Hours ten, eleven, and twelve. Smoked three pipes of Virginia. Read the Supplement and Daily Courant. Things go ill in the north. Mr. Nisby's opinion thereupon. One o'clock in the afternoon. Chid Ralph for mislaying my tobacco-box. Two o'clock. Sat down to dinner. Mem. Too many plums and no suet. From three to four. Took my afternoon's nap. From four to six. S. S. E. From six to ten. ion about the peace. Walked into the fields. Wind At the club. Mr. Nisby's opin Ten o'clock. Went to bed, slept sound. Tuesday, being holiday, eight o'clock. Rose as usual. Nine o'clock. Washed hands and face, shaved, put on my double-soled shoes. Ten, eleven, twelve. Took a walk to Islington. One. Took a pot of Mother Cob's mild. Between two and three. Returned, dined on a knuckle of veal and bacon. Three. Nap as usual. From four to six Coffee-house. A dish of twist. Grand vizier strangled. Mem. Sprouts wanting. Read the news. Mr. Nisby's ac Broken sleep. From six to ten. At the club. count of the Great Turk. Ten. Dream of the grand vizier. Wednesday, eight o'clock. Tongue of my shoe buckle broke. Hands but not face. Nine. Paid off the butcher's bill. allowed for the last leg of mutton. Ten, eleven. At the coffee-house. Mem. To be More work in the north. Stranger in a black wig asked me how stocks went. From twelve to one. Walked in the fields. Wind to the south. From one to two. Smoked a pipe and a half. Two. Dined as usual. Stomach good. Three. Nap broke by the falling of a pewter dish. Mem. Cook-maid in love, and grown careless. From four to six. At the coffee-house. Advice from Smyrna that the grand vizier was first of all strangled, and afterward beheaded. Six o'clock in the evening. Was half an hour in the club before anybody else came. Mr. Nisby of opinion that the grand vizier was not strangled the sixth instant. Ten at night. Went to bed. ing until nine the next morning. Slept without wak Thursday, nine o'clock. Stayed within until two o'clock for Sir Timothy; who did not bring me my annuity according to his promise. Two in the afternoon. Sat down to dinner. of appetite. Small beer sour. Loss Beef over-corned. Three. Could not take my nap. Four and five. Gave Ralph a box on the ear. Turned off my cook-maid. Sent a messenger to Sir Timothy. Mem. I did not go to the club to-night. Went to bed at nine o'clock. Friday. Passed the morning in meditation upon Sir Timothy, who was with me a quarter before twelve. Twelve o'clock. Bought a new head to my cane, and a tongue to my buckle. Drank a glass of purl to recover appetite. Two and three. Dined and slept well. From four to six. Mr. Nisby there. Met Went to the coffee-house. Smoked several pipes. Mr. Nisby of opinion that laced coffee is bad for the head. Six o'clock. At the club as steward. Sat late. Twelve o'clock. Went to bed, dreamt that I drank small beer with the grand vizier. Saturday. Waked at eleven, walked in the fields, wind N. E. One in the afternoon. Returned home and dried myself. Two. Mr. Nisby dined with me. First course, marrow-bones; second, ox-cheek, with a bottle of Brooks and Hellier. Three. Overslept myself. Six. a gutter. Went to the club. Like to have fallen into Grand Vizier certainly dead. I question not but the reader will be surprised to find the above-mentioned journalist taking so much care of a life that was filled with such inconsiderable actions, and received so very small improvements; and yet if we look into the behavior of many whom we daily converse with, we shall find the most of their hours are taken up in those three important articles of eating, drinking, and sleeping. I do not suppose that man loses his time, who is not engaged in public affairs, or in an illustrious course of action. On the contrary, I believe our hours may very often be more profitably laid out in such transactions as make no figure in the world, than in such as are apt to draw upon them the attention of mankind. One may become wiser and better by several methods of employing one's-self in secrecy and silence, and do what is laudable without noise or ostentation. I would, however, recommend to every one of my readers, the keeping a journal of their lives for one week, and setting down punctually their whole series of employment during that space of time. This kind of selfexamination would give them a true state of themselves, and incline them to consider seriously what they are about. One day would rectify the omissions of another, and make a man weigh all those indifferent actions, which, though they are easily forgotten, must certainly be accounted for.-L. No. 337-] THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1712. Fingit equum tenera docilem cervice magister, HOR. I Ep. ii, 63. The jockey trains the young and tender horse CREECH. I HAVE lately received a third letter from the gentleman who has already given the public two essays upon education. As his thoughts seem to be very just and new upon this subject, I shall communicate them to the reader. "SIR, "If I had not been hindered by some extraordinary business, I should have sent you sooner my further thoughts upon education. You may please to remember, that in my last letter I endeavored to give the best reasons that could be urged in favor of a private or public education.* Upon the whole, it may perhaps be thought that I seemed rather inclined to the latter, though at the same time I confess that virtue, which ought to be our first principal care, was more usually acquired in the former. "I intend, therefore, in this letter, to offer at methods, by which I conceive boys might be made to improve in virtue as they advance in letters. * "I know that in most of our public schools vice is By public and private education the author means education at school, and education under a private tutor. punished and discouraged, whenever it is found out; but this is far from being sufficient, unless our youth are at the same time taught to form a right judgment of things, and to know what is properly virtue. "To this end, whenever they read the lives and actions of such men as have been famous in their generation, it should not be thought enough to make them barely understand so many Greek or Latin sentences; but they should be asked their opinion of such an action or saying, and obliged to give their reasons why they take it to be good or bad. By this means they would insensibly arrive at proper notions of courage, temperance, honor, and justice. "There must be great care taken how the example of any particular person is recommended to them in gross; instead of which they ought to be taught wherein such a man, though great in some respects, was weak and faulty in others. For want of this caution, a boy so often is dazzled with the luster of a great character, that he confounds its beauties with its blemishes, and looks even upon the faulty part of it with an eye of admiration. "I have often wondered how Alexander, who was naturally of a generous and merciful disposition, came to be guilty of so barbarous an action as that of dragging the governor of a town after his chariot. I know this is generally ascribed to his passion for Homer: but I lately met with a passage in Plutarch, which, if I am not very much mistaken, still gives us a clearer light into the motives of this action. Plutarch tells us, that Alexander in his youth had a master named Lysimachus, who, though he was a man destitute of all politeness, ingratiated himself both with Philip and his pupil, and became the second man at court, by calling the king Peleus, the prince Achilles, and himself Phoenix. It is no wonder if |