none other; farer, ne fowler; richer, 66 ne pourer; ne for none other de"fcended of greater lynage; flepying

ne waking, at noo tyme. And if the feyd B were fole, and I fole, I "would take her to be my wife before "all the wymen of the world, of what "condiciones foever they be, good or evylle: as help me God and his feyntes, and this flesh and all fleshes." And his neighbours fhall make oath, that they truft verily he hath faid truly. And if it be found by his neighbours before named, that he be a freeman, there shall be delivered to him half a quarter of wheat and a cheefe; and if he be a villain, he fhall have half a quarter of rye without cheese. And then hall Knightleye, the Lord of Ludlow, be called for, to carry all thefe things tofore rehearfed; and the faid corn fhall be laid on one horse,

and the bacon above it: and he to whom the bacon appertaineth fhall afcend upon his horse, and fh.ll take the cheefe before him, if he have a horfe. And if he have none, the Lord of Whichenovre fhall caufe him to have one horfe and faddle, to fuch time as he be paffel his lordship: and fo fhall they depart the manor of Whichenovre with the corn and the bacon, tofore him that hath won it, with trumpets, tabourets, and other " manner of minstrelfy. And all the free tenants of Whichenovre, fhall conduct him to be paffed the lordship of Whichenovre. And then thall they all return except him, to whom appertaineth to make the carriage and 'journey without the county of Staf ford, at the cofts of his Lord of Whichenovre.'

OVID. ARS AM. L. I. VER. 633

MB. SPECTATOR,

CCORDING to my promife I

A herewith tranfmit to you a lift of

feveral perfons who from time to time demanded the flitch of bacon of Sir Philip de Somervile, and his defcendants; as it is preferved in an ancient manufcript under the title of The Regifter of Whichenovre hail, and of the Bacon Flitch there maintained.'

In the beginning of this record is recited the law or inftitution in form, as it is already printed in your laft paper: to which are added two bye-laws, as a comment upon the general law, the fubftance whereef is, that the wife fhall take the fame oath as the husband, mutatis mutandis, and that the judges fhall, as they think meet, interrogate or crossexamine the witneffes. After this proceeds the regifter in manner following.

Aubry de Falstaff, fon of Sir John Falltaff, Kt. with dame Maude his wife, were the firft that demanded the bacon, he having bribed twain of his father's companions to fwear falfely in his behoof, whereby he gained the #tch: but he and his faid wife falling

DRYDEN.

immediately into a difpute how the faid bacon fhould be dreffed, it was by order of the judges taken from him, and hung up again in the hall.

Alifon the wife of Stephen Freckle, brought her said husband along with her, and fet forth the good conditions and behaviour of her confort, adding withal that fhe doubted not but he was ready to atteft the like of her his wife; whereupon he, the faid Stephen, fhaking his head, he turned short upon him, and gave him a box on

the ear.

the leaft difobliged his wife for a year and a day before marriage, which he hoped was the fame thing. • Rejected.

Joceline Jolly, Efq. making it appear by unquestionable teftimony, that he and his wife had preferved full and entire affection for the space of the * first month, commonly called the ho'ney-moon; he had in confideration thereof one rafher beftowed upon him. After this,' fays the record, many years paffed over before any demandant appeared at Whichenovre-hall; infomuch that one would have thought that the whole country were turned Jews, fo little was their affection to the flitch of bacon."

The next couple enrolled had like to have carried it, if one of the witneffes had not depofed, that dining on a Sunday with the demandant, whofe wife had fat below the fquire's lady at church, the the faid wife dropped fome expreffions, as if the thought her husband deferved to be knighted; to which he returned a paffionate Pish! The judges taking the premises into confideration, declared the aforefaid behaviour to imply an unwarrantable ambition in the wife, and anger in the husband.

It is recorded as a fufficient difqualification of a certain wife, that fpeaking of her husband, fhe faid- God • forgive him.'

It is likewife remarkable that a couple were rejected upon the depofition of one of their neighbours, that the lady

had once told her husband that it was her duty to obey; to which he replied→→→ Oh, my dear! you are never in the wrong.

The violent paffion of one lady for her lap-dog; the turning away of the old houfe-maid by another; a tavernbill torn by the wife, and a taylor's by the husband; a quarrel about the kifling-ciui; fpeiling of dinners, and coming in late of nights; are fo many feveral articles which occationed the reprobation of fome fcores of demandants, whofe names are recorded in the afore faid register.

Without enumerating other particular perfons, I shall content myself with obferving that the fentence pronounced against one Gervafe Poacher is, that he might have had bacon to his eggs, if he had not hitherto fcolded his wife when they were over-boiled.' And the deposition against Dorothy Doolittle runs in thefe words, That the had fo • far ufurped the dominion of the coal fire, (the stirring whereof her husband claimed to himfelf) that by her goodwill she never would fuffer the poker out of her hand.'

I find but two couples, in this first century, that were fuccefsful: the firft was a fea-captain and his wife, who fince the day of their marriage had not feen one another until the day of the claim. The fecond was an honest pair in the neighbourhood; the husband was a man of plain good sense, and a peaceable temper; the woman was dumb.

Juv. SAT. I. VER. 86.

MR. SPECTATOR,

Have for fome time defired to appear

I in your paper, and have therefore chofen a day to iteal into the Spectator, when I take it for granted you will not have many spare minutes for ipecula tions of your own. As I was the other day walking with an honest country gentleman, he very often was expreffing his aftonifhment to fee the town fo mightily crouded with doctors of divinity: upon which I told him he was very much mistaken if he took all thofe gen

tlemen he faw in fcarfs to be perfons of that dignity; for that a young divine,

after his frit der tee in the univerity,

ufually comes hither only to fhew himfelf; and, on that occafion, is apt to think he is but half equipped with a gown and caflock for his public appearance, if he hath not the additional ornament of a fcarf of the fit magnitude to entitle him to the appellation of Dr. from his landlady, and the boy at Child's. Now fince I know that this piece of garniture is looked upon as a

mark

mark of vanity or affectation, as it is made ufe of among fome of the little Spruce adventurers of the town, I fhould be glad if you would give it a place among thofe extravagancies you have justly expofed in feveral of your papers: being very well affured that the main body of the clergy, both in the country and the universities, who were almost to a man untainted with it, would be very well pleafed to fee this venerable foppery well expofed. When my patron did me the honour to take me into his family, (for I must own myself of this order) he was pleafed to fay he took me as a friend and companion; and whether he looked upon the scarf like the lace and fhoulder-knot of a footman, as a badge of fervitude and dependence, I do not know, but he was fo kind as to leave my wearing of it to my own discretion; and not having any just title to it from my degrees, I am content to be without the ornament. The privileges of our nobility to keep a certain number of chaplains are undisputed, though perhaps not one in ten of thofe reverend gentlemen have any relation to the noble families their fearfs belong to; the right generally of creating all chaplains, except the domestic, where there is one, being nothing more than the perquifite of a steward's place, who if he happens to outlive any confiderable number of his noble mafters, fhall probably, at one and the fame time, have fifty chaplains, all in their proper accoutrements, of his own creation; though, perhaps, there hath been neither grace nor prayer faid in the family fince the introduction of the first coronet. I am, &c.

I

MR. SPECTATOR,

With you would write a philofophical paper about natural antipathies, with a word or two concerning the ftrength of imagination. I can give you a lift upon the first notice, of a rational China cup, of an egg that walks upon two legs, and a quart-pot that fings like a nightingale. There is in my neighbourhood a very pretty prattling fhoulder of veal, that fqualls out at the fight of a knife. Then, as for natural antipathies, I know a general officer who was never conquered but by a fmothered rabbit; and a wife that domineers over her hufband by the help of a breaft of mutton. A fory that relates to myfelf on this fubject may be thought not unentertain

ing, efpecially when I affure you that it is literally true. I had long made love to a lady, in the poffeffion of whom I am now the happiest of mankind, whose hand I fhould have gained with much difficulty without the affiftance of a cat. You must know then, that my most dangerous rival had fo ftrong an averfion to this fpecies, that he infallibly fwooned away at the fight of that harmless creature. My friend Mrs. Lucy, her maid, having a greater refpect for me and my purfe than the had for my rival, always took care to pin the tail of a cat under the gown of her miftrefs, whenever the knew of his coming; which had fuch an effect, that every time he entered the room he looked more like one of the figures in Mrs. Salmon's wax-work than a defirable lover. In fhort, he grew fick of her company; which the young lady taking notice of, (who no more knew why than he did) the fent me a chal lenge to meet her in Lincoln's Ina chapel, which I joyfully acepsd, and have, amongst other pleatures, the fatisfaction of being praised by her for my ftratagem. I am, &c.'

FROM THE HOOP.

MR. SPECTATOR,

TOM NIMBLE.

THE virgins of Great Britain are

very much obliged to you for putting them upon fuch tedious drudgeries in needlework as were fit only for the Hilpa's and the Nilpa's that lived before the flood. Here is a ftir indeed with your hiftories in embroidery, your groves with thades of filk and streams of mohair! I would have you to know, that I hope to kill a hundred lovers before the beft housewife in England can stitch out a battle, and do not fear but to provide boys and girls much faster than your difciples can embroider them. I love birds and beafts as well as you, but am content to fancy them when they are really made. What do you think of gilt leather for furniture?" There is your pretty hangings for a chamber; and what is more, our own country is the only place in Europe where work of that kind is tolerably done. Without minding your lufty leffons, I am this minute going to Paul's Church-yard to befpeak a fkreen and a set of hangings; and am refolved to encourage the manufacture of my country. Yours,

CLEORA. N

I

Have often wondered that the Jews fhould contrive fuch worthlefs greatnefs for the Deliverer whom they expected, as to dress him up in external pomp and pageantry, and reprefent him to their imagination as making havock amongst his creatures, and acted with the poor ambition of a Cæfar or an Alexander. How much more illuftrious does he appear in his real character, when confidered as the Author of univerfal benevolence among men, as refining our paffions, exalting our nature, giving us vast ideas of immortality, and teaching us a contempt of that little fhowy grandeur, wherein the Jews made the glory of their Messiah to confift!

Nothing,' fays Longinus, can be great, the contempt of which is great.' The poffeffion of wealth and riches cannot give a man a title to greatnefs, because it is looked upon as a greatness of mind to contemn thefe gifts of fortune, and to be above the defire of them. I have therefore been inclined to think, that there are greater men who lie concealed among the fpecies, than those who come out, and draw upon themfelves the eyes and admiration of mankind. Virgil would never have been heard of, had not his domeftic misfortunes driven him out of his obfcurity, and brought him to Rome.

If we fuppofe that there are spirits or angels, who look into the ways of men, as it it is highly probable there are, both from reafon and revelation; how different are the notions which they entertain of us, from thofe which we are apt to form of one another? Were they to give us in their catalogue of fuch wor

SENECA.

thies as are now living, how different would it be from that which any of our own fpecies would draw up?

We are dazzled with the fplendor of titles, the oftentation of learning, the noife of victories: they, on the contrary, fee the philofopher in the cottage, who poffefies his foul in patience and thankfulness, under the preffures of what little minds call poverty and diftrefs. They do not look for great men at the head of armies, or among the pomps of a court, but often find them out in fhades and folitudes, in the private walks and by-paths of life. The evening's walk of a wife man is more illuftrious in their fight, than the march of a general at the head of a hundred thoufand men. A contemplation of God's works; a voluntary act of justice to our own detriment; a generous concern for the good of mankind; tears that are shed in filence for the mifery of others; a private defire or refentment broken and fubdued; in fhort, an unfeigned exercife of humility, or any other virtue; are fuch actions as are glorious in their fight, and denominate men great and reputable. The molt famous among us are often looked upon with pity, with contempt, or with indignation; while thofe who are moft obfcure among their own fpecies, are regarded with love, with approbation, and esteem.

The moral of the prefent fpeculation amounts to this, that we fhould not be led away by the centures and applaufes of men, but confider the figure that every perfon will make at that time when Wifdom fhall be juftified of her children, and nothing pafs for great or 7 M illuftrious

illuftrious, which is not an ornament and perfection to human nature.

The story of Gyges, the rich Lydian monarch, is a memorable inftance to our prefent purpofe. The oracle being asked by Gyges, who was the happiest man, replied-Aglaüs. Gyges, who expected to have heard himself named on this occafion, was much furprifed, and very curious to know who this Aglaüs should be. After much enquiry, he was found to be an obfcure countryman, who employed all his time in cultivating a garden, and a few acres of land about his houfe.

Cowley's agreeable relation of this ftory fhall close this day's fpeculation.

Thus Aglaus (a man unknown to men, But the gods knew, and therefore lov'd him then)

Thus liv'd obfcurely then without a name,
Aglais, now confign'd t'eternal fame.
For Gyges, the rich king, wicked and

The god, who fcorn'd to flatter man, reply’d— Aglaüs happier is.' But Gyges cry'd, In a proud rage, Who can that Aglaüs be? "We've heard as yet of no fuch king as he.' And true it was, through the whole earth around,

No king of fuch a name was to be found. Is fome old hero of that name alive, Who his high race does from the gods derive? Is it fome mighty gen'ral, that has done 'Wonders in fight, and godlike honours won? Is it fome man of endless wealth?' faid he: 'None,none of thefe; who can this Aglaüs be? After long fearch, and vain enquiries paft, In an obfcure Arcadian vale at last, (Th' Arcadian life has always fhady been) Near Sopho's town, which he but once had feen,

This Aglaüs, who monarchs envy drew, Whofe happiness the gods ftood witness to, This mighty Aglaüs was lab'ring found, With his own hands, in his own little ground.

So, gracious God, if it may lawful be, Among thofe foolish gods to mention thee, So let me act, on fuch a private ftage, The laft dull fcenes of my declining age; After long toils and voyages in vain, This quiet port let my tofs'd veffel gain; Of heav'nly reft this earnest to me lendLet my life fleep, and learn to love her end.

VIRG. ÆN. IV. ver. 366,

I Am willing to poftpone every thing, to do any the leaft fervice for the deferving and unfortunate. Accordingly I have caused the following letter to be inferted in my paper the moment that it came to my hands, without altering one tittle in an account which the lady relates fo handfomely herself.

MR. SPECTATOR,

Flatter myfelf, you will not only pity, but, if poffible, redress a miffortune myself and feveral others of my fex lie under. I hope you will not be offended, nor think I mean by this to judify my own imprudent conduct, or expect you fhould. No! I am fenfible how feverely, in fome of your former papers, you have reproved perfons guilty of the like mifmanagements. I was fcarce fixteen, and I may fay without

vanity, handsome, when courted by a

false perjured man; who, upon promise of marriage, rendered me the moft unhappy of women. After he had deluded me from my parents, who were people of very good fashion, in less than three months he left me. My parents would not fee, nor hear from me; and had it not been for a fervant, who had lived in our family, I must certainly have perifhed for want of bread. However, it pleafed Providence, in a very fhort time, to alter my miferable condition. A gentleman faw me, liked me, and married me. My parents were reconciled; and I might be as happy in the change of my condition, as I was before milerable, but for fome things, that you fhall know, which are infupportable to me;" and I am fore you have fo much honour and compaffion as to let thofe perfons

know,