No. 312. Wednesday, February 27: Quod buic officium, que Laus, quod Decus erit tanti, quod' adipifci cum dolore Corporis velit, qui dolorem fummum malum fibi perfuaferit? Quam porrò quis ignominiam, quam turpitudinem non pertulerit, ut effugiat dolorem, fi id fummum malum effe decreverit? Tull.. What Duty will a Man perform, what Praife, what Honour will be think worth purchafing at the expence of his Eafe, who is perfuaded that Pain is the greatest of Evils? And what Ignominy, what Bafenefs will be not submit to, in order to avoid Pain, if he has determined it to be the worst of Misfortunes ? T is a very melancholy Reflection, that Men are ufually fo weak, that it is abfolutely neceffary for them to know Sorrow and Pain to be in their right Senfes. Profperous People (for Happy there are none) are hurried away with a fond Senfe of their prefent Condition, and thoughtless of the Mutability of Fortune: Fortune is>> a Term which we muftufe in fuch Difcourfes as thefe,. for what is wrought by the unfeen Hand of the Difpofer of all Things. But methinks the Difpofition of a Mind which is truly great, is that which makes Misfortunes and Sorrows little when they befal our felves, great and lamentable when they befal other Men. The most unpardonable Malefactor in the World going to his Death and bearing it with Compofure, would win the Pity of those who should behold him; and this not because his Calamity is deplorable, but because he feems himself not to deplore it: We fuffer for him who is lefs fenfible of his own Mifery, and are inclined to defpife him who finks under the Weight of his Diftreffes. On the other hand, without any Touch of Envy, a temperate and well-govern'd Mind NO. 312. Mind looks down on fuch as are exalted with Success, with a certain Shame for the Imbecility of human Na-ture, that can fo far forget how liable it is to Calamity, as to grow giddy with only the Sufpence of Sorrow,. which is the Portion of all Men. He therefore who turns his Face from the unhappy Man, who will not look again when his Eye is caft upon modeft Sorrow, who fhuns Affliction like a Contagion, does but pamper: himself up for a Sacrifice, and contract in himself a greater aptitude to Mifery by attempting to escape it. A Gentleman, where I happened to be laft Night, fell into a Difcourfe which I thought fhewed a good Difcerning in him: He took notice that whenever Men have looked into their Heart for the Idea of true Excellency in human Nature they have found it to confift in Suffering after a right Manner and with a good Grace. Heroes are always drawn bearing Sorrows, struggling with Adverfities, undergoing all kinds of Hardships, and having in the Service of Mankind a kind of Appetite to Difficulties and Dangers. The Gentleman went on to obferve, that it is from this Secret Senfe of the high Merit which there is in Patience under Calamities, that the Writers of Romances, when they attempt to furnish out Characters of the higheft Excellence, ranfack Nature for things terrible; they raise a new Creation of Monsters, Dragons, and Giants; Where the Danger ends, the Hero ceases; when he won an Empire, or gained his Mistress, the reft of his Story is not worth relating. My Friend carried his Difcourfe fo far as to fay, that it was for higher Beings than Men to join Happiness and Greatness in the fame Idea, but that in our Condition we have no Conception of fuperlative Excellence, or Heroifm, but as it is furrounded with a Shade of Diftrefs. IT is certainly the proper Education we should give our felves, to be prepared for the ill Events and Accidents we are to meet with in a Life fentenced to be a Scene of Sorrow; But inftead of this Expectation, we foften our felves with Profpects of conftant Delight, and destroy in our Minds the Seeds of Fortitude and Virtue, which fhould fupport us in Hours of Anguish. The conftant Purfuit of Pleasure has in it fomething infolent and im-proper for our Being. There is a pretty fober Liveliness in the Ode of Horace to Delius, where he tells him, loud Mirth, or immoderate Sorrow, Inequality of Behaviour either in Profperity or Adverfity, are alike ungraceful in Man that is born to die. Moderation in both Circumftances is peculiar to generous Minds: Men of that Sort ever taste the Gratifications of Health, and all other Advantages of Life, as if they were liable to part with them, and when bereft of them, refign them with a Greatnefs of Mind which fhews they know their Value and Duration. The Contempt of Pleafure is a certain Preparatory for the Contempt of Pain: Without this the Mind is as it were taken fuddenly by an unforeseen Event; but he that has always, during Health and Profperity, been ab-* ftinent in his Satisfaction, enjoys, in the 'worft of Difficulties, the Reflection, that his Anguish is not aggravated' with the Comparison of past Pleasures which upbraid his prefent Condition.. Tully tells us a Story after Pompey,' which gives us a good Tafte of the pleasant Manner the Men of Wit and Philosophy had in old Times of alleviating the Diftreffes of Life by the Force of Reafon and Philofophy. Pompey, when he came to Rhodes, had a' Curiofity to vifit the famous Philofopher Pofidonius, but finding him in his fick Bed, he bewailed the Misfortune> that he should not hear a Difcourfe from him: But you may, anfwered Poffidonius; and immediately entered into the Point of Stoical Philofophy, which fays Pain is not an Evil. During the Difcourfe, upon every PunEture he felt from his Diftemper, he fmiled and cried out, Pain, Pain, be as impertinent and troublesome as you please, I shall never own that thou art an Evil. Mr. SPECTATÖR, Hcern for the TAVING feen in feveral of your Papers, a Concern for the Honour of the Clergy, and their doing every thing as becomes their Character, and particularly performing the Publick Service with a due • Zeal and Devotion; I am the more encouraged to lay before them, by your Means, feveral Expreflions used by fome of them in their Prayers before Sermon, ⚫ which I am not well fatisfied in: As their giving fome Titles and Epithets to great Men, which are indeed due to them in their feveral Ranks and Stations, but "not. not properly ufed, I think, in our Prayers. Is it not Contradiction to fay, Illuftrious, Right Reverend, and Right Honourable poor Sinners? Thefe Diftinctions are fuited only to our State here, and have no place in Heaven: We fee they are omitted in the Liturgy; which I think the Clergy fhould take for their Pattern in their own Forms of Devotion. There is another Expreffion which I would not mention, but that I have heard it feveral times before a learned Congregation, to bring in the laft Petition of the Prayer in thefe Words, O let not the Lord be angry and I will < fpeak but this once; as if there was no Difference between Abraham's interceding for Sodom, for which he had no Warrant as we can find, and our asking. i thofe Things which we are required to pray for; they would therefore have much more Reafon to fear his Anger if they did not make fuch Petitions to him. There is another pretty Fancy: When a young, Man has a mind to let us know who gave him his Scarf, he fpeaks a Parenthesis to the Almighty, Bless as I am in Duty bound to pray, the right honourable the Countefs; is not that as much as to lay, Blefs her, for • thou knoweit I am her Chaplain ?. Your bumble Servant, T J. O Thursday, No. 313. I Thursday, February 28. Exigite ut mores teneros ceu pollice ducat, Bid him befides his daily pains employ, Juv. Sat. 7. v. 237 To form the tender Manners of the Boy, And work him, like a waxen Babe, with Art, CH. DRYDEN.. Shall give the following Letter no other Recommen dation, than by telling my Readers that it comes from the fame Hand with that of last Thursday. SIR, I Send you, according to my Promife, fome farther Thoughts on the Education of Youth, in which I intend to difcufs that famous Queftion, Whether the Education at a publick School, or under a private Tutor, • is to be preferr'd? AS fome of the greatest Men in moft Ages have: been of very different Opinions in this Matter, fhall give a fhort Account of what I think may be beft urged. on botn fides, and afterwards leave every Person to determine for himself. • IT is certain from Suetonius, that the Romans thought the Education of their Children a Bufinefs properly be longing to the Parents themselves; and Plutarch, in the Life of Marcus Cato, tells us, that as foon as his. Son was capable of Learning, Cato would fuffer no Body to teach him but himself, tho' he had a Servant named Chilo, who was an excellent Grammarian, and. who taught a great many other Youths. "ON the contrary, the Greeks feemed more inclined to Publick Schools and Seminaries. |