why the Judge of the whole Earth has fuffer'd this Thing to come to pafs: The Child is the Occafion that "the Blood of the old Man is fpilt; but know, that the old Man whom thou faw'ft, was the Murderer of that Child's Father. N° 238. Monday, December 3. Nequicquam populo bibulas donaveris Aures, A MONG all the Diseases of the Mind, there is not one more epidemical or more pernicious than the Love of Flattery. For as where the Juices of the Body are prepared to receive a malignant Influence, there the Difeafe rages with moft Violence; fo in this Diftemper of the Mind, where there is ever a Propenfity and Inclination to fuck in the Poison, it cannot be but that the whole Order of reasonable Action must be overturn'd, for, like Mufick, it So foftens and difarms the Mind, That not one Arrow can Refiftance find. Firft we flatter our felves, and then the Flattery of others is fure of Succefs. It awakens our Self-Love within, a Party which is ever ready to revolt from our better Judgment, and join the Enemy without. Hence it is, that the Profufion of Favours we so often fee poured upon the Parafite, are represented to us, by our Self-Love, as Justice done to the Man, who fo agreeably reconciles us to our felves. When we are overcome by fuch foft Infinuations and enfnaring Compliances, we gladly recompence the Artifices that are made ufe of to blind our Reason, and which triumph over the Weakneffes of our Temper and Inclinations. BUT were every Man perfwaded from how mean and low a Principle this Paffion is derived, there can be no Doubt but the Perfon who fhould attempt to gratify it, would then be as contemptible as he is now fuccefsful. 'Tis the Defire of fome Quality we are not pos feffed of, or Inclination to be fomething we are not VOL. III. N which which are the Caufes of our giving our felves up to that Man, who bestows upon us the Characters and Qualities of others; which perhaps fuit us as ill and were as little defign'd for our wearing, as their Cloaths. Inftead of going out of our own complectional Nature into that of others, 'were a better and more laudable Industry to improve our own, and instead of a miferable Copy become a good Original;. for there is no Temper, no Difpofition fo rude and untractable, but may in its own peculiar Caft and Turn be brought to fome agreeable Ufe in Converfation, or in the Affairs of Life. A Perfon of a rougher Deportment, and lefs tied up to the ufual Ceremonies of Behaviour, will, like Manly in the Play, please by the Grace which Nature gives to every Action wherein the is complied with; the Brisk and Lively will not want their Admirers, and even a more referved and melancholy Temper may at fome Times be agreeable. WHEN there is not Vanity enough awake in a Man to undo him, the Flatterer tirs up that dormant Weakness, and infpires him with Merit enough to be a Coxcomb. But if Flattery be the most fordid Act that can be complied with, the Art of Praifing juftly is as commendable: For 'tis laudable to praife well; as Poets at one and the fame time give him Immortality, and receive it themselves for a Reward: Both are pleased, the one whilst he receives the Recompence of Merit, the other whilst he fhews he knows how to difcern it; but above all, that Man is happy in this Art, who, like a skilful Painter, retains the Features and Complexion, but still softens the Picture into the moft agreeable Likeness. THERE can hardly, I believe, be imagin'd a more defirable Pleasure, than that of Praise unmix'd with any Poffibility of Flattery. Such was that which Germanicus enjoyed, when, the Night before a Battle, defirous of fome fincere Mark of the Efteem of his Legions for him, he is defcribed by Tacitus liftening in a Difguife to the Difcourfe of a Soldier, and wrapt up in the Fruition of his Glory, whilft with an undefigned Sincerity they prai- · fed his noble and majestick Mein, his Affability, his Valour, Conduct, and Succefs in War. How must a Man have his Heart full-blown with Joy in fuch an Article of Glory as this? What a Spur and Encouragement ftill to proceed proceed in thofe Steps which had already brought him to fo pure a Tate of the greatest of mortal Enjoyments? IT fometimes happens, that even Enemies and envious Perfons bestow the fincereft Marks of Efteem when they leaft defign it. Such afford a greater Pleasure, as extorted by Merit, and freed from all Sufpicion of Favour or Flattery. Thus it is with Malvolio; he has Wit, Learning, and Discernment, but temper'd with an Allay of Envy, Self-Love, and Detraction: Malvolio turns pale at the Mirth and good Humour of the Company, if it center not in his Perfon; he grows jealous and displeased when he ceafes to be the only Perfon admired, and looks upon the Commendations paid to another as a Detraction from his Merit, and an Attempt to leffen the Superiority he affects; but by this very Method, he bestows fuch Praife as can never be fufpected of Flattery. His Unealinefs and Distastes are fo many fure and certain Signs of another's Title to that Glory he defires, and has the Mortification to find himself not poffeffed of. A good Name is fitly compared to a precious Ointment, and when we are praised with Skill and Decency, 'tis indeed the most agreeable Perfume, but if too ftrongly admitted into a Brain of a lefs vigorous and happy Texture, 'twill, like too ftrong an Odour, overcome the Senses, and prove pernicious to thofe Nerves 'twas intended to refresh. A generous Mind is of all others the most fenfible of Praise and Difpraife; and a noble Spirit is as much invigorated with its due Proportion of Honour and Applaufe, as 'tis depreffed by Neglect and Contempt: But 'tis only Perfons far above the common Level who are thus affected with cither of thefe Extreams; as in a Thermometer, 'tis only the pureft and moft fublimated Spirit that is either contracted or dilated by the Benignity or Inclemency of the Seafon. Mr. SPECTATOR, "TH a HE Tranflations which you have lately given us from the Greek in fome of your laft Papers, < have been the Occafion of my looking into fome of thofe Authors; among whom I chanced on a Collection of Letters which pafs under the Name of Ariftanetus. Of all the Remains of Antiquity, I believe there can be Nothing produc'd of an Air fo gallant and polite; each Letter contains a little Novel or Adventure, which is ⚫ told N 2 N° 238. told with all the Beauties of Language, and heightened with a Luxuriance of Wit. There are feveral of them tranflated, but with fuch wide Deviations from the Original, and in a Style fo far differing from the Author's, that the Tranflator feems rather to have taken Hints ⚫ for the expreffing his own Senfe and Thoughts, than to have endeavoured to render thofe of Ariftanetus. In the following Tranflation, I have kept as near the Meaning of the Greek as I could, and have only added a few Words to make the Sentences in English fit together a little better than they would otherwife have done. The Story feems to be taken from that of Pigmalion and the Statue in Ovid: Some of the Thoughts are of the fame Turn, and the Whole is written in a kind of Poetical Profe. Philopinax to Chromation. "NEVER was 3 Mlion as mine. I have paint EVER was a Man more overcome with fo a Paffion ed a beautiful Woman, and am defpairing, dying for "the Picture. My own Skill has undone me; 'tis not the Dart of Venus, but my own Pencil has thus woundes ed me. Ah me! with what Anxiety am I neceffitated "to adore my own Idol? How miferable am I, whilst 66 every one must as much pity the Painter as he praises "the Picture, and own my Torment more than equal "to my Art. But why do I thus complain? Have there not been more unhappy and unnatural Paffions than "mine? Yes, I have feen the Reprefentations of Pha dra, Narciffus, and Pafiphae, Phedra was unhappy in "her Love; that of Pasiphae was monstrous; and whilst "the other caught at his beloved Likeness, he deftroy"ed the watry Image, which ever eluded his Embraces: The Fountain reprefented Narciffus to himfelf, and the Picture both that and him, thirsting af"ter his adored Image. But I am yet lefs unhappy, I enjoy her Prefence continually, and if I touch her I deftroy not the beautcous Form, but the looks pleased, and a fweet Smile fits in the charming Space which "divides her Lips. One would fwear that Voice and "Speech were iffuing out, and that one's Ears felt the "melodious Sound. How often have I, deceived by a Lover's Credulity, hearkened if fhe had not fome 66 "thing 86 66 thing to whifper me? and when fruftrated of my Hopes, "how often have I taken my Revenge in Kiffes from "her Cheeks and Eyes, and foftly wooed her to my Em"brace, whilst she (as to me it seem'd) only with-held her Tongue the more to enflame me. But, Madman that I am, fhall I be thus taken with the Reprefentation only of a beautiful Face and flowing Hair, and thus wafte my felf and melt to Tears for a Shadow? Ah, fure 'tis fomething more, 'tis a Reality! For fee her "Beauties fhine out with new Luftre, and fhe feems to upbraid me with fuch unkind Reproaches. O may I "have a living Miftrefs of this Form, that when I fhall 66 compare the Work of Nature and that of Art, I may "be ftill at a Lofs which to chufe, and be long perplex'd "with the pleafing Uncertainty. N° 239. Tuesday, December 4. -Bella, korrida bella! Virg. T Have fometimes amufed my felf with confidering the feveral Methods of managing a Debate which have obtained in the World. THE first Races of Mankind ufed to difpute, as our ordinary People do now-a-days, in a kind of wild Logick, uncultivated by Rules of Art. SOCRATES introduced a catechetical Method of Arguing. He would ask his Adverfary Queftion upon Queftion, till he had convinced him out of his own Mouth that his Opinions were wrong. This Way of Debating drives an Enemy up into a Corner, feizes all the Paffes through which he can make an Escape, and forces him to furrender at Difcretion. ARISTOTLE changed this Method of Attack, and invented a great Variety of little Weapons, called Syllogifms. As in the Socratick Way of Difpute you agree to every Thing which your Opponent advances, in the Ariftotelick you are ftill denying and contradicting fome Part or other of what he fays. Socrates conquers you by N 3 Stra |
