the Interefts of it. They have, indeed, had their deferved Effect; and if it were poffible for a Man, who has never entered into the State of Marriage, to know the Inftincts of a kind Father to an Honourable and Numerous House, I may fay I have done it. I do not know but my Regards, in fome Confiderations, have been more useful than those of a Father; and as I wanted all that Tenderness, which is the Byafs of Inclination in Men towards their own Offspring, I have had a greater Command of Reason when I was to judge of what concerned my Wards, and confequently was not prompted, by my Partiality and Fondnefs towards their Perfons, to tranfgrefs against their Interests.

AS the Female Part of a Family is the more constant and immediate Object of Care and Protection, and the more liable to Misfortune or Difhonour, as being in themfelves more fenfible of the former, and from Custom and Opinion for less Offences more expofed to the latter; I fhall begin with the more delicate Part of my Guardianship, the Women of the Family of Lizard. The Ancient and Religious Lady, the Dowager of my Friend Sir Ambrofe, has for fome time eftranged herself from Converfation, and admits only of the Vifits of her own Family. The Obfervation, That Old People remember beft thofe things which entered into their Thoughts when their Memories were in their full Strength and Vigour, is very remarkably exemplified in this good Lady and my felf when we are in Converfation: I choose indeed to go thither, to divert any Anxiety or Weariness, which at any time I find grow upon me from any present Bufinefs or Care. It is faid, that a little Mirth and Diverfion are what recreate the Spirits upon those Occafions; but there is a kind of Sorrow, from which I draw a Confolation that ftrengthens my Faculties and enlarges my Mind beyond any thing that can flow from Merriment. When we meet, we foon get over any Occur rence which paffed the Day before, and are in a Moment hurried back to those Days which only we call good ones: The Paffages of the Times when we were in fashion, with the Countenances, Behaviour and Jollity, fo much for footh above what any appear in now, are present to our Imaginations, and almost to our very Eyes. This Conver

Conversation revives to us the Memory of a Friend, that was more than my Brother to me; of a Husband, that was dearer than Life to her: Difcourfes about that dear and worthy Man generally fend her to her Closet, and me to the Dispatch of fome neceffary Business, which regards the Remains, I would fay the numerous Defcendants of my generous Friend. I am got, I know not how, out of what I was going to fay of this Lady; which was, that she is far gone towards a better World; and I mention her only (with Refpect to this) as she is the Object of Veneration to those who are derived from her: Whofe Behaviour towards her may be an Example to others, and make the Generality of young People apprehend, that when the Ancient are paft all Offices of Life, it is then the Young are to exert themfelves in their most laudable Duties towards them.

THE Widow of Sir Marmaduke is to be confidered in a very different View. My Lady is not in the fhining Bloom of Life, but at those Years, wherein the Grati fications of an ample Fortune, thofe of Pomp and Equipage, of being much efteemed, much vifited and generally admired, are ufually more ftrongly pursued than in younger Days: In this Condition fhe might very well add the Pleasures of Courtship and the grateful Perfecution of being followed by a Crowd of Lovers; but the is an excellent Mother and great Oeconomist; which Confiderations, joined with the Pleasure of living her own way, preferve her against the Intrufion of Love. I will not fay that my Lady has not a fecret Vanity in being ftill a fine Woman, and neglecting thofe Addreffes, to which perhaps we in part owe her Conftancy in that her Neglect.

HER Daughter Jane, her eldest Child of that Sex, is in the Twenty third Year of her Age, a Lady who forms her felf after the Pattern of her Mother; but in my Judgment, as the happens to be extremely like her, the fometimes makes her Court unfkilfully in affecting that Likenefs in her very Mein, which gives the Mother an uneasy Senfe, that Mrs. Jane really is what her Parent has a mind to continue to be; but 'tis poffible I am too obferving in this Particular, and this might be overlooked in them both, in refpect to greater Circumftances: For Mrs. Jane

is the Right hand of her Mother; it's her Study and conftant Endeavour to affift her in the Management of her Houfhold, to keep all idle Whispers from her, and difcourage them before they can come at her from any other hand; to enforce every thing that makes for the Merit of her Brothers and Sifters towards her, as well as the Diligence and Chearfulness of her Servants. It's by Mrs. Jane's Management, that the whole Family is governed, neither by Love nor Fear, but a certain Reverence which is compofed of both. Mrs. Jane is what one would call a perfect good young Woman; but neither ftri&t Piety, Diligence in Domestick Affairs, or any other Avocation, have preserved her against Love, which the bears to a young Gentleman of great Expectation, but small Fortune; at the fame time, that Men of very great Estates afk her of her Mother. My Lady tells her that Prudence muft give way to Paffion, so that Mrs. Jane, if I cannot accommodate the matter, muft conquer more than one Paffion, and out of Prudence banish the Man fhe loves, and marry the Man fhe hates.

THE next Daughter is Mrs. Annabella, who has a very lively Wit, a great deal of good Senfe, is very pretty, but gives me much trouble for her from a certain difhoneft Cunning I know in her; fhe can feem blind, and careless, and full of her felf only, and entertain with twenty affected Vanities, whilft fhe is obferving all the Company, laying up ftore for Ridicule; and, in a word, is felfifh, and Interested under all the agreeable Qualities in the World. Alas, what fhall I do with this Girl!

Mrs. CORNELIA paffes away her Time very much in Reading, and that with fo great an Attention, that gives her the Air of a Student, and has an ill effect upon her as The is a fine young Woman; the giddy part of the Sex will have it fhe is in Love; none will allow that fhe affects fo much being alone, but for want of particular Company. I have railed at Romances before her, for fear of her falling into thofe deep Studies: fhe has fallen in with my Humour that way for the time, but I know not how, my imprudent Prohibition has, it feems, only excited her Curiofity, and I am afraid fhe is better read than I know of, for fhe said of a Glass of Water in which she was going to wash her hands after Dinner, dipping her Fingers

Fingers with a pretty lovely Air, It is Chryftalin. I fhall examine further, and wait for clearer Proofs.

Mrs. BETTY is (I cannot by what means or methods imagine) grown mightily acquainted with what paffes in the Town; fhe knows all that matter of my Lord fuch a one's leading my Lady fuch a one out from the Play; fhe is prodigiously acquainted, all of a fudden, with the World, and afk'd her Sifter Jane t'other Day in an Argument, Dear Sifter, how should you know any thing, that hear nothing but what we do in our own Family? I don't much like her Maid.

Mrs. MARY the youngest Daughter, whom they rally and call Mrs. Ironfide, because I have named her the Sparkler, is the very Quintefcence of good Nature and Generofity; fhe is the perfect Picture of her Grandfather, and if one can imagine all good Qualities which adorn human Life become Feminine; the Seeds, nay the Bloffom of them, are apparent in Mrs. Mary. It is a Weaknefs I cannot get over, (for how ridiculous is a regard to the bodily Perfections of a Man who is dead) but I cannot refift the Partiality to this Child, for being fo like her Grandfather; how often have I turned from her, to hide the melting of my Heart when fhe has been talking to me! I am fure the Child has no Skill in it, for Artifice could not dwell under that Vifage; but if I am absent a Day from the Family, fhe is fure to be at my Lodging the next Morning to know what is the matter.

AT the head of these Children, who have very plentiful Fortunes, provided they marry with mine and their Mother's Confent, is my Lady Lizard, who, you cannot doubt, is very well vifited. Sir William Oger, and his Son almoft at Age, are frequently at our Houfe on a double Confideration. The Knight is willing, (for fo he very gallantly expreffes himself) to marry the Mother, or he'll confent, whether that be fo or not, that his Son Oliver fhall take any one of the Daughters Noll likes beft.

Mr. RIG BURT of the fame Connty, who gives in his Eftate much larger, and his Family more ancient, offers to deal with us for two Daughters.

SIR Harry Pandolf has writ Word from his Seat in the Country, that he alfo is much inclin'd to an Alliance with the Lizards, which he has declar'd in the following Letter to my Lady; fhe fhewed it me this Morning.

Madam,

I

Have heard your Daughters very well spoken of; and tho' I have very great Offers in my own Neighbourhood, and heard the Small-Pox is very rife at London, I will fend my eldest Son to fee them, provided that by your Ladyfhip's Anfwer, and your liking of the • Rent-Roli which I fend herewith, your Ladyfhip affure me he fhall have one of them, for I don't think to have my Son refufed by any Woman; and fo, Ma• dam, I conclude,

N° 6.

I

Your moft bumble Servant,
Henry Pandolf.

Wednesday, March 18.

Have difpatched my young Women, and the Town has them among them; it is neceffary for the Elucidation of my future Difcourfes, which I defire may be denominated, as they are the Precepts of a Guardian, Mr. Ironfide's Precautions: I fay it is, after what has been already declared, in the next place neceffary to give an Account of the Males of this worthy Family, whofe Annals I am writing. The Affairs of Women being chiefly Domestick, and not made up of fo many Circumftances, as the Duties of Men are, I fear I cannot dispatch the Account of the Males under my Care in fo few Words as I did the Explanation which regarded my Women.

SIR Harry Lizard, of the County of Northampton, Son and Heir of the late Sir Marmaduke, is now entered upon the twenty fixth Year of his Age, and is now at his Seat in the Country.

THE