Page images
PDF
EPUB

of fools and fcorners. My brother and I have at leaf fifty times quarrelled upon this topic. I ever argue, that the frailties of women are to be imputed to the falfe ornaments, which men of wit put upon our folly and coquetry. He lays all the vices of Men upon womens fecret approbation of libertine characters in them. I did not care to give up a point but now he is out of the way, I cannot but own I believe there is very much in, what he afferted: For if you will believe your eyes, and own, that the wickedeft and wittieft of them all marry one day or other, it is impoffible to believe, that if a man thought he should be for ever incapable of being received by a woman of merit and honour, he would perfift in an abandoned way; and deny himself the poffibility of enjoying the happiness of well-governed de-. fres, orderly fatisfactians, and honourable methods of life. If our Sex were wife, a lover fhould have a certifcate from the laft woman he ferved, how he was turned away, before he was received into the service of another But at prefent any vagabond is welcome, provided he promises to enter into our livery. It is wonderful, that we will not take a footman without credentials from his laft mafter; and in the greatest concern of life, we make no fcruple of falling into a treaty with the most notorious offender in his behaviour against others. But this breach of commerce between the fexes proceeds from an unaccountable prevalence of cuftom, by which a woman is to the laft degree reproachable for being deceived, and a man fuffers no lofs-of credit for being a deceiver.

Since this tyrant humour has gained place, why are we reprefented in the writings of men in ill figures for artifice in our carriage, when we have to do with a profeffed impoftor? When oaths, imprecations, vows, and adorations, are made ufe of as words of courfe, what arts are not neceffary to defend us from fuch as glory in the breach of them? As for my part I am refolved to hear all, and believe none of them; and therefore folemnly declare no vow fhall deceive me, but that of marriage : For I am turned of twenty, and being of a small fortune, fome wit, and (if I can believe my lovers and my glass) handfome I have heard all that can be faid towards my ucdoing, and shall therefore, for warning fake, give

an

an account of the offers that have been made me, my manner of rejecting them, and my affiftances to keep my refolution.

In the fixteenth year of my life, I fell into the ac quaintance of a Lady extremely well known in this town for the quick advancement of her husband, and the honours and diftinctions which her industry has procured him, and all who belong to her. This excellent body fat next to me for fome months at church, and took the liberty (which the faid her years and the zeal fhe had for my welfare gave her claim to) to affure me, that the obferved fome parts in my behaviour which would lead me into errors, and give encouragement to fome to entertain hopes I did not think of. What made you, faid fhe, look through your fan at that Lord, when your eyes fhould have been turned upwards, or clofed in attention upon better objects? I blufhed, and pretended hfty odd excufes ;--but confounded myself the more. She wanted nothing but to fee that confusion, and goes on; nay, child, do not be troubled that I take notic of it; my value for you made me speak it; for though he is my kinfman, I have a nearer regard to virtue than any other confideration. She had hardly done fpeaking, when this noble Lord came up to us, and led her to her coach.

My head ran all that day and night on the exemplary carriage of this woman, who could be fo virtuously impertinent, as to admonish one he was hardly acquainted with. However, it ftruck upon the vanity of a girl that it may poffibly be, his thoughts might have been as favourable of me, as mine were amorous of him, and as anlikely things as that have happened, if he should make me his wife. She never mentioned this more to me; but I fill in all public places ftole looks at this man, who easily obferved my paffion for him. It is fo hard a thing to check the return of agreeable thoughts, that he became my dream, my vifion, my food, my wish, my torment.

That minifter of darknefs, the Lady Sempronia, perceived too well the temper I was in, and would, one day after evening fervice, needs take me to the park. When we were there, my Lord paffes by; I flushed into a

K 4

Alame,

flame. Mrs. Difaff, fays fhe, you may very well remember the concern I was in upon the first notice I took of your regard to that Lord, and, forgive me, who had a tender friendship for your mother (now in the grave) that I am vigilant of your conduct. She went on with much feverity, and after great folicitation prevailed on me to go with her into the country, and there fpend the enfuing fummer out of the way of a man fhe faw I loved, and one whom he perceived meditated my ruin, by frequently defiring her to introduce him to me; which the abfolutely refufed, except he would give his honour that he had no other defign but to marry me. To her country-houfe a week or two after we went: There was at the farther end of her garden a kind of wilderness, in the middle of which ran a foft rivulet by an arbour of jelamine. In this place I ufually paffed my retired hours, and read fome romantic or poetical tale until the clofe of the evening. It was near that time in the heat of the fummer, when gentle winds, foft murmurs of water, and notes of nightingales, had given my mind an indolence, which added to that repofe of foul twilight and the end of a warm day naturally throws upon the fpiri's. It was at fuch an hour, and in fuch a state of tranquill ty I fat, when, to my inexpreffible amazement, I faw my Lord walking towards me, whom I knew not until that moment to have been in the country. I could obferve in his approach the perplexity which attends a man big with defign; and I had, while he was coming forwa d, time to reflect that I was betrayed; the fenfe of which gave me a refentment fuitable to fuch a bafenefs: But when he entered into the bower where I was, my heart flew towards him, and, I confefs, a certain joy came into my mind, with an hope that he might then make a declaration of honour and paffion. This threw my eye upon him with fuch tenderness, as gave him p wer, with a broken accent, to begin. Madam,

You will wonder-For it is certain, you must have obferved--Though I fear you will mifinterpret the motives But by Heaven, and all that is facred! if you could--Here he made a full ftand, and I recovered power to fay, The confternation I am in you will not, I hope, believe-An helplefs innocent maid-Be

fides that, the place-He faw me in as great confufionas himself; which attributing to the fame causes, he had the audacioufnefs to throw himself at my feet, talk of the ftilnefs of the evening, and then ran into deifications of my perfon, pure flames, conftant love, eternak raptures, and a thousand other phrafes drawn from the images we have of heaven, which all men ufe for the fervice of hell, when run over with uncommon vehemence. After which he feifed me in his arms: His defign was too evident. In my utmoft diftrefs I fell upon my knees My Lord, pity me, on my knees On my knees in the caufe of virtue, as you were lately in that of wickedness. Can you think of deftroying the labour of a whole life, the purpose of a long education, for the base fervice of a fudden appetite; to throw one that loves you, that doats on you, out of the company and the road of all that is virtuous and praife-worthy P Have I taken in all the inftructions of piety, religion, and reafon, for no other end, but to be the facrifice of luft, and abandoned to fcorn? Affume yourself, my Lord, and do not attempt to vitiate a temple facred to innocence, honour, and religion. If I have injured you, ftab this bofom, and let me die, but not be ruined, by the hand I love. The ardency of my paffion made me incapable of uttering more; and I faw my Lover afto. nifhed, and reformed by my behaviour: When rushed in Sempronia. Ha! faithlefs bafe man, could you then. fteal out of town, and lurk like a robber about my houte for fuch brutish purposes!

My Lord was by this time recovered, and fell into a violent laughter at the turn which Sempronia defigned to give her villainy. He bowed to me with the utmoft_re-, pect: Mrs. Difaf, faid he, be careful hereafter of your company; and fo retired. The fiend Sempronia congra tulated my deliverance with a flood of tears.

This Nobleman has fince frequently made his addrefes, to me with honour; but I have as often refused them; as well knowing that familiarity and marriage will make him, on fome ill-natured occafion, call all I faid in the arbour a theatrical action. Befides that, I glory in con- . temning a man, who had thoughts to my dishonour. If this method were the imitation of the whole Sex, in

[ocr errors][merged small]

nocente would be the only dress of beauty; and all affectation. by any other arts to please the eyes of men. would be bauifhed to the fews for ever. The conqueft of paffion gives ten times more happiness than we can from the gratification of it; and the, that has got over fuch a one as mine, will stand among Beaux and Pretty Fellows, with as much fafety as in a fummer's, day among grafhoppers and butterflies..

Reap

P. S. I have ten millions of things more against men, if Lever get the pen again,

St. James's Coffee-house, June 24..

Our laft advices from the Hague, dated the twentyeighth inftant, N. S. fay, that on the twenty-fifth, a fquadron of Dutch men of war failed out of the Texel, to join Admiral Baker at Spithead. The twenty-fixth was aferved as a day of fafting and humiliation, to implorea bleffing on the arms of the Allies this enfuing cam paign. Letters from Drefden are very particular in the account of the gallantry and magnificence, in which that Court has appeared fince the arrival of the King of Denmark. No day has paffed in which publick fhows have not been exhibited for his entertainment and diversion : The last of that kind which is mentioned is a Carousal, wherein many of the youth of the first Quality, dressed in the most fplendid manner, ran for the prize. His Danish Majefty condefcended to the fame; but having obferved that there was a defign laid to throw it in his way, paffed by without attempting to gain it.. The. Court of Drefin was preparing to accompany his Danish Majefty to Pordam, where the expectation of an interview of three Kings had drawn together fuch multitudes of people, that many perfons of diftinction will be obliged to lie in teûts, as long as thofe Courts continue in that. place.

Tuesday,

« PreviousContinue »