dier's Honour; or to come to lower Inftances, the private Men in the Horfe and Foot of an Army, the Car-men and Coach-men in the City Streets, mutually look upon each other with Ill-will, when they are in Competition for Quarters or the Way, in their refpective Motions.

IT is very well, good Captain, interrupted Sir A N DREW: You may attempt to turn the Difcourfe if you think fit; but I muft however have a Word or two with Sir ROGER, who, I fee, thinks he has paid me off, and been very fevere upon the Merchant. I fhall not, continued he, at this Time remind Sir ROGER of the great and noble Monuments of Charity and publick Spirit which have been erected by Merchants fince the Reformation, but at prefent content my felf with what he allows us, Parfimony and Frugality. If it were confiftent with the Quality of fo antient a Baronet as Sir ROGER, to keep Accompt, or meafure Things by the most infal❤ lible Way, that of Numbers, he would prefer our Parfi mony to his Hofpitality. If to drink fo many Hogfheads is to be Hofpitable, we do not contend for the Fame of that Virtue; but it would be worth while to confider, whether fo many Artificers at Work ten Days together by my Appointment, or fo many Peasants made merry on Sir ROGER'S Charge, are the Men more obliged? I believe the Families of the Artificers will thank me, more than the Houfholds of the Peasants fhall Sir ROGER. Sir ROGER gives to his Men, but I place mine above the Neceffity or Obligation of my Bounty. I am in very little Pain for the Roman Proverb upon the Carthaginian Traders; the Romans were their profeffed Enemies: I am only forry no Carthaginian Hiftories have come to our Hands; we might have been taught perhaps by them fome Proverbs against the Roman Generofity, in fighting for and beftowing other Peoples Goods. But fince Sir ROGER has taken Occafion from an old Proverb to be out of Humour with Merchants, it should be no Offence to offer one not quite fo old in their Defence. When a Man happens to break in Holland, they fay of him that be has not kept true Accounts. This Phrafe, perhaps, among us, would appear a foft or humorous way of Speaking, but with that exact Nation it bears the highest

Reproach

Reproach; for a Man to be mistaken in the Calculation of his Expence, in his Ability to anfwer future Demands, or be impertinently fanguine in putting his Credit to too great Adventure, are all Inftances of as much Infamy as with gayer Nations to be failing in Courage and common Honefty.

NUMBERS are fo much the Measure of every thing that is valuable, that it is not poffible to demonstrate the Success of any Action, or the Prudence of any Undertaking, without them. I say this in Answer to what Sir ROGER is pleafed to fay, That little that is truly noble, can be expected from one that is ever poring on his Cafh-book, or ballancing his Accompts. When I have my Returns from abroad, I can tell to a Shilling, by the Help of Numbers, the Profit or Lofs by my Adventure; but I ought alfo to be able to fhew that I had Reafon for making it, either from my own Experience or that of o ther People, or from a reafonable Prefumption that my Returns will be fufficient to answer my Expence and Hazard; and this is never to be done without the Skill of Numbers. For Inftance, if I am to trade to Turkey, I ought beforehand to know the Demand of our Manufactures there as well as of their Silks in England, and the Cuftomary Prices that are given for both in each Country. I ought to have a clear Knowledge of these Matters before-hand, that I may prefume upon fufficient Returns to answer the Charge of the Cargo I have fitted out, the Freight and Affurance out and home, the Cuftoms to the Queen, and the Interest of my own Money, and befides all thefe Expences a reasonable Profit to my felf. Now what is there of Scandal in this Skill? What has the Merchant done, that he should be fo little in the good Graces of Sir ROGER? He throws down no Man's Enclosures, and tramples upon no Man's Corn, he takes nothing from the Induftrious Labourer; he pays the poor Man for his Work, he communicates his Profit with Mankind; by the Preparation of his Cargo and the Manufacture of his Returns he furnishes Employment and Subfiftance to greater Numbers than the richest Nobleman; and even the Nobleman is obliged to him for finding out foreign Markets for the Produce of

his Estate, and for making a great Addition to his Rents; and yet 'tis certain, that none of thefe Things could be done by him without the Exercife of his Skill in Num

bers.

THIS is the Oeconomy of the Merchant; and the Conduct of the Gentleman must be the fame, unless by fcorning to be the Steward, he refolves the Steward fhall be the Gentleman. The Gentleman, no more than the Merchant, is able, without the Help of Numbers, to account for the Succefs of any Action, or the Prudence of any Adventure. If, for Inftance, the Chace is his whole Adventure, his only Returns must be the Stag's Horns in the great Hall, and the Fox's Nofe upon the Stable-Door. Without Doubt Sir RGGER knows the full Value of thefe Returns; and if before-hand he had computed the Charges of the Chace, a Gentleman of his Difcretion would certainly have hanged up all his Dogs, he would never have brought back fo many fine Horfes to the Kennel, he would never have gone fo often, like a Blaft, over Fields of Corn. If fuch too had been the Conduct of all his Ancestors, he might truly have boasted at this Day that the Antiquity of his Family had never been fullied by a Trade; a Merchant had never been permitted with his whole Eftate to purchase a Room for his Picture in the Gallery of the COVERLEY's, or to claim his Defcent from the Maid of Honour. But 'tis very happy for Sir ROGER that the Merchant paid fo dear for his Ambition. 'Tis the Misfortune of many o ther Gentlemen to turn out of the Seats of their Ancestors, to make way for fuch new Masters as have been more exact in their Accompts than themselves; and certainly he deferves the Eftate a great deal better, who has got it by his Industry, than he who has loft it by his Negligence.

Thursday,

GRIDICK BACOO

No 175. Thursday, September 20.

Proximus à tectis ignis defenditur agrè.

I

- Ov.Rem. Am.

Shall this Day entertain my Readers with two or three Letters I have received from my Correfpondents: The first discovers to me a Species of Females which have hitherto escaped my Notice, and is as follows.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Am a young Gentleman of a competent Fortune, and a fufficient Tafte of Learning, to spend five or fix Hours every Day very agreeably among my Books. That I might have nothing to divert me from my Studies, and to avoid the Noifes of Coaches and Chair-men, I have taken Lodgings in a very narrow 'Street not far from Whitehall; but it is my Misfortune to be fo pofted, that my Lodgings are directly oppofite to 'thofe of a Jezebel. You are to know, Sir, that a Jezebel (fo call'd by the Neighbourhood from dif playing her pernicious Charms at her Window) appears conftantly drefs'd at her Safh, and has a thoufand little Tricks and Fooler es to attract the Eyes of all the idle young Fellows in the Neighbourhood. I 'have feen more than fix Perfons at once from their feveral Windows obferving the Jezebel I am now complaining of. I at first looked on her my felf with the < highest Contempt, could divert my felf with her Airs ‹ for half an Hour, and afterwards take up my Plutarch with great Tranquillity of Mind; but was a little vexed to find that in less than a Month fhe had confiderably ftoln upon my Time, fo that I refolved to look at her no more. But the Jezebel, who, as I fuppofe, might think it a Diminution to her Honour, to have the Number of her Gazers leffen'd, refolved not to 6 part with me so, and began to play so many new Tricks

at

No 175. x at her Window, that it was impoffible for me to for<bear obferving her. I verily believe she put her felf to the Expence of a new Wax-Baby on purpofe to plague me; the us'd to dandle and play with this Figure as impertinently as if it had been a real Child: fometimes fhe would let fall a Glove or a Pin-Cushion in the Street, and fhut or open her Cafement three or four < times in a Minute. When I had almost wean'd myself from this, fhe came in her Shift Sleeves, and drefs'd at the Window. I had no Way left but to let down my Curtains, which I fubmitted to, though it confiderably darkned my Room, and was pleased to think that I had at last got the better of her; but was furpriz'd the next Morning to hear her talking out of the Window quite cross the Street, with another Woman that C lodges over me: I am fince informed, that fhe made her a Vifit, and got acquainted with her within three Hours after the fall of my Window Curtains.

SIR, I am plagued every Moment in the Day one way or other in my own Chambers; and the Jezebel has the Satisfaction to know, that tho' I am not looking < at her, I am lift'ning to her impertinent Dialogues that pafs over my Head. I would immediately change my Lodgings, but that I think it might look like a plain Confeffion that I am conquer'd; and befides this, I am told that most Quarters of the Town are infefted with thefe Creatures. If they are fo, I am fure 'tis fuch an < Abuse, as a Lover of Learning and Silence ought to take notice of.

I am, SIR,

Yours, &c.

I am afraid, by fome Lines in this Letter, that my young Student is touched with a Diftemper which he hardly feems to dream of, and is too far gone in it to receive Advice. However, I fhall animadvert in due time on the Abufe which he mentions, having my felf obferved a Neft of Jezebels near the Temple, who make it their Diverfion to draw up the Eyes of young Templars, that at the fame time they may fee them ftumble in an unlucky Gutter which runs under the Window.

Mr. SPEC