any other. At the fame time, I fhall take all the privileges I may, as an Englishman, and will lay hold of the late Act of naturalization to introduce what I fhall think fit from France. The ufe of that law, may, I hope, be extended to people the polite world with now characters, as well as the kingdom itfelf with new fubjects. Therefore an Author of that nation, called Le Bruyere, I fhall make bold with on fuch occafions. The last perfon I read of in that writer was Lord Timon. Timon, fays my Author, is the most generous of all men; but is fo hurried away with that ftrong impulfe of beftowing, that he confers benefits without diftin&tion, and is munificent without laying obligations. For all the unworthy, who receive from him, have fo little fenfe of this noble infirmity, that they look upon themfelves rather as partners in a fpoil, than partakers of a bounty. The other day, coming into Paris, I met Timon going out on horfeback, attended only by one fervant. It ftruck me with a fudden damp, to fee a man of fo excellent a difpofition, and who understood making a figure fo very well, fo much fhortened in his retinue. But paffing by his houfe, I faw his great coac break to pieces before his door, and, by a ftrange enchantment, immediately turned into many different vehicles. The firft was a very pretty chariot, into which #tepped his Lordship's Secretary. The fecond was hung a little heavier; into that ftrutted the fat Steward. In an inftant followed a chaife, which was entered by the Butler. The rest of the body and wheels were forthwith changed into go-carts, and ran away with by the nurfes and brats of the reft of the family. What makes thefe misfortunes in the affairs of Timon the more aftonishing is, that he has better understanding than those who cheat him; fo that a man knows not which more to wonder at, the indifference of the mafter, or the impudence of the fervant..

White's Chocolate-houfe, April 29.

It is matter of much fpeculation among the Beaus and Oglers, what it is that can have made fo fudden a change, as has been, of late obferved, in the whole be

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haviour

haviour of Paftorella, who never fat ftill a moment until fhe was eighteen, which he has now exceeded by two months. Her Aunt, who has the care of her, has not been always fo rigid as fhe is at this prefent date ; but has fo good a fenfe of the frailty of woman, and falfhood of man, that the refolved on all manner of me thods to keep Paftorella, if poffible, in fafety, against herself and all her admirers. At the fame time the good Lady knew by long experience, that a gay inclination, curbed too rafhly, would but run to the greater exceffes for that reftraint: She therefore intended to watch her, and take fome opportunity of engaging her infenfibly in her own interefts, without the anguish of admonition. You are to know then, that Mifs, with all her flirting and ogling, had also naturally a strong curiofity in her, and was the greateft eaves-dropper breathing. PariJatis (for fo her prudent Aunt is called) obferved this humour, and retires one day to her closet, into which fhe knew Paftorella would peep, and liften to know how fhe was employed. It happened accordingly; and the young Lady faw her good Governante on her knees, and, after a mental behaviour, break into these words, "As "for the dear child committed to my care, let her fo"briety of carriage, and feverity of behaviour, bet "fuch as may make that noble Lord who is taken with

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her beauty, turn his defigns to fuch as are honour, able." Here Parifatis heard her Niece neftle clofer to the key-hole: She then goes on: "Make her the joyful mother of a numerous and wealthy offspring; "and let her carriage be fuch, as may make this noble "youth expect the bleffings of an happy marriage, "from the fingularity of her life, in this loose and cen"forious age." Mifs having heard enough, fneaks off for fear of difcovery, and immediately at her glafs alters the fitting of her head; then pulls up her tucker, and forms herself into the exact manner of Lindamira: In a word, becomes a fincere convert to every thing that is commendable in a fine young Lady; and two or three fuch matches, as her Aunt feigned in her devotions, are at this day in her choice. This is the hiftory and original caufe of Paflorella's converfion from coquetry. The prudence in the management of this young Lady's tem

per,

per, and good judgment of it, is hardly to be exceeded. I fcarce remember a greater inftance of forbearance of the usual peevish way with which the aged treat the young than this, except that of our famous Noy, whofe good nature went fo far, as to make him put off his admonitions to his fon, even until after his death; and did not give him his thoughts of him, until he came to read that memorable paffage in his Will: "All the "reft of my eftate, fays he, I leave to my Son Edward

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(who is executor to this my Will) to be fquandered as he fhall think fit: I leave it him for that purpose, "and hope no better from him." A generous difdain, and reflection upon how little he deserved from fo excellent a father, reformed the young man, and made Edward from an errant Rake become a fine Gentleman.

St. James's Coffee houfe, April 29.

Letters from Portugal of the eighteenth inftant, dated from Eftremos fay, that on the fixth the Earl of Galway arrived at that place, and had the fatisfaction to fee the Quarters well furnished with all manner of provisions, and a quantity of bread fufficient for fubfifting the troops for fixty days, befides bifcuit for twenty-five days. The enemy gave it out, that they fhall bring into the field fourteen regiments of horfe, and twentyfour battalions. The troops in the fervice of Portugal will make up 14,coo foot, and 4000 horfe. On the day thefe letters were dispatched, the Earl of Galway received advice, that the Marquis de Bay was preparing for fome enterprize, by gathering his troops together on the frontiers. Whereupon his Excellency refolved to go that fame night to Villa Viciofa, to affemble the troops in that neighbourhood, in order to difappoint his defigns.

Yesterday in the evening Captain Foxton, Aid-decamp to Major-General Cadogan, arrived here express from the Duke of Marlborough. And this day a mail is come in with letters dated from Bruffels of the fixth of May, N. S. which advife, that the enemy had drawn together a body, confifting of 20,000 men, with a defign, as was fuppofed, to intercept the great convoy on the march towards Lifle, which was fafely arrived at

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Menin

Menin and Courtray, in its way to that place, the French having retired without making any attempt.

We hear from the Hague, that a perfon of the first quality is arrived in the Low-Countries from France, in order to be a plenipotentiary in an enfuing treaty of peace.

Letters from France acknowledge, that Monfieur. Ber nard has made no higher offers of fatisfaction to his creditors than of 351. per Cent.

Thefe advices add, that the Marfhal Boufflers, Monfieur Torcy, (who diftinguished himself formerly, by advifing the Court of France to adhere to the treaty of Partition) and Monfieur d'Harcourt, (who negotiated with Cardinal Portocarrero for the fucceffion of the crown of Spain in the house of Bourbon) are all three joined in a commiffion for a treaty of peace. The Marfhal is come to Ghent The other two are arrived at the Hague. It is confidently reported here, that the right honourable the Lord Townshend is to go with his Grace the Duke of Marlborough into Holland.

N° 10.

Tuesday, May 3, 1709.

By Mrs. Jenny Difaff, Half-Sifter to Mr. Bickerstaff.

M

From my own Apartment, May 1.

Y brother Ifaac, having a fudden occafion to go out of town, ordered me to take upon me the difpatch of the next advices from home, with liberty to fpeak in my own way; not doubting the allowances which would be given to a writer of my fex. You may be fure I undertook it with much fatisfaction: And I confefs, I am not a little pleafed with the opportunity of running over all the papers in his closet, which he has left open for my ufe on this occafion. The first that

I lay my hands on, is, a treatife concerning

"the em

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 "Bachelor's fcheme for governing his wife." The first thing he makes this. gentleman propofe, is, that the fhall 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 fecond degree. In the next place, he intends the fhall be a cuckold; but expects, that he himself must 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 anfwers that ufual obfervation against us, "that "there is no quarrel without a woman in 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 bye. 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 "s, " pray, Tom, do it." The drawers where he drinks live in perfect happiness. He afked 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 must confefs, he is of another opinion; but however he will not "infit."

Every temper, except downright infipid, is to be animated and foftened by the influence of beauty: But of

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