their frequent marriages; for they look on celibacy as an accursed state, and generally are married before twenty, as hoping the Messiah may descend from them.

on the genius and temper of mankind, by considering the various bent and scope of our actions throughout the progress of life, have with great exactness allotted inclinaThe dispersion of the Jews into all the tions and objects of desire particular to nations of the earth, is the second remark-every stage, according to the different cirable particular of that people, though not so hard to be accounted for. They were always in rebellions and tumults while they had the temple and holy city in view, for which reason they have often been driven out of their old habitations in the land of promise. They have as often been banished out of most other places where they have settled, which must very much disperse and scatter a people, and oblige them to seek a livelihood where they can find it. Besides, the whole people is now a race of such merchants as are wanderers by profession, and, at the same time, are in most, if not all places, incapable of either lands or offices, that might engage them to make any part of the world their home.

cumstances of our conversation and fortune, through the several periods of it. Hence they were disposed easily to excuse those excesses which might possibly arise from a too eager pursuit of the affections more immediately proper to each state. They indulged the levity of childhood with tenderness, overlooked the gayety of youth with good-nature, tempered the forward ambition and impatience of ripened manhood with discretion, and kindly imputed the tenacious avarice of old men to their want of relish for any other enjoyment. Such allowances as these were no less advantageous to common society than obliging to particular persons; for, by maintaining a decency and regularity in the course of This dispersion would probably have lost life, they supported the dignity of human their religion, had it not been secured by nature, which then suffers the greatest viothe strength of its constitution: for they are lence when the order of things is inverted; to live all in a body, and generally within and in nothing is it more remarkably vilithe same enclosure; to marry among them-fied and ridiculous, than when feebleness selves, and to eat no meats that are not killed or prepared their own way. This shuts them out from all table conversation, and the most agreeable intercourses of life; and, by consequence, excludes them from the most probable means of conversion.

preposterously attempts to adorn itself with that outward pomp and lustre, which serve only to set off the bloom of youth with better advantage. I was insensibly carried into reflections of this nature, by just now meeting Paulino (who is in his climacteric) bedecked with the utmost splendour of dress and equipage, and giving an unbounded loose to all manner of pleasure, whilst his only son is debarred all innocent diversion, and may be seen frequently solacing himself in the Mall with no other attendance than one antiquated servant of his father's for a companion and director.

If, in the last place, we consider what providential reasons may be assigned for these three particulars, we shall find that their numbers, dispersion, and adherence to their religion, have furnished every age, and every nation of the world, with the strongest arguments for the Christian faith, not only as these very particulars are foretold of them, but as they themselves are the depositaries of these, and all the other prophecies, which tend to their own confusion. Their number furnishes us with a sufficient cloud of witnesses that attest the truth of the old Bible. Their dispersion spreads these witnesses through all parts of the world. The adherence to their religion makes their testimony unquestionable. Had the whole body of the Jews been converted to Christianity, we should certainly have thought all the prophecies of the Old Testament, that relate to the coming and history of our blessed Saviour, forged by Christians, and have looked upon them with the prophecies of the Sybils, as made many years after the events they pre-circumstances has made many youths, to

tended

No. 496.] Monday, September 29, 1712.

Gnatum pariter uti his decuit aut etiam amplius,
Quod illa ætas magis ad hæc utenda idonea est.

Terent. Heaut. Act. i. Sc. 1.

Your son ought to have shared in these things, because youth is best suited to the enjoyment of them.

'MR. SPECTATOR,-Those ancients who were the most accurate in their remarks

'It is a monstrous want of reflection, that a man cannot consider, that when he cannot resign the pleasures of life in his decay of appetite and inclination to them, his son must have a much uneasier task to resist the impetuosity of growing desires. The skill therefore should methinks be, to let a son want no lawful diversion, in proportion to his future fortune, and the figure he is to make in the world. The first step towards virtue that I have observed, in young men of condition that have run into excesses, has been that they had a regard to their quality and reputation in the management of their vices. Narrowness in their

supply themselves as debauchees, commence cheats and rascals. The father who allows his son to the utmost ability avoids this latter evil, which as to the world is much greater than the former. But the contrary practice has prevailed so much among some men, that I have known them deny them what was merely necessary for education suitable to their quality. Poor young Antonio is a lamentable instance of

ill conduct in this kind. The young man | all her nice airs and her crooked legs. Pray did not want natural talents; but the father be sure to put her in for both those two of him was a coxcomb, who affected being things, and you will oblige every body here, a fine gentleman so unmercifully, that he especially, your humble servant, could not endure in his sight, or the freALICE BLUEGARTER.' quent mention of one, who was his son, growing into manhood, and thrusting him

out of the gay world. I have often thought No. 497.] Tuesday, September 30, 1712. the father took a secret pleasure in reflecting that, when that fine house and seat came into the next hands, it would revive his memory, as a person who knew how to enjoy them, from observation of the rusticity and ignorance of his successor. Cer-him who receives it. What indeed makes tain it is, that a man may, if he will, let his heart close to the having no regard to any thing but his dear self, even with exclusion of his very children. I recommend this subject to your consideration, and am, sir, your most humble servant, T. B.'

where he was; and the general's presence | himself and servants, that the whole court was never necessary any where, but where were in an emulation who should first introhe had placed himself at the first disposi- duce him to his holiness. What added to tion, except that accident happened from the expectation his holiness had of the extraordinary efforts of the enemy which pleasure he should have in his follies, was, he could not foresee; but it was remarkable that this fellow, in a dress the most exquithat it never fell out from failure in his own sitely ridiculous, desired he might speak to troops. It must be confessed the world is him alone, for he had matters of the highest just so much out of order, as an unworthy importance, upon which he wanted a conperson possesses what should be in the di- ference. Nothing could be denied to a coxrection of him who has better pretensions comb of so great hope; but when they were to it. apart, the impostor revealed himself, and spoke as follows:

Instead of such a conduct as this old fellow used to describe in his general, all the evils which have ever happened among 'Do not be surprised, most holy father, mankind have arose from the wanton dis- at seeing, instead of a coxcomb to laugh at, position of the favours of the powerful. It your old friend, who has taken this way of is generally all that men of modesty and access to admonish you of your own folly. virtue can do, to fall in with some whimsi- Can any thing show your holiness how uncal turn in a great man, to make way for worthy you treat mankind, more than my things of real and absolute service. In the being put upon this difficulty to speak with time of Don Sebastian of Portugal, or some you? It is a degree of folly to delight to see time since, the first minister would let no-it in others, and it is the greatest insolence thing come near him but what bore the imaginable to rejoice in the disgrace of humost profound face of wisdom and gravity. man nature. It is a criminal humility in a They carried it so far, that, for the greater believe you cannot excel but in the conperson of your holiness's understanding, to show of their profound knowledge, a pair of spectacles tied on their noses with a versation of half-wits, humourists, coxblack riband round their heads, was what combs, and buffoons. If your holiness has completed the dress of those who made a mind to be diverted like a rational man, their court at his levee, and none with you have a great opportunity for it, in disnaked noses were admitted to his presence. robing all the impertinents you have faA blunt honest fellow, who had a com-voured, of all their riches and trappings at mand in the train of artillery, had attempted once, and bestowing them on the humble, to make an impression upon the porter, the virtuous, and the meek. If your holiday after day in vain, until at length he ness is not concerned for the sake of virtue made his appearance in a very thoughtful and religion, be pleased to reflect, that for dark suit of clothes, and two pair of specta- the sake of your own safety it is not proper He was conducted from to be so very much in jest. When the pope room to room, with great deference, to the is thus merry, the people will in time begin minister; and, carrying on the farce of the to think many things, which they have place, he told his excellency that he had hitherto beheld with great veneration, are pretended in this manner to be wiser than in themselves objects of scorn and derision. he really was, but with no ill intention: but If they once get a trick of knowing how to he was honest Such-a-one of the train, and laugh, your holiness's saying this sentence he came to tell him that they wanted wheel-in one night cap, and the other with the barrows and pick-axes. The thing hap-other, the change of your slippers, bringing pened not to displease, the great man was you your staff in the midst of a prayer, then seen to smile, and the successful officer was re-conducted with the same profound ceremony out of the house.

cles on at once.

stripping you of one vest, and clapping on a second during divine service, will be found out to have nothing in it. Consider, sir, that When Leo X. reigned pope of Rome, at this rate a head will be reckoned never his holiness, though a man of sense, and of the wiser for being bald, and the ignorant an excellent taste of letters, of all things will be apt to say, that going bare-foot does affected fools, buffoons, humourists, and not at all help on the way to heaven. The Coxcombs. Whether it were from vanity, red cap and the cowl will fall under the and that he enjoyed no talents in other men same contempt; and the vulgar will tell us but what were inferior to him, or whatever to our faces, that we shall have no authority it was, he carried it so far, that his whole over them but from the force of our argudelight was in finding out new fools, and as ments and the sanctity of our lives."

our phrase is, playing them off, and making

them show themselves to advantage. A

priest of his former acquaintance, suffered No. 498.] Wednesday, October 1, 1712. a great many disappointments in attempting to find access to him in a regular character, until at last in despair he retired from Rome, and returned in an equipage so very fantastical, both as to the dress of

T.

-Frustra retinacula tendens,
Fertur equis auriga, neque audit currus habenas.
Virg. Georg. i. 514.
Nor reins, nor curbs, nor cries the horses fear,
But force along the trembling charioteer.-Dryden.

To the Spectator-General of Great Britain. | seemed, at least to me, to be surrounded

From the farther end of the Widow's Coffee-house in Devereux-court. Monday evening, twenty.

with so many difficulties, that, notwithstanding the unknown advantages which might have accrued to me thereby, I gave over all hopes of attaining it; and I believe had never thought of it more, but that my memory has been lately refreshed by seeing some of these ingenious gentlemen ply in the open streets, one of which I saw receive so suitable a reward to his labours, that though I know you are no friend of story-telling, yet I must beg leave to trou

eight minutes and a half past six. 'DEAR DUMB,-In short, to use no farther preface, if I should tell you that I have seen a hackney-coachman, when he has come to set down his fare, which has consisted of two or three very fine ladies, hand them out, and salute every one of them with an air of familiarity, without giving the least offence, you would perhaps think me guilty of a gasconade. But to clear my-ble you with this at large. self from that imputation, and to explain About a fortnight since, as I was divertthis matter to you, I assure you that there ing myself with a pennyworth of walnuts at are many illustrious youths within this city, the Temple gate, a lively young fellow in who frequently recreate themselves by a fustian jacket shot by me, beckoned a driving of a hackney-coach: but those coach, and told the coachman he wanted to whom, above all others, I would recom- go as far as Chelsea. They agreed upon mend to you, are the young gentlemen be- the price, and this young gentleman mounts longing to the inns of court. We have, I the coach-box: the fellow, staring at him, think, about a dozen coachmen, who have desired to know if he should not drive until chambers here in the Temple; and, as it is they were out of town. No, no, replied he. reasonable to believe others will follow He was then going to climb up to him, but their example, we may perhaps in time (if received another check, and was then orit shall be thought convenient) be drove to dered to get into the coach, or behind it, Westminster by our own fraternity, allow- for that he wanted no instructors; "But be ing every fifth person to apply his medita- sure, you dog you," says he, "do not bilk tions this way, which is but a modest com- me. The fellow thereupon surrendered putation, as the humour is now likely to his whip, scratched his head, and crept take. It is to be hoped, likewise, that there into the coach. Having myself occasion to are in the other nurseries of the law to be go into the Strand about the same time, we found a proportionable number of these started both together; but the street being hopeful plants, springing up to the ever- very full of coaches, and he not so able a lasting renown of their native country. Of coachman as perhaps he imagined himself, how long standing this humour has been, II had soon got a little way before him; know not. The first time I had any particular reason to take notice of it was about this time twelvemonth, when, being upon Hampstead-heath with some of these studious young men, who went thither purely for the sake of contemplation, nothing would serve them but I must go through a course of this philosophy too; and, being ever willing to embellish myself with any commendable qualification, it was not long ere they persuaded me into the coachbox; nor indeed much longer, before I underwent the fate of my brother Phaeton; for, having drove about fifty paces with pretty good success, through my own natural sagacity, together with the good instructions of my tutors, who to give them their due, were on all hands encouraging and assisting me in this laudable undertaking: I say, sir, having drove above fifty paces with pretty good success, I must needs be exercising the lash; which the horses resented so ill from my hands, that they gave a sudden start, and thereby pitched me directly upon my head, as I very well remembered about half an hour afterwards; which not only deprived me of all the knowledge I had gained for fifty yards before, but had like to have broke my neck into the bargain. After such a severe reprimand, you may imagine I was not very easily prevailed with to make a second attempt; and indeed, upon mature deliberation, the whole science

often, however, having the curiosity to cast my eye back upon him, to observe how he behaved himself in this high station; which he did with great composure, until he came to the pass, which is a military term the brothers of the whip have given to the strait at St. Clement's church. When he was arrived near this place, where are always coaches in waiting, the coachmen began to suck up the muscles of their cheeks, and to tip the wink upon each other, as if they had some roguery in their heads, which I was immediately convinced of; for he no sooner came within reach, but the first of them with his whip took the exact dimension of his shoulders, which he very ingeniously called endorsing: and indeed, I must say, that every one of them took due care to endorse him as he came through their hands. He seemed at first a little uneasy under the operation, and was going in all haste to take the numbers of their coaches; but at length, by the mediation of the worthy gentleman in the coach, his wrath was assuaged, and he prevailed upon to pursue his journey; though indeed I thought they had clapped such a spoke in his wheel, as had disabled him from being a coachman for that day at least: for I am only mistaken, Mr. Spec, if some of these endorsements were not wrote with so strong a hand that they are still legible. Upon my inquiring the reason of this unusual saluta

burst into tears; and, after having very much extolled the women for their conjugal affection, gave the men to their wives, and received the duke into his favour.

tion, they told me, that it was a custom away many of their effects, granted them among them, whenever they saw a brother their petition: when the women, to his great tottering or unstable in his post, to lend surprise, came out of the place with every him a hand, in order to settle him again one her husband upon her back. The em therein. For my part, I thought their al-peror was so moved at the sight, that he legations but reasonable, and so marched off. Besides our coachmen, we abound in divers other sorts of ingenious robust youth, who, I hope, will not take it ill if I defer giving you an account of their several recreations to another opportunity. In the mean time, if you would but bestow a little of your wholesome advice upon our coachmen, it might perhaps be a reprieve to some of their necks. As I understand you have several inspectors under you, if you would but send one amongst us here in the Temple, I am persuaded he would not want employment. But I leave this to your own consideration, and am, sir, your hum-upon him to be the mouth of our sex, replied, ble servant,

'MOSES GREENBAG,

The ladies did not a little triumph at this story, asking us at the same time, whether in our consciences we believed that the men in any town in Great Britain would, upon the same offer, and at the same conjuncture, have loaden themselves with their wives; or rather, whether they would not have been glad of such an opportunity to get rid of them? To this my very good friend, Tom Dapperwit, who took

that they would be very much to blame if they would not do the same good office for P. S. I have heard our critics in the would be greater, and their burdens lighter. the women, considering that their strength coffee-house hereabout talk mightily of the As we were amusing ourselves with disunity of time and place. According to my courses of this nature, in order to pass away notion of the matter, I have endeavoured the evening, which now begins to grow teat something like it in the beginning of my dious, we fell into that laudable and primiepistle. I desire to be informed a little as tive diversion of questions and commands. to that particular. In my next I design to I was no sooner vested with the regal augive you some account of excellent water-thority, but I enjoined all the ladies, under men, who are bred to the law, and far outdo the land students above-mentioned.' pain of my displeasure, to tell the company ingeniously, in case they had been at the siege above-mentioned, and had the same offers made them as the good women of that place, what every one of them would have brought off with her, and have thought most worth the saving? There were several merry answers made to my question, which entertained us until bed-time. This filled my mind with such a huddle of ideas, that, upon my going to sleep, I fell into the following dream:

No. 499.] Thursday, October 2, 1712.

Naribus indulges—

-Nimis uncis

T.

Pers. Sat. i. 40. -You drive the jest too far.-Dryden. My friend Will Honeycomb has told me, for about this half year, that he had a great mind to try his hand at a Spectator, and that he would fain have one of his writing in my works. This morning I received the following letter, which, after having rectified some little orthographical mistakes, I shall make a present of to the public.

'I saw a town of this island, which shall be nameless, invested on every side, and the inhabitants of it so strained as to cry for quarter. The general refused any other terms than those granted to the abovementioned town of Hensburg, namely, that the married women might come out with DEAR SPEC,-I was about two nights what they could bring along with them. ago in company with very agreeable young Immediately the city gates flew open, and people of both sexes, where, talking of some a female procession appeared, multitudes of your papers which are written on conju- of the sex followed one another in a row, gal love, there arose a dispute among us, and staggering under their respective burwhether there were not more bad husbands dens. I took my stand upon an eminence in the world than bad wives. A gentleman, in the enemy's camp, which was appointed who was advocate for the ladies, took this for the general rendezvous of these female occasion to tell us the story of a famous carriers, being very desirous to look into siege in Germany, which I have since found their several ladings. The first of them related in my historical dictionary, after had a huge sack upon her shoulders, which the following manner. When the emperor she set down with great care. Upon the Conrade the Third had besieged Guelphus, opening of it, when I expected to have seen duke of Bavaria, in the city of Hensburg, her husband shot out of it, I found it was the women, finding that the town could not filled with china-ware. The next appeared possibly hold out long, petitioned the em- in a more decent figure, carrying a handperor that they might depart out of it, with some young fellow upon her back: I could so much as each of them could carry. The not forbear commending the young woman emperor, knowing they could not convey for her conjugal affection, when, to my VOL. II.

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