found that he was fo very fenfible of his fault, and fo The penitent ftill urged the fincerely repented of it. evil tendency of his book to fubvert all religion, and the little ground of hope there could be for one whose writings would continue to do mifchief when his body was laid in afhes. The Curate, finding no other way to comfort him, told him that he did well in being af flicted for the evil defign with which he published his book, but that he ought to be very thankful that there was no danger of its doing any harm; that his caufe was fo very bad, and his arguments fo weak, that he did not apprehend any ill effects from it; in fhort that he might reft fatisfied his book could do no more mifchief after his death, than it had done whilst he was living. To which he added, for his farther fatisfaction, that he did not believe any befides his particular friends and acquaintance had ever been at the pains of reading it, or that any body after his death would ever inquire after it. The dying man had still so much the frailty of an author in him, as to be cut to the heart with thefe confolations; and without anfwering the good man, afked his friends about him (with a peevish-nefs that is natural to a fick perfon) where they had picked up fuch a blockhead; and whether they thought him a proper person to attend one in his condition : The Curate finding that the author did not expect to be dealt with as a real and fincere penitent, but as a penitent of importance, after a fhort admonition withdrew, not queftioning but he fhould be again fent for, if the fickness grew defperate. The author howeve recovered, and has fince written two or three other tracts with the famé fpirit, and, very luckily for his poor foul, wish the fame fuccefs.

SPECTATOR, Vol. II. No. 66. C

BUSY PART of the World.

MANKIND is divided into two arts, the Bufy and the Idle. The Bufy world ma be divided into the virtuous and the vicious; the icious again into

the covetous, the ambitious, and the fenfual. The idle part of mankind are in a state inferior to any of thefe. All the other are engaged in the purfuit of happiness, though often misplaced, and are therefore more likely to he attentive to fuch means as fhall be proposed to them for that end. The idle, who are neither wife for this world nor the next, are emphatically called by Dr. Tillotson, fools at large; they propofe to themselves no end, but run adrift with every wind. Advice would therefore be only thrown away upon them, fince they would fcarce take the pains to read it. I fhall not fatigue any of this worthlefs tribe with a large harrangue, but will leave them with this fhort faying of Plate; that labour is preferable to idleness, as brightnejs to ruf.

The purfuits of the active part of mankind are either in the paths of religion and virtue; or, on the other hand, in the roads to wealth, honour, or pleasure. I fhall therefore compare the purfuits of Avarice, Ambition, and fenfual Delight, with their oppofite virtues; and fhall confider which of these principles en gages men in a courfe of the greatest labour, fuffering, and affiduity. Most men in their cool reasoning, are willing to allow that a course of virtue will in the end be rewarded the moft amply, but reprefent the way to it as rugged and narrow. if therefore it can be made to appear, that men ftruggle through as many troubles to be miferable as they do to be happy, my readers may perhaps be perfuaded to be good when they find they hall lofe nothing by it.

First, for Avarice. The Mifer is more induftrious than the Saint; the pains of getting, the fears of lofing, and the inability of enjoyed his wealth, have been the mark of fatire in all ages. Were his repentance upon his neglect of a good bargain, his forrow for being over-reached, his hope of improving a fum, and his fear of falling into want, directed to their proper objects, they would make fo many different Chriftian graces and virtues. He may apply to himself a great part of St. Paul's catalogue of fufferings; in journeying. ifter; in berils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils among

falfe brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in faftings often.-At how much 1 efs expence might he lay up to himself treasures in Heaven! or, if I may in this place be allowed to add the faying of a great philofopher, he may provide fuch poffeffions as fear neither arms nor men, nor Jove himself.

In the fecond place, if we look upon the toils of Ambition in the fame light as we have confidered thofe of Avarice, we fhall readily own that far lefs trouble is requifite to gain lafting glory, than the power and reputation of a few years; or in other words, we may with more eafe deferve honour than obtain it.

The

ambitious man fhould rentember Cardinal Wolfey's complaint; "Had I ferved God with the fame application wherewith I ferved my King, he would not have for. faken me in my old age." The Cardinal here softens his Ambition by the fpecious pretence of ferving his King whereas his words, in the proper conftruction, imply, that if, inftead of being acted by Ambition, he had been acted by Religion, he fhould have now found the comforts of it, when the whole world turned its back upon him.

Thirdly. Let us compare the pains of the fenfual with thofe of the virtuous, and fee which are heavier in the balance. It may feem ftrange at the first view, that the men of pleafure fhould be advifed to change their course, because they lead a painful life. Yet when we fee them fo active and vigilant in queft of delight, under fo many difquiets, and the fport of fuch various paflions, let them anfwer, as they can, if the pains they undergo do not overweigh their enjoyments. The infidelities on the one part between the two fexes, and the caprices on the other, the debafement of reafon, the pangs of expectation, the difappointments in poffeffions, the ftings of remorfe, the vanities and vexations attending even the most refined delights that make up this bufinefs of life, render it fo filly and uncomfortable, that no man is thought wife till he has got over it, or happy, but in proportion as he has cleared himself from it.

The fum of all is this-Man is made an active

Being: Whether he walks in the paths of virtue or vice, he is fure to meet with many difficulties, to prove his patience, and excite his induftry. The fame, if not greater labour, is required in the fervice of vice and folly, as of virtue and wifdom. And he has this cafy choice left him, whether with the ftrength he is master of, he will purchase happiness or repentance.

IT

SPECTATOR, Vol. VIII. No. 624.

CALAMITIES.

T is a very melancholy reflection, that men are ufually fo weak, that it is abfolutely neceflary for them to know forrow and pain, to be in their right fenfes. Profperous people (for happy there are none) are hurried away with a fond fenfe of their prefent condition, and thoughtless of the mutability of fortune. Fortune is a term which we must use in fuch discourses as thefe for what is wrought by the unfeen hand of the Difpofer of all things. But methinks the difpofition of a mind which is truly great, is that which makes misfor tunes and forrows little when they befall ourselves, great and lamentable when they befall other men.

The most unpardonable malefactor in the world, going to his death, and bearing it with compofure, would win the pity of those who fhould behold him; and this not becaufe his calamity is deplorable, but be-cause he feems himself not to deplore it. We fuffer for him who is lefs fenfible of his own mifery, and are inclined to defpife him who finks under the weight of his diftreffes. On the other hand, without any touch of envy, a temperate and well-governed mind looks down on fuch as are exalted with fuccefs, with a certain fhame for the imbecility of human nature, that can so far forget how liable it is to calamity, as to grow giddy with only the fufpence of forrow, which is the portion of all men. He therefore who turns his face from the unhappy man, who will not look again when his eye is caft upon modeft forrow, who fhuns affliction like çontagion, does but pamper himself up for a

facrifice, and contract in himself a greater aptitude to mifery, by attempting to efcape it. A gentleman, where I happened to be last night, fell into a difcourfe which I thought fhowed a good difeerning in him: He took notice, that whenever men have looked into their hearts for the idea of true excellency in human nature, they have found it confift in fuffering after a right manner, and with a good grace. Heroes are always drawn bearing forrows, ftruggling with adverfities, undergoing all kinds of hardfhips, and having in the service of mankind a kind of appetite to difficulties and dangers. The gentleman went on to obferve, that it is from this fecret fenfe of the high merit which there is in patience under calamities, that the writers. of romances, when they attempt to furnish out characters of the higheft excellence, ranfack nature for things terrible; they raife a new creation of monsters, dragons, and giants; where the danger ends, the hero ceafes; when he has won an empire, or gained his mistress, the reft of his story is not worth relating. My friend carried his difcourfe fo far as to fay, that it was for higher beings than men to join happiness and greatnefs in the fame idea; but that in our condition we have no conception of fuperlative exeellence or he roifm, but as it is furrounded with a fhade of diftrefs.

It is certainly the proper education we fhould give ourfelves, to be prepared for the ill events and accidents we are to meet with in a life sentenced to be a fcene of forrow: But inftead of this expectation, we foften ourselves with profpects of conftant delight, and deftroy in our minds the feeds of fortitude and virtue, which fhould fupport us in hours of anguish. The conftant purfuit of pleafure has in it fomething infolent and improper for our being. There is a pretty fober livelinefs in the Ode of Horace to Delias, where he tells him loud mirth or immoderate forrow, inequality of behaviour either in profperity or adverfi ty, are alike ungraceful in man who is born to die.

Moderation in both circumstances is peculiar to generous minds. Men of that fort ever taste the gratifications of health, and all other advantages of life, as if