deal of good company. Mem. The third air] From three to four. Dined. Miss Kitty called upon me to go to the opera before I was risen from table. From dinner to six: Drank tea. Turned off a footman for being rude to Veny. SUNDAY. Indisposed. MONDAY. Eight o'clock. Waked by Miss Kitty. Aurengzebe lay upon the chair by me. Kitty repeated without book the eight best lines in the play. Went in our mobs* to the dumb man, according to appointment. Told me that my lover's name began with a G. Mem. The conjurort was within a letter of Mr. Froth's name, &c. Wednesday, March 12, 1711-12. O souls, in whom no heavenly fire is found, 'MR. SPECTATOR, Six o'clock. Went to the opera. I did not see Mr. Froth till the beginning of the second act. Mr. Froth talked to a gentleman in a black wig; bowed to a lady in the front box. Mr. Froth and his friend clapped Nicolini in 'THE materials you have collected together the third act. Mr. Froth cried out Ancora.' towards a general history of clubs, make so Mr. Froth led me to my chair. I think he bright a part of your Speculations, that I squeezed my hand. think it is but justice we all owe the learned Eleven at night. Went to bed. Melancholy world, to furnish you with such assistance as dreams. Methought Nicolini said he was Mr. may promote that useful work. For this reaFroth. son I could not forbear communicating to you some imperfect informations of a set of men (if you will allow them a place in that species of being) who have lately erected themselves into a nocturnal fraternity, under the title of the Mohock-club, a name borrowed it seems from a sort of canibals in India, who subsist by plundering and devouring all the nations about them. The president is styled Emperor of the Mohocks; and his arms are a Turkish crescent, which his impartial majesty bears at present in a very extraordinary manUpon looking back into this my journal, ner engraven upon his forehead. Agreeable I find that I am at a loss to know whether I to their name, the avowed design of their inpass my time well or ill; and indeed never stitution is mischief; and upon this foundathought of considering how I did it before I tion all their rules and orders are framed. An perused your Speculation upon that subject. I outrageous ambition of doing all possible hurt scarce find a single action in these five days to their fellow-creatures, is the great cement that I can thoroughly approve of, excepting of their assembly, and the only qualification the working upon the violet-leaf, which I am required in the members. In order to exert resolved to finish the first day I am at leisure. this principle in its full strength and perfecAs for Mr. Froth and Veny, I did not think they took up so much of my time and thoughts as I find they do upon my journal. The latter of them I will turn off, if you insist upon it; and if Mr. Froth does not bring matters to a conclusion very suddenly, I will not let my life run away in a dream. tion, they take care to drink themselves to a pitch, that is, beyond the possibility of attending to any motions of reason or humanity; then make a general sally, and attack all that are so unfortunate as to walk the streots through which they patrole. Some are knocked down, others stabbed, others cut and car'Your humble servant, bonadoed. To put the watch to a total rout, 'CLARINDA.' and mortify some of those inoffensive militia, is reckoned a coup d' eclat. The particular To resume one of the morals of my 'first talents by which these misanthropes are dispaper, and to confirm Clarinda in her good tinguished from one another, consist in the vainclinations, I would have her consider what rious kinds of barbarities which they execute a pretty figure she would make among poste- upon their prisoners. Some are celebrated for rity, where the history of her whole life pub-a happy dexterity in tipping the lion upon lished like these five days of it. I shall con- them; which is performed by squeezing the clude my paper with an epitaph written by an nose flat to the face, and boring out the eyes uncertain author on Sir Philip Sidney's sister, with their fingers. Others are called the danca lady who seems to have been of a temper ing-masters, and teach their scholars to cut very much different from that of Clarinda. capers by running swords through their legs; The last thought of it is so very noble, that I new invention, whether originally French dare say my reader will pardon me the quotation. a I cannot tell. A third sort are the tumblers, whose office is to set women on their heads, and commit certain indecencies, or rather bar ON THE COUNTESS DOWAGER OF PEMBROKE. barities, on the limbs which they expose. But Underneath this marble hearse Lies the subject of all verse, * A sort of dress so named. Duncan Campbel. these I forbear to mention, because they cannot but be very shocking to the reader as well * The motto prefixed to this paper in folio, is from Juvenal: Savis inter se convenit ursis. as the Spectator. In this manner they carry | I am the more bold now to write to your sweet on a war against mankind; and by the stand-self, because I am now my own man, and may ing maxims of their policy, are to enter into match where I please; for my father is taken no alliances but one, and that is offensive and away, and now I am come to my living, which defensive with all bawdy-houses in general, is ten yard land, and a house; and there is of which they have declared themselves pro- never a yard land in our field, but it is as tectors and guarantees. well worth ten pounds a year as a thief is 'I must own, sir, these are only broken, in-worth a halter, and all my brothers and sisters coherent memoirs of this wonderful society; are provided for: besides, I have good housebut they are the best I have been yet able to hold stuff, though I say it, both brass and procure for, being but of late established, pewter, linens and woollens; and though my it is not ripe for a just history; and, to be house be thatched, yet, if you and I match, serious, the chief design of this trouble is to it shall go hard but I will have one half of it hinder it from ever being so. You have been slated. If you think well of this motion, I will pleased, out of a concern for the good of your wait upon you as soon as my new clothes are countrymen, to act, under the character of made, and hay-harvest is in. I could, though Spectator, not only the part of a looker-on, I say it, have good- The rest is torn off; but an overseer of their actions; and when- and posterity must be contented to know, that ever such enormities as this infest the town, Mrs. Margaret Clark was very pretty; but are we immediately fly to you for redress. I have left in the dark as to the name of her lover. reason to believe, that some thoughtless youngsters, out of a false notion of bravery, and an immoderate fondness to be distin T. Quid frustra simulacra fugacia captas? Ovid. Met. Lib. iii. 432. [From the fable of Narcissus.] guished for fellows of fire, are insensibly No. 325.] Thursday, March 13, 1711-12. hurried into this senseless, scandalous project. Such will probably stand corrected by your reproofs, especially if you inform them, that it is not courage for half a score fellows, mad with wine and lust, to set upon two or three soberer than themselves; and that the manners of Indian savages are not becoming accomplishments to an English fine gentleman. Such of them as have been bullies and scowerers of a long standing, and are grown veterans in this kind of service, are, I fear, too hardened to receive any impressions from your admonitions. But I beg you would recommend to their perusal your ninth Speculation. They may there be taught to take warning from the club of duelists; and be put in mind, that the common fate of those men of honour was, to be hanged. 'I am, Sir, What could, fond youth, this helpless passion move? Step thou aside, and the frail charmer dies.-Addison. The WILL HONEYCOMB diverted us last night with an accout of a young fellow's first discovering his passion to his mistress. young lady was one, it seems, who had long before conceived a favourable opinion of him, and was still in hopes that he would some time or other make his advances. As he was one 'Your most humble servant, day talking with her in company of her two March 10, 1711-12. PHILANTHROPOS. sisters, the conversation happening to turn upThe following letter is of a quite contrary on love, each of the youg ladies was, by way of nature; but I add it here, that the reader may raillery, recommending a wife to him; when, observe, at the same view, how amiable igno-to the no small surprise of her who languished rance may be, when it is shown in its simplici- for him in secret, he told them, with a more ties; and how detestable in barbarities. It is than ordinary seriousness, that his heart had written by an honest countryman to his mis-been long engaged to one whose name he tress, and came to the hands of a lady of good thought himself obliged in honour to conceal ; sense, wrapped about a thread-paper, who has long kept it by her as an image of artless love. To her very much respect, Mrs. Margaret but that he could shew her picture in the lid of his snuff-box. The young lady, who found herself most sensibly touched by this confession, took the first opportunity that offered of snatching his box out of his hand. He seem Lovely, and oh that I conld write loving, Mrs. Margaret Clark, I pray you let affectionner here mentioned to a Mrs. Cole, of Northampton: the excuse presumption. Having been so happy writer was a gentleman of the name of Bullock :-the as to enjoy the sight of your sweet counte-part torn off is given in the note alluded to as follows: nance and comely body, sometimes when I had good matches amongst my neighbours. My mother, occasion to buy treacle or liquorish powder at the apothecary's shop, I am so enamoured with you, that I can no more keep close my flaming desires to become your servant.* And * A note in Mr. Chalmers's edition of the Spectator informs us, tha this letter was really conveyed in the man left me good store of household linen of her own spinning, peace be with her soul! the good old gentlewoman, has a chest full. If you and I lay our means together, it shall go hard but I will pave the way to do well. Your loving servant till death, Mister Gabriel Bullock, now my father is dead. See No. 328.* Ayard land [virgata terra] in some counties, contains 20 acres, in some 24, and in others 30 acres of land.-Les Termes de la Ley. Ed. 1667. ed desirous of recovering it; but finding her resolved to look into the lid begged her, that, if she should happen to know the person, she would not reveal her name. Upon carrying it to the window, she was very agreeably surprised to find there was nothing within the lid but a little looking glass; on which, after she had viewed her own face with more pleasure than she had ever done before, she returned the box with a smile, telling him she could not but admire his 'choice. Will, fancying that this story took, immediately fell into a dissertation on the usefulness of looking-glasses; and, applying himself to me, asked if there were any looking-glasses in the times of the Greeks and Romans; for that he had often observed, in the translations of poems out of those languages, that people generally talked of seeing themselves in wells, fountains, lakes, and rivers. Nay, says he, I remember Mr. Dryden, in his Ovid, tells us of a swinging fellow, called Polypheme, that made use of the sea for his looking-glass, and could never dress himself to advantage but in a calm. My friend Will, to show us the whole compass of his learning upon this subject, further informed us, that there were still several nations in the world so very barbarous as not to have any looking-glasses among them; and that he had lately read a voyage to the South Sea, in which it is said that the ladies of Chili always dressed their heads over a bason of water. Under a shade of flow'rs, much wond'ring where Than that smooth watery image: back I turn'd; I am the more particular in my account of Will's last night's lecture on these natural No. mirrors, as it seems to bear some relation to the following letter, which I received the day before. SIR, 326.] Friday, March 14, 1711-12. Inclusam Danaën turris ahenea, X. Hor. Lib. iii. Od. xvi. 1. Of watchful dogs an odious ward Be to her faults a little bind, 'I have read your last Saturday's observations on the fourth book of Milton with great satisfaction, and am particularly pleased with the hidden moral which you have taken notice of in several parts of the poem. The design of this letter is to desire your thoughts, whether there may not also be some moral couched under that place in the same book, where the poet lets us know, that the first woman immediately after her creation ran to a lookingglass, and became so enamoured of her own face, that she had never removed to view any of the other works of nature, had she not been "YOUR correspondent's letter relating to led off to a man? If you think fit to set down fortune-hunters, and your subsequent disthe whole passage from Milton, your readers course upon it, have given me encouragewill be able to judge for themselves, and the ment to send you a state of my case, by which quotation will not a little contribute to the fill- you will see, that the matter complained ing up of your paper. of is a common grievance both to city and country. Your humble servant, 'R. T.' MR. SPECTATOR, 'I am a country-gentleman of between five and six thousand a year. It is my misfortune The last consideration urged by my querist to have a very fine park and an only daughter; is so strong, that I cannot forbear closing with upon which account I have been so plagued The passage he alludes to is part of Eve's with deer-stealers and fops, that for these four speech to Adam, and one of the most beautiful years past I have scarce enjoyed a moment's passages in the whole poem: it. "That day I oft remember, when from sleep I first awak'd, and found myself repos'd VOL. II. rest. I look upon myself to be in a state of war; and am forced to keep as constant watch in my seat, as a governor would do that commanded a town on the frontier of an enemy's country. I have indeed pretty well secured defrayed the charges of the month, but of their my park, having for this purpose provided my-education too; her fancy being so exorbitant self of four keepers, who are left-handed, and for the first year or two, as not to confine itself handle a quarter-staff beyond any other fel- to the usual objects of eatables and drinkables, lows in the country. And for the guard of my but running out after equipages and furniture, house, besides a band of pensioner matrons and the like extravagancies. To trouble you and an old maiden relation whom I keep on only with a few of them; when she was with constant duty, I have blunderbusses always child of Tom, my eldest son, she came home charged, and fox-gins planted in private places one day just fainting, and told me she had been about my garden, of which I have given fre- visiting a relation, whose husband had made quent notice in the neighbourhood; yet so it her a present of a chariot and a stately pair is, that in spite of all my care, I shall every of horses; and that she was positive she could now and then have a saucy rascal ride by, re- not breathe a week longer, unless she took connoitering (as I think you call it) under my the air in the fellow to it of her own within windows, as sprucely dressed as if he were go- that time. This, rather than lose an heir, I ing to a ball. I am aware of this way of at- readily complied with. Then the furniture of tacking a mistress on horseback, having heard her best room must be instantly changed, or that it is a common practice in Spain; and she should mark the child with some of the have therefore taken care to remove my daugh- frightful figures in the old-fashioned tapestry. ter from the road-side of the house, and to Well, the upholsterer was called, and her longlodge her next the garden. But to cut short ing saved that bout. When she went with my story: What can a man do after all? I Molly she had fixed her mind upon a new set durst not stand for member of parliament last of plate, and as much china as would have furelection, for fear of some ill consequences from nished an Indian shop: these also I cheerfully my being off my post. What I would there- granted, for fear of being father to an Indian fore desire of you is, to promote a project I pagod. Hitherto I found her demands rose have set on foot, and upon which I have writ- upon every concession; and had she gone on, ten to some of my friends: and that is, that I had been ruined: but by good fortune, with care may be taken to secure our daughters by her third, which was Peggy, the height of her law, as well as our deer; and that some hon- imagination came down to the corner of a veest gentleman, of a public spirit, would move nison pasty, and brought her once even upon for leave to bring in a bill for the better pre- her knees to gnaw off the ears of a pig from serving of the female game. the spit. The gratifications of her palate were easily preferred to those of her vanity and sometimes a patridge, or a quail, or a wheatear, or the pestle of a lark, were cheerfully purchased; nay, I could be contented though I were to feed her with green peas in April, or 'Here is a young man walks by our door cherries in May. But with the babe she now every day about the dusk of the evening. He goes, she is turned girl again, and fallen to looks up at my window, as if to see me; and eating of chalk, pretending it will make the if steal towards it to peep at him, he turns child's skin white; and nothing will serve her another way, and looks frightened at finding but I must bear her company, to prevent its what he was looking for. The air is very cold; having a shade of my brown. In this, howand pray let him know, that, if he knocks at the door, he will be carried to the parlour fire, and I will come down soon after, and give him an opportunity to break his mind. 'I am, Sir, Mile-End-Green, " MR. SPECTATOR, March 6, 1711-12. I am, Sir, Your most humble servant, 'MARY COMFIT.' 'If I observe he cannot speak, I'll give him time to recover himself, and ask him how he does.' What ever, I have ventured to deny her. No longer ago than yesterday, as we were coming to town, she saw a parcel of crows so heartily at breakfast upon a piece of horse-flesh, that she had an invincible desire to partake with them, and (to my infinite surprise) begged the coachman to cut her off a slice, as if it were for himself, which the fellow did; and as soon as she came home, she fell to it with such an appetite, that she seemed rather to devour than eat it. her next sally will be I cannot guess: but, in the mean time, my request to you is, that if there be any way to come at these wild unac'I beg you to print this without delay, and countable rovings of imagination by reason and by the first opportunity give us the natural argument, you would speedily afford us your causes of longing in women; or put me out assistance. This exceeds the grievance of pinof fear that my wife will one time or other be money; and I think in every settlement there delivered of something as monstrous as any ought to be a clause inserted, that the father thing that has yet appeared to the world; for should be answerable for the longings of his they say the child is to bear a resemblance of daughter. But I shall impatiently expect your what was desired by the mother. I have been thoughts in this matter; and am, 'DEAR SIR, married upwards of six years, have had four children, and my wife is now big with the fifth. The expenses she has put me to, in procuring what she has longed for during her pregnancy with them, would not only have handsomely Sir, most faithful humble servant, 'T. B. A larger scene of action is display'd.-Dryden. We were told in the foregoing book, how the evil spirit practised upon Eve as she lay asleep, in order to inspire her with thoughts of vanity, pride, and ambition. The author, who shows a wonderful art throughout his whole poem, in preparing the reader for the several occurrences that arise in it, founds, upon the above-mentioned circumstance, the first part of the fifth book. Adam, upon his awaking, finds Eve still asleep, with an unusual shows that the poet had this delightful scene in his mind. Eve's dream is full of those high conceits engendering pride, which, we are told, the devil endeavoured to instil into her. Of this kind is that part of it where she fancies herself awakened by Adam in the following beautiful lines: 'Why sleep'st thou, Eve? Now is the pleasant time, An injudicious poet would have made Adam discomposure in her looks. The posture in talk through the whole work in such sentiments which he regards her is described with a ten-as these: but flattery and falsehood are not derness not to be expressed, as the whisper the courtship of Milton's Adam, and could not with which he awakens her is the softest that be heard by Eve in her state of innocence, ever was conveyed to a lover's ear. His wonder was, to find unwaken'd Eve Such whispering wak'd her, but with startled eye excepting only in a dream produced on purpose So cheer'd be his fair spouse, and she was cheer'd; I cannot but take notice, that Milton, in the conferences between Adam and Eve, had The morning hymn is written in imitation his eye very frequently upon the book of Can- of one of those psalms where, in the overflowticles, in which there is a noble spirit of eas-ings of gatitude and praise, the psalmist calls tern poetry, and very often not unlike what not only upon the angels, but upon the most we meet with in Homer, who is generally placed conspicuous parts of the inanimate creation, to near the age of Solomon. I think there is no question but the poet in the preceding speech remembered those two passages which are spoken on the like occasion, and filled with the same pleasing images of nature. join with him in extolling their common Maker. Invocations of this nature fill the mind with glorious ideas of God's works, and awaken that divine enthusiasm which is so natural to devotion. But if this calling upon the dead parts 'My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise of nature is at all times a proper kind of worup, my love, my fair one, and come away! ship, it was in a particular manner suitable to for, lo! the winter is past, the rain is over, and our first parents, who had the creation fresh gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the upon their minds, and had not seen the various time of the singing of birds is come, and the dispensations of Providence, nor consequently voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away! 'Come, my beloved! let us go forth into the field, let us get up early to the vineyards, let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grapes appear, and the pomegranates bud forth.' His preferring the garden of Eden to that could be acquainted with those many topics of praise which might afford matter to the devo tions of their posterity. I need not remark the beautiful spirit of poetry which runs through this whole hymn, nor the holiness of that re, solution with which it concludes. Having already mentioned those speeches which are assigned to the persons in this poem, I proceed to the description which the poet, gives of Raphael. His departure from before |