grammars of Latin and Greek would be gradual and eafy; but our precipitate way of hurrying them over fuch a gulph, before we have built them a bridge to it, is a fhock to their weak understandings, of which they feldom, or very late, recover. In the mean time, we wrong nature, and flender infants, who want neither capacity nor will to learn, till we put them upon fervice beyond their ftrength, and then indeed we baulk

them.

"The liberal arts and sciences are all beautiful as the graces; nor has grammar (the fevere mother of all) fo frightful a face of her own; it is the vizard put upon it that feares children. She is made to speak hard words, that to them found like conjuring. her talk intelligibly, and they will liften to her.

Let

"In this, I think, as on other accounts, we fhew ourfelves true Britons, always overlooking our natural advantages. It has been the practice of the wifeft nations to learn their own language by ftated rules, to avoid the confufion that would follow from leaving it to vulgar ufe. Our English tongue (fays a learned man) is the moft determinate in its conftruction, and reducible to the feweft rules; whatever language has lefs grammar in it, is not intelligible; and whatever has more, all that it has more is fuperfluous; for which reasons he would have it made the foundation of learning Latin, and all other languages.

"To fpeak and write without abfurdity the language of one's country, is commendable in perfons of all ftations, and to fome indifpenfably neceffary; and to this purpose I would recommend above all things the having a grammar of our mother tongue first taught in our fchools, which would facilitate our youths in learning their Latin and Greek grammar, with ipare time for arithmetic, aftronomy, cofmography, history, &c. that would make them pafs the fpring of their life with profit and pleasure, that is now miferably spent in grammatical perplexities.

"But here, methinks, I fee the reader fmile, and ready to afk me (as the lawyer did fexton Diego on his bequeathing rich legacies to the poor of the parish)

where are thefe mighty fums to be raised? Where is there fuch a grammar to be had? I will not answer as he did, Even where your worship pleases. No, it is our good fortune to have fuch a grammar with notes now in the prefs, and to be publifhed next term.

"I hear it is a chargeable work, and wifh the publifher to have customers of all that have need of such a book; yet fancy that he cannot be fuch a sufferer, if it is only bought by all that have more need of it than they think they have.

"A certain author brought a poem to Mr. Cowley, for his perufal and judgment of the performance, which he demanded at the next vifit with a poetafter's affurance; and Mr. Cowley, with his ufual modefty, defired that he would be pleafed to look a little to the grammar of it. To the grammar of it! what do you mean, Sir, would you fend me to school again? Why Mr. would it do you any harm?

"This put me on confidering how this voyage of literature may be made with more fafety and profit, expedition and delight; and at laft, for completing fo good a fervice, to request your directions in fo deplorable a cafe; hoping that, as you have had compaffion on our over-grown coxcombs in concerns of lefs confequence, you will exert your charity towards innocents, and vouch-fafe to be guardian to the children and youth of Great Britain in this important affair of Education, wherein mistakes and wrong measures have fo often occafioned their averfion to books, that had otherwife proved the chief ornament and pleasure of their life. I am with fincereft respect, Sir,

Yours, &c.

OBSERVING

ENVY.

BSERVING one perfon behold another, who was an utter ftranger to him, with a caft of his eye, which, methought expreffed an emotion of heart very different from what could be raised by an object fo agreeable as the gentleman he looked at, I began to VOL. II. C

confider, not without fome fecret forrow, the condition of an envious man. Some have fancied that envy has a certain magical force in it, and that the eyes of the envious have by their fascination blasted the enjoyments of the happy. Sir Francis Bacon fays, fome have been fo curious as to remark the times and feafons when the stroke of an envious eye is most effectually pernicious, and have obferved that it has been when the perfon envied has been in any circumstance of glory and triumph. At fuch a time the mind of the profperous man goes, as it were, abroad, among things without him, and is more expofed to the malignity. But I fhall not dwell upon fpeculatious fo abftracted as thefe, or repeat the many excellent things which one might collect out of authors upon this miferable affection; but keeping in the road of common life, confider the envious man with relation to thefe three heads, his pains, his reliefs, and his happiness.

The envious man is in pain upon all occafions which ought to give him pleafure. The relifh of his life is inverted; and the objects which adminifter the highest fatisfaction to thofe who are exempt from this paffion, give the quickest pangs to perfons who are fubject to it. All the perfections of their fellow creatures are odious: Youth, beauty, valour, and wisdom, are provocations of their difpleasure. What a wretched and apoftate ftate is this! To be offended with excellence, and to hate a man because we approve him! The condition of the envious man is the most emphatically miferable; he is not only incapable of rejoicing in another's merit or fuccefs, but lives in a world wherein all mankind are in a plot against his quiet, by studying their own happiness and advantage. Will Profper is an honeft tale-bearer, he makes it his bufinefs to join in converfation with envious men. points to fuch an handsome young fellow, and whifpers that he is fecretly married to a great fortune : When they doubt, he adds circumftances to prove it; and never fails to aggravate their distress, by affuring them that, to his knowledge, he has an uncle who will leave him fome thoufands. Will has many arts of

He

this kind to torture this fort of temper, and delights in it. When he finds them change colour, and fay faintly they with fuch a piece of news is true, he has the malice to fpeak fome good or other of every man of their acquaintance.

The reliefs of the envious man are thofe little blemishes and imperfections that discover themselves in an illuftrious character. It is matter of great confolation to an envious perfon, when a man of known honour does a thing unworthy of himfelf: Or when any action which was well executed, upon better information appears fo altered in its circumftances, that the fame of it is divided among many, inftead of being attributed to one. This is a fecret fatisfaction to thefe malignants; for the perfon whom they before could not but admire, they fancy is nearer their own condition as foon as his merit is fhared among others. I remember fome years ago there came out an excellent poem without the name of the author. The little wits, who were incapable of writing it, began to pull in pieces the fuppofed writer. When that would not do, they took great pains to fupprefs the opinion that it was, his. That again failed. The next refuge was to fay it was overlooked by one man, and many pages wholly written by another. An honeft fellow, who fat among a cluster of them in debate on this fubject, cried out, Gentlemen, if you are fure none of you yourselves had a hand in it, you are but where you were, whoever writ

it.

But the moft ufual fuccour to the envious, in cafes of nameless merit in this kind, is to keep the property, if poffible, unfixed, and by that means to hinder the reputation of it from falling upon any par ticular perfon. You fee an envious man clear up his countenance, if in the relation of any man's great happiness in one point, you mention his uneafinefs in another. When he hears fuch a one is very rich, he turns pale, but recovers when you add that he has many children. In a word, the only fure way to an envious man's favour is not to deferve it.

But if we confider the envious man in delight, it is like reading the feat of a giant in romance; the mag

nificence of his houfe confifts in the many limbs of men whom he has flain. If any who promifed themfelves fuccefs in any uncommon undertaking mifcarry in the attempt, or he who aimed at what would have been useful and laudable meets with contempt and derifion, the envious man, under the colour of hating vain-glory, can fmile with an inward wantonnefs of heart at the ill effect it may have upon an honest ambition for the future.

SPECTATOR, Vol. I. No. 19.

It is the bufinefs of reafon and philofophy to fo oth and allay the paffions of the mind, or turn them to a vigorous profecution of what is dictated by the understanding. In order to this good end, I would keep a watchful eye upon the growing inclinations of youth, and be peculiarly careful to prevent their indulging themselves in fuch fentiments as may embitter their more advanced age. I have now under cure a young gentleman, who lately communicated to me, that he was of all men living the moft miferably envious. I defired the circumftances of his diftemper; upon which with a figh that would have moved the most inhuman breaft, Mr. Bickerstaff, faid he, I am nephew to a gentleman of a very great eftate, to whose favour I have a coufin that has equal pretenfions with myfelf. This kinfman of mine is a young man of the highest merit imaginable, and has a mind fo tender and fo generous, that I can obferve he returns my envy with pity. He makes me, upon all occafions, the moft obliging condefcenfions: And I cannot but take notice of the concern he is in to fee my life blafted with this racking paflion, though it is againft himfelf. In the prefence of my uncle, when I am in the room, he never speaks fo weil as he is capable of, but always lowers his talents and accomplishments out of regard to me. What I beg of you, dear Sir, is to inftruct me how to love him as I know he does me: And I beseech you, if poffible, to fet my heart right, that it may no longer be tormented where it should be pleased, or hate a man whom I cannot but approve,