I think they ought, in those parts where the materials are so easy to work, and at the fame time fo durable, when any one of their Heroes comes home from the wars, to erect his ftatue in fnow upon the mountains, there to remain from generation to generation.

A Gentleman, who is apt to expatiate upon any hint, took this occafion to deliver his opinion upon our ordinary method of fending young Gentlemen to travel for their education. It is certain, said he, if Gentlemen travel at an age proper for them, during the course of >their voyages their accounts to their friends, and after their return their difcourfes and conversations, will have in them fomething above what we can meet with, from those who have not had thofe advantages. At the fame time it is to be observed, that every temper and genius is not qualified for this way of improvement. Men may change their climate, but they cannot their nature. a man that goes out a fool, cannot ride or fail himself into common fenfe. Therefore let me but walk over LondonBridge with a young man, and I will tell you infallibly whether going over the Rialto at Venice will make him wife.

A

It is not to be imagined how many I have faved in my time from banishment, by letting their parents know they were good for nothing. But this is to be done with much tenderness. There is my coufin Harry has a son, who is the dulleft mortal that was ever born into our houfe; he had got his trunk and his books all packed up to be tranfported into foreign parts, for no reafon but because the boy never talked; and his father said, he wanted to know the world. I could not fay to a fond parent that the boy was dull; but looked grave, and told him, the youth was very thoughtful, and I feared he might have fome doubts about religion, with which it was not proper to go into Roman catholic countries. He is accordingly kept here until he declares himself upon fome points, which I am fure he will never think of. By this means I have prevented the difhonour of having a fool of our houfe laughed at in all parts of Europe. He is now with his father upon his own eftate, and he has fent to me to get him a wife, which I fhall do with all convenient speed; but it shall be such a one, whose

good

C

good-nature fhall hide his faults, and good fenfe fupply them. The truth of it is, that race is of the true British kind: They are of our country only; it hurts them to transplant them, and they are destroyed if you pretend to improve them. Men of this folid make are not to be hurried up and down the world, for, if I may fo fpeak, they are naturally at their wit's end; and it is an im pertinent part to disturb their repofe, that they may give you only an hiftory of their bodily occurrences, which is all they are capable of obferving. Harry had an elder brother who who tried in this way; I remember all he could talk of at his return was, That he had like to have been drowned at fuch a place; he fell out of a chaise at another; he had a better ftomach when he moved northward than when he turned his courfe to the parts in the fouth, and fo forth. It is therefore very much to be confidered, what fenfe a perfon has of things when he is fetting out; and if he then knows none of his friends and acquaintance but by their clothes and faces, it is my humble opinion, that he ftay at home. His parents fhould take care to marry him, and fee what they can get out of him that way; for there is a certain fort of men, who are no otherwife to be regarded but as they defcend from men of confequence, and may beget valuable fucceffors. And if we confider that men are to be efteemed only as they are useful, while a ftupid wretch is at the head of a great family, we may fay, the race is fufpended, as properly as when it is all gone, we fay, it is extinct.

I had feveral hints and advertisements from unknown hands, that fome, who are enemies to my labours, defign to demand the fashionable way of fatisfaction for the disturbance my Lucubrations have given them. I confefs, as things now ftand, I do not know how to deny fuch inviters, and am preparing myself accordingly: I have bought pumps and files, and am every morning practifing in my chamber. My neighbour, the dancingmafter, has demanded of me, why I take this liberty, fince I would not allow it him? but Lanfwered his was

an

an act of an indifferent nature, and mine of neceffity. My late treatifes against duels have fo far difobliged the fraternity of the Noble Science, of Defence, that I can get none of them to fhew me so much as one País. I am therefore obliged to learn my book; and have accordingly feveral volumes, wherein all the poftures are exactly delineated. I must confefs, I am fhy of letting people fee me at this exercise, because of my flannel waistcoat, and my spectacles, which I am forced to fix on, the better to obferve the pofture of the enemy.

I have upon my chamber walls drawn at full length the figures of all forts of men, from eight feet to three feet two inches. Within this height, I take it, that all the fighting men of Great-Britain are comprehended. But as I push, I make allowances for my being of a lank and fpare body, and have chalked out in every figure my own dimenfions; for I fcorn to rob any man of his life by taking advantage of his breadth: Therefore I prefs purely in a line down from his nofe, and take no more of him to affault than he has of me: For to fpeak impartially, if a lean fellow wounds a fat one in any part to the right or left, whether it be in Cart or in Terfe, beyond the dimenfions of the faid lean fellow's own breadth, I take it to be murder, and fuch a murder as is below a Gentleman to commit. As I am spare, I am alfo very tall, and behave myself with relation to that advantage with the fame punctilio; and I am ready to floop or ftand, according to the ftature of my adverfary. I must confefs I have had great fuccefs this morning, and have hit every figure round the room in a mortal part, without receiving the leaft hurt, except a little fcratch by falling on my face, in pushing at one at the lower end of my chamber; but I recovered fo quick, and jumped fo nimbly,into my guard, that if he had been alive, he could not have hurt me. It is confeffed, I have writ againft duels with fome warmth; but in all my difcourfes I have not ever faid, that I knew how a Gentleman could avoid a duel if he were provoked to it; and fince that cuftom is now became a law, I know nothing but the legislative power, with new animadverfions upon it, can put us in a capacity of denying challenges, though we were afterwards hanged for it. But no more

of

of this at prefent. As things ftand, I fhall put up no more affronts; and I fhall be fo far from taking ill words, that I will not take ill looks. I therefore warn all hot young fellows not to look hereafter more terrible than their neighbours; for if they ftare at me with their hats cocked higher than other people, I will not bear it. Nay, I give warning to all people in general to look kindly at me; for I will bear no frowns, even from Ladies; and if any woman pretends to look fcornfully at me, I fhall demand fatisfaction of the next of kin, of the mafculine gender.

N°

94. Tuesday, November 15, 1709.

Si non errâsset, fecerat ille minas.

Had he not err'd, his glory had been lefs.

Will's Coffee-house, November 14.

THAT which

MART.

to be the heroic virtue of private perfons; and there never breathed one man, who did not, in that part of his days wherein he was recommending himself to his miftrefs, do something beyond his ordinary course of life. As this has a very great effect even' upon the most flow and common men; fo, upon fuch as it finds qualified with virtue and merit, it fhines out in proportionable degrees of excellence: It gives new grace to the moft eminent accomplishments; and he, who of himself has either wit, wifdom, or valour, exerts each of thefe noble endowments when he becomes a Lover, with a certain beauty of action above what was ever observed in him before: And all who are without any one of these qualities, are to be looked upon as the rabble of mankind.

I was talking after this manner in a corner of this place with an old acquaintance, who taking me by the hand, faid, Mr. Bickerftaff, your discourse recalls to my mind a story, which I have longed to tell you ever fince I read that article, wherein you defire your friends to give you accounts of obfcure merit. The story I had of him is literally true, and well known to be so in the country wherein the circumftances were tranfacted. He acquainted me with the names of the perfons concerned, which I fhall change into feigned ones; there being a refpect due to their families that are still in being, as well as that the names themselves would not be fo familiar to an English ear. The adventure really happened in Denmark; and if I can remember all the paffages, I doubt not but it will be as moving to my readers as it

was to me.

Clarinda and Chole, two very fine women, were bred up as fifters in the family of Romeo, who was the father of Chloe, and the guardian of Clarinda. Philander, a young Gentleman of a good perfon, and charming converfation, being a friend of old Romeo's, frequented his houfe, and by that means was much in converfation with the young Ladies, though ftill in the prefence of the father and the guardian. The Ladies both entertained a fecret paffion for him, and could fee well enough, notwithstanding the delight which he really took in Romeo's conversation, that there was fomething more in his heart which made him fo affiduous a vifitant. Each of them thought herself the happy woman; but the perfon beloved was Chloe. It happened that both of them were at a Play in a carnaval evening, when it is the fashion there, as well as in moft countries of Europe, both for men and women to appear in masks and disguises. It was on that memorable night in the year 1679, when the playhouse by fome unhappy accident was fet on fire. Philander, in the firft hurry of the difafter, immediately ran where his treasure was; burst open the door of the box, fnatched the Lady up in his arms; and with unspeakable refolution and good fortune carried her off safe. He was no fooner out of the crowd, but he fet her down; and grafping her in his arms, with all the raptures of a deferving Lover, How happy am I, fays he, in an op

portunity