"pire of beauty," and the effects it has had in all nations of the world, upon the public and private actions. of men; with an appendix, which he calls, The Ba"chelor's scheme for governing his wife." The first thing he makes this gentleman propofe, is, that she shall be no woman; for fhe is to have an averfion to balls, to operas, to vifits: She is to think his company fufficient to fill up all the hours of life with great fatisfaction: She is never to believe any other man wife, learned, or valiant; or, at least, but in a second degree. In the next place, he intends the fhall be a cuckold; but expects, that he himself muft live in perfect fecurity from that terror. He dwells a great while on inftructions for her difcreet behaviour, in cafe of his falfhood. I have not patience with thefe unreasonable expectations, therefore turn back to the treatise itself. Here indeed my brother deduces all the revolutions among men from the paffion of love; and in his preface answers that usual obfervation against us, "that there is no quarrel without a woin it;" with a gallant affertion," that there is "nothing elfe worth quarrelling for." My brother is of a complexion truly amorous; all his thoughts and actions carry in them a tincture of that obliging inclination; and this turn has opened his eyes to fee, that we are not the inconfiderable creatures which unlucky pretenders to our favour would infinuate. He obferves, that no man begins to make any tolerable figure, until he fets out with the hopes of pleafing fome one of us. No fooner he takes that in hand, but he pleafes every one elfe by the by. It has an immediate effect upon his behaviour. There is Colonel Ranter, who never spoke without an oath, until he faw the Lady Betty Modifh; now, never gives his man an order, but it is, " Pray, "Tom, do it." The drawers where he drinks live in perfect happiness. He asked Will at the George the other day, how he did? Where he used to say," Damn "it, it is fo;" he now "believes there is fome mistake ; «he muft confefs, he is of another opinion; but how<< ever, he will not infift.” man Every temper, except downright infipid, is to be animated and foftened by the influence of beauty: But of VOL. I. F this 66 ufe, this untractable fort, is a lifeless handsome fellow that vifits us, whom I have dreffed at this twelvemonth; but he is as infenfible of all the arts I as if he converfed all that time with his nurfe. He outdoes our whole fex in all the faults our enemies impute to us; he has brought laziness into an Opinion, and makes his indolence his Philofophy: infomuch, that no longer ago than yesterday in the evening he gave me this account of himself: "I 66 am, Madam, perfectly unmoved at all that paffes a"mong men, and feldom give myfelf the fatigue of going among them; but when I do, I always appear the fame thing to those whom I converfe with. My hours "of existence, or being awake, are from eleven in the "morning to eleven at night; half of which I live to "myself, in picking my teeth, washing my hands, par"ing my nails, and looking in the glafs. The infigni"ficancy of my manners to the reft of the world, makes "the laughers call me a Quidnunc, a phrafe which I nei"ther understand, nor fhall ever enquire what they mean by it. The laft of me each night is at St. James's coffee-houfe, where I converfe, yet never fall into a "difpute on any occafion; but leave the understanding "I have, paffive of all that goes through it, without en"tering into the bufinefs of life. And thus, Madam, have 1 arrived by lazinefs, to what others pretend to by philofophy, a perfect neglect of the world." Sure, if our fex had the liberty of frequenting public-houfes and converfations, we fhould put thefe rivals of our faults and follies out of countenance. However, we shall foon have the pleasure of being acquainted with them one other; for way or my brother Ifaac defigns, for the ufe of our fex, to give the exact characters of all the chief politicians who frequent any of the coffee-houfes from the Exchange; but defigus to begin with that clafter of wife-heads, as they are found fitting every evening, from the left fide of the fire, at the Smyrna, to the door. This will be of great fervice for us, and I have authority to promise an exact journal of their deliberations; the publication of which I am to be allowed for pin-money. In the mean time, I caft my eye upon a new book, which gave me more pleafing St. Jo .enter entertainment, being a fixth part of Mifcellany Poems published by Jacob Tonfon; which I find, by my brother's notes upon it, no way inferior to the other volumes. There is, it seems, in this, a collection of the beft paftorals that have hitherto appeared in England; but among them none fuperior to that dialogue between Sylvia and Dorinda, written by one of my own sex; where all our little weakneffes are laid open in a manner more juft, and with truer raillery, than ever man yet hit upon. Only this I now difcern,. From the things thou'dft have me learn, From paft or prefent beauties rife., But to reaffume my firft defign, there cannot be a greater inftance of the command of females, than in the prevailing charms of the herome in the Play, which was acted this night, called, All for Love; or, The World well loft. The enamoured Anthony refigns glory and power to the force of the attractive Cleopatra, whose charms were the defence of her diadem againft a people. otherwife invincible. It is fo natural for women to talk of themfelves, that it is to be hoped, all my own fex,. at leaft, will pardon me, that I could fall into no other difcourfe. If we have their favour, we give ourselves very little anxiety for the relt of our readers. I believe I fee a fentence of Latin in my brother's day-book of wit, which feems applicable on this occafion, and in con. tempt of the critics, Triftitiam & Metus Hor. Od. 26. F. 1. v. 2.. No boding fears fhall break my reft,. R. Wynne. But I am interrupted by a packet from Mr. Kidney, from St. James's coffee-houfe, which I am obliged to infert in the very ftile and words which Mr. Kidney ufes in his Letter. St. James's Coffee-houfe, May 2. We are advised by letters from Bern, dated the first inftant, N. S. that the Duke of Berwick arrived at Lyons the twenty-fifth of the last month, and continued his journey the next day to vifit the paffes of the mountains, and other pofts in Dauphiné and Provence. Thefe letters alfo informed us, that the miferies of the people in France are heightened to that degree, that unless a peace be fpeedily concluded, half of that kingdom would perish for want of bread. On the twenty-fourth, the Marshal de Thee paffed through Lyons, in his way to Versailles; and two battalions, which were marching from Alface to reinforce the army of the Duke of Berwick, paffed alfo through that place. Thofe troops were to be followed by fix battalions more. Letters from Naples of the fixteenth of April fay, that the Marquis de Prie's fon was arrived there, with inftructions from his father, to fignify to the Viceroy the neceffity his Imperial Majefty was under, of defiring an aid from that kingdom, for carrying on the extraordinary expences of the war. On the fourteenth of the fame month, they made a review of the Spanish troops in that garrifon, and afterwards of the marines; one part of whom will embark with thofe defigned for Barcelona, and the reft are to be fent on board the gallies appointed to convoy provifions to that place. We hear from Rome, by letters dated the twentieth of April, That the Count de Mellos, envoy from the King of Portugal, had made his public entry into that city with much state and magnificence. The Pope has lately held two other confiftories, wherein he made a promotion of two cardinals; but the acknowledgment of King Charles is ftill deferred. Letters from other parts of Italy advise us, that the Doge of Venice continues dangerously ill: That the Prince de Carignan, having relapfed into a violent fe-. ver, died the twenty-third of April, in his eightieth year. Advices from Vienna of the twenty-feventh of April import, that the Archbishop of Saltzburg is dead, who is fucceeded by Count Harrach, formerly Bishop of Vienna, and for these last three years coadjutor to the faid Archbishop; and the Prince Maximilian of Litchtenftein has likewife departed this life at his country-feat called Cromaw in Moravia. Thefe advices add, that the Emperor has named Count Zinzendorf, Count Goes, and Monfieur Confbruck, for his Plenipotentiaries in an enfuing treaty of peace; and they hear from Hungary,. that the Imperialists have had several successful skirmishes with the malecontents. Letters from Paris, dated May the fixth, fay that the Marthal de Theffe arrived there on the twenty-ninth of the last month, and that the Chevalier de Beuil was fent thither by Don Pedro Ronquillo with advice, that the confederate fquadron appeared before Alicant on the feventeenth, and having for fome time cannonaded the city, endeavoured to land fome troops for the relief of the caftle; but General Stanhope finding the paffages well guarded, and the enterprize dangerous, demanded to capitulate for the caftle; which being granted him, the garrifon, confifting of 600 regular troops, marched out with their arms and baggage the day following; and being received. on board, they immediately fet fail for Barcelona. Thefe letters add, that the march of the French and Swifs regiments is further deferred for a few days, and that the Duke of Noailles was just ready to fet out for Rouillon, as well as the Count de Bezons for Catalonia: The fame advices fay, bread was fold at Paris for fix-pence a pound; and that there was not half enough, even at that rate, to fupply the neceffities of the people, which reduced them to the utmost despair; that 300 men had taken up arms, and having plundered the market of the fuburb of St. Germain, preffed down, by their multitude, the King's guards who oppofed them. Two of those mutineers were afterwards feized and condemned: to death; but four others went to the magiftrate who pronounced that fentence, and told him, he muft ex- |