6 drawn a-cross the Room, to feparate the upper School ⚫ from the lower. A Youth happened, by fomeMifchance, to tear the above-mentioned Curtain. The Severity of the Master was too well known for the Criminal to expect any Pardon for fuch a Fault; fo that the Boy,who was of a meek Temper, was terrified to Death at the Thoughts of his Appearance, when his Friend, who fat next to him, bad him be of good Cheer, for that he ⚫ would take the Fault on himself. He kept his Word accordingly. As foon as they were grown up to be Men the Civil War broke out, in which our two Friends took the oppofe Sides, one of them followed the Parliament, the other the Royal Party. 6 6 As their Tempers were different, the Youth, who had torn the Curtain, endeavoured to raise himself on the Civil Lift; and the other, who had born the Blame ⚫ of it, on the Military: The first fucceeded fo well, that he was in a fhort Time made a Judge under the Pro'tector. The other was engaged in the unhappy Enterprize of Penruddock and Groves in the Weft. I fuppofe, Sir, I need not acquaint you with the Event of that Undertaking. Every one knows that the Royal Party was routed, and all the Heads of them, among whom ' was the Curtain Champion, imprifoned at Exeter. It happened to be his Friend's Lot at that Time to go the • Western Circuit: The Trial of the Rebels, as they ⚫ were then called, was very fhort, and nothing now re'mained but to pafs Sentence on them; when the Judge hearing the Name of his old Friend, and cbferving. his Face more attentively, which he had not feen for many Years, afked him, if he was not farmerly a Weftminster Scholar; by the Anfwer, he was foon convinced that it was his former generous Friend; and, without faying any thing more at that Time, made the best of his Way to London, where employing all his Power and Interest with the Protector, he faved his Friend from the Fate of his unhappy Affociates. THE Gentleman, whofe Life was thus preferv'd by the Gratitude of his School-Fellow, was afterwards the Father of a Son, whom he lived to fee promoted in the Church, and who still deservedly fills one of the B higheft Stations in it. Χ Friday, 2 * * * * * * * * * * No. 314. Friday, February 29. Tandem define Matrem Mr. SPECTATOR, I Hor. Od. 23: Feb. 7. 1711-12, Am a young Man about eighteen Years of Age, and have been in Love with a young Woman of the fame Age about this half Year. I go to fee her "fix Days in the Week, but never could have the Happinefs of being with her alone. If any of her Friends are at home, the will fee me in their Company; but if they be not in the Way, fhe flies to her Chamber. I can discover no Signs of her Averfion; but either a Fear of falling into the Toils of Matrimony, or a childifh Timidity, deprives us of an Interview apart, and drives us upon the Difficulty of languishing out our: Lives in fruitless Expectation. Now, Mr. SPECTATOR, if you think us ripe for Oeconomy, perfuade the dear Creature, that to pine away into Barrenness: ⚫ and Deformity under a Mother's Shade, is not fo honou. ible, nor does fhe appear fo amiable, as she would in full Bloom. [There is a great deal left out before he concludes.] Mr. SPECTATOR, Your humble Servant, F this Gentleman be really no more than Eighteen, I' ing Infant I have yet met with. He does not, I fear, yet underftand, that all he thinks of is another Woman; therefore, till he has given a further Account of himfelf, the young Lady is hereby directed to keep close to her Mother. The SPECTATOR. I cannot comply with the Requeft in Mr. Trott's Letter; but let it go juft as it came to my Hands, for being fo fa miliar with the old Gentleman, as rough as he is to him. Since Mr. Trott has an Ambition to make him his Father-in-Law, he ought to treat him with more Respect ; befides, his Style to me might have been more diftant than he has thought fit to afford me: Moreover, his Miftrefs fhall continue in her Confinement, till he has found out which Word in his Letter is not rightly spelt. Mr. SPECTATOR, I Shall ever own my self your obliged humble Servant for the Advice you gave me concerning my Dancing; which unluckily came too late: For, as I faid I would not leave off Capering till I had your Opinion of the Matter; was at our famous Affembly the Day before I received your Papers, and there was obferved by an old Gentleman, who was informed I had a Refpect for his Daughter; told me I was an infignificant little Fellow, and faid that for the future he would take Care of his Child; fo that he did not doubt. but to croffe my amorous Inclinations. The Lady is confined to her Chamber, and for my Part, am ready to hang my felf with the Thoughts that I have danced felf out of Favour with her Father. I hope you will pardon the Trouble I give; but shall take it for a mighty Favour, if you will give me a little more of your Advice to put me in a right Way to cheat the old Dragon and obtain my Miftrefs. I am once more, my SIR, York, Feb. 23. 1711-12. Your obliged bumble Servant, John Trott. Let me defire you to make what Alterations you please, and infert this as foon as poffible. Pardon Miftake by Hafte. I Never do pardon Mistakes by Hafte, The SPECTATOR. SIR, Feb. 27, 1711-12. • PRAY be fo kind as to let me know what you efteem to be the chief Qualification of a good Poet, efpecially of one who writes Plays; and you will very much oblige, SIR, Your very humble Servant; N. B. Mr. SPECTATOR, OU are to know that I am naturally Brave; and love Fighting as well as any Man in England. This gallant Temper of mine makes me extremely delighted with Battles on the Stage. I give you this • Trouble to complain to you, that Nicolini refused to gratific me in that Part of the Opera for which I have moft Tafte. I obferve it's become a Cuftom, that when"ever any Gentlemen are particularly pleased with a Song, at their crying out Encore or Altro Volto, the • Performer is fo obliging as to fing it over again. I was at the Opera the laft Time Hydafpes was performed. At that Part of it where the Heroe engages with the Lion, the graceful Manner with which he put that ⚫ terrible Monster to Death gave me fo great a Pleasure, and at the fame Time so just a Senfe of that Gentleman's Intrepidity and Conduct, that I could not forbear defiring a Repetition of it, by crying out Altro Volto, in a 6 very audible Voice; and my Friends flatter me, that I pronounced thofe Words with a tolerable good Accent, confidering that was but the third Opera I had ever feen in my Life. Yet, notwithstanding all this, there was fo little Regard had to me, that the Lion was carried off, and went to Bed, without being killed any more that Night. Now, Sir, pray confider that I did not understand a Word of what Mr. Nicolini faid to this ⚫ cruel Creature; befides, I have no Ear for Mufick; fo that during the long Difpute between them, the whole Entertainment I had was from my Eye: Why then • have not I as much Right as to have a graceful Action repeated as another has a pleafing Sound, fince he only 6 6 only hears as I only fee, and we neither of us know that there is any reasonable Thing a doing? Pray, Sir, fettle the Bufinefs of this Claim in the Audience, and let ❝ us know when we may cry Altro Volto, Anglicè, again, again, for the future. I am an Englishman, and expect fome Reason or other to be given me, and perhaps an -ordinary one may serve ; but I expect your Answer. Lam, SIR, Your moft bumble Servant, Toby Rentfree. Nov. 29. Mr. SPECTATOR, YOU muft give me leave amongst the rest of your YOU Female Correspondents, to address you about an • Affair which has already given you many a Speculation ;. and which, I know, I need not tell you have • had a very happy Influence over the adult Part of our Sex: But as many of us as are either too old to learn, or too obftinate in the Pursuit of the Vanities which have been bred up with us from our Infancy, and all of us quitting the Stage whilft you are prompting us. to act our Part well; you ought, methinks, rather to "turn your Inftructions for the Benefit of that Part of our Sex, who are yet in their native Innocence, and ignorant of the Vices and that Variety of Unhappineffes that reign amongst us. I must tell you, Mr. SPECTATOR, that it is as much a Part of your Office to oversee the Education of the female Part of the Nation, as well as of the Male; ⚫ and to convince the World you are not partial, pray proceed to detect the Male Adminiftration of Gover'neffes as fuccessfully as you have exposed that of Pedagogues; and rescue our Sex from the Prejudice and Tyranny of Education as well as that of your own,, "who without your seasonable Interpofition are like to improve upon the Vices that are now in vogue. I who know the Dignity of your Poft, as SPECTATOR, and the Authority a skilful Eye ought to bear in the Female World, could not forbear confulting you, and beg your Advice in fo critical a Point, as is that of the Education of young Gentlewomen. Ha ⚫ving |