dressed himself clean to no purpose. The clothing of our minds certainly ought to be regarded before that of our bodies. To betray in a man's talk a corrupt imagination, is a much greater offence against the converfation of gentlemen, than any negligence of drefs imaginable. But this fenfe of the matter is fo far from being received among people even of condition, that Vocifer even paffes for a fine gentleman. He is loud, haughty, gentle, foft, lewd, and obfequious by turns, juft as a little understanding and great impudence prompt him at the present moment. He paffes among the filly part of our women for a man of wit, because he is generally in doubt. He contradicts with a fhrug, and confutes with a certain fufficiency, in profeffing fuch and fuch a thing is above his capacity. What makes his character the pleafanter is, that he is a profeffed deluder of women; and because the empty coxcomb has no regard to any thing that is of itself facred and inviolable, I have heard an unmarried lady of fortune fay, It is pity fo fine a gentleman as Vocifer is fo great an atheist. The crowds of fuch inconfiderable creatures, that infeft all places of affembling, every reader will have in his eye from his own obfervation; but would it not be worth confidering what fort of figure a man who formed himself upon those principles among us, which are agreeable to the dictates of honour and religion, would make in the familiar and ordinary occurrences of life?

I hardly have obferved any one fill his several duties of life better than Ignotus. All the under

parts

parts of his behaviour, and fuch as are expofed to common obfervation, have their rife in him from great and noble motives. A firm and unfhaken expectation of another life makes him become this; humanity and good-nature, fortified by the sense of virtue, has the fame effect upon him, as the neglect of all goodness has upon many others. Being firmly established in all matters of importance, that certain inattention which makes men's actions look eafy, appears in him with greater beauty: by a thorough contempt of little excellencies, he is perfectly master of them. This temper of mind leaves him under no neceffity of studying his air, and he has this peculiar diftinction, that his negligence is unaffected.

He that can work himfelf into a pleasure in confidering this being as an uncertain one, and think to reap an advantage by its difcontinuance, is in a fair way of doing all things with a graceful unconcern, and a gentleman-like eafe. Such a one does not behold his life as a fhort, tranfient, perplexing ftate, made up of trifling pleasures and great anxieties; but fees it in quite another light; his griefs are momentary, and his joys immortal. Reflection upon death is not a gloomy and fad thought of refigning every thing that he delights in, but it is a fhort night fol-` lowed by an endless day. What I would here contend for is, that the more virtuous the man is, the nearer he will naturally be to the character of genteel and agreeable. A man whose fortune is plentiful, fhews an eafe in his coun

tenance,

tenance, and confidence in his behaviour, which he that is under wants and difficulties cannot affume. It is thus with the ftate of the mind; he that governs his thoughts with the everlasting rules of reason and sense, must have something fo inexpreffibly graceful in his words and actions, that every circumftance must become him. The change of perfons or things around him do not at all alter his fituation, but he looks difinterested in the occurrences with which others are diftracted, because the greatest purpofe of his life is to maintain an indifference both to it, and all its enjoyments. In a word, to be a fine gentleman, is to be a generous and a brave man. What can make a man so much in conftant good humour, and fhine, as we call it, than to be fupported by what can never fail him, and to believe that whatever happens to him was the best thing that could poffibly befal him, or elfe HE on whom it depends, would not have permitted it to have befallen him at all! R*.

By STEELE. See final Note to N° 4, or No 6. **Drury-Lane, May 26. "SIR COURTLY NICE, or IT CANNOT BE." Sir Courtly, by Mr. Cibber; Leonora, by Mrs. Oldfield; Lord Belleguard, by Mr. Mills; Surly, by Mr. Keene; Hothead, by Mr. Bullock; Crack, by Mr. Pinkethman; Teftimony, by Mr. Johnfon; and Violante, by Mrs. Bradshaw. SPECT. in folio.

Ibidem, May 29, a Comedy, called " The GAMESTER." The Gamefter, by Mr. Mills; Hector, by Mr. Pack; Sir T. Valere, by Mr. Bullock; The Marquis of Hazard, by Mr. Bowen; Count Cogedie, by Mr. Bullock, Jun.; Lady Wealthy, by Mrs. Porter; Angelica, by Mrs. Bradfhaw; Mrs. Security, by Mrs. Willis; Favourite, by Mrs. Mills; and Box-keeper to the Gaming-Table, by Mr. Leigh. Ibidem.

N° 76.

N° 76. Monday, May 28, 1711.

Ut tu fortunam, fic nos te, Celfe feremus.

HOR. I Ep. viii. 17.

As you your fortune bear, we will bear you.

TH

may

CREECH.

HERE is nothing fo common as to find a man whom in the general obfervation of his carriage you take to be of an uniform temper, fubject to fuch unaccountable ftarts of humour and paffion, that he is as much unlike himself, and differs as much from the man you at firft thought him, as any two diftinct perfons can differ from each other. This proceeds from the want of forming fome law of life to ourselves, or fixing fome notion of things in general, which affect us in fuch a manner as to create proper habits both in our minds and bodies. The negligence of this, leaves us expofed not only to an unbecoming levity in our usual conversation, but also to the fame instability in our friendships, interefts, and alliances. A man who is but a mere SPECTATOR of what paffes around him, and not engaged in commerces of any confideration, is but an ill judge of the fecret motions of the heart of man, and by what degrees it is actuated to make fuch vifible alterations in the fame perfon: but at the fame time, when a man is no way concerned

in the effect of fuch inconfiftencies in the behaviour of men of the world, the fpeculation must be in the utmoft degree both diverting and inftructive; yet to enjoy such obfervations in the highest relish, he ought to be placed in a post of direction, and have the dealing of their fortunes to them. I have therefore been wonderfully diverted with fome pieces of fecret hiftory, which an antiquary, my very good friend, lent me as a curiofity. They are memoirs of the private life of Pharamond of France. Pharamond,' fays my author, was a prince of infinite humanity and generofity, and at the fame time the moft pleafant and facetious companion of his time. He had a peculiar tafte in him, which would have been unlucky in any prince but himfelf; he thought there could be no exquifite pleafure in converfation, but among equals; and would pleasantly bewail himself that he always lived in a crowd, but was the only man in France that could never get into company. This turn of mind made him delight in midnight rambles, attended only with one perfon of his bed-chamber. He would in thefe excurfions get acquainted ' with men (whofe temper he had a mind to try) and recommend them privately to the particular obfervation of his first minifter. 'He generally found himself neglected by his 'new acquaintance as foon as they had hopes of growing great; and used on fuch occafions to remark, that it was a great injuftice to tax princes of forgetting themfelves in their high • fortunes,