SISTER JENNY ANSWERS THE LETTER OF ALMEIRA, IN THE INTEREST OF HER SEX-AND EXITS.

Edepol, na nos æque fumus omnes invife viris

Propter paucas, quæ omnes faciunt digna ut videamur malo.

TER.

In truth we are all diftafteful to the men, by reafon of a few who make us all feem worthy of punishment.

Y brother having written the above piece of Latin, defired me to take care of the rest of the enfuing paper. Towards this he bid me anfwer the following letter, and faid, nothing I could write properly on the fubject of it would be difagreeable to the motto. It is the cause of my fex, and I therefore enter upon it with great alacrity. The epiftle is literally thus:

"Mr. BICKERSTAFF,

"Edinburgh, October 23.

"I prefume to lay before you an affair of mine, and beg you'le be very finceir in giving me your judgment and advice in this matter, which is as follows:-A very agreeable young gentleman, who is endowed with all the good qualities that can make a man compleat, has this long time maid love to me in the moft paffionat manner that was pofable. He has left nothing unfaid to make me believe his affections real; and in

his letters expressed himself so hanfomly and tenderly, that I had all the reafon imaginable to believe him finceir. In fhort, he pofitively has promised me he would marry me, but I find all he said, nothing; for when the question was put to him, he wouldn't, but ftill would continue my humble fervant, and would go on at the ould rate, repeating the affurances of his fidelity, and at the fame time has none in him. He now writs to me in the fame endearing stile he ust to do, would have me speak to no man but himself. His eftate is in his

own hand, his father being dead. My fortune at my own disposal (mine being alfo dead), and to the full answers his eftate. Pray, fir, be ingeinous, and tell me cordially if you don't think I fhall do myself an injury if I keep company or a corofpondance any longer with this gentleman. I hope you'le faver an honest North Britain (as I am) with your advice in this amoure; for I am refolved just to follow your directions. Sir, you'le do me a sensable pleasure, and very great honour, if you'le please to infert this poor scrole, with your answer to it, in your Tatler. Pray fail not to give me your answer, for on it depends the happiness of difconfolat

"MADAM,

ALMEIRA."

"I have frequently read over your letter, and am of opinion that, as lamentable as it is, it is the most common of any evil that attends our fex. I am very much troubled for the tenderness you exprefs towards your lover, but rejoice at the fame time that you can fo far furmount your inclination for him, as to refolve to difmifs him when you have my brother's opinion for it. His fenfe of the matter he defired me to communicate to you. Oh, Almeira! The common failing of our fex is to value the merit of our lovers rather from the grace of their address than the fincerity of their hearts. 'He has expreffed himself fo handsomely!' Can you say that, after you have reafon to doubt his truth? It is a very melancholy thing, that in this circumstance of love (which is the most important of all others in female life), we women, who are, they fay, always weak, are still weakest. The true way of

valuing a man is to confider his reputation among the men. For want of this neceffary rule towards our conduct, when it is too late, we find ourselves married to the outcast of that sex; and it is generally from being disagreeable among men, that fellows endeavour to make themselves pleafing to us. The little accomplishments of coming into a room with a good air, and telling while they are with us what we cannot hear among ourselves, ufually make up the whole of a woman's man's merit. But if we, when we began to reflect upon our lovers, in the first place confidered what figures they make in the camp, at the bar, on the 'change, in their country, or at court, we should behold them in quite another view than at prefent.

"Were we to behave ourselves according to this rule, we fhould not have the just imputation of favouring the filliest of mortals, to the great fcandal of the wifeft, who value our favour as it advances their pleafure, not their reputation. In a word, madam, if you would judge aright in love, you must look upon it as in a cafe of friendship. Were this gentleman treating with you for anything but yourself, when you had confented to his offer, if he fell off, you would call him a cheat and an impoftor. There is therefore nothing left for you to do, but to defpife him and yourself for doing it with regret.

I am,

Madam, &c."

I have heard it often argued in converfation, that this evil practice is owing to the perverted taste of the wits in the last generation. A libertine on the throne could very easily make the language and the fashion turn his own way. Hence it is, that woman is treated as a mistress, and not a wife. It is from the writings of those times, and the traditional accounts of the debauches of their men of pleasure, that the coxcombs now-adays take upon them, forfooth, to be falfe fwains and perjured lovers. Methinks I feel all the woman rife in me, when I reflect upon the naufeous rogues that pretend to deceive us. Wretches, that can never have it in their power to overreach anything living but their mistresses! In the name of goodness,

if we are defigned by nature as fuitable companions to the other sex, why are we not treated accordingly? If we have merit, as fome allow, why is it not as bafe in men to injure us as one another? If we are the infignificants that others call us, where is the triumph in deceiving us? But when I look at the bottom of this difafter, and recollect the many of my acquaintance whom I have known in the fame condition with the northern lafs that occafions this difcourfe, I must own I have ever found the perfidioufness of men has been generally owing to ourselves, and we have contributed to our own deceit. The truth is, we do not conduct ourselves as we are courted, but as we are inclined. When we let our imaginations take this unbridled swing, it is not he that acts best is moft lovely, but he that is most lovely acts beft. When our humble fervants make their addreffes, we do not keep ourselves enough difengaged to be judges of their merit; and we feldom give our judgment of our lover, till we have lost our judgment for him.

While Clarinda was paffionately attended and addreffed to by Strephon, who is a man of fenfe and knowledge in the world, and Caffio, who has a plentiful fortune and an excellent understanding-fhe fell in love with Damon at a ball, From that moment, she that was before the most reasonable creature of all my acquaintance, cannot hear Strephon speak, but it is fomething fo out of the way of ladies' converfation." And Caffio has never fince opened his mouth before us, but the whispers me, "How feldom do riches and fenfe go together?" The iffue of all this is, that for the love of Damon, who has neither experience, understanding, or wealth, fhe despises those advantages in the other two which she finds wanting in her lover, or else thinks he has them for no reafon but because he is her lover. This, and many other instances may be given in this town, but I hope thus much may fuffice to prevent the growth of fuch evils at Edinburgh.

CHAPTER XXIX

MR. BICKERSTAFF'S OPINION ON THE MEANS OF FEMALE IMPROVEMENT, MENTAL AND PERSONAL.

To them bright Venus in the woods appears,
A Spartan virgin's looks and drefs The wears.

VIRG.

T may perhaps appear ridiculous, but I must confefs this last summer, as I was riding in Enfield Chase, I met a young lady whom I could hardly get out of my head, and for ought I know, my heart, ever since. She was mounted on a pad, with a very well fancied furniture. She fat her horfe with a very graceful air; and when I faluted her with my hat, fhe bowed to me fo obligingly, that whether it was her civility or beauty that touched me fo much I know not, but I am fure I fhall never forget her. She dwells in my imagination in a figure fo much to her advantage, that if I were to draw a picture of youth, health, beauty, or modefty, I should represent any or all of them in the person of that young woman.

I do not find that there are any defcriptions in the ancient poets fo beautiful as those they draw of nymphs in their pastoral dreffes and exercises. Virgil gives Venus the habit of a Spartan huntress when she is to put Eneas in his way, and relieve his cares with the most agreeable object imaginable.