THE

SPECTATOR.

VO L. V.

N° 322. Monday, March 10. 1712.

-Ad humum marore gravi deducit & angit. Hor. CMT is often faid, after a Man has heard a Story with extraordinary Circumftances,' It is a very good one if it be true: But as for the following Relation, I fhould be glad were I fure it were falfe. It is told with fuch Simplicity, and there are fo many artless Touches of Distress in it, that I fear it comes too much from the Heart.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

"SOME Years ago it happened that I lived in the

'fame Houfe with a young Gentleman of Merit, with whofe good Qualities I was fo much taken, as to make my Endeavour to fhew as many as I was able in my felf. Familiar Converfe improved general Civilities ⚫ into an unfeigned Paffion on both fides. He watched an Opportunity to declare himself to me; and I, who ⚫ could not expect a Man of fo great an Eftate as his, received his Addreffes in fuch Terms, as gave him no reaVOL. V.

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fon to believe I was difpleafed with them, tho' I did nothing to make him think me more eafy than was decent. His Father was a very hard worldly Man, and proud; fo that there was no reason to believe he would cafily be brought to think there was any thing in any 'Woman's Perfon or Character that could ballance the Difadvantage of an unequal Fortune. In the mean time

the Son continued his Application to me, and omitted < no Occafion of demonftrating the most difinterested • Paffion imaginable to me; and in plain direct Terms offer'd to marry me privately, and keep it fo till he fhould be fo happy as to gain his Father's Approbation, < or become poffeffed of his Eftate. I paffionately loved him, and you will believe I did not deny fuch a one what was my Intereft alfo to grant. However I was not fo young, as not to take the Precaution of carrying with me a faithful Servant, who had been alfo my Mother's Maid, to be prefent at the Ceremony. When that was over, I demanded a Certificate, figned by the Minifter, my Husband, and the Servant I just now • spoke of. After our Nuptials, we converfed together very familiarly in the fame Houfe; but the Restraints we were generally under, and the Interviews we had, being ftolen and interrupted, made our Behaviour to each other have rather the impatient Fondnefs which is vifible in Lovers, than the regular and gratified Affection which is to be obferved in Man and Wife. This Obfervation made the Father very anxious for his Son, and prefs him to a Match he had in his Eye for him. To relieve my Husband from this Importunity, and conceal the Secret of our Marriage, which . I had reafon to know would not be long in my power in Town, it was refolved that I fhould retire into a remote Place in the Country, and converse under feigned Names by Letter. We long continued this Way of Commerce; and I with my Needle, a few Books, and reading over and over my Husband's Letters, paffed my Time in a refigned Expectation of better Days. Be pleased to take notice, that within four Months after I left my Husband I was delivered of a : Daughter,

Daughter, who died within few Hours after her Birth. This Accident, and the retired Manner of Life I led, gave criminal Hopes to a neighbouring Brute of a Country Gentleman, whofe Folly was the Source of all my Affliction. This Ruftick is one of thoferich Clowns, who fupply the Want of all manner of Breeding by the Neglect of it, and with noify Mirth, half Underftanding, and ample Fortune, force themselves upon • Perfons and Things, without any Senfe of Time and • Place. The poor ignorant People where I lay conceal'd, and now paffed for a Widow, wondered I could be fo fhy and strange, as they called it, to the Squire; and • were bribed by him to admit him whenever he thought fit. I happened to be fitting in a little Parlour which belonged to my own Part of the House, and mufing ⚫ over one of the fondest of my Husband's Letters, in which I always kept the Certificate of my Marriage, when this rude Fellow came in, and with the nauseous : Familiarity of fuch unbred Brutes, fhatched the Papers out of my Hand. I was immediately under fo great a Concern, that I threw my felf at his Feet, and beg ged of him to return them. He with the fame odious • Pretence to Freedom and Gaiety, fwore he would ⚫ read them. I grew more importunate, he more curious, till at laft, with an Indignation arifing from a • Paffion I then firft difcovered in him, he threw the Papers into the Fire, fwearing that fince he was not to read them, the Man who writ them fhould never be fo happy as to have me read them over again. It is 'infignificant to tell you my Tears and Reproaches made the boisterous Calf leave the Room afhamed and out. ⚫ of Countenance, when I had leifure to ruminate on this Accident with more than ordinary Sorrow: However, fuch was then my Confidence in my Husband, that I writ to him the Misfortune, and defired another Paper of the fame kind. He deferred writing two or three Pofts, and at laft answered me in general, That he could not then fend me what I asked for, but when he could find a proper Conveyance, I fhould be fure to have it. From this time his Letters were B 2

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more cold every day than other, and as he grew indifferent I grew jealous. This has at laft brought me to • Town, where I find both the Witneffes of my Marriage dead, and that my Husband, after three Months Cobabitation, has buried a young Lady whom he married in Obedience to his Father. In a word, he fhuns and difowns me. Should I come to the House and confront him, the Father would join in fupporting him against me, though he believed my Story; fhould I talk it to the World, what Reparation can I expect for an Injury I cannot make out? I believe he means to bring me, through Neceffity, to refign my Pretenfions to him for fome Provifion for my Life; but I will die first. Pray bid him remember what he faid, and how he was ⚫ charmed when he laughed at the heedlefs Difcovery I often made of my felf; let him remember how aukward ⚫ I was in my diffembled Indifference towards him before Company; ask him how I, who could never conceal my Love for him, at his own Requeft, can part with him < for ever? Oh, Mr. SPECTATOR, fenfible Spirits know no Indifference in Marriage; what then do you think is my piercing Affliction?- I leave you to reprefent my Diftrefs your own way, in which I defire you to be speedy, if you have Compaffion for Innocence expofed to Infamy.

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T

Octavia.

N° 323. Tuesday, March 11.

T

-Modo Vir, modo Famina

Virg.

HE Journal with which I prefented my Reader on Tuesday laft, has brought me in feveral Letters, with Accounts of many private Lives caft into that Form. I have the Rake's Journal, the Sot's Journal, the Whoremaster's Journal, and among feveral others a very curious Piece, entitled, The Journal of a Mohock. By thefe

Inftances I find that the Intention of my laft Tuesday's Paper has been mistaken by many of my Readers. I did not defign fo much to expofe Vice as Idleness, and aimed at thofe Perfons who pafs away their Time rather in Trifle and Impertinence, than in Crimes and Immoralities. Offences of this latter kind are not to be dallied with, or treated in fo ludicrous a manner. In fhort, my Journal only holds up Folly to the Light, and thews the Difagreeablenefs of fuch Actions as are indifferent in themselves, and blameable only as they proceed from Creatures endow'd with Reafon.

MY following Correfpondent, who calls her felf Clarinda, is such a Journalist as I require: She feems by her Letter to be placed in a modifh State of Indifference be tween Vice and Virtue, and to be fufceptible of either, were there proper pains taken with her. Had her Journal been filled with Gallantries, or fuch Occurrences as had fhewn her wholly divefted of her natural Innocence, notwithstanding it might have been more pleafing to the Generality of Readers, I fhould not have published it: but as it is only the Picture of a Life filled with a fashionable kind of Gaiety and Laziness, I fhall fet down five Days of it, as I have received it from the Hand of my fair Correspondent.

Dear Mr. SPECTATOR,

"YOU

OU having fet your Readers an Exercife in one of your laft Week's Papers, I have perform'd mine according to your Orders, and herewith fend it you enclofed. You must know, Mr. SPECTATOR, that I am a Maiden Lady of a good Fortune, who have had feveral Matches offered me for these ten Years laft paft, and have at prefent warm Applications made to me by a very pretty Fellow. As I am at my own Difpofal, I come up to Town every Winter, and pafs my Time in it after the manner you will find in the following Journal, which I began to write upon the very Day after your Spectator upon that Subject.