to them, which is requifite in writings of this kind, as I fhall fhew more at large hereafter. Virgil has, indeed, admitted Fame as an actress in the Eneid, but the part the acts is very fhort, and none of the most admired circumstances in that divine work. We find in mock-heroic poems, particularly in the Dif penfary and the Lutrin, feveral allegorical perfons of this nature, which are very beautiful in thofe compofitions, and may perhaps be used as an argument, that the authors of them were of opinion, fuch characters might have a place in an epic work. For my own part I fhould be glad the reader would think fo, for the fake of the I am now examining; and muft further add, that if fuch empty unfubftantial beings may be ever made use of on this occafion, never were any more nicely imagined, and employed in more proper actions, than thofe of which I am now speaking. poem Another principal actor in this poem is the great enemy of mankind. The part of Ulyffes in Homer's Odyffey is very much admired by Ariftotle, as perplexing that fable with very agreeable plots and intricacies, not only by the many adventures in his voyage, and the fubtilty of his behaviour, but by the various concealments and difcoveries of his perfon in feveral parts of that poem. But the crafty being I have now mentioned, makes a much longer voyage than Ulyffes, puts in practice many more wiles and ftratagems, and hides himfelf under a greater variety of fhapes and appearances, all of which are feverally detected, to the great delight and surprise of the reader. We may likewife obferve with how much art the poet has varied feveral characters of the perfons that fpeak in his infernal affembly. On the contrary, how has he reprefented the whole Godhead exerting itself towards man in its full benevolence under the three-fold diftinction of a Creator, a Redeemer, and a Comforter! Nor muft we omit the perfon of Raphael, who, amidst his tenderness and friendship for man, fhews fuch a dignity and condefcenfion in all his fpeech and behaviour, as are fuitable to a fuperior nature. The angels are in-. deed as much diverfified in Milton, and diftinguished by their proper parts, as the gods are in Homer or Virgil. The The reader will find nothing afcribed to Uriel, Gabriel, Michael, or Raphael, which is not in a particular manner fuitable to their respective characters. There is another circumftance in the principal actors of the Iliad and neid, which gives a peculiar beauty to those two poems, and was therefore contrived with very great judgment. I mean the authors having chofen, for their heroes, perfons who were fo nearly related to the people for whom they wrote. Achilles was a Greek, and Æneas the remote founder of Rome. By this means their countrymen, whom they principally propofed to themselves for their readers, were particularly attentive to all the parts of their story, and sympathized with their heroes in all their adventures. A Roman could not but rejoice in the escapes, fucceffes and victories of Æneas, and be grieved at any defeats, misfortunes or difappointments that befel him; as a Greek muft have had the fame regard for Achilles. And it is plain that each of thofe poems have loft this great advantage, among thofe readers to whom their heroes are as ftrangers, or indifferent perfons. is admirable Milton's poem in this refpect, fince it is impoffible for any of its readers, whatever nation, country or people he may belong to, not to be related to the perfons who are the principal actors in it; but what is ftill infinitely more to its advantage, the principal actors in this poem are not only our progenitors, but our reprefentatives. We have an actual intereft in every thing they do, and no lefs than our utmoft happiness is concerned, and lies at stake in all their behaviour. 66 I fhall fubjoin as a corollary to the foregoing remark, an admirable observation out of Ariftotle, which hath been very much misreprefented in the quotations of fome modern critics. "If a man of perfect and confummate vir"tue falls into a misfortune, it raifes our pity, but not our terror, because we do not fear that it may be our "own cafe, who do not refemble the fuffering perfon." But as that great philofopher adds, "if we fee a man of "virtue mixt with infirmities, fall into any misfortune, "it does not only raise our pity but our terror; because we are afraid that the like misfortunes may happen to " our "ourfelyes, who refemble the character of the fuffering perfon." I fhall take another opportunity to obferve, that a per fon of an abfolute and confummate virtue fhould never be introduced in tragedy, and fhall only remark in this place, that the foregoing obfervation of Ariftotle, though it may be true in other occafions, does not hold in this; Decaule in the prefent cafe, though the perfons who fall into miffortune are of the most perfect and confummate virtue, it is not to be confidered as what may poffibly be, but what actually is our own cafe; fince we are embarked with them on the fame bottom, and must be partakers of their happinefs or mifery. In this, and fome other very few inftances, Ariftotle's rules for epic poetry, which he had drawn from his reflexions upon Homer, cannot be fuppofed to quadrate exactly with the heroic poems which have been made fince his time; fince it is plain his rules would ftill have . been more perfect, could he have perufed the Æneid. which was made fome hundred years after his death. In my next, I shall go through other parts of Milton's poem; and hope that what I fhall there advance, as well as what I have already written, will not only ferve as a comment upon Milton, but upon Aristotle. C N° 274 Monday, January 14. Audire eft opera pretium, procedere rectè Qui machis non vultis Hor. Sat. 2. lib. 1. ver. 37. I All you, who think the city ne'er can thrive, POPE. Have upon feveral occafions, that have occurred fince I firft took into my thoughts the prefent ftate of fornication, weighed with myfelf in behalf of guilty females, the impulfes of flesh and blood, together with fome fcorn th that the arts and gals. of crafty men; and reflect with part of what we in our youth think gay and polite, is nothing elfe but an habit of indulging a pruriency that way. It will coft fome labour to bring people to fo lively a sense of this, as to recover the manly modefty in the behaviour of my men readers, and the bathful grace in the faces of my women; but in all cafes which come into debate, there are certain things previously to be done before efore we can have a true light into the fubject matter; therefore it will, in the first place, be neceffary to confider the impotent wenchers and induftrious hags, who are fupplied with, and are conftantly fupplying, new facrifices to the devil of luit. You are to know then, if you are fo happy as not to know it already, that the great havock which is made in the habitations of beauty and innocence, is committed by fuch as can only lay waste and not enjoy the foil. When you obferve the prefent ftate of vice and virtue, the offenders are fuch as one would think fhould have no impulfe to what they are purfuing; as in bufinefs, you fee fometimes fools pretend to be knaves, fo in pleasure, you will find old men fet up for wenchers. This latter fort of men are the great bafis and fund of iniquity in the kind we are fpeaking of: you shall have an an old rich man often receive fcrawls from the feveral quarters of the town, with defcriptions of the new wares in the hands, if he will pleafe, to fend word when he will be waited on. This interview is contrived, and the innocent is brought to fuch indecencies, as from time to time banifh fhame and raife defire. With thefe preparatives the hags break their wards by little and little, until they are brought to lofe all apprehenfions of what fhall befal them in the poffeffion of younger men. It is a common poftfcript of an hag to a young fellow whom the invites to a new woman, She has, Iaffure you,. feen none but old "Mr. Such-a-one." It pleafes the old fellow that the nymph is brought to him unadorned, and from his bounty he is accommodated with enough to drefs her for other lovers. This is the most ordinary method of bringing beauty and poverty into the poffeffion of the town: but the particular cafes of kind keepers, kilful pimps, and all others who drive a feparate trade, and are not in the general general fociety or commerce of fin, will require diftinct confideration. At the fame time that we are thus fevere on the abandoned, we are to represent the cafe of others with that mitigation as the circumftances demand. Calling names does no good; to fpeak worfe of any thing than it deferves, does only take off from the credit of the accufer, and has implicitly the force of an apology in the behalf of the perfon accufed. We fhall therefore, according as the circumftances differ, vary our appellations of thefe criminals: thofe who offend only against themselves, and are not scandals to fociety, but out of deference to the fober part of the world, have so much good left in them as to be afhamed, muft not be huddled in the common word due to the worst of women; but regard is to be had to their circumftances when they fell, to the uneafy perplexity under which they lived under fenfelefs and fevere parents, to the importunity of poverty, to the violence of a paffion in its beginning well grounded, and all other alleviations which make unhappy women refign the characteristic of their fex, modefty. To do otherwife than this, would be to act like a pedantic ftoic, who thinks all crimes alike, and not like an impartial Spectator, who looks upon them with all the circumstances that diminish or enhance the guilt. I am in hopes, if this fubject be well purfued, women will hereafter from their infancy be treated with an eye to their future ftate in the world; and not have their tempers made too untractable from an improper fournefs or pride, or too complying from familiarity or forwardnefs contracted at their own houfes. After thefe hints on this subject, I fhall end this paper with the following genuine letter; and defire all who think they may be concerned in future fpeculations on this fubject, to fend in what they have to fay for themselves for fome incidents in their lives, in order to have proper allowances made for their conduct. • Mr. Spectator, Jan. 5, 1711. THE HE fubject of your yesterday's paper is of fo great importance, and the thorough handling of it may be fo very useful to the prefervation of many an innocent young creature, that I think every one is obliged |