"about an hour before day, and told me, if I would be "good and lie ftill, they would fend fomebody to take me up as foon as it was time for me to rife: accord"ingly about nine of the clock in the morning an old "woman came to unfwathe me. I bore all this very "impatiently, being refolved to take my revenge of my " tormentors, and to keep no meafures with them as "foon as I was at liberty; but upon asking my old "woman what was become of the two ladies, fhe told "me she believed they were by that time within fight of "Paris, for that they went away in a coach and fix before five of the clock in the morning." No. XCI. THURSDAY, JUNE 14. In furias ignemque ruunt, amor omnibus idem. L VIRG. Georg. 3. v. 244. They rush into the flame; For love is lord of all, and is in all the fame. T HO' the fubject I am now going upon would be much more properly the foundation of a comedy, I cannot forbear inferting the circumftances which pleased me in the account a young lady gave me of the loves of a family in town, which fhall be namelefs; or rather for the better found and elevation of the hiftory, i ftead of Mr. and Mrs. fuch-a-one, I fhall call them by feigned names. Without further preface, you are to know, that within the liberties of the city of Westminster lives the lady Honoria, a Widow about the age of forty, of a healthy conftitution, gay temper, and elegant perfon. She dreffes a little too much like a girl, affects a childish fondness in the tone of her voice, fometimes a pretty fullennefs in the leaning of her head, and now and then a down-cast of her eyes on her fan: neither her imagination nor her health would ever give her to know, that fhe is turned of twenty; but that in the midft of thefe pretty foftneffes, and airs of delicacy and attraction, fhé has a tall daughter within a fortnight of fifteen, who impertinently comes into the room, and towers fo much towards towards woman, that her mother is always checked by her prefence, and every charm of Honoria droops at the entrance of Flavia. The agreeable Flavia would be what she is not, as well as her mother Honoria; but all their beholders are more partial to an affectation of what a perfon is growing up to, than of what has been already enjoyed, and is gone for ever. It is therefore allowed to Flavia to look forward, but not to Honoria to look back. Flavia is no way dependent on her mother with relation to her fortune, for which reafon they live almost upon an equality in conversation; and as Honoria has given Flavia to understand, that it is ill-bred to be always calling mother, Flavia is as well pleased never to be called child. It happens by this means, that these ladies are generally rivals in all places where they appear; and the words mother and daughter never pass between them but out of fpite. Flavia one night at a play obferving Honoria draw the eyes of feveral in the pit, called to a lady who fat by her, and bid her ask her mother to lend her her fnuff-box for one moment. Another time, when a lover of Honoria was on his knees befeeching the favour to kifs her hand, Flavia rushing into the room kneeled down by him and afked blefling. Several of thefe contradictory acts of duty have raifed between them fuch a coldnets that they generally converfe when they are in mixed company by way of talking at one another, and not to one another. Honoria is ever complaining of a certain fufficiency in the young women of this age, who affume to themselves an authority of carrying all things before them, as if they were poffeffors of the efteem of mankind, and all, who were but a year before them in the world, were neglected or deceased. Flavia, upon fuch a provocation, is fure to obferve, that there are people who can refign nothing, and know not how to give up what they know they cannot hold; that there are those who will not allow youth their follies, not because they are themselves paft them, but because they love to continne in them. Thefe beauties rival each other on all occafions, not that they have always had the fame lovers, but each has kept up a vanity to D 4 thew fhew the other the charms of her lover. Dick Craftin and Tom Tulip, among many others, have of late been pretenders in this Family: Dick to Honoria, Tom to Flavia. Dick is the only furviving beau of the last age, and Tom almost the only one that keeps up that order of men in this. I wish I could repeat the little circumstances of a converfation of the four lovers with the spirit in which the young lady, I had my account from, reprefented it at a vifit where I had the honour to be prefent; but it seems Dick Craftin, the admirer of Honoria, and Tom Tulip, the pretender to Flavia, were purpofely admitted together by the ladies, that each might fhew the other that her lover had the fuperiority in the accomplishments of that fort of creature whom the fillier part of women call a fine gentleman. As this age has a much more grofs tafte in courtship, as well as in every thing elfe, than the last had, thefe gentlemen are inftances of it in their different manner of application. Tulip is ever making allufions to the vigour of his perfon, the finewy force of his make; while Craftin profeffes a wary obfervation of the turns of his miftrefs's mind. Tulip gives himself the air of a refiftlefs ravisher, Craftin practises that of a fkilful lover. Poetry is the infeparable property of every man in love; and as men of wit write verfes on thofe occafions, the rest of the world repeat the verfes of others. Thefe fervants of the ladies were used to imitate their manner of converfation, and allude to one another, rather than interchange difcourfe in what they faid when they met. Tulip the other day feized his miftrefs's hand, and repeated out of Ovid's Art of Love. "'Tis I can in foft battles pafs the night, Upon hearing this, Craftin, with an air of deference, played Honoria's fan, and repeated, '' Sedley has that prevailing gentle art, "That can with a refiftlefs charm impart "The loofeft wishes to the chafteft heart: } “ Raife "Raife fuch a conflict, kindle fuch a fire, "Till the poor vanquifh'd maid diffolves away When Craftin had uttered these verses with a tendernefs which at orce spoke paffion and refpect, Honoria caft a triumphant glance at Flavia, as exulting in the elegance of Craftin's courtship, and upbraiding her with the homeliness of Tulip's. Tulip understood the reproach, and in return began to applaud the wifdom of old amorous gentlemen, who turned their mistress's imagination as far as poffible from what they had long themfelves forgot, and ended his difcourfe with a fly commendation of the doctrine of Platonic Love; at the fame time he ran over, with a laughing eye, Craftin's thin legs, meagre looks, and fpare body. The old gentleman immediately left the room with fome diforder, and the converfation fell upon untimely paffion, after-love, and unfeafonable youth. Tulip fung, danced, moved before the glass, led his miftrefs half a minuet, hummed "Celia the fair, in the bloom of fifteen; when there came a fervant with a letter to him, which was as follows. r I « SIR, Understand very well what you meant by your mention of Platonic Love. I fhall be glad to "meet you immediately in Hyde-Park, or behind Mon"tague-Houfe, or attend you to Barn-Elins, or any "other fashionable place that is fit for a gentleman to "die in, that you shall appoint for, "Sir, your most humble fervant, Tulip's colour changed at the reading of this epiftle; for which reafon his miftrefs fnatched it to read the contents. While fhe was doing fo Tulip went away, and the ladies now agreeing in a common calamity, bewailed together the dangers of their lovers. They immediately undreffed undreffed to go out, and took hackneys to prevent mifchief: but, after alarming all parts of the town, Craftin was found by his widow in his pumps at Hide-Park, which appointment Tulip never kept, but made his efcape into the country. Flavia tears her hair for his inglorious fafety, curfes and defpifes her charmer, is fallen in love with Craftin: which is the first part of the history of the Rival Mother. No. XCII. FRIDAY, JUNE 15. · Convivæ propè diffentire videntur, Pofcentes vario multùm diverfa palato; R Quid dem? Quid non dem ?-HOR. Ep. 2. 1. 2. v. 61. IMITATED. -What wou'd you have me do, When out of twenty I can please not two?-- Hard task, to hit the palate of such guests. OOKING over the late packets of letters which L have been fent to me, I found the following. MR. SPECTATOR, OUR paper is a part of my tea-equipage; and my fervant knows my humour fo well, that calling for my breakfast this morning, it being paft my utual hour, fhe anfwered, the Spectator was not yet come in; but that the tea-kettle boiled, and the expected it every moment. Having thus in part fignified to you the efteen and veneration which I have for 6 you, I must put you in mind of the catalogue of books which you have promised to recommend to our fex; for I have deferred furnishing my closet with authors, until I receive your advice in this particular, being your daily difciple and humble fervant, ' LEONORA.' In answer to my fair difciple, whom I am very proud of, I inuft acquaint her and the rest of my readers, that |