gry, or as Mr. Cowley has imitated the verfes that stand as the motto of this

paper,

She fwells with angry pride,

"And calls forth all her spots on ev'ry fide.”

When I was in the Theatre the time above-mentioned, I had the curiofity to count the patches on both fides, and found the Tory patches to be about twenty ftronger than the Whig; but to make amends for this fmall inequality, I the next morning found the whole puppet-show filled with faces spotted after the whiggish manner. Whe ther or no the ladies had retreated hither in order to rally their forces, I cannot tell; but the next night they came in fo great a body to the Opera, that they out numbered the enemy.

This account of party-patches will, I am afraid, appear improbable to those who live at a distance from the fashionable world: but as it is a distinction of a very fingular nature, and what perhaps may never meet with a parallel, I think I fhould not have discharged the office of a faithful Spectator, had not I recorded it.

I have, in former papers, endeavoured to expose this party rage in women, as it only serves to aggravate the hatreds and animofities that reign among men, and in a great measure deprives the fair fex of thofe peculiar charms with which nature has endowed them.

When the Romans and Sabines were at war, and just upon the point of giving battle, the women who were allied to both of them, interpofed with fo many tears and intreaties, that they prevented the mutual flaughter which threatened both parties, and united them together in a firm and lafting peace.

I would recommend this noble example to our British ladies, at a time when their country is torn with so many unnatural divifions, that if they continue, it will be a a misfortune to be born in it. The Greeks thought it fo improper for women to interest themselves in competitions and contentions, that for this reafon among others, they forbid them, under pain of death, to be prefent at

the

the Olympic games, notwithstanding these were the pub. lic diverfions of all Greece.

As our English women excel thofe of all other nations in beauty, they should endeavour to outfhine them in all other accomplishments proper to the fex, and to diftinguish themselves as tender mothers, and faithful wives, rather than as furious partifans. Female virtues are of a domeftic turn. The family is the proper province for private women to fhine in. If they must be fhewing their zeal for the public, let it not be against thofe who are perhaps of the fame family, or at least of the fame religion or nation, but against those who are the open, profeffed, undoubted enemies of their faith, liberty and country. When the Romans were preffed with a foreign enemy, the ladies voluntarily contributed all their rings and jewels to affift the government under a public exigence, which appeared so laudable an action in the eyes of their countrymen, that from thenceforth it was permitted by a law to pronounce public orations at the funeral of a woman in praife of the deceafed perfon, which until that time was peculiar to men. Would our English ladies, instead of sticking on a patch against thofe of their own country, fhew themfelves fo truly public-fpirited as to facrifice every one her necklace against the common enemy, what decrees ought not to be made in favour of them?

Since I am recollecting upon this fubject fuch paffages as occur to iny memory out of ancient authors, I cannot omit a fentence in the celebrated funeral oration of Pericles, which he made in honour of those brave Athenians that were flain in a fight with the Lacedemonians. After having addreffed himself to the feveral ranks and orders of his countrymen, and fhewn them how they should behave themfelves in the public caufe, he turns to the female part of his audience; " And as for you," fays he, "I fhall advife you in very few words: afpire only to "thofe virtues that are peculiar to your fex; follow your "natural modefty, and think it your great commen"dation not to be talked of one way or other." C.

MONDAY,

No, LXXXII. MONDAY, JUNE 4.

Caput dominâ venalo fub hastâ.

Juv. Sat. 3. v. 33.

His fortunes ruin'd, and himself a flave.

PASS

ASSING under Ludgate the other day, I heard a voice bawling for charity, which I thought I had fomewhere heard before. Coming near to the grate, the prifoner called me by my name, and defired I would throw fomething into the box; I was out of countenance for him, and did as he bid me, by putting in half a crown. I went away, reflecting upon the ftrange conftitution of fome men, and how meanly they behave themselves in all forts of conditions. The perfon who begged of me is now, as I take it, fifty: I was well acquainted with him until about the age of twenty-five; at which time a good eftate fell to him by the death of a relation. Upon coming to this unexpected good fortune, he ran into all the extravagancies imaginable; was frequently in drunken difputes, broke drawers heads, talked and fwore loud, was unmannerly to those above him, and infolent to those below him. I could not but remark, that it was the fame bafeness of spirit which worked in his behaviour in both fortunes: the fame little mind was infolent in riches, and fhameless in poverty. This accident made me mufe upon the circumftance of being in debt in general, and folve in my mind what tempers were most apt to fall into this error of life, as well as the miffortune it must needs be to languish under fuch preffures. As for myself, my natural averfion to that fort of converfation which makes a figure with the generality of mankind, exempts me from any temptations to expence ; and all my business lies within a very narrow compafs, which is only to give an honeft man, who takes care of my eftate, proper vouchers for his quarterly payments to me, and obferve what linen my laundrefs brings and takes away with her once a week: my steward brings

his

his receipt ready for my figning; and I have a pretty implement with the refpective names of fhirts, cravats, handkerchiefs and ftockings, with proper numbers to know how to reckon with my laundreis. This being almost all the bufinefs I have in the world for the care of my own affairs, I am at full leifure to obferve upon what others do, with relation to their equipage and

œconomy.

When I walk the street, and obferve the hurry about me in this town,

"Where with like hafte thro' diff'rent ways they run; "Some to undo, and fome to be undone.”

I fay, when I behold this vast variety of perfons and humours, with the pains they both take for the accomplishment of the ends mentioned in the above verfes of Denham, I cannot much wonder at the endeavour after gain, but an extremely aftonished that men can be fo infenfible of the danger of running into debt. One would think it impoffible a man who is given to contract debts fhould know, that his creditor has, from that moment in which he tranfgreffes payment, fo much as that demand comes to in his debtor's honour, liberty, and fortune. One would think he did not know, that his creditors can fay the worst thing imaginable on him, to wit, "that he is "unjuft," without defamation; and can feize his perfon, without being guilty of an affault. Yet fuch is the loofe and abandoned turn of fome mens minds, that they can live under thefe conftant apprehenfions, and ftill go on to increase the cause of them. Can there be a more low and fervile condition, than to be ashamned, or afraid to fee any man breathing? Yet he that is much in debt, is in that condition with relation to twenty different people. There are indeed circumstances wherein men of honeft natures may become liable to debts, by fome unadvised behaviour in any great point of their life, or mortgaging a man's honefty as a fecurity for that of another, and the like; but thefe inftances are fo particu lar and circumstantiated, that they cannot come within general

general confiderations: for one fuch cafe as one of these, there are ten, where a man, to keep up a farce of retinue and grandeur within his own house, shall shrink at the expectation of furly demands at his doors. The debtor is the creditor's criminal, and all the officers of power and state, whom we behold make fo great a figure, are no other than fo many perfons in authority to make good his charge against him.. Human fociety depends upon his having the vengeance law allots him; and the debtor owes his liberty to his neighbour, as much as the murderer does his life to his prince.

Our gentry are, generally speaking, in debt; and many families have put it into a kind of method of being so from generation to generation. The father morgages when his fon is very young; and the boy is to marry as foon as he is at age to redeem it, and find portions for his fifters. This forfooth, is no great inconvenience to him; for he may wench, keep a public table or feed dogs like a worthy English gentleman, until he has outrun half his eftate, and leave the fame incumbrance upon his firft-born, and fo on, until one man of more vigour than ordinary goes quite through the eftate, or fome man of fenfe comes into it, and fcorns to have an estate in partnership, that is to fay, liable to the demand or infult of any man living. There is my friend Sir Andrew, though for many years a great and general trader, was never the defendant in a law-fuit; in all the perplexity of business, and the iniquity of mankind at prefent, no one had any colour for the leaft complaint against his dealings with him. This is certainly as uncommon, and in its proportion as laudable in a citizen, as it is in a general never to have fuffered a disadvantage in fight. How different from this gentleman is Jack Truepenny, who has been an old acquaintance of Sir Andrew and myself from boys, but could never learn our caution. Jack has a whorish unrefifted good-nature, which makes hi incapable of having a property in any thing. His fortune, his reputation, his time and his capacity, are at any man's fervice that comes firft. When he was at fchool, he was whipped thrice a week for faults he took

upon