AN Old Maid, that is troubled with the Vapours, produces infinite Difturbances of this kind among her Friends and Neighbours. I know a Maiden Aunt, of a great Family, who is one of thefe Antiquated Sibyls, that forebodes and prophefies from one end of the Year to the other. She is always feeing Apparitions, and hearing Death-Watches; and was the other Day almost frighted out of her Wits by the great House-Dog, that howled in the Stable at a time when the lay ill of the Tooth-ach. Such an extravagant Caft of Mind engages Multitudes of People, not only in impertinent Terrors, but in fupernumerary Duties of Life; and arifes from that Fear and Ignorance which are natural to the Soul of Man. The Horror with which we entertain the Thoughts of Death (or indeed of any future Evil) and the Uncertainty of its Approach, fill a melancholy Mind with innumerable Apprehenfions and Sufpicions, and confequently difpofe it to the Obfervation of fuch groundless Prodigies and Predic tions. For as it is the chief Concern of Wife Men to retrench the Evils of Life by the Reafonings of Philofophy; it is the Employment of Fools to multiply them by the Sentiments of Superftition. FOR my own part, I fhould be very much troubled were I endowed with this Divining Quality, though it fhould inform me truly of every thing that can befal me. I would not anticipate the Relish of any Happiness, nor feel the Weight of any Mifery, before it actually arrives. I know but one way of fortifying my Soul against these gloomy Prefages and Terrors of Mind, and that is, by fecuring to myself the Friendfhip and Protection of that Being who difpofes of Events, and governs Futurity. He fees, at one View, the whole Thread of my Existence, not only that Part of it which I have already paffed through, but that which runs forward into all the Depths of Eternity. When I lay me down to Sleep, I recommend myself to his Care; when I awake, I give myself up to his Direction. Amidst all the Evils that threaten me, I will look up to him for Help, and question not but he will either avert them, or turn them to my Advantage. Though I know neither the Time nor the Manner of the Death I am to die, I am not at all folicitous about about it; because I am fure that he knows them both, and that he will not fail to comfort and fupport me under them. C N° 8 Friday, March 9. At Venus obfcuro gradientes aëre fepfit, Virg. Æn. 1. v. 415 They march obfcure, for Venus kindly shrouds I DRYDEN. Shall here.communicate to the World a couple of Letters, which I believe will give the Reader as good an Entertainment as any that I am ablễ : to furnish him with, and therefore fhall make no Apo► logy for them. ་ SIR, I To the SPECTATOR, &c., Am one of the Directors of the Society for the Reformation of Manners, and therefore think myfelf a proper Perfon for your Correfpondence. I have thoroughly examined the prefent State of Religion in Great-Britain, and am able to acquaint you with the predominant Vice of every Market-Town in the whole Ifland. I can tell you the Progress that Virtue has made in all our Cities, Boroughs, and Corporations; and know as well the evil Practices that are committed in Berwick or Exeter, as what is done in my own Family. In a word, Sir, I have my Correfpondents in the remoteft Parts of the Nation, who fend me up punctual • Accounts from time to time of all the little Irregularities that fall under their Notice in their feveral Diftrics and Divifions. I am no lefs acquainted with the particular Quarters and Regions of this great Town, than with the diffe $ rent rent Parts and Distributions of the whole Nation. I can defcribe every Parish by its Impieties, and can tell you in which of our Streets Lewdness prevails, which Gaming has taken the poffeffion of, and where Drunkenness has got the better of them both. When I am difpofed to raise a Fine for the Poor, I know the Lanes and Allies that are inhabited by common Swearers. When I would encourage the Hospital of Bridewell, and improve the Hempen Manufacture, I am very "well acquainted with all the Haunts and Reforts of Female Night-walkers. AFTER this fhort Account of myfelf, I muflet you know, that the Defign of this Paper is to give you • Information of a certain irregular Affembly, which I ⚫ think falls very properly under your Obfervation, efpecially fince the Perfons it is compofed of are Criminals too confiderable for the Animadverfions of our Society. I mean, Sir, the Midnight Mask, which has of late ⚫ been very frequently held in one of the moft confpicu6 ous Parts of the Town, and which I hear will be con⚫tinued with Additions and Improvements. As all the Perfons who compofe this lawless Affembly are masked, we dare not attack any of them in our Way, left we should send a Woman of Quality to Bridewell, or a Peer of Great-Britain to the Counter: Befides that their • Numbers are fo very great, that I am afraid they would ⚫ be able to rout our whole Fraternity, though we were accompanied with all our Guard of Conftables. Both thefe Reasons, which fecure them from our Authority, • make them obnoxious to yours; As both their Disguise ⚫ and their Numbers will give no particular Perfon Rea• fon to think himself affronted by you. IF we are rightly informed, the Rules that are ob• ferved by this new Society are wonderfully contrived ⚫ for the Advancement of Cuckoldom. The Women ei⚫ther come by themselves, or are introduced by Friends, who are obliged to quit them, upon their firft Entrance, to the Converfation of any Body that addreffes himfelf 6 to them. There are feveral Rooms where the Parties may retire, and, if they please, fhew their Faces by Confent, Whispers, Squeezes, Nods, and Embraces, are the innocent Freedoms of the Place. In short, the ⚫ whole ⚫ whole Defign of this libidinous Affembly, seems to ter⚫minate in Affignations and Intrigues; and I hope you 'will take effectual Methods by your publick Advice ⚫ and Admonitions, to prevent fuch a promifcuous Mul⚫titude of both Sexes from meeting together in so clandeftine a Manner. I am Your humble Servant, and Fellow-Labourer, T. B. Not long after the Perufal of this Letter, I received another upon the fame Subject; which by the Date and Stile of it, I take to be written by fome young Templar. SIR, W Middle-Temple, 1710-11. HEN a Man has been guilty of any Vice or Folly, I think the beft Atonement he can • make for it, is to warn others not to fall into the like. ⚫ In order to this I muft acquaint you, that some time in February laft I went to the Tuesday's Mafkerade. Upon my firft going in I was attacked by half a Dozen female Quakers, who feemed willing to adopt me for a Brother; but upon a nearer Examination I found they ⚫ were a Sifterhood of Coquettes difguifed in that precife Habit. I was soon after taken out to dance, and, as I ⚫ fancied, by a Woman of the first Quality, for fhe was very tall, and moved gracefully. As foon as the Minuet was over, we ogled one another through our Masks; ⚫ and as I am very well read in Waller, I repeated to her * the four following Verfes out of his Poem to Vandike. The heedlefs Lover does not know Whofe Eyes they are that wound him fo; Inquires her Name that has his Heart. I pronounced thefe Words with fuch a languishing Air that I had fome Reason to conclude I had made a Conqueft. She told me that the hoped my Face was not ⚫ akin to my Tongue, and looking upon her Watch, I accidentally discovered the Figure of a Coronet on the back 'back Part of it. I was fo tranfported with the Thought ⚫ of fuch an Amour, that I plied her from one Room to another with all the Galantries I could invent; and at length brought things to fo happy_an Iffue, that fhe gave me a private Meeting the next Day,without Page ⚫or Footman, Coach or Equipage. My Heart danced in Raptures, but I had not lived in this golden Dream ' above three Days, before I found good Reason to wish that I had continued true to my Laundrefs. I have fince heard, by a very great Accident, that this Fine Lady does not live far from Covent-Garden, and that I am not the firft Cully whom he has paffed herself upon for a Countefs. THUS, Sir, you fee how I have mistaken a Cloud for a Juno; and if you can make any use of this Adventure, for the Benefit of those who may poffibly be as vain young Coxcombs as myself, I do moft heartily give you Leave. I am, SIR, Your most humble Admirer, B. L. I defign to vifit the next Maskerade myself, in the fame Habit I wore at Grand Cairo; and till then shall suspend my Judgment of this Midnight Entertainment. N° 9 Saturday, March 10. Tigris agit rabida cum tigride pacem Perpetuam, fais inter fe convenit urfis. C Juv. Sat. 15. v. 163, M TATE. AN is faid to be a Sociable Animal, and, as an Inftance of it, we may observe, that we take all Occafions and Pretences of forming ourselves into those little Nocturnal Assemblies, which are commonly known by the Name of Clubs. When a Set of Men find |