disparages it, and makes Virtue not only unamiable, but No. 354, also ridiculous. The Sacred Writings are full of_Reflec- Wednes tions which abhor this kind of Conduct; and a Devotée day, April 16, is so far from promoting Goodness, that she deters others 1712. by her Example, Folly and Vanity in one of these Ladies, is like Vice in a Clergyman; it does not only debase him, but makes the inconsiderate part of the World think the worse of Religion 'Mr. SPECTATOR, I am, Sir, Your humble Servant, Hotspur.' Xenophon in his short Account of the Spartan Commonwealth, speaking of the Behaviour of their young Men in the Streets, says, There was so much Modesty in their Looks, that you might as soon have turned the Eyes of a Marble Statue upon you as theirs; and that in all their Behaviour they were more modest than a Bride when put to Bed upon her Wedding-Night: This Virtue, which is always joyn'd to Magnanimity, had such an Influence upon their Courage, that in Battel an Enemy could not look them in the Face; and they durst not but Die for their Country, Whenever I walk into the Streets of London and Westminster, the Countenances of all the young Fellows that pass by me, make me wish my self in Sparta: I meet with such blustering Airs, big Looks, and bold Fronts, that to a superficial Observer would bespeak a Courage above those Grecians, I am arrived to that Perfection in Speculation, that I understand the Lan guage of the Eyes, which would be a great Misfortune to me, had I not corrected the Testiness of old Age by Philosophy, There is scarce a Man in a red Coat who does not tell me, with a full Stare, he's a bold Man: I see several Swear inwardly at me, without any Offence of mine, but the Oddness of my Person: I meet Contempt in every Street, express'd in different Manners, by the scornful Look, the elevated Eye-brow, and the swelling Nostrils of the Proud and Prosperous. The Prentice speaks his Disrespect by an extended No. 354. Wednes day, April 16, 1712, Finger, and the Porter by stealing out his Tongue, If a Country Gentleman appears a little curious in observ ing the Edifices, Signs, Clocks, Coaches and Dials, it is not to be imagined how the polite Rabble of this Town, who are acquainted with these Objects, ridicule his Rusticity, I have known a Fellow with a Burden on his Head steal a Hand down from his Load, and slily twirl the Cock of a Squire's Hat behind him; while the offended Person is swearing, or out of Countenance, all the Wagg-Wits in the High-way are grinning in Applause of the ingenious Rogue that gave him the Tip; and the Folly of him who had not Eyes all round his Head to prevent receiving it. These Things arise from a general Affectation of Smartness, Wit, and Courage: Wicherly somewhere rallies the Pretensions this way, by making a Fellow say, Red Breeches are a certain Sign of Valour; and Otway makes a Man, to boast his Agility, trip up a Beggar on Crutches. From such Hints I beg a Speculation on this Subject; in the mean time I shall do all in the Power of a weak old Fellow in my own Defence: for as Diogenes, being in quest of an honest Man, sought for him when it was broad Day-light with a Lanthorn and Candle, so I intend for the future to walk the Streets with a dark Lanthorn, which has a convex Chrystal in it; and if any Man stares at me, I give fair Warning that I'll direct the Light full into his Eyes; thus despairing to find Men modest, I hope by this Means to evade their Impudence, I Non ego mordaci distrinxi carmíne quenquam,Ovid. HAVE been very often tempted to write Invectives upon those who have detracted from my Works, or spoken in Derogation of my Person; but I look upon it as a particular Happiness that I have always hinder'd No, 355, my Resentments from proceeding to this Extremity. I Thursday, April 17, once had gone through half a Satyr, but found so many 1712 Motions of Humanity rising in me towards the Persons whom I had severely treated, that I threw it into the Fire without ever finishing it. I have been angry enough to make several little Epigrams and Lampoons, and after having admired them a Day or two, have likewise committed them to the Flames. These I look upon as so many Sacrifices to Humanity, and have received much greater Satisfaction from the suppressing such Performances, than I could have done from any Reputation they might have procured me, or from any Mortification they might have given my Enemies, in case I had made them publick. If a Man has any Talent in Writing, it shews a good Mind to forbear answering Calumnies and Reproaches in the same Spirit of Bitterness with which they are offered: But when a Man has been at some Pains in making suitable Returns to an Enemy, and has the Instruments of Revenge in his Hands, to let drop his Wrath, and stifle his Resentments, seems to have something in it Great and Heroical. There is a particular Merit in such a way of forgiving an Enemy, and the more violent and unprovoked the Offence has been, the greater still is the Merit of him who thus forgives it. I never met with a Consideration that is more finely spun, and what has better pleased me, than one in Epictetus, which places an Enemy in a new Light, and gives us a View of him altogether different from that in which we are used to regard him. The Sense of it is as follows: Does a Man reproach thee for being Proud or Ill natured, Envious or Conceited, Ignorant or Detracting? Consider with thy self whether his Reproaches are true, if they are not, consider that thou art not the Person whom he reproaches, but that he reviles an imaginary Being, and perhaps loves what thou really art, though he hates what thou appearest to be. If his Reproaches are true, if thou art the envious ill-natur'd Man he takes thee for, give thy self another Turn, become mild, affable and obliging, and his Reproaches of thee naturally cease: His Reproaches No. 355, Reproaches may indeed continue, but thou art no longer Thursday, the Person whom he reproaches, April 17, 1712. I often apply this Rule to my self, and, when I hear of a Satyrical Speech or Writing that is aimed at me, I examine my own Heart, whether I deserve it or not, If I bring in a Verdict against my self, I endeavour to rectify my Conduct for the future in those Particulars which have drawn the Censure upon me; but if the whole Invective be grounded upon a Falshood, I trouble my self no further about it, and look upon my Name at the Head of it to signifie no more than one of those fictitious Names made use of by an Author to introduce an imaginary Character. Why should a Man be sensible of the Sting of a Reproach who is a Stranger to the Guilt that is implied in it? or subject himself to the Penalty when he knows he has never committed the Crime? This is a Piece of Fortitude which every one owes to his own Innocence, and without which it is impossible for a Man of any Merit or Figure to live at Peace with himself in a Country that abounds with Wit and Liberty. The famous Monsieur Balzac, in a Letter to the Chancellor of France, who had prevented the Publication of a Book against him, has the following Words, which are a lively Picture of the Greatness of Mind so visible in the Works of that Author. If it was a new Thing, it may be I should not be displeased with the Suppres sion of the first Libel that should abuse me; but since there are enough of 'em to make a small Library, I am secretly pleased to see the Number encreased, and take Delight in raising a Heap of Stones that Envy has cast at me without doing me any Harm. The Author here alludes to those Monuments of the Eastern Nations, which were Mountains of Stones raised upon the dead Body by Travellers, that used to cast every one his Stone upon it as they passed by. It is certain that no Monument is so glorious as one which is thus raised by the Hands of Envy. For my Part, I admire an Author for such a Temper of Mind, as enables him to bear an undeserved Reproach without Resentment, more than for all the Wit of any the finest Satyrical Reply, Thus far I thought necessary to explain my self in relation relation to those who have animadverted on this Paper, No. 355, and to shew the Reasons why I have not thought fit to Thursday, return them any formal Answer. I must further add, April 17, 1712. that the Work would have been of very little use to the Publick, had it been filled with personal Reflections and Debates; for which Reason I have never once turned out of my Way to observe those little Cavils which have been made against it by Envy or Ignorance. The common Fry of Scribblers, who have no other Way of being taken Notice of but by attacking what has gain'd some repu tation in the World, would have furnished me with Business enough, had they found me disposed to enter the Lists with 'em, I shall conclude with the Fable of Boccalini's Traveller, who was so pestered with the Noise of Grashoppers in his Ears, that he alighted from his Horse in great Wrath to kill them all. This, says the Author, was troubling himself to no manner of Purpose: Had he pursued his Journey without taking Notice of them, the troublesome Insects would have died of themselves in a very few Weeks, and he would have suffered nothing from them. L No. 356. Friday, April 18, Carior est illis homo quam sibi- |