Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

An old maid, that is troubled with the vapours, produces infinite disturbances of this kind among her friends and neighbours. I knew a maiden aunt, of a great family, who is one of these antiquated Sibyls, that forbodes and prophefies from one end of the year to the other. She is always feeing apparitions, and hearing deathwatches; and was the other day almost frighted out of her wits by the great house-dog, that howled in the stable at a time when she lay ill of the tooth-ach. Such an extravagant caft of mind engages multitudes of people not only in impertinent terrors, but in fupernumerary duties of life; and arifes from that fear and ignorance which are natural to the foul of man. The horror with which we entertain the thoughts of death (or indeed of any future evil) and the uncertainty of its approach, fill a malancholy mind with innumerable apprehenfions and fufpicions, and confequently difpofe it to the observation of such groundless prodigies and predictions. For as it is the chief concern of wife men to retrench the evils of life by the reasonings of philofophy; it is the employment of fools to multiply them by the sentiments of fuperftition.

For my own part, I should be very much troubled were I endowed with this divining quality, though it should inform me truly of every thing that can befal me. I would not anticipate the relish of any happiness, nor feel the weight of any mifery, before it actually arrives.

I know but one way of fortifying my foul against these gloomy presages and terrors of mind, and that is, by fecuring to myself the friendship and protection of that Being who disposes of events, and governs futurity. He fees at one view, the whole thread of my existence, not only that part of it which I have already paffed through, but that which runs forward into all the depths of eternity. When I lay me down to fleep, I recommend myself to his care; when I awake, I give myself up to his direction. Amidst all the evils that threaten me, I will look up to him for help, and question not but he will either avert them, or turn them to my advantage. Though I know neither the time nor the manner of the death I am to die, I am not at all folicitous about

5

about it; because I am fure that he knows them both, and that he will not fail to comfort and fupport me under them.

N° 8

Friday, March 9.

At Venus obfcuro gradientes aëre fepfit,
Et multo nebulæ circum Dea fudit amičtu,
Cernere ne quis eos

VIRG. Æn. i. 415.

They march obfcure, for Venus kindly shrouds
With mists their perfons, and involves in clouds.

DRYDEN.

SHALL here communicate to I the world a couple of letters, which I believe will give the reader as good an entertainment as any that I am able to furnish him with, and therefore shall make no agology for them.

SIR,

To the SPECTATOR, &c.

I AM one of the directors of the Society for the reformation of manners, and therefore think my• self a proper perfon for your correfpondence. I have thoroughly examined the present state of religion in 'Great Britain, and am able to acquaint you with the predominant vice of every market-town in the whole * ifland. I can tell you the progress that virtue has * made in all our cities, boroughs, and corporations; and • know as well the evil practices that are committed in * Berwick or Exeter, as what is done in my own family.

In a word, Sir, I have my correspondents in the re* moteft parts of the nation, who fend me up punctual ⚫ accounts from time to time of all the little irregularities that fall under their notice in their several districts and divifions.

• I am no less acquainted with the particular quarters and regions of this great town, than with the diffe.

[ocr errors]

rent

[ocr errors]

6

[ocr errors]

6

rent parts and distributions of the whole nation. I can defcribe every parish by its impieties, and can tell you in which of our streets lewdness prevails, which gaming has taken the poffeffion of, and where drunkenness has got the better of them both. When I am disposed to raise a fine for the poor, I know the lanes ' and alleys that are inhabited by common swearers. When I would encourage the hofpital of Bridewell, and improve the hempen manufacture, I am very ' well acquainted with all the haunts and reforts of fe'male night-walkers.

• After this short account of myself, I must let you * know, that the design of this paper is to give you in'formation of a certain irregular assembly, which I think falls very properly under your observation, ef'pecially fince the persons it is composed of are criminals too confiderable for the animadverfions of our fociety. ' I mean, Sir, the Midnight Mask, which has of late * been very frequently held in one of the most confpicuous parts of the town, and which I hear will be * continued with additions and improvements. As all the * persons who compose this lawless assembly are masked, * we dare not attack any of them in our Way, least we * should send a Woman of Quality to Bridewell, or a

Peer of Great-Britain to the Counter: befides that, ' their numbers are so very great, that I am afraid they * would be able to rout our whole fraternity, though we • were accompanied with all our guard of conftables. • Both these reasons, which fecure them from our authority, make them obnoxious to yours; as both their difguife and their numbers will give no particular perfon ' reason to think himself affronted by you.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

6

• If we are rightly informed, the rules that are ob' served by this new fociety are wonderfully contrived for the advancement of cuckoldom. The women ei'ther come by themselves, or are introduced by friends, ' who are obliged to quit them, upon their first entrance, to the conversation of any body that addresses himself to them. There are several rooms where the parties may retire, and if they please, shew their faces by con' fent. Whispers, squeezes, nods, and embraces, are * the innocent freedoms of the place. In short, the * whole

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

6

• whole design of this libidinous assembly seems to ter• minate in affignations and intrigues; and I hope you ⚫ will take effectual methods by your public advice and admonitions, to prevent fuch a promifcuous multiude of both fexes from meeting together in so clandeftine a manner. I am,

Your humble servant,
• and fellow-labourer,

Τ. Β.

Not long after the perusal of this Letter I received another upon the fame fubject; which by the date and ftile of it, I take to be written by fome young Templar.

SIR,

W

Middle-Temple, 1710-11.

or

HEN a man has been guilty of any vice folly, I think the best atonement he can make ' for it, is to warn others not to fall into the like. In ' order to this I must acquaint you, that fome time in February last I went to the Tuesday's masquerade. Upon my first going in I was attacked by half a dozen female Quakers, who feemed willing to adopt me for a bro'ther; but upon a nearer examination I found they were a fifterhood of coquettes disguised in that precife habit. I was foon after taken out to dance, and, as I fancied, by a woman of the first quality, for the was very tall, and moved gracefully. As foon as the minuet was over, we ogled one another through our marks; and as I am very well read in Waller, I repeated to her ⚫ the four following verses out of his poem to Vandike...

6

[ocr errors]

The heedless lover does not know
Whose eyes they are that wound him fo;
But confounded with thy art,

Inquires her name that has his heart.

• I pronounced these words with fuch a languishing air that I had fome reason to conclude I had made a conquest. She told me that the hoped my face was not akin to my tongue, and looking upon her watch, I accidentally discovered the figure of a coronet on the ' back

[ocr errors]

back part of it. I was so transported with the thought ' of fuch an amour, that I plied her from one room to ' another with all the gallantries I could invent; and at length brought things to fo happy an issue, that she gave me a private meeting the next day, without page or footman, coach or equipage. My heart danced in raptures, but I had not lived in this golden dream ' above three days before I found good reason to with ' that I had continued true to my laundress. I have 'fince heard, by a very great accident, that this fine

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

6

Lady does not live far from Covent-Garden, and that • I am not the first cully whom she has paffed herself upon for a countess.'

6

'Thus, Sir, you see how I have mistaken a Cloud for a Juno; and if you can make any use of this ad• venture, for the benefit of those who may poffibly be • as vain young coxcombs as myself, I do moit heartily • give you leave. I am, Sir,

• Your most humble admirer,

'B. L."

I design to visit the next Masquerade myself, in the fame habit I wore at Grand Cairo: and till then shall fufpend my judgment of this midnight entertainment.

N° 9

Saturday, March 10.

Tigris agit rabidâ cum tigride pасет Perpetuam, fævis inter fe convenit urfis.

C

Juv. Sat, xv. 163. Tiger with Tiger, Bear with Bear, you'll find In leagues offenfive and defenfive join'd.

M

AN is faid to be

a

TATE.

fociable animal, and, as an instance of it, we may observe, that we take all occafions and pretences of forming ourselves into those little nocturnal affemblies, which are commonly known by the name of Clubs.

When a fet of men

« VorigeDoorgaan »