after thofe qualifications both in ourselves and others, which are indifpenfably neceffary towards this happy union, and which are in the power of every one to acquire, or at least to cultivate and improve. These, in my opinion, are cheerfulness and conftancy. A cheerful temper, joined with innocence, will make beauty attractive, knowledge delightful, and wit good-natured. It will lighten fickness, poverty, and affliction; convert ignorance into an amiable fimplicity; and render deformity itself agreeable. Conftancy is natural to perfons of even tempers and uniform difpofitions; and may be acquired by those of the greatest ficklenefs, violence, and paffion, who confider feriously the terms of union on which they come together, the mutual intereft in which they are engaged, with all the motives that ought to incite their tenderness and compaffion towards thofe who have their dependence upon them, and are embarked with them for life in the fame state of happiness or mifery. Conftancy, when it grows in the mind upon confiderations of this nature, becomes a moral virtue, and a kind of good-nature, that is not subject to any change of health, age, fortune, or any of those accidents which are apt to unfettle the beft difpofitions that are founded rather in conftitution than in reafon. Where fuch a conftancy as this is wanting, the most inflamed paffion may fall away into coldnels and indifference, and the most melting tenderness degenerate into hatred and averfion. I fhall conclude this paper with a ftory, that is very well known in the north of England. " About thirty years ago, a packet-boat, that had several paffengers on board, was caft away upon a rock, and in for great danger of linking, that all who were in it endeavoured to fave themselves as well as they could: though only those who could fwim well had a bare poffibility of doing it. Among the paffengers there were two women of fashion, who, feeing themfelves in fuch a difconfolate condition, begged for their hufbands not to: leave them. One of them chofe rather to die with his wife, than to forfake her; the other, though he was moyed moved with the utmost compaffion for his wife, told her, that, for the good of their children, it was better one of them fhould live, than both perish. By a great piece of good luck, next to a miracle, when one of our good men had taken the last and long farewell in order to save himself, and the other held in his arms the person that was dearer to him than life, the fhip was preferved. It is with a fecret forrow and vexation of mind that I must tell the fequel of the ftory, and let my reader know, that this faithful pair, who were ready to have died in each other's arms, about three years after their escape, upon fome trifling difguft grew to a coldness at first, and at length fell out to fuch a degree, that they left one another, and parted for ever. The other couple lived together in an uninterrupted friendship and felicity; and, what was remarkable, the husband, whom the fhipwreck had like to have feparated from his wife, died a few months after her, not being able to furvive the lofs of her. I must confefs, there is fomething in the changeablenefs and inconftancy of human nature, that very often both dejects and terrifies me. Whatever I am at present, I tremble to think what I may be. While I find this principle in me, how can I affure myfelf that I fhall be always true to my God, my friend, or myfelf? In short, without conftancy there is neither love, friendship, nor virtue, in the world. NO. NO. 193. TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1710. Qui didicit patriæ quid debeat, et quid amicis; HOR. Ars Poet. ver. 312 The poet, who with nice difcernment knows Will's Coffee-boufe, July 3, FRANCIS. I HAVE of late received many epiftles, wherein the writers treat me as a mercenary perfon, for fome_little hints concerning matters which, they think, I should not have touched upon but for fordid confiderations. It is apparent, that my motive could not be of that kind; for when a man declares himself openly on one fide, that party will take no more notice of him, because he is fure; and the fet of men whom he declares against, for the fame reason, are violent against him. Thus it is folly in a plain dealer to expect, that either his friends will reward him, or his enemies forgive him. For which reason, I thought it was the fhortest way to impartiality, to put myfelf beyond further hopes or fears, by declaring myself at a time when the difpute is not about perfons and parties, but things and caufes.、 To relieve myself from the vexation which naturally attends fuch reflections, I came hither this evening to give my thoughts quite a new turn, and converse with men of pleasure and wit, rather than those of business and intrigue. I had hardly entered the room when I was accofted accofted by Mr. Thomas Dogget, who defired my favour in relation to the play which was to be acted for his benefit on Thursday. He pleafed me in saying it was The Old Bachelor, in which comedy there is a neceffary circumftance obferved by the author, which most other poets either overlook or do not understand, that is to fay, the diftinction of characters. It is very ordinary with writers to indulge a certain modefty of believing all men as witty as themselves, and making all the perfons of the play fpeak the fentiments of the author, without any manner of refpect to the age, fortune, or quality, of him that is on the ftage. Ladies talk like rakes, and footmen make fimiles: but this writer knows mén; which makes his plays reafonable entertainments, while the scenes of moft others are like the tunes between the acts. They are perhaps agreeable founds; but they have no ideas affixed to them. Dogget thanked me for my vifit to him in the winter; and, after his comic manner, fpoke his requeft with fo arch a leer, that I promised the droll I would fpeak to all my acquaintance to be at this play. Whatever the world may think of the actors, whether it be that their parts have an effect on their lives, or whatever it is, you fee a wonderful benevolence among them towards the interefts and neceffities of each other. Dogget, therefore, would not let me go, without delivering me a letter from poor old Downs, the prompter, wherein that retainer to the theatre defires my advice and affiftance in a matter of concern to him. I have fent him my private opinion for his conduct; but the ftage and ftate affairs being fo much canvaffed by parties and factions, I fhall, for fome time hereafter, take leave of fubjects which relate to either of them, and employ my cares in the confideration of matters which regard that part of mankind who live without interefting themselves with the troubles or pleasures of either. However, for a mere notion of the prefent pofture of the ftage, I fhall give you the letter at large, as follows: HONOURED HONOURED SIR, July 1, 1710. FINDING, by divers of your late papers, that you are a friend to the profeffion of which I was many years an unworthy member, I the rather make bold to crave your advice touching a propofal that has been lately made me of coming again into bufinefs, and the fubadministration of ftage affairs. I have, from my youth, been bred up behind the curtain, and been a prompter from the time of the Reftoration. I have seen many changes, as well of fcenes as of actors; and have known men, within my remembrance, arrive to the highest dignities of the theatre, who made their entrance in the quality of mutes, joint-tools, flower-pots, and tapestry hangings. It cannot be unknown to the nobility and gentry, that a gentleman of the inns of court, and a deep intriguer, had fome time fince worked himself into the fole management and direction of the theatre. Nor is it lefs notorious, that his reflefs ambition, and fubtle machinations, did manifeftly tend to the extirpation of the good old British actors, and the introduction of foreign pretenders; such as harlequins, French dancers, and Roman fingers; who, though they impoverished the proprietors, and impofed on the audience, were for fome time tolerated, by reafon of his dexterous infinuations, which prevailed upon a few deluded women, especially the vizard mafks, to believe that the ftage was in danger. But his schemes were foon expofed; and the great ones that fupported him withdrawing their favour, he made his exit, and remained for a season in obfcurity. During this retreat the Machiavelian was not idle; but fecretly fomented divifions, and wrought over to his fide fome of the inferior actors, referving a trap-door to himself, to which he only had a key. This entrance fecured, this cunning perfon, to complete his company, bethought himself of calling in the moft eminent ftrollers from all parts of the kingdom. I have seen them all ranged together behind the scenes; but they are, many of them, perfons that never trod the stage before, and fo very awkward and ungainly, that it is impoffible to believe the audience will bear them. He was looking |