mitted to his Defires. Rhynfault commended her Charms, claim'd a Familiarity after what had pafs'd between them, and with an Air of Gaiety in the Language of a Gallant, bid her return, and take her Husband out of Prifon But continu'd he, my Fair one must not be offended that I have taken care he fhould not be an Interruption to our future Affignations. Thefe laft Words foreboded what he found when fhe came to the Goal, Ler Husband executed by the Order of Rhynfault. : Ir was remarkable that the Woman, who was full of Tears and Lamentations during the whole courfe of her Affliction, uttered neither Sigh or Complaint, but flood fix'd with Grief at this Confummation of her Misfortunes. She betook her.elf to her Abode, and after having in Solitude paid her Devotions to him who is the Avenger of Innocence, the repair'd privately to Court. Her Perfon and a certain Grandeur of Sorrow negligent of Forms gain'd her Paffage into the Prefence of the Duke her Sovereign. As foon as fhe came into the Prefence, fhe broke forth into the following Words, Behold, O mighty Charles, a Wretch weary of Life, though it has been always spent with Innocence and Virtue. It is not in your Power to redress my Injuries, but it is to avenge them. And if the Protection of the Diftreffed, and the Punishment of Oppreffors is a Task worthy a Prince, I bring the Duke of Burgundy ample Matter for doing Honour to his own great Name, and wiping Infamy off mine. WHEN fhe had spoke this, the deliver'd the Duke a Paper reciting her Story. He read it with all the Emotions that Indignation and Pity could raife in a Prince jealous of his Honour in the Behaviour of his Officers, and Profperity of his Subjects." UPON an appointed Day, Rhynfault was fent for to Court, and in the Prefence of a few of the Council, confronted by Sapphira: the Prince asking, Do you know that Lady? Rhynfault, as foon as he could recover his Surprife, told the Duke he would marry her, if his Highnefs would pleafe to think that a Reparation. The Duke feem'd contented with his Anfwer, and flood by during the immediate Solemnization of the Ceremony. At the Conclufion of it he told Rhynfault, Thus far have you you done as conftrained by my Authority: I shall not be fatisfied of your kind Ufage of her, without you fign a Gift of your whole Eftate to her after your Deceafe. To the Performance of this alfo the Duke was a Witnefs. When thefe two Acts were executed, the Duke turned to the Lady, and told her, it now remains for me to put you in quiet Poffeffion of what your Husband has fo bountifully bestow'd on you; and order'd the immediate Execution of Rhynfault. *, ****** No. 492. Wednesday, September 24. Quicquid eft boni moris Levitate extinguitur. Dear Mr. SPECTATOR, I Sen. Tunbridge, Sept 18. AM a young Woman of eighteen Years of Age, and I do affure you, a Maid of unfpotted Reputation, founded upon a very careful Carriage in all my Looks, Words and Actions. At the fame Time I must · own to you, that it is with much Conftraint to Flesh and Blood that my Behaviour is fo ftri&tly irreproachable; for I am naturally addicted to Mirth, to Gaiety, to a free Air, to Motion and Gadding. Now what gives me a great deal of Anxiety, and is fome Difcouragement in the Pursuit of Virtue, is, that the young Women who run into greater Freedoms with the Men are more taken Notice of than I am. The • Men are fuch unthinking Sots, that they do not prefer her who reftrains all her Paffions and Affections and • keeps much within the Bounds of what is lawful, to her ⚫ who goes to the utmoft Verge of Innocence, and parlies · at the very Brink of Vice, whether the fhall be a Wife or a Miftrefs. But I must-appeal to your Spectatorial • Wisdom, who, I find, have paffed very much of your • Time in the Study of Women, whether this is not a • most unreasonable Proceeding. I have read fomewhere, that Hobbs of Malemsbury afferts, that continent Perfons ⚫ have more of what they contain, than thofe who give a loose to their Defires. According to this Rule, let there be equal Age, equal Wit, and equal Good-humour, in the Woman of Prudence, and her of Liberty, what D 2 • Stores • Stores has he to expect, who takes the former? What Refuse must he be contented with, who chufes the lat• ter? Well, but I fat down to write to you to vent my Indignation against several pert Creatures who are addrefs'd to and courted in this Place, while poor I, and two or three like me, are wholly unregarded. EVERY one of thefe affect gaining the Hearts of ⚫ your Sex: This is generally attempted by a particular manner of carrying themfelves with Familiarity. Glycera has a dancing Walk, and keeps time in her ordinary Gate. Chloe,her Sifter, who is unwilling to interrupt her Conquefts, comes into the Room before her with a familiar Run. Dulciffa takes Advantage of the Approach of the Winter, and has introduc'd a very pretty Shiver; clofing up her Shoulders, and fhrinking as the moves. All that are in this Mode carry their Fans between both Hands before them. Dulcia herself, who is Author of this Air, adds the pretty Run to it; and has also, when fhe is in a very good Humour, a taking Familiarity in throwing herself into the loweft Seat in the Room, and letting her hoop'd Petticoats fall with a lucky Decency about her. I know the practifes this Way of fitting ' down in her Chamber; and indeed she does it as well as you may have seen an Actress fall down dead in a Tragedy. Not the least Indecency in her Pofture. If you have obferv'd what pretty Carcaffes are carried off at the end of a Verfe at the Theatre, it will give you a Notion how Dulcifa plumps into a Chair. Here's a little Country Girl that's very cunning, that makes her use of being young and unbred, and outdoes the Infnarers, who are almost twice her Age. The Air that she takes is to come into Company after a Walk, and is very fuccessfully out of Breath upon Occafion. Her Mother is in the Secret, and calls her Romp, and then looks round to fee what young Men ftare at her. IT would take up more than can come into one of your Papers, to enumerate all the particular Airs of the younger Company in this Place. But I cannot omitDulceorella,whofe Manner is the moft indolent imaginable, but ftill as watchful of Conqueft as the bufieft Virgin among us. She has a peculiar Art of ftaring at a young Fellow till fhe fees fhe has got him, and inflam'd him " by by fo much Observation. When the fees fhe has him, and he begins to tofs his Head upon it, fhe is immediately fhort-fighted, and labours to obferve what he is at a Distance with her Eyes half fhut. Thus theCaptive, that thought her first ftruck, is to make very near Approaches, or be wholly difregarded. This Artifice has done moreExecution than all the ogling of the reft of the Women here, with the utmost Variety of half Glances, attentiveHeedleffneffes, childifh Inadvertencies, haughty Contempts, or artificial Overfights. After I have faid thus much of Ladies among us who fight thus regularly, I am to complain to you of a Set of familiar Romps, who have broken thro' all common Rules, and have thought of a very effectual way of showing more Charms than all of us. Thefe, Mr. SPECTATOR, are the Swingers. You are to know these careless pretty Creatures are very Innocents again; and it is to be no Matter what they do, for 'tis all harmless Freedom. They get on Ropes as you must have feen the Children, and are fwung by their Men Vifitants. The Jeft is, that Mr. Such-a-one can name the Colour of Mrs. Such-aone's Stockings; and fhe tells him, he is a lyingThief; fo he is and full of Roguery; and fhe'll lay a Wager, and her Sifter fhall tell the Truth if he fays right, and he can't tell what Colour her Garters are of. In this Diverfion there are very many pretty Shrieks, not fo much for Fear of falling, as that their Petticoats fhou'd untye For there is a great Care had to avoid Improprieties; and the Lover who fwings the Lady, is to tie her Cloaths very clofe with his Hatband, before 'fhe admits him to throw up her Heels. 6 'Now Mr. SPECTATOR, except you can note thefe Wantonneffes in their Beginnings, and bring us fober Girls into Obfervation, there is no Help for it, we must swim with the Tide; the Coquets are too powerful a Party for us. To look into the Merits of a regular ⚫ and well behav'd Woman, is a flow Thing. A loofe tri⚫ vial Song gains the Affections, when a wife Homily is not attended to. There is no other Way but to make War upon them, or we must go over to them. As for my Part, I will fhew all the World it is not for Want of • Charms that I stand so long unasked; and if you do not • take D 3 • take Measures for the immediate Redress of us Rigids, as the Fellows call us, I can move with a speaking • Mien, can look fignificantly, can lifp, can trip, can loll, can start, can blush, can rage, can weep, if I muft do it, and can be frighted as agreeably as any She in England. All which is humbly fubmitted to your Spectatorial Confideration with all Humility, by Your most humble Servant, IT Qualem commendes etiam atque etiam adspice, ne mox Hor. T is no unpleafant Matter of Speculation to confider the recommendatory Epifles that pafs round this Town from Hand to Hand, and the Abufe People put upon one another in that Kind. It is indeed come to that pass, that instead of being the Teftimony of Merit in the Perfon recommended, the true reading of a Letter of this Sort is, The Bearer hereof is fo uneafy to me, that it will be an Act of Charity in you to take him off my Hands, whether you prefer him or not, it is all one, for I have manner of Kindness for him, or Obligation to him or bis; and do what you pleafe as to that. As negligent as Men are in this refpect, a Point of Honour is concerned in it; and there is nothing a Man fhould be more afhamed of, than paffing a worthlefs Creature into the Service or Interefts of a Man who has never injured you. The Women indeed are a little too keen in their Refentments, to trefpafs often this Way: But you fhall އވީ . fometimes know that the Mistress and the Maid fhall quarrel and give each other very free Language, and at, laft the Lady fhall be pacified to turn her out of Doors, and give her a very good Word to any Body else. Hence it is that you fee in a Year and half's Time, the fame Face a Domestick in all Parts of the Town. Goodbreeding |