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N° 33•

Saturday, April 7.

Fervidus tecum Puer, & folutis
Gratia zonis, properentque Nympha,
Et parum comis fine te Juventas
Mercuriufque. Hor. ad Venerem.

A

Friend of mine has two Daughters, whom I will call Letitia and Daphne; The former is one of the greateft Beauties of the Age in which the lives, the latter no way remarkable for any Charms in her Perfon. Upon this one Circumftance of their Outward Form, the Good and Ill of their Life feems to turn. Letitia has not, from her very Childhood, heard any thing else but Commendations of her Features and Complexion, by which means fhe is no other than Nature made her, a very beautiful Out-fide. The Confcioufnefs of her Charms has render'd her infupportably Vain and Infolent, towards all who have to do with her. Daphne, who was almoft Twenty before one ci

vil thing had ever been faid to her, found her felf obliged to acquire fome Accom→ plishments to make up for the want of thofe Attractions which fhe faw in her Sifter. Poor Daphne was feldom fubmitted to in a Debate wherein the was concerned, her Difcourfe had nothing to recommend it but the good Senfe of it, and the was always under a neceffity to have very well confidered what the was to fay before the uttered it; while Letitia was liftened to with Partiality, and Approbation fats in the Countenan ces of those the converfed with, before fhe communicated what fhe had to fay. These Caufes have produced fuitable Effects, and Letitia is as infipid a Companion, as. Daphne is an agreeable one. Letitia, confident of Favour, has studied no Arts to pleafe; Daphne, despair, ing of any Inclination towards her Per fon, has depended only on her Merit. Letitia has always fomething in her Air that is fullen, grave, and difconfolate. Daphne has a Countenance that appears chearful, open and unconcerned. A young Gentleman faw Lætitia this Win ter at a Play, and became her Captive. His Fortune was fuch, that he wanted very little Introduction to speak his Sen

timents

timents to her Father. The Lover was admitted with the utmoft Freedom into the Family, where a conftrained Behaviour, fevere Looks, and diftant Civilities, were the highest Favours he could obtain of Letitia; while Daphne ufed him with the good Humour, Familiarity, and Innocence of a Sifter: Infomuch that he would often fay to her, Dear Daphne, wert thou but as Handfome as Lætitia! She received fuch Language with that ingenious and pleafing Mirth, which is natural to a Woman without Defign. He ftill Sighed in vain for Latitia, but found certain Relief in the agreeable Converfation of Daphne. At length, heartily tired with the haughty Impertinence of Lætitia, and charmed with repeated Inftances of good Humour he had obferved in Daphne, he one Day told the latter, that he had fomething to fay to her he hoped fhe would be pleased with. Daphne, continued he, I am in love with thee, and defpife thy Sifter fincerely. The manner of his declaring himself gave his Mistress Occafion for a very hearty Laughter.Nay, fays he, I knew you would laugh at me, but I'll ask your Father. He did fo; the Father received

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his Intelligence with no lefs Joy than Surprize, and was very glad he had now no Care left but for his Beauty, which he thought he could carry to Market at his Leifure. I do not know any thing that has pleafed me fo much a great while, as this Conqueft of my Friend Daphne's. All her Acquaintance congratulate her upon her Chance-Medly, and laugh at that premeditating Murderer her Sifter. As it is an Argument of a light Mind, to think the worse of our felves for the Imperfections of our Perfons, it is equally below us to value our felves upon the Advantages of them. The Female World feem to be almoft incorrigibly gone aftray in this Particular; for which Reason, I fhall recommend the following Extract out of a Friend's Letter to the Profefs'd Beauties, who are a People almoft as unfufferable as the Profefs'd Wits.

•MONSIEUR St. Evremont has

• concluded one of his Effays with affirming, that the laft Sighs of a Handfome Woman are not fo much for the Lofs of her Life as of her Beauty. Perhaps this Raillery is purfued too far, yet it is turned upon a

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very obvious Remark, that Woman's 'ftrongest Paffion is for her own Beau ty, and that the values it as her Fa vourite Diftinction: From hence it is that all Arts, which pretend to im prove or preserve it, meet with fo ge-. ❝neral a Reception among the Sex. To fay nothing of many falfe Helps, and Contraband Wares of Beauty, which C are daily vended in this great Mart, there is not a Maiden Gentlewoman, of a good Family in any County of South-Britain, who has not heard of "the Virtues of May-Dew, or is unfur'nifhed with fome Receipt or other in Favour of her Complexion; and I have known a Phyfician of Learning and Senfe, after eight Years Study in the Univerfity, and a Courfe of Travels into moft Countries of Europe, ' owe the first raifing of his Fortunes to a Cofmetick Wafh.

THIS has given me Occafion to> 'confider how fo Univerfal a Difpofi-> ⚫tion in Womankind, which springs from a laudable Motive, the Defire of pleafing, and proceeds upon an Opi nion, not altogether groundless, that Nature may be helped by Art, may ' be turned to their Advantage. And,

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