Monday, July 5, Magni nominis umbra.-Lucan, SHALL entertain my Reader with two very curious Letters. The first of them comes from a chimerical Person, who I believe never writ to any Body before, 'Sir, I am descended from the ancient Family of the Blanks, a Name well known among all Men of Business. It is always read in those little white Spaces of Writing which want to be filled up, and which for that Reason are called blank Spaces, as of Right appertaining to our Family: For I consider my self as the Lord of a Manor, who lays his Claim to all Wastes or Spots of Ground that are unappro priated. I am a near Kinsman to John a Styles and John a Nokes; and they, I am told, came in with the Con queror. I am mentioned oftener in both Houses of Parliament than any other Person in Great Britain. My Name is written, or more properly speaking, not written, thus, I am one that can turn my Hand to every thing, and appear under any Shape whatsoever. I can make my self Man, Woman, or Child. I am some times metamorphosed into a Year of our Lord, a Day of the Month, or an Hour of the Day, I very often repre sent a Sum of Money, and am generally the first Subsidy that is granted to the Crown. I have now and then supplied the Place of several Thousands of Land Soldiers, and have as frequently been employed in the Sea Service, Now, Sir, my Complaint is this, That I am only made use of to serve a Turn, being always discarded as soon as a proper Person is found out to fill up my Place, If you have ever been in the Play-house before the Curtain rises, you see most of the front Boxes filled with Men of my Family, who forthwith turn out, and resign their Stations upon the Appearance of those for whom they are retained. But the most illustrious Branch of the Blanks are those who are planted in high Posts, 'till such time as Persons 1714. Persons of greater Consequence can be found out to No. 563. supply them. One of these Blanks is equally qualified Monday, for all Offices; he can serve in time of Need for a July 5, Soldier, a Politician, a Lawyer, or what you please. I have known in my Time many a Brother Blank that has been born under a lucky Planet, heap up great Riches, and swell into a Man of Figure and Importance, before the Grandees of his Party could agree among themselves which of them should step into his Place: Nay, I have known a Blank continue so long in one of these vacant Posts (for such it is to be reckoned all the Time a Blank is in it), that he has grown too formidable and dangerous to be removed, But to return to my self. Since I am so very com modious a Person, and so very necessary in all wellregulated Governments, I desire you will take my Case into Consideration, that I may be no longer made a Tool of, and only employed to stop a Gap, Such Usage, without a Pun, makes me look very blank, For all which Reasons I humbly recommend my self to your Protection, and am Your most obedient Servant, Blank, P. S. I herewith send you a Paper, drawn up by a Country-Attorney employed by two Gentlemen, whose Names he was not acquainted with, and who did not think fit to let him into the Secret which they were transacting. I heard him call it a Blank Instrument, and read it after the following Manner. You may see by this single Instance of what Use I am to the busy World, I T. Blank, Esq., of Blank Town, in the County of Blank, do own my self indebted in the Sum of Blank to Goodman Blank, for the Service he did me in pro curing for me the Goods following, Blank: And I do hereby promíse the said Blank to pay unto him the said Sum of Blank, on the Blank Day of the Month of Blank next ensuing, under the Penalty and Forfeiture of Blank,' I shall take Time to consider the Case of this my imaginary Correspondent, and in the mean while shaft present No. 563, present my Reader with a Letter which seems to come 1714. 'Good Mr. SPECTATOR, I am married to a very honest Gentleman that is exceedingly good-natured, and at the same time very cholerick. There is no standing before him when he is in a Passion; but as soon as it is over he is the best-humour'd Creature in the World, When he is angry, he breaks all my China Ware that chances to lie in his Way, and the next Morning sends me in twice as much as he broke the Day before. I may positively say, that he has broke me a Child's Fortune since we were first marry'd together, As soon as he begins to fret, down goes every thing that is within Reach of his Cane, I once prevailed upon him never to carry a Stick in his Hand, but this saved me nothing; for upon seeing me do something that did not please him, he kick'd down a great Jarr, that cost him above Ten Pound but the Week before. I then laid the Fragments together in a Heap, and gave him his Cane again, desiring him that if he chanced to be in Anger, he would spend his Passion upon the China that was broke to his Hand: But the very next Day upon my giving a wrong Message to one of the Servants, he flew into such a Rage, that he swept down a Dozen Tea-Dishes, which, to my Misfortune, stood very convenient for a Side-Blow, I then removed all my China into a Room which he never frequents; but I got nothing by this neither, for my Looking-Glasses immediately went to Rack, In short, Sir, whenever he is in a Passion he is angry at every thing that is brittle; and if on such Occasions he had nothing to vent his Rage upon, I do not know whether my Bones would be in Safety, Let me beg of you, Sir, to let me know whether there be any Cure for this unac countable Distemper; or if not, that you will be pleased to publish this Letter: For my Husband having a great Veneration for your Writings, will by that Means know you do not approve of his Conduct, I am, Your most humble Servant, &c,' No. 564. IT No. 564. Wednes July 7, 1714. Wednesday, July 7, day, -Adsit Regula, peccatis quae poenas irroget aequas: Ne scutica dignum horribili sectere flagello-Hor. T is the Work of a Philosopher to be every Day subduing his Passions, and laying aside his Prejudices. I endeavour at least to look upon Men and their Actions only as an impartial Spectator, without any Regard to them as they happen to advance or cross my own private Interest. But while I am thus employed my self, I cannot help observing, how those about me suffer themselves to be blinded by Prejudice and Inclination, how readily they pronounce on every Man's Character, which they can give in two Words, and make him either good for nothing, or qualified for every thing. On the contrary, those who search thoroughly into humane Nature, will find it much more difficult to determine the Value of their Fellow. Creatures, and that Men's Characters, are not thus to be given in general Words. There is indeed no such thing as a Person entirely good or bad; Virtue and Vice are blended and mixed together, in a greater or less Propor tion, in every one; and if you would search for some particular good Quality in its most eminent Degree of Perfection, you will often find it in a Mind, where it is darkened and eclipsed by an hundred other irregular Passions, Men have either no Character at all, says a celebrated Author, or it is that of being inconsistent with themselves. They find it easier to join Extremities, than to be uniform and of a Piece, This is finely illustrated in Xenophon's Life of Cyrus the Great. That Author tells us, That Cyrus having taken a most beautiful Lady, named Panthea, the Wife of Abradatas, committed her to the Custody of Araspas, a young Persian Nobleman, who had a little before maintained in Discourse, That a Mind truly virtuous was incapable of entertaining an unlawful Passion. The young Gentleman had not long been in Possession of his fair Captive, when a Complaint was made to Cyrus, that he not only sollicited the Lady Panthea to receive him in the ༔ day, July 7, 1714. No. 564, the Room of her absent Husband, but that finding his Wednes Entreaties had no Effect, he was preparing to make use of Force. Cyrus, who loved the young Man, immediately sent for him, and in a gentle Manner representing to him his Fault, and putting him in mind of his former Asser tion, the unhappy Youth, confounded with a quick Sense of his Guilt and Shame, burst out into a Flood of Tears, and spoke as follows, Oh Cyrus, I am convinced that I have two Souls. Love has taught me this Piece of Philosophy, If I had but one Soul, it could not at the same time pant after Virtue and Vice, wish and abhor the same thing. It is certain therefore we have two Souls: When the good Soul rules, I undertake noble and virtuous Actions; but when the bad Soul predominates, I am forced to do Evil. All I can say at present is, that I find my good Soul, encouraged by your Presence, has got the Better of my bad, my I know not whether my Readers will allow of this Piece of Philosophy; but if they will not, they must confess we meet with as different Passions in one and the same Soul, as can be supposed in two. We can hardly read the Life of a great Man who lived in former Ages, or converse with any who is eminent among our Contemporaries, that is not an Instance of what I am saying. But as I have hitherto only argued against the Parti ality and Injustice of giving our Judgment upon Men in gross, who are such a Composition of Virtues and Vices, of Good and Evil; I might carry this Reflection still farther, and make it extend to most of their Actions, If, on the one Hand, we fairly weighed every Circumstance, we should frequently find them obliged to do that Action we at first Sight condemn, in order to avoid another we should have been much more displeased with. If on the other Hand we nicely examined such Actions as appear most dazzling to the Eye, we should find most of them either deficient and lame in several Parts, produced by a bad Ambition, or directed to an ill End. The very same Action may sometimes be so oddly circumstanced, that it is difficult to determine whether it ought to be rewarded or |