upon one of thefe occafions, when a furgeon in the neighbourhood, who came to bleed her, miftook the dirt for antiquated kidfkin, and defired the would take off her gloves. From the preceding little fketch of my amiable helpmate, Mr. Babler, you may judge that her condu&t has as great an effect upon my mind, as an impreffion on my circumstances; and confequently, that I am never eafy without being abroad, though I know the abfolute neceffity for my attendance at home upon business. I am cut off in my own house from every little comfort of fociety, and of course must have an inclination of feeking it fomewhere else. I cannot ask a friend to breakfaft, dine, or fup with me. My own ftomach is conftantly turned when I fit down to table, and that I think abundantly fufficient, without ftriving to difguit my acquaintance. Befides, from an utter neglect of the most domestic concern, let me fay what I will, I can never get a joint of meat properly dreffed, but have it brought up without being heated half through, or elfe entirely done to if I oblige her by staying within, I meet fresh inftances of mortification. Mirth and good-humour are banished from my doors; a harmleis joke is confidered as a finful levity; and an innocent laugh prohibited as wholly antichriftian. The cafe is not mended nelther, if, in conformity to her humour, I wear a grave afpect; for then, Sir, the either teazes me to death with unneceffary apprehenfions about my health, or reproaches me with being ill-natured, because I am confined to her company. Any way fhe is fure of finding fault, and any way I am equally certain of being rendered miferable. Is there no means, Mr. Babler, of curing this unaccountable malady of being righteous overmuch? Is there no means of convincing these narrow-minded women, that a morofenefs of temper, or a difregard of rational enjoyments, are in no manner encouraged by the sentiments of religion; but that, on the contrary, a sweetness of difpofition, and an endeavour to difcharge the neceffary duties of wife and mother, are particularly fome of it's most beautiful characteristics. I do not think this fubject would be unworthy the pen of our most eminent divines. Suffer me, through your paper, to beg fome of them will confider it, fince it is more likely that a leffon on this matter will come with more weight from the pulpit than any other quarter. Your most humble fervant, AN UNFORTUNATE HUSBAND. N° XXXIX. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5. HE impreffions which are made earliest ftates, being seldom if ever to be entirely eradicated, there is nothing in which we ought to be more careful than the education of our children, particularly in their infancy, when habits, in the ftrictest fenfe of the terin, become an abfolute part of our nature, and prejudices not only find a refuge in the heart, but twist themselves imperceptibly round it's very ftrings. I remember, when I was about four or five years of age, my grandmother took me entirely under her own care; and as the good woman, like the generality of her fex at that period, had a firm belief in witches, fpirits, and hobgoblins, riety of their pretty performances; and, if I happened to be any ways untoward, conftantly threatened to fend me to Robin Greenway. This Mr. Robin Greenway was formerly a journeyman taylor in the neighbourhood, who had gone distracted for love, as the people faid, and in one of his defperate fits cut his throat in the parfon's garden. Various were the tricks related of this unhappy enamorato; fometimes he came in a ftorm, and threw a parcel of bricks down his fweetheart's chimney; at other times he affumed the figure of a grey mare; and at others, that of a spotted fpaniel; H 2 fpaniel; but his most favourite mode of appearance was the form of an overgrown calf. Ridiculous as thefe accounts must have been inevitably confidered on the fmalleft reflection, yet my poor grandmother believed them all with the most religious certainty, and thought it an indifpenfable part of her duty to make me believe them too. In this the fucceeded to the utmost of her wilhes: I was ten years old before I would venture to fleep alone; fourteen, before I had courage enough to go to bed in the dark; and to this very hour, if I happen to be by myfelf, the clock never ftrikes twelve at night, but I think of Robin Greenway, or fome other worthepful member of the fame community, to whom the bleffing of an untimely death has granted a privilege of taking what form, and playing what tricks, he pleafes till the cock crows next morning. It would be unneceffary for me to obferve, that nine our of every ten who may be turned of fifty, have like myfelf, in their infancy, been trained up in the greateft dread of fpirits; and that the utmolt exertion of their reafon, upon arriving at years of maturity, has not been fufficient to erase the impreffions which have then been unhappily made upon their imagination. Fortunately, however, the good fenfe of the prefent æra has provided the moft effe&tual spells for our ghosts and fpectres, and laid fo many of them fo effectually in the Red 'Sea, that harmlefs little boys may for the Future fleep in the moit perfect fecurity, and the honeft country people traverfe the remoteft church-yard after midnight without the mallest apprehenfion. But, notwithstanding we have in a great meafure got the better of our ghotts, there are yet fome prejudices, and thofe of a very dangerous tendency, which we have in a manner fubftituted in their room, and which it would be much to our honour in this life, and to 'our happiness in the next, if we could get the better of too. These are the hameful indulgencies to which we think ourfelves entitled on Sundays. In the days of fpectres and hobgoblins, we thought ourselves under an indispensable neceffity of paying fome regard to the Sabbath; and every man was obliged to pay a fine who omitted going to church that day, unless he could palliate his conduct by fome very feafible excule; but, now-a-days, Sunday is the time particularly fet apart for riot and feftivity; and the day, rendered holy by the exprefs appointment of Omnipotence, is often peculiarly appropriated for the greatest violation of it's laws. Has a great man a journey to make, or a company to invite, Sunday is an idle day, and he fixes either upon that. Has a woman of fashion an inclination to ftrip her best friends of the money which ought to pay a tradefman's bill, the fends cards for Sunday evening. And has a petty little mechanic a mind to cut a figure, why he hires his horfe, takes out his ftrumpet, and gets drunk on Sunday evening too. In the inferior orders of life, there is a notion generally prevalent, that cards are very montrous on a Sunday; and there are many well-meaning people who would not, upon any confideration, fit down to a party of whift. None of my readers will imagine, I dare fay, that I want from this to extenuate the infa mous cuftom of card-playing on the Sabbath of God. All that I want is, to fhew the lower claffes of the people, that leaping in the fields, playing at cricket, riding horfe-matches on the roads, and getting drunk on that day, is every whit as criminal as the propenfity to cards, which they fo highly cenfure in their fuperiors; that any of thole exercifes which they think allowable, is rather more indecent, becaufe more publicly practifed, and may in reality be attended with infinitely worfe effects. Let them, therefore, (if it be in vain to preach to the politer world) first of all, reform in these points of behaviour on Sunday: themfelves, before they pretend to arraign the conduct of the great; and, instead of difcovering the mote in the eye of their neighbour, fit attentively down to pluck the beam out of their own. N I N° XL. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12. Have been strongly folicited to give the following letter a place, which I have unwillingly complied with, notwithstanding the apparent utility of it's intention, as I am fearful it will affect rather too many of my readers among the venerable part of the fair-fex, who have been in the decline of life unhappily too fufceptible of tender impreffions, though they have loft the power of creating any impreffions of fuch a nature themielves. SIR, IN TO THE BABLER. N what manner to tell you my unfortunate story I know not; fhame and confusion forbid me to whisper it to the very winds; but a juft concern for the happiness of others has worked upon my humanity, and wrings the melaneholy fecret from my heart. You must know, Mr. Babler, I am a woman of fome birth, had once a little beauty, and, what was infinitely more important in the eye of the world, a very affluent fortune. At the age of twenty-one, I married the molt amiable of men, with whom I lived in an uninterrupted round of felicity for fix and thirty years. During that period we had four fons and three daughters, who are all provided for, both fplendidly and fortunately, in the world, and enjoy the fulleft fweets of opulence in the midst of the most perfe&t content. About nine months ago, Sir-O that I had not furvived to recollect a time that now brings Bafilifks to my imagination, and murders the most diftant beam of comfort with a glance!-the man with whom I had lived to happily, and fo long, fell ill of a fever, and died in ten days. My distraction at his lofs was inexpreffible; yet, when my future conduct comes to be mentioned, I fhall be fufpected of difingenuity, if I fay I was concerned at it at all; but, believe, me, I felt every thing a woman, endued with the most exquifite fenfibility, could poffibly experience on fo tender and afficting an occafion; and was reduced fo low by the conflict which my mind had undergone, that when the phyficians prefcribed the Bath waters, it was univerfally thought I should not hold out to the journey's end. Providence, however, which defign. ed that I fhould ftand a warning to my fex, to the furprize of my whole family, worked a miracle almoft in favour of my health; and in about three months I was fo perfectly recovered, that I came up to town, and feemed not only to have left every trace of my indifpofition behind, but the principal marks of my age too; in short, every body complimented me on the life of my looks, and raked the latent embers of vanity, which had a long, long time, lain sinothered in my heart, with fo much fuccefs together, that, upon a fecret confultation with my own wishes, I could not abfolutely conclude but I might be yet prevailed upon to change my condition, and make a fecond venture on the fimooth ocean of that state which rendered my life fuch a bleffing in the firft. The moment a thought of this nature comes into the breast of an old woman, it clings like Cleopatra's afps, and most commonly ftings her to death. For my own part, Sir, though I felt a fecret repugnance at the notion of another husband, yet the idea ftuck clofe to my imagination; and I even fometimes endeavoured to perfuade myself, that this honest averfion, which in fpite of me my confcience would retain, was nothing but a prejudice of education or cuftom, which it was highly meritorious to fubdue. My memory was ranfacked for inftances where women in my circumstances had married a fecond time, with handfome young fellows too, yet lived extremely happy, notwithitanding the vulgar and abominable fuppofition that nobody could entertain a paflion for a woman in years: nay, Mr. Babler, I found texts of Scripture in fupport of my favourite opinion, and abfolutely forced myfelf to believe that I was obliged, by the very principles of religion, to make another choice. While I was thus debating, Sir, my fon Edward, who is a colonel in the army, brought a young fellow of his acquaintance to fup at my houfe. I do not know how it was, but I fancied he was the mott handfome man I had ever ever seen in my life; his converfation, too, was fo elegant, and he paid fo profound a deference to my opinion, that I did not fleep-hame upon my antiquated eyelids a fingle wink the whole night, What need I trefpafs on your patience Major Ravage repeated his vits, began to find he was far from difagreeable, and, in short, made an offer of his hand in fuch terms as I was wholly unable to refift. Without ever enquiring into his character, or his circumftances, I confented to be his at an age that would become me to wait upon my grand-children, and flattered myself that his affection might be engaged to my perfon, at the very moment I knew it to be entirely created by my purfe. My poor first husband imagining that, as I had been a faithful wife to him, I fhould be a tender mother to his children, left me in poffeffion of fifty thoufand pounds, and a jointure of three thousand a year; every fixpence of which, as far as I could, I nevertheless unnaturally fettled on the villain, who had taken the advantage of my fecond child hood, the morning after the celebration of our nuptials. My children, you may be fure, would be justly offended at this prepofterous match, and they were; but, to be rid of upbraidings, which cut me to the foul, I quarrelled with them in turn, and forbade them ever to enter into my fight: but, alas! I had too foon an occafion for their affiftance and relief. A fortnight had fcarcely paffed, when Major Ravage, without faying a fingle fyllable, fet off for Bath with a tradelman's wife in the city; and about an hour after his departure, an upholsterer came in, demanding the poffeffion of my house and goods, having bought every thing that morning from my husband. I will not attempt to paint my astonishment, my fury, and my diftrefs; it was too much for nature to fupport, and I fell lifeless on the floor. Not to tire your patience, Sir, upon examining into every thing, and fending to the major, he flatly refufed either to fend me a fhilling, or ever to cohabit again with fo ftale a par cel of mortality—that was his decent expreffion. In this situation, my eldest daughter came and conducted me to her houfe, generously foothing me in the tendereft manner; but wounding me, however, a thousand times more by her goodness, than fhe could poffibly do by feizing the opportunity to load me with complaints. I am now going to fue for a feparate maintenance; and fhall convince the grey-headed fucklings of my fex, that an old woman who marries a young fellow, if the even should meet with a worthy one, can never expect to be treated with any tenderness or regard; and that, on the other hand, if the confents to wed a villain, the can look for nothing but an endlefs fcene of poverty and contempt: where he is most fortunate in her choice, neglect and ridicule must be her portion; and where the happens to be otherwife, the public fcorn of the world will be aggravated by a continual round of private wretchedness and diftrefs. I am, Sir, yours, &c. STR, No XLI. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19. TO THE BABLER. EEING a variety of letters in your and wives, I have taken the liberty of adding to the number of your matrimonial correfpondents, and doubt not, if you favour my complaint with a place, but that it will be attended with very falutary effects. You must know, Sir, I am married to one of the most agreeable women in England, have an unabating paffion for my wife, and every reaton to imagine her fentiments are equally tender, for me: there is nothing of confequence but what we continually ftudy to oblige each other in; yet, at the fame time, there are a thousand little trifles in which we are always fure to difagree, and which are not only an endiels fource of dif quiet to ourselves, but of uneafinefs to our whole family. Last night, for instance, Sir, after fupper, I acquainted Nancy that a vint ner, |