The Thefis propofed for the present exercife of the adventurers to write Spectators, is MONEY, on which fubject all perfons are defired to fend in their thoughts within ten days after the date hereof. T N° 443 Tuesday, July 29. Sublatam ex oculis quærimus invidi. Hor. Od. 24. 1. 3. V. 33. 6 Snatch'd from our fight, we eagerly pursue, I Camilla to the SPECTATOR. Venice, July 10, N. S. Mr. SPECTATOR, Take it extremely ill, that you do not reckon confpicuous perfons of your nation are within your cognizance, tho' out of the dominions of Great• Britain. I little thought in the green years of my life, that I fhould ever call it an happiness to be out ⚫ of dear England; but as I grew to woman, I found myfelf lefs acceptable in proportion to the increase of 6 my merit. Their ears in Italy are fo differently formed from the make of yours in England, that I never come upon the stage, but a general fatisfaction appears in every countenance of the whole people. When I dwell upon a note, I behold all the men accompanying me with heads inclining and falling of their perfons on one fide, as dying away with me. The women too do justice to my merit, and no ill• natured worthlefs creature cries, The vain thing, when I am rapt up in the performance of my part, and fenfibly touched with the effect my voice has upon all who hear me. I live here diftinguished as one • whom nature has been liberal to in a graceful perfon, an exalted mien, and heavenly voice. Thefe particularities in this ftrange country, are arguments for refpect and generofity to her who is poffeffed of them. • The The Italians fee a thousand beauties I am fenfible I have no pretence to, and abundantly make up to me the injuftice I received in my own country, of difal lowing me what I really had. The humour of hiffing, which you have among you, I do not know any thing of; and their appplaufes are uttered in fighs, and bearing a part at the cadences of voice with the perfons who are performing. I am often put in mind of thofe complaifant lines of my own countryman, when he is calling all his faculties together to hear Arabella. Let all be buf'd, each fofteft motion cease, Be calm, as in the arms of death: Let me be all, but my attention, dead.. The whole city of Venice is as ftill when I am finging as this polite hearer was to Mrs. Hunt. But when they break that filence, did you know the pleasure I am in, ⚫ when every man utters his applaufe, by calling me aloud, the Dear Creature, the Angel, the Venus; What ⚫ attitude she moves with ;--Hush, she fings again! We have no boistrous wits who dare disturb an audience, ⚫ and break the public peace merely to fhow they dare. Mr. SPECTATOR, I write this to you thus in hafte, ⚫ to tell you I am fo very much at eafe here, that I know nothing but joy; and I will not return, but leave you' in England to hifs all merit of your own growth off the ftage. I know, Sir, you were always my admirer, and therefore I am yours, CAMILLA. P. S. I am ten times better dreffed than ever I was in England. Mr. Mr. SPECTATOR, Tthering the correspondence and knowledge of HE project in yours of the 11th inftant, of fur ⚫ that confiderable part of mankind, the trading world, cannot but be highly commendable. Good lectures to young traders may have very good effects on their conduct but beware you propagate no falfe notions. of trade; let none of your correfpondents impofe on the world, by putting forth bafe methods in a good light, and glazing them over with improper terms. I would have no means of profit fet for copies to others, but fuch as are laudable in themfelves. Let not noife be called induftry, nor impudence courage. Let ⚫ not good forfune be impofed on the world for goed management, nor poverty be called folly; impute not always bankruptcy to extravagance, nor an estate to forefight: Niggardlinefs is not good husbandry, nor generofity profusion. 6 6 Honeftus is a well meaning and judicious trader, hath fubftantial goods, and trades with his own stock, husbands his money to the beft advantage, without taking all the advantages of the neceffities of his workmen, or grinding the face of the poor. Foxtunatus is ftocked with ignorance, and confequently with felf opinion; the quality of his goods cannot but be fuitable to that of his judgment. Ho neftus pleafes difcerning people and keeps their custom by good ufage; makes modeft profit by mo deft means, to the decent fupport of his family: • Whilft Fortunatus bluftering always, pushes on, promifing much, and performing little; with obfequioufnefs offenfive to people of fenfe, ftrikes at all, catches much the greater part; raifes a confiderable fortune by impofition on others, to the discouragement and ruin of thofe who trade in the fame way. Í give here but loofe hints, and beg you to be very circumfpect in the province you have now undert: ken: If you perform it fuccefsfully, it will be a very great good; for nothing is more wanting, than that mechanic industry were fet forth with the freedom and greatness • greatness of mind which ought always to accompany a man of a liberal education. From my hop under the Your humble fervant, R. C. Mr. SPECTATOR, N July 24, 1712. Otwithstanding the repeated cenfures that your Spectatorial wifdom has paffed upon people more remarkable for impudence than wit, there are yet fome remaining, who pafs with the giddy part of mankind for fufficient fharers of the latter, who have nothing but the former qualification to recommend them. Another timely animadverfion is abfolutely neceffary; be pleafed therefore once for all to let thefe gentlemen know, that there is neither mirth nor good-humour in hooting a young fellow out of countenance; nor that it will ever conflitute a wit, to conclude a tart piece of buffoonery with a what makes you blush? Pray please to ' inform them again, That to speak what they know is fhocking, proceeds from ill-nature and fterility of brain; especially when the fubject will not admit of rallery, and their difcourfe has no pretenfion to fatire but what is in their defign to difoblige. I fhould be very glad too if you would take notice, that a daily repetition of the fame over-bearing infolence is yet more infupportable, and a confirmation of very extra⚫ ordinary dulnefs. The fudden publication of this, may have an effect upon a notorious offender of this kind, whofe reformation would redound very much to the ⚫ fatisfaction and quiet of Your most humble fervant, T F. B. Wednesday, N° 444 Wednesday, July 30. Hor. Ars Poet. v. 139. Parturiunt montes T gives me much defpair in the defign of reforming the world by my fpeculations, when I find there always arife, from one generation to another, fucceffive cheats and bubbles, as naturally as beafts of prey, and those which are to be their food. There is hardly a man in the world, one would think, fo ignorant, as not to know that the ordinary quack-doctors, who publifh their great abilities in little brown billetts, distributed to all that pafs by, are to a man impoftors and murderers; yet fuch is the credulity of the vulgar, and the impudence of these profeffors, that the affair ftill goes on, and new promifes of what was never done before, are made every day. What aggravates the jeft is, that even this promife has been made as long as the memory of man can trace it, and yet nothing performed, and yet ftill prevails. As I was paffing along to day, a paper given into my hand by a fellow without a nofe tells us as follows what good news is come to town, to wit, that there is now a certain cure for the French difeafe, by a gentleman juft come from his travels. In Ruffel-Court, over-against the Cannon Ball, at the Surgeon's-Arms in Drury-Lane, is lately come from his travels, a furgeon who hath practised surgery and phyfic both by fea and land thefe twenty four years. He (by the bleffing) cures the yellow-jaundice, green-fickness, fcurvy, dropfy, furfeits, long fea voyages, campaigns, and womens mifcarriages, lying inn, &c. as jome people that has been lame tbefe thirty years can testify; in fhort, he cureth all difeafes incident to men, women, or children. |