1 he recommends a Friend in the most handsome No. 230. Manner; and, methinks, it would be a great Pleasure Friday, Nov. 23, to know the Success of this Epistle, though each Party 1711 concerned in it has been so many hundred Years in his Grave, 'To MAXIMUS. What I should gladly do for any Friend of yours, I think I may now with Confidence request for a Friend of mine, Arrianus Maturius is the most considerable Man of his Country; when I call him so, I do not speak with Relation to his Fortune, though that is very plentiful, but to his Integrity, Justice, Gravity and Prudence; his Advice is useful to me in Business, and his Judgment in Matters of Learning: His Fidelity, Truth, and good Understanding, are very great great; besides this, he loves me as you do, than which cannot say any thing that signifies a warmer Affec tion. He has nothing that's aspiring; and tho' he may rise to the highest Order of Nobility, he keeps him self in an inferiour Rank; yet I think my self bound to use my Endeavours to serve and promote him; and would therefore find the Means of adding something to his Honours while he neither expects nor knows it, nay though he should refuse it. Something, in short, I would have for him that may be honourable, but not troublesome; and I entreat that you will procure him the first thing of this Kind that offers, by which you will not only oblige me, but him also; for though he does not covet it, I know he will be as grateful in acknowledging your Favour as if he had asked it.' 'Mr. SPECTATOR, The Reflections in some of your Papers on the servile Manner of Education now in use, have given Birth to an Ambition, which unless you discountenance it, will, I doubt, engage me in a very difficult, tho' not ungrateful Adventure. I am about to undertake for the sake of the British Youth, to instruct them in such a Manner, that the most dangerous Page in Virgil or Homer No. 230. Homer may be read by them with much Pleasure, and with perfect Safety to their Persons, Could I prevail so far as to be honoured with the Protection of some few of them (for I am not Heroe enough to rescue many), my Design is to retire with them to an agreeable Solitude; tho' within the Neigh bourhood of a City, for the Convenience of their being instructed in Musick, Dancing, Drawing, Designing, or any other such Accomplishments, which it is con ceived may make as proper Diversions for them, and almost as pleasant, as the little sordid Games which dirty School-boys are so much delighted with. It may easily be imagined how such a pretty Society, con versing with none beneath themselves, and sometimes admitted as perhaps not unentertaining Parties amongst better Company, commended and caressed for their little Performances, and turned by such Conversations to a certain Gallantry of Soul, might be brought early acquainted with some of the most polite English Writers. This having given them some tolerable Taste of Books, they would make themselves Masters of the Latin Tongue by Methods far easier than those in Lilly, with as little Difficulty or Reluctance as young Ladies learn to speak French or to sing Italian Operas. When they had advanced thus far, it would be Time to form their Taste something more exactly: One that had any true Relish of fine Writing, might with great Pleasure, both to himself and them, run over together with them the best Roman Historians, Poets, and Orators, and point out their more remarkable Beauties; give them a short Scheme of Chronology, a little View of Geography, Medals, Astronomy, or what else might best feed the busie inquisitive Humour so natural to that Age, Such of them as had the least Spark of Genius, when it was once awakened by the shining Thoughts and great Sentiments of those admired Writers, could not, I believe, be easily with-held from attempting that more difficult Sister Language, whose exalted Beauties they would have heard so often celebrated as the Pride and Wonder of the whole learned World. In the mean while it would be requisite requisite to exercise their Stile in writing any light No. 230. Pieces that ask more of Fancy than of Judgment; and Friday, Nov, 23, that frequently in their native Language, which every 17 one methinks should be most concerned to cultivate, especially Letters in which a Gentleman must have so frequent Occasions to distinguish himself. A Set of genteel good-natur'd Youths fallen into such a Manner of Life, would form almost a little Academy, and doubtless prove no such contemptible Companions, as might not often tempt a wiser Man to mingle himself in their Diversions, and draw them into such serious Sports as might prove nothing less instructing than the gravest Lessons: I doubt not but it might be made some of their favourite Plays, to contend which of them should recite a beautiful Part of a Poem or Oration most gracefully, or sometimes to join in acting a Scene of Terence, Sophocles, or our own Shake spear. The Cause of Milo might again be pleaded before more favourable Judges, Caesar a second Time be taught to tremble, and another race of Athenians be afresh enraged at the Ambition of another Philip. Amidst these noble Amusements we could hope to see the early Dawnings of their Imagination daily brighten into Sense, their Innocence improve into Virtue, and their unexperienc'd Good-nature directed to a generous Love of their Country, T No. 231, I am, &c, Saturday, November 24. O pudor! O pietas l- -Mart, LOOKING over the Letters, which I have lately received from my Correspondents, I met with the following one, which is written with such a Spirit of Politeness, that I could not but be very much pleased with it my self, and question not but it will be as acceptable to the Reader, 'Mr. SPECTATOR, You, who are no Stranger to Publick Assemblies, cannot but have observed the Awe they often strike on No. 231, Nov. 24, 1711 on such as are obliged to exert any Talent before Saturday, them, This is a sort of Elegant Distress, to which ingenuous Minds are the most liable, and may there fore deserve some Remarks in your Paper. Many a brave Fellow, who has put his Enemy to Flight in the Field, has been in the utmost Disorder upon making a Speech before a Body of his Friends at home: One would think there was some kind of Fascination in the Eyes of a large Circle of People, when darting all together upon one Person, I have seen a new Actor in a Tragedy so bound up by it as to be scarce able to speak or move, and have expected he would have died above three Acts before the Dagger or Cup of Poison were brought in. It would not be amiss, if such an one were at first introduced as a Ghost, or a Statue, till he recovered his Spirits, and grew fit for some living Part. As this sudden Desertion of ones-self shews a Diffi dence, which is not displeasing, it implies at the same time the greatest Respect to an Audience that can be. It is a sort of Mute Eloquence, which pleads for their Favour much better than Words could do; and we find their Generosity naturally moved to support those who are in so much Perplexity to entertain them, I was extreamly pleased with a late Instance of this kind at the Opera of Almahide, in the Encouragement given to a young Singer, whose more than ordinary Concern on her First Appearance, recommended her no less than her agreeable Voice, and just Performance, Meer Bashfulness, without Merit, is awkward; and Merit, without Modesty, insolent: But Modest Merit has a double Claim to Acceptance, and generally meets with as many Patrons as Beholders, I am, &c,' It is impossible that a Person should exert himself to Advantage in an Assembly, whether it be his part either to sing or speak, who lies under too great Oppressions of Modesty, I remember, upon talking with a Friend of mine concerning the force of Pronunciation, our Discourse led us into the Enumeration of 1711. of the several Organs of Speech, which an Orator No. 231 ought to have in Perfection, as the Tongue, the Teeth, Saturday, Nov. 24, the Lips, the Nose, the Palate, and the Wind-pipe, 17 Upon which, says my Friend, you have omitted the most material Organ of them all, and that is the Forehead. But notwithstanding an Excess of Modesty obstructs the Tongue, and renders it unfit for its Offices, a due Proportion of it is thought so requisite to an Orator, that Rhetoricians have recommended it to their Disciples as a Particular in their Art. Cicero tells us, that he never liked an Orator, who did not appear in some little Confusion at the beginning of his Speech, and confesses that he himself never entered upon an Oration without trembling and concern. It is indeed a kind of Deference which is due to a great Assembly, and seldom fails to raise a Benevolence in the Audience towards the Person who speaks. My Correspondent has taken notice, that the bravest Men often appear timorous on these Occa sions; as indeed we may observe that there is generally no Creature more impudent than a Coward, Lingua melior sed frigida bello A bold Tongue, and a feeble Arm, are the Qualifica tions of Drances in Virgil; as Homer, to express a Man both timorous and sawcy, makes use of a kind of Point, which is very rarely to be met with in his Writings; namely, that he had the Eyes of a Dog, but the Heart of a Deer, A just and reasonable Modesty does not only recom mend Eloquence, but sets off every great Talent which a Man can be possessed of. It heightens all the Virtues which it accompanies; like the Shades in Paintings, it raises and rounds every Figure, and makes the Colours more beautiful, tho' not so glaring as they would be without it, Modesty is not only an Ornament, but also a Guard to Virtue. It is a kind of quick and delicate feeling in the Soul, which makes her shrink and withdraw her self from every thing that has Danger in it. It is such an |