pride of hu'man Sufficiency; as alfo to engage the Humanity and Benevolence of Superiors to all below 'em, by letting ⚫ them into this Secret, that the Stronger depends upon the Weaker. Dear Sir, I I am, Sir, jour very humble Servant. Temple, Paper-Buildings. Received a Letter from you fome time ago, which I fhould have anfwered fooner, had you informed me in yours to what part of this Ifland I might have directed my Impertinence; but having been let into the Knowledge of that Matter, this handfom Excufe is no longer ferviceable. My Neighbour Prettyman thall be the Subject of this Letter; who falling in with the SPECTATOR'S Doctrine concerning the Menth of May, began from that Seafon to dedicate himself to the Service of the Fair in the following manner. I ⚫ obferved at the beginning of the Month he bought him a new Night-gown, either fide to be worn outwards, both equally gorgeous and attractive; but till the end of the Month I did not enter fo fully into the Knowledge of his Contrivance, as the ufe of that Garment has fince fuggested to me. Now you must know that all new Clothes raife and warm the Wearer's Imagination into a Conceit of his being a much finer Gentleman than he was before, banishing all Sobriety and Reflexion, and giving him up to Galantry and Amour. Inflam'd therefore with this way of thinking, and full of the Spirit of the Month of May, did this merciless Youth refolve upon the Bufinefs of Captivating. At first he confin'd himself to his Room only, now and • then then appearing at his Window in his Night gown, and practifing that eafy Pofture which expreffes the very Top and Dignity of Languifhment. It was pleafant to fee him diverfify his Lovelinefs, fometimes obliging the Paffengers only with a Side- Face, with a Book in his Hand; fometimes being fo generous as to expose the whole in the fulness of its Beauty; at the other times, by a judicious throwing back of his Periwig, he " would throw in his Ears. You know he is that fort of Perfon which the Mob call a handfom jolly Man ; which Appearance can't mifs of Captives in this part of the Town. Being emboldened by daily Succefs, he leaves his Room with a Refolution to extend his Conquefts; and I have apprehended him in his Nightgown fmiting in all parts of this Neighbourhood. ་ THIS I, being of an amorous Complexion, faw 'with Indignation, and had Thoughts of purchafing a Wig in thefe Parts; into which, being at a greater 'Distance from the Earth, I might have thrown a very ' liberal Mixture of white Horse-hair, which would make a fairer, and confequently a handfomer Appearance, while my Situation would fecure me against any Dif'coveries. But the Paffion to the handfom Gentleman feems to be fo fixed to that part of the Building, that it ' will be extremely difficult to divert it to mine; fo that 'I am refolved to ftand boldly to the Complexion of my own Eye-brow, and prepare me an immenfe black Wig of the fame fort of Structure with that of my 'Rival. Now, tho' by this I fhall not, perhaps, leffen 'the number of the Admirers of his Complexion, I fhall 'have a fair Chance to divide the Paffengers by the irre'fiftible Force of mine. I expect fudden Difpatches from you, with Advice of the Family you are in now, how to deport myself upon this fo delicate a Conjuncture; with fome com'fortable Refolutions in favour of the handsom black Man against the handfom fair one. I am, S IR, Your most humble Servant. C N. B. He who writ this, is a black Man two Pair of Stairs; the Gentleman of whom he writes, is fair, and one Pair of Stairs. C 4 Mr. Mr. SPECTATOR, I Only fay, that it is impoffible for me to say how much I am Yours, Robin Shorter. P. S. I fhall think it a little hard, if you do not take as much notice of this Epiftle, as you have of the ingenious Mr. Shert's. I am not afraid to let the • World fee which is the Deeper Man of the two. ADVERTISEMENT. WHEREAS a young Woman on horseback, in an Equeftrian Habit, on the 13th Inftant in the Evening met the SPECTATOR within a Mile and an half of this Town, and flying in the Face of Justice, pull'd off her Hat, in which there was a Feather, with the Mien and Air of a young Officer, faying at the fame time, Your Servant Mr. SPEC, or Words to that purpose; This is to give notice, that if any Perfon can difcover the Name, and Place of Abode of the faid Offender, fo as he can be brought to Fuftice, the Informant fall have all fitting Encouragement. N° 486 Wednesday, September 17. Audire eft operæ pretium, procedere rectè T Qui machis non vultis Hor. Sat. 2. 1. 1. v. 38. IMITATED. All you, who think the City ne'er can thrive, Attend Mr SPECTATOR, T POPE HERE are very many of my Acquaintance Followers of Socrates, with more particular regard to that part of his Philofophy which we, among ourfelves, call his Domeftics; under which Denomina ⚫tion, ་ 6 tion, or Title, we include all the Conjugal Joys and Sufferings. We have indeed, with very great Pleasure, obferved the Honour you do the whole Fraternity of the Hen-peck'd, in placing that illuftrious Man at ourHead, and it does in a very great Measure baffle the Rallery of pert Rogues, who have no advantage above us, but in that they are fingle. But when you look about into the Croud of Mankind, you will find the Fair Sex reigns with greater Tyranny over Lovers than Hufbands. You shall hardly meet one in a thousand who is wholly exempt from their Dominion. and those that are fo are capable of no Taste of Life, and breathe and walk about the Earth as Infignificants. But I am going to defire your further Favour in behalf of our harmless Brotherhood, and hope you will fhew in a true light the unmarried Hen peck'd, as well as you have done Justice to us, who fubmit to the Conduct of our Wives. I am very particularly acquainted with one who is under intire Submiffion to a kind Girl, as he 6 calls her; and tho' he knows I have been Witness both to the ill Usage he has receiv'd from her, and his Inability to refift her Tyranny, he ftill pretends to make a Jeft of me for a little more than ordinary Obfequioufnefs to my Spoufe. No longer than Tuesday laft he took me with him to vifit his Miftrefs; and he hav ing, it feems, been a little in difgrace before, thought by bringing me with him fhe would constrain herself, and infenfibly fall into general difcourfe with him and fo he might break the Ice, and fave himself all the ordinary Compunctions and Mortifications fhe used to make him fuffer before she would be reconciled, after any act of Rebellion on his part. When we came into the Room, we were receiv'd with the utmost Coldness; and when he prefented me as Mr. Such a one, his very good Friend, the juft had Patience to fuffer my Saluta. tion; but when he himself, with a very gay Air, of'fered to follow me, fhe gave him a thundering Box on the Ear, called him a pitiful poor-fpirited Wretch, how 'durft he see her Face? His Wig and Hat fell on different parts of the Floor. She feiz'd the Wig too foon ⚫ for him to recover it, and kicking it down Stairs, threw herfelf into an oppofite Room, pulling the Door after |