I would have you dress and look like a woman of the world, Miss, says I; but to your shame be it spoken, there are women of the town who are capable of improving you. One may look like a woman of the town, though one would scorn to act like one.

In this manner, Mr. Fitz-Adam, she talks and behaves. I have threatened her often to expose her in the WORLD: but my immense tenderness for her has prevailed over my resentment: and to confess the truth, I had no other intention when I drew up this letter, than only to read it to her, and frighten her out of her follies; but her behaviour upon the occasion determined me to send it, and to desire your publication of it. 'Lord, mamma,' said she, 'Mr. Fitz-Adam will think you are ridiculing Yourself and complimenting Me: for if I am really this kind of girl, I shall be quite in love with myself. Pray, madam, give me the letter, and I'll carry it to Mr. Dodsley's with my own hands.' No miss,' says I, a servant will be more punctual, I believe: and since you are so in love with your own character, it shall go this minute.'

Favour me so far, sir, as to give it a place in your next Thursday's paper; and if you will tell her of her absurdity, and how ill-suited her behaviour is both to her education and her fortune, you will immediately oblige, sir,

Your most obedient humble servant,

M. C.

No. 178. THURSDAY, MAY 27. 1756.

Not long since, I met at St. James's coffee-house an old acquaintance of mine, sir Harry Prigg; who having been long rusticated, and much altered, I should never have recollected, had it not been for the information of a fine old coat, in which I remembered him to have made a figure about town many years ago. After the usual civilities had passed between us, amongst many other questions, he asked me when I had seen our old school-fellow, sir John Jolly ?* I answered that I had last summer spent some days with him at his country seat, in a manner which would have been highly agreeable to a person of a more fashionable turn, but was to me rather fatiguing from its excess of gaiety and hospitality, which, according to my unpolite taste, were by no means consistent with the soft and serious pleasures of a rural retirement. He said, he perfectly agreed with me in my sentiments, and passed his time in the country in conformity to them: his manner of life, he was sure, would exactly suit me, and obligingly begged I would make the experiment, adding that he should go down in a few days, and would carry me with him in his chariot. I accepted his invitation, not so much out of inclination, as curiosity to see a new scene of country life, formed on principles so opposite to what I had before experienced, and promised to attend him at the time appointed.

* See Number 153.

But first it will be proper to give some account of the birth, parentage, and education of my friend. He came young to his title and a small estate, and was soon after sent to the university; where his title absurdly giving him the rank of nobility, and his estate, though small, an allowance sufficient to support that rank at that place, he there contracted an affectation of grandeur, and a pert kind of selfimportance, which he has ever since retained, and which neither poverty nor solitude has been yet able to conquer. Having in two or three years acquired the usual advantages of that sort of education, such as the arts of sporting, toasting, billiards, and coachmanship, he came to London, entered into the gay world, and had address and qualifications sufficient to introduce himself into what he still calls the best company; that is, the company of smarts, bucks, jockeys, and gamesters. Nor was he deficient in point of gallantry; for he soon commenced an intrigue with the sister of one of these his friends. Whether his intentions were at first honourable, is not perfectly clear; but he was quickly obliged to declare them so, being acquainted that a lady of her rank was not to be trifled with, and that he must either fight or marry; the latter of which he courageously chose, as being the most daring action of the two. This lady had more gentility than beauty, more beauty than understanding, more understanding than fortune, and a fortune about equal to her reputation. She was tall and well-shaped, carried her head very high, and being the younger daughter of the younger son of the first cousin of an Irish baron, looked upon herself as a woman of quality. In a little time sir Harry heartily hated her for compelling him to marry; and she no less despised him for being compelled: so that finding little happiness at home, they were

obliged to seek it abroad at plays and routs, operas and gaming-tables, at no small expense. This could not continue long; so that before one winter was at an end, they discovered that the town-air would not agree with them, and so retired to their country-seat, about forty miles from London; whither I shall now conduct my reader.

On the morning appointed, I attended early at their lodgings in town, where I found the postchariot at the door, and my friend standing by it, with a long whip in his hand, ready to mount the box; saying at the same time, that coachmen were such insolent and expensive rascals, there was no keeping them, and that therefore he always chose to be his own. In the parlour sat my lady, and colonel Macshean, a gentleman who had long been very intimate with sir Harry, and not less so with her ladyship; and in the passage stood her Frenchwoman, in a sack and long ruffles, with her arms full of band-boxes and bundles; which were no sooner disposed of in various parts of the chariot, than my lady, and myself, with a woman on a low stool at our feet, were stuffed into the little room that was left. Sir Harry mounted the box, his valet de chambre rode by, and a snivelling footboy climbed up behind. Thus the whole family with their baggage, and myself into the bargain, were conveyed without the expense of either a stage coach or a waggon.

Nothing passed during our journey worth relating. Her ladyship spoke little, and that little was only complaints of her bad nerves, and ill state of health; to which, having no expectation of a fee, I paid little attention. They both declared that nobody but a carrier could dine at an inn, therefore they never stopped on the road: so, with the assist

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ance of a fresh pair of horses, that had come twenty miles that morning without a bait, about sun-set we arrived at our journey's end. The colonel got there before us, having rode post : for sir Harry frequently declared to us both, that, though his friends were welcome, he never entertained their horses; that it was not the fashion of that country: neither my lord**, nor the duke of ***, nor himself, did it.

It was not long before the dinner made its appearance; which was so very genteel, that had it not been rendered uneatable by a bad affectation of French cookery, it would not have been half sufficient, after so many miles travelling, and so long fasting. At the conclusion we had mead, which passed for tokay, and elder wine, which sir Harry swore was the best burgundy in England, and that he himself had imported it, in conjunction with a noble lord in the neighbourhood. Over a glass of this, the cloth being removed, he informed us that when the smoke of London, and the bad hours incident to keeping good company, would no longer agree with his own or his wife's constitution, he had determined to seek health and quiet in an elegant retirement. He had been offered indeed a seat in parliament, and a considerable employment; but his crazy constitution would not permit him to accept of the one, nor his sound principles of the other. Retirement was their object; therefore all they dreaded was the horrible irruptions of a country neighbourhood; but this they had happily prevented. That indeed on their first coming, every family within ten miles round, tormented them with their impertinent visits; but they returned none, affronted them all, and so got rid of them. you think we did right, my dear?' turning to his wife. I think,' answered she, in a surly and de

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