Saturday, October 16, 1711. ‘Alter rixatur de lana saepe caprina,Propugnat nugis armatus: scilicet, ut nonSit mihi prima fides; et vere quod placet, ut nonAcriter elatrem, pretium aetas altera sordet.Ambigitur quid enim? Castor sciat an Docilis plus,Brundusium Numici melius via ducat an Appi.’ Hor. Every Age a Man passes through, and Way of Life he engages […]

Thursday, September 20, 1711. ‘Proximus a tectis ignis defenditur aegre:’ Ov. ‘Rem. Am.’ I shall this Day entertain my Readers with two or three Letters I have received from my Correspondents: The first discovers to me a Species of Females which have hitherto escaped my Notice, and is as follows. Mr. SPECTATOR, ‘I am a […]

No. 161Tuesday, Sept. 4, 1711. . ‘Ipse dies agitat festos: Fususque per herbam,Ignis ubi in medio et Socii cratera coronant,Te libans, Lenaee, vocat: pecorisque magistrisVelocis Jaculi certamina ponit in ulmo,Corporaque agresti nudat praedura Palaestra.Hanc olim veteres vitam coluere Sabini,Hanc Remus et Frater: Sic fortis Etruria crevit,Scilicet et rerum facta est pulcherrima Roma.’ Virg. ‘G.’ 2. […]

No. 150 Wednesday, August 22, 1711. ‘Nil habet infelix paupertas durius in se, Quam quod ridiculos homines facit …’ Juv. As I was walking in my Chamber the Morning before I went last into the Country, I heard the Hawkers with great Vehemence crying about a Paper, entitled, The ninety nine Plagues of an empty […]

No. 77Tuesday, May 29, 1711. ‘Non convivere licet, nec urbe tota Quisquam est tam prope tam proculque nobis.’ Mart. My Friend WILL HONEYCOMB is one of those Sort of Men who are very often absent in Conversation, and what the French call a reveur and a distrait. A little before our Club-time last Night we […]

No. 67Thursday, May 17, 1711. Budgell [1] ‘Saltare elegantius quam necesse est probae.’ Sal. Lucian, in one of his Dialogues, introduces a Philosopher chiding his Friend for his being a Lover of Dancing, and a Frequenter of Balls. [2] The other undertakes the Defence of his Favourite Diversion, which, he says, was at first invented […]

No. 401Tuesday, June 10, 1712. Budgell. ‘In amore haec omnia insunt vitia: Injuriae,Suspiciones, Inimicitiae, Induciae,Bellum, pax rursum:’ Ter. I shall publish for the Entertainment of this Day, an odd sort of a Packet, which I have just received from one of my Female Correspondents. Mr. SPECTATOR, Since you have often confess’d that you are not […]

No. 404Friday, June 13, 1712. Budgell. [‘–Non omnia possumus omnes.’ Virg. [1]] Nature does nothing in vain: the Creator of the Universe has appointed every thing to a certain Use and Purpose, and determin’d it to a settled Course and Sphere of Action, from which, if it in the least deviates, it becomes unfit to […]

No. 395Tuesday, June 3, 1712. Budgell. ‘Quod nunc ratio est, Impetus ante fuit.’ Ovid. Beware of the Ides of March, said the Roman Augur to Julius Caesar: Beware of the Month of May, says the British Spectator to his fair Country-women. The Caution of the first was unhappily neglected, and Caesar’s Confidence cost him his […]

No. 389Tuesday, May 27, 1712. Budgell. ‘Meliora pii docuere parentes.’ Hor. Nothing has more surprized the Learned in England, than the Price which a small Book, intitled Spaccio della Bestia triom fante, [1] bore in a late Auction. This Book was sold for [thirty [2]] Pound. As it was written by one Jordanus Brunus, a […]

No. 385Thursday, May 22, 1712. Budgell. ‘Thesea pectora juncta fide.’ Ovid. I intend the Paper for this Day as a loose Essay upon Friendship, in which I shall throw my Observations together without any set Form, that I may avoid repeating what has been often said on this Subject. Friendship is a strong and habitual […]

No. 379Thursday, May 15, 1712. Budgell. ‘Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire hoc sciat alter.’ Pers. I have often wondered at that ill-natur’d Position which has been sometimes maintained in the Schools, and is comprizd in an old Latin Verse, namely, that A Man’s Knowledge is worth nothing, if he communicates what he knows […]

No. 373Thursday, May 8, 1712. Budgell. ‘[Fallit enim Vitium specie virtutis et umbra.’ Juv. [1]] Mr. Locke, in his Treatise of Human Understanding, has spent two Chapters upon the Abuse of Words. [2] The first and most palpable Abuse of Words, he says, is, when they are used without clear and distinct Ideas: The second, […]

No. 365Tuesday, April 29, 1712. Budgell. ‘Vere magis, quia vere calor redit ossibus–‘ Virg. The author of the Menagiana acquaints us, that discoursing one Day with several Ladies of Quality about the Effects of the Month of May, which infuses a kindly Warmth into the Earth, and all its Inhabitants; the Marchioness of S—-, who […]

No. 359Tuesday, April 22, 1712. Budgell. Torva leaena lupum sequitur, lupus ipse capellam;Florentem cytisum sequitur lusciva capella. Virg. As we were at the Club last Night, I observd that my Friend Sir ROGER, contrary to his usual Custom, sat very silent, and instead of minding what was said by the Company, was whistling to himself […]

No. 353Tuesday, April 15, 1712. Budgell. –In tenui labor– Virg. The Gentleman who obliges the World in general, and me in particular, with his Thoughts upon Education, has just sent me the following Letter. SIR, I take the Liberty to send you a fourth Letter upon the Education of Youth: In my last I gave […]

No. 347Tuesday, April 8, 1711. Budgell. Quis furor o Cives! quae tanta licentia ferri! Lucan. I do not question but my Country Readers have been very much surprized at the several Accounts they have met with in our publick Papers of that Species of Men among us, lately known by the Name of Mohocks. I […]

No. 341Tuesday, April 1, 1712. Budgell. [1] –Revocate animos moestumque timorem Mittite– Virg. Having, to oblige my Correspondent Physibulus, printed his Letter last Friday, in relation to the new Epilogue, he cannot take it amiss, if I now publish another, which I have just received from a Gentleman who does not agree with him in […]

No. 337Thursday, March 27, 1712. Budgell. Fingit equum tenera docilem cervice Magister, Ire viam quam monstrat eques– Hor. I have lately received a third Letter from the Gentleman, who has already given the Publick two Essays upon Education. As his Thoughts seem to be very just and new upon this Subject, I shall communicate them […]

No. 331 Thursday, March 20, 1712. Budgell. Stolidam praebet tibi vellere barbam. Pers. When I was last with my Friend Sir ROGER in Westminster-Abby, I observed that he stood longer than ordinary before the Bust of a venerable old Man. I was at a loss to guess the Reason of it, when after some time […]