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this age are thrown away in drefs, play, vifits, and the like, were employed, in my time, in writing out receipts, or working beds, chairs, and hangings, for the family. For my part, I have plied my needle thefe fifty years, and by my good will would never have it out of my hand. It grieves my heart to fee a couple of proud idle flirts fipping their te, for a whole afternoon, in a room hang round with the industry of their great grandmother. Pray, Sir, take the laudable 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 ende: vours to reform the prefent.

I am, &c.

In obedience to the commands of my venerable correfpondent, I have duly weighed this important subject, and promife myself, from the arguments here laid down, that all the fine ladies of England will be ready, as soon as their mourning is over, to appear covered with the work of their own hands.

What a delightful entertainment must it be to the fair fex, whom their native modeity, and the tendernets of men towards them, exempts from public bufinefs, to pafs their hours in imitating fruits and flowers, and tranfplanting all the beauties of nature into their own drefs, or raising a new creation in their clofets and apartments! How pleafing is the amusement of walking among the fhades 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 most proper way wherein a lady can fhew a fine genius, and I cannot for bear withing, that feveral writers of that fex had chofen to apply themfelves rather to tapetry than rhyme. Your paftoral poeteffes may vent their fancy in rural landskips, and place defpairing thepherds under filken willows, or drown them in a stream of mohair. The heroic writers may work up battles as fuccefffully, and inflame them with gold or flain them with crimion. Even thofe who have only a turn to a fong or an epigram, may put many valuable stitches into a purfe, and croud a thoufand graces into a pair of garters. If I may, without breach of good-manners, imagine that any pretty creature is void of

genius, and would perform her part herein but very aukwardly, I must nevertheless infift upon her working, if it he only to keep her out of harm's way. Another argument for bufying good women in works of fancy, is, because it takes them off from fcandal, the ufual attendant of tea-tables, and all other unactive fcenes of life. While they are forming their birds and beafts, their neighbours will be allowed to be the fathers of their own children: and Whig and Tory will be but feldom mentioned, where the great difpute is, whether blue or red is the more proper colour. How much greater glory would Sophronia do the general, if the would chufe rather to work the battle of Blenheim in tapestry, than fignalize herself with fo much vehemence against those who are Frenchmen in their hearts?

A third reafon that I fhall mention, is the profit that is brought to the family where thefe pretty arts are encouraged. It is manifeft that this way of life not only keeps fair ladies from running out into expences, but is at the fame time

an

actual improvement. How memorable would that matron be, who fhall have it fubfcribed upon her monument, That the wrought out the whole Bible in tapeftry, and died in a good old age, after having covered three hundred yards of wall in the manfion-house!

The premises being confidered, I humbly submit the following propofals to all mothers in Great Britain.

1. That no young virgin whatsoever be allowed to receive the addreffes of her frit lover, but in a fuit of her own embroidering.

11. That before every fresh humble fervant, fhe be obliged to appear with a new ftomacher at the leaft.

III. That no one be actually married until the hath the child-bed pillows, &c. ready ftitched, as likewife the mantle for the boy quite finished.

Thefe laws, if I mistake not, would effectually restore the decayed art of needle-work, and make the virgins of Great Britain exceedingly nimble-fingered in their bufinefs.

There is a memorable cuftom of the Grecian ladies in this particular, preferved in Homer, which I hope will have a very good effect with my countrywomen. A widow, in ancient times, could not, without indecency, receive a fecond husband, until the had woven a 7L 2

shroud

shroud for her deceafed lord, or the next of kin to him.

Accordingly, the chafte

Penelope having, as the thought, loft
Ulyffes at fea, the employed her time in
preparing a winding-fheet for Laertes,
the father of her husband. The story
of her web being very famous, and yet
not fufficiently known in it's feveral
circumstances, I fhall give it to my
reader, as Homer makes one of her
wooers relate it.

Sweet hope she gave to every youth apart,
With well taught looks, and a deceitful heart:
A web she wove of many a flender twine,
Of curious texture, and perplext defign;
My youths,' fhe cry'd, my lord but newly
• dead,

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< Forbear a while to court my widow'd bed, Till I have wov'n, as folemn vows require, This web, a fhroud for poor Ulyffes' fire.

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N° DCVII. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15.

DICITE TO PEAN, ET 10 BIS DICITE PEAN:
DECIDIT IN CASSES PREDA PETITA MEOS.

OVID. ARS AM. L. I. VEK. 1.

NOW JO PEAN SING, NOW WREATHS PREPARE,
AND WITH REPEATED IOS FILL THE AIR:
THE PREY IS FALL'N-IN MY SUCCESSFUL TOILS.

MR. SPECTATOR,

HAY

AVING in your paper of Monday last published my report on the cafe of Mrs. Fanny Fickle, wherein I have taken notice, that love comes after marriage; I hope your readers are fatisfied of this truth, that as love generally produces matrimony, fo it often happens that matrimony produces love. It perhaps requires more virtues to make a good hufband or wife, than what go to the finishing any the moft fhining character whatsoever.

ANON.

cation for this domeftic character, as it naturally produces conftancy and mu tual efteem. Thus Brutus and Porcia were more remarkable for virtue and affection than any others of the age in which they lived.

Good-nature is a third neceffary ingredient in the marriage-itate, without which it would inevitably four upon a thoufand occafions. When greatness of mind is joined with this amiable quality, it attracts the admiration and esteem of all who behold it. Thus Cæfar, not more remarkable for his fortune and valour than for his humanity, ftole into the hearts of the Roman people, when, breaking through the cuffom, he pronounced an oration at the funeral of his first and beft beloved wife.

Difcretion feems abfolutely neceffary, and accordingly we find that the beft husbands have been moft famous for their wisdom. Homer, who hath drawn a perfect pattern of a prudent man, to make it the more compleat, hath celebrated him for the juft returns of fidelity Good-nature is infufficient, unless it and truth to his Penelope; infomuch be fteady and uniform, and accompanied that he refufed the careffes of a goddefs with an evennefs of temper, which is, for her fake; and, to use the expreffion above all things, to be preferved in this of the best of Pagan authors-Vetulam friendship contracted for life. A man * fuam prætulit immortalitati—His old must be eafy within himfelf before he woman was dearer to him than imcan be fo to his other felf. Socrates mortality.' and Marcus Aurelius are inftances of Virtue is the next neceffary qualifi. men, who by the ftrength of philofo

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phy, having entirely compofed their minds, and fubdued their paffions, are celebrated for good husbands, notwithftanding the first was yoked with Xantippe, and the other with Fauftina. If the wedded pair would but habituate themselves for the first year to bear with one another's faults, the difficulty would be pretty well conquered. This mutual fweetness of temper and complacency was finely recommended in the nuptial ceremonies among the heathens, who, when they facrificed to Juno at that folemnity, always tore out the gall from the entrails of the victim, and cast it behind the altar.

I shall conclude this letter with a paffage out of Dr. Plot's Natural History of Staffordshire, not only as it will ferve to fill up your prefent paper, but, if I find myself in the humour, may give rife to another; I having by me an old regifter belonging to the place here undermentioned.

Sir Philip de Somervile held the manors of Whichenovre, Scirefcot, Ridware, Netherton, and Cowlee, all in the county of Stafford, of the Earls ' of Lancaster, by this memorable fervice. The faid Sir Philip fhall find, maintain, and fuftain, one baconflitch, hanging in his hall at Whichenovre, ready arrayed all times of 'the year, but in Lent, to be given to every man or woman married, after the day and the year of their marriage be paft, in form following.

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Whenfoever that any one fuch be'fore named will come to enquire for the bacon, in their own person, they fhall come to the bailiff, or to the porter of the lordship of Whichenovre, and fhall fay to them in the manner as enfueth:

"Bailiff, or porter, I do you to know, "that I am come for myself, to de"mand one bacon flyke hanging in the " hall of the Lord of Whichenovre, "after the form thereunto belonging.'

After which relation, the bailiff or porter fhall affign a day to him, upon promife by his faith to return, and with him to bring twain of his neigh'bours. And in the mean time the faid bailiff shall take with him twain

' of the freeholders of the lordfhip of ⚫ Whichenovre, and they three fhall go to the manor of Rudlow, belonging to Robert Knightleye, and there shall • fummon the aforefaid Knightleye, or

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his bailiff, commanding him to be ready at Whichenovre the day appointed, at prime of day, with his car riage, that is to fay, a horse and a 'faddle, a fack and a prike, for to convey the faid bacon and corn a journey out of the county of Stafford, at his coltages. And then the faid bailiff fhall, with the faid freeholders, fummon all the tenants of the faid manor, to be ready at the day appointed at Whichenovre, for to do and perform the fervices which they owe to the bacon. And at the day affigned, all fuch as owe fervices to the bacon, 'fhall be ready at the gate of the manor ' of Whichenovre, from the fun-rifing to noon, attending and awaiting for the coming of him who fetcheth the bacon. And when he is come, there 'fhall be delivered to him and his

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fellows, chapelets; and to all those

which fhall be there, to do their fer'vices due to the bacon. And they 'fhall lead the faid demandant with trumps and tabours, and other manner of minftrelfy, to the hall door, where he fhall find the Lord of Whichenovre, or his fteward, ready to deliver the bacon in this manner.

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He fhall enquire of him which demandeth the bacon, if he have brought twain of his neighbours with him: which muft anfwer-" They be here "ready." And then the steward shall cause these two neighbours to swear, if the faid demandant be a wedded man, or have been a man wedded; and if fince his marriage one year and a day be paft; and if he be a freeman, or a villain. And if his faid neigh'bours inake oath, that he hath for him all these three points rehearsed; then fhall the bacon be taken down and brought to the hall-door, and fhall there be laid upon one half quarter of wheat, and upon one other of rye. And he that demandeth the bacon 'fhall kneel upon his knee, and thail hold his right-hand upon a book, which book fhall be laid upon the bacon and the corn, and fhall make oath in this manner.

"Hear ye, Sir Philip de Somervile, "Lord of Whichenovre, mayntener and "gyver of this baconne: that I A fithe "I wedded B my wife, and fithe I had "hyr in my kepying, and at my wylle, "by a year and a day after our mar“riage, I would not have chaunged for

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