any thing fo juft, as that mode and gallantry fhould be built upon exerting ourselves in what is proper and agreeable to the inftitutions of juftice and piety among us? And yet is there any thing more common, than that we run in perfect contradiction to them? All which is fupported by no other pretenfion, than that it is done with what we call a good grace. Nothing ought to be held laudable or becoming, but what nature itself should prompt us to think fo. Refpect to all kind of fuperiors is founded, I think, upon instinct; and yet what is fo ridiculous as age? I make this abrupt tranfition to the mention of this vice more than any other, in order to introduce a little ftory, which I think a pretty inftance, that the most polite age is in danger of being the most vi cious. It happened at Athens, during a public representation of fome play exhibited in honour of the commonwealth, that an old gentleman came too late for a place fuitable to his age and quality. Many of the young gentlemen who ' obferved the difficulty and confufion he was in, made figns to him that they would accom'modate him if he came where they fat. The good man buftled through the crowd accordingly; but when he came to the feats to which ' he was invited, the jeft was to fit close and expose him, as he stood, out of countenance, to the whole audience. The frolic went round 'the Athenian benches. But on those occafions there were alfo particular places affigned D4 'for ⚫ for foreigners. When the good man skulked ⚫ towards the boxes appointed for the Lacedemonians, that, honeft people, more virtuous than polite, rofe up all to a man, and with the greatest respect received him among them. The Athenians being fuddenly touched with a fense of the Spartan virtue, and their own degeneracy, gave a thunder of applause; and the 'old man cried out, The Athenians understand 'what is good, but the Lacedemonians practife it.' R*. N° 7. Thursday, March 8, 1710-11. Somnia, terrores magicos, miracula, fagas, HOR. 2 Ep. ii. 208, Visions, and magic fpells, can you despise, G OING yesterday to dine with an old acquaintance, I had the misfortune to find his whole family very much dejected. Upon afking him the occafion of it, he told me that his wife had dreamt a ftrange dream the night before, which they were afraid portended fome misfortune to themselves, or to their children, At her coming into the room, I obferved a fet By STEELE, who, it is thought, commonly diftinguished his original Papers by this mark, and generally used the letter T as an editorial fignature; but there are inftances perhaps, that apparently militate against this fuppofition, tled tled melancholy in her countenance, which I should have been troubled for, had I not heard from whence it proceeded. We were no fooner fat down, but after having looked upon me a little while, "My dear," (fays fhe, turning to her husband)" you may now fee the stranger "that was in the candle laft night." Soon after this, as they began to talk of family affairs, a little boy at the lower end of the table told her, that he was to go into join-hand on Thursday. Thursday!" (fays fhe)" No, child, if it please God, you shall not begin upon Childermas-day; "tell your writing-mafter that Friday will be "foon enough." I was reflecting with myself on the oddness of her fancy, and wondering that any body would establish it as rule, to lose a day in every week. In the midst of these my mufings, the defired me to reach her a little falt upon the point of my knife, which I did in fuch a trepidation and hurry of obedience, that I let it drop by the way; at which she immediately startled, and said it fell towards her, Upon this I looked very blank; and, observing the concern of the whole table, began to confider myself with fome confufion, as a perfon that had brought a difafter upon the family. The lady, however, recovering herself after a little space, faid to her husband, with a figh, My dear, misfortunes "never come fingle." My friend, I found, acted but an under-part at his table, and being a man of more good-nature than understanding, thinks himself obliged to fall in with all the paffions and humours of his yoke-fellow. " Do "not "not you remember, child," (fays fhe) " that the pigeon-house fell the very afternoon that our "careless wench spilt the falt upon the table ?" "Yes," (fays he) "my dear, and the next post brought us an account of the battle of Al"manza." The reader may guess at the figure I made, after having done all this mischief. I dispatched my dinner as foon as I could with my ufual taciturnity; when, to my utter confufion, the lady feeing me quitting my knife and fork, and laying them across one another upon my plate, defired me that I would humour her fo far as to take them out of that figure, and place them fide by fide. What the abfurdity was which I had committed I did not know, but I fuppofe there was fome traditionary fuperftition in it; and therefore in obedience to the lady of the house, I difpofed of my knife and fork in two parallel lines, which is the figure I fhall always lay them in for the future, though I do not know any reafon for it. It is not difficult for a man to fee that a perfon has conceived an averfion to him. For my own part, I quickly found, by the lady's looks, that the regarded me as a very odd kind of fellow, with an unfortunate aspect. For which reafon I took my leave immediately after dinner, and withdrew to my own lodgings. Upon my return home, I fell into a profound contemplation on the evils that attend these superstitious follics of mankind; how they fubject us to imaginary afflictions, and additional forrows, that do not properly come within our lot As if the natural natural calamities of life were not fufficient for it, we turn the moft indifferent circumstances into misfortunes, and fuffer as much from trifling accidents, as from real evils. I have known the fhooting of a star spoil a night's reft; and have seen a man in love grow pale, and lose his appetite, upon the plucking of a merry-thought, A fcreech-owl at midnight has alarmed a family more than a band of robbers; nay, the voice of a cricket hath ftruck more terror than the roaring of a lion. There is nothing fo inconfiderable, which may not appear dreadful to an imagination that is filled with omens and prognofticks. A rusty nail, or a crooked pin, fhoot up into prodigies. I remember I was once in a mixt affembly, that was full of noise and mirth, when on a fudden an old woman unluckily obferved there were thirteen of us in company. This remark ftruck a panic terror into feveral who were prefent, infomuch that one or two of the ladies were going to leave the room; but a friend of mine taking notice that one of our female companions was big with child, affirmed there were fourteen in the room, and that, inftead of portending one of the company should die, it plainly foretold one of them fhould be born. Had not my friend found this expedient to break the omen, I question not but half the women in the company would have fallen fick that very night. An old maid that is troubled with the vapours, produces infinite disturbances of this kind, among her friends and neighbours. I know |