You know her very well, and have often seen her with me.' To make my story short, I found that my late friend's daughter was now a servant to the barber's daughter, whom she had formerly treated so disdainfully. The gentleman at whose house I now was fell in love with Moll, and, being master of a great fortune, married her, and lives with her as happily, and as much to his satisfaction, as he could desire. He treats her with all the friendship and respect possible, but not with more than her behaviour and good qualities deserve. And it was with a great deal of pleasure I heard her maid dwell so long upon her commendation. She informed me, that after her father's death her mother and she lived for a while together in great poverty. But her mother's spirit could not bear the thoughts of asking relief of any of her own or her husband's acquaintance: so that they retired from all their friends, until they were providentially discovered by this new-married woman, who heaped on them favours upon favours. Her mother died shortly after, who, while she lived, was better pleased to see her daughter a beggar than a servant. But, being freed by her death, she was taken into this gentlewoman's family, where she now lived, though much more like a friend or a companion than like a servant. I went home full of this strange adventure; and about a week after chancing to be in company with Mr. T. the rejected lover, whom I mentioned in the beginning of my letter, I told him the whole story of his angel, not questioning but he would feel, on this occasion, the usual pleasures of a resenting lover when he hears that fortune has avenged him of the cruelty of his mistress. As I was recounting to him at large these several particulars, I observed that he covered his face with his hand, and that his breast heaved as though it would have bursted; which I took at first to have been a fit of laughter; but upon lifting up his head I saw his eyes all red with weeping. He forced a smile at the end of my story, and we parted. About a fortnight after I received from him the following letter: • Dear Sir, I am infinitely obliged to you for bringing me news of my angel. I have since married her, and think the low circumstances she was reduced to a piece of good luck to both of us, since it has quite removed that little pride and vanity, which was the only part of her character that I disliked, and given me an opportunity of showing her the constant and sincere affection which I professed to her in the time of her prosperity, THE BARMECIDE. No. 162. I know nothing so effectual to raise a man's fortune as complaisance, which recommends more to the favour of the great, than wit, knowledge, or any other talent whatsoever. I find this consideration very prettily illustrated by a little wild Arabian tale, which I shall here abridge for the sake of my reader, after having warned him, that I do not recommend to him such such an impertinent or vicious complaisance as is not consistent with honour and integrity. 'Schacabac being reduced to great poverty, and having eaten nothing for two days together, made a visit to a noble barmecide in Persia, who was very hospitable, but withal a great humourist. The barmecide was sitting at his table, that seemed ready covered for an entertainment. Upon hearing Schacabac's complaint, he desired him to sit down and fall on. He then gave him an empty plate, and asked him how he liked his rice-soup. Schacabac, who was a man of wit, and resolved to comply with the barmecide in all his humours, told him it was admirable, and at the same time, in imitation of the other, lifted up the empty spoon to his mouth with great pleasure. The barmecide then asked him if he ever saw whiter bread? Schacabac, who saw neither bread nor meat, 'If I did not like it, you may be sure,' said he, 'I should not eat so heartily of it.' You oblige me mightily,' replied the barmecide: pray let me help you to this leg of a goose.' Schacabac reached out his plate, and received nothing on it with great cheerfulness. As he was eating very heartily on this imaginary goose, and crying up the sauce to the skies, the barmecide desired him to keep a corner of his stomach for a roasted lamb fed with pistachio-nuts: and after having called for it, as though it had really been served up, Here is a dish,' says he, that you will see at nobody's table but my own.' Schacabac was wonderfully delighted with the taste of it; which is like nothing,' says he, I ever ate before.' Several other nice dishes were served up in idea; which both of them commended, and feasted on after the same. 24 manner. manner. This was followed by an invisible dessert, no part of which delighted Schacabac so much as a certain lozenge, which the barmecide told him was a sweetmeat of his own invention. Schacabac at length, being courteously reproached by the barmecide, that he had no stomach, and that he ate nothing, and at the same time, being tired with moving his jaws up and down to no purpose, desired to be excused, for that really he was so full he could not cat a bit more. Come then,' says the barmecide, the cloth shall be removed, and you shall taste of my wines, which I may say, without vanity, are the best in Persia.' He then filled both their glasses out of an empty decanter. Schacabac would have excused himself from drinking so much at once, because he said he was a little quarrelsome in his liquor: however, being prest to it, he pretended to take it off, having before-hand praised the colour, and afterwards the flavour. Being plied with two or three other imagihary bumpers of different wines, equally delicious, and a little vexed with this fantastic treat, he pretended to grow flustered, and gave the barmecide a good box on the ear: but inmediately recovering himself, Sin,' says he, I beg ten thousand pardons, but I told you before that it was my misfortune to be quarrelsome in my drink. The barmecide could not but smile at the humour of his guest ; and instead of being angry at him, I find," says he, thou art a complaisant fellow, and deservest to be entertained in my house. Since thou canst accommodate thyself to my humour, we will now eat together in good earnest.' Upon which, calling for his supper, the rice-soup, the goose, the pistachio-lamb, the several other other nice dishes, with the dessert, the lozenges, and all the variety of Persian wines, were served up successively, one after another; and Schacabac was feasted in reality, with those very things which he had before been entertained with in imagination. SPEECH OF PLUTO TO PROSERPINE. No. 164. THE beauty of the following translation is sufficient to recommend it to the public, without acquainting them that the 'translator is Mr. Eusden of Cambridge, who obliged them, in the Guardian of August the 6th, with the Court of Venus out of the same Latin poet, which was highly applauded by the best judges in performances of this nature. The Speech of Pluto to Proserpine, from the second Book of ber Rape, by Claudian. Cease, cease, fair nymph, to lavish precious tears, And discompose your soul with airy fears. Look on Sicilia's glitt'ring courts with scorn; A fairer scene shall open to your view, Another |