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Sight. It does not want any great measure of Sense to fee the Ridicule of this monftrous Practice; but what makes it the more aftonishing, it is not the Tafte of the Rabble, but of Persons of the greatest Politeness, which has established it.

IF the Italians have a Genius for Mufick above the English, the English have a Genius for other Performances of a much higher Nature, and capable of giving the Mind a much nobler Entertainment. Would one think it was poffible (at a time when an Author lived that was able to write the Phedra and Hippolitus) for a People to be fo ftupidly fond of the Italian Opera, as fcarce to give a third Day's Hearing to that admirable Tragedy? Mufick is certainly a very agreeable Entertainment: but if it would take the intire Poffeffion of our Ears, if it would make us incapable of hearing Senfe, if it would exclude Arts that have a much greater Tendency to the Refinement of Human Nature; I must confefs I would allow it no better Quarter than Plato has done, who banishes it out of his Commonwealth.

AT prefent, our Notions of Mufick are fo very uncertain, that we do not know what it is we like; only, in general, we are tranfported with any thing that is not English: So it be of a foreign Growth, let it be Italian, French, or High-Dutch, it is the fame thing. In fhort, our English Mufick is quite rooted out, and nothing yet planted in its ftead.

WHEN a Royal Place is burnt to the Ground, every Man is at liberty to present his Plan for a new one; and though it be but indifferently put together, it may furnish feveral Hints that may be of Ufe to a good Architect. I fhall take the fame Liberty in a following Paper, of giving my Opinion upon the Subject of Mufick; which I fhall lay down only in a problematical Manner, to be confidered by those who are Masters in the Art.

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19. Thursday, March 22.

Di bene fecerunt, inofis me quoque pufilli
Finxerunt animi, rarò & perpauca loquentis.
Hor. Sat. 4. 1. 1. v. 17.
Thank Heav'n that made me of an humble Mind;
To Action little, lefs to Words inclin' d !

BSERVING one Perfon behold another, who was an utter Stranger to him, with a Caft of his Eye, which, methought, expreffed an Emotion of Heart very different from what could be raised by an Object fo agreeable as the Gentleman he looked at, I began to confider, not without fome fecret Sorrow, the Condition of an Envious Man. Some have fancied that Envy, has a certain magical Force in it, and that the Eyes of the Envious have by their Fascination blasted the Enjoyments of the Happy. Sir Francis Bacon says, Some have been fo curious as to remark the Times and Seasons when the Stroke of an envious Eye is moft effectually pernicious, and have observed that it has been when the Perfon envied has been in any Circumstance of Glory and Triumph. At fuch a time the Mind of the profperaus Man goes, as it were, abroad, among things without him, and is more expofed to the Malignity. But I fhall not dwell upon Speculations fo abstracted as this, or repeat the many excellent Things which one might collect out of Authors upon this miferable Affection; but keeping in the Road of common Life, confider the Envious Man with relation to these three Heads, His Pains, His Reliefs, and His Happiness.

THE Envious Man is in Pain upon all Occafions which ought to give him Pleafure. The Relifh of his Life i inverted; and the Objects which adminifter the higher Satisfaction to thofe who are exempt from this Paffion, give the quickest Pangs to Perfons who are fub

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ject to it. All the Perfections of their Fellow-Creatures are odious: Youth, Beauty, Valour, and Wifdom are Provocations of their Difpleasure. What a Wretched and Apoftate State is this! To be offended with Excellence, and to hate a Man becaufe we approve him! The Condition of the Envious Man is the most emphatically miferable; he is not only incapable of rejoicing in another's Merit or Succefs, but lives in a World wherein all Mankind are in a Plot against his Quiet, by ftudying their own Happinefs and Advantage. Will Profper is an honeft Tale-bearer, he makes it his Bufinefs to join in Converfation with Envious Men. He points to fuch an handfom young Fellow, and whifpers that he is fecretly married to a great Fortune: When they doubt, he adds Circumftances to prove it; and never fails to aggravate their Diftrefs, by affuring 'em, that, to his Knowledge, he has an Uncle will leave him fome Thoufands. Will has many Arts of this kind to torture this fort of Temper, and delights in it. When he finds them change Colour, and fay faintly they wifh fuch a Piece of News is true, he has the Malice to speak fome good or other of every Man of their Acquaintance.

THE Reliefs of the Envious Man are thofe little Blemishes and Imperfections that difcover themfelves in an Illuftrious Character. It is matter of great Confolation to an Envious Perfon, when a Man of known Honour does a thing unworthy himself: Or when any Action which was well executed, upon better Information appears fo altered in its Circumftances, that the Fame of it is divided among many, inftead of being attributed to One. This is a fecret Satisfaction to thefe Malignants; for the Person whom they before could not but admire, they fancy is nearer their own Condition as foon as his Merit is fhared among others. I remember fome Years ago there came out an excellent Poem without the Name of the Author. The little Wits, who were incapable of Writing it, began to pull in Pieces the fuppofed Writer. When that would not do, they took great Pains to fupprefs the Opinion that it was his.. That again failed. The next Refuge was to fay it was overlooked by one Man, and many Pages wholly written by another. An honeft Fellow who fat among a

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Clufter of them in debate on this Subject, cried out, Gentlemen, if you are fure none of you your felves had an Hand in it, you are but where you were, whoever writ it. But the most ufual Succour to the Envious, in cafes of nameless Merit in this kind, is to keep the Property, if poffible, unfixed, and by that means to hinder the Reputation of it from falling upon any particular Perfon. You fee an Envious Man clear up his Countenance, if in the Relation of any Man's Great Happiness in one Point, you mention his Uneafinefs in another. When he hears fuch a one is very rich he turns pale, but recovers when you add that he has many Children. In a word, the only fure Way to an Envious Man's Favour, is not to deferve it.

BUT if we confider the Envious Man in Delight, it is like reading the Seat of a Giant in a Romance; the Magnificence of his House confifts in the many Limbs of Men whom he has flain. If any who promifed themfelves Success in any uncommon Undertaking miscarry in the Attempt, or he that aimed at what would have been Ufeful and Laudable, meets with Contempt and Derifion, the Envious Man, under the Colour of hating Vain-glory, can fmile with an inward Wantonnefs of Heart at the ill Effect it may have upon an honest Ambition for the future.

HAVING throughly confidered the Nature of this Paffion, I have made it my Study to avoid the Envy that may accrue to me from these my Speculations; and if I am not mistaken in my felf, I think I have a Genius to efcape it. Upon hearing in a Coffee-house one of my Papers commended, I immediately apprehended the Envy that would fpring from that Applaufe; and therefore gave a Defcription of my Face the next Day; being refolved, grow in Reputation for Wit, to refign my Pretenfions to Beauty. This, I hope, may give fome Eafe to these unhappy Gentlemen, who do me the Honour to torment themfelves upon the Account of this my Paper. As their Cafe is very deplorable, and deferves Compaffion, I fhall fometimes be dull, in Pity to them, and will from time to time adminifter Confolations to them by further Discoveries of my Perfon. In the mean while, if

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any one fays the SPECTATOR has Wit, it may be fome Relief to them, to think that he does not fhew it in Company. And if any one praises his Morality, they may comfort themselves by confidering that his Face is none of the longest.

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MONG the other hardy Undertakings which I have proposed to myself, that of the Correction of Impudence is what I have very much at Heart. This in a particular Manner is my Province as SPECTATOR; for it is generally an Offence committed by the Eyes, and that against fuch as the Of fenders would perhaps never have an Opportunity of injuring any other Way. The following Letter is a Complaint of a young Lady, who fets forth a Trefpafs of this kind, with that Command of herfelf as befits Beauty and Innocence, and yet with fo much Spirit as fufficiently expreffes her Indignation. The whole Tranfaction is performed with the Eyes; and the Crime is no less than employing them in fuch a Manner, as to divert the Eyes of others from the best Ufe they can make of them, even looking up to Heaven.

SIR,

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HERE never was (I believe) an acceptable Man but had fome aukward Imitators. Ever fince the SPECTATOR appeared, have I remarked a kind of Men, whom I choose to call Starers; that without any regard to Time, Place or Modesty, difturb large Company with their impertinent Eyes.

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