things which he had leisure to consider gradually besore he determined them. Whenever we met at a tavern, it was his province to settle the scheme of our entertainment, contract with the cook, and insorm us when we had called for wine to the sum originally propofed. This grave considerer found, by deep meditation, that a man was no lofer by marrying early, even though he contented himself .with a less fortune; for estimating the exact worth of annuities, he found that considering the constant diminution of the value of lise, with the probable fall of the interest of money, it was not worse to have ten thoufand pounds at the age of two and twenty years, than a much larger fortune at thirty; for many opportunities, fays he, occur ofimprovejng money, which is a man misses, he may not asterwards recover.

Full of these reflections, he threw his eyes about him, not in search of beauty or elegance, dignity or understanding, but of a woman with ten thoufand pounds. Such a woman, in a wealthy part of the kingdom, it was not very difficult to find; and by artsul management with her father, whofe ambition was to make his daughter a gentlewoman, my friend got her, as he boasted to us in confidence two days aster his marriage, for a settlement of seventy-three pounds a year less than her fortune might have claimed, and less than he would himself have given, is the fools had been but wise enough to delay the bargain.

. Thus, at once delighted with the superiority of his parts, and the augmentation of his fortune, he carried Furia to his own house, in which he never

I 4 asterwards

asterwards enjoyed one hour of happiness. For Furia was a wretch of mean intellects, violent passions, a strong voice, and low education, without any sense of happiness but that which consisted in eating and counting money. Furia was a scold. They agreed in the desire of wealth, but with this difference, that Prudentius was for growing rich by gain, Furia by parsimony. Prudentius would venture his money with chances very much in his* favour; but Furia very wisely observing that what they had was, while they had it, their Gwk, thought all traffick too great a hazard, and was for putting it out at low interest, upon good security. Prudentius ventured, however, to insure a ship, at a very unreasonable price, but happening to lose his money, was so tormented with the clamours of his wise, that he never durst try a second experiment. He has now grovelled seven and forty years under Furia's direction, who never once mentioned him, since his bad luck, by any other name than that of the insurer.

The next that married from our society was Florentius. He happened to see Zephyretta in a chariot at a horse-race, danced with her at night, was confirmed in his first ardour, waited on her next morning, and declared himself her lover. Florentius had not knowledge enough of the world, to distinguish between the flutter of coquetry, and the sprightliness of wit, or between the smile of allurement, and that of cheersulness. He was soon waked from his rapture, by conviction that his pleasure was but the pleasure of a day. Zephyretta had in sour and twenty hours spent her stock of

repartee,

repartee, gone round the circle of her airs, and had nothing remain'uig for him but childish insipidity, or for herself, but the practice of the same artifices upon new men.

Melissus was a man of parts, capable of enjoying and of improving lise. He had passed through the various scenes of gaiety with that indifference and possession of himsels, natural to men who have something higher and nobler in their prospect. Retiring to spend the summer in a village little frequented, he happened to lodge in the same house with Ianthe, and was unavoidably drawn to some acquaintance, which her wit and politeness soon invited him to improve. Having no opportunity of any other company, they were always together; and, as they owed their pleasures to each other, they began to forget that any pleasure was enjoyed before their meeting. Melissus, from being delighted with her company, quickly began to be uneasy in her absence, and being sufficiently convinced of the force of her understanding, and finding, as he imagined, such a consormity of temper as declared them formed sor each other, addressed her as a lover, aster no very long courtship obtained her for his wise, and brought her next winter to .town in triumph.

Now began their inselicity. Melissus had only seen her in one scene, where there was no variety of objects, to produce the proper excitements to contrary desires. They had both loved solitude and reflection, where there was nothing but solitude and reflection to be loved; but when they came into publick lise, Ianthe discovered thofe passions

which which accident rather than hypocrisy had hitherto concealed. She was, indeed, not without the power of thinking, but was wholly wichout the exertion of that power, when either gaiety, or splendour, played on her imagination. She was expensive in her diversions, vehement in her passions, infatiate ot pleasure however dangerous to her reputation, and eager of applause by whomsoever it might be given. This was the wife which Melissus the philofopher sound in his retirement, and from whom he expected an associate in his studies, and an assistant to his virtues.

Profapius, upon the death of his younger brother, that the family might not be extinct, married his housekeeper, and has ever since been complaining to his friends that mean notions are instilled into his children, that he is ashamed to sit at his own table, and that his house is uneasy to him for want of suitable companions.

Avaro, master of a very large estate, took a woman of bad reputation, recommended to him by a tich uncle, who made that marriage the condition on which he should be his heir. Avaro now wonders to perceive his own fortune, his wise's and his uncle's, insusficient to give him that happiness which is to be found only with a woman of virtue.

I intend to treat in more papers on this important article of lise, and shall, therefore, make no reflection upon these histories, except that all whom I have mentioned failed to obtain happiness, for want of considering that marriage is the strictest tie of

perpetual

perpetual friendship; that there can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity; and that he must expect to be wretched, who pays to beauty, riches, or politeness, that regard which only virtue and piety can claim.

Numb. 19. Tuesday, May 22, 1750.

Dtcm te caufidicum, dum te mode rhetora fingis.

Et not decernit, Taure, quid tffe velis,
Peleos y Priami transit, vel Nestoris atas,

Et strum futrat jam tibi desinere. ——
Eja, age, rumpe moras, quo tespellabimus ufque f

Dum quidsis dubitas, jam potes effe nibil. Mart.

To rhetorick now, and now to law inclin'd,
Uncertain where to fix thy changing mind;
Old Priam's age or Nestor's may be out,
And thou, O Taurus, still go on in doubt.
Come then, how long such wav'ring shall we see?
Thou may'st doubt on; thou now can'st nothing be.

F. Lewis.

IT is never without very melancholy reflections, that we can observe the misconduct, or miscarriage, of thofe men, who seem, by the force of understanding, or extent of knowledge, exempted from the general frailties of human nature, and privileged from the common inselicities of lise. Though the world is crowded with scenes of calamity, we look upon the general mass of wretchedness with very little regard, and fix our eyes upon the state of par6 ticular