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but at the fame time, to disable the Satyrift for the future, ordered his tongue to be cut out, and both his hands to be chopped off. Aretine is too trite an instance. Every one knows that all the Kings of Europe were his tributaries. Nay, there is a Letter of his extant, in which he makes his boasts that he had laid the Sophy of Perfia under contribution.

Though in the various examples which I have here drawn together, these several great Men behaved themselves very differently towards the wits of the Age who had reproached them; they all of them plainly fhewed that they were very fenfible of their reproaches, and confequently that they received them as very great injuries. For my own part, I would never trust a man that I thought was capable of giving these fecret wounds; and cannot but think that he would hurt the perfon, whose reputation he thus affaults, in his body or in his fortune, could he do it with the fame fecurity. There is indeed fomething very barbarous and inhuman in the ordinary Scriblers of Lampoons. An innocent young Lady fhall be expofed, for an unhappy feature. A Father of a family turned to ridicule, for fome domestick calamity. A Wife be made uneafie all her life, for a misinterpreted word or action. Nay, a good, a temperate, and a just man, fhall be put out of countenance, by the reprefentation of those qualities that should do him honour. So pernicious a thing is Wit, when it is not tempered with Virtue and Humanity.

I have indeed heard of heedlefs inconfiderate writers, that without any malice have facrificed the reputation of their friends and acquaintance, to a certain levity of temper, and a filly ambition, of diflinguishing themfelves by a spirit of Raillery and Satyr: As if it were not infinitely more honourable to be a Good-natured man, than a Wit. Where there is this little petulant humour in an Author, he is often very mischievous without defigning to be fo. For which reafon I always lay it down as a rule, that an indifcreet man is more hurtful than an ill-natured one; for as the one will only attack his enemies, and thofe he wishes ill to; the other injures indifferently both friends and foes. I cannot forbear, on this occafion, tranfcribing a Fable out of Sir Roger l'Eftrange, which accidentally lies before me. "A company of waggifh Boys were watch❝ing of Frogs at the fide of a Pond, and fill as any of them put up their "heads, they'd be pelting them down again with ftones. Children (fays "one of the Frogs) you never confider that though this be Play to you,

"'tis Death to us.

As this week is in a manner fet apart and dedicated to ferious thoughts, fhall indulge my felf in fuch Speculations as may not be altogether un

fuitable

In the next place I must apply my felf to my Party-correfpondents, who are continually teazing me to take notice of one another's proceedings. How often am I asked by both fides, if it is poffible for me to be an unconcerned Spectator of the rogueries that are committed by the party which is oppofite to him that writes the Letter. About two days fince I was reproached with an old Grecian law, that forbids any man to ftand as a Neuter or a Looker-on in the divifions of his country. However, as I am very fenfible my Paper would lofe its whole effect, fhould it run into the outrages of a Party, I fhall take care to keep clear of every thing which looks that way. If I can any way affwage private Inflammations, or allay publick Ferments, I fhall apply my felf to it with my utmost endeavours; but will never let my heart reproach me, with having done any thing towards encreafing those feuds and animofities that extinguifh Religion, deface Government, and make a Nation miferable.

What I have faid under the three foregoing heads, will, I am afraid, very much retrench the number of my Correspondents: I fhall therefore acquaint my reader, that if he has started any hint which he is not able to pursue, if has met with any furprizing story which he does not know how to tell, if he has difcovered any epidemical vice which has escaped my obfervation, or has heard of any uncommon virtue which he would defire to publish; in fhort, if he has any materials that can furnish out an innocent diverfion, I shall promise him my best affiftance in the working of them up for a publick entertainment.

This Paper my reader will find was intended for an anfwer to a multitude of Correfpondents; but I hope he will pardon me if I fingle out one of them in particular, who has made me fo very humble a request, that I cannot forbear complying with it.

To the SPECTATOR.

SIR,

"I

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March 15, 17.

Am at prefent fo unfortunate, as to have nothing to do but to "mind my own business; and therefore beg of you that you will "be pleased to put me into fome fmall Poft under you. I obferve that you have appointed your Printer and Publifher to receive Letters and "Advertisements for the City of London; and fhall think my self very "much honoured by you, if you will appoint me to take in Letters "and Advertisements for the City of Westminster and the Duchy of Lancaster. Though I cannot promise to fill fuch an employment with

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"fufficient abilities, I will endeavour to make up with induftry and fi"delity what I want in parts and genius. I am,

SIR, Tour most obedient Servant, Charles Lillie.

I

N° 18. Wednesday, March 21.

Equitis quoque jam migravit ab aure voluptas
Omnis ad incertos oculos et gaudia vana.

Hor.

T is my design in this paper to deliver down to posterity a faithful account of the Italian Opera, and of the gradual progrefs which it has made upon the English Stage; for there is no queftion but our great grand-children will be very curious to know the reafon why their fore-fathers used to fit together like an audience of foreigners in their own country, and to hear whole Plays acted before them in a tongue which they did not understand.

Arfinoe was the firft Opera that gave us a tafte of Italian Mufick. The great fuccefs this Opera met with, produced fome attempts of forming pieces upon Italian Plans, which fhould give a more natural and reafonable entertainment than what can be met with in the elaborate trifles of that nation. This alarmed the Poetafters and Fidlers of the town, who were used to deal in a more ordinary kind of ware; and therefore laid down an established rule, which is received as fuch to this day, That nothing is capable of being well fet to Mufick, that is not Nonfenfe.

This maxim was no fooner received, but we immediately fell to tranflating the Italian Opera's; and as there was no danger of hurting the sense of those extraordinary pieces, our Authors would often make words of their own which were entirely foreign to the meaning of the paffages they pretended to tranflate; their chief care being to make the numbers of the English verfe answer to thofe of the Italian, that both of them might go to the fame tune. Thus the famous fong in Camilla,

Barbara

fo foon into all quarters of the town, and dispatch so much business in so fhort a time. Besides this body of Regular troops, there are Stragglers, who without being duly lifted and enrolled, do infinite mischief to those who are so unlucky as to fall into their hands.

There are, befides the above-mentioned, innumerable Retainers to Phyfick, who, for want of other Patients, amuse themselves with the stifling of Cats in an air-pump, cutting up Dogs alive, or impaling of Infects upon the point of a needle for microscopical obfervations; befides those that are employed in the gathering of weeds, and the chace of Butterflies: Not to mention the Cocklefhell-merchants and Spider-catchers.

When I confider how each of these profeffions are crouded with multitudes that seek their livelihood in them, and how many men of merit there are in each of them, who may be rather said to be of the Science, than the Profeffion; I very much wonder at the humour of Parents, who will not rather chufe to place their Sons in a way of life where an honest industry cannot but thrive, than in stations where the greatest Probity, Learning, and good Sense may miscarry. How many men are Country-curates, that might have made themselves Aldermen of London, by a right improvement of a smaller fum of money than what is usually laid out upon a learned education? A fober frugal perfon, of flender parts and a flow apprehenfion, might have thrived in Trade, though he starves upon Phyfick; as a man would be well enough pleased to buy Silks of one, whom he would not venture to feel his pulfe. Vagellius is careful, ftudious and obliging, but withal a little thick-skulled; he has not a fingle Client, but might have had abundance of Customers. The misfortune is, that Parents take a liking to a particular profeffion, and therefore defire their Sons may be of it. Whereas, in fo great an affair of life, they should confider the Genius and Abilities of their children, more than their own inclinations.

It is the great advantage of a Trading nation, that there are very few in it so dull and heavy, who may not be placed in stations of life, which may give them an opportunity of making their fortunes. A well-regulated commerce is not, like Law, Phyfick, or Divinity, to be over-stocked with hands; but, on the contrary, flourishes by multitudes, and gives employment to all its Profeffors. Fleets of Merchant-men are fo many fquadrons of floating fhops, that vend our wares and manufactures in all the markets of the world, and find out chapmen under both the tropicks.

Tuesday

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Sevit atrox Volfcens, nec teli confpicit ufquam
Auctorem, nec quo se ardens immittere possit.

T

Virg.

HERE is nothing that more betrays a base ungenerous Spirit, than the giving of secret stabs to a man's reputation. Lampoons and Satyrs, that are written with Wit and Spirit, are like poisoned Darts, which not only inflict a wound, but make it incurable. For this reason I am very much troubled when I fee the talents of humour and ridicule in the poffeffion of an ill-natured man. There cannot be a greater gratification to a barbarous and inhuman Wit, than to flir up forrow in the heart of a private person, to raise uneafiness among near relations, and to expofe whole families to derifion, at the fame time that he remains unseen and undiscovered. If, befides the accomplishments of being witty and ill-natured, a man is vicious into the bargain; he is one of the most mischievous creatures that can enter into a civil Society. His Satyr will then chiefly fall upon those who ought to be the most exempt from it. Virtue, Merit, and every thing that is praise-worthy, will be made the subject of ridicule and buffoonery. It is impoffible to enumerate the evils which arise from these Arrows that fly in the dark; and I know no other excuse that is or can be made for them, than that the wounds they give are only imaginary, and produce nothing more than a fecret fhame or forrow in the mind of the fuffering perfon. It must indeed be confeffed, that a Lampoon or a Satyr do not carry in them robbery or murder; but at the fame time, how many are there that would not rather lose a confiderable sum of money, or even life it felf, than be fet up as mark of infamy and derifion? And in this case a man fhould confider, that an injury is not to be measured by the notions of him that gives, but of him that receives it.

Thofe

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