received Sight by his Means, who came blind from their Mother's Womb, as in the famous Inftance of Jones of Newington. I my felf have been cured by him of a Weakness in my Eyes next to Blindness, and am ready to believe any thing that is reported of his Ability this way; and know that many, who could not purchase his Affiftance with Money, have enjoy'd it from his Charity. But a Lift of Particulars would fwell my Letter beyond its Bounds, what I have faid being fufficient to comfort thofe who are in the like Diftrefs, fince they < may conceive Hopes of being no longer miferable in this Kind, while there is yet alive fo able an Oculist as Dr. Grant. T I am the SPECTATOR's humble Servant, PHILANTHROPUS. N° 473. Tuesday, September 2. Quid fi quis vultu torvo ferus pede nudo Exiguaque toga fimulet textore Catonem ; SIR, I To the SPECTAT o R. Hor. Am now in the Country, and employ most of my Time in reading, or thinking upon what I have read. Your Paper comes conftantly down to me, and it affects me fo much, that I find my Thoughts run into your Way; and I recommend to you a Subject upon which you have not yet touched, and that is the Satisfaction fome Men feem to take in their Imperfetions, I think one may call it glorying in their Infufficiency; a certain great Author is of Opinion it is the contrary to Envy, tho' perhaps it may proceed from it. Nothing is fo common, as to hear Men of this Sort, fpeaking of themselves, add to their own Merit (as they think) by impairing it, in praifing themfelves for their • Defects, N 2 6 Defects, freely allowing they commit fome few frivolous Errors, in order to be efteemed Perfons of uncommon Talents and great Qualifications. They are gene⚫rally profeffing an injudicious Neglect of Dancing, Fencing and Riding, as also an unjust Contempt for Travelling and the Modern Languages; as for their Part (fay they) they never valued or troubled their Head about them. This panegyrical Satyr on themselves certainly is worthy of your Animadverfion. I have known one of these Gentlemen think himself obliged to forget the Day of an Appointment, and fometimes even that you fpoke to him; and when you fee 'em, they hope you'll pardon 'em, for they have the worst Memory in the World. One of 'em ftarted up t'other Day in fome • Confufion, and faid, Now I think on't, I'm to meet Mr. Mortmain the Attorney about fome Business, but whether it is to Day or to Morrow, faith, I can't tell. Now to my certain Knowledge he knew his Time to a Moment, and was there accordingly. Thefe forgetful Perfons have, to heighten their Crime, generally the beft Memories of any People, as I have found out by their remembring fometimes through Inadvertency. Two or three of 'em that I know can fay most of our 'modern Tragedies by Heart. I asked a Gentleman the other Day that is famous for a Good Carver, (at which Acquifition he is out of Countenance, imagining it may detract from fome of his more effential Qualifications) to help me to fomething that was near him; but he excufed himself, and blufhing told me, Of all things he could never carve in his Life; though it can be proved upon him, that he cuts up, disjoints, and uncafes with incomparable Dexterity. I would not be underftood as if I thought it laudable for a Man of Quality and Fortune to rival the Acquifitions of Artificers, and ⚫ endeavour to excel in little handy Qualities; No, I argue only against being afhamed at what is really Praifeworthy. As these Pretences to Ingenuity fhew themfelves feveral Ways, you'll often fee a Man of this Temper afhamed to be clean, and fetting up for Wit only from Negligence in his Habit. Now I am upon Head, I can't help obferving alfo upon a very different Folly proceeding from the fame Caufe. As these above⚫ mentioned this ⚫ mentioned arife from affecting an Equality with Men of greater Talents from having the fame Faults, there are others who would come at a Parallel with thofe above them, by poffeffing little Advantages which they want. I heard a young Man not long ago, who has Senfe, ⚫ comfort himself in his Ignorance of Greek, Hebrew, and the Orientals: At the fame Time that he published his Averfion to thofe Languages, he faid that the Knowledge of 'em was rather a Diminution than an Advance⚫ment of a Man's Character: tho' at the fame Time I know he languishes and repines he is not Mafter of them himself. Whenever I take any of these fine Perfons, thus detracting from what they don't understand, 'I tell them I will complain to you, and fay I am fure 'you will not allow it an Exception against a thing, that he who contemns it is an Ignorant in it. Mr. SPECTATOR, I am, SIR, Your most humble Servant, S. T. "I Am a Man of a very good Eftate, and am honourably in Love. I hope you will allow, when the ultimate Purpofe is honeft, there may be, without Trefpafs against Innocence, fome Toying by the Way. People of Condition are perhaps too diftant and for'mal on thofe Occafions; but, however that is, I am to confefs to you, that I have writ fome Verfes to attone for my Offence. You profefs'd Authors are a little fevere upon us, who write like Gentlemen: But if you are a Friend to Love, you will infert my Poem. You cannot imagine how much Service it will do me with my Fair one, as well as Reputation with all my Friends, to have fomething of mine in the Spectator. My Crime was, that I fnatch'd a Kiss, and my Poet cal Excufe as follows: N F D. U Syst. Catal. 1935 I. Be I. Belinda, fee from yonder Flowers 11. So, tho' I robb'd you of a Kifs, 111. 'Tis by this Cunning I contrive, SIR, Your humble Servant, Timothy Stanza. Aug, 23, 1712. HAVING a little Time upon my Hands, I could not think of bestowing it better, than in writing an Epistle to the SPECTATOR, which I now do, ⚫ and am, SIR, Your humble Servant, BOB SHORT. P. S. IF you approve of my Style, I am likely enough to become your Correfpondent. I defire your Opinion of it. I defign it for that Way of Writing called by the Judicious the Familiar. T THE THE INDE X. A A. CETUS, his Character, Number 422. Admiration, a pleasing Motion of the Mind, N. 413. Affectation, the Misfortune of it, N. 404. 460. Defcribed, Almighty, his Power over the Imagination, N. 421. Ariftotle's Saying of his Being, 465. Allegories, like Light to a Difcourfe, N. 421. Eminent Writers faulty in them, ibid. Allufions the great Art of a Writer, N. 421. Amazons, their Commonwealth, N. 433. How they educated their Children, 434. Their Wars, ibid. They marry their Male-Allies, ibid. 'Americans ufed Painting inftead of Writing, N. 416. Amity between agreeable Perfons of different Sexes, dangerous, N. 400. 'Amoret the Jilt reclaimed by Philander, N. 401. Anne Boleyne's laft Letter to King Henry VIII. N. 397. Architecture, the Ancients Perfection in it, N. 415. The N 4 Art |