⚫ determined to follow the Cafuift's Advice, and I dare fay he will not put me upon fo ferious a thing as Matrimony, contrary to my Înclination.

6

I am, &c.

Fanny Fickle.

P. S. I forgot to tell you, that the pretty Gentleman is the molt complaifant Creature in the World, and is always of my Mind but the other, forfooth, fancies he hath as much Wit as my felf, flights my Lap-dog, and hath the Infolence to contradict me when he thinks I am not in the Right. About half an Hour ago, he maintained to my Face, that a Patch always implies a Pimple.

AS I look upon it to be my Duty rather to fide with the Parents than the Daughter, I fhall propofe some Confiderations to my Gentle Querift, which may incline her to comply with thofe, under whofe Direction she is: And at the fame time, convince her, that it is not impoffible but she may, in time, have a true Affection for him who is, at prefent, indifferent to her; Or, to ufe the old Family Maxim, that, If she marries firft, Love will come after.

THE only Objection, that she feems to infinuate against the Gentleman propofed to her, is his want of Complaifance, which, I perceive, fhe is very willing to return. Now, I can discover from this very Circumftance, that fhe and her Lover, whatever they may think of it, are very good Friends in their Hearts. It is difficult to determine, whether Love delights more in giving Pleafure or Pain. Let Mifs Fickle ask her -own Heart, if the doth not take a Secret Pride in making this Man of good Senfe look very filly. Hath she ever been better pleas'd, than when her Behaviour hath made her Lover ready to hang himself? Or doth fhe ever rejoice more, than when he thinks he hath driven him to the very Brink of a purling Stream? Let her confider, at the fame time, that it is not impoffible

but

but her Lover may have difcovered her Tricks, and hath a mind to give her as good as fhe brings. I remember a hand fome young Baggage that treated a hopeful Greek of my Acquaintance, juft come from Oxford, as if he had been a Barbarian. The firft Week, after fhe had fixed him, fhe took a Pinch of Snuff out of his Rival's Box, and apparently touched the Enemy's little Finger. She became a profeft Enemy to the Arts and Sciences, and fcarce ever wrote a Letter to him without wilfully mispelling his Name. The young Scholar, to be even with her, railed at Coquettes as foon as he had got the Word; and did not want Parts to turn into Ridicule her Men of Wit and Pleasure of the Town. After having irritated one another for the Space of five Months, fhe made an Affignation with him fourfcore Miles from London. But as he was very well acquainted with her Pranks, he took a Journey the quite contrary Way. Accordingly they met, quarrel'd, and in a few Days were married. Their former Hoftilities are now the Subject of their Mirth, being content at prefent with that Part of Love only, which bestows Pleasure.

WOMEN, who have been married fome time, not having it in their Heads to draw after them a numerous Train of Followers, find their Satisfaction in the Poffeffion of one Man's Heart. I know very well, that Ladies in their Bloom defire to be excufed in this Particular. But when Time hath worn out their natural Vanity and taught them Difcretion, their Fondness settles on its proper Object. And it is probably for this Reason, that among Husbands, you will find more that are fond of Women beyond their Prime, than of thofe who are actually in the Infolence of Beauty. My Reader will apply the fame Obfervation to the other Sex.

I need not infift upon the Neceffity of their purfuing one common Intereft, and their united Care, for their Children; but fhall only obferve, by the Way, that married Perfons are both more warm in their Love, and more hearty in their Hatred, than any others whatsoever. Mutual Favours and Obligations, which may be fuppofed to be greater here than in any

other

other State, naturally beget an Intense Affection in generous Minds. As, on the contrary, Perfons who have bestowed fuch Favours, have a particular Bitterness in their Refentments, when they think themselves ill treated by those of whom they have deserved so much.

BESIDES, Mifs Fickle may confider, that as there are often many Faults conceal'd before Marriage, so there are fometimes many Virtues unobferv'd.

To this we may add the great Efficacy of Cuftom, and conftant Conversation, to produce a mutual Friendfhip and Benevolence in two Persons. It is a nice Reflexion, which I have heard a Friend of mine make, that you may be fure a Woman loves a Man, when the ufes his Expreffions, tells his Stories, or imitates his Manner. This gives a fecret Delight; for Imitation is a kind of artless Flattery, and mightily favours the powerful Principle of Self-love. It is certain, that married Perfons, who are poffeft with a mutual Efteem, not only catch the Air and way of Talk from one another, but fall into the fame Traces of thinking and liking. Nay, fome have carried the Remark fo far as to affert, that the Features of Man and Wife grow, in time, to resemble one another. Let my fair Correspondent therefore confider, that the Gentlemen recommended will have a good deal of her own Face in two or three Years; which the must not expect from the Beau, who is too full of his dear felf to copy after another. And I dare appeal to her own Judgment, if that Perfon will not be the hand fomeft, that is the most like her felf.

WE have a remarkable Inftance to our prefent Purpofe in the Hiftory of King Edgar, which I fhall here relate, and leave it with my fair Correfpondent to be applied to her felf.

THIS great Monarch, who is fo famous in British Story, fell in Love, as he made his Progrefs through his Kingdom, with a certain Duke's Daughter who lived near Winchefter, and was the most celebrated Beauty of the Age. His Importunities and the Violence of his Paffion were fo great, that the Mother of the young

Lady

Lady promifed him to bring her Daughter to his Bed the next Night, though in her Heart fhe abhorr'd fo infamous an Office. It was no fooner dark than fhe convey'd into his Room a young Maid of no difagreeable Figure, who was one of her Attendants, and did not want Address to improve the Opportunity for the Advancement of her Fortune. She made fo good ufe of her Time, that when he offered to rife a little before Day, the King could by no means think of parting with her. So that finding her felf under a Neceffity of difcovering who fhe was, fhe did it in fo hand fome a Manner, that his Majesty was exceeding gracious to her, and took her ever after under his Protection: infomuch that our Chronicles tell us he carried her along with him, made her his firft Minifter of State, and continued true to her alone, 'till his Marriage with the beautiful Elfrida.

N° 606. Wednesday, October 13.

༩

longum cantu folata laborem Arguto Conjux percurrit pectine telas.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Virg.

Have a couple of Neices under my Direction, who fo often run gadding abroad, that I don't know where to have them. Their Drefs, their Tea, and their Vifits take up all their Time, and they go to Bed as tired with doing nothing, as I am after quilting a whole Under-Petticoat. The only time they are not idle, is while they read your SPECTATORS; which being dedicated to the Interests of Virtue, I defire you to recommend the long neglected • Art of Needle-work. Thofe Hours which in this Age are thrown away in Drefs, Play, Vifits and the like, were employ'd, in my time, in writing our Receipts, or working Beds, Chairs, and Hangings for the

6

Family.

Family. For my Part, I have ply'd my Needle these fifty Years, and by my good Will would never have it out of my Hand. It grieves my Heart to fee a cou⚫ple of proud idle Flirts fipping their Tea, for a whole Afternoon, in a Room hung round with the Industry of their Great-Grandmother. Pray, Sir, take the lau⚫dable Mystery of Embroidery into your ferious Confideration, and as you have a great deal of the Virtue of the laft Age in you, continue your Endeavours to reform the prefent. I am, &c.

IN Obedience to the Commands of my venerable Correfpondent, I have duly weigh'd this important Subject, and promife my felf, from the Arguments here laid down, that all the fine Ladies of England will be ready, as foon as their Mourning is over, to appear covered with the Work of their own Hands.

WHAT a delightful Entertainment muft it be to the Fair Sex, whom their native Modefty, and the Tendernefs of Men towards them, exempts from Publick Bufinefs, to pass their Hours in imitating Fruits and Flowers, and tranfplanting all the Beauties of Nature into their own Drefs, or raifing a new Creation in their Clofets and Apartments. How pleafing is the Amufement of walking among the Shades and Groves planted by themfelves, in furveying Heroes flain by their Needle, or little Cupids which they have brought into the World without Pain!

THIS is, methinks, the moft proper way wherein a Lady can fhew a fine Genius, and I cannot forbear wifhing, that feveral Writers of that Sex had chofen to apply themselves rather to Tapefry than Rhime. Your Paftoral Poeteffes may vent their Fancy in Rural Landskips, and place defpairing Shepherds under filken Willows, or drown them in a Stream of Mohair. The Heroick Writers may work up Battles as fuccefsfully, and inflame them with Gold or ftain them with Crimfon. Even those who have only a Turn to a Song or an Epigram, may put many valuable Stitches into a Purfe, and crowd a thoufand Graces into a Pair of Garters.