for that reafon your animadverfions on that fubject would be the more acceptable to, Sir, your moit humble fervant, B. D.

MR. SPECTATOR,

JUNE THE 15th. AS I hope there are but few that have fo little gratitude as not to acknow. ledge the usefulness of your pen, and to efteem it a public benefit; so I am fenfible, be that as it will, you must nevertheless find the fecret and incomparable pleasure of doing good, and be a great fharer in the entertainment you give. I acknowledge our fex to be much obliged, and I hope improved by your labours, and even your intentions, more particularly for our fervice. If it be true, as it is fometimes faid, that our sex have an influence on the other, your paper may be a yet more general good. Your directing us to reading is certainly the best means to our inftruc. tion; but I think, with you, caution in that particular very ufeful, fince the improvement of our understandings may, or may not, be of fervice to us, according as it is managed. It has been thought we are not generally fo ignorant as ill-taught; or that our fex does fo often want wit, judgment, or knowledge, as the right application of them; you are fo well-bred, as to fay your fair readers are already deeper fcholars than the beaux, and that you could name fome of them that talk much better than feveral gentlemen that make a figure at Will's: this may poffibly be, and no great compliment, in my opinion, even fuppofing your comparifon to reach Tom's and the Grecian: fure you are too wife to think that a real commenda

tion of a woman. Were it not rather to be wished we improved in our own fphere, and approved ourselves better daughters, wives, mothers, and friends? I cannot but agree with the judicious trader in Cheaplide, though I am not at all prejudiced in his favour, in recommending the ftudy of arithmetic; and muft diffent even from the authority which you mention, when it advifes the making our fex fcholars. Indeed a little more philofophy, in order to the fubduing our paffions to our reason, might be fometimes ferviceable, and a treatife of that nature I fhould approve of, even in exchange for Theodofius, or the Force of Love; but as I well know you want not hints, I will proceed no further than to recommend the Bishop of Cambray's Education of a Daughter, as it is tranflated into the only language I have any knowledge of, though perhaps very much to it's dif advantage. I have heard it objected against that piece, that it's inftructions are not of general ufe, but only fitted for a great lady; but I confefs I am not of that opinion; for I do not remember, that there are any rules laid down for the expences of a woman, in which particular only I think a gentlewoman ought to differ from a lady of the bett fortune, or highest quality, and not in their principles of juftice, gratitude, fincerity, prudence, or modefty. I ought perhaps to make an apology for this long epiftle; but as I rather believe you a friend to fincerity, than ceremony, shall only affure you I am, Sir, your most humble fervant,

ANABELLA.

attribute very justly the fource of our general iniquity to board-wages, and the manner of living out of a domeftic way; but I cannot give you my thoughts on this fubject any way fo well, as by a fhort account of my own life to this the forty-fifth year of my age; that is to fay, from my being first a footboy at fourteen, to my prefent ftation of a nobleman's porter in the year of my age above-mentioned.

Know then, that my father was a poor tenant to the family of Sir Stephen Rackrent. Sir Stephen put me to fchool, or rather made me follow his fon Harry to fchool, from my ninth year; and there, though Sir Stephen paid fomething for my learning, I was ufed like a fervant, and was forced to get what fcraps of learning I could by my own induftry, for the fchoolmaster took very little notice of me. My young mafter was a lad of very sprightly parts; and my being constantly about him, and loving him, was no small advantage to me. My mafter loved me extremely, and has often been whipped for not keeping me at a distance. He used always to fay, that when he came to his eftate I fhould have a leafe of my father's tenement for nothing. I came up to town with him to Westminster-school; at which time he taught me at night all he learnt; and put me to find out words in the dictionary when he was about his exercife. It was the will of Providence that mafter Harry was taken very ill of a fever, of which he died within ten days after his firft falling fick. Here was the first forrow I ever knew; and I affure you, Mr. Spectator, I remember the beautiful action of the fweet youth in his fever, as freth as if it were yefterday. If he wanted any thing, it must be given him by Tom: when I let any thing fall through the grief I was under, he would cry- Do not beat the poor boy give him fome more julep for me, nobody elfe fhall give it me.' He would ftrive to hide his being so bad, when he faw I could not bear his being in fo much danger, and comforted me, faying Tom, Tom, have a good heart. When I was holding up a cup at his mouth, he fell into convulfions; and at this very time I hear my dear master's laft groan. I was quick ly turned out of the room, and left to fob and beat my head against the wall at my leifure. The grief I was in was

inexpreffible; and every body thought it would have coft me my life. In a few days my old lady, who was one of the houfe-wives of the world, thought of turning me out of doors, because I put her in mind of her fon. Sir Stephen propofed putting me to prentice; but my lady being an excellent manager, would not let her husband throw away his money in acts of charity. I had fenfe enough to be under the utmost indignation, to fee her difcard with fo little concern, one her fon had loved fo much; and went out of the houfe to ramble wherever my feet would carry me.

The third day after I left Sir Stephen's family, I was ftrolling up and down the walks in the Temple. A young gentleman of the houfe, who, as I heard him fay afterwards, feeing me halftarved and well dreffed, thought me an equipage ready to his hand, after very little enquiry more than Did I want a master? bid me follow him; I did fo, and in a very little while thought myself the happieft creature in this world. My time was taken up in carrying letters to wenches, or metfages to young ladies of my master's acquaintance. We rambled from tavern to tavern, to the play-houfe, the mulberry-garden, and all places of refort; where my mafter engaged every night in fome new amour, in which and drinking he spent all his time when he had money. During these extravagancies I had the pleasure of lying on the ftairs of a tavern half a night, playing at dice with other fervants, and the like idleneffes. When my maiter was moneylefs, I was generally employed in tranfcribing amorous pieces of poetry, old fongs, and new lampoons. This life held until my matter married, and he had then the prudence to turn me off, becaufe I was in the fecret of his intrigues.

I was utterly at a lofs what course to take next; when at last I applied myself to a fellow-fufferer, one of his miftrefles, a woman of the town. She happening at that time to be pretty full of money, clothed me from head to foot; and knowing me to be a sharp fellow, employed me accordingly. Sometimes I was to go abroad with her, and when the had pitched upon a young fellow, the thought for her turn, I was to be dropped as one fhe could not truft. She would often cheapen goods at the New Exchange; and when the had a mind

to be attacked, fhe would fend me away on an errand. When an humble fervant and the were beginning a parley, I came immediately, and told her Sir John was come home; then he would order another coach to prevent being dogged. The lover makes figns to me as I get behind the coach, I shake my head it was impoffible: I leave my lady at the next turning and follow the cully to know how to fall in his way on another occafion. Befides good offices of this nature, I writ all my mistrefs's love-letters; some from a lady that faw fuch a gentleman at fuch a place in fuch a coloured coat; fome fhewing the terror fhe was in of a jealous old hufhand; others explaining that the feverity of her parents was fuch, though her fortune was fettled, that the was willing to run away with fuch a one, though the knew he was but a younger brother. In a word, my half education and love of idle books made me outwrite all that made love to her by way of epiftle; and as the was extremely cunning, fhe did well enough in company by a skilful affectation of the greatest modefty. In the midst of all this I was furprized with a letter from her and a ten pound note.

HONEST TOM,

YOU will never fee me more. yo I am married to a cunning country gentleman, who might poffibly guefs fomething if I kept you still; therefore farewell.

When this place was lost also in marriage, I was refolved to go among quite another people for the future; and got in butler to one of thofe families where there is a coach kept, three or four fervants, a clean houfe, and a good gene ral outfide upon a fmall eftate. Here I lived very comfortably for fome time, until I unfortunately found my mafter, the very graveft man alive, in the garret with the chambermaid. I knew the

A

world too well to think of staying there; and the next day pretended to have received a letter out of the country that my father was dying, and got my difcharge with a bounty for my difcretion.

The next I lived with was a peevish fingle man, whom I ftayed with for a year and a half. Moft part of the time I paffed very eafily; for when I began to know him, I minded no more than he meant what he faid; fo that one day in good humour he said, I was the best man he ever had, by my want of respect to him.

Thefe, Sir, are the chief occurrences of my life; and I will not dwell upon very many other places I have been in, where I have been the fstrangest fellow in the world, where no body in the world had fuch fervants as they, where fure they were the unluckieft people in the world in fervants, and fo forth. All I mean by this representation, is, to shew you that we poor fervants are not, what you called as too generally, all rogues; but that we are what we are, according to the example of our fuperiors. In the family I am now in, I am guilty of no one fin but lying; which I do with a grave face in my gown and staff every day I live, and almost all day long, in denying my Lord to impertinent fuitors, and my Lady to unwelcome vifitants. But, Sir, I am to let you know, that I am, when I can get abroad, a leader of the fervants; I am he that keeps time with beating my cudgel against the boards in the gallery at an opera; I am he that am touched so properly at a tragedy, when the people of quality are ftaring at one another during the most important incidents: when you hear in a crowd a cry in the right place, an hum where the point is touched in a speech, or an huzza fet up where it is the voice of the people; you may conclude it is begun, or joined by, Sir, your more than humble fervant, T

THOMAS TRUSTY.

PROJECERE ANIMAS

VIRG. N. VI. V.

v. 436.

MONG the loofe papers which I have frequently spoken of heretofore, I find a converfation between Pha

ramond and Eucrate upon the subject of duels, and the coppy of an edict iffued in confequence of that difcourfe.

Eucrate

Encrate argued, That nothing but the most severe and vindictive punishments, fuch as placing the bodies of the offenders in chains, and putting them to death by the most exquisite torments, would be fufficient to extirpate a crime which had fo long prevailed, and was fo firmly fixed in the opinion of the world as great and laudable: but the king anfwered, That indeed inftances of ignominy were neceffary in the cure of this evil; but confidering that it prevailed only among fuch as had a nicety in their fenfe of honour, and that it often happened that a duel was fought to fave appearances to the world, when both parties were in their hearts in amity and reconciliation to each other; it was evident, that turning the mode another way would effectually put a stop to what had being only as a mode. That to fuch perfons poverty and fhame were torments fufficient: that he would not go further in punishing in others, crimes which he was fatisfied he himself was most guilty of, in that he might have prevented them by fpeaking his difpleafure fooner. Befides which the king faid, he was in general averfe to tortures, which was putting human nature itfelf, rather than the criminal, to difgrace; and that he would be fure not to ufe this means where the crime was but an ill effect arifing from a laudable caufe, the fear of fhame. The king, at the fame time, fpoke with much grace upon the fubject of mercy; and repented of many acts of that kind which had a magnificent afpect in the doing, but dreadful confequences in the example. Mercy to particulars, he obferved, was cruelty in the general: that though a prince could not revive a dead man by taking the life of him who killed him, neither could he make a reparation to the next that should die by the evil example; or anfwer to himself for the partiality, in not pardoning the next as well as the former offender. As for me,' fays Pharamond, I have conquered France, and yet have given laws to my people: the laws are my methods of life; they are not a diminution but a direction to my power. I am still abfolute to diftinguish the innocent ' and the virtuous, to give honours to the brave and generous: I am abfolute in my good-will; none can oppofe my bounty, or prefcribe rules for my favour. While I can, as I pleafe,

reward the good, I am under no pain that I cannot pardon the wicked; for which reafon, continued Pharamond, I will effectually put a stop to this evil, by expofing no more the tendernefs of my nature to the importunity of having the fame refpect to thofe 'who are miferable by their fault, and ⚫ those who are fo by their misfortune. Flatterers,' conclude the king finil ing, repeat to us princes, that we are • Heaven's vicegerents; let us be so, and let the only thing out of our power be to do ill.'

Soon after the evening wherein Pharamond and Eucrate had this converfation, the following edict was published.

PHARAMOND, KING OF THE GAULS, TO ALL HIS LOVING SUBJECTS SENDETH GREETING.

WHEREAS it has come to our

royal notice and obfervation, that in contempt of all laws divine and human, it is of late become a custom among the nobility and gentry of this our kingdom, upon flight and trivial, as well as great and urgent provocations, to invite each other into the field, there by their own hands, and of their own authority, to decide their controverfies by combat; we have thought fit to take the faid cuftom into our royal confideration, and find, upon inquiry into the ufual caufes wher son fuch fatal decifions have arifen, that by this wicked custom, maugre all the precepts of our holy reli gion, and the rules of right reafon, the greatest act of the human mind, forgivenefs of injuries, is become vile and hameful; that the rules of good fociety and virtuous converfation are hereby inverted; that the loofe, the vain, and the impudent, infult the careful, the difcreet, and the modest; that all virtue is fuppreffed, and all vice fupported, in the one act of being capable to dare to the death. We have alfo further, with great forrow of mind, obferved, that this dreadful action, by long impunity, (our royal attention being employed upon matters of more general concern) is become honourable, and the refufal to engage in it ignominious. In thefe our royal cares and inquiries we are yet farther made to understand, that the perfons of most eminent worth, and moft

2 B 2

hopeful

hopeful abilities, accompanied with the ftrongest paffion for true glory, are fuch as are most liable to be involved in the dangers arifing from this licence. Now taking the faid premifes into our ferious confideration, and well weighing that all fuch emergencies (wherein the mind is incapable of commanding itfelf, and where the injury is too fudden or too exquifite to be borne) are particularly provided for by laws heretofore enacted; and that the qualities of lefs injuries, like thofe of ingratitude, are too nice and delicate to come under general rules; we do refolve to blot this fashion, or wantonness of anger, out of the minds of our fubjects, by our royal resolutions declared in this edict as follows:

No perfon who either fends or accepts a challenge, or the pofterity of either, though no death enfues thereupon, fhall he, after the publication of this our edict, capable of bearing office in these our domirions.

The perfon who shall prove the fend

TH

ing or receiving a challenge, fhall receive to his own ufe and property, the whole perional eftate of both parties; and their real eftate fhall be immediately vested in the next heir of the offenders in as ample manner as if the said offenders were actually deceased.

In cafes where the laws, which we have already granted to our subjects, admit of an appeal for blood; when the criminal is condemned, by the faid ap peal, he fhall not only fuffer death, but his whole estate, real, mixed and perfonal, fhall from the hour of his death be vested in the next heir of the perfon whofe blood he spilt.

That it shall not hereafter be in our royal power, or that of our fucceffors, to pardon the faid offences, or restore the offenders in their eftates, honour, or blood for ever.

Given at our court at Blois, the 8th of February 420, in the fecond year of our reign.

I

HERE is not fo variable a thing in nature as a lady's head-drefs: within my own memory I have known it rife and fall above thirty degrees. About ten years ago it fhot up to a very great height, infomuch that the female part of our fpecies were much taller than the men. The women were of fuch an enormous ftature, that we appeared as grafhoppers before them:' at prefent, the whole fex is in a manner dwarfed and fhrunk into a race of beauties that feem almost another fpecies. remember feveral ladies who were once very near feven feet high, that at prefent want fome inches of five: how they came to be thus curtailed I cannot learn; whether the whole fex be at prefent under any penance which we know nothing of, or whether they have caft their headdreffes in order to furprife us with fomething in that kind which shall be entire ly new; or whether fome of the tallest of the fex, being too cunning for the reft, have contrived this method to make themselves appear fizeable, is ftill

Juv. SAT. VI. v. 500.

T

a fecret; though I find most are of opinion, they are at prefent like trees new lopped and pruned, that will certainly fprout up and flourish with greater heads than before. For my own part, as I do not love to be infulted by women who are taller than myfelf, I admire the fex much more in their prefent humiliation, which has reduced them to their natural dimenfions, than when they had extended their perfons and lengthened themfelves out into formidable and gigantic figures. I am not for adding to the beautiful edifices of nature, nor for railing any whimifical fuperftructure upon her plans: I must therefore repeat it, that I am highly pleafed with the coiffure now in fafhion, and think it fhews the good fenfe which at present very much reigns among the valuable part of the fex. One may obferve that women in all ages have taken more pains than men to adorn the cutfide of their heads; and indeed I very much admire, that thofe female architects, who raife fuch wonderful ftructures out of ribbands,

lace,