should deservedly draw
upon me the Censure of my Readers; or were I conscious of any thing in
my Writings that is not innocent at least, or that the greatest part of
them were not sincerely designed to discountenance Vice and Ignorance,
and support the Interest of true Wisdom and Virtue, I should be more
severe upon my self than the Publick is disposed to be. In the mean
while I desire my Reader to consider every particular Paper or Discourse
as a distinct Tract by itself, and independent of every thing that goes
before or after it.

I shall end this Paper with the following Letter, which was really sent
me, as some others have been which I have published, and for which I
must own my self indebted to their respective Writers.

SIR,

I was this Morning in a Company of your Well-wishers, when we read
over, with great Satisfaction, _Tully's_ Observations on Action
adapted to the _British_ Theatre: Though, by the way, we were very
sorry to find that you have disposed of another Member of your Club.
Poor Sir _Roger_ is dead, and the worthy Clergyman dying. Captain
_Sentry_ has taken Possession of a fair Estate; _Will. Honeycomb_ has
married a Farmer's Daughter; and the _Templar_ withdraws himself into
the Business of his own Profession. What will all this end in? We are
afraid it portends no Good to the Publick. Unless you very speedily
fix a Day for the Election of new Members, we are under Apprehensions
of losing the _British Spectator_. I hear of a Party of Ladies who
intend to address you on this Subject, and question not, if you do not
give us the Slip very suddenly, that you will receive Addresses from
all Parts of the Kingdom to continue so useful a Work. Pray deliver us
out of this Perplexity, and among the Multitude of your Readers you
will particularly oblige

_Your most Sincere Friend and Servant,_

Philo-Spec.

O.

* * * * *

No. 543. Saturday, November 22, 1712. Addison.

'--Facies non omnibus una
Nec diversa tamen--'

Ov.

Those who were skillful in Anatomy among the Ancients, concluded from
the outward and inward Make of an Human Body, that it was the Work of a
Being transcendently Wise and Powerful. As the World grew more
enlightened in this Art, their Discoveries gave them fresh Opportunities
of admiring the Conduct of Providence in the Formation of an Human Body.
_Galen_