N° 84. Saturday, October 22, 1709.

From my own Apartment, October 21.

Have received a Letter fubfcribed A. B. wherein it has been reprefented to me as an enormity, that there are more than ordinary crowds of women at the Old Bailey when a Rape is to be tried: But by Mr. A. B'sfavour, I cannot tell who are fo much concerned in that part of the law as the Sex he mentions, they being the only perfons liable to fuch infults. Nor indeed do I think it more unreasonable that they fhould be inquifitive on fuch occafions than men of honour, when one is tried for killing another in a duel. It is very natural to enquire how the fatal pafs was made, that we may the better defend ourfelves when we come to be attacked. Several eminent Ladies appeared lately at the Court of Juftice on fuch an occafion, and with great patience and attention ftaid the whole trials of two perfons for the abovefaid crime. The law to me indeed feems a little defective in this point; and it is a very great hardship, that this crime, which is committed by men only, should have men only on their jury. I humbly therefore propofe, that on future trials of this fort, half of the twelve may be women; and thofe fuch whofe faces are well known to have taken notes, or may be fuppofed to remember what happened in former trials in the fame place. There is the learned Androgyne, that would make a good fore woman of the panel, who, by long attendance, understands as much law and anatomy as is neceffary in this cafe. Until this is taken care of, I am: humbly of opinion, it would be much more expedient that the Fair were wholly abfent: For to what end can it be, that they should be prefent at fuch examinations, when they can only be perplexed with a fellow-feeling for the injured, without any power to avenge their fufferings..

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ferings. It is an unneceffary pain which the Fair Ones give themselves on thefe occafions. I have known a young woman fhriek out at fome parts of the evidence and have frequently obferved, that when the proof grew particular and strong, there has been fuch an univerfal Autter of fans, that one would think the whole female audience wero falling into fits. Nor indeed can I fee how men themselves can be wholly unmoved at fuch tragical relations.

In short, I must tell my Female Readers, and they may take an old man's word for it, that there is nothing in woman fo graceful and becoming as Modefty: It adds charms to their beauty, and gives a new foftnefs to their Sex. Without it, fimplicity and innocence appear rude; reading and good fenfe, mafculine; wit and humour, lafcivious. This is fo neceffary a qualification for pleafing, that the loose part of womankind, whofe kudy it is to enfnare mens hearts, never fail to fupport the appearance of what they know is fo effential to that end: And I have heard it reported by the young fellows in my time, as a maxim of the celebrated Madam Bennet, that a young wench, though never fo beautiful, was not worth her board when he was paft her blufhing. This difcourfe naturally brings into my thoughts a Letter I have received from the virtuous lady Whittleflick, on the fubject of Lucretia.

Coufin Ifaac,

From my Tea-table, O. 17.

I Read your Tatler of Saturday laft, and was furprised to see you fo partial to your own Sex, as "to think none of ours worthy to fit at your first table; "but fure you cannot but own Lucretia as famous as any you have placed there, who first parted with her "virtue, and afterwards with her life, to preferve her "fame."

Mrs. Biddy Twig has written me a Letter to the fame purpose: But in anfwer to both my pretty correfpondents and kinfwomen, I must tell them, that although I know Lucretia would have made a very graceful figure at the upper end of the table, I did not think it proper

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to place her there, because I knew she would not care for being in the company of fo many men without her hufband. At the fame time I must own, that Tarquin himself was not a greater lover and admirer of Lucretia than I myself am in an honeft way. When my fifter Fenny was in her fampler, I made her get the whole ftory without book, and tell it me in needle-work. This illuftrious Lady ftands up in hiftory as the glory of her own Sex, and the reproach of ours; and the circumftances under which he fell were fo very particular, that they feem to make adultery and murder meritorious. She was a woman of fuch tranfcendent virtue, that her beauty, which was the greateft of the age and country in which he lived, and is generally celebrated as the highest of praife in other women, is never mentioned as a part of her character. But it would be declaiming to dwell upon fo celebrated a ftory, which I mentioned only in refpect to my kinfwomen; and to make reparation for the omiffion they complain of, do further promife them, that if they can furnish me with inftances to fill it, there fhall be a fmall tea-table fet a-part in my palace of fame for the reception of all of her character.

Grecian Coffee-house, October 21.

I was this evening communicating my design of producing obfcure merit into public view; and proposed to the learned, that they would please to affift me in the work. For the fame end I publifh my intention to the world, that all men of liberal thoughts may know they have an oportunity of doing juftice to fuch worthy perfons as have come within their refpective obfervation, and who by misfortune, modefty, or want of proper writers to recommend them, have efcaped the notice of the rest of mankind. If therefore any one can bring any tale or tidings of illuftrious perfons, or glorious actions, that are not commonly known, he is defired to fend an account thereof to me at F. Morphew's, and they fhall have justice done them. At the fame time that I have this concern for men and things that deferve reputation and have it not, I am refolved to examine into the claims of fuch Ancients and Moderns as are in poffeffion of it

with a defign to difplace them, in cafe I find their titles defective. The firft whofe merits I fhall enquire into, are fome merry Gentlemen of the French nation, who have written very advantageous hiftories of their exploits in war, love, and politics, under the title of Memoirs. I am afraid I shall find feveral of these Gentlemen tardy, because I hear of them in no writings but their own. To read the narrative of one of thefe authors, you would fancy that there was not an action in a whole campaign, which he did not contrive or execute; yet if you confult the history, or Gazettes of those times, you do not find him fo much as at the head of a party from one end of the fummer to the other. But it is the way of these great men, when they lie behind their lines, and are in a time of inaction, as they call it, to pafs away their time in writing their exploits. By this means feveral who are either unknown or defpifed in the prefent age, will be famous in the next, unless a fudden top be put to fuch pernicious practices. There are others of that gay people, who, as I am informed, will live half a year together in a garret, and write an hiftory of their intrigues in the court of France. As for politicians, they do not abound with that fpecies of men fo much as we; but as ours are not fo famous for writing, as for extemporary differtations in coffee-houfes, they are more annoyed with memoirs of this nature alfo than we are. The most immediate remedy that I can apply to prevent this growing evil, is, That I do hereby give notice to all Bookfellers and Tranflators whatfoever, that the word Memoir is French for a Novel; and to require of them, that they fell and tranflate it accordingly.

Will's Coffee-houfe, O&ober 21.

Coming into this place to night, I met an old friend of mine, who a little after the Refloration writ an Epigram with fome applaufe, which he has lived upon ever fince; and by virtue of it, has been a conftant frequenter of this coffee-houfe for forty years. He took me afide, and with a great deal of friendship told me, he was glad to fee me alive; for, fays he, Mr. Bickerstaff, I am forry to find you have raised many enemies by your Lucubra

tions. There are indeed fome, fays he, whofe enmity is the greatest honour they can fhew a man; but have you lived to thefe years, and do not know, that the ready way to difoblige, is to give advice? you may endeavour to guard your children, as you call them ; but-He was going on; but I found the difagreeableness of giving advice without being asked, by my own impatience of what he was about to fay: In a word, I begged him to give me the hearing of a short fable.

A Gentleman, fays I, who was one day flumbering in an arbour, was on a fudden awakened by the gentle biting of a lizard, a little animal remarkable for its love to mankind. He threw it from his hand with some indignation, and was rifing up to kill it, when he saw an huge venemous ferpent fliding towards him on the other fide, which he foon deftroyed; reflecting afterwards with gratitude upon his friend that faved him, and with anger against himself, that had fhewn fo little fenfe of a good office.

N° 85.

M

Tuesday, October 25, 1709.

From my own Apartment, October 24.

Y Brother Tranquillus, who is a man of business, came to me this morning into my ftudy, and after very many civil expreffions in return for what good offices I had done him, told me, he defired to carry his wife my fifter that very morning to his own houfe. I readily told him I would wait upon him, without asking why he was fo impatient to rob us of his good company. He went out of my chamber, and I thought feemed to have a little heavinefs upon him, which gave me fome difquiet. Soon after my fifter came to me with a very matron-like air, and most sedate fatisfaction in her looks, which spoke her very much at ease, but the traces of her countenance feemed to difcover that she had been

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lately