flight injury with death; especially when he remembers, that the thief might have procured fafety by another crime, from which he was restrained only by his remaining virtue.

The obligations to affift the exercise of publick justice are indeed strong; but they will certainly be overpowered by tenderness for life. What is punished with severity contrary to our ideas of adequate retribution, will be feldom difcovered; and multitudes will be fuffered to advance from crime to crime, till they deserve death, becaufe, if they had been fooner profecuted, they would have fuffered death before they deserved it.

This scheme of invigorating the laws by relaxation, and extirpating wickedness by lenity, is fo remote from common practice, that I might reasonably fear to expose it to the publick, could it be fupported only by my own obfervations: I fhall, therefore, by afcribing it to its author, Sir Thomas More, endeavour to procure it that attention, which I wish always paid to prudence, to justice, and to mercy.

NUMB. 115. TUESDAY, April 23, 1751.

Quedam para quidem, fed non toleranda maritis.

Some faults, tho' finall, intolerable grow.

SIR,

It

To the RAMBLER.

Juv.

DRYDEN,

SIT down, in purfuance of my late engagement, to recount the remaining part of the adventures that befel me in my long quet of conjugal felicity, which, though I have not yet been fo happy as to obtain it, I have at leaft endeavoured to deferve by unwearied diligence, without fuffering from repeated difappointments any abatement of my hope, or repreffion of my activity.

You must have obferved in the world a fpecies of mortals who employ themfelves in promoting matrimony, and, without any visible motive of interest or vanity, without any difcoverable impulfe of malice or benevolence, without any reafon, but that they want objects of attention and topicks of converfation, are inceffantly bufy in procuring wives and husbands. They fill the ears of every single man and woman with fome convenient match, and when they are informed of your age and fortune, offer a partner of life with the fame readinefs, and the fame indifference, as a falefman, when he has taken measure by his eye, fits his cutomer with a coat.

It might be expected that they fhould foon be difcouraged from this officious interpofition by refent

ment

ment or contempt; and that every man fhould determine the choice on which fo much of his happinefs must depend, by his own judgment and obfervation yet it happens, that as thefe propofals are generally made with a fhew of kindness, they feldom provoke anger, but are at worst heard with patience, and forgotten. They influence weak minds to approbation; for many are fure to find in a new acquaintance, whatever qualities report has taught them to expect; and in more powerful and active understandings they excite curiofity, and fometimes, by a lucky chance, bring perfons of fimilar tempers within the attraction of each other.

I was known to poffefs a fortune, and to want a wife; and therefore was frequently attended by these hymeneal folicitors, with whofe importunity I was fometimes diverted, and sometimes perplexed; for they contended for me as vultures for a carcafe; each employing all his eloquence, and all his artifices, to enforce and promote his own fcheme, from the fuccefs of which he was to receive no other advantage than the pleasure of defeating others equally eager, and equally induftrious.

An invitation to fup with one of those busy friends, made me by a concerted chance acquainted with Camilla, by whom it was expected, that I fhould be fuddenly and irresistibly enslaved. The lady, whom the fame kindness had brought without her own concurrence into the lifts of love, feemed to think me at least worthy of the honour of captivity; and exerted the power, both of her eyes and wit, with fo much art and spirit, that though I had been too often deceived by appearances to devote myself irrevocably

at the first interview, yet I could not fupprefs fome raptures of admiration, and flutters of defire. I was eafily perfuaded to make nearer approaches; but foon difcovered, that an union with Camilla was not much to be wifhed. Camilla profeffed a boundless contempt for the folly, levity, ignorance, and impertinence of her own fex; and very frequently expreffed her wonder that men of learning or experience could fubmit to trifle away life with beings incapable of folid thought. In mixed companies, the always affociated with the men, and declared her fatisfaction when the ladies retired. If any thort excurfion into the country was propofed, the commonly infifted upon the exclufion of women from the party; becaufe, where they were admitted, the time was wafted in frothy compliments, weak indulgences, and idle ceremonies. To fhew the greatnefs of her mind, fhe avoided all compliance with the fashion; and to boast the profundity of her knowledge, miftook the various textures of filk, confounded tabbles with damafks, and fent for ribbands by wrong names. She defpifed the commerce of ftated vifits, a farce of empty form without inftruction; and congratulated herself, that the never learned to write meffage cards. She often applauded the noble fentiment of Plato, who rejoiced that he was born a man rather than a woman; proclaimed her approbation of Swift's opinion, that women are only a higher fpecies of monkies; and confeffed, that when fhe confidered the behaviour, or heard the converfation, of her fex, fhe could not but forgive the Tuks for fufpecting them to want fouls.

It was the joy and pride of Camilla to have provoked, by this infolence, all the rage of hatred, and

all

all the perfecutions of calumny; nor was fhe ever more elevated with her own fuperiority, than when fhe talked of female anger, and female cunning. Well, fays fhe, has nature provided that fuch virulence should be difabled by folly, and fuch cruelty be reftrained by impotence.

Camilla doubtlefs expected, that what fhe loft on one fide, she should gain on the other; and imagined. that every male heart would be open to a lady, who made fuch generous advances to the borders of virility. But man, ungrateful man, instead of springing forward to meet her, fhrunk back at her approach. She was perfecuted by the ladies as a deferter, and at beft received by the men only as a fugitive. I, for my part, amused myself a while with her fopperies, but novelty foon gave way to deteftation, for nothing out of the common order of nature can be long borne. I had no inclination to a wife who had the ruggedness of a man without his force, and the ignorance of a woman without her foftnefs; nor could I think my quiet and honour to be entrusted to fuch, audacious virtue as was hourly courting danger, and foliciting affault.

My next mistress was Nitella, a lady of gentle mien, and foft voice, always fpeaking to approve, and ready to receive direction from thofe with whom chance had brought her into company. In Nitella I promised myself an easy friend, with whom I might loiter away the day without disturbance or altercation. I therefore foon refolved to addrefs her, but was difcouraged from profecuting my courtship, by obferving, that her apartments were fuperftitiously regular; and that, unlefs fhe had notice of my vifit,

fhe