and he fignified to her in fo many plain terms, that he was unhappy until he had poffeffed her, and nothing lefs fhould be the price of her husband's life; and the muft, before the following noon, pronounce the death or enlargement of Danvelt. After this notification, when he faw Sapphira enough again diftracted to make the fubject of their difcourfe to common eyes appear different from what it was, he called fervants to conduct her to the gate. Loaded with infupportable affliction, the immediately repairs to her husband, and having fignified to his gaolers, that he had a propofal to make to her husband from the governor, the was left alone with him, revealed to him all that had passed, and reprefented the endless conflict she was in between love to his perfon and fidelity to his bed. It is eafy to imagine the fharp affliction this honeft pair was in upon fuch an incident, in lives not used to any but ordinary occurrences. The man was bridled by fhame from fpeaking what his fear prompted, upon fo near an approach of death; but let fall words that fignified to her he should not think her polluted, though he had not yet confefted to him that the governor had violated her perfon, fince he knew her will had no part in the action. She parted from him with this oblique permillion to fave a life he had not refolution enough to refign for the fafety of his honour.

The next morning the unhappy Sapphira attended the governor, and being led into a remote apartment, fubmitted to his defires. Rhynfault commended her charms, claimed a familiarity after what had paffed between them, and with an air of gaiety in the language of a gallant, bid her return, and take her husband out of prifon: But,' continued he, " my fair-one must not be ⚫ offended that I have taken care he

hould not be an interruption to our future affignations.' The laft words foreboded what the found when the came to the gaol, her husband executed by the order of Rhynfault.

It was remarkable that the woman, who was full of tears and lamentations during the whole courfe of her affliction, uttered neither figh nor complaint, but

ftood fixed with grief at this confummation of her misfortunes. She betook herself to her abode, and after having in folitude paid her devotions to Him who is the avenger of innocence, the repaired privately to court. Her perfon, and a certain grandeur of forrow negligent of forms, gained her paffage into the prefence of the duke her fovereign. As foon as he came into the presence, fhe broke forth into the following words: Behold, O mighty Charles, a wretch weary of life, though it has always 'been spent with innocence and virtue! It is not in your power to redrefs my injuries, but it is to avenge them. And if the protection of the diftreffed, and the punishment of oppreffors, is a talk worthy a prince, I bring the Duke of Burgundy ample matter for doing honour to his own great name, and wiping infamy off from mine." When he had spoke this, the delivered the duke a paper, reciting her ftory. He read it with all the emotions that indignation and pity could raise in a prince, jealous of his honour in the behaviour of his officers, and prosperity of his fubjects.

Upon an appointed day, Rhynfault was fent for to court, and in the prefence of a few of the council, confronted by Sapphira the prince afking- Do you

know that lady?' Rhynfault, as foon as he could recover his furprife, told the duke he would marry her, if his highneis would please to think that a reparation. The duke feemed contented with this anfwer, and flood by during the immediate folemnization of the ceremony. At the conclufion of it he told Rhynfault-Thus far you have

done as conftrained by my authority: I shall not be fatisfied of your kind 'ufage of her, without you fign a gift of your whole ettate to her after your

deceafe. To the performance of this alfo the duke was a witnefs. When thefe two acts were executed, the duke turned to the lady, and told her

It

now remains for me to put you in quiet poffeffion of what your husband has fo bountifully beftowed on you;' and ordered the immediate execution of Rhynfault.

T

N

SENECA.

I

TUNBRIDGE, SEPTEMBER 18.

DEAR MR. SPECTATOR,

Am a young woman of eighteen years of age, and I do affure you, a maid of unfpotted reputation, founded upon a very careful carriage in all my looks, words, and actions. At the fame time I must own to you, that it is with much constraint to flesh and blood that my behaviour is fo ftrictly irreproach able; for I am naturally addicted to mirth, to gaiety, to a free air, to motion and gadding. Now what gives me a great deal of anxiety, and is fome dif. couragement in the pursuit of virtue, is, that the young women who run into greater freedoms with the men are more taken notice of than I am. The men are fuch unthinking fots, that they do not prefer her who reftrains all her pafhions and affections, and keeps much within the bounds of what is lawful, to her who goes to the utmost verge of innocence, and parleys at the very brink of vice, whether the fhall be a wife or a miftrefs. But I must appeal to your fpectatorial wisdom, who, I find, have paffed very much of your time in the tudy of woman, whether this is not a moft unreasonable proceeding. I have read fomewhere that Hobbes of Mamef. bury afferts That continent perfons have more of what they contain, than 'those who give a loose to their defires.' According to this rule, let there be equal age, equal wit, and equal good-humour, in the woman of prudence, and her of liberty; what ftores has he to expect, who takes the former? what refuse muft he be contented with, who chooses the latter? Well, but I fat down to write to you to vent my indignation against feveral pert creatures, who are addreffed to and courted in this place, while poor I, and two or three like me, are wholly unregarded.

Every one of thefe affect gaining the hearts of your fex: this is generally attempted by a particular manner of car rying themselves with familiarity. Gly

cera has a dancing walk, and keeps time in her ordinary gate. Chloe, her fifter, who is unwilling to interrupt her con quefts, comes into the room before her with a familiar run. Dulciffa takes advantage of the approach of the winter, and has introduced a very pretty fhiver; clofing up her fhoulders, and fhrinking as the moves. All that are in this mode carry their fans between both hands before them. Dulciffa herself, who is au thor of this air, adds the pretty run to it; and has alfo, when the is in very good humour, a taking familiarity in throwing herfelf into the lowest feat in the room, and letting her hooped petticoats fall with a lucky decency about her. I know the practises this way of fitting down in her chamber; and indeed the does it as well as you may have feen an actress fall down dead in a tragedy. Not the leaft indecency in her pofture. If you have obferved what pretty carcaffes are carried off at the end of a verfe at the theatre, it will give you a notion how Dulciffa plumps into a chair. Here is a little country girl that is very cunning, that makes her use of being young and unbred, and outdoes the enfnarers, who are almoft twice her age. The air that he takes is to come into company after a walk, and is very fuccessfully out of breath upon occafion. Her mother is in the fecret, and calls her romp, and then looks round to fee what young men ftare at her.

It would take up more than can come into one of your papers, to enumerate all the particular airs of the younger company in this place. But I cannot omit Dulceorella, whofe manner is the most indolent imaginable, but still as watchful of conqueft as the bufett virgin among us. She has a peculiar art of ftaring at a yo ing fellow, till the fees the has got him, and enflamed him by fo much obfervation. When the fees fhe has him, and he begins to tofs his head upon it, he is immediately shortfighted, and labours to obferve what he is at a diftance with her eyes half shut.

6 H

Thus

Thus the captive, that thought her first ftruck, is to make very near approaches, or be wholly difregarded. This artifice has done more execution than all the ogling of the reft of the women here, with the utmost variety of half glances, attentive heedlefinefs, childish inadvertencies, haughty contempts, or artificial over-fights. After I have faid thus much of ladies among us who fight thus regularly, I am to complain to you of a fct of familiar romps, who have broken through all common rules, and have thought of a very effectual way of fhewing more charms than all of us. Thefe, Mr. Spectator, are the fwingers. You are to know thefe careless pretty creatures are very innocents again; and it is to be no matter what they do, for it is all harmlefs freedom. They get on ropes, as you must have feen the children, and are twung by their men vifitants. The jet is, that Mr. Such-aone can name the colour of Mrs. Such a-one's ftockings: and fhe tells him he is a lying thief, fo he is, and full of roquery; and fhe will lay a wager, and her fifter fhall tell the truth if he fays right, and he cannot tell what colour her garters are of. In this diverfion there are very 'many pretty shrieks, not fo much for fear of falling, as that their petticoats fhould

untye: for there is a great care had to avoid improprieties: and the lover who fwings the lady, is to tye her clothes very clofe with his hatband, before she admits him to throw up her heels.

Now, Mr. Spectator, except you can note thefe wantonneffes in their beginnings, and bring us fober girls into obfervation, there is no help for it, we muft swim with the tide; the coquettes are too powerful a party for us. To look into the merit of a regular and wellbehaved woman is a flow thing. A loofe trivial fong gains the affections, when a wife homily is not attended to. There is no other way but to make war upon them, or we must go over to them. As for my part, I will fhew all the world it is not for want of charms that I ftand fo long unafked: and if you do not take measures for the immediate redrefs of us rigids, as the fellows call us, I can move with a speaking mien, caa look fignificantly, can lifp, can trip, can loll, can ftart, can blufh, can rage, ean weep, if I must do it, and can be frighted as agreeably as any the in England. All which is humbly fubmitted to your fpectatorial confideration with all humility, by your most humble fervant, T

MATILDA MOHAIR.

I

HOR. EP. XVIII. L. I. VER. 76.

Tis no unpleafant matter of fpecu lation to confider the recommendatory epiftles that pafs round this town from hand to hand, and the abufe people put upon one another in that kind. It is indeed come to that pafs, that inftead of being the teftimony of merit in the perfon recommended, the true reading of a letter of this fort is The bearer hereof is fo uneafy to me, that it will be an act of charity in you to take him off my hands; whether you prefer him or not, it is all one, for I have no manner of kindness for him, or obligation to him or his; and do what you please as to that. As negligent

ANON.

as men are in this refpect, a point of honour is concerned in it; and there is nothing a man fhould be more ashamed of, than paffing a worthless creature into the fervice or interefts of a man who has never injured you. The women indeed are a little too keen in their refentments, to trefpafs often this way: but you shall fometimes know that the miftrefs and the maid fhall quarrel, and give each other very free language, and at laft the lady fhall be pacified to turn her out of doors, and give her a very good word to any body elfe. Hence it is that you fee, in a year and half's time, the fame face a domeftic in all parts of

the