dares lead up a dance in a full court; and without blinking at the luftre of beauty, can diftribute an eye of proper complaifance to a room 'crowded with company, each of which deferves particular regard: While the other sneaks from converfation, like a fearful debtor, who never dares to look out, but when he can fee no body, and no body him, The next inftance of opticks is the famous Argus, who (to fpeak the language of Cambridge) was one of an hundred; and being used as a spy in the affairs of jealoufy, was obliged to have all his eyes about him. We have no account of the particular colours, cafts and turns of this body of eyes; but as he was pimp for his miftrefs Juno, it is probable he ufed all the modern leers, fly glances, and other ocular activities to ferve his purpofe. Some look upon him as the then King at arms to the heathenish deities; and make no more of his eyes than as fo many fpangles of his herald's coat. The next upon the optick lift is old fanus, who stood in a double-fighted capacity, like a perfon placed betwixt two oppofite looking-glaffes, and fo took a fort of retrospective caft at one view. Copies of this double-faced way are not yet out ⚫ of fashion with many profeffions, and the ingenious artists pretend to keep up this fpecies by double-headed canes and fpoons; but there is no mark of this faculty, except in the emblematical ⚫ way of a wife general having an eye to both front and rear, or a pious man taking a review and prospect of his paft and future ftate at the fame time. ་ I muft own, that the names, colours, qualities, and turns of eyes vary almoft in every head; for, not to mention the common appellations of the black, the blue, the white, the gray, and the like; the most remarkable are thofe that borrow their <titles ⚫ titles from animals, by virtue of fome particular quality of resemblance they bear to the eye of the refpective creatures; as that of a greedy ra'pacious afpect takes its name from the cat, that of a fharp piercing nature from the hawk, thofe of an amorous roguith look derive their title even from the sheep, and we fay fuch an one has a fheep's eye; not fo much to denote the innocence as the fimple flinefs of the caft: Nor is this me-> taphorical inoculation a modern invention, for • we find Homer taking the freedom to place the* eye of an ox, bull, or cow, in one of his prin→ ⚫cipal goddeffes, by that frequent expreffion of Βοῶπις πότνια "Ηρη The ox-eyed venerable Juno. " Now as to the peculiar qualities of the eye, that * fine part of our conftitution feems as much the receptacle and feat of our paffions, appetites and • inclinations as the mind itfelf; and at leaft is the outward portal to introduce them to the house within, or rather the common thorough-fare to let our affections pafs in and out. Love, anger, pride, and avarice, all vifibly move in thofe little orbs. I know' a young Lady that cannot fee a certain gentleman pafs by without fhewing a fecret defire of fecing him again by a dance in her eye-balls; nay, fhe cannot for the heart of her help looking half a street's length after any man in a gay drefs. You cannot behold a covetous fpirit walk by a goldfinith's fhop without casting a wifhful eye at the heaps upon the counter. Does not a haughty perfon fhew the temper of his foul in the fupercilious roll of his eye? and how frequently in the height of paffion does that moving picture in our head ftart and are, gather a rednefs and quick flashes of lightning, and. "make all its humours fparkle with fire, as Virgil finely defcribes it." G.g 3 D: d www-- Ardentis -From his wide noftrils flies ▲ fiery stream, and fparkles from his eyes. DRYDEN. • As for the various turns of the eye-fight, fuch as the voluntary or involuntary, the half or the • whole leer, I fhall not enter into a very particu⚫lar account of them; but let me obferve, that oblique vifion, when natural, was anciently the • mark of bewitchery and magical fascination, and to this day it is a malignant ill-look; but when ⚫it is forced and affected it carries a wanton defign, ⚫ and in playhouses, and other publick places, this ⚫ocular intimation is often an affignation for bad practices: But this irregularity in vifion, together with fuch enormities as tipping the wink, the circumfpective roll, the fide-peep through a thin hood or fan, must be put in the clafs of heteropticks, as • all wrong notions of religion are ranked under the general name of heterodox. All the pernicious applications of fight are more immediately under the direction of a SPECTATOR; and I hope you will arm your readers against the mischiefs which are daily done by killing eyes, in which you will highly oblige your wounded unknown friend, 'T. B.' ་ • Mr. SPECTATOR, YOU profeffed in feveral papers your particular endeavours, in the province of SPECTATOR, ⚫ to correct the offences committed by ftarers who disturb whole affemblies without any regard to time, place, or modefty. You complained alfo, ⚫ that a starer is not ufually a perfon to be convinced by the reafon of the thing, nor fo eafily rebuked, as to amend by admonitions. I thought therefore therefore fit to acquaint you with a convenient • mechanical way, which may eafily prevent or cor⚫rect ftaring, by an optical contrivance of new perfpective-glaffes, fhort and commodious like opera glaffes, fit for fhort-fighted people as well as others, thefe glaffes making the objects appear, either as they are feen by the naked eye, or more 'distinct, though fomewhat lefs than life, or bigger and nearer. A perfon may, by the help of this invention, take a view of another without the impertinence of ftaring; at the fame time it fhall not be poffible to know whom or what he is looking at. One One may look towards his right or left hand, when he is fuppofed to look forwards: This is fet forth at large in the printed propofals for the fale of those glaffes, to be had at Mr. Dillon's in Long-Acre, next door to the White Hart. Now, Sir, as your Spectator has occafioned the publishing of this invention for the benefit of modeft fpectators, the inventor defires your admonitions concerning the decent ufe of it; and hopes. by your recommendation, that for the future beauty may be beheld without the torture and • confufion which it fuffers from the infolence of Iftarers. By this means you will relieve the inno cent from an infult which there is no law to pu nifh, though it is a greater offence than many which are within the cognifance of justice, 4 Lam, SIR, No 251. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18. Lingua centum funt, oraque centum, Ferrea vox. A hundred mouths, a hundred tongues, And throats of brafs infpir'd with iron lungs. DRYDEN THE "HERE is nothing which more aftonifhes a foreigner, and frights à country fquire, than the Cries of London. My good friend Sir ROGER often declares, that he cannot get them out of his head or go to fleep for them, the firft week that he is in town. On the contrary, WILL HONEYCOMB calls them the Ramage de la Ville, and prefers them to the founds of larks and nightingales, with all the mufick of the fields and woods. I have lately received a letter from fome very odd fellow upon this fubject, which I fhall leave with my reader, without faying any thing further of it. 2 Aм a man out of all business, and would willingly turn my head to any thing for an honest livelihood. I have invented feveral projects for raifing many millions of money without burdening the fubject, but I cannot get the Parliament to liften to me, who look upon me, forfooth, as a crack, and a projector; fo that, defpairing to • enrich either myfelf or my country by this publick-fpiritedness, I would make fome proposals to you relating to a design which I have very much at heart, and which may procure me a handsome fubfiftence, if you will be pleased to recommend it to the cities of London and Westminster. · The poft I would aim at, is to be comptrollergeneral of the London cries, which are at present ' under |