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"The monstrous Affectation of being thought artful, immediately kills all Thoughts of Humanity and Goodness, and gives Men a Sense of the soft Affections and Impulses of the Mind (which are imprinted in us for our mutual Advantage and Succour) as of meer Weaknesses and Follies."

— Steele, Sir Richard, and Joseph Addison

Author

Steele, Sir Richard, and Joseph Addison

Work Title

Tatler, No. 191

Date

From Tuesday June 27. to Thursday June 29. 1710

Metaphor

"The monstrous Affectation of being thought artful, immediately kills all Thoughts of Humanity and Goodness, and gives Men a Sense of the soft Affections and Impulses of the Mind (which are imprinted in us for our mutual Advantage and Succour) as of meer Weaknesses and Follies."

Metaphor in Context

OF all the Evils under the Sun, that of making Vice commendable is the greatest: For it seems to be the Basis of Society, that Applause and Contempt should be always given to proper Objects. But in this Age we behold Things for which we ought to have an Abhorrence, not only received without Disdain, but even valued as Motives of Emulation. This is naturally the Destruction of Simplicity of Manners, Openness of Heart, and Generosity of Temper. When one gives ones self the Liberty to range, and run over in ones Thoughts the different Genius's of Men which one meets in the World, one cannot but observe, that most of the Indirection and Artifice which is used among Men, does not proceed so much from a Degeneracy in Nature, as an Affectation of appearing Men of Consequence by such Practices. By this Means it is, that a cunning Man is so far from being ashamed of being esteemed such, that he secretly rejoices in it. It has been a Sort of Maxim, That the greatest Art is to conceal Art; but I know not how, among some People we meet with, their greatest Cunning is to appear cunning. There is Polypragmon makes it the whole Business of his Life to be thought a cunning Fellow, and thinks it a much greater Character to be terrible than agreeable. When it has once enter'd into a Man's Head to have an Ambition to be thought crafty, all other Evils are necessary Consequences. To deceive, is the immediate Endeavour of him who is proud of the Capacity of doing it. It is certain, Polypragmon does all the Ill he possibly can, but pretends to much more than he performs. He is contented in his own Thoughts, and hugs himself in his Closet, that though he is locked up there and doing nothing, the World does not know but that he is doing Mischief. To favour this Suspicion, he gives Half-Looks and Shrugs in his general Behaviour, to give you to understand that you don't know what he means. He is also wonderfully adverbial in his Expressions, and breaks off with a Perhaps and a Nod of the Head, upon Matters of the most indifferent Nature. It is a mighty Practice with Men of this Genius to avoid frequent Appearance in Publick, and to be as mysterious as possible when they do come into Company. There is nothing to be done, according to them, the common Way; and let the Matter in Hand be what it will, it must be carried with an Air of Importance, and transacted, if we may so speak, with an ostentatious Secrecy. These are your Persons of long Heads, who would fain make the World believe their Thoughts and Idea's are very much superior to their Neighbours, and do not value what these their Neighbours think of them, provided they do not reckon them Fools. These have such a Romantick Touch in Business, that they hate to perform any Thing like other Men. Were it in their Choice, they had rather bring their Purposes to bear by over-reaching the Persons they deal with, than by a plain and simple Manner. They make Difficulties for the Honour of surmounting them. Polypragmon is eternally busied after this Manner, with no other Prospect than that he is in Hopes to be thought the most cunning of all Men, and fears the Imputation of Want of Understanding much more than that of the Abuse of it. But alas! How contemptible is such an Ambition, which is the very Reverse of all that is truly laudable; and the very Contradiction to the only Means to a just Reputation, Simplicity of Manners? Cunning can in no Circumstance imaginable be a Quality worthy a Man, except in his own Defence, and meerly to conceal himself from such as are so; and in such Cases it is no longer Craft, but Wisdom. The monstrous Affectation of being thought artful, immediately kills all Thoughts of Humanity and Goodness, and gives Men a Sense of the soft Affections and Impulses of the Mind (which are imprinted in us for our mutual Advantage and Succour) as of meer Weaknesses and Follies. According to the Men of Cunning, you are to put off the Nature of a Man as fast as you can, and acquire that of a Daemon, as if it were a more eligible Character to be a powerful Enemy, than an able Friend. But it ought to be a Mortification to Men affected this Way, that there wants but little more than Instinct to be considerable in it; for when a Man has arrived at being very bad in his Inclination, he has not much more to do, but to conceal himself, and he may revenge, cheat, and deceive, without much Employment for Understanding, and go on with great Chearfulness with the high Applause of being a prodigious cunning Fellow. But indeed, when we arrive at that Pitch of false Taste, as not to think Cunning a contemptible Quality, it is, methinks, a very great Injustice that Pickpockets are had in so little Veneration, who must be admirably well turned, not only for the Theoretick, but also the Practical Behaviour of cunning Fellows. After all the Endeavour of this Family of Men, whom we call cunning, their whole Work falls to Pieces, if others will lay down all Esteem for such Artifices, and treat it as an unmanly Quality, which they forbear to practise only because they abhor it. When the Spider is ranging in the different Apartments of his Web, it is true that he only can weave so fine a Thread; but it is in the Power of the meerest Drone that has Wings to fly through and destroy it.
(IV, pp. 6-9; cf. III, pp. 32-5 in Bond ed.)