for the publick Good; and it may be worth the while to confider, whether, in an Ifland where few are content without being thought Wits, it will not be a com8 mon Benefit, that Wit as well as Labour should be made 【 cheap.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I am, S 1 R,

Your Humble Servant, &c.

Often dine at a Gentleman's Houfe, where there

I are two young Ladies in themfelves very agreeable,

but very cold in their Behaviour, because they under* ftand me for a Person that is to break my Mind, as the Phrafe is, very fuddenly to one of them. But I take this Way to acquaint them, that I am not in Love with < either of them, in Hopes they will ufe me with that agreeable Freedom and Indifference which they do all C the rest of the World, and not to drink to one another only, but fometimes caft a kind Look, with their Ser <vice to,

6

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

SIR, Your humble Servant.

Am a young Gentleman, and take it for a Piece of good Breeding to pull off my Hat when I fee any thing peculiarly charming in any Woman, whe<ther 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 Jeft or Humour; and yet except I am acquainted with her, I find the ever takes it for a Rule, that he is to look upon this Civility and Homage I pay to her fuppofed Merit, as an Impertinence of Forwardnefs which the is to obferve and neglect. I wifh, Sir, you would fettle the Bufinefs of Salutation; and please to inform < me how I fhall 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 Efteem I have for them. My Affairs are fuch, that your Decifion will be a Favour to me, if it be only

1

to fave the unneceffary Expence of wearing out my Hat

fo fast as I do at present,

I am,

SIR,

Yours, T. D.

THERE are fome that do know me, and won't

bow to me.

T

N° 221. Tuesday, November 13.

-Ab Ovo

Ufque ad Mala

W

Hor.

7 HEN I have finifhed any of my Speculations, it is my Method to confider which of the ancient Authors have touched upon the Subject that I treat of. By this means I meet with fome celebrated Thought upon it, or a Thought of my own expreffed in better Words, or fome Similitude for the Illuftration of my Subject. This is what gives birth to the Motto of a Speculation, which I rather chufe to take out of the Poets than the Profe 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 more portable to the Memory..

MY Reader is therefore fure to meet with at least one good Line in every Paper, and very often finds his Imagi-nation entertained by a Hint that awakens in his Memory fome beautiful Paffage of a Claffick Author.

IT was a Saying of an ancient Philofopher, which I find fome of our Writers have afcribed to Queen Elizabeth, who perhaps might have taken Occafion to repeat it, That a good Face is a Letter of Recommendation. It naturally makes the Beholders inquifitive into the Perfon who is the Owner of it, and generally prepoffeffes them in his Favour. A bandfome Motto has the fame

K.5

Effect.

Effect. Befides that, it always gives a fupernumerary Beauty to a Paper, and is fometimes in a Manner neceffary when the Writer is engaged in what may appear a Paradox to vulgar Minds, as it fhews that he is fupported by good Authorities, and is not fingular in his Opini

on.

I must confefs, the Motto is of little Ufe to an unlearned Reader; for which Reason I consider it only as a Word to the Wife. But as for my unlearned Friends, if they cannot relish the Motto, I take Care to make Provifion 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 Houfe; and I think I was never better pleafed than with a plain Man's Compliment, who upon his Friend's telling him that he would like the Spectator much better if he understand the Motto, replied, That good Wme needs no Bush.

I have heard of a Couple of Preachers in a Country Town, who endeavoured which fhould out-fhine one another, and draw together the greateft Congregation. One of them being well verfed in the Fathers, ufed to quote every now and then a Latin Sentence to his illiterate Hearers, who it feems found themfelves fo 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 Occafion of it, refolved to give his Parish a little Latin in his Turn; but being unacquainted with any of the Fathers, he digefted into his Sermons the whole Book of Qua Genus, adding however fuch Explications to it as he thought might be for the Benefit of his People. He afterwards entred upon As in prefenti, which he converted in the fame Manner to the Ufe of his Parishioners. This in a very little Time thickned his Audience, filled his Church, and routed his Antagonift.

THE natural Love to Latin, which is fo prevalent in our common People, makes me think that my Speculations fare never the worfe among them for that little Scrap which appears at the Head of them; and what

the

the more encourages me in the Ufe of Quotations in an unknown Tongue, is, that I hear the Ladies, whofe Approbation I value more than that of the whole learned World, declare themselves in a more particular manner pleased with my Greek Motto's.

DESIGNING this Day's Work for a Differtation upon the two Extremities of my Paper, and having already difpatch'd my Motto, I fhall, in the next Place, difcourfe upon thofe fingle 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 Conjectures upon this Subject. Some tell us, that C is the Mark of thofe Papers that are written by the Clergyman, though others afcribe them to the Club in general. That the Papers marked with R were written by my Friend Sir ROGER. That L fignifies the Lawyer, whom I have defcribed in my fecond Speculation; and that T ftands for the Trader or Merchant: But the Letter X, which is placed at the End of fome few of my Papers, is that which has puzzled 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 fuppofed to have had any Hand 'in thefe Speculations.

IN Answer to these inquifitive Gentlemen, who have many of them made Enquiries of me by Letter, I muft tell them the Reply of an ancient Philofopher, who carried fomething hidden under his Cloak. A certain Acquaintance defiring him to let him know what it was he covered fo carefully; I cover it, fays he, on purpofe that you should not know. I have made ufe of thefe obfcure Marks for the fame Purpose. They are, perhaps, little Amulets or Charms to preferve the Paper against the Fafcination and Malice of evil Eyes; for which Reason I would not have my Reader furprized, if hereafter he fees any of my Papers marked with a Q, a Z, a Y, an &c. or with the Word Abracadabra.

I fhall, however, fo far explain my felf to the Reader, as to let him know that the Letters C, L, and X are Cabaliftical, and carry more in them than it is proper for the World to be acquainted with. Those who are verfed in the Philofophy of Pythagoras, and fwear by

the

N° 221. -the Tetrachtys, that is, the Number Four, will know very well that the Number Ten, which is fignified by the Letter X, (and which has fo 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 Myfteries 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 Rabbinical Divine in England, who was Chaplain to the Earl of Effex 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, fays he, you will fee the three following Words,

Adam, Sheth, Enosh.

He divided this fhort Text into many Parts, and by discovering feveral Myfteries in each Word, made a moft learned and elaborate Difcourfe. 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 Inftance will, I hope, convince my Readers that there may be a great deal of fine Writing in the Capital Letters which bring up the Rear of my Paper, and give them fome Satisfaction in that Particular. But as for the full Explication of thefe Matters, I muft refer them to Time, which discovers all Things.

C

Wednesday's