St. James's Coffee-house, May 23.

LETTERS from the Hague of the twenty-third inftant, N. S. fay, Mr. Walpole (who is fince arrived) was going with all expedition to Great Britain, whither they doubted not but he carried with him the preliminaries to a treaty of peace. The French minifter, monfieur Torcy, has been obferved, in this whole negotiation, to turn his discourse upon the calamities fent down by Heaven upɔn France, and imputed the neceffities they were under to the immediate hand of Providence, in inflicting a general fcarcity of provifion, rather than the fuperior genius of the generals, or the bravery of the armies against them. It would be impious not to acknowledge the indulgence of Heaven to us; but at the fame time as we are to love our enemies, we are glad to fee them mortified enough to mix christianity with their politics. An authentic letter from madam Maintenon to monfieur Torcy has been stolen by a person about him, who has communicated a copy of it to fome of the dependents of a minifter of the allies. That epiftle is writ in the moft pathetic manner imaginable, and in a ftyle which thews her genius that has fo long engroffed the heart of this great monarch.

• SIR,

I RECEIVED yours, and am fenfible of the address and capacity with which you have hitherto tranfacted the great affair under your management. You will obferve, that our wants here are not to be concealed; and that it is vanity to use artifices with the knowing men with whom you are to deal. Let me beg you therefore, in this reprefentation of our circumstances, to lay afide art, which ceases to be fuch when it is seen, and make ufe of all your skill to gain us what advantages you, can from the enemy's jealoufy of each other's greatness; which is the place where only you have room for any dexterity. If you have any paffion for your unhappy ·

country,

country, or any affection for your diftreffed mafter, come home with peace. Oh heaven! do I live to talk of Lewis the Great, as the object of pity? The king shews a great uneafinefs to be informed of all that paffes; but at the fame time, is fearful of every one who appears in his prefence, left he fhould bring an account of fome new calamity. I know not in what terms to represent my thoughts to you, when I fpeak of the king, with rela tion to his bodily health. Figure to yourself that immortal man, who flood in our public places, reprefented with trophies, armour, and terrors, on his pedestal: confider, the invincible, the great, the good, the pious, the mighty, which were the ufual epithets we gave him, both in our language and thoughts. I fay, confider him whom you knew the most glorious and greatest of monarchs, and now think you fee the fame man an unhappy Lazar, in the loweft circumftances of human nature itself, without regard to the ftate from whence he is fallen. I write from his bed-fide: he is at prefent in a flumber, I have many, many things to add; but my tears flow too faft, and my forrow is too big for utterance.

I am, &c."

There is fuch a veneration due from all men to the perfons of princes, that it were a fort of dishonesty to reprefent further the condition which the king is in; but it is certain, that foon after the receipt of thefe advices, monfieur Torcy waited upon his grace the duke of Marlborough, and the lord Townthend; and in that conference gave up many points, which he had before faid were fuch, as he must return to France before he could answer.

NO

NO. 20.

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 1709.

White's Chocolate-house, May 24.

Ir is not to be imagined how far prepoffeffion will run away with people's understandings, in cafes wherein they are under prefent uneafineffes. The following narration is a fufficient teftimony of the truth of this obfervation.

I had the honour the other day of a vifit from a gentlewoman (a ftranger to me) who feemed to be about thirty. Her complexion is brown; but the air of her face has an agreeableness which furpaffes the beauties of the fairest women. There appeared in her look and mien a sprightly health; and her eyes had too much vivacity to become the language of complaint, which she began to enter into. She feemed fenfible of it; and therefore, with downcaft looks, faid fhe, Mr. Bickerftaff, you fee before you the unhappiest of women; and therefore, as you are esteemed by all the world both a great civilian, as well as an aftrologer, I must defire your advice and affistance, in putting me in a method of obtaining a divorce from a marriage, which I know the law will pro nounce void. Madam, faid I, your grievance is of fuch a nature, that you must be very ingenuous in representing the caufes of your complaint, or I cannot give you the fatisfaction you defire. Sir, the anfwers, I believe there would be no need of half your skill in the art of divina tion, to guess why a woman would part from her hufband. It is true, faid 1, but fufpicions, or gueffes at what you mean, nay certainty of it, except you plainly fpeak it, are no foundation for a formal fuit. She clapped her fan before her face; My husband, faid fhe, is no more an husband (here fhe burfts into tears) than one of the Italian fingers.

Madam, faid I, the affliction you complain of is to be redreffed by law; but, at the fame time, confider what mortifications you are to go through in bringing it into

open

open court; how will you be able to bear the impertinent whispers of the people prefent at the trial, the licentious reflections of the pleaders, and the interpretations that will in general be put upon your conduct by all the world? how little (will they fay) could that lady command her paffions! befides, confider, that curbing our defires is the greatest glory we can arrive at in this world, and will be moft rewarded in the next. She anfwered, like a prudent matron, Sir, if you please to remember the office of matrimony, the firft caufe of its inftitution is that of having pofterity: therefore, as to the curbing defires, I am willing to undergo any abftinence from food as you pleafe to enjoin me; but I cannot, with any quiet of mind, live in the neglect of a neceffary duty, and an exprefs commandment, Increase and multiply.' Obferving fhe was learned, and knew fo well the duties of life, I turned my argument rather to dehort her from this public procedure by examples than by precepts. Do but confider, madam, what crowds of beauteous women live in nunneries, fecluded for ever from the fight and converfation of men, with all the alacrity of fpirit imaginable; they spend their time in heavenly raptures, in constant and frequent devotions, and at proper hours in agreeable converfations. Sir, faid fhe haftily, tell not me of papists, or any of their idolatries. Well then, madam, confider how many fine ladies live innocently in the eye of the world, and this gay town, in the midst of temptation. There is the witty Mrs. W is a virgin of fortyfour, Mrs. T- s is thirty-nine, Mrs. L

6

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thirty-three; yet you fee they laugh, and are gay, at the Park, at the play-house, at balls, and at viits; and so much at eafe, that all this feems hardly a felf-denial. Mr. Bickerstaff, faid he, with fome emotion, you are an excellent cafuift; but the laft word deftroyed your whole argument; if it is not felf-denial, it is no virtue. I prefented you with an half-guinea, in hopes not only to have my confcience eafed, but my fortune told. Well, madam, faid I, pray of what age is your husband? He is, replied my injured client, fifty; and I have been his wife fifteen years. How happened it you never comcommunicated

2

Yet

municated your diftrefs, in all this time, to your friends and relations? She anfwered, he has been thus but a fortnight. I am the moft ferious man in the world to look at, and yet could not forbear laughing out, Why, madam, in cafe of infirmity, which proceeds only from age, the law gives no remedy. Sir, faid fhe, I find you have no more learning than Dr. Cafe, and I am told of a young man, not five and twenty, just come from Oxford, to whom I will communicate this whole matter, and doubt not but he will appear to have seven times more ufeful and fatisfactory knowledge than you and all your boafted family. Thus I have entirely loft my client: but if this tedious narrative preferves Paftorella from the intended marriage with one twenty years her fenior To fave a fine lady, I am contented to have my learning decried, and my predictions bound up with Poor Robin's Almanack.

THIS evening was acted The Recruiting Officer, in which Eftcourt's proper sense and obfervation is what fupports the play. There is not, in my humble opinion, the humour hit in Serjeant Kite; but it is admirably fupplied by his action. If I have fkill to judge, that man is an excellent actor; but the crowd of the audience are fitter for representations at May-fair, than a theatre-royal. Yet that fair is now broke, as well as the theatre is breaking; but it is allowed ftill to fell animals there. Therefore, if any lady or gentleman have occafion for a tame elephant, let them inquire of Mr. Pinkethman, who has one to difpofe of at a reasonable rate. The downfal of Mayfair has quite funk the price of this noble creature, as well as of many other curiofities of nature. A tyger will fell almost as cheap as an ox; and I am credibly informed, a man may purchase a cat with three legs, for very near the value of one with four. I hear likewise, that there is a great defolation among the gentlemen and ladies who were the ornaments of the town, and used to shine in plumes and diadems; the heroes being most of them preff

ed,