lately in a paffion, and that air of content to flow from a certain triumph upon fome advantage obtained. She no fooner fat down by me, but I perceived he was one of thofe Ladies who begin to be managers within the time of their being brides.-Without letting her fpeak, which I faw fhe had a mighty inclination to do, I faid, here has been your husband, who tells me he has a mind to go home this very morning, and I have confented to it. It is well, faid the, for you must know-Nay, Jenny, faid I, I beg your pardon, for it is you must know-You are to uuderftand, that now is the time to fix or alienate your husband's heart for ever; and I fear you have been a little indifcreet in your expreffions or behaviour towards him, even here in my houfe. There has, fays fhe, been fome words: But I will be judged by you if he was not in the wrong: Nay, I need not be judged by any body, for he gave it up himfelf, and faid not a word when he faw me grow paffionate, but, Madam, you are perfectly in the right of it: As you fhall julge

Nay, Madam, faid I, I am judge already, and tell you, that you are perfectly in the wrong of it; for if it was a matter of importance, I know he has better fenfe than you; if a trifle, you know what I told you on your wedding-day, that you were to be above little provocations. She knows very well I can be four upon occafion, therefore gave me leave to go on.

Sifter, faid I, I will not enter into the difpute between you, which I find his prudence put an end to before it came to extremity, but charge you to have a care of the first quarrel, as you tender your happiness; for then it is, that the mind will reflect harfhly upon every circumftance that has ever paffed between you If fuch an accident is ever to happen, which I hope never will, be fare to keep to the circumftance before you; make no allufions to what is paffed, or conclufions referring to what is to come: Do not fhew an hoard of matter for diffenfion in your breaft; but if it is neceffary, lay before him the thing as you understand it, candidly, without being afhamed of acknowledging an error, or proud of being in the right. If a young couple be not careful in this point, they will get into an habit of wrangling: And when to difpleafe is thought of no confequence, to Vol. II.

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N° 85. pleafe is always of as little moment. There is a play, Jenny, I have formerly been at when I was a student: We got into a dark corner with a porringer of brandy, and threw raifins into it, then fet it on fire. My chamber-fellow and I diverted ourselves with the fport of venturing our fingers for the raifins; and the wantonness of the thing was, to fee each other look like a dæmon, as we burnt ourselves, and fnatched out the fruit. This fantaftical mirth was called Snap-Dragon. You may go into many a family, where you fee the man and wife at this fport: Every word at their table alludes to fome paffage between themfelves; and you fee by the palenefs and emotion in their countenances, that it is for your fake, and not their own, that they forbear playing out the whole game in burning each other's fingers. In this cafe, the whole purpose of life is inverted, and the ambition turns upon a certain contention, who shall contradict beft, and not upon an inclination to excel in kindness and good offices. Therefore, dear Jenny, remember me, and avoid Snap-Dragon..

I thank you, brother, faid the, but you do not know how he loves me; I find I can do any thing with him. If you can fo, why fhould you defire to do any thing but pleafe him? But I have a word or two more before you go out of the room; for I fee you do not like the subject I am upon: Let nothing provoke you to fall upon an imperfection he cannot help; for if he has a refenting fpirit, he will think averfion as immoveable as the your imperfection with which you upbraid him. But above all, dear Jenny, be careful of one thing, and you will be fomething more than woman; that is, a levity you are almost all guilty of, which is, to take a pleasure in your power to give pain. It is even in a mistress an argument of meannefs of fpirit, but in a wife it is injustice and ingratitude. When a fenfible man once obferves this in a woman, he must have a very great, or very little fpirit to overlook it. A woman ought therefore to confider very often, how few men there are who will regard a meditated offence as a weakness of temper.

I was going on in my confabulation, when Tranquillus entered. She caft all her eyes upon him with much fhame and confusion, mixed with great complacency and

love,

195 love, and went up to him. He took her in his arms, and looked fo many foft things at one glance, that I could fee he was glad I had been talking to her, forry fhe had been troubled, and angry at himself that he could not disguise the concern he was in an hour before. After which he says to me, with an air aukward enough, but methought not unbecoming, I have altered my mind, brother; we will live upon you a day or two longer. I replied, that is what I have been perfuading Jenny to ask of you, but he is refolved never to contradict your inclination, and refused me.

We were going on in that way which one hardly knows how to exprefs; as when two people mean the fame thing in a nice cafe, but come at it by talking as diftantly from it as they can; when very opportunely came in upon us an honeft inconfiderable fellow, Tim Dapper, a Gentleman well known to us both. Tim is one of those who are very neceffary, by being very inconfiderable. Tim dropped in at an incident, when we knew not how to fall into either a grave or a merry way. My fitter took this occafion to make off, and Dapper gave us an account of all the company he had been in to day, who was, and who was not at home, where he vifited. This Tim is the head of a fpecies: He is a little out of his element in this town; but he is a relation of Tranquillus, and his neighbour in the country, which is the true place of refidence for this fpecies. The habit of a Dapper, when he is at home, is a light broad cloth with calamanco or red waistcoat and breeches; and it is remarkable, that their wigs feldom hide the collar of their coats. They have always a peculiar fpring in their arms, a wriggle in their bodies, and a trip in their gait. All which motions they exprefs at once in their drinking, bowing, or faluting Ladies; for a distant imitation of a forward fop, and a refolution to overtop him in his way, are the diftinguishing marks of a Dapper. Thefe under-characters of men are parts of the fociable world by no means to be neglected: They are like pegs in a building: They make no figure in it, but hold the ftructure together, and are as abfolutely neceffary as the pillars and columns. I am fure we found it fo this morning; for Tranquillus and I fhould perhaps have

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No 85. looked cold at each other the whole day, but Dapper fell in with his brifk way, fhook us both by the hand, ralfied the bride, miftook the acceptance he met with amongst us for extraordinary perfection in himself, and heartily pleased, and was pleafed, all the while he stayed. His company left us all in good humour, and we were not fuch fools as to let it fink, before we confirmed it by great chearfulness and openness in our carriage the whole evening.

White's Chocolate-house, October 24.

I have been this evening to vifit a Lady who is a re lation of the enamoured Cymbio, and there heard the melancholy news of his death. I was in hopes, that fox-hunting and October would have recovered him from his unhappy paffion. He went into the country with a defign to leave behind him all thoughts of Clarissa; but he found that place only more convenient to think of her without interruption. The country Gentlemen were very much puzzled upon his cafe, and never finding him merry or loud in their company, took him for a Roman Catholic, and immediately upon his death feized his French Valet de Chambre for a Prieft; and it is generally thought in the country, it will go hard with him next feffions. Poor Cynthio never held up his head after having received a Letter of Clariffa's marriage. The Lady who gave me this account being far gone in Poetry and Romance told me, If I would give her an Epitaph, fhe would take care to have it placed on his tomb which the herfelf had devifed in the following manner: It is to be made of black marble, and every corner to be crowned with weeping Cupids. Their quivers are to be hung up upon two tall cypress-trees, which are to grow on each fide of the monument, and their arrows to he laid in a great heap, after the manner of a funeral pile, on which is to lie the body of the deceased. On the top of each cypress is to ftand the figure of a mourning turtle-dove. On the uppermost part of the monument, the Goddefs, to whom thefe birds are facred, is to fit in a dejected pofture, as weeping for the death of her votary. I need not tell you this Lady's head is a little turned : However,

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However, to be rid of importunities, I promifed her an Epitaph, and told her, I would take for my pattern that of Don Alonzo, who was no lefs famous in

age than

N° 86. Thursday, October 27, 1709.

From my own Apartment, October 25.

When I came home last night, my fervant delivered me

SIR,

the following Letter:

October 24.

I

Have orders from Sir Harry Quickfet of Staffordfhire, Baronet, to acquaint you, that his honour "Sir Harry himself, Sir Giles Wheelbarrow, Knight, **Thomas Rentfree, Efquire, Justice of the Quorum, "Andrew Windmill, Efquire, and Mr. Nicholas Doubt "of the Inner Temple, Sir Harry's grandfon, will wait upon you at the hour of nine to-morrow morning, "being Tuesday the twenty-fifth of October, upon bufinefs

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