after their Masters, and referve their Wages for other Occafions. From hence it arifes, That they are but in a lower Degree what their Mafters themselves are; and ufually affect an Imitation of their Manners: And you have in Liveries, Beaux, Fops, and Coxcombs, in as high Perfection as among People that keep Equipages. It is a common Humour among the Retinue of People of Quality, when they are in their Revels, that is when they are out of their Mafters Sight, to affume in an hu~ mourous Way the Names and Titles of those whofe Liveries they wear. By which means Characters and Diftinctions become fo familiar to them, that it is to this, among other Caufes, one may impute a certain Infolence among our Servants, that they take no Notice of any Gentleman though they know him ever fo well, except he is an Acquaintance of their Masters, MY Obfcurity and Taciturnity leave me at Liberty,' without Scandal to dine, if I think fit, at a common Ordinary, in the meanest as well as the most sumptuous Houfe of Entertainment. Falling in the other Day at a Victualling-Houfe near the Houfe of Peers, I heard the Maid come down and tell the Landlady at the Bar, That my Lord Bishop fwore he would throw her out at Window if fhe did not bring up more Mild-Beer, and that my Lord Duke would have a double Mug of Purle. My Surprize was encreased, in hearing loud and ruftick Voices fpeak and anfwer to each other upon the publick. Affairs, by the Names of the most Illuftrious of our Nobility; till of a fudden one came running in, and cry'd the House was rifing. Down came all the Company together, and away: The Ale-Houfe was immediately filled with Clamour, and scoring one Mug to the Marquifs of fuch a Place, Oyl and Vinegar to fuch an Earl, three Quarts to my new Lord for wetting his Title, and fo forth. It is a Thing too notorious to mention the Crowds of Servants, and their Infolence, near the Courts of Juftice, and the Stairs towards the Supreme Affembly, where there is an univerfal Mockery of all Order, fuch riotous Clamour and licentious Confufion, that one would think the whole Nation lived in Jeft, and there were no fuch thing as Rule and Distinction among us. C 2 THE THE next Place of Refort, wherein the fervile World are let loose, is at the Entrance of Hide-Park, while the Gentry are at the Ring. Hither People bring their Lacques out of State, and here it is that all they fay at their Tables, and act in their Houfes, is communicated to the whole Town. There are Men of Wit in all Conditions of Life; and mixing with thefe People at their Diverfions, I have heard Coquets and Prudes as well ral-. lied, and Infolence and Pride expofed, (allowing for want of Education) with as much Humour and good Sense, as in the politeft Companies. It is a general Obervation, That all Dependants run in fome measure into the Manners and Behaviour of those whom they ferve: You fhall frequently meet with Lovers and Men of Intrigue among the Lacques, as well as at White's or in the SideBoxes. I remember fome Years ago an Inftance of this Kind. A Footman to a Captain of the Guard used frequently, when his Mafter was out of the Way, to carry on Amours and make Affignations in his Master's Cloaths. The Fellow had a very good Perfon, and there >are very many Women that think no further than the Outfide of a Gentleman; befides which, he was almost as learned a Man as the Collonel himself: I fay, thus qualified, the Fellow could fcrawl Billets doux fo well, and furnish a Conversation on the common Topicks, that he had, as they call it, a great deal of good Bufinefs on his Hands. It happened one Day, that coming down a Tavern-Stairs in his Mafter's fine Guard Coat, with a well-drefs'd Woman masked, he met the Colonel coming up with other Company; but with a ready Affurance he quitted his Lady, came up to him, and said, Sir, I know you have too much Refpect for your felf to cane me in this honourable Habit: But you fee there is a Lady in the Cafe, and I hope on that Score alfo you will put off your Anger till I have told you all another time. After a little Paufe the Collonel cleared up his Countenance, and with an Air of Familiarity whispered his Man apart, Sirrah, bring the Lady with you to ask Pardon for you; then aloud, Look to it Will, I'll never forgive you elfe. The Fellow went back to his Miftrefs, and telling her with a loud Voice and an Oath, That was the honefteft Fellow in the World, conveyed her to an Hackney-Coach. BUT BUT the many Irregularities committed by Servants in the Places above-mentioned as well as in the Theatres of which Mafters are generally the Occafions, are too various not to need being refumed on another Occasion. R N° 89. Tuesday, June 12. Petite hinc juvenefque fenefque Finem animo certum, miferifque viatica canis. A Per. S my Correfpondents upon the Subject of Love are very numerous, it is my Defign, if poffible, to range them under feveral Heads, and addrefs my felf to them at different Times. The first Branch of them, to whose Service I fhall dedicate this Paper, are those that have to do with Women of dilatory Tempers, who are for fpinning out the Time of Courtfhip to an immoderate Length, without being able either to close with their Lovers, or to difmifs them. I have many Letters by me filled with Complaints against this fort of Women. In one of them no lefs a Man than a Brother of the Coiff tells me, that he began his Suit Vicefimo none Caroli fecundi before he had been a Twelve-month at the Temple; that he profecuted it for many Years after he was called to the Bar; that at prefent he is a Serjeant at Law; and notwithstanding he hoped that Matters would have been long fince brought to an Iffue, the Fair One ftill demurrs. I am fo well pleafed with this Gentleman's Phrafe, that I fhall diftinguish this Sect of Women by the Title of Demurrers. I find by another Letter from one that calls himself Thirfis, that his Mistress has been demurring above these seven Years. But among C 3 all all my Plaintiffs of this Nature, I moft pity the unfor-tunate Philander, a Man of a conftant Paffion and plentiful Fortune, who fets forth that the timorous and irrefolute Sylvia has demurred till fhe is paft Child-bearing. Strephon appears by his Letter to be a very cholerick Lover, and irrevocably fmitten with one that demurs out of Self-Intereft. He tells me with great Paffion that fhe has bubbled him out of his Youth; that she drilled him on to five and fifty, and that he verily believes the will drop him in his old Age if the can find her Account in another. I fhall conclude this Narrative with a Letter from honeft SAM. HOPEWELL, a very pleasant Fellow, who it seems has at last married a Demurrer: Imuft only premife, that SAM. who is a very good Bottle-Companion, has been the Diverfion of his Friends, upon account of his Paffion, ever fince the Year One thoufand fix hundred and eighty one.. Dear Sir, OU Paffion for Mrs. Martha, well very "Yankohta Dance the has led me: She took me out at the Age of Two and twenty, and dodged ' with me above Thirty Years, I have loved her till the is < grown as gray as a Cat, and am with much ado become the Master of her Perfon, fuch as it is at prefent. She is however in my Eye a very charming old Woman. • We often lament that we did not marry fooner, but he has no body to blame for it but her felf: You know very well that he would never think of me whilst she had a Tooth in her Head. I have put the Date of my Paffion (Anno Amoris Trigefimo primo) inftead of a Pofy, on my Wedding-Ring. I expect you fhould fend me a Congratulatory Letter, or, if you please, an Epithalamium, upon this Occafion. 6 Mrs. Martha's and Yours eternally, SAM. HOPEWELL IN order to banish an Evil out of the World, that does not only produce great Uneafinefs to private Perfons, but has alfo a very bad Influence on the Publick, I fhall endeavour to fhew the Folly of Demurring from two. two or three Reflections, which I earnestly recommend to the Thoughts of my fair Readers. FIRST of all I would have them ferioufly think on the Shortness of their Time. Life is not long enough for a Coquet to play all her Tricks in. A timorous Woman drops into her Grave before fhe has done deliberating. Were the Age of Man the fame that it was before the Flood a Lady might facrifice half a Century to a Scruple, and be two or three Ages in demurring. Had The Nine hundred Years good, the might hold out to the Converfion of the Jews before the thought fit to be prevailed upon. But, alas! fhe ought to play her Part in hafte, when the confiders that he is fuddenly to quit the Stage, and make Room for others. IN the fecond Place, I would defire my Female Readers to confider, that as the Term of Life is fhort, that of Beauty is much shorter. The finest Skin wrinkles in a few Years, and lofes the Strength of its Colouring fo foon, that we have scarce. Time to admire it. I might embelish this Subject with Rofes and Rain-bows, and feveral other ingenious Conceits, which I may poflibly referve for another Opportunity. THERE is a third Confideration which I would! likewife recommend to a Demiurrer, and that is the great Danger of her falling in Love when he is about Threefcore, if fhe cannot fatisfie her Doubts and Scruples before that Time. There is a kind of latter Spring, that fometimes gets into the Blood of an old Woman and turns her into a very odd fort of an Animal. I would therefore have the Demurrer confider what a strange Figure fhe will make, if the chances to get over all Difficulties, and comes to a final Refolution, in that unfeafonable Part of her Life. I would not however be understood, by any thing I have here faid, to difcourage that natural Modefty in the Sex, which renders a Retreat from the first Approaches of a Lover both fafhionable and graceful; All that I ïntend, is, to advise them, when they are prompted by Reason and Inclination, to demurr only out of Form, and fo far as Decency requires. A virtuous Woman fhould reject the firft Offer of Marriage, as a good Man does that of a Bishoprick; but I would advife neither C 4 the |