his Behaviour in the Days of his Profperity, and if con fidered only as a humane Compofition, is a finer Picture of a charitable and good-natur'd Man than is to be met with in any other Author.

OH that I were as in Months paft, as in the Days when God preferved me: When his candle fhined upon my heads and when by his light I walked through darkness: When the Almighty was yet with me; when my Children were about me: When I washed my fleps with butter, and the rock poured out rivers of oyl.

WHEN the Ear heard me, then it bleffed me; and when the Eye faw me it gave witness to me. Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the Widow's heart to fing for joy. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame; I was a father to the poor, and the cause which I knew not I fearched out. Did I not weep for him that was in trouble, was not my Soul grieved for the poor? Let me be weighed in an even ballance, that God may know mine Integrity. If I did defpife the cause of my man-fervant or of my maid-fervant when they contended with me: What then fhall I do when God rifeth up? and when he vifiteth what shall I answer him? Did not he that made me in the womb, make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb? If I have with-held the poor from their defire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morfel my felf alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof: If I have seen any perish for want of cloathing, or any poor without covering: If his loyns have not bleffed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my Sheep: If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless when 1 faw my help in the gate; then let mine arm fall from my shoulder-blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone. If I have rejoyced at the Deftruction of him that hated me, or lift up my felf when evil found him: (Neither have I fuffered my mouth to fin, by wishing a curfe to his foul.) The Stranger did not lodge in the street; but I opened my doors to the traveller. If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewife thereof complain. If I have eaten the Fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof

to lofe their Life; Let thistles grow inflead of wheat, and cockle inftead of barley.

N° 178. Monday, September 24.

I

Comis in uxorem

Cannot defer taking Notice of this Letter.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Hor

L

Am but too good a Judge of your Paper of the 15th Inftant, which is a Mafter-piece; I mean that of Jealoufy: But I think it unworthy of you to fpeak of that Torture in the Breaft of a Man, and not to * mention also the Pangs of it in the Heart of a Woman. You have very Judiciously, and with the greatest Penetration imaginable, confidered it as Woman is the Creature of whom the Diffidence is raifed; but not a • Word of a Man, who is fo unmerciful as to move, Jealoufy in his Wife, and not care whether he is fo or not. It is poffible you may not believe there are fuch Tyrants in the World; but alas I can tell you of a Man who is ever out of Humour in his Wife's Company, and the pleasanteft Man in the World every where elfe; the greateft Sloven at home when he appears to none but his Family, and moft exactly welldreffed in all other Places. Alas, Sir, is it of Course, that to deliver one's felf wholly into a Man's Power ⚫ without Poffibility of Appeal to any other Jurifdiction but to his own Reflections, is fo little an Obligation ⚫ to a Gentleman, that he can be offended and fall into a Rage, because my Heart fwells Tears into my Eyes when I fee him in a cloudy Mood? I pretend to no • Succour, and hope for no Relief but from himself and yet he that has Senfe and Juftice in every thing ⚫elfe, never reflects, that to come home only to fleep off an Intemperance, and fpend all the Time he is

there

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there as if it were a Punishment, cannot but give the Anguish of a jealous Mind. He always leaves his Home 'as if he was going to Court, and returns as if he were entring a Goal. I could add to this, that from his Company and his ufual Difcourfe, he does not fcruple being thought an abandoned Man, as to his Morals Your own Imagination will fay enough to you concerning the Condition of me his Wife; and I wish you would be fo good as to reprefent to him, for he is not ill-natured and reads you much, that the Moment I hear the Door fhut after him, I throw my felf upon the Bed, and drown the Child he is fo fond of with my Tears, and often frighten it with my Cries; that I curfe my Being; that I run to my Glafs all over bathed in Sorrows, and help the Utterance of my in"ward Anguish by beholding the Gufh of my own Cala"mities as my Tears fall from my Eyes. This looks like an imagined Picture to tell you, but indeed this is one • of my Paftimes. Hitherto I have only told you the general Temper of my Mind, but how fhall I give you ⚫ an Account of the Diftraction of it? Could you but conceive how cruel I am one Moment in my Refent‹ment, and, at the enfuing Minute, when I place him in the Condition my Anger would bring him to, how compaffionate; it would give you fome Notion how * miferable I am, and how little I deferve it. When I remonftrate with the greatest Gentleness that is poffible against unhandsome Appearances, and that married • Perfons are under particular Rules; when he is in-the beft Humour to receive this, I am anfwered only, That I expofe my own Reputation and Senfe if I appear jealous. I with, good Sir, you would take this into ferious Confideration, and admonish Husbands and Wives what Terms they ought to keep towards each other. Your Thoughts on this important Subject will have the greatest Reward, that which defcends on fuch as feel the Sorrows of the Afflicted. Give me Leave to subscribe my self,

Your unfortunate

Humble Servant,

CELINDA
Į

I had it in my Thoughts, before I received the Letter of this Lady, to confider this dreadful Passion in the Mind of a Woman; and the Smart fhe feems to feel does not abate the Inclination I had to recommend to Husbands a more regular Behaviour, than to give the most exquifite of Torments to those who love them, nay whose Torment would be abated if they did not love them.

IT is wonderful to obferve how little is made of this inexpreffible Injury, and how eafily Men get into an Habit of being leaft agreeable where they are moft obliged to be fo. But this Subject deferves a diftinct Speculation, and I fhall obferve for a Day or two the Behaviour of two or three happy Pair I am acquainted with, before I pretend to make a Syftem of Conjugal Morality. I defign in the firft Place to go a few Miles out of Town, and there I know where to meet one who practifes all 'the Parts of a fine Gentleman in the Duty of a Husband. When he was a Batchelor, much Business made him particularly negligent in his Habit; but now there is no young Lover living fo exact in the Care of his Perfon. One who asked why he was fo long washing his Mouth, and fo delicate in the Choice and Wearing of his Linnen, was anfwered, Because there is a Woman of Merit obliged to receive me kindly, and I think it incumbent upon me to make her Inclination go along with her Duty.

IF a Man would give himself leave to think, he would, not be fo unreasonable as to expect Debauchery and Innocence could live in Commerce together; or hope that Flesh and Blood is capable of fo ftrict an Alliance, as that a fine Woman must go on to improve her felf 'till fhe is as good and impaffive as an Angel, only to preferve a Fidelity to a Brute and a Satyr. The Lady who defires me for her Sake to end one of my Papers with the following Letter, I am perfuaded, thinks fucha Perfeverance very impracticable.

Т

Husband,

AY more at home. I know where you vifited at Seven of the Clock on Thursday Evening. The Colonel, whom you charged me to fee no more, is in Town. Martha Housewife.

Tuesday,

N° 179. Tuesday, September 25.

I

Centuria feniorum agitant expertia frugis:
Celfi pratereunt auftera Poemata Rhamnes.
Omne tulit punctum qui mifcuit utile dulci,
Lectorem delectando, pariterque monendo.

Hor.

May caft my Readers under two general Divifions, the Mercurial and the Saturnine. The firft are the gay Part of my Difciples, who require Speculations of Wit and Humour; the others are thofe of a more folemn and fober Turn, who find no Pleasure but in Papers of Morality and found Senfe. The former call eve ry thing that is Serious Stupid; the latter look upon every thing as Impertinent that is Ludicrous. Were I al ways Grave, one half of my Readers would fall off from me: Were I always Merry, I fhould lofe the other. I make it therefore my Endeavour to find out Entertainments of both Kinds, and by that means perhaps confult the Good of both, more than I fhould do, did I always write to the particular Taste of either. As they neither of them know what I proceed upon, the fprightly Reader, who takes up my Paper in order to be diverted, very often finds himself engaged unawares in a serious and profitable Courfe of Thinking; as on the contrary, the thoughtful Man, who perhaps may hope to find something Solid, and full of deep Reflection, is very often infenfibly betray'd into a fit of Mirth. In a Word, the Reader fits down to my Entertainment without knowing his Bill of Fare, and has therefore at least the Pleafure of hoping there may be a Dish to his Palate.

I must confefs, were I left to my self, I would rather aim at Inftructing than Diverting; but if we will be ufeful to the World, we must take it as we find it. Authors of profeffed Severity difcourage the loofer Part of Mankind from having any thing to do with their Writings.

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