bands. But with submission, I think a woman who will give up herself to a man in marriage, where there is the least room for such an apprehension, and trust her person to one whom she will not rely on for the common necessaries of life, may very properly be accused, in the phrase of an homely proverb, of being penny wise and pound foolish.' It is observed of over-cautious generals, that they never engage in a battle without securing a retreat, in case the event should not answer their expectations; on the other hand, your greatest conquerors have burnt their ships, and broke down the bridges behind them, as being determined either to succeed or die in the engagement. In the same manner I should very much suspect a woman who takes such precautions for her retreat, and contrives methods how she may live happily, without the affection of one to whom she joins herself for life. Separate purses between man and wife, are, in my opinion, as unnatural as separate beds. A marriage cannot be happy, where the pleasures, inclinations, and interests, of both parties are not the same. There is no greater incitement to love in the mind of man, than the sense of a person's depending upon him for her ease and happiness; as a woman uses all her endeavours to please the person whom she looks upon, as her honour, her comfort, and her support. For this reason, I am not very much surprised at the behaviour of a rough country squire, who, being not a little shocked at the proceeding of a young widow, that would not recede from her demands of pin-money, was so enraged at her mercenary temper, that he told her in great wrath, As much as she thought him her slave, he would show all the world he did not care a pin for her.' Upon which he flew out of the room, and never saw her more. Socrates in Plato's Alcibiades, says, he was inform ed by one who had travelled through Persia, that as he passed over a great tract of land, and inquired what the name of the place was, they told him it was the Queen's Girdle: to which he adds, that another wide field which lay by it, was called the Queen's Veil; and that in the same manner there was a large portion of ground set aside for every part of her majesty's dress. These lands might not be improperly called the Queen of Persia's pin-money. I remember my friend Sir Roger, who, I dare say, never read this passage in Plato, told me some time since, that upon his courting the perverse widow, of whom I have given an account in former papers, he had disposed of an hundred acres in a diamond ring, which he would have presented her with, had she thought fit to accept it: and that upon her wedding-day, she should have carried on her head fifty of the tallest oaks upon his estate. He further informed me, that he would have given her a coal-pit to keep her in clean linen, that he would have allowed her the profits of a windmill for her fans, and have presented her once in three years, with the shearing of his sheep for her under-petticoats. To which the knight always adds, that though he did not care for fine clothes himself, there should not have been a woman in the country better dressed than my lady Coverley. Sir Roger, perhaps, may in this, as well many other of his devices, appear something odd and singular; but if the humour of pin-money prevails, I think it would be very proper for every gentleman of an estate, to mark out so many acres of it under the title of, The Pins.' as in L "HAVING lately conversed much with the fair-sex, on the subject of your speculations, which, since their appearance in public, have been the chief excise of the female loquacious faculty, I found the fair ones possessed with a dissatifaction at your prefixing Greek mottoes to the frontispieces of your late papers; and, as a man of gallantry, I thought it a duty incumbent on me, to impart it to you, in hopes of a reformation, which is only to be effected by a restoration of the Latin to the usual dignity in your papers, which, of late, the Greek, to the great displeasure of your female readers, has usurped; for though the Latin has the recommendation of being as unintelligible to them as the Greek, yet, being written of the same character with their mother tongue, by the assistance of a spelling-book, it is legible; which quality the Greek wants: and since the introduction of operas into this nation, the ladies are so charmed with sounds abstracted from their ideas, that they adore and honour the sound of Latin, as it is old Italian. I am a solicitor for the fair-sex, and therefore think myself in that character more likely to be prevalent in this request, than if I should subscribe myself by my proper name. "J. M. "I desire you may insert this in one of your speculations, to show my zeal for removing the dissatisfaction of the fair-sex, and restoring you to their favour." "SIR, "I WAS some time since in company with a young officer, who entertained us with the conquest he had made over a female neighbour of his; when a gentleman who stood by, as I suppose, envying the captain's good fortune, asked him what reason he had to believe the lady admired him? Why,' says he, my lodgings are opposite to her's, and she is continually at her window either at work, reading, taking snuff, or putting herself in some toying posture, on purpose to draw my eyes that way.' The confession of this vain soldier made me reflect on some of my own actions; for you must know, Sir, I am often at a window which fronts the apartments of several gentlemen, who I doubt not have the same opinion of me. I must own I love to look at them all, one for being well dressed, a second for his fine eye, and one particular one, because he is the least man I ever saw; but there is something so easy and pleasant in the manner of my little man, that I observe he is a favourite of all his acquaintance. I could go on to tell you of many others, that I believe think I have encouraged them from my window: but pray let me have your opinion of the use of the window, in the apartment of a beautiful lady; and how often she may look out at the same man, without being supposed to have a mind to jump out to him. 66 66 Yours, AURELIA CARELESS." Twice. MR. SPECTATOR, "I HAVE for some time made love to a lady, who received it with all the kind returns I ought to expect but, without any provocation, that I know of, she has, of late, shunned me with the utmost abhorrence, insomuch that she went out of church last Sunday in the midst of divine service, upon my coming into the same pew. Pray, Sir, what must I do in this business? Let her alone ten days, "Your servant, MR. SPECTATOR, "WE have in this town a sort of people who pretend to wit, and write lampoons; I have lately been the subject of one of them. The scribbler had not genius enough in verse to turn my age, as indeed I am an old maid, into raillery, for affecting a youthier turn than is consistent with my time of day; and therefore he makes the title to his madrigal, the character of Mrs. Judith Lovebane, born in the year 1680. What I desire of you is, that you disallow that a coxcomb, who pretends to write verse, should put the most malicious thing he can say in prose. This I humbly conceive will disable our country wits, who indeed take a great deal of pains to say any thing in rhyme, though they say it very ill. "I am, SIR, "Your humble servant, "York, Jan. 20, 1711-12.” |