any virtuous Mother good, that hath an unhappy Son, who is not beyond all Hopes to hear him talk; I vow one would be apt to think that Vice polish'd a Man, and render'd him capable of fhining more eminently in Virtue. He fill, with great Humility, which gives me more Hopes of him, feems to diffide in his own Strength, and begs and implores my Affiftance for Life. He fays nothing elfe can retrieve him, but the Grace of Heaven, in inclining towards him the Affections of his modest Beauty, as he is often pleased to say he thinks me. I have seen all the worst of him, and those little Errors, which remain uncorrected, are grown as familiar to me as my own. I can find, by the abundance of Conversation that I have had with him, that he has within him the Seeds of many great Virtues, which have hitherto been fcatter'd by the Tempefts of his Soul, and which will break into Life with great Beauty, and grow great and flourishing whenever he is rightly fettled. I can't perfuade my felf, but that it is a Šin to deny him, and 'would be not only against the moft powerful Dictates of my Will, but of my Confcience. For I am, verily, fo little modeft, in this Point, as to believe I could reform him, and fo I propofe to my felf double the Happipefs of many other Wives, the making both him and my felf happy, not only for Life, but in this and the next World too. Then I omitted to tell you, that he is noble, generous, and grateful, and bears a tenderHeart; and as I am a fit match for him, to repair his Fortune, in which he has made a little Gap; I know fuch an Act would oblige a Man of his Temper, above any other in the World to make cafy, all the ways he could, the Life of a Woman that he did not love half fo well, as I am pretty well affur'd and fatisfy'd he does me. Grant me then leave, venerable Sir, for the fake of us both, to indulge our felves in the virtu ous Pleasure of continuing his Amour, till you think it time to help me out of it with the Word of Confent, and give your Sanction to the Match. I am that Pearl, which you have been pleased to call your modeft one, I fuppofe, because I am like the reft of your Order, which is altogether every Day more confpicuous, for that and every other Virtue, which you, out of a fatherly Care Care and adulgence to all Orphans and Widows, cultivate and improve among us with great Wisdom and Sanctity, both in your publick and private Lectures. I must own to you, with a Blush, that I really can't help loving; but will do my utmost to try, if you command me; but don't command me otherwife if poffible, because I ask not your Advice like those, who only do that to their Parents out of Form and Ceremony when they are refolved beforehand to take their own. Therefore, pray be tender to your obedient Verecunda. A little while after the Receipt of this Letter, I met by chance with my pretty Verecunda; the happen'd to have her Mask on, and was, out of Civility to me, by taking it off, just going to make me know her, as I knew her without that, pulling off my broad Hat with both my Hands, (according to the usual Mode among us formal Antients) in Confideration of her very great Modesty and Bafhfulness, and that the treating fo fuddenly on the Subject of her Letter, to her Face, might at first throw her into a painful Blush; I haftily clapt on my Beaver again in the fame manner, and prevented her by commanding her to keep her Mask on; then afer preparing. her in the best manner I could, for the Question I was going to put to her; I inquir'd what was her Lover's Name, and where he liv'd, that I might fee whether I could come into her Choice, with Safety to that general Duty and Province of Guardianship, that I had taken upon me. I perceived her Neck glow immediately into a. warm ruddy Colour and every Joint of her tremble with virtuous Dismay; so that I rejoiced to have had the Prepenfe of Mind, and that lucky Thought of bidding her cover her ingenious Countenance. AT laft by my Encouragement, she after much ado difcovered to me his Name and Place of Abode, not without fome Failings and Hefitations of Voice, that were moft agreeable to me, and fuitable to her Character. The moment I learn'd these two things, I difmifs'd her from her Pain, and as fhe skuttled away in great hafte and overwhelmed with Confufion.;. I would not fatisfy my Curiofity of looking back, for her fake, for fear fhe should perceive me peeping, tho' there was not much danger of looking back on me: I denied my Eye the Pleasure of being a Spectator of more delicate motions of Bashfulness and a finer Scene of Modefty, than perhaps I ever shall behold again. TO make her fome amends for what the endured, I am to let her know, that fince then I have difcours'd with her Hippolytus, and by that and many fecret Inqui ries, am become perfectly acquainted with his Character beyond all Hazard. I joy to find fhe has mingled Reafon with her Love, and that he is fully every thing fhe has described him to me. I do confent to her Demands, and tho' I am thorowly perfuaded and convinced that he never will relapfe, yet I fhall tremble, when, as her Father at the Solemnization, I fhall give away so much Virtue and Modefty into the Arms of a young Man, that even could never have foul'd them with the Embraces of Guilt and Shame. ་ Honoured SIR, A Citizen worth half a Plumb, wishes me to be his. Wife. I hear he is always talking of the Fears of Marriage, and that he dreads being a Cuckold. He • fometimes talks of his Fears at a distance even before my Face. He extols Chastity eternally, and feems to choose me for his Security against all fuch Fears. His Opinion of me, when he fears every body elfe, makes · me love and value him more than if he adored me for my Beauty. But he is fo fiery, vehement, and impetuous in his Expreffions, that I tremble when I hear him. If • it was not that I feared him as much as he fears the. • Virtue of our Sex, and with more Reason; and that I ⚫ am jealous of his growing jealous without the leaft occa• fion. If it was not for that--- methinks I could venture him. Tho' it is very dangerous, But, Sir, with your Advice Pray make me believe I have no rea ... • fon to fear him. I am fure you will believe, I never shall,, ❝ when I inform you that I am her whom you call Your pretty innocent Daughter, Virginia My pretty innocent Daughter, I Have called you fo, and ever fhall call you fo, and ever fhall be a Father to you. You want nothing to fecure my Love to you all the days of my Life, but fhewing me that you love your felf as you ought. Imagine that wealthy Wretch already doubts your Honour, as he really does; and then I need not bid you abhor, detest, and lothe him, any more than I am fatisfied you will; I have a Husband in my Eye, if you think one of my Recommendation worthy of you. N. B. If that jealous Fellow, or any other of bis fort, fall attempt for the future to disturb the Peace and Tranquillity of the Ladies of my Order, He shall ftand in the middle of the Pearl Chamber in a yellow Mantle for three Hours. WHEREAS I love to do every Man of the lowest Station a good Turn, that has been ferviceable to me, I give notice to every Body; That a Man having put a written Paper, as it is worded underneath, into my Hands, I fent him the old Peruke I take my walks in, and he was as good as his Word in every Article. The Tenor of the written Paper was as follows. GENTLEMEN that have Perukes out of Curl, Colour or Fashion, I can improve again fo as to do fervice long. A fhort Wig for two Shillings, a Campaign for three, Fullbottom for four. I do them in two Days and without taking to pieces; Thomas Lardiner at the two Black Pots in Savoy-Alley, fhall be vifited by all my old Acquaintance that are great Walkers. B Fridays N° 678. Friday, June 3. Nunc mihi, fi quando, Puer & Cytherea, favete; Et levis eft, & habet Geminas, quibus avolet, Alas, Ovid. de Arte Amandi. Ite per exemplum, Genus & Mortale Dearum; L 'Ibid. OVE-Correfpondence augments wonderfully every Day; and I believe, all the Drawers in my Cabinet, that I have marked out for the various and several things I have treated upon, must be emptied, that I may have room for Love-Letters. I find there will be very fultry doings this Year, and a hot Employment for me. I fhall begin with the following Letter, and. discharge my Duty as fast as ever I can, for the Benefit of both Sexes. Mr. SPECTATOR, I this time the Year, a Man of any Tafte hath with him the Miftrefs of his Affections in the Country, he must believe himself an Adam, and the an Eve, the firft Parents in Paradife; the Happiness defcrib'd in the one, and felt in the other, are fo near akin, that they would help on the pleafing Impostures: This double Pleafare have I lately received the fineft Part of the finest Country, and with the faireft Ornament of the fair Sex, this double Pleasure was F I bleft with. in "TIS renewing over again, in Imagination, the moft exquifite Defires ever felt, to render you, from the beginning to the ending, an exact account of our setting, out, |