felves before him, in the Contemplation of our own Worthleffness, and of his tranfcendent Excellency and Perfection. This would imprint in our Minds fuch a conftant and uninterrupted Awe and Veneration as that which I am here recommending, and which is in reality a kind of inceffant Prayer, and reafonable Humiliation of the Soul before him who made it. THIS would effectually kill in us all the little Seeds of Pride, Vanity and Self-conceit, which are apt to fhoot up in the Minds of fuch whofe Thoughts turn more on thofe comparative Advantages which they enjoy over fome of their Fellow-Creatures, than on that infinite Distance which is placed between them and the Supreme Model of all Perfection. It would likewife quicken our Defires and Endeavours of uniting our felves to him by all the Acts of Religi ́on and Virtue. SUCH an habitual Homage to the Supreme Being would, in a particular manner, banish from among us that prevailing Impiety of ufing his Name on the moft trivial occafions. I find the following Paffage in an excellent Sermon, preached at the Fu G 3 neral neral of a Gentleman who was an Honour to his Country, and a more diligent as well as fuccefsful Enquirer into the Works of Nature, than any other our Nation has ever produced. He had the profoundest Veneration for the Great God of Heaven and Earth that I have ever obferved in C any Perfon. The very Name of God was never mentioned by him ' without a Pause and a visible Stop in his Difcourfe; in which, one that knew him moft particularly above twenty Years, has told me, that he was fo exact, that he does not remember to have obferved him once to fail ❝ in it. EVERY one knows the Veneration which was paid by the Jews to a Name fo great, wonderful and holy. They would not let it enter even into their religious Difcourfes. What can we then think of those who make ufe of fo tremendous a Name in the ordinary Expreffions of their Anger, Mirth, and moft impertinent Paffions? Of thofe who admit it into the most familiar Queftions and Affertions, ludicrous Phrafes and Works of Humour? not to mention thofe who violate it by folemn folemn Perjuries? It would be an Af- N° 532. Monday, November 10. ·Fungor vice cotis, acutum Reddere que ferrum_valet,exfors ipfa fecandi I Hor. T is a very honeft Action to be ftudious to produce other Men's Merit; and I make no fcruple of faying I have as much of this Temper as any Man in the World. It would not be a thing to be bragged of, but that it is what any Man may be mafter of who will take pains enough for it. Much Obfervation of the Unwor thinefs in being pained at the Excellence of another, will bring you to a Scorn of your felf for that Unwilling G4 nefs: nefs: And when you have got fo far you will find it a greater Pleasure than you ever before knew, to be zealous in promoting the Fame and Welfare of the Praife-worthy. I do not speak this as pretending to be a mortified self-denying Man, but as one who has turned his Ambition into a right Channel. I claim to my felf the Merit of having extorted excellent Productions from a Perfon of the greatest Abilities, who would not have let them appeared by any other means; to have animated a few young Gentlemen into worthy Purfuits, who will be a Glory to our Age; and at all Times, and by all poffible means in my Power, undermined the Interefts of Ignorance, Vice, and Folly, and attempted to fubftitute in their ftead Learning, Piety, and good Senfe. It is from this honeft Heart that I find my felf honoured as a Gentleman-Ufher to the Arts and Sciences. Mr. Tickell and Mr. Pope have, it feems, this Idea of me. The former has writ me an excellent Paper of Verfes in Praise, forfooth, of my felf; and the other enclofed for my perufal an admirable Poem, which, I hope, will fhortly fee the Light. In the mean time I cannot fup prefs prefs any Thought of his, but infert his Sentiment about the dying Words of Adrian. I won't determine in the Cafe he mentions; but have thus much to fay in favour of his Argument, that many of his own Works which I have feen, convince me that very pretty and very fublime Sentiments may be lodged in the fame Bofom without diminution to its Greatness. Mr. SPECTATOR, I Was the other day in Company with five or fix Men of fome Learning; where chancing to mention the famous Verfes which the Em-peror Adrian fpoke on his Death-bed, they were all agreed that 'twas a Piece of Gayety unworthy that Prince in 'thofe Circumftances. I could not but diffent from this Opinion: Methinks it was by no means a gay, but a very feriousSoliloquy to his Soul at the point of his Departure; in which Senfe I naturally took thefe Verfes at my firft reading them when I was very young, and before I knew what Interpretati on the World generally put upon ⚫ them. |