his mind at the first paffages that are opened, and to let his paffions boil over upon those whom accident throws in his way. A painful and tedious courfe of fickness frequently produces fuch an alarming apprehenfion of the leaft increafe of uneafinefs, as keeps the foul perpetually on the watch, fuch a reftle's and inceffant folicitude, as no care or tenderness can appeafe, and can only be pacified by the cure of the diftemper, and the removal of that pain by which it is excited.

Nearly approaching to this weakness is the captioufnefs of old age. When the ftrength is crushed, the fenfes dulled, and the common pleasures of life become infipid by repetition, we are willing to impute our uneafinefs to caufes not wholly out of our power, and pleafe ourfelves with fancying that we fuffer by neglect, unkindness, or any evil which admits a remedy, rather than by the decays of nature, which cannot be prevented or repaired. We therefore revenge our pains upon those on whom we refolve to charge them; and too often drive mankind away at the time we have the greatest need of tenderness and affiftance.

But though peevishness may fometimes claim our compaffion, as the confequence or concomitant of mifery, it is very often found where nothing can juf tify or excufe it's admission. It is frequently one of the attendants on the profperous, and is employed by infolence in exacting homage, or by tyranny in haraffing fubjection. It is the offspring of idleness or pride; of idleness anxious for trifles; or pride, unwilling to endure the leaft obftruction of her withes. Thofe who have long lived in folitude indeed naturally contract this unfocial quality, becaufe, having long had only themfelves to please, they do not readily depart from their own inclinations; their fingularities therefore are only blameable when they have imprudently or morofely withdrawn themselves from the world; but there are others, who have, without any neceffity, nurfed up this habit in their minds, by making implicit fubmiffivenefs the condition of their favour, and fuffering none to approach them, but those who never speak but to applaud, or move but to obey.

He that gives himself up to his own fancy, and converfes with none but fuch

as he hires to lull him on the down of abfolute authority, to footh him with obfequiouinefs, and regale him with flattery, foon grows too flothful for the labour of contelt, too tender for the afperity of contradiction, and too delicate for the coarseness of truth; a little oppofition offends, a little reftraint enrages, and a little difficulty perplexes him; having been accustomed to fee every thing give way to his humour, he foon forgets his own littleness, and expects to find the world rolling at his beck, and all mankind employed to accommodate and delight him.

Tetrica had a large fortune bequeathed to her by an aunt, which made her very early independent, and placed her in a state of fuperiority to all about her. Having no fuperfluity of understanding, fhe was foon intoxicated by the flatteries of her maid, who informed her that ladies, fuch as fhe, had nothing to do but take pleasure their own way; that the wanted nothing from others, and had therefore no reason to value their opinion; that money was every thing; and that they who thought themselves ill-treated, should look for better ufage among their equals.

Warm with thefe generous fentiments, Tetrica came forth into the world, in which the endeavoured to force refpect by haughtiness of mien and vehemence of language; but having neither birth, beauty, nor wit, in any uncommon degree, the fuffered fuch mortifications from those who thought themselves at liberty to return her infults, as reduced her turbulence to cooler malignity, and taught her to practise her arts of vexation only where the might hope to tyrannize without refiftance. She continued from her twentieth to her fiftyfifth year to torment all her inferiors with fo much diligence, that he has formed a principle of difapprobation, and finds in every place fomething to grate her mind, and disturb her quiet.

If he takes the air, fhe is offended with the heat or cold, the glare of the fun, or the gloom of the clouds; if the makes a vifit, the room in which she is to be received, is too light or too dark, or furnished with fomething which the cannot fee without averfion. Her tea is never of the right fort; the figures on the china give her difguft. Where there are children, he hates the gabble of

brats

brats; where there are none, she cannot bear a place without fome cheerfulnefs and rattle. If many fervants are kept in a houfe, fhe never fails to tell how Lord Lavish was ruined by a numerous retinue; if few, the relates the ftory of a miler that made his company wait on themfelves. She quarrelled with one family, becaufe fhe had an unpleafant view from their windows; with another, because the squirrel leaped within two yards of her; and with a third, becaufe fhe could not bear the noife of the parrot.

Of milliners and mantua-makers fhe is the proverbial torment. She compels them to alter their work, then to unmake it, and contrive it after another fashion; then changes her mind, and likes it better as it was at firft; then will have a fmall improvement. Thus fhe proceeds till no profit can recompenfe the vexation; they at last leave the clothes at her houfe, and refufe to ferve her. Her maid, the only being that can endure her tyranny, profeffes to take her own courie, and hear her miftrefs talk. Such is the

confequence of pe:vifhnefs; it can be borne only when it is defpifed.

It fometimes happens that too clofe an attention to minute exactnefs, or a too, rigorous habit of examining every thing by the standard of perfection, vitiates the temper, rather than improves the understanding, and teaches the mind to difcern faults with unhappy penetration. It is incident likewife to men of vigorous imagination to pleafe themfelves too much with futurities, and to fret becaufe thofe expectations are difappointed which fhould never have been formed. Knowledge and genius are often enemies to quiet, by fuggefting ideas of excellence, which men and the performances of men cannot attain. But let no man rafhly determine, that his unwil lingness to be pleafed is a proof of understanding, unless his fuperiority appears from lefs doubtful evidence; for though peevishnefs may fometimes justly boaft it's defcent from learning or from wit, it is much oftener of bafe extraction, the child of vanity, and nurfling of ignorance.

SIR,

TH

TO THE RAMBLER.

HE diligence with which you endeavour to cultivate the knowledge of nature, manners, and life, will perhaps incline you to pay fome regard to the obfervations of one who has been taught to know mankind by unwelcome information, and whofe opinions are the refult, not of folitary conjectures, but of practice and experience.

I was born to a large fortune, and bred to the knowledge of thofe arts which are fuppofed to accomplish the mind, and adorn the perfon of a woman. To thefe attainments, which cuftom and education almost forced upon me, I added fome voluntary acquifitions by the ufe of books, and the converfation of that

OVID.

Miss A. W.

fpecies of men whom the ladies generally mention with terror and averfion under the name of Scholars, but whom I have found a harmless and inoffenfive order of beings, not fo much wifer than ourfelves, but that they may receive as well as communicate knowledge, and more inclined to degrade their own character by cowardly fubmiffion, than to overbear or opprefs us with their learning or their wit.

From thefe men, however, if they are by kind treatment encouraged to talk, fomething may be gained, which, embellifhed with elegancy, and foftened by modefty, will always add dignity and value to female converfation; and from my acquaintance with the bookih part of the world I derived many principles of judgment and maxims of prudence, Y

by

by which I was enabled to draw upon myfelf the general regard in every place of concourfe or pleafure, My opinion was the great rule of approbation, my remuks were remembered by thofe who defired the fecond degree of fame, my mien was ftudied, my drefs was imitated, my letters were handed from one family to another, and read by thofe who copied them as fent to themfelves; my visits were folicited as honours; and multitudes boafted of an intimacy with Melifa, who had only feen me by accident, and whofe familiarity had never proceeded beyond the exchange of a compliment, or return of a courtefy.

I fhall make no fcruple of confeffing that I was pleafed with this univerfal veneration, because I always confidered it as paid to my intrinfick qualities and infeparable merit, and very eafily perfuadcd myself, that fortune had no part in my fuperiority. When I looked upon my glats I faw youth and beauty, with health that might give me reafon to hope their continuance; when I examined my mind, I found feme ftrength of judgment, and fertility of fancy; and was told that every action was grace, and that every accent was perfuafion.

In this manner my life paffed like a continual triumph amidst acclamations, and envy, and courtship, and careffes: to pleafe Meliffa was the general ambition, and every stratagem of artful flattery was practifed upon me. To be flattered is grateful, even when we know that our praises are not believed by thofe who pronounce them: for they prove, at leaft, our power, and fhew that our favour is valued, fince it is purchafed by the meannefs of falsehood. But, per. haps, the flatterer is not often detected, for an honeft mind is not apt to fufpect, and no one exerts the power of difcernment with much vigour when felf love favours the deceit.

The runber of adorers, and the perpetust diffraction of my thoughts by new ichemes of pleasure, prevented me from liftening to any of thofe who croud in multitudes to give girls advice, and kept me unmarried and unengaged to my twenty foventh year, when, as I was towering in all the pride of uncontefted excellency, with a face yet little impared, and a mind hourly improving, the failure of a fund, in which my mo. Acy was placed, reduced me to a frugal

competency, which allowed little beyond neatnefs and independence.

I bore the diminution of my riches without any outrages of forrow, or pufillanimity of dejection. Indeed I did not know how much I had loft; for, having always heard and thought more of my wit and beauty, than of my fortune, it did not fuddenly enter my imagination, that Meliffa could fink beneath her cftablished rank, while her form and her mind continued the fame; that she could ceafe to raife admiration but by ccafing to deferve it, or feel any ftroke but from the hand of time.

It was in my power to have concealed the lofs, and to have married, by continuing the fame appearance, with all the credit of my original fortune; but I was not fo far funk in my own efteem, as to fubmit to the bafencfs of fraud, or to defire any other recommendation than fenfe and virtue. I therefore difmiffed my equipage, fold thofe crnaments which were become unsuitable to my new condition, and appeared among thofe with whom I used to converfe with lefs glitter, but with equal fpirit.

I found myfelf received at every vifit, with forrow beyond what is naturally felt for calamities in which we have no part, and was entertained with condolence and confolation, fo frequently repeated, that my friends plainly confulted rather their own gratification than my relief. Some from that time refused my acquaintance, and forbore, without any provocation, to repay my visits; fome vifited me, but after a longer interval than usual, and every return was ftill with more delay; nor did any of my female acquaintances fail to introduce the mention of my misfortunes, to compare my present and former condition, to tell me how much it muft trouble me to want the fplendor which I became fo well, to look at pleatures which I had formerly enjoyed, and to fink to a level with thofe by whom I had been confidered as moving in a higher fphere, and who had hitherto approached me with reverence and fubmiflion, which I was now no longer to expect.

Obfervations like thefe are common. ly nothing better than covert infults, which ferve to give vent to the flatulence of pride, but they are now and then imprudently uttered by honesty and be nevolence, and inflict pain where kind

nefs

nefs is intended.' I will, therefore, fo far maintain my antiquated claim to politenefs, as to venture the eftablishment of this rule, that no one ought to remind another of misfortunes of which the fufferer does not complain, and which there are no means propofed of alleviating. You have no right to excite thoughts which neceffarily give pain whenever they return, and which perhaps might not have revived but by abfurd and unfeafonable compaticn.

My endless train of lovers immediately withdrew, without railing any emotions. The greater part had indeed always profeffed to court, as it is termed, upon the fquare, had enquired my fortune, and offered fettlements; thefe had undoubtedly a right to retire without cenfure, fince they had openly treated for money, as neceflary to their happiness, and who can tell how little they wanted any other portion? I have always thought the clamours of women unreafonable, who imagine themselves injured because the men who followed them upon the fuppofition of a greater fortune, reject them when they are difcovered to have lefs. I have never known any lady who did not think wealth a title to fome ftipulations in her favour; and furely what is claimed by the poffeffion of money is juftly forfeited by it's lofs. She that has once demanded a fettlement has allowed the importance of fortune; and when the cannot shew pecuniary merit, why should fhe think her cheapener obliged to purchase?

My lovers were not all contented with filent defertion. Some of them revenged the neglect which they had formerly endured by wanton and fuperfluous infults, and endeavoured to mortify me, by paying, in my prefence, thofe civilities to other ladies which were once devoted only to me. But as it had been my rule to treat men according to the rank of their intellect, I had never fuffered any one to wafte his life in fufpenfe, who could have employed it to better purpofe, and had therefore no enemies but coxcombs, whofe refent

ment and refpect were equally below my confideration.

The only pain which I have felt from degradation, is the lofs of that influence which I had always exerted on the fide of virtue, in the defence of innocence, and the affertion of truth. I now find my opinions flighted, my fentiments criticifed, and my arguments oppofed by thofe that ufed to liften to me without reply, and ftruggle to be firft in expreffing their conviction.

The female difputants have wholly thrown off my authority; and if I endeavour to enforce my reafons by an appeal to the fcholars that happen to be prefent, the wretches are certain to pay their court by facrificing me and my fy ftem to a finer gown, and I am every hour infulted with contradiction by cowards, who could never find till lately that Meliffa was liable to error.

There are two perfons only whom I cannot charge with having changed their conduct with my change of fortune. One is an old curate that has paffed his life in the duties of his profeffion, with great reputation for his knowledge and piety; the other is a lieutenant of dragoons. The parfon made no difficulty in the height of my elevation to check me when I was pert, and instruct me when I blundered; and if there is any alteration, he is now more timorous left his freedom should be thought rudene.s.' The foldier never paid me any particular addreffes, but very rigidly obferved all the rules of politenefs, which he is now fo far from relaxing, that whenever he ferves the tea, be obitinately carries me the firft difh, in defiance of the frowns and whispers of the table.

This, Mr. Rambler, is to fee the world. It is impoffible for thofe that have only known affluence and profperity, to judge rightly of themfelves or others. The rich and the powerful live in a perpetual maiquerade, in which all about them wear borrowed characters; and we only diicover in what eftimation we are held, when we can no longer give hopes or fears. I am, &c.

MELISSA.

N° LXXVI.