⚫ continued fast asleep, tho' the two Deities made several gentle Efforts to awaken you.

6

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AFTER a fhort Time, YOUTH (difplaying a Pair of Wings, which I had not before taken notice of) flew off. LovE ftill remained, and holding the Torch which ← he had in his Hand before your Face, you ftill appear⚫ed as beautiful as ever. The glaring of the Light in your Eyes at length awakened you; when, to my great Surprize, inftead of acknowledging the Favour of the Deity, you frowned upon him, and ftruck the Torch out of his Hand into the River. The God after having regarded you with a Look that spoke at once his Pity and Displeasure, flew away. Immediately a kind of Gloom overspread the whole Place. At the fame time I faw an hideous Spectre enter at · one End of the Valley. His Eyes were funk into his Head, his Face was pale and withered, and his Skin puckered up in Wrinkles. As he walked on the Sides of the Bank the River froze, the Flowers faded, the Trees fhed their Bloffoms, the Birds dropped from off the Boughs, and fell dead at his Feet. By these • Marks I knew him to be OLD-AGE. You were feized with the utmoft Horror and Amazement at his Approach. You endeavoured to have fled, but the • Phantom caught you in his Arms. You may easily guess at the Change you fuffered in this Embrace. For my own Part, though I am ftill too full of the dreadful Idea, I will not fhock you with a Description of it. I was fo ftartled at the Sight that my Sleep immediately left me, and I found myself awake, at leifure to confider of a Dream which feems too extraordinary to be without a Meaning. I am, Madam with the greatest Passion,

No. 302. Friday, February 15.

I

Lachrymæque decora,

Gratior & pulchro veniens in corpore virtus. Vir. Æn.5.

Read what I give for the Entertainment of this Day with a great deal of Pleasure, and publish it just as it came to my Hands. I fhall be very glad to find there are many gueffed at for Emilia.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

F this Paper has the good Fortune to be honcured with a Place in your Writings, I fhall be the more pleased, because the Character of Emilia is not an imaginary but a real one. I have induftriously obfcured the whole by the Addition of one or two Circumftances of 6 no Confequence, that the Perfon it is drawn from might still be concealed; and that theWriter of it might ⚫ not be in the least suspected, and for fome other Reafons, I chufe not to give it the Form of a Letter: But if, befides the Faults of the Compofition, there be any thing in it more proper for a Correfpondent than the SPECTATOR himself to write, I fubmit it to your better Judgment, to receive any other Model you think fit. I am, SIR,

Your very bumble Servant.

THERE is nothing which gives one fo pleafing a Profpect of human Nature, as the Contemplation of Wisdom and Beauty: The latter is the peculiar Portion of that Sex which is therefore called Fair; but the happy Concurrence of both these Excellencies in the fame Perfon, is a Character too celeftial to be frequently met with. Beauty is an over-weaning felf-fufficient thing, careless of providing itself any more fubftantial Ornaments; nay fo little does it confult its own Interefts, that it too often defeats itself by betraying that Innocence which renders it lovely I 3

and

No. 302. and defirable. As therefore Virtue makes a beautiful Woman appear more beautiful, fo Beauty makes a virtuous Woman really more virtuous. Whilft I am confidering these two Perfections gloriously united in one Perfon, I cannot help reprefenting to my Mind the Image of Emilia. WHO ever beheld the charming Emilia, without feeling in his Breaft at once the Glow of Love and the Tendernefs of virtuous Friendship? The unstudied Graces of her Behaviour, and the pleafing Accents of her Tongue, infenfibly draw you on to wish for a nearer Enjoyment of them ; but even her Smiles carry in them a filent Reproof to the Impulfes of licentious Love. Thus, tho" the Attractives of her Beauty play almoft irrefiftibly upon you and create Defire, you immediately ftand corrected not by the Severity but the Decency of her Virtue. That Sweetnefs and Good humour which is fo vifible in her Face, naturally diffufes itself into every Word and Action: A Man must be a Savage, who at the Sight of Emilia, is not more inclined to do her Good than gratifie himself. Her Person, as it is thus ftudiously embellished by Nature, thus adorned with unpremeditated Graces, is a fit Lodging for a Mind fo fair and lovely; there dwell rational Piety, modeft Hope, and chearful Refignation.

MANY of the prevailing Paffions of Mankind do undefervedly pafs under the Name of Religion; which is thus made to exprefs itself in Action, according to the Nature of the Conftitution in which it refides: So that were we to make a Judgment from Appearances, one would imagine Religion in fome is little better than Sullenness and Referve, in many Fear, in others the Defpondings of a melancholy Complexion, in others the Formality of infignificant unaffecting obfervances, in others Severity, in others oftentation. In Emilia it is a Principle founded in Reafon and enlivened with Hope; it does not break forth into irregular Fits and Sallies of Devotion, but is an uniform and confiftent Tenour of Action: It is ftrict without Severity, compaffionate without Weakness; it is the Perfection of that good Humour which proceeds from the Understanding, not the Effect of an eafy Conftitution.

By a generous Sympathy in Nature, we feel our felves difpofed to mourn when any of our Fellow-Creatures are

ed; but injured Innocence and Beauty in Distress, is

an

an Object that carries in it fomething inexpreffibly meving it foftens the most manly' Heart with the tendereft Senfations of Love and Compaffion, till at length it confeffes its Humanity, and flows out into Tears.

WERE I to relate that part of Emilia's Life which has given her an Opportunity of exerting the Heroifm of Chriftianity, it would make too fad, too tender a Story: But when I confider her alone in the midst of her Diftreffes, looking beyond this gloomy Vale of Affliction and Sorrow into the Joys of Heaven and Immortality, and when I fee her in Converfation thoughtless and eafy as if the were the most happy Creature in the World, I am tranfported with Admiration. Surely never did fuch a philofophic Soul inhabit fuch a beauteous Form! For Beauty is often made a Privilege against Thought and Reflection; it laughs at Wisdom, and will not abide the Gravity of its Inftructions.

WERE I able to reprefent Emilia's Virtues in their proper Colours and their due Proportions, Love or Flattery might perhaps be thought to have drawn the Picture larger than Life; but as this is but an imperfe&Draught of fo excellent a Character, and as I cannot, will not hope to have any Interest in her Perfon, all that I can fay of her is but impartial Praise extorted from me by the prevailing Brightness of her Virtues. So rare a Pattern of Female Excellence ought not to be concealed, but fhould be fet out to the View and Imitation of the World; for how amiable does Virtue appear thus as it were made vifible to us in so fair an example!

HONORIA's Difpofition is of a very different Turn: Her Thoughts are wholly bent upon Conqueft and arbitrary Power. That fhe has fome Wit and Beauty no Body denies, and therefore has the Efteem of all her Acquaintance as a Woman of an agreeable Perfon and Converfation; but (whatever her Husband may think of it) that is not fufficient for Honoria: She waves that litle to Refpect as a mean Acquifition, and demands Veneration in the Right of an Idol; for this Reafon her natural Defire of Life is continually checked with an inconfiftent Fear of Wrinkles and old Age.

EMILIA cannot be fuppofed ignorant of her perfonal Charms, tho' fhe feems to be fo; but he will not hold

her Happiness upon fo precarious a Tenure, whilst her. Mind is adorned with Beauties of a more exalted and lasting Nature. When in the full Bloom of Youth and Beauty we faw her furrounded with a Croud of Adorers, she took no Pleasure in Slaughter and Destruction, gave no falfe deluding Hopes which might encrease the Torments of her difappointed Lovers; but having for fome Time given to the Decency of a Virgin Coynefs, and examined the Merit of their feveral Pretenfions, fhe at length gratified her own, by refigning herself to the ardent Paffion of Bromius. Bromius was then Mafter of many good Qualities and a moderate Fortune, which was foon after unexpectedly encreased to a plentiful Eftate. This for a good while proved his Misfortune, as it furnished his unexperienced Age with the Opportunities of evil Company and a fenfual Life. He might have longer wandered in the Labyrinths of Vice and Folly, had not Emilia's prudent Conduct won him over to the Government of his Reafon. Her Ingenuity has been conftantly employed in humanizing his Paffions and refining his Pleafures. She has fhewed him by her own Example,. that Virtue is confiftent with decent Freedoms and good Humour, or rather, that it cannot fubfift without 'em.. Her good Senfe readily inftructed her, that a filent Example and an eafy unrepining Behaviour, will always be more perfuafive than the Severity of Lectures and Admonitions; and that there is fo much Pride interwoven into the Make of human Nature, that an obftinate Man muft only take the Hint from another, and then be left to advise and correct himself. Thus by an artful Train of Management and unfeen Perfuafions, having at first brought him not to diflike, and at length to be pleased with that which otherwife he would not have bore to hear of, the then knew how to prefs and secure this Advantage, by approving it as his Thought, and feconding it as his Propofal. By this Means she has gained an Interest in some of his leading Paffions, and made them. acceffary to his Reformation.

THERE is another Particular of Emilia's Conduct, which I can't forbear mentioning: To fome perhaps it may at first Sight appear but a trifling inconfiderable Circumftance; but for my Part, I think it highly worthy of

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