ter man by it. The remaining part of this dialogue is very obfcure: There is fomething in it that would make us think Socrates hinted at himself, when he spoke of this Divine Teacher who was to come into the world, did not he own that he himfelf was in this refpect as much at a lofs, and in as great diftrefs as the reft of mankind. Some learned men look upon this conclufion as a prediction of our Saviour, or at least that Socrates, like the high-prieft, prophefied unknowingly, and pointed at that Divine Teacher who was to come into the world fome ages after him. However that may be, we find that this great philofopher faw, by the light of reafon, that it was fuitable to the goodness of the Divine Nature, to fend a perfon into the world who fhould instruct mankind in the duties of religion, and, in particular, teach them how to pray. Whoever reads this abftract of Plato's Difcourfe on Prayer, will, I believe, naturally make this reflection, That the great Founder of our religion, as well by his own example, as in the form of prayer which he taught his difciples, did not only keep up to thofe rules which the light of nature had fuggefted to this great philofopher, but inftructed his difciples in the whole extent of this duty, as well as of all others. He directed them to the proper object of adoration, and taught them, according to the third rule above-mentioned, to apply themfelves to him in their clofets, without fhow or oftentation, and to worship him in fpirit and in truth. As the Lacedemonians in their form of prayer implored the gods in general to give them all good things fo long as they were virtuous, we afk in particular that our offences may be forgiven, as we forgive thofe of others. If we look into the fecond rule which Sacrates has prescribed, namely, That we fhould apply ourselves to the knowledge of fuch things as are beft for us, this too is explained at large in the doctrines doctrines of the gofpel, where we are taught in feveral inftances to regard thofe things as curfes, which appear as bleffings in the eye of the world; and on the contrary, to esteem thofe things as bleffings, which to the generality of mankind appear as curfes. Thus in the form which is prefcribed to us we only pray for that happiness which is our chief good, and the great end of our exiftence, when we petition the fupreme Being for the coming of his kingdom, being folieitous for no other temporal bleffings but our daily fuftenance. On the other fide, We pray against nothing but fin, and against evil in general, leaving it with Omnifcience to determine what is really fuch. If we look into the firft of Socrates his rules of prayer, in which he recommends the above-mentioned form of the ancient poet, we find that form not only comprehended, but very much improved in the petition, wherein we pray to the Supreme Being that his will may be done; which is of the fame force with that form which our Saviour ufed, when he prayed against the most painful and moft ignominious of deaths, Nevertheless not my Will, but thine be done. This comprehenfive petition is the most humble, as well as the most prudent, that can be offered up from the creature to his Creator, as it fuppofes the Supreme Being wills nothing but what is for our good, and that he knows better than ourselves what is fo. **X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X No 208. MONDAY, OCTOBER 29. -Veniunt Spectentur ut ipfa. L OVID. Ars. Am. I. i. ver. 99. To be themselves a fpectacle, they come. I HAVE feveral letters from people of good fenfe, who lament the depravity or poverty of tafte the town is fallen into with relation to plays and P3 public public fpectacles. A Lady in particular obferves, that there is fuch a levity in the minds of her own fex, that they feldom attend any thing but impertinences. It is indeed prodigious to obferve how little notice is taken of the most exalted parts of the best tragedies in Shakespear; nay, it is not only vifible that fenfuality has devoured all greatnefs of foul, but the under-paflion (as I may fo call it) of a noble fpirit, pity, feems to be a ftranger to the generality of an audience. The minds of men are indeed very differently difpofed; and the reliefs from care and attention are of one fort in a great fpirit, and of another in an ordinary one, The man of a great heart and a ferious complexion, is more pleased with inftances of generofity and pity, than the light and ludicrous fpirit can poffibly be with the highest strains of mirth and laughter: It is therefore a melancholy profpect when we fee a numerous affembly loft to all ferious entertainments, and fuch incidents, as should move one fort of concern, excite in them a quite contrary one. In the tragedy of Macbeth, the other night, when the lady who is confcious of the crime of murdering the King, feems utterly aftonifhed at the news, and makes an exclamation at it, instead of the indignation which is natural to the occafion, that expreffion is received with a loud laugh: They were as merry when a criminal was stabbed. It is certainly an occafion of rejoicing when the wicked are feized in their defigns; but I think it is not fuch a triumph as is exerted by laughter. You may generally obferve, that the appetites are fooner moved than the paffions: A fly expreffion which alludes to baudry, puts a whole row into a pleafing finirk; when a good fentence that defcribes an inward fentiment of the foul, is received with the greateft coldness and indifference. A correfpondent of mine, upon this fubject, has divided the female part of the audience, and accounts for their prepoffeffions against this reasonable delight in the following manner. The prude, fays he, as the acts always in contradiction, fo fhe is gravely fullen at a comedy, and extravagantly gay at a tra gedy. The coquette is fo much taken up with throwing her eyes around the audience, and confidering the effect of them, that the cannot be expected to obferve the actors but as they are her rivals, and take off the obfervation of the men from herfelf. Befides thefe fpecies of women, there are the examples, or the first of the mode: Thefe are to be supposed too well acquainted with what the actor was going to fay to be moved at it. After thefe one might mention a certain flippant fet of females who are mimicks, and are wonderfully diverted with the conduct of all the people around them, and are fpectators only of the audience. But what is of all the moft to be lamented, is the lofs of a party whom it would be worth preferving in their right fenfes upon all occafions, and thefe are those whom we may indifferently call the innocent or the unaffected. You may fometimes fee one of these fenfibly touched with a well-wrought incident; but then the is immediately fo impertinently obferved by the men, and frowned at by fome infenfible fuperior of her own fex, that he is afhamed, and lofes the enjoyment of the moft laudable concern, pity. Thus the whole audience is afraid of letting fall a tear, and fhun as a weakness the best and worthieft part of our fenfe. • SIR, AS you are one that doth not only pretend to reform, but effects it among people of any fenfe; makes me (who am one of the greatest of your admirers) give you this trouble, to defire you will fettle the method of us females knowing when one another is in town: For they have now got atrick of never fending to their acquaintance when they No 208. they first come; and if one does not vifit them within the week which they stay at home, it is a mortal quarrel. Now, dear Mr. SPEC, either ⚫ command them to put it in the advertisement of your paper, which is generally read by our fex, or elfe order them to breathe their faucy footmen (who are good for nothing elfe), by fending them to tell all their acquaintance. If you think to print this, pray put it into a better ftile as to the fpelling part. The town is now filling every day, and it cannot be deferred, because people 'take advantage of one another by this means, and break off acquaintance, and are rude: Therefore pray put this in your paper as foon as you can poffibly, to prevent any future mifcarriages of 'this nature. I am, as I ever shall be, 6 • Dear SPEC, Your most obedient humble fervant, 'Pray fettle what is to be a proper notification of ⚫ a perfon's being in town, and how that differs according to people's quality." I Mr. SPECTATOR, October the 20th. Have been out of town, fo did not meet with your paper dated September the 28th,-wherein you, to my heart's defire, expofe that curfed vice of infnaring poor young girls, and drawing them • from their friends. I affure you without flattery it has faved a 'pretence of mine from ruin; and ⚫ in token of gratitude, as well as for the benefit of my family, I have put it in a frame and glass, and hung it behind my counter. I fhall take care to make my young ones read it every morning to fortify them againft fuch pernicious rafcals. I know not whether what you writ was matter of fact, or your own invention; but this I will take my oath on, the first part is fo exactly like what happened |