young Snakes do into the old ones, and he defends them with his Oratory as well as he is able; for all his Confidence depends upon his Tongue more than his Brain or Head, and if that fail the others surrender inmediately; for though David says it is a two-edged Sword, a wooden Dagger is a better Weapon to fight with. His Judgment is like a nice Ballance, that will turn with the twentieth Part of a Grain, but a little uling renders it falfe, and it is not fo good for ufe as one, that will not stir without a greater Weight.

AN OPINIATER

Is his own Confident, that maintains more Opinions than he is able to fupport. They are all Bastards commonly and unlawfully begotten; but being his own, he had rather, out of natural Affection, take any Pains, or beg, than they fhould want a Subfiftence. The Eagerness and Violence he uses to defend them, argues they are weak, for if they were true, they would not need it. How falle foever they are to him, he is true toithem; and as all extraordinary Affections of Love or Friendfhip are usually upon the meanest Accounts, he is refolved never to forfake them, how ridiculous foever they render themselves and him to the World. He is a kind of a Knight-Errant, that is bound by his Order to defend the weak and diftreffed, and deliver enchanted Paradoxes, that are bewitched, and held by Magicians and Conjurers in invisible Caftles. He affects to have his Opinions as unlike other Men's as he can, no Matter whether better or worse, like those that wear

fan

No Force of

fantastic Cloaths of their own devising. Argument can prevail upon him; for, like a Madman, the Strength of two Men in their Wits is not able to hold him down. His Obftinacy grows out of his Ignorance; for Probability has fo many Ways, that whofoever understands them will not be confident of any one. He holds his Opinions as Men do their Lands, and, though his Tenure be litigious, he will spend all he has to maintain it. He does not so much as know what Opinion means, which always fuppofing UncerThe more im. tainty, is not capable of Confidence.

plicit his Obftinacy is, the more stubborn it renders him; for implicit Faith is always more pertinacious than that, which can give an Account of itfelf; and as Cowards, that are well backed, will appear boldest, he that believes as the Church believes is more violent, though he knows not what it is, than he that And as Men in can give a Reason for his Faith. the dark endeavour to tread firmer than when they are in the Light, the Darkness of his Underftanding makes him careful to ftand faft wherefoever he happens, though it be out of his Way.

A TRANSLATER

Dyes an Author, like an old stuff, into a new Colour, but can never give it the Beauty and Luftre of the firft Tincture; as Silks that are twice died, lofe their Glof

fes,

fes, and never receive a fair Colour.

He is a fmall

Factor, that imports Books of the Growth of one Language into another, but it seldom turns to Accompt; for the Commodity is perifhable, and the finer it is the worse it endures Transportation; as the most delicate of Indian Fruits are by no Art to be brought over. Nevertheless he feldom fails of his Purpose, which is to please himself, and give the World notice that he understands one Language more than it was aware of; and that done he makes a saving Return. He is a Truch Man, that interprets between learned Writers and gentle Readers, and ufes both how he pleases; for he commonly mistakes the one, and mifinforms the other. If he does not perfectly understand the full Meaning of his Author as well as he did himfelf, he is but a Copier, and therefore never comes near the Mastery of the Original; and his Labours are like Dishes of Meat twice dreft, that become infipid, and lose the pleasant Taste they had at first. He differs from an Author as a Fidler does from a Musician, that plays other Men's Compofitions, but is not able to make any of his own. All his ftudies tend to the Ruin of the Interests of Linguists; for by making those Books common, that were understood but by few in the Originał, he endeavours to make the Rabble as wife as himself without taking Pains, and prevents others from studying Languages, to understand that which they may know as well without them. The Ancients, who never writ any Thing but what they stole and borrowed from others (and who was the first Inventor nobody knows) never used this Way; but what they found for their Purposes in other Authors they disguiled, fo that it past for their own: but to take whole Books and render them, as our Translators do, they always ⚫ forbore,

forbore, out of more or less Ingenuity in a Queftion; for they fhewed more in making what they liked their own, and lefs in not acknowledging from whence they had it. And though the Romans by the Laws of War laid claim to all Things, both facred and profane, of thofe Nations whom they conquered; yet they never extended that Privilege to their Wit, but made that their own by another Title of the same kind, and overcame their Wit with Wit.

Steele.

6. B. VII, S. 264. Aus den bekannten klassischen Wos chenschriften der Engländer, dem Tatler, Guardian, Spectas tor, dem Adventurer, Rambler, Connoisseur, und der Welt, lassen sich eine Menge trefflich gezeichneter moralischer Charaktere ausheben. Steele hat vornehmlich das Verdienst, diefes so gut gewählte und so wirksame Hülfsmittel der Sittenverbefferung in Gang gebracht zu haben; und einer seiner beßten Aufsäge dieser Art ist folgendes zweite Stück des Spectator's, worin die Mits glieder des gleich im ersten Blatte befchriebenen literarischen Club's charakterisirt werden.

The firft of our fociety is a Gentleman of Worcesterfhire of ancient descent, a Baronet, his Name Sir Roger de Coverly. His great Grandfather was Inventor of that famous Countrydance, which is called after him. All who know that fhire, are very well acquainted with the starts and merits of Sir Roger. He is a Gentleman, that is very fingular in his Behaviour, but his fingularities proceed from his good Senfe, and are Contradictions to the Manners of the World, only as he thinks the World is in the Wrong. However, this Humour creates him no Enemies, for he does nothing with Sourness or Obftinacy; and his being unconfined to Modes and Forms makes him but the readier and more capable to please, and oblige all who know him. When he is in Town, he lives in Soho-Square. faid he keeps himself a Batchelor by reafon he was crossed in Love, by a perverse beautiful Widow of the next Country to him. Before this Disappointement, Sir Roger was what you call a fine Gentleman, had often supped with my Lord Rochester and Sir George Etherege, fought a Duel upon his first coming to Town, and kicked Bully Dawson in a publick Coffeehouse for calling him Youngster. But being ill used by the above men

It is