argument, which is not reducible to any mood or figure in Ariftotle. It was called the Argumentum Bafilinum (others write it Bacilinum or Baculinum) which is pretty well expreffed in our Englife word. Club-Law. When they were not able to confute their antagonist, they knocked him down. It was their method in these polemical debates, firft to difcharge their fyllogifms, and afterwards to betake themselves to their clubs, until fuch time as they had one way or other confounded their gainfayers, There is in Oxford a narrow defile, (to make use of a military term) where the partizans used to en-counter, for which reason it ftill retains the name of Logic Lane. I have heard an old Gentleman, as phyfician, make his boafts, that when he was a young fellow he marched feveral times at the head. of a troop of Scotifts, and cudgelled a body of Smiglefians half the length of High Street, until they had difperfed themfelves for fhelter into their refpective garrifons.

This humour, I find, went very far in Erafmus's time. For that author tells us, That upon the revival of Greek letters, moft of the univerfitics in Europe were divided into Greeks and Trojans. The latter were those who bore a mortal emnity to the language of the Grecians, infomuch that if they met with any who understood it, they did not fail to treat him as a foe. Erafmus himself, had, it feems, the misfortune to fall into the hands of a party of Trojans, who laid him on with fo many blows and buffets that he never forgot their hoftilities to his dying day.

There is a way of managing an argument not much unlike the former, which is made ufe of by ftates and communities, when they draw up a hundred thousand difputants on each fide, and convince one another by dint of fword. A certain Grand Monarch was fo fenfible of his ftrength in this way of reafoning, that he writ upon his great guns-Ratio

ultima

ultima Regum, The Logick of Kings; but, God be thanked, he is now pretty well baffled at his own weapons. When one has to do with a philofopher of this kind, one should remember the old Gentle-man's faying, who had been engaged in an argument with one of the Roman emperors. Upon his friends telling him, That he wondered he would give up the question, when he had vifibly the better of the difpute; I am never ashamed, fays he, to be confuted by one who is mafter of fifty legions.

I fhall but just mention another kind of reafoning, which may be called arguing by poll, and another which is of equal force, in which wagers are made use of as arguments, according to the celebrated line in Hudibras.

But the most notable way of managing a contro-verfy, is that which we call Arguing by Torture. This is a method of reasoning which has been made ufe of with the poor refugees, and which was fo fashionable in our country during the reign of Queen Mary, that in a paffage of an author quoted by Monfieur Bayle, it is faid the price of wood was raised in England, by reafon of the executions that were made in Smithfield. Thefe difputants convince their adverfaries with a Sorites commonly called a pile of faggots. The rack is also a kind of fyllogifm which has been used with good effect, and has made multitudes of converts. Men were formerly difputed out of their doubts, reconciled to truth by force of reason, and won over to opinions by the candour, fenfe, and ingenuity of thofe who had the right on their fide; but this method of conviction operated too flowly. Pain was found to be much more enlightening than reafon. Every fcruple was looked upon as obftinacy, and not to be removed but by feveral engines invented for that purpose. In a word, the application of whips, racks, gibbets, gallies, dungeons, fire and faggot, in a difpute, may be looked upon

as

as Popish refinements upon the old Heathen Logick.

There is another way of reasoning which feldom fails, though it be of a quite different nature to that I have laft mentioned. I mean, convincing a man by ready money, or as it is ordinarily called, bribing a man to an opinion. This method has often proved fuccefsful, when all the others have been made ufe of to no purpose. A man who is furnifhed with arguments from the Mint, will convince his antagonist much fooner than one who draws them from reafon and philofophy. Gold is a wonderful clearer of the understanding; it diffipates every doubt and fcruple in an inftant; accommodates itself to the meaneft capacities; filences the loud and clamorous, and brings over the moft ob. ́ ftinate and inflexible. Philip of Macedon was a man of most invincible reason this way. He refuted by it all the wifdom of Athens, confounded their statesmen, ftruck their orators dumb, ́ and at length argued them out of all their liberties.

Having here touched upon the feveral methods. of difputing, as they have prevailed in different ages of the world, I fhall very fuddenly give my reader an account of the whole art of cavilling; which fhall be a full and fatisfactory answer to all fuch papers and pamphlets as have yet appeared against the SPECTATOR.

XX*XX*XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

No 240. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5.

- Aliter non fit, Avite, liber.

C

MART. Ep. xvii. lib. I.

Of fuch materials, Sir, are books compos'd.

I

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Am one of the moft genteel trades in the city, and understand thus much of liberal edú⚫cation,

cation, as to have an ardent ambition of being • useful to mankind, and to think that the chief • end of being as to this life. I had thefe good impreffions given me from the handfome behaviour of a learned, generous, and wealthy man, towards me when I firft began the world. • Some diffatisfation between me and my parents • made me enter into it with lefs relifh of bufinefs than I ought; and to turn off this uneafinefs I gave myself to criminal pleasures, fome exceffes, and a general loofe conduct. I know • not what the excellent man above-mentioned faw in me, but he defcended from the fuperiority of his wisdom and merit, to throw himself frequently into my company. This made me foon hope that I had fomething in me worth cultivating, and his converfation made me fenfible of fatisfactions in a regular way, which I had never ⚫ before imagined. When he was grown familiar with me, he opened himself like a good angel, and told me, he had long laboured to ripen me into a preparation to receive his friendfhip and advice, both which I fhould daily command, and the ufe of any part of his fortune, to apply the meafures he fhould propofe to me, for the improvement of my own. I affure you, I cannot. recollect the goodness and confufion of the goodman when he spoke to this purpote to me, without melting into tears; but in a word, Sir, I must haften to tell you, that my heart burns with gra⚫titude towards him, and he is fo happy a man, that it can never be in my power to return him his favours in kind, but I am fure I have made him the moft agreeable fatisfaction I could poffibly, in being ready to ferve others to my utmost ability, as far as is confiftent with the prudence he prescribes to me. Dear Mr. SPECTATOR, I do not owe to him only the good will and efteem of my own relations (who are people of diftine

tion)

6

tion) the prefent ease and plenty of my circumftances, but also the government of my paffions, ⚫ and regulation of my defires. I doubt not, Sir, but in your imagination fuch virtues as thefe of my worthy friend, bear as great a figure as actions which are more glittering in the common eftimation. What I would ask of you, is to give us a whole Spectator upon heroick virtue in common life, which may incite men to the fame generous inclinations, as have by this admirable perfon been shewn to, and raised in,

:I

SIR,

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Your most humble fervant.'

Aм a country gentleman, of a good plentiful eftate, and live as the reft of my neighbours with great hofpitality. I have been ever reckoned among the ladies the beft company in the world, and have accefs as a fort of a favourite. 'I never came in publick but I faluted them, tho' in great affemblies, all around, where it was feen how genteelly I avoided hampering my fpurs in their petticoats, whilft I moved amongst them; and on the other fide how prettily they courtefied • and received me, ftanding in proper rows, and advancing as faft as they faw their elders, or their betters dispatched by me. But fo it is, Mr. SPECTATOR, that all our good-breeding is of late lost by the unhappy arrival of a courtier, or town gentleman, who came lately among us: This perfon wherever he came into a room made a profound bow, and fell back, then recovered with a foft air, and made a bow to the next, and so to one or two more, and then took the grofs of the room, by paffing by them in a continued bow until he arrived at the perfon he thought proper particularly to entertain. This he did with fo good a grace and affurance, that it is taken for

the