them praise Oreftes, ftruck in with them, and told them, that he thought his Friend Pylades was a very fenfible Man; as they were afterwards applauding Pyrrhus, Sir ROGER put in a fecond time; And let me tell you, fays he, though he fpeaks but little, I like the old Fellow in Whiskers as well as any of them. Captain S ENTRY feeing two or three Waggs who fat near us, lean with an attentive Ear towards Sir ROGER, and fearing left they fhould fmoke the Knight, pluck'd him by the Elbow, and whifper'd fomething in his Ear, that lafted till the Opening of the fifth Act. The Knight was wonderfully attentive to the Account which Oreftes gives of Pyrrhus his Death, and at the Conclufion of it, told me it was such a bloody Piece of Work, that he was glad it was not done upon the Stage. Seeing afterwards Oreftes in his raving Fit, he grew more than ordinary ferious, and took occafion to moralize (in his way) upon an Evil Confcience, adding,. that Orefles, in his Madness, looked as if he faw fomething. AS we were the firft that came into the Houfe, fo we were the laft that went out of it; being refolved to have a clear Paffage for our old Friend, whom we did not care to venture among the juftling of the Crowd. Sir R OG E R. went out fully fatisfied with his Entertainment, and we guarded him to his Lodgings in the fame manner that we brought him to the Play-houfe; being highly pleafed, for my own part, not only with the Performance of the excellent Piece which had been prefented, but with the Satiffaction which it had given to the good old Man. L Wednesday, N 336. Wednesday, March 26. Clament periiffe pudorem Cuniti penè patres, ea cum reprehendere coner, Vel quia ail rectum, nifi quod placuit fibi, ducunt; Mr. SPECTATOR, S you are the daily Endeavourer to promote Learn Aing and good Senfe, I think myfelf obliged to fuggeft to your Confideration whatever may promote or prejudice them. There is an Evil which has prevailed from Generation to Generation, which grey Hairs and tyrannical Cuftom continue to fupport; I hope your Spectatorial Authority will give a feasonable Check to the Spread of the Infection; I mean old Mens overbearing the strongeft Senfe of their Juniors by the mere Force of Seniority; fo that for a young Man in the Bloom of Life and Vigour of Age to give a reasonable • Contradiction to his Elders, is esteemed an unpardonable Infolence, and regarded as a reverfing the Decrees of Nature. I am a young Man, I confefs, yet I honour the grey Head as much as any one; however, when in Company with old Men, I hear them fpeak obfcurely, or reafon prepofterously (into which Abfurdities, Prejudice, Pride, or Intereft, will fometimes throw the wifeft) I count it no Crime to rectifie their Reafonings, "unless Confcience muft truckle to Ceremony, and Truth fall a Sacrifice to Complaifance. The ftrongeft Arguments are enervated, and the brightest Evidence difappears, before thofe tremendous Reasonings and dazling Discoveries of venerable old Age: You are young giddy-headed Fellows, you have not yet had Experience of the World. Thus we young Folks find our Ambition cramp'd, and our Lazinefs indulged, fince, while young, We we have little room to display our felves; and, when old, the Weakness of Nature mult pafs for Strength of Senfe, and we hope that hoary Heads will raife us above the At⚫tacks of Contradiction. Now, Sir, as you would enliven our Activity in the purfuit of Learning, take our Cafe into Confideration; and, with a Glofs on brave Elihu's Sentiments, affert the Rights of Youth, and prevent the pernicious Incroachments of Age. The generous Reafonings of that gallant Youth would adorn your Paper; and I beg you wld infert them, not doubting but that they will give good Entertainment to the molt intelli" gent of your Readers. ' So thefe three Men ceafed to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own Eyes. Then was kindled the Wrath of Elihu the Son of Barachel the Buzite, of the Kindred of Ram: Against Job was his Wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three Friends was his Wrath kindled, because they had found no Anfwer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he. When Elihu faw there was no Anfwer in the Mouth of these three Men, then his Wrath . was kindled. And Elihu the Son of Barachel the Buzite anfwered and faid, I am young, and ye are very old, wherefore I was afraid, and durft not fhew you mine Opinion. I faid, Days fhould speak, and Multitude of Years fhould teach Wisdom. But there is a Spirit in Man; and the Inspiration of the Almighty giveth them Understanding. Great Men are not always wife: Neither do the Aged understand Judgment. Therefore I faid, hearken to me, I alfo will fhew mine Opinion. Behold, I waited for your Words; I gave ear to your Reafons, whilft you fearched out what to fay. Yea, I attended unto you: And behold there was none of you that convinced Job, or that anfwered his Words; left ye fhould fay, we have found out Wifdom: God thrufteth him down, not Man. Now he hath not directed his Words against me: Neither will I anfwer him with your Speeches. They were amazed, they answered no more: They left off Speaking. When I had waited (for they spake not, but ftood fill and anfwered no more) I faid, I will answer alfa alfo my Part, I also will fhew mine Opinion. For I am full of Matter, the Spirit within me conftraineth me. Behold, my Belly is as Wine which hath no vent, it is ready to burst like new Bottles. I will speak that I may be refreshed: I will open my Lips, and answer. Let me not, I pray you, accept any Man's Perfon, neither let me give flattering Titles unto Man. For I know not to give flattering Titles; in fo doing my Maker would foon take me away. Mr. SPECTATOR, I Have formerly read with great Satisfaction your Papers about Idols, and the Behaviour of Gentlemen in thofe Coffee-houfes where Women officiate, and impatiently waited to fee y you take India and China Shops into Confideration: But fince you have pafs'd us over in filence, either that you have not as yet thought us worth your Notice, or that the Grievances we lie under have efcaped your difcerning Eye, I muft make my Complaints to you, and am encouraged to do it becaufe you feem a little at leifure at this prefent Writing. 1 am, dear Sir, one of the top China-Women about Town; and though I fay it, keep as good Things, and receive as fine Company as any o' this End of 'the Town, let the other be who fhe will: In fhort, I am in a fair Way to be eafy, were it not for a Club of Female Rakes, who under pretence of taking their innocent Rambles, forfooth, and diverting the Spleen, feldom fail to plague me twice or thrice a-day to cheapen Tea, or buy a Skreen; What else should they mean? as they often repeat it. Thefe Rakes are your idle Ladies of Fashion, who having nothing to do, employ themselves in tumbling over my Ware. One of thefe No-Cuftomers (for by the way they feldom or never buy any thing) calls for a Set of Tea-Difhes, another for a Bafon, a third for my best Green-Tea, and even to the Punch-Bowl, there's fcarce a piece in my Shop but must be difplaced, and the whole agreeable Architecture difordered; fo that I can compare 'em to nothing but to the Night-Goblins that take a Pleasure to over-turn the Difpofition of Plates and Difhes in the Kitchens of your housewifely Maids. Well, after all this • Racket Racket and Clutfer, this is too dear, that is their Averfion; another thing is charming, but not wanted: The Ladies are cured of the Spleen, but I am not a Shilling the better for it: Lord! what fignifies one poor Pot of Tea, confidering the Trouble they put me to? Vapours, Mr. SPECTATOR, are terrible Things; for though I am not poffefs'd by them my felf, I fuffer more from "'em than if I were. Now I must beg you to admonish all fuch Day-Goblins to make fewer Vifits, or to be lefs troublesome when they come to one's Shop; and to convince 'em, that we honeft Shopkeepers have fomething better to do, than to cure Folks of the Vapours gratis. A young Son of mine, a School-Boy, is my Secretary, fo I hope you'll make Allowances. I am, S I R, Your conftant Reader, March the 22d.. T and very humble Servant, Rebecca the Distress'd N° 337. Thursday, March 27. I Fingit equum tenerâ docilem cervice Magifter, Hor. Have lately received a third Letter from the Gentle man, who has already given the Publick two Effays upon Education. As his Thoughts feem to be very just and new upon this Subject, I fhall communicate them to the Reader. SIR, I IF I had not been hindred by fome extraordinary Bu finefs, I fhould have fent you fooner my further Thoughts upon Education. You may pleafe to remember, that in my laft Letter I endeavoured to give the beft Reasons that could be urged in favour of a private or publick Education. Upon the whole it may perhaps be thought that I feemed rather enclin'd to the latter, |