N° 319 I Thursday, March 6. Quo teneam vultus mutantem Protea nodo? Hor. Ep. 1. lib. 1. ver. 90. What chain can hold this varying Proteus faft? CREECH. Have endeavoured in the course of my papers to do justice to the age, and have taken care as much as poffible to keep myself a neuter between both fexes. I have neither fpared the ladies out of complaifance, nor the men out of partiality; but notwithstanding the great integrity with which I have acted in this particular, I find myself taxed with an inclination to favour my own half of the fpecies. Whether it be that the women afford a more fruitful field for fpeculation, or whether they run more in my head than the men, I cannot tell, but I fhall fet down the charge as it is laid against me in the following letter. • Mr. Spectator, Always make one among a company of young fe males, who perufe your fpeculations every morning. I am at prefent commiffioned by our whole affembly, to let you know, that we fear you are a little inclined to be partial towards your own fex. We must however acknowledge, with all due gratitude, that in fome cafes you have given us our revenge on the men, and done us juftice. We could not eafily have forgiven you several ftrokes in the diffection of the coquette's heart, if you had not much about the fame time made a facrifice to us of a beau's fcull. You may further, Sir, please to remember, that not long fince you attacked our hoods and commodes in fuch manner, as, to use your own expreffion, made very many of us afhamed to fhew our heads. We muft, therefore, beg leave to reprefent to you, that we are in hopes, if you would please to make a due in8 quiry, the men in all ages would be found to have been • little little lefs whimsical in adorning that part, than ourfelves. The different forms of their wigs, together ⚫ with the various cocks of their hats, all flatter us in ⚫ this opinion. I had an humble fervant last fummer, who the first time he declared himself, was in a full-bottomed wig; but the day after, to my no small furprise, he accosted me in a thin natural one. I received him at this our fecond interview, as a perfect ftranger, but was extremely confounded, when his fpeech difcovered who he was. I refolved, therefore, to fix his face in my memory for the future; but as I was walking in the Park the fame evening, he appeared to me in one of thofe wigs that I think you call a night-cap, which had altered him more effectually than before. He afterwards played a couple of black riding wigs upon " me with the fame fuccefs; and in fhort, assumed a · new face, almost every day in the first month of his • courtship. • I obferved afterwards, that the variety of cocks into ⚫ which he moulded his hat, had not a little contributed to his impofitions upon me, Yet as if all thefe ways were not fufficient to distinguish their heads, you must doubtlefs, Sir, have obferved, that great numbers of young fellows have, for • feveral months laft paft, taken upon them to wear • feathers. We hope, therefore, that thefe may, with as much juftice, be called Indian princes, as you have stiled a woman in a coloured hood an Indian queen; and that you will, in due time, take these airy gentlemen into confideration. We the more earnestly beg that you would put a stop to this practice, fince it has already loft us one of the most agreeable members of our fociety, who after having refufed feveral good eftates, and two titles, was lured from us last week by a mixed feather. I am ordered to prefent you the refpects of our whole company, and am, Sir, Note. The perfon wearing the feather, though our friend took him for an officer in the guards, has proved 'to be an errant linen-draper.' I am not now at leisure to give my opinion upon the hat and feather; however, to wipe off the prefent imputation, and gratify my female correfpondent, I fhall here print a letter which I lately received from a man of mode, who feems to have a very extraordinary genius in his way. I SIR, Prefume I need not inform you, that among men of dress it is a common phrafe to fay, Mr. Such-aone "has ftruck a bold ftroke;" by which we underftand, that he is the first man who has had courage enough to lead up a fashion. Accordingly, when our ' tailors take measure of us, they always demand "whe"ther we will have a plain fuit, or strike a bold stroke.” "I think I may without vanity fay, that I have struck • fome of the boldest and most successful strokes of any man in Great-Britain. I was the first that ftruck the -long pocket about two years fince; I was likewise the author of the frofted button, which when I faw the town come readily into, being refolved to ftrike while the iron was hot, I produced much about the fame time the scallop flap, the knotted cravat, and made a fair * push for the filver-clocked ftocking. 6 ૪ A few months after I brought up the modish jacket, or the coat with clofe fleeves. I ftruck this at first in a plain Doily; but that failing I ftruck it a fecond time in blue camblet; and repeated the ftroke in several kinds of cloth, until at laft it took effect. There are ⚫ two or three young fellow at the other end of the town, who have always their eye upon me, and answer me 'ftroke for stroke. I was once fo unwary as to mention my fancy in relation to a new-fashioned furtout before one of these gentlemen, who was difingenuous enough to steal my thought, and by that means prevented my ⚫ intended stroke. I have a defign this fpring to make very confiderable innovations in the waistcoat; and have already VOL IV. begun N • begun with a coup d'effai upon the fleeves, which has fucceeded very well. I muft further inform you, if you will promife to encourage, or at least connive at me, that it is my defign to frike fuch a froke the beginning of the next month, as fhall furprife the whole town. I do not think it prudent to acquaint you with all the particulars of my intended drefs; but will only tell you as a fample of it, that I fhall very speedily ap'pear at White's in a cherry-coloured hat. I took this hint from the ladies hoods, which I look upon as the • boldest stroke that sex has ftruck for these hundred years • last past. I am, Sir, Your most obedient, most humble fervant, I have not time at present to make any reflexions on this letter, but must not however omit, that having fhewn it to Will Honeycomb, he defires to be acquainted with the gentleman who writ it. X N° 320 Friday, March 7. non pronuba Juno, Non Hymenæus adeft, non illi gratia letto: Ovid. Met. lib. 6. ver. 428. Nor Hymen, nor the graces here prefide, • Mr. Spectator, Y CROXAL. OU have given many hints in your papers to the difadvantage of perfons of your own fex, who lay plots upon women. Among other hard words you have published the term male-coquets, ⚫ and been very fevere upon fuch as give themselves the liberty of a little dalliance of heart, and playing fast ⚫ and loofe, between love and indifference, until perhaps an eafy young girl is reduced to fighs, dreanis, and tears; and languishes away her life for a careless coxcomb, who looks aftonished, and wonders at fuch an effect from what in him was all but common civility... • Thus you have treated the men who were irrefolute in marriage; but if you defign to be impartial, pray be fo honest as to print the information I now give you,, of a certain fet of women who never coquet for the matter, but with an high hand marry whom they please to whom they please. As for my part, I fhould not have concerned myfelf with them, but that I understand I am pitched upon, by them to be married, against my will, to one I never faw in my life. It has been my misfortune, Sir, very innocently, to rejoice, in a plentiful fortune, of which I am mafter, to be fpeak a fine chariot, to give direction for two or three handfome fnuff-boxes, and as many fuits of fine clothes; but before any of thefe were ready, I heard reports of my being to be married to two or three different young women. Upon my taking notice of it to a young gentleman who is often in my company, he told me fmiling, I was in the inquifition. You may believe I was not a little ftartled at what he meant, ⚫ and more fo when he asked me if I had befpoke any thing of late that was fine. I told him feveral; upon which he produced a defcription of my perfon, from the tradefmen whom I had employed, and told me that they had certainly informed against me. Mr. Spectator, whatever the world may think of me, I am more coxcomb than fool, and I grew very inquifitive upon this head, not a little pleafed with the novelty. My friend told me, there were a certain fet of women of fashion, whereof the number of fix made a committee, who fat thrice a week, under the title of the inquifition on maids and bachelors. It seems, whenever there comes fuch an unthinking gay thing as myself to town, he muft want all manner of neceffaries, or be put into the inquifition by the firft tradefman |
