The Spectator[By Joseph Addison, Richard Steele and others] . whether it pro-ceeds from Barrennefs of Invention, Depravation ofManners, or Ignorance of Mankind, but 1 have oftenwondered that our ordinary Poets cannot frame to them-felves the Idea of a fine Man who is not a Whore-mafter,. or of a fine Woman that is not a Jilt. I have fometimes thought of compiling a Syftem ofEthics out of the Writings of thofe corrupt Poets, underthe Title of Stage Morality. But I have been divertedfrom this Thought by a Projcft which has been executedby an ingenious Gentleman of my Acquaintance. Piehas compose
The Spectator[By Joseph Addison, Richard Steele and others] . whether it pro-ceeds from Barrennefs of Invention, Depravation ofManners, or Ignorance of Mankind, but 1 have oftenwondered that our ordinary Poets cannot frame to them-felves the Idea of a fine Man who is not a Whore-mafter,. or of a fine Woman that is not a Jilt. I have fometimes thought of compiling a Syftem ofEthics out of the Writings of thofe corrupt Poets, underthe Title of Stage Morality. But I have been divertedfrom this Thought by a Projcft which has been executedby an ingenious Gentleman of my Acquaintance. Piehas composed, it feems, the Hiftory of a young Fellow, whohas taken all his Notions of the World from the Stage,and who has direfted himfelf, in every Circumftance ofhis Life and Converfation, by the Maxims and Examplesof the Fine Gentleman in Ejighjh Comedies. If I canprevail upon him to give me a Copy of this new fafhionedNovel, I will bcftow on it a Place in my Works, andqueftion not but it may have as good an Effedl upon theDrama, as Don fixate had upon Romance. C. -^ I 2 Saturday, ig6 Tie Spectator. N« 447N^ 447 Saturday, Augufi 2. Long Exerci/e, my Friend, inures the Mind;And ^hat ixe once, dijlikd, ive ?pkafingfind. TH E R E is not a Common Saying which has a bet-ter Turn of Senfe in it, than what we often hear inthe Mouths of the Vulgar, that Cuflom is a fe-cond Nature. It is indeed able to form the Man anew,and to give him Inclinations and Capacities altogetherdifferent from thofe he was born with. Dr. Plot, in hisHiftory oiStafordJhire, tells us of an Idiot that chancingto live withinthe Sound of a Clock, and always amufmgiimfelf with counting the Hour of the Day whenever theClock ftruck, the Clock being fpoiled by feme Accident,the Idiot continued to ftrike and count the Hour withoutthe help of it, in the fame manner as he had done whenit was intire. Though I dare not vouch for the Truthof this Story, it is very certain that Cullom has a Mecha-nical EfFeft upon the Body, at th
Size: 2738px × 913px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury, bookpublisherlondonprintedforjandrtonsonandsdraper
