See thy bright Altars throng'd with proftrate C. 60, v. 6. And heap'd with Products of Sabæan Springs! Cap. 60. V. 19, 20. C. st. v. 6. And feeds of Gold in Ophir's Mountains glow. Reveal'd, and God's eternal Day be thine! The Seas fhall wafte, the Skies in Smoke decay, and C. $4. Rocks fall to Daft, and Mountains melt away; But fix'd His Word, His faving Pow'r remains, Thy Realm for ever lafts, thy own. Meffiah reigns, V. TO. GILADECK DACISIO No 379. Thursday, May 15. I Scire tuum nihil eft nifi te fcire hoc fciat alter. Perf. T Have often wondered at that ill-natur'd Position which has been fometimes maintained in the Schools, and is compriz'd in an old Latin Verfe, namely, that A Man's Knowledge is worth nothing, if he communicates what he knows to any one befides. There is certainly no more fenfible Pleasure to a good-natur'd Man, than if he can by any means gratify or inform the Mind of another. I might add, that this Virtue naturally carries its own Reward along with it, fince it is almoft impoffible it fhould be exerciled without the Improvement of the Perfon who practises it. The reading of Books, and the daily Occurrences of Life, are continually furnishing us with Matter for Thought and Reflection. Lt is extremely natural for us to defire to fee fuch our Thoughts put into the Dress of 235 of Words, without which indeed we can scarce have a clear and diftinct Idea of them our felves: When they are thus clothed in Expreffions, nothing fo truly fhews us whether they are juft or false, as thofe Effects which they produce in the Minds of others.. I am apt to flatter my felf, that in the Course of these my Speculations, I have treated of feveral Subjects, and. laid down many fuch Rules for the Conduct of a Man's Life, which my Readers were either wholly ignorant of before, or which at least those few who were acquainted with them, looked upon as fo many Secrets they have found out for the Conduct of themfelves, but were refolved never to have made publick. I am the more confirmed in this Opinion from my having received feveral Letters, wherein I am cenfur'd for having prostituted Learning to the Embraces of the Vulgar, and made her, as one of my Correfpondents phrafes it, a common Strumpet: I am charged by another with laying open the Arcana, or Secrets of Prudence, to the Eyes of every Reader. THE narrow Spirit which appears in the Letters of thefe my Correfpondents is the lefs furprizing, as it has fhewn it felf in all Ages: There is ftill extant an Epiftle written by Alexander the Great to his Tutor Ariftotle, upon that Philofopher's publishing fome part of his Write ings; in which the Prince complains of his having made known to all the World, thofe Secrets in Learning which he had before communicated to him in private Lectures; concluding, That he had rather excel the rest of Mankind in Knowledge than in Power. LUISA de Padilla, a Lady of great Learning, and Countess of Aranda, was in like manner angry with the famious Gratian, upon his publifhing his Treatife of the Difcreto; wherein the fancied that he had laid open thofe Maxims to common Readers, which ought only to have been referved for the Knowledge of the Great. THESE Objections are thought by many of fo much weight, that they often defend the above-mention'd Authors, by affirming they have their Style and Manner och an Obfcurity in that tho' every one very few who can may read their Works, there will be but comprehend their Meaning. PERSIUS, PRESIUS, the Latin Satirift, affected Obfcurity for another Reafon; with which however Mr. Cowley is fo offended, that writing to one of his Friends, You, fays he, tell me, that you do not know whether Perfius be a good Poet or no, because you cannot understand him; for which very Reason I affirm that he is not fo.. HOWEVER, this Art of writing unintelligibly has been very much improved, and follow'd by feveral of the Moderns, who obferving the general Inclination of Man. kind to dive into a Secret, and the Reputation many have acquired by concealing theirMeaning under obfcure Terms and Phrafes, refolve, that they may be ftill more abstruse, to write without any Meaning at all. This Art, as it is at prefent practifed by many eminent Authors, confifts in throwing fo many Words at a venture into different Periods, and leaving the curious Reader to find out the Meaning of them. THE Egyptians, who made ufe of Hieroglyphicks to fignify feveral things, expreffed a Man who confined his Knowledge and Difcoveries altogether within himself, by the Figure of a Dark-Lenthorn closed on all fides, which, tho' it was illuminated within, afforded no manner of Light or Advantage to fuch as ftood by it. For my own part, as I fhall from time to time communicate to the Publick whatever Discoveries I happen to make, I fhould much rather be compared to an ordinary Lamp, which confumes and wastes it felf for the benefit of every Paf fenger. I fhall conclude this Paper with the Story of Rificrucius's Sepulchre. I fuppofe I need not inform my Readers that this Man was the Founder of the Roficrufian Sect, and that his Difciples ftill pretend to new Difcoveries, which they are never to communicate to the reft of Mankind. A certain Perfon having occafion to dig fomewhat deep in the Ground where this Philofopher lay inter'd, met with a fmall Door having a Wall on each fide of it. His Curiofity, and the Hopes of finding fome hidden Treafure, foon prompted him to force open the Door. He was immediately furpriz'd by a fudden Blaze of Light, and discover'd a very fair Vault: At the upper end of it was a Statue of a Man in Armour fitting by a Table, and leaning leaning on his left Arm. He held a Truncheon in his right Hand, and had a Lamp burning before him. The Man had no fooner fet one Foot within the Vault, than the Statue erecting it felf from its leaning Pofture, ftood bolt upright; and upon the Fellow's advancing another Step, lifted up the Truncheon in his Right Hand. The Man ftill ventur'd a third Step, when the Statue with a furious Blow broke the Lamp into a thousand Pieces, and left his Gueft in a fudden Darkness. UPON the Report of this Adventure, the Country People foon came with Lights to the Sepulchre, and dif covered that the Statue, which was made of Brafs, was nothing more than a Piece of Clock-work; that the Floor of the Vault was all loofe, and underlaid with feveral Springs, which, upon any Man's entring, naturally produced that which had happen'd. ROSICRUCIUS, fay his Difciples, made use of this Method, to fhew the World that he had re-invented the ever-burning Lamps of the Ancients, tho' he was refoly'd no one fhould reap any Advantage from the Difcovery. N38o. Friday, May 16. Rivalem patienter habe Ovid. SIR, feen you give to others in your Papers, make me addrefs my felf to you in this abrupt Manner, and do defire your Opinion what in this Age a Woman may call a Lover. I have lately had a Gentleman that I thought made Pretenfions to me, infomuch that most of my Friends took notice of it and thought we were really married; which I did not take much Pains to undeceive them, and efpecially a young Gentlewoman of my particular Acquaintance which was then in the Country. She coming to Town, and feeing our Intimacy fo great, The fhe gave her felf the Liberty of taking me to task concerning it: I ingenuously told her we were not married, but I did not know what might be the Event. She foon got acquainted with the Gentleman, and was pleafed to take upon her to examine him about it. Now whether a new Face had made a greater Conqueft than the old, I'll leave you to judge: But I am inform'd that he ut terly deny'd all Pretenfions to Courtship, but withal profefs'd a fincere Friendship for me; but whether Marriages are propos'd by way of Friendship or not, is what I defire to know, and what I may really call a Lover. There are fo many who talk in a Language fit only for that Character, and yet guard themfelves againft fpeaking in direct Terms to the Point, that it is impoffible to diftinguish between Courtship and Converfation. I hope you will do me Juftice both upon my Lover and my Friend, if they provoke me further: In the mean time I carry it with fo equal a Behaviour, that the Nymph and the Swain too are mightily at a lofs; each believes I, who know them both well, think my felf revenged in their Love to one another, which creates an irreconcileable Jealoufy. If all comes right again, you fhall hear further from, Sir, your most obedient Servant, Mr. SPECTATOR, YOUR Mirtilla.. April 28. 1712. OUR Obfervations on Perfons that have behaved themselves irreverently at Church, I doubt not have had a good Effect on fome that have read them: But there is another Fault which has hitherto escaped your Notice, I mean of fuch Perfons as are very zealous and punctual to perform an Ejaculation that is only preparatory to the Service of the Church, and yet neg lect to join in the Service it self. There is an Instance of this in a Friend of WILL. HONEYCOME's, who fits oppofite to me: He feldom comes in till the Prayers are about half over, and when he has enter'd his Seat (inftead of joining with the Congregation) he devoutly holds his Hat before his Face for three or four Moments, then bows to all his Acquaintance, fits down, takes a Pinch of Snuff, (if it be Evening Service per •hape |