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It is, methinks, a low and degrading idea of that fex, which was created to refine the joys, and foften the cares of humanity, by the most agreeable participation, to confider them merely as objects of fight. ‹ This is abridging them of their natural extent of power, to put them upon a level with their pictures at Kneller's. How much nobler is the contemplation of beauty heightened by virtue, and commanding < our esteem and love, while it draws our obfervation? • How faint and spiritless are the charms of a coquette, when compared with the real loveliness of Sophronia's innocence, piety, good-humour and truth; 'virtues which add a new foftnefs to her fex, and even beautify her beauty! That agreeableness which muft otherwise have appeared no longer in the modest virgin, is now preferved in the tender mother, the prudent friend, and the faithful wife. Colours artfully fpread upon canvas may entertain the eye, but not affect the heart; and fhe who takes no care to add to the natural graces of her perfon any excelling qualities, may be allowed still to amuse, as a picture, but not to triumph as a beauty.

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When Adam is introduced by Milton, defcribing Eve in paradife, and relating to the angel the impref fions he felt upon feeing her at her firft creation, he does not reprefent her like a Grecian Venus, by her fhape or features, but by the luftre of her mind which fhone in them, and gave them their power of charming.

Grace was in all her steps, Heav'n in her eye

In all her geftures dignity and love!”

Without this irradiating power the proudest fair-one • ought to know, whatever her glass may tell her to the contrary, that her moft perfect features are uninform⚫ed and dead.

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• I cannot better close this moral, than by a short epitaph written by Ben Jonson, with a spirit which noN

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thing could inspire but fuch an object as I have been

defcribing;

Underneath this ftone doth lie

As much virtue as cou'd die;
Which when alive did vigour give
To as much beauty as cou'd live.'
'I am, Sir,

• Your most humble fervant,

R. B.'

No. XXXIV. MONDAY, APRIL 9.

parcit

Cognatis maculis fimilis fera

From spotted skins the leopard does refrain.

Juv.

TATE.

THE club of which I am a member, is very luckily compofed of fuch perfons as are engaged in different ways of life, and deputed as it were out of the moft confpicuous claffes of mankind; by this means I am furnished with the greatest variety of hints and materials, and know every thing that paffes in the different quarters and divifions, not only of this great city, but of the whole kingdom. My readers too have the fatiffaction to find that there is no rank or degree among them who have not their reprefentative in this club, and that there is always fomebody prefent who will take carc of their respective interests, that nothing may be written or published to the prejudice or infringement of their juft right and privileges.

I laft night fat very late in company with this felect body of friends, who entertained me with feveral remarks which they and others had made upon these my fpeculations, as alfo with the various fuccefs which they had met with among their feveral ranks and degrees of readers, Will Honeycomb told me, in the foftest

manner

manner he could, that there were fome ladies (but for your comfort, fays Will, they are not those of the most wit) that were offended at the liberties I had taken with the opera and the puppet-fhow; that fome of them were likewife very much furprised, that I fhould think fuch ferious points as the drefs and equipage of perfons of quality, proper fubjects for raillery.

He was going on, when Sir Andrew Freeport took him up fhort, and told him, that the papers he hinted at had done great good in the city, and that all their wives and daughters were the better for them; and farther added, that the whole city thought themselves very much obliged to me for declaring my generous intentions to fcourge vice and follow as they appear in a multitude, without condefcending to be a publifher of particular intrigues and cuckoldoms. In fhort, fays Sir Andrew, if you avoid that foolish beaten road of falling upon aldermen and citizens, and employ your pen upon the vanity and luxury of courts, your paper muft needs be of general ufe.

Upon this my friend the Templar told Sir Andrew, that he wondered to hear a man of his fenfe talk after that manner; that the city had always been the province for fatire; and that the wits of king Charles's time jefted upon nothing elfe during his whole reign. He then fhewed, by the examples of Horace, Juvenal, Boileau, and the beft writer of every age, that the follies of the ftate and court had never been accounted too facred for ridicule, how great foever the perfons might be that patronized them. But after all, fays he, I think your raillery has made too great an excurfion, in attacking feveral perfons of the Inns of Court; and I do not believe you can fhew me any precedent for your behaviour in that particular.

My good friend Sir Roger de Coverly, who had faid nothing all this while, began his fpeech with a pish! and told us, that he wondered to fee fo many men of fense so very serious upon fooleries. Let our good friend, fays he, attack every one that deferves it; I would only advise you, Mr. Spectator, applying himself to me,

to take care how you meddle with country fquires; they are the ornaments of the English nation; men of good heads and found bodies! and let me tell you, fome of them take it ill of you, that you mention fox-hunters with fo little respect.

Captain Sentry fpoke very fparingly on this occafion. What he faid was only to commend my prudence in not touching upon the army, and advised me to continue to act difcreetly in that point.

By this time I found every subject of my speculations was taken away from me, by one or other of the club; and began to think myself in the condition of the good man that had one wife who took diflike to his grey hairs, and another to his black, until by their picking out what each of them had an averfion to, they left his head altogether bald and naked.

While I was thus mufing with myself, my worthy friend the clergyman, who, very luckily for me was at the club that night, undertook my caufe. He told us, that he wondered any order of perfons fhould think themselves too confiderable to be advised; that it was not quality, but innocence, which exempted men from reproof; that vice and folly ought to be attacked wherever they could be met with, and efpecially when they were placed in high and confpicuous ftations of life. He further added, that my paper would only ferve to aggravate the pains of poverty, if it chiefly expofed those who are already depreffed, and in fome measure turned into ridicule by the meannefs of their conditions and circumftances. He afterwards proceeded to take notice of the great ufe this paper might be of to the public, by reprehending thofe vices which are too trivial for the chaftifement of the law, and too fantaftical for the cognifance of the pulpit. He then advifed me to profecute my undertaking with cheerfulness; and affured me, that whoever might be difpleafed with me, I fhould be approved by all those whofe praifes do honour to the perfons on whom they are beftowed.

The

The whole club pays a particular deference to the difcourse of this gentieman, and are drawn into what he fays, as much by the candid ingenuous manner with which he delivers himself, as by the ftrength of argument and force of reafon which he makes ufe of. Will Honeycomb immediately agreed, that what he had faid was right; and that for his part, he would not infift upon the quarter which he had demanded for the ladies. Sir Andrew gave up the city with the fame franknefs. The Templar would not ftand out; and was followed by Sir Roger and the Captain; who all agreed that I fhould be at liberty to carry the war into what quarter I pleafed; provided I continued to combat with criminals in a body, and to assault the vice without hurting the perfon.

This debate, which was held for the good of mankind, put me in mind of that which the Roman triumvirate were formerly engaged in, for their deftruction. Every man at first stood hard for his friend, until they found that by this means they fhould fpoil their profcription; and at length, making a facrifice of all their acquaintance and relations, furnished out a very decent execution.

Having thus taken my resolutions to march on boldly in the cause of virtue and good fenfe, and to annoy their adverfaries in whatever degree or rank of men they may be found; I fhall be deaf for the future to all the remonftrances that shall be made to me on this account. If Punch grows extravagant, I fhall reprimand him very freely: If the stage becomes a nursery of folly and impertinence, I shall not be afraid to animadvert upon it. In fhort, if I meet with any thing in city, court, or country, that fhocks modefty or good-manners, I fhall ufe my utmost endeavours to make an example of it. I muft however intreat every particular perfon, who does me the honour to be a reader of this paper, never to think himself, or any one of his friends or enemies, aimed at in what is faid: for I promise him, never to draw a faulty character which does not fit at least a thousand

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people;

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