viour to his Age, and makes Clodius, who was a cele. brated Dancer at five and twenty, still love to hobble in a Minuet, tho' he is paft Threefcore. It is this, in a Word, which fills the Town with elderly Fops, and fuperannuated Coquets.

CANIDIA, a Lady of this latter Species, paffed by me Yesterday in her Coach. Canidia was an haughty Beauty of the laft Age, and was followed by Crowds of Adorers, whofe Paffions only pleafed her, as they gave her Opportunities of playing the Tyrant. She then contracted that awful Cait of the Eye and forbidding Frown, which he has not yet laid afide, and has ftill all the Infolence of Beauty without its Charms. If the now attracts the Eyes of any Beholders, it is only by being remarkably ridiculous; even her own Sex laugh at her Affectation; and the Men, who always enjoy an ill-natured Pleasure in feeing an imperious Beauty humbled and neglected, regard her with the fame Satisfaction that a free Nation fees a Tyrant in Difgrace.

WILI. HONEYCOMB, who is a great Admirer of the Galantries in King Charles the Second's Reign, lately communicated to me a Letter written by a Wit of that Age to his Mistress, who it seems was a Lady of Canidia's Humour; and tho' I do not always approve of my Friend WILL'S Tafte, I liked this Letter fo well, that I took a Copy of it, with which I fhall here prefent my Reader.

८

MADAM,

To CLOE.

INCE my waking Thoughts have never been able to influence you in my Favour, I am refolved to try whether my Dreams can make any Impreffion on you. To this end I fhall give you an Account of a very odd one which my Fancy prefented to me laft Night, ⚫ within a few Hours after I left you.

METHOUGHT I was unaccountably conveyed • into the most delicious Place mine Eyes ever beheld, it was a large Valley divided by a River of the pureft Wa" ter I had ever feen. The Ground on each Side of it rofe by an eafy Afcent, and was covered with Flowers ⚫ of an infinite Variety, which as they were reflected in

the

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'the Water doubled the Beauties of the Place, or rather formed an Imaginary Scene more beautiful than the real. On each fide of the River was a Range of lofty Trees, whofe Boughs were loaded with almost as many < Birds as Leaves. Every Tree was full of Harmony. I had not gone far in this pleasant Valley, when I perceived that it was terminated by a most magnificent Temple. The Structure was ancient, and regular. On the Top of it was figured the God Saturn, in the fame Shape and Dress that the Poets ufually reprefent Time.

AS I was advancing to fatisfy my Curiofity by a nearer View, I was stopped by an Object far more beautiful than any I had before difcovered in the whole Place. I fancy, Madam, you will eafily guess that this could hardly be any thing but your felf; in reality it was fo; you lay extended on the Flowers by the fide of the River, fo that your Hands which were thrown ⚫ in a negligent Posture, almoft touched the Water. Your Eyes were closed; but if your Sleep deprived me of the < Satisfaction of feeing them, it left me at leifure to con⚫ template feveral other Charms, which difappear when your Eyes are open. I could not but admire the Tranquillity you flept in, especially when I confidered the Uneafinefs you produce in fo many others.

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• WHILE I was wholly taken up in thefe Reflections, the Doors of the Temple flew open, with a very great Noife; and lifting up my Eyes, I faw two Figures, in human Shape, coining into the Valley. Upon a nearer Survey, I found them to be YouтH and LOVE. The first was incircled with a kind of Purple Light, that fpread a Glory over all the Place; the other held a fiaming Torch in his Hand. I could obferve, that all the way as they came towards us, the Colours of the Flowers appeared more lively, the Trees shot out in Bloffoms, the Birds threw themselves into Pairs, and ferenaded ⚫ them as they paffed: The whole Face of Nature glowed ⚫ with new Beauties. They were no fooner arrived at ⚫ the Place where you lay, when they feated themselves ⚫ on each Side of you. On their Approach, methought I faw a new Bloom arife in your Face, and new Charms • diffuse themselves over your whole Perfon. You appeared more than Mortal; but, to my great Surprise,

I 2

con

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continued fast afsleep, tho' the two Deities made feveral gentle Efforts to awaken you.

AFTER a fhort Time, YOUTH (difplaying a Pair of Wings, which I had not before taken notice of) ⚫ flew off. LOVE ftill remained, and holding the Torch which he had in his Hand before your Face, you still • appeared as beautiful as ever. The glaring of the Light in your Eyes at length awaken'd you; when, to my great Surprise, inftead of acknowledging the Favour of the Deity, you frowned upon him, and ftruck the Torch out of his Hand into the River. The God after having regarded you with a Look that spoke at once his Pity and Displeasure, flew away. Immediate ⚫ly a kind of Gloom overfpread the whole Place. At ⚫ the fame time I faw an hideous Spectre enter at one end of the Valley. His Eyes were funk into his Head, his Face was pale and withered, and his Skin puckered up in Wrinkles. As he walked on the fides of the Bank the River froze, the Flowers faded, the Trees fhed their Bloffoms, the Birds dropped from off the Boughs, and ⚫ fell dead at his Feet. By thefe Marks I knew him to be OLD-AGE. You were feized with the utmoft Horror and Amazement at his Approach: You endea<voured to have fled, but the Phantom caught you in his Arms. You may eafily guefs at the Change you fuffered in this Embrace. For my own Part, though I am ftill too full of the dreadful Idea, I will not fhock you with a Description of it. I was fo ftartled at the Sight that my Sleep immediately left me, and I found · my felf awake, at leafure to confider of a Dream which feems too extraordinary to be without a Meaning. I am, Madam, with the greatest Paffion,

Your most obedient,

X

moft humble Servant, &c.

Friday,

I

Friday, February 15.

Lachrymæque decora,

Gratior & pulchro veniense corpore Virtus. Vir.Æn .5.

Read what I give for the Entertainment of this Day with a great deal of Pleasure, and publish it just as it came to my Hands. I fhall be very glad to find there are many guessed at for Emilia.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

F this paper has the good Fortune to be honoured with a Place in your Writings, I fhall be the more pleafed, because the Character of Emilia is not an imaginary but a real one. I have industriously obscured the whole by the Addition of one or two Circumstances of no Confequence, that the Perfon it is drawn from might ftill be concealed; and that the Writer of it might not be in the leaft fufpected, and for fome other Reafons, I chufe not to give it the Form of a Letter: But if, befides the Faults of the Compofition, there be any thing in it more proper for a Correspondent than the SPECTATOR himself to write, I fubmit it to your better Judgment, to receive any other Model you think

• fit.

I am, SIR,

Your very bumble Servant.

THERE is nothing which gives one fo pleafing a Profpect of human Nature, as the Contemplation of Wifdom and Beauty: The latter is the peculiar Portion of that Sex which is therefore called Fair; but the happy Concur rence of both these Excellencies in the fame Perfon, is a Character too celestial to be frequently met with. Beauty is an over-weaning felf-fufficient thing, careless of provi ding it felf any more substantial Ornaments; nay fo little does it confult its own Interefts, that it too often defeats it felf by betraying that Innocence which renders it lovely

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and.

and defirable. As therefore Virtue makes a beautiful Woman appear more beautiful, fo Beauty makes a virtuous Woman really more virtuous. Whilst I am confidering these two Perfections gloriously united in one Perfon, I cannot help reprefenting to my Mind the Image of Emilia.

WHO ever beheld the charming Emilia, without feeling in his Breaft at once the Glow of Love and the Tenderness of virtuous Friendship? The unstudied Graces of her Behaviour, and the pleafing Accents of her Tongue, infenfibly draw you on to with for a nearer Enjoyment of them; but even her Smiles carry in them a filent Reproof to the Impulfes of licentious Love. Thus, tho' the Attractives of her Beauty play almost irrefiflibly upon you and create Defire, you immediately fland corrected not by the Severity but the Decency of her Virtue. That Sweetnefs and Good-humour which is fo vifible in her Face, naturally diffufes it felf into every Word and Action: A Man muft be a Savage, who at the fight of Emilia, is not more inclined to do her Good than gratify himself. Her Perfon, as it is thus ftudiously embellished by Nature, thus adorned with unpremeditated Graces, is a fit Lodging for a Mind fo fair and lovely; there dwell rational Piety, modeft Hope, and chearful Refignation.

MANY of the prevailing Paffions of Mankind do undefervedly pass under the Name of Religion; which is thus made to exprefs itfelf in Action, according to the Naturé of the Conftitution in which it refides: So that were we to make a Judgment from Appearances, one would imagine Religion in fome is little better than Sullennefs and Referve, in many Fear, in others the Defpondings of a melancholy Complexion, in others the Formality of infignificant unaffecting Obfervances, in others Severity, in others Oftentation. In Emilia it is a Principle founded in Reason and enlivened with Hope; it does not break forth into irregular Fits and Sallies of Devotion, but is an uniform and confiftent Tenour of Action; It is ftrict without Severity, compaffionate without Weakness; it is the Perfection of that Good-humour which proceeds from the Understanding, not the Effect of an easy Constitution.

BY a generous Sympathy in Nature, we feel our felves difpofed to mourn when any of our Fellow-Creatures are afflicted; but injured Innocence and Beauty in Diftrefs, is

an.