as I imagined; for that in all places, but where he was his rival, he had pleasure in his company. This was the firft difcourfe we had upon this malady; but I do not doubt but, after two or three more, I fhall by juft degrees' foften his envy into emulation.

Such an envy, as I have here defcribed, may poffibly creep into an ingenuous mind; but the envy which makes a man uneafy to himself and others is a certain diftortion and perverfenefs of temper, that renders him unwilling to be pleased with any thing without him, that has either beauty or perfection in it. I look upon it as a diftemper in the mind, which I know no moralift that has described in this light, When a man cannot discern any thing which another is mafter of that is agreeable. For which reafon, I look upon the good-natured man to be endowed with a certain difcerning faculty, which the envious are altogether deprived of. Shallow wits, fuperficial critics, and conceited fops, are with me fo many blind men in refpect of excellencies. They can behold nothing but faults and blemishes, and indeed fee nothing that is worth feeing. Shew them a poem, it is ftuff; a picture, it is daubing. They find nothing in architecture that is not irregular, or in mufic that is not out of tune. These men fhould confider, that it is their envy which deforms every thing, and that the uglinefs is not in the object, but in the eye. And as for nobler minds, whofe merits are either not difcovered, or are mifreprefented by the envious part of mankind, they fhould rather confider their defamers with pity than indignation. A man cannot have an idea of perfection in another, which he was never fenfible of in himself. Mr. Locke tells us, that upon asking a blind man, what he thought scarlet was? he answered, That he believed it was like the found of a trumpet. He was forced to form his conceptions of ideas which he had not, by thofe which he had. In the fame manner, afk an envious man what he thinks of virtue? he will call it defign; what of good nature? and he will term it dulnefs. The difference is, that as the perfon before mentioned was born blind, your envious men have contracted the diftemper themselves, and are troubled with a

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fort

fort of an acquired blindness. Thus the devil in Milton, though made an angel of light, could see nothing to please him even in Paradife, and hated our firft parents, though in their ftate of innocence.

No. 228. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1710.

-Veniet manus, auxilio quæ

Sit mihi

HOR. Sat. 4. lib. 1. ver. 141.

A powerful aid from other hands will come.

R. WYNNE.

From my own Apartment, September 22.

A MAN of business, who makes a public entertainment, may fometimes leave his guefts, and beg them to divert themselves as well as they can until his return. I shall here make ufe of the fame privilege, being engaged in ma ters of fome importance relating to the family of the Bickerstaffs, and must defire my readers to entertain one another until I can have leifure to attend them. I have therefore furnished out this paper, as I have done some few others, with letters of my ingenious correfpondents, which I have reafon to believe will please the public as much as my own more elaborate Lucubrations.

• SIR,

Lincoln, Sept. 9.

I HAVE long been of the number of your admirers, and take this opportunity of telling you fo. I know not why a man so famed for aftrological obfervations may not alfo be a good cafuift; upon which prefumption it is I ask your advice in an affair that at prefent puzzles quite that flender ftock of divinity I am mafter of. I have

now

now been some time in holy orders, and fellow of a certain college in one of the univerfities; but, weary of that unactive life, I refolve to be doing good in my generation. A worthy gentleman has lately offered me a fat rectory; but means, I perceive, his kinfwoman fhould have the benefit of the clergy. I am a novice in the world, and confefs it ftartles me, how the body of Mrs. Abigail can be annexed to cure of fouls. Sir, would you give us in one of your Tatlers the original and progress of fmockfimony, and fhew us, that where the laws are filent, men's confciences ought to be fo too, you could not more oblige our fraternity of young divines, and among the reft,

Your humble fervant,

HIGH-CHURCH."

I am very proud of having a gentleman of this name for my admirer, and may, fome time or other, write fuch a treatise as he mentions. In the mean time, I do not fee why our clergy, who are very frequently men of good families, fhould be reproached, if any of them chance to espouse a handmaid with a rectory in commendam, fince the best of our peers have often joined themselves to the daughters of very ordinary tradesmen upon the fame valuable confiderations.

'HONOURED SIR,

Globe in Moorfields, Sept. 16.

I HAVE now finished my almanac for the next year, in all the parts of it, except that which concerns the weather; and you having fhewn yourself, by fome of your late works, more weather-wife than any of our modern aftrologers, 1 moft humbly prefume to trouble you upon this head. You know very well, that in our ordinary almanacs the wind and rain, fnow and hail, clouds and fun-thine, have their proper feafons, and come up as regularly in their feveral months as the fruits and plants

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plants of the earth. As for my own part, I freely own to you, that I generally fteal my weather out of fome antiquated almanac, that foretold it feveral years ago. Now, fir, what I humbly beg of you is, that you would lend me your ftate weather-glass, in order to fill up this vacant column in my works. This, I know, would fell my almanac beyond any other, and make me a richer man than Poor Robin. If you will not grant me this favour, I must have recourfe to my old method, and will copy after an almanac which I have by me, and which I think was for the year when the great ftorm was.

This gentleman does not confider, what a ftrange appearance his almanac would make to the ignorant, fhould he tranfpofe his weather, as he must do, did he follow the dictates of my glass. What would the world fay to fee fummers filled with colds and ftorms, and winters with calms and fun-fhine; according to the variations of the weather, as they might accidentally appear in a ftate-barometer? But let that be as it will, I fhall apply my own invention to my own ufe; and if I do not make my fortune by it, it will be my Own fault.

The next letter comes to me from another felf-interefted folicitor.

• Mr. BICKERSTAFF,

I AM going to fet up for a fcrivener, and have thought of a project which may turn both to your account and mine. It came into my head, upon reading that learned in ufeful paper of yours concerning advertite

ments.

ments. You must underftand, I have made myself mafter in the whole art of advertifing, both as to the ftyle and the letter. Now if you and I could fo manage it, that nobody fhould write advertisements befides myself, or print them any where but in your paper, we might both of us get eftates in a little time. For this end, I would likewife propofe, that you should enlarge the defign of advertifements; and have fent you two or three famples of my work in this kind, which I have made for particular friends, and intend to open fhop with. The first is for a gentleman, who would willingly marry, if he could find a wife to his liking; the fecond is for a poor whig, who is lately turned out of his poft; and the third for a perfon of a contrary party, who is willing to get into one.'

WHEREAS A. B. next door to the Peftle and Mortar, being about thirty years old, of a fpare make, with darkcoloured hair, bright eyes, and a long nofe, has occafion for a good humoured, tall, fair young woman, of about three thousand pounds fortune: thefe are to give notice, that if any fuch young woman has a mind to difpofe of herself in marriage to fuch a perfon as the above mentioned, he may be provided with a husband, a coach and horfes, and proportionable fettlement.

C. D. defigning to quit his place, has great quantities of paper, parchment, ink, wax, and wafers, to difpofe of, which will be fold at very reasonable rates.

E. F. a perfon of good behaviour, fix feet high, of a black complexion, and found principles, wants an employ. He is an excellent penman and accomptant, and fpeaks French.