thofe Perfons who are capable of making fo abfurd a Choice? EVERY wife Man therefore will confider this Life only as it may conduce to the Happiness of the other, and chearfully sacrifice the Pleasures of a few Years to those of an Eternity. No. 576. Wednesday, August 4. I Nitor in adverfum ; nec me, qui cætera, vincit Ovid. Remember a young Man of very lively Parts, and of a fprightly Turn in Converfation, who had only one Fault, which was an inordinate Defire of appearing fafhionable. This ran him into many Amours, and confequently into many Diftempers. He never went to Bed till two a-Clock in the Morning, because he would not be a queer Fellow, and was every now and then knocked down by a Constable, to fignalize his Vivacity. He was initiated into half a dozen Clubs before he was One and twenty, and fo improved in them his natural Gaiety of Temper, that you might frequently trace him to his Lodgings by a Range of broken Windows, and other the like Monuments of Wit and Gallantry. To be fhort, after having fully established his Reputation of being a very agreeable Rake, he died of old Age at five and twenty. THERE is indeed nothing which betrays a Man into fo many Errors and Inconveniences, as the Defire of not appearing fingular; for which Reason it is very neceffary to form a right Idea of Singularity, that we may know when it is laudable, and when it is vicious. In the first Place, every Man of Sense will agree with me, that Singularity is laudable, when, in Contradiction to a Multitude, it adheres to the Dictates of Confcience, Morality and Honour. In thefe Cafes we ought ought to confider, that it is not Cuftom, but Duty, which is the Rule of Action; and that we should be only fo far fociable, as we are reasonable Creatures. Truth is never the less fo, for not being attended to; and it is the Nature of Actions, not the Number of Actors, by which we ought to regulate our Behaviour. Singularity in Concerns of this Kind is to be looked upon as heroick Bravery, in which a Man leaves the Species only as he foars above it. What greater Inftance can there be of a weak and pufillanimous Femper, than for a Man to pass his whole Life in Oppofition to his own Sentiments? or not to dare to be what he thinks he ought to be? SINGULARITY therefore is only vicious when it makes Men act contrary to Reafon, or when it puts them upon diftinguifhing themfeives by Trifles. As for the first of thefe, who are fingular in any Thing that is irreligious, immoral or difhonourable, I believe every one will eafily give them up. I fhall therefore speak of thofe only who are remarkable for their Singularity in Things of no Importance, as in Drefs, Behaviour, Converfation, and all the little Intercourfes of Life. In these Cafes there is a certain Deference due to Cuftom; and notwithstanding there may be a Colour of Reafon to deviate from the Multitude in fome Particulars, a Man ought to facrifice his private Inclinations and Opinions to the Practice of the Publick. It must be confeffed that good Senfe often makes a Humourift; but then it unqualifies him for being of any moment in the World, and renders him ridiculous to Perfons of a much inferior Understanding. I have heard of a Gentleman in the North of England, who was a remarkable Inftance of this foolish Singularity. He had laid it down as a Rule within himself, to act in the most indifferent Parts of Life according to the most abstracted Notions of Reafon and good Senfe, without any Regard to Fashion or Example. This Humour broke out at first in many little Öddneffes: He had never any ftated Hours for his Dinner, Supper or Sleep; because, faid he, we ought to attend the Calls of Nature, and not fet our Appetites to our Meals, but No. 576. bring our Meals to our Appetites. In his Conversation with Country Gentlemen, he would not make use of a Phrafe that was not ftrictly true: He never told any of them, that he was his humble Servant, but that he was his Well-wisher; and would rather be thought a Malecontent, than drink the King's Health when he was not a-dry. He would thruft his Head out of his Chamber Window every Morning, and after having gaped for fresh Air about half an Hour, repeat fifty Verfes as loud as he could bawl them for the Benefit of his Lungs; to which End he generally took them out of Homer; the Greek Tongue, especially in that Author, being more deep and fonorous, and more conducive to Expectoration, than any other. He had many other Particularities, for which he gave found and philofophical Reafons. As this Humour ftill grew upon him, he chofe to wear a Turban inftead of a Perriwig; concluding very justly, that a Bandage of clean Linnen about his Head was much more wholefome, as well as cleanly, than the Cawl of a Wig, which is foiled with frequent Perfpirations. He afterwards judiciously obferved, that the many Ligatures in our English Drefs muft naturally check the Circulation of the Blood; for which Reafon he made his Breeches and his Doublet of one continued Piece of Cloth, after the manner of the Huffars. In fhort, by following the pure Dictates of Reafon, he at length departed fo much from the rest of his Countrymen, and indeed from his whole Species, that his Friends would have clapped him into Bedlam, and have begged his Eftate; but the Judge being informed that he did no Harm, contented himself with iffuing out a Commiffion of Lunacy against him, and putting his Eftate into the Hands of proper Guar dians. THE Fate of this Philofopher puts me in Mind of a Remark in Monfieur Fontenelle's Dialogues of the Dead. The Ambitious and the Covetous (fays he) are Madmen to all Intents and Purposes, as much as those who are fhut up in dark Rooms; but they have the good Luck to have Numbers on their Side; whereas the Frenzy of one who is given up for a Lunatick, is a Frenzy hors d'oeuvre; that is, in other Words, fomething which is fingular in its its Kind, and does not fall in with the Madness of a Multitude. THE Subject of this Effay was occafioned by a Letter which I receiv'd not long fince, and which for want of Room at prefent, I fhall infert in my next Paper. No. 577. Friday, Auguft 6. Hoc tolerabile, fi non Et furere incipias T Juv. HE Letter mentioned in my laft Paper is as follows. SIR, COU have fo lately decry'd that Cuftom, too Y much in ufe among moft People, of making themselves the Subject of their Writings and Converfation, that I had fome Difficulty to perfuade my ⚫ felf to give you this Trouble, till I had confidered that tho' I should speak in the First Perfon, yet I could not be justly charged with Vanity, fince I fhall not add my Name; as alfo, becaufe what I fhall write will not, to to say the beft, redound to my praife; but is only defigned to remove a Prejudice conceived against me, as I hope with very little Foundation. My fhort Hiftory is this: 6 I have lived for fome Years laft paft altogether in • London, till about a Month ago an Acquaintance of mine, for whom I have done fome fmall Services in ''Town, invited me to pafs Part of the Summer with him at his House in the Country. I accepted his Invitation, and found a very hearty Welcome. My Friend, an honeft plain Man, not being qualified to pass away his Time without the Reliefs of Bufinefs, has grafted the Farmer upon the Gentleman, and brought himself to fubmit even to the fervile Parts · of of that Employment, fuch as refpecting his Plough, and the like. This neceffarily takes up fome of his Hours every Day; and as I have no Relifh for fuch Diverfions, I used at these Times to retire either to my Chamber or a fhady Walk near the House, and entertain myself with fome agreeable Author. Now, you must know, Mr. SPECTATOR, that when I read, especially if it be Poetry, it is very usual with me, when I meet with any Paffage or Expreffion which ftrikes me much, to pronounce it aloud, with that Tone of the Voice which I think agreeable to the Sentiments there expreffed; and to this I generally add fome Motion or Action of the Body. It was not long before I was observed by fome of the Family in one of thefe Heroick Fits, who thereupon received Impreffions very much to my Disadvantage. This however I did not foon difcover, nor fhould have done probably, had it not been for the following Accident. I had one Day shut myself up in my Chamber, and was very deeply engaged in the Second Book of Mil'ton's Paradife Loft. I walked to and fro with the Book ⚫ in my Hand, and, to speak the Truth, I fear I made no little Noise; when prefently coming to the follow⚫ing Lines, On a fudden open fly, With impetuous Recoil and jarring Sound, I in great Transport threw open the Door of my Chamber, and found the greateft Part of the Family ftanding on the Outfide in a very great Confternation. I was in no lefs Confufion, and begged Pardon for having disturbed them; addreffing myself particularly to comfort one of the Children, who received an unlucky Fall in this Action, whilft he was too intently furveying my Meditations through the Key-hole. To be fhort, after this Adventure I eafily • obferved that great Part of the Family, especially the Women and Children, looked upon me with • fome |