for the Perfon whom they before could not but admire, they fancy is nearer their own Condition as foon as his Merit is fhared among others. I remember fome Years ago there came out an excellent Poem without the Name of the Author. The little Wits, who were incapable of Writing it, began to pull in Pieces the fuppofed Writer. When that would not do, they took great Pains to fupprefs the Opinion that it was his. That again failed. The next Refuge was to fay it was over-looked by one Man, and many Pages wholly written by another. An honeft Fellow, who fate among a Clufter of them in debate on this Subject, cryed out, Gentlemen, if you are fure none of you your felves had an hand in it, you are but where you were, whoever writ it. But the most ufual Succour to the Envious, in cafes of naneless Merit in this kind, is to keep the Property, if poffible, unfixed, and by that means to hinder the Reputation of it from falling upon any particular Perfon. You fee an Envious Man clear up his Countenance, if in the Relation of any Man's Great Happiness in one Point, you mention his Uneafinefs in another. When he hears fuch a one is very rich he turns Pale, but recovers when you add that he has many Children. In a Word, the only fure Way to an Envious Man's Favour, is not to deferve it.

BUT if we confider the Envious Man in Delight, it is like reading the Seat of a Giant in a Romance; the Magnificence of his House confifts in the many Limbs of Men whom he has flain. If any who promised themfelves Success in any Uncommon Undertaking miscarry in the Attempt, or he that aimed at what would have been Ufeful and Laudable, meets with Contempt and Derifion, the Envious Man, under the Colour of hating Vain-glory, can fmile with an inward Wantonness of Heart at the ill Effect it may have upon an honeft Ambition for the future.

HAVING throughly confidered the Nature of this Paffion, I have made it my Study how to avoid the Envy that may accrue to me from thefe my Speculations; and if I am not mistaken in my self, I think I have a Genius to efcape it. Upon hearing in a Coffee-houfe one of my Papers commended, I immediately apprehended the Envy that would fpring from that Applaufe; and therefore

gave a Defcription of my Face the next Day; being refolved, as I grow in Reputation for Wit, to refign my Pretenfions to Beauty. This, I hope, may give fome Eafe to those unhappy Gentlemen, who do me the Honour to torment themselves upon the Account of this my Paper. As their Cafe is very deplorable, and deferves Compaffion, I fhall fometimes be dull, in Pity to them, and will from time to time adminifter Confolations to them by further Difoveries of my Perfon. In the mean while, if any one fays the SPECTATOR has Wit, it may be fome Relief to them, to think that he does not fhew it in Company. And if any one praises his Morality, they may comfort themfelves by confidering that his Face is none of the longest.

R

A

Κύνος ὄμμαζ ̓ ἔχων
αντικα Hom.

MONG the other hardy Undertakings which I have proposed to myself, that of the Correction of Impudence is what I have very much at Heart. This in a particular Manner is my Province as SPECTATOR; for it is generally an Offence committed by the Eyes, and that against fuch as the Offenders would perhaps never have an Opportunity of injuring any other Way. The following Letter is a Complaint of a young Lady, who fets forth a Trefpafs of this Kind, with that Command of herself as befits Beauty and Innocence, and yet with fo much Spirit as fufficiently expreffes her Indignation. The whole Tranfaction is performed with the Eyes; and the Crime is no less than employing them in fuch a Manner, as to divert the Eyes of others from the best Use they can make of them, even looking up to Heaven.

SIR,

"THERE

(ward Imitators. Ever fince the "HERE neter was (I believe) an acceptable Man,

SPECTATOR appeared, have I remarked a kind of Men, whom I chufe to call Starers; that without any regard to Time, Place, or Modefty, difturb a large Company with their impertinent Eyes. Spectators make up a proper Affembly for a Puppet-Show or a Bear-Garden; but devout Supplicants and attentive Hearers, are the Audience one ought to expect in Churches. I am, Sir, Member of a fmall pious Congregation near one of the North Gates of this City • much the greater Part of us indeed are Females, and "ufed to behave our felves in a regular attentive Manner,

• till very lately one whole Ifle has been disturbed with

1

one of these monftrous Starers; He's the Head taller ⚫ than any one in the Church; but for the greater Advantage of expofing himself, ftands upon a Haffock, and commands the whole Congregation, to the great Annoyance of the devouteft Part of the Auditory; for what " with Blufhing, Confufion and Vexation, we can neither mind the Prayers nor Sermon. Your Animadverfion upon this Infolence would be a great Favour to,

SIR,

Your moft Humble Servant,

S. C.

1 have frequently feen of this Sort of Fellows, and do not think there can be a greater Aggravation of an Of fence, than that it is committed where the Criminal is protected by the Sacredness of the Place which he violates. Many Reflections of this fort might be very justly made upon this kind of Behaviour, but a Starer is not usually a Perfon to be convinced by the Reason of the thing, and a Fellow that is capable of fhewing an impudent Front before a whole Congregation, and can bear being a pubFick Spectacle, is not fo eafily rebuked as to amend by Admonitions. If therefore my Correfpondent does not inform me, that within feven Days after this Date the

Barbarian

pro

Barbarian does not at leaft ftand upon his own Legs only, without an Eminence, my Friend Will. Profper has mised to take an Haffock oppofite to him, and ftare against him in Defence of the Ladies. I have given him Directions, according to the most exact Rules of Opticks, to place himself in fuch a manner that he fhall meet his Eyes where-ever he throws them: I have Hopes that when Will, confronts him, and all the Ladies, in whofe Behalf he engages him, caft kind Looks and Wishes of Succefs at their Champion, he will have fome Shame, and feel a little of the Pain he has fo often put others to, of being out of Countenance.

IT has indeed been Time out of Mind generally remarked, and as often lamented, that this Family of Starers have infefted publick Affemblies: And I know no other Way to obviate so great an Evil, except, in the Cafe of fixing their Eyes upon Women, fome Male Friend will take the Part of fuch as are under the Oppreffion of Impudence, and encounter the Eyes of the Starers whereever they meet them. While we fuffer our Women to be thus impudently attacked, they have no Defence, but in the End to caft yielding Glances at the Starers: And in this Cafe, a Man who has no Senfe of Shame has the fame Advantage over his Mistress, as he who has no Regard for his own Life has over his Adverfary. While the Generality of the World are fettered by Rules, and move by proper and juft Methods; he who has no Refpect to any of them, carries away the Reward due to that Propriety of Behaviour, with no other Merit, but that of having neglected it.

I take an impudent Fellow to be a fort of Outlaw in Good-breeding, and therefore what is faid of him no Nation or Person can be concerned for. For this Reason, one may be free upon him. I have put my felf to great Pains in confidering this prevailing Quality which we call Impudence, and have taken Notice that it exerts it felf in a different Manner, according to the different Soils wherein fuch Subjects of these Dominions, as are Mafters of it, were born. Impudence in an Englishman is fullen and infolent; in a Scotchman it is untractable and rapacious, in an Irishman abfurd and fawning: As the Courfe of the World now runs, the impudent Englishman behaves like

N° 20. a furly Landlord, the Scot like an ill-received Gueft, and the Irishman like a Stranger who knows he is not welcome. There is feldom any Thing entertaining either in the Impudence of a South or North Briton; but that of an Irishman is always Comick: A true and genuine Impudence is ever the Effect of Ignorance, without the leaft Senfe of it: The best and most fuccefsful Starers now in this Town, are of that Nation; they have ufually the Advantage of the Stature mentioned in the above Letter of my Correfpondent, and generally take their Stands in the Eye of Women of Fortune: Infomuch that I have known one of them, three Months after he came from Plough, with a tolerable good Air lead out a Woman from a Play, which one of our own Breed, after four Years at Oxford, and two at the Temple, would have been afraid to look at.

I cannot tell how to account for it, but these People have ufually the Preference to our own Fools, in the Opinion of the fillier Part of Womankind. Perhaps it is that an English Coxcomb is feldom fo obfequious as an Irish one; and when the Design of pleafing is vifible, an Abfurdity in the Way toward it is eafily forgiven.

BUT thofe who are downright impudent, and go on without Reflection that they are fuch, are more to be tolerated, than a Set of Fellows among us who profefs Impudence with an Air of Humour, and think to carry off the most inexcufable of all Faults in the World, with no other Apology than faying in a gay Tone, I put an impudent Face upon the Matter. No; no Man fhall be allowed the Advantages of Impudence, who is confcious that he is fuch: If he knows he is impudent, he may as well be otherwife; and it fhall be expected that he blush, when he fees he makes another do it. For nothing can atone for the Want of Modefty; without which Beauty is ungraceful, and Wit deteftable.

R

Saturday,