feems to imagine it has a right to engross all the attention, all the regard, all the pity to itself :-if A pafia is in reality miftrefs of one half the perfections he afcribes to her, why should they not have the fame effect on others! Why fhould he not have rivals who may be as full of love and mifery as himself ! And whenever the makes choice of any one, will not all those who are rejected have an equal motive for complaint, and title to compaffion? On the whole, therefore, if in fpite of all perfuafions, he will perfift in being his own tormentor, hug his difquist, and refuse the only poffible means of relief, he has nothing in this world to accuse, but an obftinacy of nature in himself, which taking part with his ill stars, prolongs their influence, and doubles every dart of fate. It is more than poffible, that among the number of my readers, there may be fome in Amintor's condition, and partially induced, by a parity of circumftances, to think I have dealt too feverely with him, and that instead of blaming his beha-viour, I fhould have complied with his requeft, and reproached that of his mistress :---many alfo of my own fex, who pride themselves in the multiplicity of their admirers, may be fearful fome of thofe, who at prefent compofe their train, will be warned by the example of Amintor to retreat while they have the power of doing fo; and with my pen once more in the goofe's pinion it was plucked from, rather than be employed in giving any advice, which may be even fufpected as a defign to Jeffen the number of their flaves; but it would ill become the character of a SPECTATOR, and Cenfor of Errors, (though a female one) to flatter any thing that may be truly called fo; and notwithstanding all all I might have to apprehend from the despair of the one, and malice of the other, I am determined always to continue my plain dealing without refpect of perfons, which I am certain cannot fail of gaining the approbation of the justly thinking part of both fexes, and will in the end deserve the acknowledgments of those who, at prefent, may imagine they have reason to resent it. INGRATITUDE is on all hands agreed to be a vice most deteftable both to God and man, and any flagrant inftance of it draws on the guilty perfon the feverest cenfure; yet, if we examine nicely into the nature of things, we shall find it next to an impoffibility to be wholly clear from it :--- it is not only, as Dorax fays, "the growth of every "clime," but of every heart :---the most exalted virtues cannot fometimes be exercifed without a mixture of it; the strictest justice, the fofteft clemency, may betray fome tincture of it; and what seems yet a greater paradox, there may happen occafions, when to be truly grateful, one must be a little ungrateful. I REMEMBER that many years ago I found in the library of a very learned relation of mine a little book, entitled, The Hiftory of Crete, in which though there were many other curious paffages, well worthy of remark, one above all fo much hit my fancy, that ever fince it dwelt ftrongly on my mind. Beaumont and Fletcher doubtlefs thought as I did, fince it was from thence they took the hint for their excellent play, called The Laws of Candy. The story is this: ONCE upon a time (I know not in what æra) there reigned a king, who so much hated ingratitude, that he made an edict, whoever was found guilty of it should be punished with death, and that the fentence once paft by the court, there fhould be no appeal to any other power, nor remiffion but from the complainant nimfelf:-I do not find there was any trial of this nature during the life of this good king; but indeed he died in a fhort time after, and leaving his fon and fucceffor an infant, the fovereign power was, during his minority, vefted in the fenate. THE ftates of CANDY * had for a long time ben at war with the Venetians, and must have been intirely overcome by that powerful republic, had it not been for the extraordinary valour of their general. It would be too tedious to recount what is there related of this great man :---how, when oppreffed with numbers, his fingle arm redeemed the honour of the field :---how, when covered over with blood, and his whole body feemed but one great wound, he fpurned the man who offered him a litter, and grafping the neck of his horfe,. when he was no longer able to fit upright, pursued in that posture the flying foe: - how, when any advantage offered, he was the foremost to plunge into the rapid ftream,---to mount the breach, to leap the parapet:---how, neither craggy rocks, nor fenny marshes, could obstruct his paffage.--. What wonders he performed would be incredible to the present times, nor are material to my purpose; it shall fuffice to fay, he was looked upon as the guardian angel of Cardy, and so distinguished by all degrees of people, more than by his poft, or the name derived to him from his ancestors. LONG did he retain these honours unequalled and alone, till Heaven raised him a competitor in his own fon: the youth whom he had trained to battle from his moft early years, became in time * Formerly called Crete, fo to excel in it, that there was no art of war, for which his father was famed, but he knew how to practise it with a like fuccefs :---his courage was not less, and his ftrength and activity of body fuperior : --- he had highly fignalized himself in two campaigns; but in the third, when the Venetians. had affembled their whole forces, commanded by the doge's own fon in perfon, this young Candyan here established a reputation never to be erased. THE troops of Candy were divided into two armies; the one led by the old general, the other by his fon; the former of which was able only to› keep the field, while the other intirely routed those they were engaged with; then marched to the relief of their former companions, and gained fo complete a victory, as the Venetian prifoners themselves confeffed, muft intirely difappoint all hopes in the republic of making head again, at leaft for a long time, and be neceffitated to fue for peace; all the flower of their nobility being either flain or taken fo great was the flaughter, that the living were scarce fufficient in number to bury the dead.---To add to the triumph of the young general, he had the glory, after a long combat, where they fought hand to hand, to make the doge's fon his captive, and after him an old and most experienced captain, on whom the Venetians much relied, and on whofe good or bad fuccefs, that of the whole in a great meafure depended. THE joy and acclamations with which these warriors were received at their return to the capital, by the fenate as well as the populace, were conformable to the advantages they brought them; but foon this fun of triumph was overclouded by an unlo ked-for storm, which was very near overwhelming them all in ruin and destruction. THEY THEY had a law in Candy, which had fubfifted time immemorial, that whoever was generally allowed to have done moft honour to his country in the day of battle, fhould, at his return, be gratified with any demand he should think fit to make. On this arose a contest between the two generals, in which no confiderations of blood, duty, or paternal affection, could prevail on either to yield : --- the father knew, and regarded the merit of his fon, yet thought that to make a facrifice of his long-worn honours would be a recompence too great; and the fon, who on the leaft command of fo excellent a father would have readily laid down his life, could not fubmit to relinquifh his title to glory, even to the calls of duty. THEY both appeared before the fenate, and made their respective claim: --- the father pleaded his ancient services; the fon his late fuccefs, and the advantages gained by it to the nation, which was confirmed by ambaffadors that moment arriving, with orders to treat of peace, as well as by the unanimous voice of the whole army. THE matter was foon decided, and the young general was pronounced deliverer of his country, and required to name the boon he afked: on which, to atone, as he thought, for the umbrage he had given his father, he requested that a ftatue of him might be erected, and all his glorious atchievements engraved on the pedeftal. The whole affembly wrung with applaufe of his filial piety, who having it in his power to demand whatever he pleafed, defired no more than the perpetuation. of his father's honours. But a quite contrary effect had this action on the mind of him it was intended to oblige: --- the old general, peevish thro' age |