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certainly thinking on himself. In short, there is no word or gesture so insignificant, but it gives him new hints, feeds his suspicions, and furnishes him with fresh matters of discovery: so that if we consider the effects of his passion, one would rather think it proceeded from an inveterate hatred, than an excess of love; for certainly none can meet with more disquietude and uneasiness than a suspected wife, if we except the jealous husband.

But the great unhappiness of this passion is, that it naturally tells to alienate the affection which it is so solicitous to engross; and that for these two reasons, because it lays too great a constraint on the words and actions of the suspected person, and at the same time shows you have no honourable opi. nion of her; both of which are strong motives to aversion.

Nor is this the worst effect of jealousy; for it often draws after it a more fatal train of consequences, and makes the person you suspect guilty of the very crimes you are so much afraid of. It is very natural for such who are treated ill and upbraided falsely, to find out an intimate friend that will hear their complaints, condole their sufferings, and endeavour to sooth and assuage their secret resentments. Besides, jealousy puts a woman often in mind of an ill thing that she would not otherwise perhaps have thought of, and fills her imagination with such an unlucky idea, as in time grows familiar, excites desire, and loses all the shame and horror which might at first attend it. Nor is it a wonder if she who suffers wrongfully in a man's opinion of her, and has therefore nothing to forfeit in his esteem, resolves to give him reason for his suspicions, and to enjoy the pleasure of the crime, since she must undergo the ignominy. Such probably were the considerations that directed the wise man in his advice to husbands: " Be not jealous over the wife of thy bosom, and teach her not an evil lesson against thyself."

And here, among the other torments which this passion produces, we may usually observe that none are greater mourners than jealous men, when the person who provokes their jealousy is taken from them. Then it is that their love breaks out furiously, and throws off all the mixtures of suspicion which choked and smothered it before. The beautiful parts of the character rise uppermost in the jealous husband's memory, and upbraid him with the ill usage of so divine a creature as was once in his possession; whilst all the little imperfections, that were before so uneasy to him, wear off from his remembrance, and show themselves no more.

We may see by what has been said, that jealousy takes the deepest root in meu of amorous dispositions; and of these we find three kinds who are most overrun with it.

thing that looks young, or gay, turns their thoughts upon their wives.

A second sort of men, who are most liable to this passion, are those of cunning, wary, and distrustful tempers. It is a fault very justly found in histories composed by politicians, that they leave nothing to chance or humour, but are still for deriving every action from some plot or contrivance, for drawing up a perpetual scheme of causes and events, and preserving a constant correspondence between the camp and the council-table. And thus it happens in the affairs of love with men of too refined a thought. They put a construction on a look, and find out a design in a smile; they give new seuses and significations to words and actions; and are ever tormenting themselves with fancies of their own raising. They generally act in a disguise themselves, and therefore mistake all outward shows and appearances for hypocrisy in others; so that I believe no men see less of the truth and reality of things, than these great refiners upon incidents, who are so wonderfully subtle and overwise in their conceptions.

Now what these men fancy they know of women by reflection, your lewd and vicious men believe they have learned by experience. They have seen the poor husband so misled by tricks and artifices, and in the midst of his inquiries so lost and be wildered in a crooked intrigue, that they still suspect an under-plot in every female action; and especially where they see any resemblance in the behaviour of two persons, are apt to fancy it proceeds from the same design in both. These men therefore bear hard upon the suspected party, pursue her close through all her turnings and windings, and are too well acquainted with the chase, to be flung off by any false steps, or doubles. Besides, their acquaintance and conversation has lain wholly among the vicious part of womankind, and therefore it is no wonder they censure all alike, and look upon the whole sex as a species of impostors. But if, notwithstanding their private experience, they can get over these prejudices, and entertain a fa vourable opinion of some women; yet their own loose desires will stir up new suspicions from another side, and make them believe all men subject to the same inclinations with themselves.

Whether these or other motives are most predominant, we learn from the modern histories of America, as well as from our own experience in this part of the world, that jealousy is no northern passion, but rages most in those nations that lie nearest the influence of the sun. It is a misfortune for a woman to be born between the tropics; for there lie the hottest regions of jealousy, which as you come northward cools all along with the climate, till you scarce meet with any thing like it in the polar circle. Our own nation is very temperately situated in this respect; and if we meet with some few disordered with the violence of this passion, they are not the proper growth of our country, but are many degrees nearer the sun in their constitutions than in their climate.

The first are those who are conscious to themselves of any infirmity, whether it be weakness, old age, deformity, ignorance, or the like. These men are so well acquainted with the unamiable part of themselves, that they have not the confidence to think they are really beloved; and are so distrustful of their own merits, that all fondness towards After this frightful account of jealousy, and the them puts them out of countenance, and looks like persons who are most subject to it, it will be but a jest upon their persons. They grow suspicious fair to show by what means the passion may be on their first looking in a glass, and are stung best allayed, and those who are possessed with it with jealousy at the sight of a wrinkle. A hand-set at ease. Other faults, indeed, are not under some fellow immediately alarms them, and every

• Ecclesiasticus ix. 1.

the wife's jurisdiction, and should, if possible, escape her observation; but jealousy calls upon her particularly for its cure, and deserves all her art and application in the attempt. Besides, she has

this for her encouragement, that her endeavours will be always pleasing, and that she will still find the affection of her husband rising towards her in proportion as his doubts and suspicions vanish; for, as we have seen all along, there is so great a mixture of love and jealousy as is well worth the separating. But this shall be the subject of another paper.-L.

In the next place, you must be sure to be free and open in your conversation with him, and to let in light upon your actions, to unravel all your designs, and discover every secret, however trifling or indifferent. A jealous husband has a particular aversion to winks and whispers; and if he does not see to the bottom of every thing, will be sure to go beyond it in his fears and suspicions. He will always expect to be your chief confidant; and where he is more in it than there should be. And here it is of great concern, that you preserve the character of your sincerity uniform and of a piece; for if he once finds a false gloss put upon any single action, he quickly suspects all the rest; his working ima gination immediately takes a false hint, and runs off with it into several remote consequences, till he has proved very ingenious in working out his own misery.

No. 171.] SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1711. finds himself kept out of a secret, will believe there

Credula res amor est

Love is a credulous passion.

OVID, Met. vii. 826.

HAVING in my yesterday's paper discovered the nature of jealousy, and pointed out the persons who are most subject to it, I must here apply myself to my fair correspondents, who desire to live well with a jealous husband, and to ease his mind of its unjust suspicions.

If both these methods fail, the best way will be to let him see you are much cast down and afflicted for the ill opinion he entertains of you, and the disquietudes he himself suffers for your sake. There are many who take a kind of barbarous pleasure in the jealousy of those who love them, that insult over an aching heart, and triumph in their charms, which are able to excite so much uneasiness: Ardeat ipsa licet, tormentis gaudet amantis. Juv. Sat. vi, 208.

The first rule I shall propose to be observed is, that you never seem to dislike in another what the jealous man is himself guilty of, or to admire any thing in which he himself does not excel. A jealous man is very quick in his applications; he knows how to find a double edge in an invective, and to draw a satire on himself out of a panegyric on another. He does not trouble himself to consider the person, but to direct the character; and is secretly pleased or confounded, as he finds more or less of himself in it. The commendation of any thing in another stirs up his jealousy, as it shows you have a value for others besides himself; but the commend-But ation of that, which he himself wants, inflames him more, as it shows that in some respects you prefer others before him. Jealousy is admirably described in this view by Horace in his ode to Lydia:

Quam tu, Lydia, Telephi

Cervicem roseam, et cerea Telephi

Landas brachia, væ meum

Fervens difficili bile tumet jecur:

Tunc nec mens mihi, nec color

Certa sede manet; humor et in genas

Furtim labitur, arguens

Quam lentis peditus macerer ignibus.-1 Od. xiii. 1.

When Telephus his youthful charms,

His rosy neck and winding arms,
With endless rapture you recite,
And in the pleasing name delight:
My heart inflamed by jealous heats,
With numberless resentments beats;
From my pale cheek the colour flies,
And all the man within me dies:
By turns my hidden grief appears
In rising sighs and falling tears,
That shew too well the warm desires,
The silent, slow, consuming fires,
Which on my inmost vitals prey,
And melt my very soul away.

Though equal pains her peace of mind destroy, A lover's torments give her spiteful joy. these often carry the humour so far, till their affected coldness and indifference quite kills all the fondness of a lover, and are then sure to meet in their turn with all the contempt and scorn that is due to so insolent a behaviour. On the contrary, it is very probable a melancholy, dejected carriage, the usual effects of injured innocence, may soften the jealous husband into pity, make him sensible of the wrong he does you, and work out of his mind all those fears and suspicions that make you both unhappy. At least it will have this good effect, that he will keep his jealousy to himself, and repine in private, either because he is sensible it is a weakness, and will therefore hide it from your knowledge, or because he will be apt to fear some ill effect it may produce in cooling your love towards him, or diverting it to another.

There is still another secret that can never fail, if you can once get believed, and which is often practised by women of greater cunning than virtue. This is to change sides for a while with the jealous man, and to turn his own passion upon himself; to take some occasion of growing jealous of him, and The jealous man is not indeed angry if you dis- to follow the example he himself hath set you. This like another; but if you find those faults which are counterfeited jealousy will bring him a great deal to be found in his own character, you discover not of pleasure, if he thinks it real; for he knows exonly your dislike of another but of himself. In perimentally how much love goes along with this short, he is so desirous of engrossing all your love, passion, and will besides feel something like the sathat he is grieved at the want of any charm, which tisfaction of a revenge, in seeing you undergo all he believes has power to raise it; and if he finds his own tortures. But this, indeed, is an artifice so by your censures on others that he is not so agree-difficult, and at the same time so disingenuous, that able in your opinion as he might be, he naturally it ought never to be put in practice but by such as concludes you could love him better if he had other have skill enough to cover the deceit, and innoqualifications, and that by consequence your affection does not rise so high as he thinks it ought. therefore his temper be grave or sullen, you must not be too much pleased with a jest, or transported with any thing that is gay and diverting. If his beauty be none of the best, you must be a professed admirer of prudence, or any other quality he is master of, or at least vain enough to think he is.

If

cence to render it excusable.

I shall conclude this essay with the story of Herod and Mariamne, as I have collected it out of Josephus;* which may serve almost as an example to whatever can be said on this subject.

Mariamne had all the charms that beauty, birth,

• Antiquities of the Jews, book xv. chap 3. sect. 5, 6, 9, chap. 7. sect. 1, 2, &c.

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brother. This behaviour so incensed Herod, that he very hardly refrained from striking her; when in the heat of their quarrel there came in a witness, suborned by some of Mariamne's enemies, who accused her to the king of a design to poison him. Herod was now prepared to hear any thing in her prejudice, and immediately ordered her servant to be stretched upon the rack; who in the extremity of his torture confessed, that his mistress's aversion to the king arose from something Sohemus had told her; but as for any design of poisoning, he utterly disowned the least knowledge of it. This confession quickly proved fatal to Sohemus, who now lay under the same suspicions and sentence that Joseph had before him, on the like occasion. Nor would Herod rest here; but accused her with great vehemence of a design upon his life, and, by his authority with the judges, had her publicly condemned and executed. Herod soon after her death grew melancholy and dejected, retiring from the public administration of affairs into a solitary forest, and there abandoning himself to all the black considerations, which naturally arise from a passion made up of love, remorse, pity, and despair. He used to rave for his Mariamne, and to call upon her in his distracted fits: and in all probability would soon have followed her, had not his thoughts been seasonably called off from so sad an object by public storms, which at that time very nearly threatened him.-L.

wit, and youth, could give a woman, and Herod all the love that such charms are able to raise in a warm and amorous disposition. In the midst of this his fondness for Mariamne, he put her brother to death, as he did her father not many years after. The barbarity of the action was represented to Mark Antony, who immediately summoned Herod into Egypt, to answer for the crime that was there laid to his charge. Herod attributed the summons to Antony's desire of Mariamne, whom therefore, before his departure, he gave into the custody of his uncle Joseph, with private orders to put her to death, if any such violence was offered to himself. This Joseph was much delighted with Mariamne's conversation, and endeavoured, with all his art and rhetoric, to set out the excess of Herod's passion for her; but when he still found her cold and incredulous, he inconsiderately told her, as a certain instance of her lord's affection, the private orders he had left behind him, which plainly showed, according to Joseph's interpretation, that he could neither live nor die without her. This barbarous instance of a wild unreasonable passion, quite put out, for a time, those little remains of affection she still had for her lord. Her thoughts were so wholly taken up with the cruelty of his orders, that she could not consider the kindness that produced them, and therefore represented him in her imagination, rather under the frightful idea of a murderer than a lover. Herod was at length acquitted and dismissed by Mark Antony, when his soul was all in flames for his Mariamne; but before their meeting he was not a little alarmed at the report he had heard of his uncle's conversation and familiarity with her in his absence, This therefore was the first discourse he entertained her with, in which she found it no easy matter to quiet his suspicions. But at last he appeared so well satisfied of her innocence, that from reproaches and wranglings he fell to tears and embraces. Both of them wept very tenderly at their reconciliation, and Herod poured out his whole soul to her in the warmest protestations of love and con-ciety than that good talents among men should staucy; when amidst all his sighs and languishings she asked him, whether the private orders he left with his uncle Joseph were an instance of such an inflamed affection. The jealous king was immediately roused at so unexpected a question, and concluded his uncle must have been too familiar with her, before he would have discovered such a secret. In short, he put his uncle to death, and very difficultly prevailed upon himself to spare Mariamne.

After this he was forced on a second journey into Egypt, when he committed his lady to the care of Sohemus, with the same private orders he had before given his uncle, if any mischief befel himself. In the meanwhile Mariamne so won upon Sohemus by her presents and obliging conversation, that she drew all the secret from him, with which Herod had intrusted him; so that after his return, when he flew to her with all the transports of joy and love, she received him coldly with sighs and tears, and all the marks of indifference and aversion. This reception so stirred up his indignation, that he had certainly slain her with his own hands, had not he feared he himself should have become the greater sufferer by it. It was not long after this, when he had another violent return of love upon him: Mariamne was therefore sent for to him, whom he endeavoured to soften and reconcile with all possible conjugal caresses and endearments; but she declined his embraces, and answered all his fondness with bitter invectives for the death of her father, and her

No. 172.] MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1711.

Non solum scientia, quæ est remota à justitia, calliditas potius quam sapientia est appellanda; verum etiam animus paratus ad periculum, si sua cupiditate, non utilitate communi, impellitur, audacia potius nomen habeat, quam fortitudinisPLATO apud TULL.

As knowledge, without justice, ought to be called cunning. rather than wisdom; so a mind prepared to meet danger, if excited by its own eagerness, and not the public good, deserves the name of audacity, rather than that of fortitude.

THERE can be no greater injury to human so

be held honourable to those who are endowed with them without any regard how they are applied. The gifts of nature and accomplishments of art are valuable but as they are exerted in the interests of virtue, or governed by the rules of honour. We ought to abstract our minds from the observation of an excellence in those we converse with, till we have taken some notice, or received some good information of the disposition of their minds; otherwise the beauty of their persons, or the charms of their wit, may make us fond of those whom our reason and judgment will tell us we ought to abhor.

When we suffer ourselves to be thus carried away by mere beauty or mere wit, Omniamante, with alt her vice, will bear away as much of our good will as the most innocent virgin, or discreetest matron; and there cannot be a more abject slavery in this world, than to dote upon what we think we ought to condemn. Yet this must be our condition in all the parts of life, if we suffer ourselves to approve any thing but what tends to the promotion of what is good and honourable. If we would take true pains with ourselves to consider all things by the light of reason and justice, though a man were in the height of youth and amorous inclinations, he would look upon a coquette with the same cor tempt, or indifference, as he would upon a coxcomb. The wanton carriage in a woman would disappoint her of the admiration which she aims at; and the vain dress or discourse of a man would destroy the

comeliness of his shape, or goodness of his un- contrary effect; the fire will blaze out, and burn derstanding. I say the goodness of his under-up all that attempt to smother what they cannot exstanding, for it is no less common to see men of tinguish. sense commence coxcombs, than beautiful women There is but one thing necessary to keep the pos become immodest. When this happens in either, session of true glory, which is, to hear the opposers the favour we are naturally inclined to give to the of it with patience, and preserve the virtue by which good qualities they have from nature should abate it was acquired. When a man is thoroughly perin proportion. But however just it is to measure suaded that he ought neither to admire, wish for, or the value of men by the application of their talents, pursue any thing but what is exactly his duty, it is and not by the eminence of those qualities ab- not in the power of seasons, persons, or accidents, stracted from their use: I say, however just such a to diminish his value. He only is a great man who way of judging is, in all ages as well as this, the can neglect the applause of the multitude, and enjoy contrary has prevailed upon the generality of man- himself independent of its favour. This is indeed kind. How many lewd devices have been pre- an arduous task; but it should comfort a glorious served from one age to another, which had perished spirit, that it is the highest step to which human naas soon as they were made, if painters and sculptors ture can arrive. Triumph, applause, acclamation, had been esteemed as much for the purpose as the are dear to the mind of man; but it is still a more execution of their designs? Modest and well-go- exquisite delight to say to yourself, you have done verned imaginations have by this means lost the re-well, than to hear the whole human race pronounce presentation of ten thousand charming portraitures, filled with images of innate truth, generous zeal, courageous faith, and tender humanity; instead of which satyrs, furies, and monsters are recommended by those arts to a shameful eternity.

you glorious, except you yourself can join with them in your own reflections. A mind thus equal and uniform may be deserted by little fashionable admirers and followers, but will ever be had in reverence by souls like itself. The branches of the oak endure all the seasons of the year, though its leaves fall off in autumn; and these too will be restored with the returning spring.-T.

No. 173.] TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1711.

-Remove fera monstra, tuæque
Saxíficos vultus, quæcunque ea, tolle Medusa.
OVID, Met. v. 215.
Hence with those monstrous features, and, O! spare
That Gorgon's look and petrifying stare.-P.

The unjust application of laudable talents is to lerated in the general opinion of men, not only in such cases as are here mentioned, but also in matters which concern ordinary life. If a lawyer were to be esteemed only as he uses his parts in contending for justice, and were immediately despicable when he appeared in a cause which he could not but know was an unjust one, how honourable would his character be? And how honourable is it in such among us, who follow the profession no otherwise, than as labouring to protect the injured, to subdue the oppressor, to imprison the careless In a late paper I mentioned the project of an indebtor, and do right to the painful artificer? But genious author for the erecting of several handimany of this excellent character are overlooked by craft prizes to be contended for by cur British artithe greater number; who affect covering a weak sans, and the influence they might have towards the place in a client's title, diverting the course of an improvement of our several manufactures. I have inquiry, or finding a skilful refuge to palliate a since that been very much surprised by the followfalsehood: yet it is still called eloquence in the lat-ing advertisement, which I find in the Postboy of ter, though thus unjustly employed: but resolution the 11th instant, and again repeated in the Postboy in an assassin is according to reason quite as laud- of the 15th:able, as knowledge and wisdom exercised in the defence of an ill cause.

"On the 9th of October next will be run for upon Colsehill-heath, in Warwickshire, a plate of Were the intention steadfastly considered as the six guineas value, three heats, by any horse, mare, measure of approbation, all falsehood would soon be or gelding, that hath not won above the value of out of countenance; and an address in imposing 5.; the winning horse to be sold for 107. to carry upon mankind, would be as contemptible in one ten stone weight, if fourteen hands high; if above state of life as another. A couple of courtiers mak-or under to carry or be allowed weight for inches, ing professions of esteem, would make the same and to be entered Friday the 5th at the Swan in figure after breach of promise, as two knights of the Coleshill, before six in the evening. Also a plate The same day post convicted of perjury. But conversation is of less value to be run for by asses. fallen so low in point of morality, that-as they say a gold ring to be grinned for by men." in a bargain, "let the buyer look to it"-so in friendship, he is the man in danger who is most apt to believe. He is the more likely to suffer in the commerce, who begins with the obligation of being the more ready to enter into it.

The first of these diversions that is to be exhibited by the 101. race-horses, may probably have its use; but the two last in which the asses and men are concerned, seem to me altogether extraordinary and unaccountable. Why they should keep running But those men only are truly great, who place asses at Colsehill, or how making mouths turn to actheir ambition rather in acquiring to themselves the count in Warwickshire, more than in any other parts conscience of worthy enterprises, than in the pros- of England, I cannot comprehend. I have looked pect of glory which attends them. These exalted over all the Olympic games, and do not find any spirits would rather be secretly the authors of events thing in them like an ass-race, or a match at grinwhich are serviceable to mankind, than, without ning. However it be, I am informed that several being such, to have the public fame of it. Where asses are now kept in body-clothes, and sweated therefore an eminent merit is robbed by artifice or detraction, it does but increase by such endeavours of its enemies. The impotent pains which are taken to sully it, or diffuse it among a crowd to the injury of a single person, will naturally produce the

every morning upon the heath; and that all the country fellows within ten miles of the Swan grin an hour or two in their glasses every morning, ir order to qualify themselves for the 9th of October The prize which is proposed to be grinned for his

raised such an ambition among the common peo-grins of his own invention, having been used to cut ple of out-grinning one another, that many very faces for many years together over his last. At the discerning persons are afraid it should spoil most very first grin he cast every human feature out of of the faces in the county; and that a Warwick- his countenance, at the second he became the face shire man will be known by his grin, as Roman of a spout, at the third a baboon, at the fourth Catholics imagine a Kentish man is by his tail. the head of a bass viol, and at the fifth a pair of nutThe gold ring, which is made the prize of deformity, crackers. The whole assembly wondered at his acis just the reverse of the golden apple that was for-complishments, and bestowed the ring on him unmerly made the prize of beauty, and should carry for its posy the old motto inverted:

"Detur tetriori."

animously; but, what he esteemed more than all the rest, a country wench, whom he had wooed in vain for above five years before, was so charmed with his grins, and the applauses which he received on

Or, to accommodate it to the capacity of the com- all sides, that she married him the week following, batants,

The frightfull'st grinner
Be the winner.

In the meanwhile I would advise a Dutch painter to be present at this great controversy of faces, in order to make a collection of the most remarkable grins that shall be there exhibited.

and to this day wears the prize upon her finger, the cobbler having made use of it as his wedding ring.

This paper might perhaps seem very impertinent, if it grew serious in the conclusion. It would ne vertheless leave to the consideration of those who are the patrons of this monstrous trial of skill, whether or no they are not guilty, in some measure, of an I must not here omit an account which I lately affront to their species, in treating after this manreceived of one of these grinning matches from a ner the "human face divine." and turning that part gentleman, who, upon reading the above-mentioned of us, which has so great an image impressed upon advertisement, entertained a coffee-house with the it, into the image of a monkey; whether the raising following narrative:-Upon the taking of Namur, such silly competitions among the ignorant, propoamidst other public rejoicings made on that occasion, sing prizes for such useless accomplishments, filling there was a gold ring given by a whig justice of peace the common people's heads with such senseless amto be grinned for. The first competitor that en-bitions, and inspiring them with such absurd ideas tered the lists was a black swarthy Frenchman, who of superiority and pre-eminence, has not in it someaccidently passed that way; and being a man na- thing immoral, as well as ridiculous.-L. turally of a withered look, and hard features, promised himself good success. He was placed upon a table in the great point of view, and looking upon the company like Milton's Death,

Grinn'd horribly a ghastly smile :

His muscles were so drawn together on each side of his face, that he showed twenty teeth at a grin, and put the country in some pain, lest a foreigner should carry away the honour of the day; but upon a farther trial they found he was master only of the merry grin.

The next that mounted the table was a malecontent in those days, and a great master in the whole art of grinning, but particularly excelled in the angry grin. He did his part so well, that he is said to have made half a dozen women miscarry; but the justice being apprised by one who stood near him, that the fellow who grinned in his face was a Jacobite, and being unwilling that a disaffected person should win the gold ring, and be looked upon as the best grinner in the country, he ordered the oaths to be tendered unto him upon his quitting the table, which the grinner refusing, he was set aside as an unqualified person. There were several other grotesque figures that presented themselves, which it would be too tedious to describe. I must not however omit a ploughman, who lived in the further part of the country, and being very lucky in a pair of long lantern-jaws, wrung his face into such a hideous grimace, that every feature of it appeared under a different distortion. The whole company stood astonished at such a complicated grin, and were ready to assign the prize to him, had it not been proved by one of his antagonists, that he had practised with verjuice for some days before, and had a crab found upon him at the very time of grinning; upon which the best judges of grinning declared it as their opinion, that he was not to be looked upon as a fair grinner, and therefore ordered him to be set aside as a cheat.

The prize, it seems, at length fell upon a cobbler, Giles Gorgon by name, who produced several new

No. 174.] WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 1711.
Hæc memini et victum frustra contendere Thyrsin.
VIRG. Ecl vii. 69.

The whole debate in memory I retain,
When Thyrsis argued warmly, but in vain.-P

THERE is scarce any thing more common than animosities between parties that cannot subsist but by their agreement: this was well represented in the sedition of the members of the human body in the old Roman fable.* It is often the case of lesser confederate states against a superior power, which are hardly held together though their unani mity is necessary for their common safety; and this is always the case of the landed and trading interests of Great Britain: the trader is fed by the product of the land, and the landed man cannot be clothed but by the skill of the trader; and yet those interests are ever jarring.

We had last winter an instance of this at our club, in Sir Roger de Coverley and Sir Andrew Freeport, between whom there is generally a constant, though friendly, opposition of opinions. It happened that one of the company, in an historical discourse, was observing that Carthaginian faith was a proverbial phrase to intimate breach of leagues. Sir Roger said it could hardly be otherwise: that the Carthaginians were the greatest traders in the world; and as gain is the chief end of such a people, they never pursue any other; the means to it are never regarded: they will, if it comes easily, get money honestly; but if not, they will not scruple to attain it by fraud, or cozenage: and indeed, what is the whole business of the trader's account, but to overreach him who trusts to his me mory? But were that not so, what can there great and noble be expected from him whose attention is for ever fixed upon balancing his books, and watching over his expenses? And at best, let frugality

* Livii Hist. Dec. I. lib. ii. cap. i

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