is nothing commendable but what they themselves may hope to be Partakers of, or arrive at But the Motive truly glorious is, when the Mind is fet rather to do Things laudable than to purchase Reputation. Where there is that Sincerity as the Foundation of a good Name, the kind Opinion of virtuous Men will be an unfought but a neceffary Confequence. The Lacedemonians, tho' a plain People, and no Pretenders to Politeness, had a certain Delicacy in their Senfe of Glory, and facri ficed to the Mufes when they entered upon any great Enterprize. They would have the Commemoration of their Actions be tranfmitted by the pureft and most untainted Memorialists. The Din which attends Victories and publick Triumphs is by far lefs eligible, than the Recital of the Actions of great Men by honeft and wife Hiftorians. It is a frivolous Pleasure to be the Admiration of gaping Crouds; but to have the Approbation of a good Man in the cool Reflections of his Clofet, is a Gratification worthy an heroick Spirit. The Applaufe of the Croud makes the Head giddy, but the Atteftation of a reasonable Man makes the Heart glad.

WHAT makes the Love of popular or general Praise ftill more ridiculous, is, that it is ufually given for Circumftances which are foreign to the Perfons admired. Thus they are the ordinary Attendants on Power and Riches, which may be taken out of one Man's Hands and put into another's. The Application only, and not the Poffeffion, makes thofe outward Things honourable. The Vulgar and Men of Senfe agree in admiring Men for ha ving what they themselves would rather be poffeffed of; the wife Man applauds him whom he thinks most virtu ous, and the rest of the World him who is most wealthy.

WHEN a Man is in this Way of Thinking, I do not know what can occur to one more monftrous, than to fee Perfons of Ingenuity addrefs their Services and Performances to Men no Way addicted to liberal Arts: In thefe Cafes, the Praife on one hand, and the Patronage on the other, are equally the Objects of Ridicule, Dedications to ignorant Men, are as abfurd as any of the Speeches of Bullfinch in the Droll: Such an Address one is apt to tranflate into other Words; and when the diffe

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N@ 188. rent Parties are throughly confidered, the Panegyrick generally implies no more than if the Author fhould fay to the Patron, My very good Lord, You and I can never understand one another, therefore I humbly defire we may be intimate Friends for the future.

THE Rich may as well ask to borrow of the Poor, as the Man of Virtue or Merit hope for Addition to his Character from any but fuch as himself. He that commends another, engages fo much of his own Reputation as he gives to that Perfon commended; and he that has nothing laudable in himself, is not of Ability to be fuch a Surety. The wife Phocion was fo fenfible how dangerous it was to be touched with what the Multitude approved, that upon a general Acclamation made when he was making an Oration, he turned to an intelligent Friend who stood near him, and asked, in a surprised Manner, What Slip have I made?

I fhall conclude this Paper with a Billet which has falJen into my Hands, and was written to a Lady from a Gentleman whom he had highly commended. The Author of it had formerly been her Lover. When all Poffibility of Commerce between them on the Subject of Love was cut off, the fpoke fo handfomely of him, as to give Occafion for this Letter.

Madam,

"I Should be infenfible to a Stupidity, if I could forbear making you my Acknowledgments for your late Mention of me with fo much Applaufe. It is, I think, your Fate to give me new Sentiments; as you formerly infpired me with the true Senfe of Love, fo do you now with the true Senfe of Glory. As. Defire had the leaft Part in the Paffion I heretofore profeffed. towards you, fo has Vanity no Share in the Glory to ⚫ which you have now raised me. Innocence, Knowlédge, Beauty, Virtue, Sincerity, and Difcretion are the conftant Ornaments of her who faid this of me. Fame is a Babler, but I have arrived at the highest Glory in this World, the Commendation of the most deferving

Perfon in it.

Saturday,

N° 189. Saturday, October 6.

TH

-Patria pietatis imago. Virg.

HE following Letter being written to my Book feller, upon a Subject of which I treated fome time fince, I fhall publish it in this Paper, together with the Letter that was inclofed in it.

Mr. Buckley,

Mthe Cruelty of Parents to their Children, I have

R. SPECTATOR having of late defcanted upon

⚫ been induced (at the Request of several of Mr. SPEC TATOR'S Admirers) to inclofe this Letter, which I affure you is the Original from a Father to his own Son, "notwithstanding the latter gave but little or no Provocation. It would be wonderfully obliging to the World, if Mr. SPECTATOR would give his Opinion of it in fome of his Speculations, and particularly to

(Mr. Buckley)

SIRRAH,

Your Humble Servant.

YOU are a fawcy audacious Rafcal, and both Fool YOU and mad, and I care not a Farthing whether you comply or no; that does not raze out my Impreffions of your Infolence, going about railing at me, and the next Day to follicit my Favour Thefe are Inconfift-encies, fuch as difcover thy Reafon depraved. To be brief, I never defire to fee your Face; and, Sirrah, if you go to the Work-Houfe, it's no Difgrace to me for you to be fupported there and if you ftarve in the Streets, I'll never give any thing underhand in your Behalf. If I have any more of your fcribbling Nonsense, I'll break your Head the firft Time I fet Sight on you. • You

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• You are a ftubborn Beast; is this your Gratitude for my giving you Money? You Rogue, I'll better your Judgment, and give you a greater Senfe of your Duty to (I regret to fay) your Father, &c.

• P. S. It's Prudence for you to keep out of my Sight; for to reproach me, that Might overcomes Right, on the Out-fide of your Letter, I fhall give you a great Knock on the Skull for it.

WAS there ever fuch an Image of Paternal Tendernefs! It was ufual among fome of the Greeks to make their Slaves drink to Excefs, and then expose them to their Children, who by that Means conceived an early Averfion to a Vice which makes Men appear fo monftrous and irrational. I have exposed this Picture of an unnatural Father with the fame Intention, that its Deformity may deter others from its Refemblance. If the Reader has a mind to fee a Father of the fame Stamp reprefented in the most exquifite Stroaks of Humour, he may meet with it in one of the finest Comedies that ever appeared upon the English Stage: I mean the Part of Sir Sampfon in Love for Love.

I must not however engage my felf blindly on the Side of the Son, to whom the fond Letter above-written was directed. His Father calls him a fawcy and audacious Rafcal in the firft Line, and I am afraid upon Examination he will prove but an ungracious Youth. To go about railing at his Father, and to find no other Place but the Outfide of his Letter to tell him that Might overcomes Right, if it does not difcover his Reason to be depraved, and that he is either Fool or Mad, as the Cholerick old Gentleman tells him, we may at least allow that the Father will do very well in endeavouring to better his Judgment, and give him a greater Senfe of his Duty. But whether this may be brought about by breaking his Head, or giving him a great Knock on the Skull, ought, I think, to be well confidered. Upon the whole, I wish the Father has not met with his Match, and that he may not be as equally paired with a Son, as the Mother in Virgil.

-Crudelis

-Crudelis tu quoque mater:

Crudelis mater magis an puer Improbus ille ?
Improbus ille puer, crudelis tu quoque mater.

Or like the Crow and her Egg, in the Greek Proverb

Κακε κόρακα κακὸν ὠν.

I must here take Notice of a Letter which I have re ceived from an unknown Correfpondent, upon the Subject of my Paper, upon which the foregoing Letter is likewife founded. The Writer of it seems very much concerned left that Paper fhould feem to give Encouragement to the Difobedience of Children towards their Parents; but if the Writer of it will take the Pains to read it over again attentively, I dare fay his Apprehenfion will vanish. Pardon and Reconciliation are all the Penitent Daughter requests, and all that I contend for in her Behalf; and in this Cafe I may ufe the Saying of an eminent Wit, who upon fome great Mens preffing him to forgive his Daughter who had married against his Confent, told them he could refuse nothing to their Inftances, but that he would have them remember there was Difference between Giving and Forgiving.

I must confefs, in all Controverfies between Parents and their Children, I am naturally prejudiced in Favour of the former. The Obligations on that Side can never be acquitted, and I think it is one of the greatest Reflections upon Humane Nature that Paternal Inftinct fhould be a ftronger Motive to Love than Filial Gratitude; that the receiving of Favours should be a lefs Inducement to Goodwill, Tenderness and Commiferation, than the conferring of them; and that the taking Care of any Perfon should endear the Child or Dependant more to the Parent or Benefactor, than the Parent or Benefactor to the Child or Dependant; yet fo it happens, that for One cruel Parent we meet with a Thousand undutiful Children. This is indeed wonderfully contrived (as I have formerly obferved) for the Support of every living Species; but at the

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fame