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Riches, Honour, and Long Life repeated in feveral diffe-
rent Tones and Languages. When the first Hubbub of
Sounds was over, the Trap-Door being left open, the
Voices came up more feparate and diftinct. The first Prayer
was a very odd one, it came from Athens, and defired
Jupiter to increase the Wisdom and the Beard of his hum-
ble Supplicant. Menippus knew it by the Voice to be the
Prayer of his Friend Licander the Philofopher. This was
fucceeded by the Petition of one who had just laden a ship,
and promifed Jupiter, if he took care of it, and returned
it home again full of Riches, he would make him an of-
fering of a Silver-Cup. Jupiter thanked him for nothing;
and bending down his Ear more attentively than ordinary,
heard a Voice complaining to him of the Cruelty of an
Ephefian Widow, and begging him to breed Compaffion in
her Heart: This, fays Jupiter, is a very honeft Fellow, I
have received a great deal of Incense from him; I will
not be fo cruel to him as to hear his Prayers. He was
then interrupted with a whole Volly of Vows, which were
made for the Health of a tyrannical Prince by his Subjects
who pray'd for him in his Prefence. Menippus was fur-
prized, after having lifined to Prayers offered up with fo
much Ardour and Devotion, to hear low Whispers from
the fathe Affembly, expoftulating with Jove for fuffering
fuch a Tyrant to live, and asking him how his Thunder
could lie idle? Jupiter was fo offended at thefe prevaricat
ing Rafcals, that he took down the firft Vows, and puffed
away the last. The Philofopher feeing a great Cloud mount-
ing upwards, and making its way directly to the Trap.
Door, enquired of Jupiter what it meant. This, Jays Ju-
piter, is the Smoke of a whole Hecatomb that is offered me
by the General of an Army, who is very importunate
with me to let him cut off an hundred thousand Men
that are drawn up in Array against him: What does the
impudent Wretch think I fee in him, to believe that I will
make a Sacrifice of fo many Mortals as good as himself,
and all this to his Glory, for footh? But hark, fays Jupi-
ter, there is a Voice I never heard but in time of danger;
'tis a Rogue that is shipwreck'd 'in the Ionian Sea: I fav'd
bim on a Plank but three days ago, upon his. promife to
VOL. V.

mend

mend his manners, the Scoundrel is not worth a Groat, and jet has the impudence to offer me a Temple if I will keep him from finking But yonder, fays he, is a special Youth for you, he defires me to take his Father, who keeps a great Eflate from him, out of the Miferies of human Life. The old Fellow fhall live till he makes his Heart ake, I can tell him that for his pains. This was followed by the foft Voice of a pious Lady, defiring Jupiter that she might appear amiable and charming in the fight of her Emperor. As the Philofopher was reflecting on this extraordinary Petition, there blew a gentle Wind thro' the Trap-Door, which he at first mistook for a Gale of Zephirs, but afterwards found it to be a Breeze of Sighs: They fmelt firong of Flowers and Incenfe, and were succeeded by most pas fionate Complaints of Wounds and Torments, Fires and Arrows, Cruelty, Lefpair and Death. Menippus fancied that fuch lamentable Cries arofe from fome general Execu tion, or from Wretches lying under the Torture; but Jupiter told him that they came up to him from the Ifle of Paphos, and that be every day received Complaints of the fame nature from that whimsical Tribe of Mortals who are called Lovers. I am fo trifled with, fays he, by this Generation of both Sexes, and find it fo impoffible to please them, whether I grant or refufe their Petitions, that I fhall order a Western Wind for the future to intercept them in their Paffage, and blow them at random upon the Earth. The laft Petition I heard was from a very aged Man of zear an hundred Years old, begging but for one Year more of Life, and then promifing to die contented. This is the rareft old Fellow! Jays Jupiter. He has made this Prayer to me for above twenty Years together. When he was but fifty Years old. he defired only that he might live to fee his Son fettled in the World; I granted it. He then begged the fame Favour for his Daughter, and afterwards that he might fee the Education of a Grandfon: When all this was brought about, he puts up a Petition that be might live to finish a House he was building. In short, he is an unreasonable old Cur, and never wants an Excufe; I will hear no more of him. Upon which, he flung down

the

the Trap-Door in a passion, and was refolved to give no more Audiences that day,

NOTWITHSTANDING the Levity of this Fable, the Moral of it very well deferves our Attention, and is the fame with that which has been inculcated by Socrates and Plato, not to mention Juvenal and Perfius, who have each of them made the finest Satire in their whole Works upon this Subject. The Vanity of Mens Wishes, which are the natural Prayers of the Mind, as well as many of those secret Devotions which they offer to the Supreme Being, are fufficiently expofed by it. Among other Reasons for fet Forms of Prayer, I have often thought it a very good one, that by this means the Folly and Extravagance of Mens Defires may be kept within due bounds, and not break out in abfurd and ridiculous Petitions on fo great and folemn an occasion.

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N 392.

Friday, May 30.

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Per Ambages & Minifteria Deorum
Precipitandus eft liber Spiritus,

To the SPECTATOR.

Pet.

The Transformation of Fidelio into a Looking-Glass.

I

Was lately at a Tea-Table, where fome young Ladies entertained the Company with a Relation of a Coquet in the Neighbourhood, who had been discover⚫ed practising before her Glafs. To turn the Difcourfe, which from being witty grew to be malicious, the Matron of the Family took occafion, from the Subject, to ⚫ wish that there were to be found amongst Men fuch faithful Monitors to drefs the Mind by, as we confult to adorn the Body. She added, that if a fincere Friend were miraculously changed into a Looking-Glafs, the fhould not be ashamed to ask its advice very often. This

whimsical Thought worked fo much upon my Fancy the whole Evening, that it produced a very odd Dream. METHOUGHT, that as I ftood before iny Glass, the Image of a Youth, of an open ingenuous Afpect, ap 'peared in it; who with a fhrill Voice spoke in the fol lowing manner,

THE Looking-Glafs, you fee, was heretoforea Man, even I the unfortunate Fidelio. I had two Brothers, whofe Deformity in Shape was made out by the Clear. nefs of their Understanding: It must be owned however, that (as it generally happens) they had each a Per⚫ verfenefs of Humour fuitable to their Distortion of Body. The eldeft, whofe Belly funk in monftrously, was a great, Coward, and tho' hisfplenetick contracted Temper made him take fire immediately, he made Objects that beset him appear greater than they were. The fecond, whofe Breaft fwelled into a bold Relievo, on the contrary, took ⚫ great pleasure in leffening every thing, and was perfectly the Reverse of his Brother. Thefe Oddneffes pleafed Company once or twice, but difgufted when often feen; for which reafon the young Gentlemen were fent from • Court to ftudy Mathematicks at the University.

I need not acquaint you, that I was very well • made, and reckoned a bright polite Gentleman. I was the Confident and Darling of all the Fair; and if the Old and Ugly fpoke ill of me, all the World knew it was because I fcorned to flatter them. No Ball, no Affembly was attended till I had been confulted. Flavia • colour'd her Hair before me, Celia fhew'd me her Teeth, • Panthea heaved her Bofom, Cleora brandifhed her Diamond; I have feen Cloe's Foot,, and tied artificially the • Garters of Rhodope,

'TIS a general Maxim, that those who doat upon themfelves, can have no violent Affection for another: • But on the contrary, I found that the Womens Paffion, for me rofe in proportion to the Love they bore to themfelves. This was verify'd in my Amour with Narcissa, who was fo conftant to me, that it was pleasantly faid,. • had I been little enough, the would havehung me at her Girdle. The most dangerous Rival I had, was a gay

⚫ empty

empty Fellow, who by the Strength of a long Intercourse • with Narciffa, joined to his natural Endowments, had formed himself into a perfect Refemblance with her. I had been discarded, had the not obferved that he frequently asked my Opinion about Matters of the last confequence: This made me ftill more confiderable in her Eye.

THO' I was eternally careffed by the Ladies, fuch was their Opinion of my Honour, that I was never envy'd by the Men. A jealous Lover of Narciffa one day thought he had caught her in an amorous Conversation; for tho' he was at fuch a distance that he could hear no⚫ thing, he imagined strange things from her Airs and Ge ⚫ftures. Sometimes with a ferene Look the stepped back • in a liftning Pofture, and brightened into an innocent Smile. Quickly after the fwelled into an Air of Majefty and Disdain, then kept her Eyes half fhut after a languishing manner, then covered her Blushes with her Hand, breathed a Sigh, and feem'd ready to fink down. In rushed the furious Lover; but how great was his Surprize to fee no one there but the innocent Fidelio, with his Back against the Wall betwixt two Windows? IT were endless to recount all my Adventures. me haften to that which cost me my Life, and Narciffa ⚫her Happiness.

Let

SHE had the misfortune to have the Small-Pox, upon * which I was exprefly forbid her Sight, it being appre⚫hended that it would increase her Diftemper, and that I fhould infallibly catch it at the first Look. As foon as

fhe was fuffered to leave her Bed, the ftole out of her • Chamber, and found me all alone in an adjoining Apart⚫ment. She ran with Tranfport to her Darling, and ⚫ without Mixture of Fear, left I should diflike her. But, oh me! what was her Fury when she heard me fay, I • was afraid and fhock'd at fo loathfome a Spectacle. She ftepped back, fwollen with Rage, to fee if I had the • Infolence to repeat it. I did, with this Addition, that her ill-timed Paffion had increafed her Uglinefs. Enraged, inflamed, distracted, she snatched a Bodkin, and with all her Force ftabbed me to the Heart. Dying, I preferv'd

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