the making other men so, either by ignorance | prepared for those that love him.' The aboveor design; which lays him under the dilemma, mentioned schemes are narrow transcripts of I will not say, of being a fool or knave, but of in- our present state: but in this indefinite descripcurring the contempt or detestation of mankind. tion there is something ineffably great and noble. The mind of man must be raised to a higher pitch, not only to partake the enjoyments of the Christian paradise, but even to be able to frame any notion of them.

The other point is, that there are innumera. ble objects within the reach of a human mind, and each of these objects may be viewed in in. numerable lights and positions, and the relations arising between them are innumerable. There is therefore an infinity of things whercon to em. ploy their thoughts, if not with advantage to the world, at least with amusement to themselves, and without offence or prejudice to other people. If they proceed to exert their talent of free. thinking in this way, they may be innocently But in all these schemes there is something dull, and no one take any notice of it. But to gross and improbable, that shocks a reasonable see men without either wit or argument pretend and speculative mind. Whereas nothing can to run down divine and human laws, and treat be more rational and sublime than the Christian their fellow-subjects with contempt for profess. idea of a future state. Eye hath not seen, noring a belief of those points, on which the pre. ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart sent as well as future interest of mankind de. of man to conceive the things which God hath | pends, is not to be endured. For my own part,

I shall omit no endeavours to render their per- | see a pen that has been long employed in writ sons as despicable, and their practices as odious, in the eye of the world, as they deserve.

with

ing panegyrics upon persons of the first rank (who would be, indeed, to be pitied were they to depend upon that for their praise) to see, I the same pen at last made use of in defence of popery.

say,

I think I may now, with justice, congratu late with those whom the Examiner dislikes; since, for my own part, I should reckon it my great honour to be worthy his discsteem, and should count his censure praise. I am, sir, your

most humble servant.'

The above letter complains, with great jus tice, against this incorrigible creature; but I do not insert any thing concerning him, in hopes what I say will have any effect upon him, but to prevent the impression what he says may have upon others. I shall end this paper with whose writings are often inserted in the Guar a letter I have just now written to a gentleman dian, without deviation of one tittle from what

he sends.

*June 2.

I reflect that I have thrown away more hours
than you have lived, though you so much excel
me in every thing for which I would live. Until
I knew you, I thought it the privilege of angels
only to be very knowing and very innocent. In
the warmth of youth to be capable of such ab-
stracted and virtuous reflections (with a suitable
life) as those with which you entertain yourself,
is the utmost of human perfection and felicity.
The greatest honour I can conceive done to
another, is when an elder does reverence to a
younger, though that younger is not distin-
guished above him by fortune. Your contempt
of pleasures, riches, and honour will crown you
with them all, and I wish you them not for your
own sake, but for the reason which only would
make them eligible by yourself, the good of
others. I am, dearest youth, your friend and
admirer,
NESTOR IRONSIDE.'

SIR,-Though I am not apt to make complaints, and have never yet troubled you any, and little thought I ever should, yet seeing that in your paper of this day, you take no notice of yesterday's Examiner, as I hoped you would; my love for my religion, which is so 'SIR, I have received the favour of yours nearly concerned, would not permit me to be with the inclosed, which made up the papers of silent. The matter, sir, is this: A bishop of our the two last days. I cannot but look upon my. church (to whom the Examiner himself has no-self with great contempt and mortification, when thing to object, but his care and concern for the protestant religion, which by him, it seems, is thought a suflicient fault) has lately published a book, in which he endeavours to show the folly, ignorance, and mistake of the church of Rome in its worship of saints. From this the Examiner takes occasion to fall upon the author, with his utmost malice, and to make him the subject of his ridicule. Is it then become a crime for a protestant to speak or write in defence of his religion? Shall a papist have leave to print and publish in England what he pleases in defence of his own opinion, with the Examiner's approbation; and shall not a protestant be permitted to write an answer to it? For this, Mr. Guardian, is the present case. Last year a papist (or to please Mr. Examiner, a Roman catholic) published the life of St. Wene frede, for the use of those devout pilgrims who go in great numbers to offer up their prayers to her at her well. This gave occasion to the worthy prelate, in whose diocess that well is, to make some observations upon it; and in order to undeceive so many poor deluded people, to show how little reason, and how small authority there is, not only to believe any of the miracles attri buted to St. Wenefrede, but even to believe there ever was such a person in the world. And shall then a good man, upon such an account, be liable to be abused in so public a manner? Can any good church of England man bear to see a bishop, one whom her present majesty was pleased to make, treated in so ludicrous a way? Or should one pass by the scurrility and the immodesty that is to be found in several parts of the paper? Who can, with patience, see St. Paul and St. Wenefrede set by the Examiner upon a level, and the authority for one made by him to be equal with that for the other? Who that is a Christian can endure his insipid mirth upon so serious an occasion? I must confess it raises my indignation to the greatest height, to

No. 91.]

Thursday, June 25, 1713.

Inest sua gratia parvis.

Little things have their value.

Ir is the great rule of behaviour to follow nature. The author of the following letter is so much convinced of this truth, that he turns what would render a man of little soul exceptions, humoursome, and particular in all his actions, to a subject of raillery and mirth. He is, you must know, but half as tall as an ordinary man, but is contented to be still at his friend's elbow, and has set up a club, by which he hopes to bring those of his own size into a little reputation.

To Nestor Ironside, Esquire.

'SIR, I remember a saying of yours concerning persons in low circumstances of stature, that their littleness would hardly be taken no

tice of, if they did not manifest a consciousness | chance to the door, seeing our chins just above of it themselves in all their behaviour. Indeed, the observation that no man is ridiculous for being what he is, but only in the affectation of being something more, is equally true in regard to the mind and the body.

'I question not but it will be pleasing to you to hear that a set of us have formed a society, who are sworn to "dare to be short," and boldly bear out the dignity of littleness under the noses of those enormous engrossers of manhood, those hyperbolical monsters of the species, the tall fellows that overlook us.

The day of our institution was the tenth of December, being the shortest of the year, on which we are to hold an annual feast over a dish of shrimps.

The place we have chosen for this meeting is in the Little Piazza, not without an eye to the neighbourhood of Mr. Powel's opera, for the performers of which we have, as becomes us, a brotherly affection.

At our first resort hither an old woman brought her son to the club-room, desiring he might be educated in this school, because she saw here were finer boys than ordinary. However, this accident no way discouraged our designs. We began with sending invitations to those of a stature not exceeding five feet, to repair to our assembly; but the greater part returned excuses, or pretended they were not qualified.

One said he was indeed but five feet at present, but represented that he should soon exceed that proportion, his periwig-maker and shoemaker having lately promised him three inches more betwixt them.

Another alleged, he was so unfortunate as to have one leg shorter than the other, and whoever had determined his stature to five feet, had taken him at a disadvantage; for when he was mounted on the other leg, he was at least five feet two inches and a half.

'There were some who questioned the exact ness of our measures; and others, instead of complying, returned us informations of people yet shorter than themselves. In a word, almost every one recommended some neighbour or acquaintance, whom he was willing we should look upon to be less than he. We were not a little ashamed that those who are past the years of growth, and whose beards pronounce them men, should be guilty of as many unfair tricks in this point, as the most aspiring children when they are measured.

We therefore proceeded to fit up the clubroom, and provide conveniences for our accommodation. In the first place we caused a total removal of all the chairs, stools, and tables, which had served the gross of mankind for many years. The disadvantages we had undergone while we made use of these, were unspeakable. The president's whole body was sunk in the elbow chair: and when his arms were spread over it, he appeared (to the great lessening of his dignity) like a child in a go-cart. It was also so wide in the seat, as to give a wag occa sion of saying, that notwithstanding the presi dent sat in it, it was a sede vacante.

"The table was so high, that one who came by

the pewter dishes, took us for a circle of men
that sat ready to be shaved, and sent in half a
dozen barbers. Another time one of the club
spoke contumeliously of the president, imagin-
ing he had been absent, when he was only
eclipsed by a flask of Florence which stood on
the table in a parallel line before his face. We
therefore new-furnished the room in all respects
proportionably to us, and had the door made
lower, so as to admit no man of above five feet
high, without brushing his foretop, which who-
ever does is utterly unqualified to sit among us.
'Some of the statutes of the club are as follow:
'I. If it be proved upon any member, though
never so duly qualified, that he strives as much
as possible to get above his size, by stretching,
cocking, or the like; or that he hath stood on
tiptoe in a crowd, with design to be taken for as
tall a man as the rest; or hath privily conveyed
any large book, cricket, or other device under
him, to exalt him on his seat: every such of
fender shall be sentenced to walk in pumps for
a whole month.

II. If any member shall take advantage, from the fulness or length. of his wig, or any part of his dress, or the immoderate extent of his hat, or otherwise, to seem larger or higher than he is; it is ordered, he shall wear red heels to his shoes, and a red feather in his hat, which may apparently mark and set bounds to the extremities of his small dimension, that all people may readily find him out between his hat and his shoes.

III. If any member shall purchase a horse for his own riding above fourteen hands, and a half in height, that horse shall forthwith be sold, a Scotch galloway bought in its stead for him, and the overplus of the money shall treat the club.

IV. If any member, in direct contradiction to the fundamental laws of the society, shall wear the heels of his shoes exceeding one inch and a half, it shall be interpreted as an open renunciation of littleness, and the criminal shall instantly be expelled. Note, The form to be used in expelling a member shall be in these words, "Go from among us and be tall if you

can!"

already acquainted with the nature and design of our institution; the characters of the members, and the topics of our conversation, are what remain for the subject of, this epistle.

like a fly that the boys have run a pin through and set a walking. He once challenged a tall fellow for giving him a blow on the pate with his elbow as he passed along the street. But what he especially values himself upon is, that in all the campaigns he has made, he never once ducked at the whiz of a cannon-ball. Tim was full as large at fourteen years old as he is now. This we are tender of mentioning, your little heroes being generally choleric.

'The most eminent persons of our assembly are, a little poet, a little lover, a little politician, and a little hero. The first of these, Dick Distich by name, we have elected president, not only as he is the shortest of us all, but because he has entertained so just a sense of the stature, as to go generally in black, that he may appear These are the gentlemen that most enliven yet less. Nay, to that perfection is he arrived, our conversation. The discourse generally turns that he stoops as he walks. The figure of the upon such accidents, whether fortunate or unman is odd enough: he is a lively little crea-fortunate, as are daily occasioned by our size. ture, with long arms and legs: a spider is no ill emblem of him. He has been taken at a distance for a sinall windmill. But indeed what principally moved us in his favour was his talent in poetry, for he hath promised to undertake a long work in short verse to celebrate the heroes of our size. He has entertained so great a respect for Statius, on the score of that line,

"Major in exiguo regnabat corpore virtus." "A larger portion of heroic fire

Did his small limbs and little breast inspire" that he once designed to translate the whole Thebaid for the sake of little Tydeus.

Tom Tiptoe, a dapper black fellow, is the most gallant lover of the age. He is particularly nice in his habiliments; and to the end justice may be done him that way, constantly employs the same artist who makes attire for the neighbouring princes and ladies of quality at Mr. Powel's. The, vivacity of his temper inclines him sometimes to boast of the favours of the fair. He was the other night excusing his absence from the club upon account of an assignation with a lady, (and, as he had the vanity to tell us, a tall one too) who had consented to the full accomplishment of his desires that evening; but one of the company, who was his confidant, assured us she was a woman of humour, and made the agreement on this condition, that his toe should be tied to hers.

These we faithfully communicate, either as matter of mirth, or of consolation to each other. The president had lately an unlucky fall, being unable to keep his legs on a stormy day; whereupon he informed us, it was no new disaster, but the same a certain ancient poet had been subject to, who is recorded to have been so light, that he was obliged to poise himself against the wind with lead on one side and his own works on the other. The lover confessed the other night that he had been cured of love to a tall woman by reading over the legend of Ragotine in Scarron, with his tea, three mornings successively. Our hero rarely acquaints us with any of his unsuccessful adventures. And as for the politician, he declares himself an utter enemy to all kind of burlesque, so will never discompose the austerity of his aspect by laughing at our adventures, much less discover any of his own in this ludicrous light. Whatever he tells of any accidents that befall him, is by way of complaint, nor is he to be laughed at, but in his absence.

'We are likewise particularly careful to communicate in the club all such passages of history, or characters of illustrious personages, as any way reflect honour on little men. Tim Tuck having but just reading enough for a military man, perpetually entertains us with the same stories, of little David, that conquered the mighty Goliah, and little Luxembourg, that made Louis XIV. a grand monarque, never for'Our politician is a person of real gravity, getting little Alexander the Great. Dick Dis. and professed wisdom. Gravity in a man of tich celebrates the exceeding humanity of this size, compared with that of one of ordinary Augustus, who called Horace Lepidissimum bulk, appears like the gravity of a cat compared Homunciolum; and is wonderfully pleased with with that of a lion. This gentleman is accus- Voiture and Scarron, for having so well detomed to talk to himself, and was once overheard scribed their diminutive forms to all posterity. to compare his own person to a little cabinet, He is peremptorily of opinion, against a great wherein are locked up all the secrets of state, reader, and all his adherents, that Æsop was and refined schemes of princes. His face is not a jot properer or handsomer than he is repale and meagre, which proceeds from much presented by the common pictures. But the watching and studying for the welfare of Eu-soldier believes with the learned person aboverope, which is also thought to have stinted his growth: for he hath destroyed his own constitution with taking care of that of the nation. He is what Mons. Balzac calls "a great distiller of the maxims of Tacitus." When he speaks, it is slowly, and word by word, as one that is loth to enrich you too fast with his observations: like a limbec, that gives you, drop by drop, an extract of the simples in it.

The last I shall mention is Tim Tuck, the hero. He is particularly remarkable for the length of his sword, which intersects his person in a cross line, and makes him appear not un

mentioned; for he thinks, none but an impudent tall author could be guilty of such an unmannerly piece of satire on little warriors, as his battle of the mouse and the frog. The politician is very proud of a certain king of Egypt, called Bocchor, who, as Diodorus assures us, was a person of very low stature, but far exceeded all that went before him in discretion and politics.

'As I am secretary to the club, it is my bu siness whenever we meet to take minutes of the transactions. This has enabled me to send you the foregoing particulars, as I may hereafter other memoirs. We have spies appointed in

every quarter of the town, to give us informations of the misbehaviour of such refractory persons as refuse to be subject to our statutes. Whatsoever aspiring practices any of these our people shall be guilty of in their amours, single combats, or any indirect means to manhood, we shall certainly be acquainted with, and publish to the world for their punishment and reformation. For the president has granted me the sole property of exposing and showing to the town all such intractable dwarfs, whose circumstances exempt them from being carried about in boxes; reserving only to himself, as the right of a poet, those smart characters that will shine in epigrams. Venerable Nestor, I salute you in the name of the club.

-Est animus lucis contemptor. Virg. Æn. ix. 205. The thing call'd life with ease I can disclaim. Dryden.

THE following letters are curious and instructive, and shall make up the business of the day. 'To the Author of the Guardian.

'June 25, 1713. 'SIR, The inclosed is a faithful translation from an old author, which, if it deserves your notice, let the readers guess whether he was a heathen or a christian. I am, your most humble servant.'

"By no means think, therefore, my dear friends, when I shall have quitted you, that I cease to be, or shall subsist no where. Remember that while we live together, you do not see my mind, and yet are sure that I have one actuating and moving my body; doubt not then but that this same mind will have a being when it is separated, though you cannot then perceive its actions. What nonsense would it be to pay those honours to great men after their deaths, which we constantly do, if their souls did not then subsist? For my own part, I could never imagine that our minds live only when united to bodies, and die when they leave them; or that they shall cease to think and understand when disengaged from bodies, which, without them, have neither sense nor reason: on the contrary, I believe the soul when separated from matter, to enjoy the greatest purity and simplicity of its nature, and to have much more wisdom and light than while it was united. We see when the body dies what becomes of all the parts which composed it; but we do not see the mind, either in the body, or when it leaves it. Nothing more resembles death than sleep, and it is in that state that the soul chiefly shows it has something divine in its nature. How much more then must it show it when entirely disengaged?"

To the Author of the Guardian. 'SIR,-Since you have not refused to insert matters of a theological nature in those excellent papers with which you daily both instruct and divert us, I earnestly desire you to print the following paper. The notions therein advanced are, for aught I know, new to the English reader, and if they are true, will afford room for many useful inferences.

'No man that reads the evangelists, but must observe that our blessed Saviour does upon every occasion bend all his force and zeal to rebuke and correct the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Upon that subject he shows a warmth which one meets with in no other part of his sermons. They were so enraged at this public detection of their secret villanies, by one who saw through all their disguises, that they joined in the prosecution of him, which was so vigorous, that Pilate at last consented to his death. The frequency and vehemence of these representations of our Lord, have made the word Pharisee to bo looked upon as odious among Christians, and to mean only one who lays the utmost stress upon the outward, ceremonial, and ritual part of his religion, without having such an inward sense of it, as would lead him to a general and sincere observance of those duties which can only arise from the heart, and which cannot be supposed to spring from a desire of applause or profit.

"I cannot, my friends, forbear letting you know what I think of death; for methinks I view and understand it much better, the nearer I approach to it. I am convinced that your fathers, those illustrious persons whom I so much loved and honoured, do not cease to live, though they have passed through what we call death; they are undoubtedly still living, but it is that sort of life which alone deserves truly to be called life. In effect, while we are confined to bodies, we ought to esteem ourselves no other than a sort of galley-slaves at the chain, since the soul, which is somewhat divine, and descends from heaven as the place of its original, seems debased and dishonoured by the mixture with flesh and blood, and to be in a state of banishment from its celestial country. I cannot help thinking too, that one main reason of uniting souls to bodies was, that the great work of the universe might have spectators to admire the beautiful order of nature, the regular motion of heavenly bodies, who should strive to express that regularity in the uniformity of their lives. When I consider the boundless activity of our minds, the remembrance we have of things past, our foresight of what is to come; when I reflect on the noble discoveries and vast im- This is plain from the history of the life and provements, by which these minds have ad-actions of our Lord in the four evangelists. One vanced arts and sciences; I am entirely per- of them, St. Luke, continued his history down suaded, and out of all doubt that a nature which in a second part, which we commonly call The has in itself a fund of so many excellent things Acts of the Apostles. Now it is observable, cannot possibly be mortal. I observe further, that in this second part, in which he gives a that my mind is altogether simple, without the particular account of what the apostles did and mixture of any substance or nature different suffered at Jerusalem upon their first entering from its own; I conclude from thence that it upon their commission, and also of what St. Paul is indivisible, and consequently cannot perish. I did after he was consecrated to the apostleship