the trifling Salary paid upon fuch Account. The Price indeed which is thought a fufficient Reward, for any Advantages a Youth can receive from a Man of Learning, is an abominable Confideration, the enlarging which, would not only increase the Care of Tutors, but would be a very great Encouragement to fuch as defigned to take this Province upon them, to furnish themfelves with a more general and extenfive Knowledge. As the Cafe now ftands, thofe of the first Quality pay their Tutors but little above half fo much as they do their Footmen: What Morality, what Hiftory, what Tafte of the Modern Languages, what, laftly, that can make a Man happy, or great, may not be expected in return for fuch an immenfe Treasure! 'Tis monstrous indeed, that the Men of the best Estates and Families, are more folicitous about the Tutelage of a favourite Dog or Horfe, than of their Heirs Male. The next Evil is the Pedantical Veneration that is maintained at the University for the Greek and Latin, which puts the Youth upon fuch Exercifes as many of them are incapable of performing with any tolerable Succefs. Upon this Emergency they are fuccoured by the allow'd Wits of their respective Colleges, who are always ready to befriend them with two or three hundred Latin or Greek Words thrown together, with a very small Proportion of Sense.

BUT the moft eftablish'd Error of our University Education, is the general Neglect of all the little Qualifications and Accomplishments which make up the Character of a well-bred Man, and the general Attention to what is called deep Learning. But as there are very few bleffed with a Genius, that fhall force Success by the Strength of it felf alone, and few Occafions of Life that require the Aid of fuch Genius, the vaft Majority of the unblefs'd Souls ought to store themselves with fuch Acquifitions, in which every Man has Capacity to make a confiderable Progress, and from which every common Occafion of Life may reap great Advantage. The Perfons that may be ufeful to us in the making our Fortunes, are fuch as are already happy in their own; I may proceed to fay, that the Men of Figure and Family are more fuperficial in their Education than thofe of a less Degree

C 2

Degree, and, of Course, are ready to encourage and protect that Qualification in another which they themfelves are Mafters of. For their own Application implies the Pursuit of fomething commendable; and when they fee their own Characters propofed as imitable, they must be won by fuch an irresistible Flattery. But those of the Univerfity, who are to make their Fortunes by a ready Infinuation into the Favour of their Superiors, contemn this neceffary Foppery so far, as not to be able to fpeak Common Senfe to them, without Hefitation, Perplexity and Confufion. For want of Care in acquiring lefs Accomplishments which adorn ordinary Life, he that is fo unhappy as to be born poor, is condemned to a Method that will very probably keep him fo.

I hope all the Learned will forgive me what is faid purely for their Service, and tends to no other Injury against them, than admonishing them not to overlook fuch little Qualifications, as they every Day fee defeat their greater Excellencies in the Pursuit both of Reputation and Fortune.

pre

IF the Youth of the University were to be advanced, according to their Sufficiency in the fevere Progress of Learning; or Riches could be fecured to Men of Underfanding, and Favour to Men of Skill; then indeed all Studies were folemnly to be defied, that did not seriously purfue the main End: But fince our Merit is to be tried by the unskilful Many, we must gratify the Senfe of the injudicious Majority, fatisfying our felves that the Shame of a trivial Qualification sticks only upon him that fers it to one more Subftantial. The more Accomplish ments a Man is Master of, the better is he prepared for a more extended Acquaintance, and upon thefe Confiderations without doubt, the Author of the Italian Book called Il Cortegiano, or the Courtier, makes throwing the Bar, Vaulting the Horfe, nay even Wrestling, with feveral other as low Qualifications, neceffary for the Man whom he Figures for a perfect Courtier; for this Reason no doubt, because his End being to find Grace in the Eyes of Men of all Degrees, the Means to purfue this End, was the furnishing him with such real and seeming Excellencies as each Degree had its particular Tafte of. But those of the University, instead of employing their leifure

leifure Hours in the Pursuit of fuch Acquifitions as would fhorten their way to better Fortune, enjoy thofe Moments at certain Houses in the Town, or repair to others at very pretty distances out of it, where they drink and forget their Poverty, and remember their Mifery no more. Perfons of this Indigent Education are apt to pafs upon themselves and others for Modeft, especially in the Point of Behaviour; though 'tis eafy to prove, that this miftaken Modesty not only arifes from Ignorance, but begets the Appearance of its Oppofite, Pride. For he that is confcious of his own Infufficiency to addrefs his Superiors without appearing Ridiculous, is by that betrayed into the fame Neglect and Indifference towards them, which may bear the Conftruction of Pride. From this Habit they begin to argue against the base fubmiffive Application from Men of Letters to Men of Fortune, and be grieved when they fee, as Ben. Johnson says, The Learned Pate

Duck to the Golden Fool

though these are Points of Neceffity and Convenience, and to be efteemed Submiffions rather to the Occafion than to the Perfon. It was a fine Anfwer of Diogenes, who being asked in Mockery, why Philofophers were the Followers of rich Men, and not rich Men of Philofophers, replied, Because the one knew what they had need of, and the other did not. It certainly must be dif ficult to prove, that a Man of Bufinefs or a Profeilion ought not to be what we call a Gentleman, but yet very few of them are fo. Upon this Account they have little Conversation with those who might do them most Service, but upon fuch occafions only as Application is made to them in their particular Calling; and for any thing they can do or fay in fuch Matters have their Reward, and therefore rather receive than confer an Obligation: Whereas he that adds his being agreeable to his being ferviceable, is conftantly in a Čapacity of obliging others. The Character of a Beau is, I think, what the Men that pretend to Learning please. themselves in Ridiculing; and yet if we compare thefe, Perfons as we see them in Publick, we shall find that the Letter'd Coxcombs without Good-Breeding give. C 3

more

more juft occafion to Rallery, than the Unletter'd Coxcombs with it: As our Behaviour falls within the Judgment of more Perfons than our Converfation, and a Failure therefore more vifible. What pleafant Victories over the Loud, the Saucy, and the Illiterate, would attend the Men of Learning and Breeding, which Qualifications could we but join would beget fuch a Confidence, as arifing from good Senfe and Good-nature, would never let us opprefs others, or defert our felves. In fhort, whether a Man intends a Life of Business or Pleasure, 'tis impoffible to purfue either in an elegant manner, without the help of Good-breeding. I shall conclude with the Face at leaft of a Regular Difcourfe; and fay, If 'tis our Behaviour and Addrefs upon all common Occafions that prejudice People in our Favour or to our Difadvantage, and the more Substantial Parts, as our Learning and Induftry, can't poffibly appear but to few; it is not juftifiable to fpend fo much Time, in that which fo very few are Judges of, and utterly neglect that which falls within the Cenfure of so many.

N°

95.

Tuesday, June 30.

Aliena negotia centum.

Hor.

I Find Bufinefs increase upon me very much, as will appear by the following Letters.

SIR,

T

Oxford, June 24, 1713. HIS Day Mr. Oliver Purville, Gent. Property Man to the Theatre-Royal in the room of Mr. William Peer, Deceafed, arrived here in Widow Bartlett's Waggon. He is an humble Member of the Little Club, and a Paffionate Man, which makes him tell the Difafters which he met with on his Road hither, a little too incoherently to be rightly underflood. By what I can gather from him, that within ⚫ three Miles of this fide Wickham the Party was set

upon by Highway-men. Mr. Purville was Supercargo to the great Hamper, in which were the following Goods. The Chains of Jaffeir and Pierre, the Crowns and Scepters of the Pofterity of Banquo; the Bull, Bear and Horfe of Captain Otter; Bones, Skulls, "Pickaxes and a Bottle of Brandy, and five Muskets fourfcore Pieces of Stock-Gold, and thirty Pieces of "Tin-Silver hid in a Green Purse within a Skult. These the Robbers, by being put up fafe, fuppofed to be true, and rid off with, not forgetting to take Mr. Pur'ville's own Current Coin. They broke the Armour of Jacomo, which was cafed up in the fame Hamper, and one of them put on the faid Jacomo's Mask to efcape. They alfo did feveral Extravagancies with not other purpose but to do Mischief; they broke a Mace for the Lord-Mayor of London. They alfo deftroyed the World, the Sun and Moon, which lay loofe in the Waggon. Mrs. Bartlett is frightned out of her Wits, for Purville fays he has her Servant's Receipt for the World, and expects fhe fhall make it good. Purville is refolved to take no Lodgings in Town, but makes behind the Scenes a Bed-chamber of the Hamper: His Bed is that in which Defdemona is to die, and he ufes the Sheet (in which Mr. Johnson is tied up in a Co- . medy) for his own Bed of Nights. It is to be hoped the great ones will confider Mr. Purville's Lols. One of the Robbers has fent, by a Country Fellow, the Stock-gold, and had the Impudence to write the following Letter to Mr. Purville.

66

SIR,

IF you had been an honest Man, you would not. have put bad Money upon Men who ventured their Lives for it. But we fhall fee you when you come "back.

Philip Scourer.

THERE are many things in this Matter, which employ the ableft Men here, as whether an Action 'will lie for the World among People who make the most of Words; or whether it be advifeable to call that round Ball the World, and if we do not call it fo,

whether