The Spectator, Volume 2.

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hem. By this unjust Measure of calculating their Happiness, they often mourn with real Affliction for imaginary Losses. When I am talking of this unhappy way of accounting for our selves, I cannot but reflect upon a particular Set of People, who, in their own Favour, resolve every thing that is possible into what is probable, and then reckon on that Probability as on what must certainly happen. Will. Honeycomb, upon my observing his looking on a Lady with some particular Attention, gave me an Account of the great Distresses which had laid waste that h

Uncle who is above 50, has ￡400 per Annum, which at the foresaid Rate, is ￡8000. There's a Widow Aunt, who has ￡10,000 at her own Disposal left by her Husband, and an old Maiden Aunt wh

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ts to ￡20000; and, allowance being given for Enlargement

d the Father's, Uncle's, and Grand-mother's Estate. This cut off ￡43,000. The Maiden Aunt married a tall Irishman, and with her went the ￡6000. The Widow died, and left but enough to pay her Debts and bury her; so that there remained for these three Girls but their own ￡

half a Life in Servitude, call himself the unhappiest of all Men, and pretend to be disappointed because a Courtier broke his Word. He that promises himself any thing but what may naturally arise from his own Property or Labour, and goes beyond the Desire of possessing above two Parts in three even of that, lays up for himself an encreasing Heap of Afflictions and Disappointments. There are but two Means in the World of gaining by other Men, and these are by being either agreeable or consid

the luxurious Man gains nothing but Uneasiness from his Enjoyments. What is the Difference in the Happiness of him who is macerated by Abstinence, and his who is surfeited with Excess? He who resigns the World, has no Temptatio

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both been very constant at our Devotions, and don't sit above three Pews off. The Church, as it is now equipt, looks more like a Green-house than a Place of Worship: The middle Isle is a very pretty shady Walk, and the Pews look like so many Arbours of each Side of it. The Pulpit itself has such Clusters of Ivy, Holly, and Rosemary about it, that a light Fellow in our Pew took occasion to say, that the Congrega

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ey should admit Riches into the number of real Goods; the Professors of the

at there are very great Advantages in the Enjoyment of a plentiful Fortune. Indeed the best and wisest of Men, tho' they may possibly despise a good Part of those things whi

owing their Favours on such as least want them. Whereas if we fairly consider their Proceedings in this Case, we shall find them founded on undoubted Reason: Since supposing both equal in thei

test to be intrusted with her highest Imployments. On the contrary, Cataline's Saying to those Men of desperate Fortunes, who applied themselves to hi

an sufficient with most of my Readers to excuse the Subject of my present Paper, which

, and I believe there are very few Persons, who, if they please to reflect on their past Lives, will not find that had they saved all those Little Sums which they have spent unnecessarily, they might a

Proxy which you

ill To-morrow which

small Matter

Business, which, as well as the two former, is al

airs in which he was engaged? reply'd, That his whole Art consisted in doing one thing at once. If, says he, I have any necessary Dispatches to make, I t

ing a regular and orderly Disposition of their Business, and that without it the greatest Par

ainly be Rich. The Reason why we sometimes see that Men of the greatest Capacities are not so, is either because they despise Wealth in Comparison of something els

t must be allowed that there is Room for Genius, as

e Years, there is certainly still remaining so large a Field for Invention, that a Man of an indifferent Head migh

ngry and ingenious Men, which demonstrate

a Taste of them: when he had by this Means got together a Quantity made up of several different Sorts, he sold it again at a lower Rate to the same Perfumer, who finding out the Trick, called it Tabac de mille fleures, or Snuff of a thousand Flowers. The Story farther

Application attained to the Art of beating the Grenadiers March on his Chin. I am credibly informed that by this means he does not only maintain h

sharp set, got together a convenient Quantity of Brick-Dust, and having disposed of it into several Papers, writ upon one Poyson for Monsieur, upon a second, Poyson for the Dauphin, and on a third

t up the Traitor to Court, and provided him at the King's Expence with proper Accommodations on the Road. As soon as he appeared he was known to be the Celebrated

oily is still fresh in every one's Memory, who raised a Fortune by finding out Materials for such Stuffs as might at once be cheap and genteel. I hav

an's Fortune, having observed, since my being a Spectator in the World, greater Estates got about Change, than at Whitehall or at St.

m low Beginnings push themselves up to the Top of States, and the most considerable Figures in Life. My Maxim of Saving is not designed for such as these, since nothing is more usua

s says, while he is full of the most magnificent Ideas, is not alw

istake themselves for uncommon Genius's, and Men above Rule, s