he is not lefs prefent with us, because he is concealed from us. O that I knew where I might find him! fays Job. Behold I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him. On the left hand, where he does work, but I cannot behold him: be bideth himself on the right hand that I cannot fee bim. In fhort, Reafon as well as Revelation affure us, that he cannot be abfent from us, notwithstanding he is undiscovered by us.

IN this Confideration of God Almighty's Omniprefence and Omnifcience every uncomfortable Thought vanishes. He cannot but regard every Thing that has Being, especially fuch of his Creatures who fear they are not regarded by him. He is privy to all their Thoughts, and to that Anxiety of Heart in particular, which is apt to trouble them on this occafion: For, as it is impoffible he fhould overlook any of his Creatures, fo we may be confident that he regards, with an Eye of Mercy, thofe who endeavour to recommend themselves to his Notice, and in an unfeigned Humility of Heart think themselves unworthy that he should be mindful of them.

N° 566.

Monday, July 12.

Militia Species Amor eft

A

Ovid.

S my Correfpondents begin to grow pretty numerous, I think my felf obliged to take fome Notice of them, and fhall therefore make this Paper a Mifcellany of Letters. I have, fince my reaffuming the Office of SPECTATOR, received abundance of Epiftles from Gentlemen of the Blade, who, I find, have been fo ufed to Action that they know not how to lie ftill. They feem generally to be of Opinion, that the Fair at home ought to reward them for their Services abroad, and that, 'till the Caufe of their Country calls them VOL. VIII.

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again

again into the Field, they have a fort of Right to quarter themselves upon the Ladies. In order to favour their Approaches, I am defired by fome to enlarge upon the Accomplishments of their Profeffion, and by others to give them my Advice in the carrying on their Attacks. But let us hear what the Gentlemen say for themselves.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

TH

'HO' it may look fomwhat perverse amidst the Arts of Peace, to talk too much of War, it is • but Gratitude to pay the last Office to its Manes, fince even Peace it self is, in fome Measure, obliged to it for its Being.

YOU have, in your former Papers, always recommended the Accomplished to the Favour of the Fair; and, I hope, you will allow me to reprefent fome Part of a Military Life not altogether unneceffary to the forming a Gentleman. I need not tell you, that in France, whofe Fashions we have been formerly fo ⚫ fond of, almost every one derives his Pretences to • Merit from the Sword; and that a Man has scarce the • Face to make his Court to a Lady, without fome Cre⚫dentials from the Service to recommend him. As the • Profeffion is very ancient, we have Reason to think fome of the greatest Men, among the old Romans, • derived many of their Virtues from it, their Comman⚫ders being frequently, in other Refpects, fome of the moft fhining Characters of the Age.

THE Army not only gives a Man Opportunities of exercifing thofe two great Virtues Patience and • Courage, but often produces them in Minds where they had fcarce any Footing before. I must add, that it is one of the best Schools in the World to receive a general Notion of Mankind in, and a certain Freedom of Behaviour, which is not fo eafily acquired in any • other Place. At the same Time I must own, that fome Military Airs are pretty extraordinary, and that a Man who goes into the Army a Coxcomb will come out of it a Sort of publick Nufance: But a Man of Senfe, or one who before had not been fufficiently ufed to a mixed Converfation, generally takes the true

⚫ Turn.

Turn. The Court has in all Ages been allowed to be the Standard of Good-breeding; and I believe there is not a juker Obfervation in Monfieur Rochefoucault, than that A Man who has been bred up wholly to Bufinefs, can never get the Air of a Courtier at Court, but will immediately catch it in the Camp. The Reafon of this moft certainly is, that the very Effence of Good-breeding and Politenefs confifts in feveral Niceties, which are fo minute that they efcape his Obfervation, and he falls fhort of the Original he would copy after; but when he fees the fame Things charged and aggravated to a Fault, he no fooner endeavours to come up to the Pattern which is fet before him, than, though he ftops fomewhat fhort of that, he naturally refts where in Reality he ought. I was, two or three Days ago, mightily pleafed with the Obfervation of an humorous Gentleman upon one of his Friends, who was in other Refpects every way an accomplished Perfon, That he wanted nothing but a Dafh of the Cox. comb in him; by which he understood a little of that Alertnefs and Unconcern in the common Actions of Life, which is ufually fo vifible among Gentlemen of the Army, and which a Campaign or two would infallibly have given him.

YOU will eafily guefs, Sir, by this my Panegyrick upon a Military Education, that I am my felf a Soldier, and indeed I am fo. I remember, within three Years after I had been in the Army, I was ordered into the Country a Recruiting. I had very particular Succefs in this Part of the Service, and was over and above affured, at my going away, that I might have taken a young Lady, who was the moft confiderable Fortune in the Country, along with me. I preferred the Purfuit of Fame at that time to all other Confiderations, and tho' I was not abolutely bent on a wooden Leg, refolved at least to get a Scar or two for the good of Europe. I have at prefent as much as I defire of this fort of Honour, and if you could recommend me effectually, fhould be well enough contented to pafs the Remainder of my Days in the Arms of fome dear kind Creature, and upon a pretty Eftate in the Country.

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Country. This, as I take it, would be following the Example of Lucius Cincinnatus, the old Roman Dictator, who at the End of a War left the Camp to follow the Plow. I am, Sir, with all imaginable Respect, Your moft Obedient, Humble Servant,

Will. Warly.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Am an Half-pay Officer, and am at present with a Friend in the Country. Here is a rich Widow in the Neighbourhood, who has made Fools of all the • Fox-hunters within fifty Miles of her. She declares fhe intends to marry, but has not yet been asked by the • Man fhe could like. She ufually admits her humble • Admirers to an Audience or two, but, after she has once given them Denial, will never fee them more. I am affured by a Female Relation, that I fhall have fair Play at her; but as my whole Succefs depends · on my first Approaches, I defire your Advice, whether I had beft Storm, or proceed by way of Sap.

I am, SIR,

Yours, &c.

P. S. I had forgot to tell you, that I have already ⚫ carried one of her Outworks, that is, fecured her Maid.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Have aflifted in several Sieges in the Low-Countries, and being still willing to employ my Talents, as a Soldier and Engineer, lay down this Morning_at • Seven o' Clock before the Door of an obftinate Female, who had for fome time refused me Admittance. I made a Lodgment in an outer Parlour about • Twelve: The Enemy retired to her Bed-Chamber, yet I ftill purfued, and about Two o' Clock this Afternoon fhe thought fit to Capitulate. Her Demands are indeed fomewhat high, in relation to the Settlement * of her Fortune. But being in Poffeffion of the House,

I

·

• I intend to infift upon Carte Blanche, and am in hopes, by keeping off all other Pretenders for the Space of twenty four Hours, to ftarve her into a Compliance. I beg your speedy Advice, and am,

SIR, Yours,

Peter Pufh.

From my Camp in Red-Lion Square, Saturday 4. in the Afternoon.

No 567. Wednesday, July 14.

Inceptus clamor fruftratur hiantes. Virg.

Have received private Advice from fome of my Correfpondents, that if I would give my Paper a general Run, I fhould take care to feafon it with Scandal. I have indeed obferved of late, that few Writings fell which are not filled with great Names and illuftrious Titles. The Reader generally cafts his Eye upon a new Book, and if he finds feveral Letters feparated from one another by a Dafh, he buys it up, and perufes it with great Satisfaction. An M and an b, a Tand an r, with a fhort Line between them, has fold many infipid Pamphlets. Nay I have known a whole Edition go off by virtue of two or three well written &c

A fprinkling of the Words Faction, Frenchman, Papift, Plunderer, and the like fignificant Terms, in an Italick Character, have also a very good Effect upon the Eye of the Purchafer; not to mention Scribler, Lyar, Rogue, Rafcal, Knave, and Villain, without which it is impoffible to carry on a Modern Controversy.

OUR Party-writers are fo fenfible of the fecret Virtue of an Innuendo to recommend their Productions, that of late they never mention the Q- n or P.

at length, though they speak of them with Honour, and

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with