N° 452.

Friday, Auguft 8.

Ift natura hominum novitatis avida.

PLIN. apud Lillium.

Human nature is fond of novelty.

THERE

HERE is no humour in my countrymen, which I am more inclined to wonder at, than their general thift after news. There are about half a dozen ingenious men, who live very plentifully upon this curiofity of their fellow fabjects. They all of them receive the fame advices from abroad, and very often in the fame words; but their way of cooking it is fo different, that there is no citizen, who has an eye to the public good that can leave the coffee-houfe with peace of mind before he has given every one of them a reading. These feveral dishes of news are fo very agreeable to the palate of my countrymen, that they are not only pleafed with them when they are ferved up hot, but when they are again fet cold before them, by thofe penetrating politicians, who oblige the public with their reflections and obfervations upon every piece of intelligence that is fent us from abroad. The text is given us by one set of writers, and the comment by another.

But notwithstanding we have the fame tale told us in fo many different papers, and if occafion requires in fo many articles of the fame paper; notwithstanding in a fcarcity of foreign pofts we hear the fame ftory repeated by different advices from Paris, Bruffels, the Hague, and from every great town in Europe; notwithstanding the multitude of annotations, explanations, reflectiors, and various readings which it paffes through, our time lies heavy on our hands until the arrival of a fresh mail: we long to receive further particulars, to hear what will be the next step, or what will be the confequences of that which has been already taken. A wefterly wind keeps the whole town in fufpenfe, and puts a top to converfation.

This general curiofity has been raifed and inflamed by our late wars, and if rightly directed might be of good ufe to a perfon who has fuch a thirft awakened in him. Why should not a man, who takes delight in reading every thing that is new, apply himself to history, travels, and other writings of the fame kind, where he will find perpetual fuel for his curiofity, and meet with much more pleasure and improvement than in these papers of the week? An honeft tradefiman who languishes a whole fummer in expectation of a battle, and perhaps. is balked at last, may here meet with half a dozen in a day. He may read the news of a whole campaign, in lefs time than he now beftows upon the products of fingle poft. Fights, conquefts, and revolutions, lie thick together. The reader's curiofity is railed and fatisfied every moment, and his paflions dilappointed or gratified, without being detained in a state of uncertainty from day to day, or lying at the mercy of fea and wind in fhort, the inind is not here kept in a perpetual gape after knowledge, nor punished with that eternal thirst, which is the portion of all our modern news-mongers and coffee-houfe politicians.

a

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All matters of fact, which a man did not know before, are news to him; and I do not fee how any haberdafher in Cheapfide is more concerned in the prefent quarrel of the cantons, than he was in that of the league. At least, I believe every one will allow me, it is of more importance to an Englishman to know the history of his ancestors, than that of his contemporaries who live upon the banks of the Danube or the Borifthenes. As for those who are of another mind, I fhall recommend to them the following letter, from a projector, who is willing to turn a penny by this remarkable curiofity of his countrymen.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

YOU must have obferved, that men who frequent coffee-houfes, and delight in news, are pleafed with every thing that is matter of fact, fo it be what they have not heard before. A victory or a defeat, are equally agreeable to them. The thutting of a cardinal's mouth pleafes them one poft, and the opening of

it another. They are glad to hear the French court is • removed to Marli, and are afterwards as inuch delighted with its return to Verfailles. They read the advertise⚫ments with the fame curiofity as the articles of public news; ard are as pleased to hear of a pye-bald horfe that is ftrayed out of a field near Ilington, as of a whole troop that have been engaged in any foreign ⚫ adventure. In short, they have a relish for every thing ⚫ that is news, let the matter of it be what it will; or, to fpeak more properly, they are men of a voracious appetite, but no taste. Now fir, fince the great fountain of news, I mean the war, is very near being dried up; and fince thefe gentlemen have contracted fuch an inextinguishable thirft after it; I have taken their cafe and my own into confideration, and have thought of a project which may turn to the advantage of us both. I have thoughts of publishing a daily paper, which shall comprehend in it all the moft remarkable occurrences in every little town, village, and hamlet, that lie within ten miles of London, or in other words, within the verge of the penny-poft. I have pitched upon this fcene of intelligence for two reafons; first, because the carriage of letters will be very cheap ; and fecondly, because I may receive them every day. By this means my readers will have their news freih • and fresh, and many worthy citizens who cannot fleep with any fatisfaction at prefent, for want of being informed how the world goes, may go to bed contentedly, it being my defign to put out my paper ⚫ every night at nine o'clock precifely. I have already eftablished correfpondents in the feveral places, and • received very good intelligence,

By my laft advices from Knigh bridge 1 hear that a horfe was clapped into the pound on the third inftant, and that he was not released when the letters came away.

We are informed from Pankridge, that a dozen weddings were lately celebrated in the mother church of that place, but are referred to their next letters for the names of the parties concerned.

Letters from Brumpton advife, that the widow Blight had received several vifits from John Mill

dew, which affords great matter of fpeculation in thofe parts.

By a fisherman which lately touched at Hammerfinith, there is advice from Putney, that a certain perfon well known in that place, is like to lofe his election for church-warden; but this being boat news, we cannot give entire credit to it.

Letters from Paddington bring little more, than that William Squeak, the fow-gelder, paffed through that place the fifth inftant.

• They 'advise from Fulham, that things remained there in the fame ftate they were. They had intelligence, just as the letters caille away, of a tub of excellent ale just fet abroach at Parfons-green; but ⚫ this wanted confirmation.

I have here, fir, given you a fpecimen of the news ⚫ with which I intend to entertain the town, and which, when drawn up regularly in the form of a newspaper, will, I doubt not, be very acceptable to many of thofe public-fpirited readers, who take more delight in acquainting themfelves with other people's bufinefs than their own. I hope a paper of this kind, which • lets us know what is done near home, may be more ⚫ufeful to us, than those which are filled with advices from Zug and Bender, and make fome amends for that dearth of intelligence, which we may justly apprehend ⚫ from times of peace. If I find that you receive this • project favourably, I will fhortly trouble you with one or two more; and in the mean time am, most worthy fir, with all due respect,

C.

• Your most obedient,

and most humble fervant.'

THERE is not a more pleafing exercise of the mind than gratitude. It is accompanied with fuch an inward fatisfaction, that the duty is fufficiently rewarded by the performance. It is not like the practice of many other virtues, difficult and painful, but attended with fo much pleasure, that were there no pofitive command which enjoined it, nor any recompence laid up for it hereafter, a generous mind would indulge in it, for the natural gratification that accompanies it.

If gratitude is due from man to man, how much more from man to his Maker? The Supreme Being does not only confer upon us thofe bounties which proceed more immediately from his hand, but even thofe benefits which are conveyed to us by others. Every bleffing we enjoy, by what means foever it may be derived upon us, is the gift of him who is the great Author of good, and Father of mercies.

If gratitude, when exerted towards one another, naturally produces a very pleafing fenfation in the mind of a grateful man: it exalts the foul into rapture, when it is employed on this great object of gratitude; on this beneficent Being who has given us every thing we already poffefs, and from whoin we expect every thing we yet hope for.

Most of the works of the pagan poets were either direct hymns to their deities, or tended indirectly to the celebration of their respective attributes and perfections. Those who are acquainted with the works of the Greek and Latin poets which are ftill extant, will upon reflection find this obfervation so true, that I shall