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VORE

N° 187. Thursday, October 4.

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Hor.

HE Intelligence given by this Correfpondent is fo important and ufeful, in order to avoid the Perfons he speaks of, that I shall infert his Letter at

Mr. SPECTATOR,

"I Do not know that you have ever touched

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certain Species of Women, whom we ordinarily call Jilts. You cannot poffibly go upon a more useful Work, than the Confideration of thefe dangerous Animals. The Coquet is indeed one Degree towards the Jilt; the Heart of the former is bent upon admiring her felf, and giving falfe Hopes to her Lovers; but the latter is not contented to be extreamly amiable, but the muft add to that Advantage a certain Delight in being a Torment to others. Thus when her Lover is in the full Expectation of Succefs, the Jilt fhall meet him with a fudden Indifference, and Admiration in her Face at his being furprized that he is received like a Stranger, and a Caft of her Head another Way with a pleafant Scorn of the Fellow's Infolence. It is very probable the Lover goes home utterly aftonished and dejected, fits down to his Scrutore, fends her word in the most abject Terms, That he knows not what he has done; that all which was defirable in this Life is fo fuddenly vanished from • him, that the Charmer of his Soul fhould withdraw the vital Heat from the Heart which pants for her. He continues a mournful} Absence for fome time, pining in Secret, and out of Humour with all things which he meets with. At length he takes a Refolution to try his Fate, and explain with her refolutely upon & her

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her unaccountable Carriage. He walks up to her Apartment, with a thousand Inquietudes and Doubts in what Manner he shall meet the firft Caft of her Eyes when upon his firft Appearance fhe flies towards him,' . wonders where he has been, accufes him of his Ab. fence, and treats him with a Familiarity as furprizing as her former Coldnefs. This good Correfpondence .-continues till the Lady obferves the Lover grows happy in it, and then the interrupts it with fome new Inconfiftency of Behaviour. For (as I juft now faid) the Happiness of a Jilt confifts only in the Power of making others uneafy. But fuch is the Folly of this Sect of Women, that they carry on this pretty skittish Behaviour, till they have no Charms left to render it , supportable. Corinna, that used to torment all who converfed with her with falfe Glances, and little heedlefs unguarded Motions, that were to betray fome Inclination towards the Man fhe would enfnare,' finds at prefent all the attempts that Way unregarded and is obliged to indulge the Jilt in her Conftitution, by laying artificial Plots, writing perplexing Letters from unknown Hands, and making all the young Fellows in Love with her, till they find out who he is. Thus as before fhe gave Torment by difguifing her Inclination, fhe now is obliged to do it by hiding her Perfon.

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AS for my own Part, Mr. SPECTATOR, it has been my unhappy Fate to be jilted from my Youth up"ward; and as my Tafte has been very much towards Intreague and having Intelligence with Women of Wit, my whole Life has paffed away in a Series of "Impofitions. I fhall for the Benefit of the present Race of young Men, give fome Account of my Loves, I know not whether you have ever heard of the fa mous Girl about Town called Kitty: This Creature (for I must take Shame upon my felf) was my Mistress in the Days when Keeping was in Fashion. Kitty, under the Appearance of being Wild, Thoughtless, and Irregular in all her Words and Actions, concealed the most accomplished Jilt of her Time. Her Negligence had to me a Charm in it like that of Chastity,

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and Want of Defires feemed as great a Merit as the Conqueft of them. The Air fhe gave her felf was that of a Romping Girl, and whenever I talked to her with any Turn of Fondnefs, fhe would immediately fnatch off my Perriwig, try it upon her felf in the Glass, clap her Arms a Kimbow, draw my Sword, and make Paffes on the Wall, take off my Cravat, and feize it to make fome other Ufe of the Lace, or run into fome ⚫ other unaccountable Rompishness, till the Time I bad appointed to pass away with her was over: I went from her full of Pleafure at the Reflection that I had the keeping of fo much Beauty in a Woman, who as fhe was too heedlefs to please me, was alfo too unattentive to form a Defign to wrong me. Long did I divert every Hour that hung heavy upon me in the Company of this Creature, whom I looked upon as neither Guilty nor Innocent, but could laugh at my felf for my unaccountable Pleasure in an Expence upon her, till in the End it appeared my pretty Infenfible was with Child by my Footman.

THIS Accident rouzed me into a Difdain against all Libertine Women, under what Appearance foever they hid their Infincerity, and I refolved after that Time to converfe with none but thofe who lived within the Rules of Decency and Honour. To this End I formed my felf into a more regular Turn of Behaviour, and began to make Vifits, frequent Affemblies, and lead out Ladies from the Theatres, with all the other Infignificant Duties which the profeffed Servants of the Fair place themselves in a conftant Readiness to perform. In a very little time, (having a plentiful Fortune) Fathers and Mothers began to regard me as a good Match, and I found eafie Admittance into the beft Families in Town to obferve their Daughters; but I, who was born to follow the Fair to no Purpofe, have by the Force of my ill Stars made my Application to three Jilts fuc⚫ ceffively.

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HYENA is one of those who form themfelves into a melancholy and indolent Air, and endeavour to gain Admirers from their Inattention to all around. them. Hyana can loll in her Coach, with fomething

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fo fixed in her Countenance, that it is impoffible to con'ceive her Meditation is employed only on her Dress and her Charms in that Pofture. If it were not too coarse ⚫ à Simile, I should fay Hyena, in the Figure the affects to appear in, is a Spider in the midft of a Cobweb, that is fure to destroy every Fly that approaches it. The Net Hyann throws is fo fine, that you are taken in it before you can obferve any Part of her Work. I attempted her for a long and weary Seafon, but I found her Paf fion went no further than to be admired; and she is of that unreasonable Temper, as not to value the Inconftancy of her Lovers, provided fhe can boast the once had their Addreffes.

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BIBLIS was the second I aimed at, and her Vanity lay in purchafing the Adorers of others, and not in rejoycing in their Love itfelf. Biblis is no Man's Mistress, but every Woman's Rival. As foon as I found this, I fell in Love with Chloe who is my prefent Pleasure and • Torment. I have writ to her, danced with her, and fought for her, and have been her Man in the Sight and Expectation of the whole Town these three Years, and thought my felf near the End of my Wishes; when the other Day the called me into her Clofet, and told me, with a very grave Face, that she was a Woman of Ho· nour, and fcorned to deceive a Man who loved her with fo much Sincerity as the faw I did; and therefore she ⚫ must inform me, that he was by Nature the most in'conftant Creature breathing, and begg'd of me not to marry her: If I infifted upon it, I fhould; but that she was lately fallen in Love with another. What to do or fay I know not, but defire you to inform me, and you will infinitely oblige, SIR, Your most humble Servant, Charles Yellow®

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ADVERTISEMENT.

Mr. Sly, Haberdasher of Hats, at the Corner of DevereuxCourt in the Strand, gives Notice, That he has prepared very neat Hats, Rubbers, and Brushes, for the Ufe of young Tradesmen in their laft Year of Apprenticeship, at reasonable

Rates.

VOL. III.

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Friday,

N° 188. Friday, October 5.

Latus fum Laudari à te Laudato viro.

Tull,

E is a very unhappy Man who fets his Heart upon

H being admired by the Maltitude, or affects a ge

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neral and undiftinguished Applaufe among Men. What pious Men call the Teftimony of a good Confcience, fhould be the Measure of our Ambition in this Kind; that is to say, a Man of Spirit fhould contemn the Praife of the Ignorant, and like being applauded for nothing but what he knows in his own Heart he deferves. Befides which, the Character of the Perfon who commends you is to be confidered, before you fet a Valuè upon his Efteem. The Praise of an ignorant Man is only Good-will, and you fhould receive his Kindness as he is a good Neighbour in Society, and not as a good Judge of your Actions in Point of Fame and Reputation. Satyrift faid very well of popular Praise and Acclamations, Give the Tinkers and Coblers their Prefents again, and learn to live of your felf. It is an Argument of a loose and ungoverned Mind, to be affected with the promiscuous Approbation of the Generality of Mankind; and a Man of Virtue fhould be too delicate for fo coarse an Appetite of Fame. Men of Honour should endeavour only to please the Worthy, and the Man of Merit fhould defire to be tried only by his Peers. I thought it a noble Sentiment which I heard yesterday uttered in Conversation; I know, faid a Gentleman, a Way to be greater than any Man: If he has Worth in him, I can rejoyce in his Superiority to me; and that Satisfaction is a greater Act of the Soul in me, than any in him which can poffibly appear to me. This Thought Could not proceed but from a candid and generous Spirit; and the Approbation of such Minds is what may be esteemed true Praife; For with the common Rate of Men there

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