N° 215. Tuesday, November 6. I •Ingenuas didiciffe fideliter artes Emollit mores, nec finit effe feros. Ov. Confider an human Soul without Education like Marble in the Quarry, which fhews none of its inherent Beauties, till the Skill of the Polisher fetches out the Colours, makes the Surface shine, and discovers every ornamental Cloud, Spot and Vein that runs thro' the Body of it. Education, after the fame Manner, when it works upon a noble Mind, draws out to View every latent Vir tue and Perfection, which without fuch Helps are never able to make their Appearance. IF my Reader will give me Leave to change the Allufion fo foon upon him, I fhall make Ufe of the fame Inftance to illuftrate the Force of Education, which Arifotle has brought to explain his Doctrine of Substantial Forms, when he tells us that a Statue lies hid in a Block of Marble; and that the Art of the Statuary only clears away the fuperfluous Matter, and removes the Rubbish. The Figure is in the Stone, the Sculptor only finds it. What Sculpture is to a Block of Marble, Education is to an humane Soul. The Philofopher, the Saint, or the Hero, the Wife, the Good or the Great Man, very often lie hid and conceal'd in a Plebeian, which a proper Education might have dif-interred, and have brought to Light. I am therefore much delighted with reading the Accounts of Savage Nations, and with contemplating thofe Virtues which are wild and uncultivated; to fee Courage exerting it felf in Fiercenefs, Refolution in Obftinacy, Wisdom in Cunning, Patience in Sullennefs and Despair. MEN's Paffions operate variously, and appear in diffe. rent Kinds of Actions, according as they are more or lefs rectified and fway'd by Reason. When one hears of of Negroes, who upon the Death of their Masters, or upon changing their Service, hang themselves upon the next Tree, as it frequently happens in our American Plantations,. who can forbear admiring their Fidelity, tho' it expreffes it felf in fo dreadful a Manner? What might not that favage Greatness of Soul which appears in these poor, Wretches on many Occafions, be raised to, were it rightly cultivated? And what Colour of Excufe can there be for the Contempt with which we tear this Part of our Species; That we fhould not put them upon the common Foot of Humanity, that we fhould only fet an infignifi cant Fine upon the Man who murders them; nay, that we fhould, as much as in us lies, cut them off from the Profpects of Happiness in another World as well as in this, and deny them that which we look upon as the proper Means for attaining it? SINCE I am engaged. on this Subject, I cannot forbear mentioning a Story which I have lately heard, and which is fo well attefted, that I have no manner of Reafon to fufpect the Truth of it. I may call it a kind of wild Tragedy that paffed about twelve Years ago at St. Chriftophers, one of our British Leeward Islands. The Negroes who were concern'd in it, were all of them the Slaves of a Gentleman who is now in England. THIS Gentleman among his Negroes had a young Woman, who was looked upon as a moft extraordinary Beauty by thofe of her own Complexion. He had at the fame time two young Fellows, who were likewife Negroes and Slaves, remarkable for the Comeliness of their Perfons, and for the Friendship which they bore to one another. It unfortunately happen'd that both of them fell in Love with the Female Negroe above-mentioned, who would have been very glad to have taken either of them for her Husband, provided they could agree between themselves which fhould be the Man. But they were both fo paffionately in Love with her, that neither of them could think of gi ving her up to his Rival; and at the fame time were fo true to one another, that neither of them would think of gaining her without his Friend's. Con . fent. fent. The Torments of thefe two Lovers were the Dif courfe of the Family to which they belonged, who could not forbear obferving the ftrange Complication of Paffions which perplexed the Hearts of the poor Negroes, that often dropped Expreffions of the Uneafinefs they underwent, and how impoffible it was for either of them ever to be happy. AFTER a long Struggle between Love and Friendfhip, Truth and Jealoufie, they one Day took a Walk together into a Wood, carrying their Miftrefs along with them Where, after Abundance of Lamentations, they ftabbed her to the Heart, of which fhe immediately died. A Slave, who was at his Work not far from the Place where this aftonishing Piece of Cruelty was committed, hearing the Shricks of the dying Perfon, ran to fee what was the Occafion of them. He there difcovered the Woman lying dead upon the Ground, with the two Negroes on each side of her kiffing the dead Corps, weeping over it, and beating their Breafts in the utmoft Agonies of Grief and Despair. He immediately ran to the English Family with the News of what he had feen; who upon coming to the Place faw the Woman dead, and the two Negroes expiring by her with Wounds they had given themselves. WE fee, in this amazing Instance of Barbarity, what ftrange Disorders are bred in the Minds of those Men whofe Paffions are not regulated by Virtue, and difciplin ed by Reafon, Tho' the Action which I have recited is in it felf full of Guilt and Horror, it proceeded from a Temper of Mind which might have produced very noble Fruits, had it been informed and guided by a suitable Education. IT is therefore an unfpeakable Bleffing to be born in thofe Parts of the World where Wifdom and Knowledge flourish; tho' it must be confefs'd, there are, even in these Parts, feveral poor uninftructed Perfons, who are but little above the Inhabitants of thofe Nations of which I have been here fpeaking; as those who have had the Advantages of a more liberal Education, rife above one another by feveral different Degrees of Perfection. For to return to our Statue in the Block of Marble, we fee it fome fometimes only begun to be chipped, fometimes roughhewn, and but juft sketched into an human Figure; fometimes we fee the Man appearing diftinctly in all his Limbs and Features, fometimes we find the Figure wrought up to a great Elegancy, but seldom meet with any to which the Hand of a Phidias or a Praxiteles could not give feveral nice Touches and Finishings. DISCOURSES of Morality, and Reflections upon human Nature, are the best Means we can make use of to improve our Minds, and gain a true Knowledge of our felves, and confequently to recover our Souls out of the Vice, Ignorance, and Prejudice which naturally cleave to them. I have all along profeft my felf in this Paper a Promoter of these great Ends; and I flatter my felf that I do from Day to Day contribute fomething to the po lithing of Men's Minds; at least my Design is laudable, whatever the Execution may be. I must confefs I am not a little encouraged in it by many Letters which I receive from unknown Hands, in Approbation of my Endeavours; and must take this Opportunity of returning my Thanks to those who write them, and excufing my felf for not inferting several of them in my Papers, which I am fenfible would be a very great Ornament to them. Should I publish the Praifes which are fo well penned, they would do Honour to the Perfons who write them, but my publifhing of them would I fear be a fufficient Inftance to the World, that I did not deferve them. C. Wednesdays N° 216. Wedefday, November 7. Siquidem hercle poffis, nil prius, neque fortius; SIR, 'T To Mr. SPECTATOR. Ter. HIS is to inform you, that Mr. Freeman had no "fooner taken Coach, but his Lady was taken with C a terrible Fit of the Vapours, which 'tis feared < will make her mifcarry, if not endanger her Life; therefore, dear Sir, if you know of any Receipt that is good against this fashionable reigning Distemper, be pleased to 'communicate it for the good of the Publick, and you é will oblige Mr. SPECTATOR, 'T Yours, A. NOEWILL. HE Uproar was fo great affoon as I had read the Spectator concerning Mrs. Freeman, that after many Revolutions in her Temper, of raging, fwooning, railing, fainting, pitying her felf, and reviling her Husband, upon an accidental coming in of a neighbouring Lady (who fays fhe has writ to you alfo) the had nothing left for it but to fall in a Fit. I had the Honour to read the Paper to her, and have a pretty good Command of my Countenance and Temper on fuch Occafions; and foon found my hiftorical Name to be Tom Meggot in your Writings, but concealed my felf till I faw how it affected Mrs. Freeman. She looked free |
