parents, who will not rather choose to place their fons in a way of life where an honeft industry cannot but thrive, than in stations where the greatest probity, learning, and good fenfe may miscarry. How many men are CountryCurates, that might have made themselves Aldermen of London, by a right improvement of a fmaller fum of money than what is ufually laid out upon a learned education? A fober frugal perfon, of flender parts and a flow apprehenfion, might have thrived in trade, though he ftarves upon Phyfic; as a man would be well enough pleased to buy filks of one, whom he would not venture to feel his pulfe. Vagellius is careful, ftudious, and obliging, but withal a little thick-fkulled; he has not a fingle client, but might have had abundance of customers. The misfortune is, that parents take a liking to a particular profeffion, and therefore defire their fons may be of it: whereas, in fo great an affair of life, they should confider the genius and abilities of their children, more than their own inclinations. It is the great advantage of a trading nation, that there are very few in it fo dull and heavy, who may not be placed in ftations of life, which may give them an opportunity of making their fortunes. A well-regulated commerce is not, like Law, Phyfic, or Divinity, to be overstocked with hands; but on the contrary flourishes by multitudes, and gives employment to all its profeffors. Fleets of merchant-men are fo many fquadrons of floating fhops, that vend our our wares and manufactures in all the markets of the world, and find out chapmen under both the tropics. N° 22. Monday, March 26, 1711. Quodcunque oftendis mihi fic, incredulus odi. C*. HOR. Ars Poet. ver. 188. -Whatever contradicts my fenfe I hate to fee, and never can believe. Τ ROSCOMMON. HE word SPECTATOR being most usually understood as one of the audience at public reprefentations in our theatres, I feldom fail of many letters relating to plays and operas. But indeed there are fuch monftrous things done in both, that if one had not been an eye-witness of them, one could not believe that fuch matters had really been exhibited. There is very little which concerns human life, or is a picture of nature, that is regarded by the greater part of the company. The understanding is difmiffed from our entertainments. Our mirth is the laughter of fools, and our admiration the wonder of idiots; elfe fuch improbable, monftrous, and incoherent dreams could not go off as they do, not only without the utmoft fcorn and contempt, but By ADDISON, who defires his readers to compare with this, what is faid in N° 108, ad finem. See N° 7, final Note on ADDISON's Signatures. even with the loudeft applause and approbation. But the letters of my correfpondents will represent this affair in a more lively manner than any discourfe of my own; I fhall therefore give them to my reader with only this preparation, that they all come from players, and that the business of playing is now fo managed, that you are not to be surprised when I fay one or two of them are rational, others fenfitive and vegetative actors, and others wholly inanimate. I shall not place these as I have named them, but as they have precedence in the opinion of their audiences. Mr. SPECTATOR, Y notice of the epiftles of other animals, OUR having been fo humble as to take • emboldens me, who am the wild boar that was killed by Mrs. Tofts, to reprefent to you, • That I think I was hardly used in not having the part of the lion in Hydafpos given to me. It would have been but a natural step for me to have perfonated that noble creature, after having behaved myself to fatisfaction in the part above-mentioned. That of a lion is too great a character for one that never trod the stage before but upon two legs. As for the little refiftance which I made, I hope it may be excufed, when it is confidered that the dart ' was thrown at me by fo fair a hand. I muft ⚫ confefs I had but just put on my brutality; ' and Camilla's charms were fuch, that beholding her erect mien, hearing her charming voice, ' and ' and astonished with her graceful motion, I 'could not keep up to my affumed fiercenefs, 'but died like a man. 'I am, SIR, • Your most humble fervant, Mr. SPECTATOR, THOMAS PRONE.' HIS is to let you understand, that the Tplayhouse is a reprefentation of the 'world in nothing so much as in this particular, 'that no one rifes in it according to his merit. 'I have acted several parts of houfhold-stuff 'with great applaufe for many years: I am one of the men in the hangings in The Emperor of the Moon; I have twice performed the third 'chair in an English opera; and have rehearsed 'the pump in The Fortune-Hunters. I am now grown old, and hope you will recommend me fo effectually, as that I may fay fomething be'fore I go off the ftage: in which you will do a great act of charity to Your most humble fervant, 'Mr. SPECTATOR, UND NDERSTANDING that Mr. Screne has writ to you, and defired to be raif'ed from dumb and ftill parts; I defire, if you give him motion or fpeech, that you would advance me in my way, and let me keep on in 'what I humbly prefume I am a mafter, to wit, in reprefenting human and still life together. I have feveral times acted one of the fineft flower-pots in the fame opera wherein Mr. Screne is a chair; therefore upon his promotion, request that I may fucceed him in the hangings, with my hand in the orange-trees. < SIR, 'I 'Your humble fervant, RALPH SIMPLE.' Drury-Lane, March 24, 1710-11. SAW your friend the Templar this evening in the pit, and thought he looked very little pleased with the reprefentation of the mad fcene of The Pilgrim. I wish, Sir, you would do us the favour to animadvert frequently upon the falfe tafte the town is in, with relation to plays as well as operas. It certainly requires a degree of understanding to play juftly; but fuch is our condition, that we are to fufpend our reafon to perform our parts. As to scenes of madness, you know, Sir, there are noble inftances of this kind in Shakespeare; but then it is the disturbance of a noble mind, from generous and humane refentments. It is 'like that grief which we have for the decease ' of our friends. It is no diminution, but a recommendation of human nature, that in fuch incidents, paffion gets the better of reason; and all we can think to comfort ourselves, is impotent against half what we feel. I will not mention that we had an idiot in the scene, and all the fenfe it is reprefented to have, is that of luft. As for myself, who have long 'taken |