of humour with all things which he meets with. At length he takes a refolution to try his fate, and explain with her refolutely upon her unaccountable carriage. He walks up to her apartment, with a thousand inquietudes and doubts • in what manner he shall meet the first caft of her

· eye; when upon his first appearance fhe flies towards him, wonders where he has been, accuses him of his abfence, and treats him with a familiarity as furprifing as her former coldness. This good correfpondence continues until the Lady obferves the lover grows happy in it, and then fhe interrupts it with fome new inconfiftency of ⚫ behaviour. For (as I just now faid) the happinefs of a jilt confifts only in the power of mak ing others uneafy. But fuch is the folly of this fect of women, that they carry on this pretty fkittish behaviour, until they have no charms left to render it fupportable. Corinna, that used to torment all who converfed with her with falfe glances, and little heedlefs unguarded motions, that were to betray fome inclination towards the man fhe would infnare, finds at prefent all fhe attempts that way unregarded; and is obliged to indulge the jilt in her conftitution, by laying artificial plots, writing perplexing letters from un known hands, and making all the young fellows in love with her, until they find out who fhe is. Thus, as before fhe gave torment by difguifing her inclination, the now is obliged to do it by hiding her perfon.

1

As for my own part, Mr. SPECTATOR, it has been my unhappy fate to be jilted from my youth upward; and as my tafte has been very much towards intrigue, and having intelligence with women of wit, my whole life has paffed away in a series of impofitions. I fhall, for the benefit of the prefent race of young men, give fome account of my loves. I know not whether you have ever • heard

heard of the famous girl about town called Kitty: This creature (for I must take fhame upon myself) was my miftrefs in the days when keeping was in • fafhion. Kitty, under the appearance of being wild, thoughtless, and irregular in all her words and actions, concealed the moft accomplished jilt of her time. Her negligence had to me a charm in it like that of chastity, and want of defires feemed as great a merit as the conqueft of them," The air fhe gave herself was that of a romping girl, and whenever I talked to her with any turn of fondnefs, fhe would immediately fnatch off my periwig, try it upon herself in the glass, clap •her arms a-kimbow, draw my fword, and make paffes on the wall, take off my cravat, and feize it to make fome other use of the lace, or run into ⚫ fome other unaccountable rompifhnefs, until the time I had appointed to pass away with her was over. I went from her full of pleasure at the reflection that I had the keeping of fo much beauty in a woman, who, as fhe was too heedlefs to pleafé me, was alfo too unattentive to form a defign to wrong me. Long did I divert every hour that hung heavy upon me in the company of this creature, whom I looked upon as neither guilty nor innocent, but could laugh at myfelf for my ⚫ unaccountable pleasure in an expence upon her, ⚫ until in the end it appeared my pretty infenfible was with child by my footman.

• This accident roufed me into a difdain against ⚫ all libertine women, under what appearance foe

ver they hid their infincerity, and I refolved af< ter that time to converse with none but those who • lived within the rules of deceny and honour. To ⚫ this end I formed myself into a more regular tura ⚫ of behaviour, and began to make vifits, frequent affemblies, and lead out ladies from the theatres, with all the other infignificant duties which the profeffed fervants of the Fair place themfelves in

'conftant

No 187, conftant readiness to perform. In a very little time, (having a plentiful fortune) fathers and mo. thers began to regard me as a good match, and I found eafy admittance into the best families in town to obferve their daughters; but I, who was born to follow the Fair to no purpose, have by the force of my ill ftars made my application to three jilts fucceffively.

Hyena is one of thofe who form themfelves into a melancholy and indolent air, and endeavour to gain admirers from their inattention to all around them. Hyana can loll in her coach, with fomething fo fixed in her countenance, that it is impoffible to conceive her meditation is employed only on her drefs and her charms in that < pofture. If it were not too coarfe a fimile, I hould fay, Hyana, in the figure the affects to appear in, is a fpider in the midft of a cobweb, that is fure to deftroy every fly that approaches it. The net Hyena throws is fo fine, that you are taken in it before you can obferve any part of her work. I attempted her for a long and weary feafon, but I found her paffion went no farther than to be admired; and he is of that unreafonable temper, as not to value the inconftancy of her lovers, provided she can boaft the once had their addreffes.

Biblis was the fecond I aimed at, and her vanity lay in purchafing the adorers of others, and not in rejoicing in their love itfelf. Biblis is no man's miftrefs, but every woman's rival. As foon as I found this, I fell in love with Chloe, who is my prefent pleasure and torment. I have writ to her, danced with her, and fought for her, and have been her man in the fight and expectation of the whole town thefe three years, and thought myself near the end of my wifhes; when the other day the called me into her clofet and told me, with a very grave face, that she was a

woman of honour, and fcorned to deceive a man who loved her with fo much fincerity as the faw I did, and therefore the muft inform me that the was by nature the most inconftant creature breathing, and begged of me not to marry her; if I infifted upon it, I should; but that fhe was lately fallen in love with another. What to do or fay I know not, but defire you to inform me, and you will infinitely oblige,

SIR, Your most humble fervant,

CHARLES YELLOW.'

ADVERTISEMENT.

Mr. Sly, Haberdasher of hats, at the corner of Devereux-Court in the Strand, gives notice, that he has prepared very neat hats, rubbers, and brufbes for the ufe of young tradesmen in their last year of apprenticeship, at reasonable rates.

No 188. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5.

Latus fum laudari a te laudato viro.

TULL.

It gives me pleasure, to be praised by you, whom all men praife.

HE is a very unhappy man who fets his heart up

on being admired by the multitude, or affects a general and undiftinguishing applaufe among men. What pious men call the teftimony of a good confcience, fhould be the measure of our ambition in this kind; that is to fay,, a man of spirit fhould contemn the praife of the ignorant, and like being applauded for nothing but what he knows in his own heart he deferves. Befides which the character of the perfon who commends you is to be confidered, before you fet a value upon his efteem. The praife of an ignorant man is only-good-will, and you should receive his kindnefs as he is a good VOL. III. neighbour

H

neighbour in fociety, and not as a good judge of your actions in point of fame and reputation. The fatyrift faid very well of popular praife and acclamations, Give the tinkers and coblers their prefents again, and learn to live of yourself. It is an argument of a loofe and ungoverned mind to be affected with the promifcuous approbation of the generality of mankind; and a man of virtue fhould be too delicate for fo coarfe an appetite of fame. Men of honour fhould endeavour only to please the worthy, and the man of merit should defire to be tried only by his peers. I thought it a noble fentiment which I heard yesterday uttered in converfation; I know, faid a gentleman, a way to be greater than any man: If he has worth in him, I can rejoice in his fuperiority to me; and that fatisfaction is a greater act of the foul in me, than any in him which can poffibly appear to me. This thought could not proceed but from a candid and generous fpirit; and the approbation of fuch minds is what may be efteemed true praife: For with the common rate of men there is nothing commendable but what they themselves may hope to be partakers of, and arrive at But the motive truly glorious is, when the mind is fet rather to do things laudable, than to purchase reputation. Where there is that fincerity as the foundation of a good name, the kind opinion of virtuous men will be an unfought, but a neceffary confequence. The Lacedemonians, tho' a plain people, and no pretenders to politeness, had a certain delicacy in their fenfe of glory, and facrificed to the mufes when they entered upon any great enterprize. They would have the commemoration of their actions be tranfmitted by the pureft and moft untainted memorialifts. The din which attends victories and publick triumphs is by far lefs eligible, than the recital of the actions of great men by honeft and wife hiftorians. It is a frivolous pleafure to be the admiration of gaping

crouds;