Dicite Iö Pæan, et Iö bis dicite Pæan:Decidit in casses præda petita meos.Ovid.translationMr.SPECTATOR,'Having in your Paper ofMondaylast published my Report on the Case of Mrs.Fanny Fickle, wherein I have taken Notice, that Love comes after Marriage; I hope your Readers are satisfied of this Truth, that as Love generally produces Matrimony, so it often happens that Matrimony produces Love.'It perhaps requires more Virtues to make a good Husband or Wife, than what go the finishing any the most shining Character whatsoever.'Discretion seems absolutely necessary, and accordingly we find that the best Husbands have been most famous for their Wisdom.Homer, who hath drawn a perfect Pattern of a prudent Man, to make it the more compleat, hath celebrated him for the just Returns of Fidelity and Truth to hisPenelope; insomuch that he refused the Caresses of a Goddess for her sake, and to use the Expression of the best of Pagan Authors,vetulam suam prætulit Immortalitati, his old Woman was dearer to him than Immortality.'Virtue is the next necessary Qualification for this domestick Character, as it naturally produces Constancy and mutual Esteem. ThusBrutusandPorciawere more remarkable for Virtue and Affection than any others of the Age in which they lived.'Good-Nature is a third necessary Ingredient in the Marriage-State, without which it would inevitably sower upon a thousand Occasions. When Greatness of Mind is joined with this amiable Quality, it attracts the Admiration and Esteem of all who behold it. ThusCæsar, not more remarkable for his Fortune and Valour than for his Humanity, stole into the Hearts of theRomanPeople, when breaking through the Custom, he pronounced an Oration at the Funeral of his first and best beloved Wife.'Good-Nature is insufficient, unless it be steady and uniform, and accompanied with an Evenness of Temper, which is, above all things, to be preserved in this Friendship contracted for Life. A Man must be easie within himself, before he can be so to his other self.Socrates, andMarcus Aurelius, are Instances of Men, who, by the Strength of Philosophy, having entirely composed their Minds, and subdued their Passions, are celebrated for good Husbands, notwithstanding the first was yoked withXantippe, and the other withFaustina.If the wedded Pair would but habituate themselves for the first Year to bear with one another's Faults, the Difficulty would be pretty well conquer'd. This mutual Sweetness of Temper and Complacency, was finely recommended in the Nuptial Ceremonies among the Heathens, who, when they sacrificed toJunoat that Solemnity, always tore out the Gaul from the Entrails of the Victim, and cast it behind the Altar.'I shall conclude this Letter with a Passage out of Dr.Plot's Natural History of Staffordshire, not only as it will serve to fill up your present Paper; but if I find my self in the Humour, may give Rise to another; I having by me an old Register, belonging to the Place here under-mentioned.'SirPhilip de Somervileheld the Manors ofWhichenovre, Scirescot, Ridware, Netherton, andCowlee, all inCom. Stafford, of the Earls ofLancaster, by this memorable Service. The saidSirPhilipshall find, maintain, and sustain, oneBacon Flitch,hanging in his Hall atWhichenovreready arrayed all times of the Year, but inLent, to be given to every Man or Woman married, after the Day and the Year of their Marriage be past, in Form following.Whensoever that any one such before named will come to enquire for the Bacon, in their own Person, they shall come to the Bailiff, or to the Porter of the Lordship ofWhichenovre, and shall say to them in the manner as ensueth;'Bayliff, or Porter, I doo you to know, that I am come for my self, to demand oneBacon Flykehanging in the Hall of the Lord ofWhichenovre, after the Form thereunto belonging.'After which Relation, the Bayliff or Porter shall assign a Day to him, upon Promise by his Faith to return, and with him to bring Twain of his Neighbours. And in the mean Time the said Bailiff shall take with him Twain of the Freeholders of the Lordship ofWhichenovre, and they three shall go to the Manor ofRudlow, belonging toRobert Knightleye, and there shall summon the aforesaidKnightleye, or his Bayliff, commanding him to be ready atWhichenovrethe Day appointed, at Prime of Day, with his Carriage, that is to say, a Horse and a Saddle, a Sack and a Pryke, for to convey the said Bacon and Corn a Journey out of the County ofStafford, at his Costages. And then the said Bailiff shall, with the said Freeholders, summon all the Tenants of the said Manor, to be ready at the Day appointed, atWhichenovre, for to do and perform the Services which they owe to the Bacon. And at the Day assigned, all such as owe Services to the Bacon, shall be ready at the Gate of the Manor ofWhichenovre, from the Sun-rising to Noon, attending and awaiting for the coming of him who fetcheth the Bacon. And when he is come, there shall be delivered to him and his Fellows, Chapelets; and to all those which shall be there, to do their Services due to the Bacon. And they shall lead the said Demandant with Trumps and Tabours, and other manner of Minstrels to the Hall-Door, where he shall find the Lord ofWhichenovre, or his Steward, ready to deliver the Bacon in this Manner.He shall enquire of him, which demandeth the Bacon, if he have brought twain of his Neighbours with him: Which must answer,They be here ready. And then the Steward shall cause these two Neighbours to swear, if the said Demandant be a wedded Man, or have been a Man wedded; and if since his Marriage one Year and a Day be past; and if he be a Free-man, or a Villain. And if his said Neighbours make Oath, that he hath for him all these three Points rehearsed; then shall the Bacon be taken down and brought to the Hall-Door, and shall there be laid upon one half Quarter of Wheat, and upon one other of Rye. And he that demandeth the Bacon shall kneel upon his Knee, and shall hold his right Hand upon a Book, which Book shall be laid upon the Bacon and the Corn, and shall make Oath in this manner.'Here ye,SirPhilipdeSomervile, Lord ofWhichenovre, mayntener and gyver of this Baconne: That IAsithe I WeddedBmy Wife, and sithe I had hyr in my kepyng, and at my Wylle, by a Year and a Day after our Marriage, I would not have chaunged for none other; farer ne fowler; richer, ne pourer; ne for none other descended of greater Lynage; slepyng ne wakyng, at noo tyme. And if the seydBwere sole and I sole I would take her to be my Wife before all the Wymen of the Worlde, of what condiciones soever they be: good or evylle, as help me God ond his Seyntes, and this Flesh and all Fleshes.'And his Neighbours shall make Oath, that they trust verily he hath said truly. And if it be found by his Neighbours before-named that he be a Free-man, there shall be delivered to him half a Quarter of Wheat and a Cheese; and if he be a Villain, he shall have half a Quarter of Rye without Cheese. And then shallKnightleyethe Lord ofRudlowbe called for, to carry all these Things tofore rehearsed; and the said Corn shall be laid on one Horse and the Bacon above it: and he to whom the Bacon appertaineth shall ascend upon his Horse; and shall take the Cheese before him if he have a Horse. And if he have none, the Lord ofWhichenovreshall cause him to have one Horse and Saddle, to such time as he be past his Lordship: and so shall they depart the Manor ofWhichenovrewith the Corn and the Bacon, tofore him that hath won it, with Trumpets, Tabourets, and other manner of Minstrelsie. And all the Free Tenants ofWhichenovreshall Conduct him to be passed the Lordship ofWhichenovre.And then shall they all return; except him, to whom appertained to make the Carriage and Journey without the County ofStafford, at the Costs of his Lord ofWhichenovre.
SirPhilip de Somervileheld the Manors ofWhichenovre, Scirescot, Ridware, Netherton, andCowlee, all inCom. Stafford, of the Earls ofLancaster, by this memorable Service. The saidSirPhilipshall find, maintain, and sustain, oneBacon Flitch,hanging in his Hall atWhichenovreready arrayed all times of the Year, but inLent, to be given to every Man or Woman married, after the Day and the Year of their Marriage be past, in Form following.Whensoever that any one such before named will come to enquire for the Bacon, in their own Person, they shall come to the Bailiff, or to the Porter of the Lordship ofWhichenovre, and shall say to them in the manner as ensueth;'Bayliff, or Porter, I doo you to know, that I am come for my self, to demand oneBacon Flykehanging in the Hall of the Lord ofWhichenovre, after the Form thereunto belonging.'After which Relation, the Bayliff or Porter shall assign a Day to him, upon Promise by his Faith to return, and with him to bring Twain of his Neighbours. And in the mean Time the said Bailiff shall take with him Twain of the Freeholders of the Lordship ofWhichenovre, and they three shall go to the Manor ofRudlow, belonging toRobert Knightleye, and there shall summon the aforesaidKnightleye, or his Bayliff, commanding him to be ready atWhichenovrethe Day appointed, at Prime of Day, with his Carriage, that is to say, a Horse and a Saddle, a Sack and a Pryke, for to convey the said Bacon and Corn a Journey out of the County ofStafford, at his Costages. And then the said Bailiff shall, with the said Freeholders, summon all the Tenants of the said Manor, to be ready at the Day appointed, atWhichenovre, for to do and perform the Services which they owe to the Bacon. And at the Day assigned, all such as owe Services to the Bacon, shall be ready at the Gate of the Manor ofWhichenovre, from the Sun-rising to Noon, attending and awaiting for the coming of him who fetcheth the Bacon. And when he is come, there shall be delivered to him and his Fellows, Chapelets; and to all those which shall be there, to do their Services due to the Bacon. And they shall lead the said Demandant with Trumps and Tabours, and other manner of Minstrels to the Hall-Door, where he shall find the Lord ofWhichenovre, or his Steward, ready to deliver the Bacon in this Manner.He shall enquire of him, which demandeth the Bacon, if he have brought twain of his Neighbours with him: Which must answer,They be here ready. And then the Steward shall cause these two Neighbours to swear, if the said Demandant be a wedded Man, or have been a Man wedded; and if since his Marriage one Year and a Day be past; and if he be a Free-man, or a Villain. And if his said Neighbours make Oath, that he hath for him all these three Points rehearsed; then shall the Bacon be taken down and brought to the Hall-Door, and shall there be laid upon one half Quarter of Wheat, and upon one other of Rye. And he that demandeth the Bacon shall kneel upon his Knee, and shall hold his right Hand upon a Book, which Book shall be laid upon the Bacon and the Corn, and shall make Oath in this manner.'Here ye,SirPhilipdeSomervile, Lord ofWhichenovre, mayntener and gyver of this Baconne: That IAsithe I WeddedBmy Wife, and sithe I had hyr in my kepyng, and at my Wylle, by a Year and a Day after our Marriage, I would not have chaunged for none other; farer ne fowler; richer, ne pourer; ne for none other descended of greater Lynage; slepyng ne wakyng, at noo tyme. And if the seydBwere sole and I sole I would take her to be my Wife before all the Wymen of the Worlde, of what condiciones soever they be: good or evylle, as help me God ond his Seyntes, and this Flesh and all Fleshes.'And his Neighbours shall make Oath, that they trust verily he hath said truly. And if it be found by his Neighbours before-named that he be a Free-man, there shall be delivered to him half a Quarter of Wheat and a Cheese; and if he be a Villain, he shall have half a Quarter of Rye without Cheese. And then shallKnightleyethe Lord ofRudlowbe called for, to carry all these Things tofore rehearsed; and the said Corn shall be laid on one Horse and the Bacon above it: and he to whom the Bacon appertaineth shall ascend upon his Horse; and shall take the Cheese before him if he have a Horse. And if he have none, the Lord ofWhichenovreshall cause him to have one Horse and Saddle, to such time as he be past his Lordship: and so shall they depart the Manor ofWhichenovrewith the Corn and the Bacon, tofore him that hath won it, with Trumpets, Tabourets, and other manner of Minstrelsie. And all the Free Tenants ofWhichenovreshall Conduct him to be passed the Lordship ofWhichenovre.And then shall they all return; except him, to whom appertained to make the Carriage and Journey without the County ofStafford, at the Costs of his Lord ofWhichenovre.
Contents
—Perjuria ridet Amantum—Ovid.translationMr.SPECTATOR,'According to my Promise, I herewith transmit to you a List of several Persons, who from time to time demanded theFlitch of BaconofSirPhilip de Somervileand his Descendants; as it is preserved in an ancient Manuscript under the Title ofThe Register of Whichenovre-Hall, and of the Bacon Flitch there maintained.'In the Beginning of this Record is recited the Law or Institution in Form, as it is already printed in yourlast Paper: To which are added Two By-Laws, as a Comment upon the General Law, the Substance whereof is, that the Wife shall take the same Oath as the Husband,mutatis mutandis; and that the Judges shall, as they think meet, interrogate or cross-examine the Witnesses. After this proceeds the Register in Manner following.'Aubry de Falstaff,Son ofSirJohn Falstaff,Kt. with DameMaudehis Wife, were the first that demanded the Bacon, he having bribed twain of his Father's Companions to swear falsly in his Behoof whereby he gained the Flitch: But he and his said Wife falling immediately into a Dispute how the said Bacon should be dressed, it was by Order of the Judges taken from him, and hung up again in the Hall.'Alisonthe Wife ofStephen Freckle,brought her said Husband along with her, and set forth the good Conditions and Behaviour of her Consort, adding withal that she doubted not but he was ready to attest the like of her, his Wife; whereupon he, the saidStephen,shaking his Head, she turned short upon him, and gave him a Box on the Ear.'Philip de Waverland,having laid his Hand upon the Book, when the Clause, Were I sole and she sole,was rehearsed, found a secret Compunction rising in his Mind, and stole it off again.'Richard de Loveless,who was a Courtier, and a very wellbred Man, being observed to hesitate at the Wordsafter our Marriage,was thereupon required to explain himself. He reply'd, by talking very largely of his exact Complaisance while he was a Lover; and alledg'd, that he had not in the least disobliged his Wife for a Year and a Daybefore Marriage,which he hoped was the same Thing.'Rejected.'Joceline Jolly, Esq.,making it appear by unquestionable Testimony, That he and his Wife had presented full and entire Affection for the Space of the first Month, commonly called theHoney-Moon;he had in Consideration thereof one Rasher bestowed upon him.'After this, says the Record, many Years passed over before any Demandant appeared atWhichenovre-Hall; insomuch that one would have thought that the whole Country were turnedJews, so little was their Affection to the Flitch of Bacon.'The next Couple enrolled had like to have carried it, if one of the Witnesses had not deposed, That dining on aSundaywith the Demandant, whose Wife had sate below the Squire's Lady at Church, she the said Wife dropped some Expressions, as if she thought her Husband deserved to be knighted; to which he returned a passionatePish! The Judges taking the Premises into Consideration, declared the aforesaid Behaviour to imply an unwarrantable Ambition in the Wife, and Anger in the Husband.'It is recorded as a sufficient Disqualification of a certain Wife, that speaking of her Husband, she said,God forgive him.'It is likewise remarkable, that a Couple were rejected upon the Deposition of one of their Neighbours, that the Lady had once told her Husband, thatit was her Duty to obey; to which he replied,Oh! my Dear, you are never in the wrong.'The violent Passion of one Lady for her Lap-Dog; the turning away of the old House-Maid by another; a Tavern-Bill torn by the Wife, and a Taylor's by the Husband; a Quarrel about the Kissing-Crust; spoiling of Dinners, and coming in late of Nights; are so many several Articles which occasioned the Reprobation of some Scores of Demandants, whose Names are recorded in the aforesaid Register.'Without enumerating other particular Persons, I shall content my self with observing, that the Sentence pronounced against oneGervase Poacheris, thathe might have had Bacon to his Eggs, if he had not heretofore scolded his Wife when they were over boiled. And the Deposition againstDorothy Dolittleruns in these Words;That she had so far usuped the Dominion of the Coalfire, (the Stirring whereof her Husband claimed to himself) that by her good Will she never would suffer the Poker out of her Hand.'I find but two Couples, in this first Century, that were successful: The first, was a Sea-Captain and his Wife, who since the Day of their Marriage, had not seen one another till the Day of the Claim. The Second, was an honest Pair in the Neighbourhood; The Husband was a Man of plain good Sense, and a peaceable Temper; the Woman was dumb.'
Footnote 1:
Lord Macaulay, in a letter published p. 1433 ... of Mr. Bohn's edition of Lowndes's
Bibliographer's Manual
, calls this paper 'undoubtedly Addison's, and one of his best,' although not claimed, because he could not own it without admitting what Lord Macaulay rightly considered quite as obvious, his authorship of
No. 623
. Addison wrote, evidently, some other of these unappropriated papers.
return to footnote mark
Contents
—Farrago libelli—Juv.translationMr.SPECTATOR,'Ihavefor some Time deSired to appear in your Paper, and have therefore chosen a Day1to steal into the SPECTATOR, when I take it for granted you will not have many spare Minutes for Speculations of your own. As I was the other Day walking with an honest Country-Gentleman, he very often was expressing his Astonishment to see the Town so mightily crowded with Doctors of Divinity: Upon which I told him he was very much mistaken if he took all those Gentlemen he saw in Scarfs to be Persons of that Dignity; for, that a young Divine, after his first Degree in the University, usually comes hither only to show himself; and on that Occasion is apt to think he is but half equipp'd with a Gown and Cassock for his publick Appearance, if he hath not the additional Ornament of a Scarf of the first Magnitude to intitle him to the Appellation of Doctor from his Landlady and the Boy atChilds.Now since I know that this Piece of Garniture is looked upon as a Mark of Vanity or Affectation, as it is made use of among some of the little spruce Adventurers of the Town, I should be glad if you would give it a Place among those Extravagancies you have justly exposed in several of your Papers: being very well assured that the main Body of the Clergy, both in the Country and the Universities, who are almost to a Man untainted with it, would be very well pleased to see this Venerable Foppery well exposed. When my Patron did me the Honour to take me into his Family, (for I must own my self of this Order) he was pleased to say he took me as a Friend and Companion; and whether he looked upon the Scarf like the Lace and Shoulder-knot of a Footman, as a Badge of Servitude and Dependance, I do not know, but he was so kind as to leave my wearing of it to my own Discretion; and not having any just Title to it from my Degrees, I am content to be without the Ornament. The Privileges of our Nobility to keep a certain Number of Chaplains are undisputed, though perhaps not one in ten of those reverend Gentlemen have any Relation to the noble Families their Scarfs belong to; the Right generally of creating all Chaplains except the Domestick, where there is one, being nothing more than the Perquisite of a Steward's Place, who, if he happens to out-live any considerable Number of his noble Masters, shall probably, at one and the same Time, have fifty Chaplains, all in their proper Accoutrements, of his own Creation; though perhaps there hath been neither Grace nor Prayer said in the Family since the Introduction of the first Coronet.'I am, &c.Mr.SPECTATOR,'I wish you would write a Philosophical Paper about Natural Antipathies, with a Word or two concerning the Strength of Imagination. I can give you a List upon the first Notice, of a RationalChinaCup, of an Egg that walks upon two Legs, and a Quart Pot that sings like a Nightingale. There is in my Neighbourhood a very pretty prattling Shoulder of Veal, that squawls out at the Sight of a Knife. Then as for Natural Antipathies, I know a General Officer who was never conquered but by a smother'd Rabbit; and a Wife that domineers over her Husband by the Help of a Breast of Mutton. A Story that relates to my self on this Subject may be thought not unentertaining, especially when I assure you that it is literally true. I had long made Love to a Lady, in the Possession of whom I am now the happiest of Mankind, whose Hand I shou'd have gained with much Difficulty without the Assistance of a Cat. You must know then, that my most dangerous Rival had so strong an Aversion to this Species, that he infallibly swooned away at the Sight of that harmless Creature. My Friend Mrs.Lucy, her Maid, having a greater Respect for me and my Purse than she had for my Rival, always took Care to pin the Tail of a Cat under the Gown of her Mistress, whenever she knew of his coming; which had such an Effect, that every Time he entred the Room, he looked more like one of the Figures in Mrs.Salmon'sWax-work, than a deSirable Lover. In short, he grew Sick of her Company; which the young Lady taking Notice of, (who no more knew why, than he did) she sent me a Challenge to meet her inLincoln's-InnChappel, which I joyfully accepted, and have (amongst other Pleasures) the Satisfaction of being praised by her for my Stratagem, I am, &c.'From the Hoop.Tom. Nimble.Mr.SPECTATOR,'The Virgins ofGreat Britainare very much oblig'd to you for putting them upon such tedious Drudgeries in Needlework as were fit only for theHilpa'sand theNilpa'sthat lived before the Flood. Here's a stir indeed with your Histories in Embroidery, your Groves with Shades of Silk and Streams of Mohair! I would have you to know, that I hope to kill a hundred Lovers before the best Housewife inEnglandcan stitch out a Battel, and do not fear but to provide Boys and Girls much faster than your Disciples can embroider them. I love Birds and Beasts as well as you, but am content to fancy them when they are really made. What do you think of Gilt Leather for Furniture?There'syour pretty Hangings for a Chamber2; and what is more, our own Country is the only Place inEuropewhere Work of that kind is tolerably done. Without minding your musty Lessons: I am this Minute going toPaul'sChurch-Yard to bespeak a Skreen and a Set of Hangings; and am resolved to encourage the Manufacture of my Country.'Yours,Cleora.
Footnote 1:
Oct. 20, 1714, was the day of the Coronation of George I.
return to footnote mark
Footnote 2:
There was at this time a celebrated manufactory of tapestry at Chelsea.
return
Contents
Sic, cum transierint meiNullo cum strepitu dies,Plebeius moriar senex.Illi mors gravis incubat,Qui, notus nimis omnibus,Ignotus moritur sibi.Seneca.translation
I have often wondered that the
Jews
should contrive such a worthless Greatness for the Deliverer whom they expected, as to dress him up in external Pomp and Pageantry, and represent him to their Imagination, as making Havock amongst his Creatures, and acted with the poor Ambition of a
Cæsar
or an
Alexander
. How much more illustrious doth he appear in his real Character, when considered as the Author of universal Benevolence among Men, as refining our Passions, exalting our Nature, giving us vast Ideas of Immortality, and teaching us a Contempt of that little showy Grandeur, wherein the
Jews
made the Glory of their Messiah to consist!
Nothing
(says
Longinus
)
can be Great, the Contempt of which is Great
. The Possession of Wealth and Riches cannot give a Man a Title to Greatness, because it is looked upon as a Greatness of Mind, to contemn these Gifts of Fortune, and to be above the De
Sir
e of them. I have therefore been inclined to think, that there are greater Men who lie concealed among the Species, than those who come out, and draw upon themselves the Eyes and Admiration of Mankind.
Virgil
would never have been heard of, had not his Domestick Misfortunes driven him out of his Obscurity, and brought him to
Rome
.
If we suppose that there are Spirits or Angels who look into the Ways of Men, as it is highly probable there are, both from Reason and Revelation; how different are the Notions which they entertain of us, from those which we are apt to form of one another? Were they to give us in their Catalogue of such Worthies as are now living, how different would it be from that, which any of our own Species would draw up?
We are dazled with the Splendour of Titles, the Ostentation of Learning, the Noise of Victories; They, on the contrary, see the Philosopher in the Cottage, who possesses his Soul in Patience and Thankfulness, under the Pressure of what little Minds call Poverty and Distress. They do not look for great Men at the Head of Armies, or among the Pomps of a Court, but often find them out in Shades and Solitudes, in the private Walks and By-paths of Life. The Evening's Walk of a wise Man is more illustrious in their Sight, than the March of a General at the Head of a hundred thousand Men. A Contemplation of God's Works; a voluntary Act of Justice to our own Detriment; a generous Concern for the Good of Mankind; Tears that are shed in Silence for the Misery of others; a private De
Sir
e or Resentment broken and subdued; in short, an unfeigned Exercise of Humility, or any other Virtue; are such Actions as are glorious in their Sight, and denominate Men great and reputable. The most famous among us are often looked upon with Pity, with Contempt, or with Indignation; while those who are most obscure among their own Species, are regarded with Love, with Approbation and Esteem.
The Moral of the present Speculation amounts to this, That we should not be led away by the Censures and Applauses of Men, but consider the Figure that every Person will make, at that Time when Wisdom shall be justified of her Children, and nothing pass for Great or Illustrious, which is not an Ornament and Perfection to humane Nature.
The Story of
Gyges
the rich
Lydian
Monarch, is a memorable Instance to our present Purpose. The Oracle being asked by
Gyges
, who was the happiest Man, replied
Aglaüs
.
Gyges
, who expected to have heard himself named on this Occasion, was much surprized, and very curious to know who this
Aglaüs
should be. After much Enquiry he was found to be an obscure Countryman, who employ'd all his Time in cultivating a Garden, and a few Acres of Land about his House.
Cowley's
agreeable Relation of this Story shall close this Day's Speculation.
ThusAglaüs(a Man unknown to Men,But the Gods knew, and therefore lov'd him then)Thus liv'd obscurely then without a Name,Aglaüs,now consign'd t' eternal Fame.ForGyges,the rich King, wicked and great,Presum'd at wiseApollo's DelphickSeat,Presum'd to ask, Oh thou, the whole World's Eye,See'st thou a Man that happier is than I?The God, who scorned to flatter Man, reply'd,Aglaüshappier is. ButGygescry'd,In a proud Rage, Who can thatAglaüsbe?We've heard as yet of no such King as he.And true it was, through the whole Earth around,No King of such a Name was to be found.Is some oldHeroof that Name alive,Who his high Race does from the Gods derive?Is it some mighty Gen'ral, that has doneWonders in Fight, and God-like Honours won?Is it some Man of endless Wealth? said he:None, none of these; who can thisAglaüsbe?After long Search, and vain Enquiries past,In an obscureArcadianVale at last,(Th'ArcadianLife has always shady been)NearSopho'sTown (which he but once had seen)ThisAglaüs,who Monarchs Envy drew,Whose Happiness the Gods stood Witness to,This mightyAglaüswas lab'ring found,With his own Hands, in his own little Ground.So, gracious God, (if it may lawful be,Among those foolish Gods to mention thee)So let me act, on such a private Stage,The last dull Scenes of my declining Age;After long Toils and Voyages in vain,This quiet Port let my toss'd Vessel gain;Of heav'nly Rest, this Earnest to me lend,Let my Life sleep, and learn to love her End.
ContentsContents, p. 8
Perfide! sed duris genuit te cautibus horrensCaucasus, Hircanæque admórunt ubera tigres.Virg.translation
I am willing to postpone every thing, to do any the least Service for the Deserving and Unfortunate. Accordingly I have caused the following Letter to be inserted in my Paper the Moment that it came to my Hands, without altering one Tittle in an Account which the Lady relates so handsomely her self.
Mr.SPECTATOR,'I flatter my self, you will not only pity, but, if possible, redress a Misfortune my self and several others of my Sex lie under. I hope you will not be offended, nor think I mean by this to justifie my own imprudent Conduct, or expect You should. No! I am sensible how severely, in some of your former Papers, you have reproved Persons guilty of the like Mismanagements. I was scarce Sixteen, and, I may say without Vanity, Handsome, when courted by a false perjured Man; who, upon Promise of Marriage, rendered me the most unhappy of Women. After he had deluded me from my Parents, who were People of very good Fashion, in less than three Months he left me. My Parents would not see, nor hear from me; and had it not been for a Servant, who had lived in our Family, I must certainly have perished for want of Bread. However, it pleased Providence, in a very short time, to alter my miserable Condition. A Gentleman saw me, liked me, and married me. My Parents were reconciled; and I might be as happy in the Change of my Condition, as I was before miserable, but for some things, that you shall know, which are insupportable to me; and I am sure you have so much Honour and Compassion as to let those Persons know, in some of your Papers, how much they are in the wrong. I have been married near five Years, and do not know that in all that time I ever went abroad without my Husband's Leave and Approbation. I am obliged, through the Importunities of several of my Relations, to go abroad oftner than suits my Temper. Then it is, I labour under insupportable Agonies. That Man, or rather Monster, haunts every Place I go to. Base Villain! By reason I will not admit his nauseous wicked Visits and Appointments, he strives all the ways he can to ruin me. He left me destitute of Friend or Money, nor ever thought me worth enquiring after, till he unfortunately happened to see me in a Front Box, sparkling with Jewels. Then his Passion returned. Then the Hypocrite pretended to be a Penitent. Then he practised all those Arts that helped before to undo me. I am not to be deceived a second time by him. I hate and abhor his odious Passion; and, as he plainly perceives it, either out of Spight or Diversion, he makes it his Business to expose me. I never fail seeing him in all publick Company, where he is always most industriously spightful. He hath, in short, told all his Acquaintance of our unhappy Affair, they tell theirs; so that it is no Secret among his Companions, which are numerous. They, to whom he tells it, think they have a Title to be very familiar. If they bow to me, and I out of good Manners return it, then I am pester'd with Freedoms that are no ways agreeable to my self or Company. If I turn my Eyes from them, or seem displeased, they sower upon it, and whisper the next Person; he his next; 'till I have at last the Eyes of the whole Company upon me. Nay, they report abominable Falshoods, under that mistaken Notion,She that will grant Favours to one Man, will to a hundred.I beg you will let those who are guilty, know, how ungenerous this way of Proceeding is. I am sure he will know himself the Person aim'd at, and perhaps put a stop to the Insolence of others. Cursed is the Fate of unhappy Women! that Men may boast and glory in those things that we must think of with Shame and Horror! You have the Art of making such odious Customs appear detestable. For my Sake, and I am sure, for the Sake of several others, who dare not own it, but, like me, lie under the same Misfortunes, make it as infamous for a Man to boast of Favours, or expose our Sex, as it is to take the Lie or a Box on the Ear, and not resent it.'Your Constant Reader,and Admirer,Lesbia.P. S.'I am the more Impatient under this Misfortune, having receiv'd fresh Provocation, last Wednesday, in the Abbey.'
I entirely agree with the amiable and unfortunate
Lesbia
, that an Insult upon a Woman in her Circumstances, is as infamous in a Man, as a tame Behaviour when the Lie or a Buffet is given; which Truth, I shall beg leave of her to illustrate by the following Observation.
It is a Mark of Cowardice passively to forbear resenting an Affront, the Resenting of which would lead a Man into Danger; it is no less a Sign of Cowardice to affront a Creature, that hath not Power to avenge it self. Whatever Name therefore this ungenerous Man may bestow on the helpless Lady he hath injur'd, I shall not scruple to give him in return for it, the Appellation of
Coward.
A Man, that can so far descend from his Dignity, as to strike a Lady, can never recover his Reputation with either Sex, because no Provocation is thought strong enough to justifie such Treatment from the Powerful towards the Weak. In the Circumstances, in which poor
Lesbia
is situated, she can appeal to no Man whatsoever to avenge an Insult, more grievous than a Blow. If she could open her Mouth, the base Man knows, that a Husband, a Brother, a generous Friend would die to see her righted.
A generous Mind, however enrag'd against an Enemy, feels its Resentments sink and vanish away, when the Object of its Wrath falls into its Power. An estranged Friend, filled with Jealousie and Discontent towards a Bosom-Acquaintance, is apt to overflow with Tenderness and Remorse, when a Creature, that was once dear to him, undergoes any Misfortune. What Name then shall we give to his Ingratitude, (who forgetting the Favours he sollicited with Eagerness, and receiv'd with Rapture) can insult the Miseries that he himself caused, and make Sport with the Pain to which he owes his greatest Pleasure? There is but one Being in the Creation whose Province it is to practise upon the Imbecillities of frail Creatures, and triumph in the Woes which his own Artifices brought about; and we well know, those who follow his Example, will receive his Reward.
Leaving my fair Correspondent to the Direction of her own Wisdom and Modesty; and her Enemy, and his mean Accomplices, to the Compunction of their own Hearts; I shall conclude this Paper with a memorable Instance of Revenge, taken by a
Spanish
Lady upon a guilty Lover, which may serve to show what violent Effects are wrought by the most tender Passion, when sower'd into Hatred; and may deter the Young and unwary from unlawful Love. The Story, however Romantick it may appear, I have heard affirmed for a Truth.
Not many Years ago an
English
Gentleman, who in a Rencounter by Night in the Streets of
Madrid
had the Misfortune to kill his Man, fled into a Church-Porch for Sanctuary. Leaning against the Door, he was surprized to find it open, and a glimmering Light in the Church. He had the Courage to advance towards the Light; but was terribly startled at the sight of a Woman in White who ascended from a Grave with a bloody Knife in her Hand. The Phantome marched up to him, and asked him what he did there. He told her the Truth, without reserve, believing that he had met a Ghost: Upon which, she spoke to him in the following Manner. 'Stranger, thou art in my Power: I am a Murderer as thou art. Know then, that I am a Nun of a noble Family. A base perjur'd Man undid me, and boasted of it. I soon had him dispatched; but not content with the Murder, I have brib'd the Sexton to let me enter his Grave, and have now pluck'd out his False Heart from his Body; and thus I use a Traitor's Heart.' At these Words she tore it in Pieces, and trampled it under her Feet.