: 193 had the grave way to an excellence. He came in first; tout upon feeing a fervant coming towards him, with a defign to tell him, this was no place for him or his companions, up' goes my grave impudence to the maid; Young woman, faid he, if any of the ladies are in the way on this fide of the house, pray carry us on the other fide towards the gardens: we are, you must know, gentlemen that are travelling England; after which we hall go into foreign parts, where fome of us have already been. Here he bows in the most humble manner, and kiffed the girl, who knew not how to behave to such a fort of carriage. He goes on: Now you must know we have an ambition to have it to say, that we have a protef tant nunnery in England: but pray, Mrs. Betty Sir, The replied, my name is Sufan, at your fervice. Then I heartily beg your pardonNo offence in the leaft, fays fhe, for I have a coufin-german, whofe name is Betty. Indeed, faid he, I proteft to you, that was more than I knew I fpoke at random: but fince it happens that I was near in the right, give me leave to prefent this gentleman to the favour of a civil falute. His friend advances, and so on, until they had all faluted her. By this means, the poor girl was in the middle of the crowd of these fellows, at a loss what to do, without courage to pass through them; and the Platonics, at feveral peep-holes, pale, trembling, and fretting. Rake perceived they were obferved, and therefore took care to keep Sukey in chat with queftions concerning their way of life; when appeared at laft Madonella, a lady who had writ a fine book concern ing the reclufe life, and was the projectrix of the foundation. She approaches into the hall; and Rake, knowing the dignity of his own mien and afpect, goes deputy from his company. She begins; Sir, I am obliged to follow the fervant, who was fent out to know, what affair could make ftrangers prefs upon a folitude which we, who are to inhabit this place, have devoted to heaven and our own thoughts? Madam, replies Rake, (with an air of great diftance, mixed with a certain indifference, by which he could diffemble diffimulation) your great intention has VOL. I. made made more noise in the world, than you design it should; and we travellers, who have seen many foreign inftitutions of this kind, have a curiofity to fee, in its first rudiments, the feat of primitive piety; for fuch it must be called by future ages, to the eternal honour of the founders. I have read Madonella's excellent and feraphic discourse on this fubject. The lady immediately anfwers, If what I have faid could have contributed to raise any thoughts in you that may make for the advancement of intellectual and divine converfation, I fhould think myfelf extremely happy. He immediately fell back with the profoundeft veneration; then advancing, Are you then that admired lady? if I may approach lips which have uttered things fo facred He falutes her. His friends followed his example. The devoted within food in amazement where this would end, to fee Madonella receive their address and their company. But Rake goes on- -We would not tranfgrefs rules; but if we may take the liberty to fee the place you, have thought fit to choose for ever, we would go into fuch parts of the gardens, as is confiftent with the feverities you have impofed on yourselves. To be fhort, Madonella pernitted Rake to lead her into the affembly of nuns, followed by his friends, and each took his fair one by the hand, after due explanation, to walk round the gardens. The converfation turned upon the lilies, the flowers, the arbours, and the growing vegetables; and Rake had the folemn impudence, when the whole company stood round him, to fay, that he fincerely wifhed men might rise out of the earth like plants; and that our minds were not of neceffity to be fullied with carnivorous appetites for the generation, as well as fupport, of our fpecies. This was spoke with fo eafy and fixed an affurance, that Madonella anfwered, Sir, under the notion of a pious thought, you deceive yourself in wifhing an inftitution foreign to that of Providence. Thefe defires, were implanted in, us for reverend purposes, in preferving the race of men, and giving opportunities for making our chastity more heroic. The Conference was continued in this celeftial ftrain, and car tied on fo well by the managers on both fides, that it created created a second and a third interview; and, without entering into further particulars, there was hardly one of them but was a mother or father that day twelvemonth. Any unnatural part is long taking up, and as long lay ing afide; therefore Mr. Sturdy may affure himself, Platonica will fly for ever from a forward behaviour; but if he approaches her according to this model, fhe will fall in with the neceffities of mortal life, and condescend to look with pity upon an unhappy man, imprisoned in fo much body, and urged by fuch violent defires.. From my own Apartment, June 22. THE evils of this town increase upon me to fo great a degree, that I am half afraid I fhall not leave the world much better than I found it. Several worthy gentlemea and critics have applied to me, to give my cenfure of an enormity which has been revived, after being long fuppreffed, and is called punning. I have feveral arguments. ready to prove, that he cannot be a man of honour, who is guilty of this abuse of human fociety. But the way to expofe it is, like the expedient of curing drunkennefs, fhewing a man in that condition: therefore I muft give my reader warning, to expect a collection of these offences; without which preparation, I thought it too adventurous to introduce the very mention of it in good com-, pany; and I hope, I fhall be understood to do it, as a divine mentions oaths and curfes, only for their condemnation. I fhall dedicate this difcourfe to a gentleman, my. very good friend, who is the Janus of our times, and who, by his years and wit, you would take to be of the lat age; but by his drefs and morals, of this. St. James's Coffee-house, June 22. is LAST night arrived two mails from Holland, which bring letters from the Hague of the twenty-eighth inftant, N. S. with advice, that the enemy lay encamped behind a ftrong retrenchment, with the marfh of Romiere on their right and left, extending itself as far as Bethune: La Baffe is in their front, Lens in their rear, and their camp ftrengthened by another line from Lens to Doway. The duke of Marlborough caufed an exact obfervation to be made of their ground, and the works by which they were covered, which appeared fo ftrong, that it was not thought proper to attack them in their prefent pofture. However, the duke thought fit to make a feint as if he defigned it: his grace accordingly marched from the abbey at Looze, as did prince Eugene from Lampret, and advanced with all poffible diligence towards the enemy. To favour the appearance of an intended affault, the ways were made, and orders diftributed in fuch manner, that none in either camp could have thoughts of any thing but charging the enemy by break of day next morning: but foon after the fall of the night of the twenty-fixth, the whole army faced towards Tournay, which place they invefted early in the morning of the twenty-feventh. The marfhal Villars was fo confident that we defigned to attack him, that he had drawn great part of the garrifon of the place, which is now invested, into the field: for which reafon, it is prefumed, it must fubmit within a fmall time, which the enemy cannot prevent, but by coming out of their prefent camp, and hazarding a general engagement, Thefe advices add, that the garrifon of Mons had marched out under the command of marfhal d'Arco; which, with the Bavarians, Walloons, and the troops of Cologne, have joined the grand army of the enemy. NO. By Mrs. Jenny Distaff, Half-Sister to Mr. Bickerstaff. From my own Apartment, June 23. My brother has made an excurfion into the country, and the work against Saturday lies upon me. I am very glad I have got pen and ink in my hand; for I have for fome time longed for his abfence, to give a right idea of things, which I thought he put in a very odd light, and fome of them to the difadvantage of my own fex. It is much to be lamented, that it is neceffary to make difcourfes, and publifh treatifes, to keep the horrid creatures, the men, within the rules of common decency. Turning over the papers of memorials or hints for the enfuing difcourfes, I find a letter fubfcribed by Mr. Tru man. • SIR, I AM lately come to town, and have read your works with much pleafure: you make wit subfervient to good principles and good manners. Yet because I defign to buy the Tatlers for my daughters to read, I take the freedom to defire you for the future to fay nothing about any combat between Alexander and Thalef tris.' This offence gives me occafion to exprefs myself with the refentment I ought, on people who take liberties of fpeech before that fex, of whom the honoured names of mother, daughter, and fifter are a part: I had like to have named wife in the number, but the fenfelefs world are fo mistaken in their fentiments of pleasure, that the moft amiable term in human life is become the derifion of fools and fcorners. My brother and I have at least fifty times quarrelled upon this topic. I ever argue, that the K 3 frailties |