ed humour. For their piftol, as it were, recoils upon themfelves; and fince it may produce their own deaths, it would be more prudent not to draw their wit out of their feabbards. Our ladies of quality, who have at length adopted French manners with French fashions, and thrown off all ftarchness and referve with the ruff and the fardingale, are very fond of a Frolic. I have, indeed, lately obferved with great pleasure the commendable at tempts of the other fex to fhake off the fhackles of cuftom; and I make no doubt, but a libertine lady will foon become a very common character. If their paffion for Gaming continues to increase in the fame proportion that it has for fome time paft, we fhall very foon meet with abundance of harpers in petticoats; and it will be mentioned as a very familiar incident, that a party of female gamblers were feized by the contables at a gaming-table. I am alfo informed, that it is grown very common among the ladies to toaft pretty fellows; and that they often amufe themfelves with concerting fchemes for an excellent Frolic. A Frolic is, indeed, the moft convenient name in the world to veil an intrigue: and it is a great pity, that husbands and fathers fhould ever object to it. I can fee no harm in a lady's going difquifed to mob it in the gallery at the play-houfe; and could not but fmile at the pretty innocent wanton, who carried the joke fo far as to accompany a ftrange gentleman to a bagnio, but when he came there, was furprised to find, that he was fond of a Frolic, as well as herself, and offered her violence. But I particularly admire the spirit of that lady, who had fuch true relish for a Frolic, as to go with her gallant to the mafquerade, though the knew he had no breeches under his Domino. I most heartily congratulate the fine ladies and gentlemen of the age on the fpirit with which they purfue their diverfions; and I look upon a bold Frolic as the peculiar privilege of a perfon of fashion. The ladies undoubtedly fee a great deal of pleasantry in an intrigue, and mimic the drefs and manners of the courte fans very happily and facetiously; while the gentlemen, among many other new fancies, have made the old blunder of the Merry Andrew appear no longer ridiculous, and are mightily pleased with the comical humours of a murder. The Frolics now in vogue will probably continue to be the amufements of the polite world for a long time: but whenever the fashion is about to vary, I beg leave to propofe the Frolic recommended, if I remember right, to the Duke of Wharton by Dr. Swift, When you are tired of your other Frolics, I would have you take up the Frolic of BEING GOOD; and my word for it, you will find it the moit agreeable Frolic you ever practifed in your life.' N° LV. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1755. THE TAPER LEG, SEIM WAIST, AND LOVELY SIDE, R TH HERE once prevailed among us a fect called The ADAMITES, whofe doctrine, like that of our prefent Moravians, was calculated to comfort the flesh as well as the spirit; and many things, generally accounted indecent and immodeft, were with them regarded as principles of religion. The chief article maintained by this sect was, that it was proper, like our great forefather Adam, to go naked; and the profelytes to this faith came abroad in the public ftreets and open day-light without any cloathing. But this primitive fimplicity did not agree with the notions of those degenerate days; and the Adamites were looked upon as an intolerable nuifance. Their religion, like all others, was foen attended with perfecution; and fome of the converts were dragged naked at the cart's tail, fome fet in the ftocks, and others fent to Bridewell, Since that remarkable period the male part of our fpecies have been decently covered; but the female world has made feveral bold attempts to throw off the incumbrance of cloaths. Caps, handkerchiefs, tuckers, and modeity-pieces, have been long discarded; and the ladies have continued every year to fhed fome other part of their drefs, as ufelefs and unornamental. But thefe are only half affertions of the female rights and natural liberty, in comparison to the project, which, it is thought, will be ripe for execution by the fummer. A fet of ladies of the firft fashion have agreed to found a sect of EVITES. who are to appear in public with no other covering than the original Figleaf. The primitive fimplicity of appearance will be restored; and though fome may be cenforious enough to imagine, that their confidence arifes from very different principles, it may juftly be faid of our ladies of quality, as of our firit parents before the Fall, They ' are naked, and ARE NOT ASHAMED.' My country readers, and all thofe who live at a distance from the polite world, may perhaps look upon this fcheme as merely fantastical and imaginary; but nothing is more true. The milliners are at this time very bufy in making up artificial Fig-leaves, and adorning them according to the different There is more fancies of the wearers. tafte difplayed in contriving an elegant Fig-leaf, than has hitherto been exerted in forming a genteel fword-knot. Some have bunches of the gayeft colour. ed ribbands dangling loofely from the falk, others taffels of gold and filverlace, and a few, defigned for ladies of the higheft diftinction, bunches of diaThis and the Pompon, which monds. it is faid has been lately worn merely as a type of the Fig-leaf, will make up the common dress of the whole female world: but if ever the weather fhould be too severe for the ladies to appear (as Bayes expreffes it) in puris naturalibus, they are to wear fleth-coloured filks with Pompons and Fig-leaves as ufual. There are perhaps perfons who, as they still retain fome of the leaven of decency in their compofition, will be start. led at this project, I must own, however, that it does not appear to me to be in the least extraordinary or furprising: for, confidering the prefent drefs of our But notwithstanding all that may be faid against this project for eftablishing nakednefs, it is not without example. Among the Hottentots, a very wife and polite nation, the ladies at this day go quite naked, except a loose mantle thrown over their fhoulders, and a fhort apron before instead of a Fig-leaf. It is alfo weil known, that the Spartans allowed their unmarried women to wear a fort of loofe robe, which at every motion difcovered their charms through feveral openings, contrived for that purpose. There would certainly be no harm in extending this liberty to the whole fex; and I am not in the leaft inclined to liften to the malignant infinuations, that when a married woman endeavours to look particularly tempting, it is not merely to please her husband, but to captivate a gallant. It may perhaps be further objected, that our northern climate is too cold to strip in: but this little inconvenience is amply compenfated by the fecurity the ladies will create to themfelves by taking fuch extraordinary berties, and carrying matters fo very far, that it will be indecent even to reprehend them, There There is, however, a very large part of the fex, for whom I am greatly concerned on this occafion : I mean the Old and the Ugly. Whatever the Belles may get by this fashion, thefe poor ladies will be great fufferers. Their faces are already more than is agreeable to be fhewn; but if they expofe fickly fkins furrowed and purfed up like a washerwoman's fingers, the fight will become too difgufting. During the prefent mode I have obferved, that the difplay of a yellow neck or clumfy leg has created but few admirers: and it is reafonable to conclude, that when the new fashion begins to prevail univerfally, although our men of pleature will be glad to fee the young and beautiful (whom they would defire to take into their arms,) tripping as fast as poffible, yet they are not fo fond of primitive and original fimplicity, as to be captivated by a lady who has none of the charms of Eve except her nakedness. Some perfons of more than ordinary penetration will be apt to look on this project in a political light, and confider it as a scheme to counterwork the Marriage-act. But as the chief ladies who concerted it, are already provided with husbands, and are known to be very well affected to the government, this does not appear probable. It is more likely to be an artifice of the Beauties to make their fuperiority inconteftible, by drawing in the dowdies of the fex to fuffer by fuch an injurious contrast. However this may be, it is very certain, that the most lovely of the fex are about to employ the whole artillery of their charms against us, and indeed feem refolved to shoot us flying. On this occafion it is to be hoped, that the prac tice of painting, which is now fo very fashionable, will be entirely laid afide; for whoever incrufts herself in paint can never be allowed to be naked; and it is furely more elegant for a lady to be covered even with filk and linen, than to be daubed, like an old wall, with plaister and rough-caft. After this account of the fcheme of our modifh females now in agitation, which the reader may depend upon s genuine, it only remains to let him know how I came by my intelligence: The Parliament of Women, lately propofed, is now actually fitting. Upon their first meeting, after the preliminaries were adjufted, the whole houfe naturally refolved itself into a Committee on the affairs of Drefs. The Fig-leaf Bill, the purport of which is contained in this paper, was brought in by a noble Countels, and occafioned fome very warm debates. Two ladies in particular made several remarkable fpeeches on this occafion: but they were both imagined to fperk, like our inale patriots, more for their own private intereft than for the good of the public. For one of these ladies, who infiited very earnestly on the decency of fome fort of covering, and has a very beautiful face, is fhrewdly fufpected not to be fo much above all rivalry in the turn and proportion of her limbs; and the other, who was impatient to be undreised with all expédition, was thought to be too much influenced by her known partiality to á favourite mole, which now lies out of fight. The Bill, however, was paffed by a confiderable majority, and is intended to be put in force by Midfummer Day next enfuing. W No LVI. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1755. NECTE TRIBUS NODIS TERNOS, AMARYLLI, COLORES: NECTE, AMARYLLI, MODO, ET VENERIS, DIC, VINCULA NECTO, VIRGIL. THREE COLOURS WEAVE IN THREE-FOLD KNOTS, AND CRY, HE idle fuperftitions of the vulgar the affairs of love. When a raw girl's brain is once turned with a fweetheart, the converts every trifling accident of her life into a good or bad omen, and makes every thing confpire to strengthen her in fo pleafing a delufion. Virgil reprefents Dido, as foon as fhe has contracted her fatal paffion for Æneas, going to the priest to have her fortune told. In like manner the love-fick girl runs to the cunning-man, or croffes the gypfy's hand with her laft fixpence, to know when the fhall be married, how many children the shall have, and whether the fhall be happy with her hufband. She alfo confults the cards, and finds out her lover in the Knave of Hearts. She learns how to interpret dreams, and every night furnishes her with meditations for the next day. If the happens to bring out any thing in conversation which another person was about to fay, she comforts herself that the fhall be married firft; and if the tumbles as he is running up ftairs, imagines the fhall go to church with her fweetheart before the week is at an end. It would puzzle the most profound antiquary to difcover what could give birth to the ftrange notions cherished by fond nymphs and fwains. The god of Love has more fuperftitious votaries, and is worthipped with more unaccountable rites, than any fabulous deity whatever. Nothing, indeed, is fo whimfical as the imagination of a perfon in love. The dying hepherd carves the name of his miftrefs on the trees, while the fond an amorous pofey; and both look on what they do as a kind of charm to secure the affection of the other. A lover will rejoice to give his mistress a bracelet or a top-knot; and the perhaps will take pleafure in working him a pair of ruffles. These they will regard as the foft bonds of love; but neither would on any account run the risk of cutting love, by giving or receiving fuch a prefent as a knife or a pair of fciffars. To wear the picture of the beloved object conftantly near the heart, is universally ac counted a moft excellent and never-failing prefervative of affection: and if, in the courfe of their amour, the mistress gives the dear man her hair wove in a true lover's knot, or breaks a crooked nine-pence with him, the thinks herself affured of his inviolable fidelity. Some few years ago there was publicly advertised, among the other extraordinary medicines whose wonderful qualities are daily related in the last page of our news-papers, a moft efficacious Love-powder; by which a defpairing lover might create affection in the bofom of the most cruel miftrefs. Lovers have, indeed, always been fond of enchant ment. mona Shakespeare has reprefented Othello as accused of winning his Defdeby conjuration and mighty ma gic;' and Theocritus and Virgil have both introduced women into their Paftorals, using charms and incantations to recover the affections of their fweethearts. In a word, Talismans, Genii, Witches, Fairies, and all the inftruments of magic and and enchantment, were firft difcovered by lovers, and employed in the bufinefs of love. But I never had a thorough infight into all this amorous forcery, till I received the following letter, which was fent me from the country a day or two after Valentine's Day; and I make no doubt but all true lovers moft religiously performed the previous rites mentioned by my correfpondent. TO MR. TOWN. DEAR SIR, FEB. 17, 1755. You must know I am in love with a very clever man, a Londoner; and as I want to know whether it is my fortune to have him, I have tried all the tricks I can hear of for that purpofe. I have feen him feveral times in coffee. grounds, with a fword by his fide; and he was once at the bottom of a tea-cup, in a coach and fix with two footmen behind it. I got up laft May morning, and went into the fields to hear the Cuckow; and when I pulled off my left-fhoe, I found an Hair in it exactly the fame colour with his. But I thall never forget what I did last Midfummer Eve. I and my two fifters tried the Dumb Cake together: you must know, two must make it, two bake it, two break it, and the third put it under each of their pillows, (but you must not fpeak a word all the time) and then you will dream of the man you are to have. This we did; and to be fure I did nothing all night but dream of Mr. Bloffom. The fame night, exa&ly at twelve o'clock, I fowed Hempfeed in our back yard, and faid to myfelf Hempsted I fow, Hempfeed 1 hoc; and he that is my true-love, come after me and < mow.' Will you believe me? I'looked back, and faw him behind me as plain as eyes could fee him. After that, I took a clean shift, and wetted it, and turned it wrong fide out, and hung it to the fire upon the back of a chair; and very likely my fweetheart would have come and turned it right again, (for I heard his step) but I was frightened, and could not help fpeaking, which broke the charm. I likewife fuck up two Midfummer Men, one for myfelf, and one for him. Now if his had died away, we fhould never have come together: but, I affure you, his blowed, and turned to mine. Our maid Betty tells me, that if I go back. wards, without fpeaking a word, into the garden upon Midfummer Eve, and gather a Rofe, and keep it in a clean fheet of paper, without looking at it, till Christmas day, it will be as fresh as in June; and if I then ftick it in my bolom, he that is to be my husband will come and take it out. If I am not married before the time comes about again, I will certainly do it: and only mind if Mr. Bloffom is not the man. I have tried a great many other fancies, and they have all turned out right. Whenever I go to lie in a strange bed, I always tie my garter nine times round the bed-poft, and knit nine knots in it, and fay to myfelf- This knot I knit, this knot I tie, To fee my love as he goes by, In his apparel and array, As he walks in every day. I did fo Iaft holidays at my uncle's; and to be fure I faw Mr. Bloffom draw my curtains, and tuck up the cloaths at my bed's feet. Coufin Debby was married a little while ago, and the fent me a piece of Bride-cake to put under my pillow; and I had the fweeteft dream-I thought we were going to be married together. I have, many is the time, taken great pains to pare an Apple Whole, and afterwards flung the Peel over my head; and it always falls in the fhape of the first letter of his Sirname or Chriftian name. I am fure Mr. Bloffem loves me, because I ftuck two of the Kernels upon my forehead, while I thought upon him and the lubberly fquire my papa wants me to have: Mr. Bloffom's Kernel ftuck on, but the other dropped off directly. Laft Friday, Mr. Town, was Valentine's Day; and I'll tell you what I did the night before. I got five Bay-leaves, and pinned four of them to the four corners of my pillow, and the fifth to the middle; and then, if I dreamt of my fweetheart, Betty faid we should be married before the year was out. But to make it more fure, I boiled an Egg hard, and took out the yolk, and filled it up with falt; and when I went to bed, eat it fhell and all, without fpecking or drinking after it. We also wrote our lovers names upon bits of paper, and rolled them up in clay, and put them into water; and the first that rofe up was to be our Valentine. Would you think it? Mr. Bloffom was my man: and 1 lay a-bed and shut my eyes all the morning, |