within an Ace of being a Lady, and made happy for her Life.

PRETTY Julia was not far behind her Sifter, no more in Happiness than in Beauty. A young Efquire of a vaft Eftate was fo fmitten with her, that he was to be married in a Trice."

NOTHING was wanting, but the Portions. But, as the Duce will have it, the Low Throws at the Groom-Porters, had brought the Sifter's Condition to be low. Ames Ace fell fatally between the eldeft Sifter and her Dignity, and block'd up the Baronet's Paffage to her Bed. Tray Duce almoft ruin'd the youngest; and the Efquire would have taken her with the Remainder, but that the fecond Part of his Wife had eloped too, and run away upon the Bowling-Green.

ALL I fhall here fay further of the Ladies, was, that the fame Gentlemen, after a little Confideration, found them to be Portions of themselves, Treasures hard to be got, and married them; and, we will return to Eufebius.

HE dipp'd his Eftate three or four Times, play'd away the Money, for which he now pays the Intereft, and, as Mr. Dryden phrafes it, like a Scorpion whipt by others to Fury, ftings himfelf in mad Revenge; and by being often nick'd with that Number, always fatal to him, call'd Eleven, he has loft the Main of his Eftate, by that extravagant unlucky Main; and from thofe Chances, it came to pafs, that all his Fortunes lay at Sixes and Sevens; now he is juflly pity'd by all the better-natur'd, and by the more Cruel he is laugh'd at, whilft he lies in the Jaws of that lean, hungry, and favenous Wolf, that he brought to his own Door. All he has for it now, is to turn Villain, like his first Seducer, look out fharp for other bimfelfs, and to be kept by them as he kept his Sharper before; and then at laft it may be faid in his Praise, that he has learn'd, by lofing an honeft Stock, the Art of procuring in Time a Knavish one.

WHEN this unfortunate Temper lights among Women, it is more dreadful: It makes greater Havock among their Virtues, and lays them more open to Con

tempt

tempt and Shame, without putting into their Hands the Poffibility of retrieving it. A Man that is a Gamefter may, in Time, by taking up, piece up a broken Reputation; and fo he may if he be a Whoremaster ;. but a Woman can no more get to be again the Mistress of her former Character and Honour, in one Way than in the other

I write this, because I have Notice given me, that a Gaming Houfe is newly fet up between Bloomsbury and Red Lyon Squares which has always hitherto, in a particular manner, kept the Repute of the moft sober and virtuous Part of the Town; where many of 'em are daily and eagerly running, as if they had confpir'd to lay afide the Deference, which that Sex has to the Judgment and Efteem of Mankind, and make their Court to Destruction.

UPON a large Table, overfpread with Cards there ri fes up a Gallery, which is circled round by two Snakes, whole Mouths open wide at the Top, and a round Ball enamell'd, like that fatal one which betray'd the first of the Sex, is deliver'd into the Hands of the fair Adventu rer, with the deluding Promife of receiving feven Gui neas for one, because, upon her giving it a graceful Twirl with her white Hand, it must probably fall, out: of Deference to her Motion, upon any four Cards that she fhall nominate, for Luck fake, out of two and thirty » and this is the pretty Game of Rolly Polly,

INFORTUNIA, a fprightly Widow, was one Day fed there by a Female Sharper, who was in the Secret. It was managed by her Confident, that she fet her Chances upon Hearts: It happened to be so order'd, that every Ball roll'd on to her Advantage, and fhe went away well contented and fatisfied. The Hearts encouraged! her extremely, and put her in good Heart to venture the next Time fix Times as much upon a Card as fhe had before. But the Luck and the Table turn'd against her, fhe began to lofe Courage, and deferted the Hearts; andi fet fo long upon the Diamonds, till fhe loft all the Money! about her, and was brought to the last hard Stake of pul ling off her Rings, and unbracing her Diamond Necklace. In fine, the Effect was, fhe fold her Jointure and loft. up en the fame Cards moft of her ready Money Upon thist

fhe difcontinued for a while, but was at length tempted to it by her old constant Confident; and the Master of the Table being unwilling to lofe fo free a Cuftomer, while fhe had any Coin left, permitted her to dig up most of her buried Fortune again, by the Help of the Spades. But then he knew he loft to gain, and that the could not give over, till fhe was quite knock'd down and ruined by the rough, unmannerly, outrageous Clubs, which gave her fuch a fettling Blow, that the will never rife again, nor be put to the Trouble or Expence of having a fecond Settlement made her, which fhe is now too late convinc'd would have been much more for her Pleasure and Emolument.

ANY Lady, who, after this timely Advice, fhall be taken at any Gaming-Table two Nights, muft expect that she will by me be accounted to have a vicious Appetite that Way; and muft excufe me, if I endeavour to draw her Picture at full Length, and to the Life, and lay upon her the fame Colours of Ridicule as ĺ have upon Infortunia; this being a Vice, to which, for the fake of them that have hitherto been called the Devout Sex, I declare and vow, fairly beforehand, that I will give no Quarter.

HOWEVER, in order to keep them from falling into my angry Hands, I must repeat to 'em what I warn'd them of long enough ago; that Gaming is a nocturnal, and a fretful Companion into the Bargain ; and that, if they are never fo handfom, their Beauty will never get them off; but on the contrary they will grow fo deform'd, that they will not be able to allure any youthful Spark, to compaffionate them, and take their Part when I chaftife them. Sitting up late and fretting, turns the most blooming Complexion into a fickly or dead Paleness; it wrinkles and ploughs up in Furrows the fmootheft Skin, alters the beft Set of Features into Distortion and Grimace, dims the moft fparkling Eyes, and finks 'em like confuming Tapers, dying, and ready to be bury'd in their Sockets.

A cruel Wretch, who lives thereabouts, and goes by the Name of Hippocrates, forefaw all this as well as F; but not having the Fear of the Destruction of Beauty before his eyes, was the chief Author, as I am inform`d, of

Situating

fituating this unlucky Engine there, with a prepenfe Ma lice of Heart, and a double evil Machination, at once to drain, decay, and purge, with a Witness, both the Conftitutions and Pockets of the most tender and agreeable Part of the Neighbourhood.

THERE was a falfe Report of his having fairly won a Hundred Founds there; and I confirm it to be thus far better than what you may call barely true, that he will, in all likelihood, gain many Hundreds by that Report. To explain this Mystery, in a fhort and expreflive TownPhrafe, this is putting the great Bite upon us, drawing you in, or telling you the Secret.

I must now conclude thefe my Remarks, with the firft: and laft Words of the Ingenious De La Bruyere's Book on the Manners of the Age.

• I borrow'd the Subject Matter of this Work from the Publick, and only restore what it lent me.

IF thefe Characters do not take, I wonder they fhould not.

"But if they do take, I wonder they should..

B..

Virg. Eclog,

AVING lately fprain'd my Foot very violently, and been forc'd to pass many fleepless Nights,

and to keep close to my Chamber many Days ;; I one Day particularly bent my Thoughts upon the most pleafing Place to walk in, that I could form in my Imagination: and, according to my Friend, Mr. Shadow's Advice, compos'd my felf to Reft; where, very fuccefsfully, about two this Morning, I took my ufual After-noon's Airing, and never felt that my Foot ail'd, or was likely to ail any. Thing, being well fortified with my double-foal'd Shoes; I was very much pleas'd at this, and having a Poem by me rurally pleafing, like my Dream,, I will approve and publish it,

From

•SUPPOSING my former Letter (much the fame with this) either went not time enough for your last Papers, or never came to your Hands, I fhall briefly repeat and affure you, that the Place here dated from, does really exift, and the following Lines from a genuine and true Description of it.

ASI before faid. I always preferr'd the rough and grotefque Works of Nature to the moft finished Pieces of Art; and ftill rather endeavour'd to reveal and bring forth the natural Beauties of the Place, than make others, merely by the Force of Art and Expence; fo pursuant to that Difpofition, I have fince embellish'd the Grott; which I have alfo added to the Defeription. I have likewife pursued my Walks further through the Fields and Woods, the Places, as I think, being not unworthy of Obfervation. If you are of the fame Sentiment, and find the Speculation of them entertaining, in any Degree equal to what they are in Practice, they are freely at your Service, and you may, if you think fit, give your Readers an Airing through them: Ifhall be " very proud to contribute in any Part to their Entertainment and Diverfion; but more especially, to have any thing, I herein fend, approv'd on by fo good a Judge as the SPECTATOR, being,

SIR,

Your Admirer, and

Confiant Reader

THE