in concerns of this kind is to be looked upon as heroic bravery, in which a man leaves the fpecies only as he foars above it. What greater instance can there be of a weak and pufillanimous temper, than for a man to pass his whole life in oppofition to his own fentiments? or not to dare to be what he thinks he ought to be?

SINGULARITY, therefore, is only vicious when it makes men act contrary to reafon, or when it puts them upon diftinguishing themfelves by trifles. As for the first of thefe, who are fingular in any thing that is irreligious, immoral, or dishonourable, I believe every one will eafily give them up. I fhall therefore speak of thofe only who are remarkable for their fingularity in things of no importance, as in drefs, behaviour, converfation, and all the little intercourfes of life. In these cafes there is certain deference due to cuftom; and notwithstanding there may be a colour of reafon to deviate from the multitude in fome particulars, a man ought to facrifice his private inclinations and opinions to the practice of the public. It must be confeffed that good fenfe often makes a humorift; but then it unqualifies him for being of any moment in the world, and renders him ridiculous to perfons of a much inferior understanding.

I HAVE heard of a gentleman in the north of England, who was a remarkable inftance of this foolish fingularity. He had laid it down as a rule within himself, to act in the moft indifferent parts of life according to the most abftracted notions of reafon and good fenfe, without any regard to fashion or example. This humour broke out at first in many little oddneffes: he had never any stated hours for his dinner, fupper, or fleep; becaufe, faid he, we ought to attend the calls of nature, and not fet our appetites to our meals, but bring our meals to our appetites. In his converfation with country gentlemen, he would not make use of a phrafe that was not strictly true : he never told any of them, that he was his humble fervant, but that he was his well-wisher; and would rather be thought a malecontent, than drink the king's health when he was not a-dry. He would thrust his head out of his chamber-window every morning, and after having gaped for fresh air about half an hour, repeat fifty verfes as loud as he could bawl them for the benefit of his lungs;

to

to which end he generally took them out of Homer, the Greek tongue, especially in that author, being more deep and fonorous, and more conducive to expectoration, than any other. He had many other particularities, for which he gave found and philofophical reafons. As this humour ftill grew upon him, he chofe to wear a turban instead of a periwig; concluding very justly, that a bandage of clean linen about his head was much more wholefome, as well as cleanly, than the caul of a wig, which is foiled with frequent perfpirations. He afterwards judiciously obferved, that the many ligatures in our English drefs muft naturally check the circulation of the blood; for which reafon, he made his breeches and his doublet of one continued piece of cloth, after the manner of the Hufars. In fhort, by following the pure dictates of reafon, he at length departed fo much from the reft of his. countrymen, and indeed from his whole fpecies, that his . friends would have clapped him into Bedlam, and have begged his eftate; but the judge being informed that he did no harm, contented himself with iffuing out a commiffion of lunacy against him, and putting his eftate into the hands of proper guardians.

THE fate of this philofopher puts me in mind of a remark in Monfieur Fontenelle's dialogues of the dead.. • The ambitious and the covetous,' fays he, are mad♫ men to all intents and purposes, as much as those who are shut up in dark rooms; but they have the good luck to have numbers on their fide; whereas the frenzy of one who is given up for a lunatic, is a frenzy hors. d'oeuvre; that is, in other words, fomething which is fingular in its kind, and does not fall in with the madness of a multitude.

THE fubject of this effay was occafioned by a letter which I received not long fince, and which, for want of room at prefent, I fhall infert in my next paper.

NOME

No 577.

Friday, August 6.

-Hoc tolerabile, fi non

Et furere incipias

Juv. Sat. 6. v. 613.

This might be borne with, if you did not rave.

HE letter mentioned in my laft paper, is as follows.

TH

SIR,

Yin ufe among molt people, of making themfelves

U have fo lately decried that custom, too much

⚫ the fubjects of their writings and converfation, that I had fome difficulty to perfuade myfelf to give you this trouble, till I had confidered that though I fhould fpeak in the first perfon, yet I could not be juftly charged with vanity, fince I fhall not add my name; as alfo, becaufe 'what I fhall write will not, to fay the best, redound to s my praife; but is only defigned to remove a preju⚫ dice conceived against me, as I hope, with very little 'foundation. My fhort hiftory is this.

I HAVE lived for fome years laft paft altogether in • London, till about a month ago an acquaintance of mine, for whom I have done fome fmall fervices in town, in'vited me to pafs part of the fummer with him at his 'house in the country. I accepted his invitation, and 'found a very hearty welcome. My friend, an honest plain man, not being qualified to pafs away his time without 'the reliefs of business, has grafted the farmer upon the gentleman, and brought himself to fubmit even to the fervile parts of that employment, fuch as infpecting his plough, and the like. This neceffarily takes up fome of his hours every day; and as I have no relish for 'fuch diverfions, I ufed at thefe times to retire either to my chamber, or a fhady walk near the houfe, and entertain myself with fome agreeable author.

Now you

must know, Mr Spectator, that when I read, efpecially if it be poetry, it is very ufual with me, when I meet

• with

* with any paffage or expreffion which strikes me much, to pronounce it aloud with that tone of the voice, which I ⚫ think agreeable to the fentiments there expreffed; and ⚫ to this I generally add fome motion or action of the body. It was not long before I was obferved by fome of the family in one of these heroic fits, who thereupon ⚫ received impreffions very much to my difadvantage. This however I did not foon difcover, nor fhould have done probably, had it not been for the following accident. I had one day fhut myfelf up in my chamber, and was very deeply engaged in the fecond book of Milton's Paradife Loft. I walked to and fro with the book in my hand, and, to speak the truth, I fear I made no little noise; ⚫ when presently coming to the following lines,

-On a fudden open fly,

With impetuous recoil and jarring found,
Th' infernal doors, and on their hinges grate
Harfh thunder, &c.

I in great tranfport threw open the door of my chamber, and found the greatest part of the family ftanding on the outfide in a very great confternation. I was in no lefs confufion, and begged pardon for having difturb⚫ed them; addreffing myself particularly to comfort one ⚫ of the children, who received an unlucky fall in this action, whilft he was too intently furveying my meditations, through the key-hole. To be fhort, after this adventure I easily obferved that great part of the family, efpecially the women and children, looked upon me with fome apprehenfions of fear; and my friend himself, though he still continued his civilities to me, did not feem altogether eafy; I took notice, that the butler was never "after this accident ordered to leave the bottle upon the ⚫ table after dinner. Add to this, that I frequently overheard the fervants mention me by the name of the crazed gentleman, the gentleman a little touched, the mad Londoner, and the like. This made me think it high time for me to fhift my quarters, which I refolved to do the firft handfome opportunity; and was confirmed in ⚫ this refolution by a young lady in the neighbourhood who frequently vifited us, and who one day, after ha

ving heard all the fine things I was able to fay, was pleased with a scornful fmile to bid me go to fleep.

THE first minute I got to my lodgings in town, I fet pen to paper to defire your opinion, whether, upon the • evidence before you, I am mad or not. I can bring "certificates that I behave myself foberly before company, and I hope there is at least fome merit in withdrawing to be mad. Look you, Sir, I am contented to be ⚫ esteemed a little touched, as they phrase it, but should ⚫ be forry to be madder than my neighbours; therefore, · pray let me be as much in my fenfes as you can afford.

I know I could bring yourfelf as an inftance of a man 'who has confeffed talking to himself; but yours is a particular cafe, and cannot justify me, who have not kept filence any part of my life. life. What if I fhould own myfelf in love? You know lovers are always allowed the comfort of foliloquy.- -But I will fay no more upon this fubject, because I have long fince obferved, the ready way to be thought mad, is to contend that you are not fo; as we generally conclude that man drunk, who takes pains to be thought fober. I will therefore leave myself to your determination; but am the more defirous to be thought in my fenfes, that it may be ne difcredit to you when I affure you, that I have always been very much

Your Admirer.

‹ P. S. If I must be mad, I defire the young lady may believe it is for her.'

The humble petition of John a Nokes and John a Stiles,

Sherweth,

T

HAT your petitioners have had caufes depending in Westminster-hall above five hundred years, and that we despair of ever seeing them brought to an iffue; that your petitioners have not been involved in thefe law-fuits out of any litigious temper of their own, but by the inftigation of contentious perfons; that the young lawyers in our inns of court are continually fetting us together by the ears, and think they do us no hurt, because they plead for us without a fee; that many of

the