my own Performances. But I fhall leave these wife Con, jecturers to their own Imaginations, and produce the three following Letters for the Entertainment of the Day.. SIR, "I an ent coloured Was laft Thursday in an Affembly of Ladies, where 6. where Spectator of that Day lying upon the Table, they ordered me to read it to them, which I did with a very clear Voice, till I came to the Greek Verse at the End of it. I must confefs I was a little startled at its popping upon me fo unexpectedly. However, I covered. 6. my Confufion as well as I could, and after having mut⚫tered two or three hard Words to myself,laugh'd heartily, and cried, A very good Jeft, Faith. The Ladies defired me to explain it to them, but I begg'd their Pardon for that, and told them, that if it had been proper for them to hear, they may be fure the Author would. not have wrapp'd it up in Greek. I then let drop feve• ral Expreffions, as if there was fomething in it that was not fit to be spoken before a Company of Ladies. Upon which the Matron of the Affembly, who was dreffed in a Cherry-coloured Hood, commended the Difcretion of the Writer, for having thrown his filthy Thoughts into Greek, which was likely to corrupt but few of his Readers. At the fame Time fhe declared herself very well pleased, that he had not given a decifive Opinion upon the new-fashioned Hoods, for to tell you truly, fays fhe, I was afraid he would have made us afhamed to fhew our Heads. Now, Sir, you must know, fince this unlucky Accident happened to me in a Company of Ladies, among whom I paffed for a moft ingenious Man, I have confulted one who is well versed in the Greek Language, and affures me upon his Word, that your late Quotation means no more, than that Man-ners and not Drefs are the Ornaments of a Woman. If this comes to the Knowledge of my Female Admirers,. I fhall be very hard put to it to bring myfelf off handfomely. In the mean while I give you this Account, that you may take Care hereafter not to betray any of your Well-wishers into the like Inconveniencies. It is in the Number of thefe that I beg leave to subscribe.. myfelf, Tom Trippit. 6 6 6. Mr. SPECTATOR, YOUR Readers are fo well pleased with your Character of Sir ROGER DE COVERLEY, that there appeared a fenfible Joy in every Coffee-house, upon hearing the old Knight was come to Town. I am now with a Knot of his Admirers, who make it their joint Requeft to you, that you would give us publick Notice of the Window or Balcony where the Knight intends to make his Appearance. He has already given great Satisfaction to feveral who have seen him at Squire's Coffee-house. If you think fit to place your fhort Face at Sir ROGER's Left Elbow, we fhall take the Hint, and gratefully acknowledge so great a Favour. SIR, I am, SIR, Your most devoted humble Servant. C. D. NOWING you are very inquifitive after every ⚫ you if you please in the Dusk of the Evening, with my Show upon my Back, which I carry about with me in a Box, as only confifting of a Man, a Woman, and an Horse. The two firft are married, in which State the little Cavalier has fo well acquitted himself, that his Lady is with Child. The big bellied Woman, and her Husband, with their whimfical Palfry, are so very light, that when they are put together into a Scale, an ordinary Man may weigh down the whole Family. The little Man is a Bully in his Nature; but when he grows cholerick I confine him to his Box till his • Wrath is over, by which Means I have hitherto pre❝vented him from doing Mifchief. His Horfe is like⚫ wife very vicious, for which Reafon I am forced to tie him close to his Manger with a Pack-thread. The Woman is a Coquet. She fruts as much as it is poffible for a Lady of two Foot high, and would ruin me in Silks, were not the Quantity that goes to a large Pin cushion ⚫ fufficient to make her a Gown and Petticoat. She told me the other Day, that the heard the Ladies wore coloured Hoods, and ordered me to get her one of the 6. 6 • finelt finest Blue. I am forced to comply with her Demands while fhe is in her present Condition, being very willing to have more of the fame Breed. I do not know what fhe may produce me, but provided it be a Show I shall be very well fatisfied. Such Novelties fhould not, I think, be concealed from the British Spectator; for which Reafon I hope you will excufe this Prefumption in Your moft Dutiful, moft Obedient, *6*65691683633*669+++ No. 272. Friday, January 11. Mr. SPECTATOR, TH Virg. HE Occafion of this Letter is of fo great Importance, and the Circumftances of it fuch, that I know you will but think it juft to infert it, in < Preference of all other Matters that can prefent themfelves to your Confideration. I need not, after I have faid this, tell you that I am in Love. The Circumftances of my Paffion I fhall let you understand as well 6 as a difordered Mind will admit. That curfed Pick thank Mrs. Jane! Alas, I am railing at one to you by her Name as familiarly, as if you were acquainted ⚫ with her as well as myfelf: But I will tell you all, as ⚫ fast as the alternate Interruptions of Love and Anger .will give me Leave. There is a most agreeable young Woman in the World whom I am paffionately in Love with, and from whom I have for fome Space of • Time receiv'd as great Marks of Favour as were fit for her to give, or me to defire. The fuccessful Progrefs of the Affair of all others the most effential towards a Man's Happiness, gave new Life and Spirit, not only to my Behaviour and Difcourfe, but also a certain Grace to all my Actions in the Commerce of • Life in all Things tho' never fo remote from Love. . You know the predominant Paffion fpreads itself thro all a Man's Tranfactions, and exalts or depreffes it according to the Nature of fuch Paffion. But alas, I have not yet begun my Story, and what is making Sentences and Obfervations when a Man is pleading for his Life? To begin then: This Lady has corref -ponded with me under Names of Love, the my Belinda, I her Cleanthes. Tho' I am thus well got into the - Account of my Affair, I cannot keep in the Thread of it fo much as to give you the Character of Mrs. Jane, whom I will not hide under a borrowed Name; but let you know that this Creature has been fince I knew her very handsome, (tho' I will not allow her even fhe has been for the future) and during the Time of her Bloom and Beauty was fo great a Tyrant to her Lovers, fo over-valued herself and under-rated all her Pretenders, that they have deferted her to a Man and she knows no Comfort but that common one to all in her Condition, the Pleasure of interrupting the A"mours of others. It is impoffible but you must have feen feveral of these Volunteers in Malice, who pafs "their whole Time in the most laborious Way of Life, in getting Intelligence, running from Place to Place with new Whispers, without reaping any other Benefit but the Hopes of making others as unhappy as themselves: Mrs. Jane happened to be at a Place where I, with many others well acquainted with my Paffion for Belinda, paffed a Christmas-Evening. There was among the reft a young Lady fo free in her Mirth, fo amiable in a juft Reserve that accompanied it, I wrong her to call it a Referve, but there appeared in her Mirth or Chearfulness which was not a Forbearance of more immoderate Joy, but the natural Appearance of all which could flow from a Mind poffeffed of an Habit of Innocence and Purity. I must have utterly forgot Belinda to have taken no Notice of one who was growing up to the fame womanly Virtues which fhine to Perfection in her, had I not diftinguished one who feemed to promise to the World the fame Life and Conduct with my faithful and lovely Belinda. When the Company broke up, the fine 6 6 young 6 young Thing permitted me to take Care of her Home; Mrs. Jane faw my particular Regard to her, and was informed of my attending her to her Father's House. She came early to Belinda the next Morning, and ask-ed her if Mrs. Such a one had been with her? No. If Mr. Such a one's Lady? No. Nor your Coufin Such a one? No. Lord, fays Mrs. Jane, what is the Friend-fhip of Women-Nay, they may well laugh at it.. And did not one tell you any Thing of the Behaviour. ⚫ of you Lover Mr. What d'ye call lait Night? But perhaps, it is nothing to you that he is to be married to young Mrs--on Tuesday next? Belinda was here rea dy to die with Rage and Jealoufy. Then Mrs. Jane $ goes on I have a young Kinsman who is Clerk to a great Conveyancer, who fhall fhew you the roughDraught of the Marriage Settlement. The World fays her Father gives him Two Thousand Pounds more than he could have with you. I went innocently to wait on Belinda as ufual, but was not admitted; I writ to her, and my Letter was fent back un-opened. Poor Betty her Maid, who is on my Side, has been here juft now blubbering, and told me the whole Matter. She fays fhe did not think I could be fo bafe ; and that fhe is now odious to her Mistress for having so often fpoke well of me, that the dare not mention me more. All our Hopes are placed in having thefe Circumftances fairly reprefented in the SPECTATOR, which Betty fays fhe dare not but bring up as foon as it is brought in; and has promifed when you have broke the Ice to own this was laid between us: And when I can come to an Hearing, the young Lady will fupport what we fay by her Teftimony, that I never faw her ⚫ but that once in my whole Life. Dear Sir, do not omit this true Relation, nor think it too particular; for there are Crowds of forlorn Coquets who intermingle ⚫ themfelves with other Ladies, and contract Familiarities out of Malice, and with no other Defign but to blaft the Hopes of Lovers, the Expectation of Parents, and the Benevolence of Kindred. I doubt not but I hall be, 6. SIR, Your moft obliged bumble Servant, |