No. 220. Monday, Nov. 12, 1711, 'Mr. SPECTATOR, I am a young Gentleman, and take it for a Piece of Good-breeding to pull off my Hat when I see any thing peculiarly charming in any Woman, whether I know her or not. I take Care that there is nothing ludicrous or arch in my Manner, as if I were to betray a Woman into a Salutation by Way of Jest or Humour; and yet except I am acquainted with her, I find she ever takes it for a Rule, that she is to look upon this Civility and Homage I pay to her supposed Merit, as an Impertinence or Forwardness which she is to observe and neglect. I wish, Sir, you would settle the Business of Salutation; and please to inform me how I shall resist the sudden Impulse I have to be civil to what gives an Idea of Merit; or tell these Creatures how to behave themselves in Return to the Esteem I have for them. My Affairs are such, that your Decision will be a Favour to me, if it be only to save the unnecessary Expence of wearing out my Hat so fast as I do at present. I am, Sir, WHEN Usque ad mala Tuesday, November 13. Ab ovo --Hor, 7HEN I have finished any of my Speculations, it is my Method to consider which of the Ancient Authors have touched upon the Subject that I treat of By this means I meet with some celebrated Thought upon it, or a Thought of my own expressed in better Words, or some Similitude for the Illustration of my Subject. This is what gives Birth to the Motto of a Speculation, which I rather chuse to take out of the Poets than the Prose Writers, as the former generally give a finer Turn to a Thought than the latter, and by couching it in few Words, and in harmonious Numbers, make it No. 221 more portable to the Memory, My Reader is therefore sure to meet with at least one good Line in every Paper, and very often finds his Imagination entertained by a Hint that awakens in his Memory some beautiful Passage of a Classick Author, It was a Saying of an Ancient Philosopher, which I find some of our Writers have ascribed to Queen Eliza beth, who perhaps might have taken occasion to repeat it, That a good Face is a Letter of Recommendation. It naturally makes the Beholders inquisitive into the Person who is the Owner of it, and generally prepossesses them in his Favour. A handsom Motto has the same Effect Besides that, it always gives a Supernumerary Beauty to a Paper, and is sometimes in a manner necessary when the Writer is engaged in what may appear a Paradox to vulgar Minds, as it shews that he is supported by good Authorities, and is not singular in his Opinion. I must confess the Motto is of little use to an unlearned Reader. For which Reason I consider it only as a Word to the Wise. But as for my, unlearned Friends, if they cannot relish the Motto, I take care to make Provision for them in the Body of my Paper, If they do not understand the Sign that is hung out, they know very well by it, that they may meet with Entertainment in the House; and I think I was never better pleased than with a plain Man's Compliment, who upon his Friend's telling him that he would like the Spectator much better if he understood the Motto, replied, That good Wine needs no Bush. I have heard of a couple of Preachers in a Country Town, who endeavoured which should outshine one another, and draw together the greatest Congregation. One of them being well versed in the Fathers, used to quote every now and then a Latin Sentence to his Illiterate Hearers, who it seems found themselves so edified by it, that they flocked in greater Numbers to this Learned Man, than to his Rival The other finding his Congregation mouldering every Sunday, and hearing at length what was the Occasion of it, resolved to give his Parish a little Latin in his turn; but Tuesday, 1711 Nov. 13, 1711 No. 221. but being unacquainted with any of the Fathers, he Tuesday, digested into his Sermons the whole Book of Qua Genus, adding however such Explications to it as he thought might be for the Benefit of his People, He afterwards entered upon As in praesenti, which he converted in the same manner to the Use of his Par ishioners, This in a very little time thickned his Audience, filled his Church, and routed his Antagonist The natural Love to Latín which is so prevalent in our common People, makes me think that my Specula tions fare never the worse among them for that little Scrap which appears at the Head of them; and what the more encourages me in the use of Quotations in an unknown Tongue is, that I hear the Ladies, whose Approbation I value more than that of the whole Learned World, declare themselves in a more particular manner pleas'd with my Greek Mottos. Designing this Day's Work for a Dissertation upon the two Extremities of my Paper, and having already dispatched my Motto, I shall, in the next place, discourse upon those single Capital Letters which are placed at the End of it, and which have afforded great Matter of Speculation to the Curious. I have heard various Con jectures upon this Subject. Some tell us, that C is the Mark of those Papers that are written by the Clergy man, though others ascribe them to the Club in general. That the Papers marked with R were written by my Friend Sir ROGER That L signifies the Lawyer, whom I have described in my Second Speculation; and that T stands for the Trader or Merchant: But the Letter X, which is placed at the End of some few of my Papers is that which has puzled the whole Town, as they cannot think of any Name which begins with that Letter, except Xenophon and Xerxes, who can neither of them be supposed to have had any Hand in these Speculations. In Answer to these inquisitive Gentlemen, who have many of them made Enquiries of me by Letter, I must tell them the Reply of an ancient Philosopher, who carried something hidden under his Cloak. A certain Acquaintance desiring him to let him know what it was he covered covered so carefully; I cover it, says he, on purpose No. 221. that you should not know. I have made use of these Tuesday, Nov. 13, obscure Marks for the same purpose. They are, perhaps, 1711 little Amulets or Charms to preserve the Paper against the Fascination and Malice of Evil Eyes; for which Reason I would not have my Reader surprized, if hereafter he sees any of my Papers marked with a Q, a Z, a Y, an &c, or with the Word Abracadabra. I shall however so far explain my self to the Reader, as to let him know that the Letters C, L and X are Cabalistical, and carry more in them than it is proper for the World to be acquainted with. Those who are versed in the Philosophy of Pythagoras, and swear by the Tetrachtys, that is, the number Four, will know very well that the Number Ten, which is signified by the Letter X, (and which has so much perplexed the Town) has in it many particular Powers; that it is called by Platonick Writers the Compleat Number; that One, Two, Three and Four put together make up the Number Ten; and that Ten is all. But these are not the Mysteries for ordinary Readers to be let into. A Man must have spent many Years in hard Study before he can arrive at the Knowledge of them. We had a Rabbinnical Divine in England, who was Chaplain to the Earl of Essex in Queen Elizabeth's Time, that had an admirable Head for Secrets of this Nature, Upon his taking the Doctor of Divinity's Degree he preached before the University of Cambridge, upon the First Verse of the First Chapter of the First Book of Chronicles, in which, says he, you will see the three following Words, Adam, Sheth, Enosh. He divided this short Text into many Parts, and by discovering several Mysteries in each Word, made a most Learned and Elaborate Discourse, The Name of this profound Preacher was Doctor Alabaster, of whom the Reader may find a more particular Account in Doctor Fuller's Book of English Worthies. This Instance will, I hope, convince my Readers that there may be a great deal of fine Writing in the Capital Letters which bring up No. 221. up the Rear of my Paper, and give them some Satis Tuesday, faction in that Particular. But as for the full Explication Nov, 13, of these Matters, I must refer them to Time, which dis covers all Things. 1711 No. 222, C Wednesday, November 14, -Hor. Cur alter fratrum cessare, & ludere, & ungi, 'Mr. SPECTATOR, Τ HERE is one thing I have often looked for in your Papers, and have as often wonder'd to find my self disappointed; the rather, because I think it a Subject every way agreeable to your Design, and by being left unattempted by others seems reserved as a proper Employment for you: I mean a Disquisition, from whence it proceeds, that Men of the brightest Parts and most comprehensive Genius, compleatly furnished with Talents for any Province in humane Affairs; such as by their wise Lessons of Oeconomy to others have made it evident, that they have the justest Notions of Life and of true Sense in the Conduct of it —; from what unhappy contradictious Cause it proceeds, that Persons thus finished by Nature and by Art should so often fail in the Management of that which they so well understand, and want the Address to make a right Application of their own Rules, This is certainly a prodigious Inconsistency in Behaviour, and makes much such a Figure in Morals as a monstrous Birth in Naturals, with this Difference only, which greatly aggravates the Wonder, that it happens much more frequently; and what a Blemish does it cast upon Wit and Learning in the general Account of the World? and in how dis advantageous a Light does it expose them to the busie Class of Mankind, that there should be so many Instances of Persons who have so conducted their Lives in spite of these transcendent Advantages, as neither to be happy in themselves nor useful to their Friends; when every Body sees it was entirely in their own Power to be eminent in both these Characters? For my Part, I think there |
