my curiofity led me to a crowd gathered in the street, where I found Ferocula, in the prefence of hundreds, difputing for fix-pence with a chairman. I faw her in fo little need of affiftance, that it was no breach. of the laws of chivalry to forbear interpofition, and I fpared myself the fhame of owning her acquaintance. I forgot fome point of ceremony at our next interview, and foon provoked her to forbid me her prefence.

My next attempt was upon a lady of great eminence for learning and philofophy. I had frequently obferved the barrennefs and uniformity of connubial converfation, and therefore thought highly of my own prudence and difcernment, when I felected from a multitude of wealthy beauties, the deep-read Mifothea, who declared herself the inexorable enemy of ignorant pertnefs, and puerile levity; and scarcely condefcended to make tea, but for the linguift, the geometrician, the aftronomer, or the poet. The queen of the Amazons was only to be gained by the hero who could conquer her in fingle combat; and Mifothea's heart was only to blefs the fcholar who could overpower her by difputation. Amidst the fondeft tranfports of courtship fhe could call for a definition of terms, and treated every argument with contempt that could not be reduced to regular fyllogifin. You may easily imagine, that I wifhed this courtship at an end; but when I defired her to fhorten my torments, and fix the day of my felicity, we were led into a long converfation, in which Mifothea endeavoured to demonflrate the folly of attributing choice and felf-direction to any human being.

It

It was not difficult to difcover the danger of committing myself for ever to the arms of one who might at any time mistake the dictates of paffion, or the calls of appetite, for the decree of fate; or confider cuckoldom as neceffary to the general fyftem, as a link in the everlasting chain of fucceffive caufes. I therefore told her, that deftiny had ordained us to part, and that nothing fhould have torn me from her but the talons of neceffity.

I then folicited the regard of the calm, the prudent, the economical Sophronia, a lady who confidered wit as dangerous, and learning as fuperfluous, and thought that the woman who kept her house clean, and her accounts exact, took receipts for every payment, and could find them at a fudden call, enquired nicely after the condition of the tenants, read the price of stocks once a week, and purchased every thing at the best market, could want no accomplishments neceffary to the happiness of a wife man. She difcourfed with great folemnity on the care and vigilance which the fuperintendence of a family demands; obferved how many were ruined by confidence in fervants; and told me, that she never expected honesty but from a ftrong cheft, and that the best storekeeper was the mistress's eye. Many fuch oracles of generofity fhe uttered, and made every day new improvements in her schemes for the regulation of her fervants, and the diftribution of her time. I was convinced, that whatever I might fuffer from Sophronia, I fhould escape poverty; and we therefore proceeded to adjust the fettlements according to her own rule, fair and foftly. But one morning her maid came to me in tears to intreat my in

tereft

tereft for a reconciliation to her miftrefs, who had turned her out at night for breaking fix teeth in a tortoife-fhell comb: fhe had attended her lady from a diftant province, and having not lived long enough to fave much money, was destitute among strangers, and though of a good family, in danger of perifhing in the streets, or of being compelled by hunger to prostitution. I made no fcruple of promifing to restore her; but upon my first application to Sophronia, was answered with an air which called for approbation, that if fhe neglected her own affairs, I might suspect her of neglecting mine; that the comb ftood her in three half-crowns; that no fervant fhould wrong her twice; and that indeed fhe took the firft opportunity of parting with Phillida, because, though the was honest, her conftitution was bad, and fhe thought her very likely to fall fick. Of our conference I need not tell you the effect; it furely may be forgiven me, if on this occafion I forgot the decency of common forms.

From two more ladies I was disengaged by finding, that they entertained my rivals at the fame time, and determined their choice by the liberality of our fettlements. Another I thought myself juftified in forfaking, becaufe fhe gave my attorney a bribe to favour her in the bargain; another because I could never soften her to tenderness, till fhe heard that most of my family had died young; and another, because, to increase her fortune by expectations, fhe represented her fister as languishing and confumptive.

I shall in another letter give the remaining part of my history of courtship. I prefume that I fhould

6

hitherto

hitherto have injured the majefty of female virtue, had I not hoped to transfer my affection to higher merit.

I am, &c.

HYMENÆUS.

NUMB. 114. SATURDAY, April 20, 1751.

-Audi,

Nulla unquam de morte hominis cun&tatio longa eft.

When man's life is in debate,

The judge can ne'er too long deliberate.

Juv.

DRYDEN.

OWER and fuperiority are fo flattering and

Pode

delightful, that, fraught with temptation and exposed to danger as they are, fcarcely any virtue is fo cautious, or any prudence so timorous, as to decline them. Even thofe that have moft reverence for the laws of right, are pleased with fhewing that not fear, but choice, regulates their behaviour; and would be thought to comply, rather than obey. We love to overlook the boundaries which we do not wish to pass; and, as the Roman fatirist remarks, he that has no defign to take the life of another, is yet glad to have it in his hands.

From the fame principle, tending yet more to degeneracy and corruption, proceeds the defire of investing lawful authority with terror, and governing by force rather than perfuafion. Pride is unwilling to believe the neceffity of affigning any other

reafon

reason than her own will; and would rather maintain the most equitable claims by violence and penalties, than defcend from the dignity of command to difpute and expoftulation.

It may, I think, be fufpected, that this political arrogance has fometimes found its way into legiflative affemblies, and mingled with deliberations upon property and life. A flight perufal of the laws by which the measures of vindictive and coercive justice are established, will discover fo many difproportions between crimes and punishments, fuch capricious distinctions of guilt, and fuch confufion of remiffness and severity, as can scarcely be believed to have been produced by publick wisdom, fincerely and calmly studious of publick happiness.

The learned, the judicious, the pious Boerhaave relates, that he never faw a criminal dragged to execution without asking himself, "Who knows "whether this man is not lefs culpable than me?" On the days when the prifons of this city are emptied into the grave, let every fpectator of the dreadful proceffion put the fame queftion to his own heart. Few among thofe that crowd in thoufands to the legal maffacre, and look with carelefnefs, perhaps with triumph, on the utmoft exacerbations of human mifery, would then be able to return without horror and dejection. For, who can congratulate himself upon a life paffed without fome act more mifchievous to the peace or profperity of others, than the theft of a piece of money?

It has been always the practice, when any particular fpecies of robbery becomes prevalent and common, to endeavour its fuppreffion by capital denunciations.