mirth, in every member of it. His table, his fire-fide, his parties of diverfion, are all of them so many standing fcenes of folly.

This is one reafon why I would the more recommend the improvements of the mind to my female readers, that a family may have a double chance for it; and if it meets with weakness in one of the heads, may have it made up in the other. It is indeed an unhappy circumfance in a family, where the wife has more knowledge than the husband; but it is better it fhould be fo than that there fhould be no knowledge in the whole houfe. It is highly expedient that at least one of the perfons who fits at the helm of affairs fhould give an example of good-fenfe to those who are under them in their little domeftic go

vernments.

If folly is of ill confequence in the head of a family, vice is much more fo, as it is of a more pernicious and of a more contagious nature. When the matter is a profligate, the rake runs through the houfe. You hear the fons talking leofely and fwearing after the father, and fee the daughters either familiarized to his difcourfe, or every moment blushing for him.

The very footman will be a fine gentleman in his mafter's way. He improves by his table-talk, and repeats in the kitchen what he learns in the parlour. Invest him with the fame title and ornaments, and you would fcarce know him from his lord. He practifes the fame oaths, the fame ribaidry, the fame way of joking.

It is therefore of very great concern to a family, that the ruler of it fhould be wife and vituous. The first of these qualifications does not indeed lie within his power; but though a man cannot abitain from being weak, he may from being vicious. It is in his power to give a good example of modesty, of temperance, of frugality, of religion, and of all other virtues, which though the greateft ornaments of human nature, may be put in practice by men of the moft ordinary capacities.

As wifdom and virtue are the proper qualifications in the mafter of a houfe, if he is not accomplished in both of them, it is much better that he fhould te deficient in the former than in the katter, fince the confequences of vice are

of an infinitely more dangerous naturé than thofe of folly.

When I read the hiftories that are left us of Pythagoras, I cannot but take notice of the extraordinary influence which that great philofopher, who was an illuftrious pattern of virtue and wifdem, had on his private family. This excellent man, after having perfected himself in the learning of his own country, travelled into all the known parts of the world, on purpose to converfe with the most learned men of every place; by which means he gleaned up all the knowledge of the age, and is fill admired by the greateft men of the prefent times, as a prodigy of fcience. His wife, Theano, wrote feveral books; and after his death taught his philofophy in his public ichool, which was frequented by numberles difciples of different countries. There are feveral excellent fayings recorded of her. I shall only mention one, becante it does honour to her virtue, as well as to her wifdom. Being asked by fome of her fex, in how long a time a woman might be allowed to pray to the gods, after having converfed with a man'If it were her husband,' fays fhe, the next day; if a stranger, never.' Pythagoras had by his wife two fons and three daughters. His two fons, Telauges and Mnefarchus, were both eminent philofophers, and were joined with their mother in the government of the Pythagorean fchool. Arignote was one of the daughters, whofe writings were extant, and very much admired, in the age of Porphyrius. Damo was another of his daughters, in whofe hands Pythagoras left his works, with a prohibition to communicate them to trangers, which the obferved to the hazard of her life; and though the was offered a great fum for them, rather chofe to live in poverty, than not obey the commands of her beloved father. Mila was the third of the daughters, whofe works and history were very famous, even in Lu. cian's time. She was fo fignally virtuous, that for her unblemished beha viour in her virginity, he was chosen to lead up the chorus of maids in a national folemnity; and for her exemplary conduct in marriage, was placed at the head of all the matrons, in the like public ceremony. The memory of this learned woman was fo precious among

her

HARITY is a virtue of the

6

fays an old writer. Gifts and alms are the expreffions, not the effence of this virtue. A man may bestow great fums on the poor and indigent without being charitable, and may be charitable when he is not able to bestow any thing. Charity is therefore a habit of goodwill, or benevolence, in the foul, which difpofes us to the love, affiftance, and relief of mankind, especially of thofe who stand in need of it. The poor man who has this excellent frame of mind, is no less entitled to the reward of this virtue than the man who founds a college. For my own part, I am charitable to an extravagance this way. I never faw an indigent perfon in my life without reaching out to him fome of this imaginary relief. I cannot but fympathize with every one I meet that is in affliction; and if my abilities were equal to my wishes, there should be neither pain nor poverty in the world.

To give my reader a right notion of myfelf in this particular, I thall prefent him with the fecret history of one of the moft remarkable parts of my life.

I was once engaged in fearch of the philofophers ftone. It is frequently obferved of men who have been bufied in this purfuit, that though they have failed in their principal defign, they have however made fuch difcoveries in their way to it, as have fufficiently recompenfed their enquiries. In the fame manner, though I cannot boaft of my fuccefs in that affair, I do not repent

ADDISON.

of my engaging in it, becaufe it pro

ercife of charity, as made it much better than perhaps it would have been, had I never been lost in so pleasing a delufion.

As I did not queftion but I fhould foon have a new Indies in my poffeffion, I was perpetually taken up in confilering how to turn it to the benefit of man. kind. In order to it, I employed a whole day in walking about this great city, to find out proper places for the erection of hofpitals. I had likewife entertained that project, which has fince fucceeded in another place, of building churches at the court-end of the town; with this only difference, that inftead of fifty, I intended to have built a hundred, and to have feen them all finifhed in lefs than one year.

I had with great pains and applica tion got together a list of all the French Proteftants; and by the best accounts I could come at, had calculated the value of all thofe eftates and effects which every one of them had left in his own, country for the fake of his religion, being fully determined to make it up to him, and return fome of them the double of what they had loft.

As I was one day in my laboratory, my operator, who was to fill my coffers for me, and used to foot it from the other end of the town every morning, complained of a fprain in his leg, that he had met with over against St. Clement's church. This to affected me, that, as a standing mark of my gratitude to him, and out of compaffion to Tt 2

the

the relt of my fellow citizens, I refolved to new pave every ftreet within the liberties, and entered a memorandum in my pocket-book accordingly. About the faine time I entertained foine thoughts of mending all the highways on this fide the Tweed, and of making all the rivers in England navigable.

But the project I had most at heart was the fettling upon every man in Great Britain three pounds a year, (in which fum may be comprifed, according to Sir William Pettit's obfervations, all the neceflities of life) leaving to them whatever elfe they could get by their own industry to lay out on fuperfluities.

I was above a week debating in any feif what I should do in the matter of impropriations; but at length came to a refolution to buy them all up, and reitore them to the church.

As I was one day walking near St. Paul's, I took fome time to furvey that ftructure; and not being entirely fatif fied with it, though I could not tell why, I had fome thoughts of pulling it down, and building it up anew at my own expence.

For my own part, as I have no pride in me, I intended to take up with a coach and fix, half a dozen footmen, and live like a private gentleman.

It happened about this time that public matters looked very gloomy, taxes came hard, the war went on heavily, people complained of the great burdens that were laid upon them: this made me refolve to fet afide one morning, to confider feriously the ttate of the nation. I was the more ready to enter on it, becaufe I was obliged, whether I would or no, to fit at home in my morninggown, having, after a moft incredible expence, pawned a new fuit of cloaths, and a full-bottomed wig, for a fum of money, which my operator affured me was the last he fhould want to bring all our matters to bear. After having confidered many projects, I at length refolved to beat the common enemy at his own weapons, and laid a fcheme

which would have blown him up in a quarter of a year, had things fucceeded to my withes. As I was in this golden dream, fomebody knocked at my door. I opened it, and found it was a meffenger that brought me a letter from the laboratory. The fellow looked so miferably poor, that I was refolved to make his fortune before he delivered his neffage: but feeing he brought a letter from my operator, I concluded I was bound to it in honour, as much as a prince is to give a reward to one that brings him the first news of a victory. I knew this was the long-expected hour of projection, and which I had waited for with great impatience, above half a year before. In fhort, I broke open my letter in a tranfport of joy, and found it as follows:

SIRS

AFTER having got out of you every thing you can conveniently ipare, I fcorn to trefpafs upon your generous nature, and therefore muft ingenuously confefs to you, that I know no more of the philofophers-ftone than you do. I fhall only tell you, for your comfort, that I could never yet bubble a blockhead out of his money. They must be men of wit and parts who are for my purpose. This made me apply myself to a perfon of your wealth and ingenuity. How I have fucceeded, you yourfelf can best tell.

Your humble fervant to command, THOMAS WHITE. I have locked up the laboratory, and laid the key under the door.

I was very much fhocked at the unworthy treatment of this man, and not a little mortified at my disappointment, though not fo much for what I myself, as what the public fuffered by it. I think, however, I ought to let the world know what I defigned for them, and hope that fuch of my readers who find they had a fhare in my good intentions, will accept of the will for the deed.

No CLXVII.