THE Goddess of FALS HOOD was of a Gigantick Stature, and advanced fome Paces before the Front of her Army; but as the dazzling Light, which flowed from TRUTH, began to fhine upon her, she faded infenfibly; infomuch that in a little Space she looked rather like an huge Phantom, than a real Substance. At length, as the Goddess of TRUTH approached ftill nearer to her, the fell away intirely, and vanished amidst the Brightness of her Prefence; fo that there did not remain the least Trace or Impreffion of her Figure in the Place where fhe had been seen.

AS at the rifing of the Sun the Constellations grow thin, and the Stars go out one after another, till the whole Hemisphere is extinguished; fuch was the vanishing of the Goddess: And not only of the Goddess herself, but of the whole Army that attended her, which sympathized with their Leader, and fhrunk into Nothing, in proportion as the Goddess disappeared. At the fame time the whole Temple funk, the Fifh betook themselves to the Streams, and the wild Beafts to the Woods, the Fountains recovered their Murmurs, the Birds their Voices, the Trees their Leaves, the Flowers their Scents, and the whole Face of Nature its true and genuine Appearance. Tho' I ftill continued afleep, I fancied myself as it were awakened out of a Dream, when I faw this Region of Prodigies restored to Woods and Rivers, Fields and Meadows.

UPON the Removal of that wild Scene of Wonders, which had very much difturbed my Imagination, I took a full Survey of the Perfons of WIT and TRUTH; for indeed it was impoffible to look upon the firft, without feeing the other at the fame time. There was behind them a ftrong and compact Body of Figures. The Genius of Heroic Poetry appeared with a Sword in her Hand, and a Laurel on her Head. Tragedy was crowned with Cyprefs, and covered with Robes dipped in Blood. Satire had Smiles in her Look, and a Dagger under her Garment. Rhetorick was known by her Thunderbolt; and Comedy by her Mask. After feveral other Figures, Epigram marched up in the Rear, who had been pofted there at the Beginning of the Expedition, that he might not revolt to the Enemy, whom he was fufpected to

favour in his Heart. I was very much awed and delighted with the Appearance of the God of Wit; there was fomething fo amiable and yet fo piercing in his Looks, as infpired me at once with Love and Terror. As Í was gazing on him, to my unfpeakable Joy, he took a Quiver of Arrows from his Shoulder, in order to make me a Present of it; but as I was reaching out my Hand to receive it of him I knocked it against a Chair, and by that means awaked.

N° 64.

T

Monday, May 14.

Hic vivimus Ambitiofâ

Paupertate omnes

Juv. Sat. 3. v. 183.

The Face of Wealth in Poverty we wear.

C

HE most improper things we commit in the Conduct of our Lives, we are led into by the Force of Fashion. Inftances might be given, in which a prevailing Custom makes us act against the Rules of Nature, Law and common Senfe: but at prefent I fhall confine my Confideration of the Effect it has upon Mens Minds, by looking into our Behaviour when it is the Fashion to go into Mourning. The Custom of representing the Grief we have for the Lofs of the Dead by our Habits, certainly had its Rife from the real Sorrow of fuch as were too much diftreffed to take the proper Care they ought of their Drefs. By Degrees it prevailed, that fuch as had this inward Oppreffion upon their Minds, made an Apology for not joining with the rest of the World in their ordinary Diverfions by a Drefs fuited to their Condition. This therefore was at first affumed by fuch only as were under real Diftrefs; to whom it was a Relief that they had nothing about them fo light and gay as to be irksome to the Gloom and Melancholy of their inward Reflexions, or that might mifreprefent them to others. In procefs of Time this laudable Diftinction of the Sorrowful was loft, and Mourning is now worn by Heirs

and

and Widows. You fee nothing but Magnificence and Solemnity in the Equipage of the Relict, and an Air of Release from Servitude in the Pomp of a Son who has loft a wealthy Father. This Fashion of Sorrow is now become a generous Part of the Ceremonial between Princes and Sovereigns, who in the Language of all Nations are stiled Brothers to each other, and put on the Purple upon the Death of any Potentate with whom they live in Amity. Courtiers, and all who wish themselves fuch, are immediately feiz'd with Grief from Head to Foot upon this Difafter to their Prince; so that one may know

by the very Buckles of a Gentleman-Ufher, what Degree of Friendship any deceafed Monarch maintained with the Court to which he belongs. A good Courtier's Habit and Behaviour is hieroglyphical on thefe Occafions: He deals much in Whifpers, and you may fee he dresses according to the beft Intelligence.

THE general Affectation among Men, of appearing greater than they are, makes the whole World run into the Habit of the Court. You fee the Lady, who the Day before was as various as a Rainbow, upon the Time appointed for beginning to mourn, as dark as a Cloud. This Humour does not prevail only on those whofe Fortunes can fupport any Change in their Equipage, not on those only whofe Incomes demand the Wantonnefs of new Appearances; but on fuch alfo who have just enough to clothe them. An old Acquaintance of mine, of Ninety Pounds a Year, who has naturally the Vanity of being a Man of Fashion deep at his Heart, is very much put to it to bear the Mortality of Princes. He made a new black Suit upon the Death of the King of Spain, he turned it for the King of Portugal, and he now keeps his Chamber while it is fcouring for the Emperor. He is a good Oeconomist in his Extravagance, and makes only a freth black Button upon his Iron-gray Suit for any Potentate of small Territories; he indeed adds his Crape Hatband for a Prince whofe Exploits he has admir'd in the Gazette. But whatever Compliments may be made on these Occafions, the true Mourners are the Mercers, Silkinen, Lacemen and Milliners. A Prince of a merciful and royal Difpofition would reflect with great Anxiety upon the Prospect of his Death, if he confidered what Numbers would be

reduc'd

reduc'd to Mifery by that Accident only: He would think it of Moment enough to direct, that in the Notification of his Departure, the Honour done to him might be reftrain'd to thofe of the Houfhold of the Prince to whom it fhould be fignify'd. He would think a general Mourn ing to be in a lefs Degree the fame Ceremony which is practifed in barbarous Nations, of killing their Slaves to attend the Obfequies of their Kings.

I had been wonderfully at a lofs for many Months together, to guefs at the Character of a Man who came now and then to our Coffee-houfe: He ever ended a News-paper with this Reflexion, Well, I fee all the Foreign Princes are in good Health. If you asked, Pray, Sir, what fays the Poftman from Vienna? he anfwered, Make us thankful, the German Princes are all well: What does he fay from Barcelona? He does not speak but that the Country agrees very well with the new Queen. After very much Inquiry, I found this Man of univerfal Loyalty was a wholefale Dealer in Silks and Ribbons: His Way is, it seems, if he hires a Weaver, or Workman, to have it inferted in his Articles,That all this fhall be well and truly performed, provided no foreign Potentate shall depart this Life within the Time above-mentioned.' It happens in all publick Mournings, that the many Trades which depend upon our Habits, are during that Folly either pinched with prefent Want, or terrified with the apparent Approach of it. All the Atonement which Men can make for wanton Expences (which is a fort of infulting the Scarcity under which others labour) is, that the Superfluities of the Wealthy give Supplies to the Neceffities of the Poor; but inftead of any other Good arifing from the Affectation of being in courtly Habits of Mourning, all Order seems to be deftroyed by it; and the true Honour, which one Court does to another on that Occafion, lofes its Force and Efficacy. When a foreign Minifter beholds the Court of a Nation (which flourishes in Riches and Plenty) lay afide, upon the Lofs of his Mafter, all Marks of Splendor and Magnificence, though the Head of fuch a joyful People, he will conceive a greater Idea of the Honour done his Mafter, than when he fees the Generality of the People in the fame Habit. When one is afraid to ask the Wife of a Tradefman whom she

has

has loft of her Family; and after fome Preparation endeavours to know whom the mourns for; how ridiculous is it to hear her explain herself, That we have loft one of the House of Auftria? Princes are elevated fo highly above the reft of Mankind, that it is a prefumptuous Distinction to take a Part in Honours done to their Memories, except we have Authority for it, by being related in a particular Manner to the Court which pays that Veneration to their Friendship, and feems to exprefs on fuch an Occafion the Senfe of the Uncertainty of human Life in general, by affuming the Habit of Sorrow though in the full Poffeffion of Triumph and Royalty. R

N° 65.

Tuesday, May 15.

Demetri teque Tigelli

Difcipulorum inter jubeo plorare cathedras.

Hor. Sat. 10. 1. 1. v. 90.

Demetrius and Tigellius, know your Place;
Go hence, and whine among the School-boy Race.

A

FTER having at large explained what Wit is, and described the falfe Appearances of it, all that Labour feems but an useless Inquiry, without fome Time be spent in confidering the Application of it. The Seat of Wit, when one fpeaks as a Man of the Town and the World, is the Play-house; I fhall therefore fill this Paper with Reflexions upon the Use of it in that Place. The Application of Wit in the Theatre has as ftrong an Effect upon the Manners of our Gentlemen, as the Taste of it has upon the Writings of our Authors. It may, perhaps, look like a very prefumptuous Work, though not Foreign from the Duty of a SPECTATOR, to tax the Writings of fuch as have long had the general Applaufe of a Nation; But I fhall always make Reason, Truth, and Nature the Measures of Praife and Difpraise; if those are for me, the Generality of Opinion is of no Confequence againft me; if they are against me, the general Opinion cannot long fupport me.

WITH