to come over himself, and all, his Family, within few Months, is fenfible they want Breeding enough for our Congregations, and has fent his two eldest Daughters to learn to dance, that they may not misbehave themfelves at Church: It is worth confidering whether, in regard to aukward People with ferupulous Confciences, a good Chriftian of the best Air in the World ought not rather to deny her felf the Opportunity of fhowing fo many Graces, than keep a bafhful Profelyte without the Pale of the - Church. T N° 260, Friday, December 28. 6 Singula de nobis anni prædantur euntes. Mr. SPECTATOR, Hor. Am now in the fixty fifth Year of my Age, and having been the greater Part of my Days a Man of Pleasure, the Decay of my Faculties is a Stagnation of my Life. But how is it, Sir, that my Appetites are encreased upon me with the Lofs of Power to gra⚫tifie them? I write this, like a Criminal, to warn People to enter upon what Reformation they please to make in themselves in their Youth, and not expect they fhall be capable of it from a fond Opinion fome have often in their Mouths, that if we do not leave our Defires they ⚫ will leave us. It is far otherwife; I am now as vain ' in my Drefs, and as flippant if I fee a pretty Woman, as when in my Youth I ftood upon a Bench in the Pit to furvey the whole Circle of Beauties. The Folly is fo extravagant with me, and I went on with fo little Check of my Defires, or Refignation of them, that I can affure you, I very often, meerly to entertain. my own Thoughts, fit with my Spectacles on, writing Love-Letters to the Beauties that have been long fince in their Graves. This is to warm my Heart with the faint Memory of Delights which were once agreeable to me; but how much happier would my Life have been 6 been now, if I could have looked back on any worthy Action done for my Country? If I had laid out that ⚫ which I profufed in Luxury and Wantonnefs, in Acts of Generofity or Charity? I have lived a Batchelor to this Day; and instead of a numerous Offspring, with which, in the regular Ways of Life, I might poffibly have delighted my felf, I have only to amufe my felf with the Repetition of old Stories and Intrigues which no one will believe I ever was concerned in. I do not know whether you have ever treated of it or not; but you cannot fall on a better Subject, than that of the Art of growing old. In fucha Lecture you must propofe, that no one fet his Heart upon what is tranfient; the Beauty grows wrinkled while we are yet gazing at her. The witty Man finks into a Humorift imperceptibly, for want of reflecting that all Things around him are in a. Flux, and continually changing: Thus he is in the Space of ten or fifteen Years furrounded by a new Set of People, whofe Manners are as natural to them as his Delights, Method of Thinking, and Mode of Living, were formerly to him and his Friends. But the Mifchief is, he looks upon the fame Kind of Errors which he himself was guilty of with an Eye of Scorn, and with that Sort of Ill-will which Men entertain against each other for different Opinions: Thus a crafie Conftitution, • and an uneafie Mind, is fretted with vexatious Paffions for young Mens doing foolifhly what it is Folly to do at all. Dear Sir, this is my present State of Mind; I "hate those I should laugh at, and envy those I contemn. The Time of Youth and vigorous Manhood, paffed the Way in which I have difpofed of it, is attended with thefe Confequences; but to those who live and passaway Life as they ought, all Parts of it are equally pleafant; only the Memory of good and worthy Actions is a Feaft which muft give a quicker Relifh to the Soul than ever it could poffibly tafte in the higheft Enjoyments or Jollities of Youth. As for me, if I fit down in my € great Chair and begin to ponder, the Vagaries of a Child are not more ridiculous than the Circumftances which are heaped up in my Memory; fine Gowns, • Country Dances, Ends of Tunes, interrupted Conversations, and mid-night Quarrels, are what muft neceffari ly ly compofe my Soliloquy. I beg o ་ ་ gard Years, I fhould have no one great Satisfaction left; put Mr. SPECTATOR, Your most humble Servant, OU will infinitely oblige a diftreffed Lover, if you will infert in your very next Paper the following Letter to my Miftrefs. You must know, I am not a Perfon apt to defpair, but fhe has got an odd Humour of ftopping fhort unaccountably, and, as the her felf told a Confident of hers, fhe has cold Fits. Thefe Fits fhall laft her a Month or fix Weeks together; and as the falls into them without Provocation, fo it is to be hoped the ' will return from them without the Merit of new Services. But Life and Love will not admit of fuch Intervals, therefore pray let her be admonished as follows. Madam, Love you, and I honour you; therefore pray do not tell me of waiting till Decencies, till Forms, till Humours are confulted and gratified. If you have that happy Conftitution as to be indolent for ten Weeks together, you should confider that all that while I burn in Impatiences and Fevers; but ftill you fay it will be Time enough, tho' I and you too grow older while we are yet talking. Which do you think the more reasonable, that you fhould alter a State of Indifference for Happihefs, and that to oblige me, or I live in Torment, and that to lay no manner of Obligation upon you? While I indulge your Infenfibility I am doing nothing; if you me as beenar my Paffion, you are beftowing bright Defires, Madam, Your most devoted humble Servant. Mr. SPECTATOR, HERE's a Gentlewoman lodges in the fame Houle Merit their A goons Parts. ΤΙ pretty with me that I never did any Injury to in my ices whole Life; and fhe is always railing at me to thofe Min that fhe knows will tell me of it. Don't you think they is in Love with me? Or would you have me break my T Mind yet or not? Your Servant, T. B. Mr. SPECTATOR, Am a Footman in a great Family, and am in Love I with the Houfe-maid. We were all at Hot-cockles, laft Night in the Hall thefe Holidays; when I lay down and was blinded, fhe pulled off her Shoe, and hit me with the Heel fach a Rap, as almoft broke my Head to Pieces. Pray, Sir, was this Love or Spite? 1 ceed gre abl T Τάμπ γ ανθρώποισιν ευκ]αῖον κακόν. * Frag. vet. Po. Y Father, whom I mentioned in my firft Specu-, Mlation, and whom I mult always name with Ho nour and Gratitude, has very frequently talked to, me upon the Subject of Marriage. I was in my younger Years engaged, partly by his Advice, and partly by my own Inclinations, in the Courtfhip of a Perfon who had a great deal of Beauty, and did not at my firft Approaches. feem to have any Averfion to me; but as my natu-, ral Taciturnity hindred me from Thewing my felf to the best Advantage, the by degrees began to look upon me me as a very filly Fellow, and being refolved to regard Merit more than any Thing elfe in the Perfons who made their Applications to her, he married a Captain of Dragoons who happened to be beating up for Recruits in thofe Parts, I THIS unlucky Accident has given me an Averfion to pretty Fellows ever fince, and difcouraged me from try. ing my Fortune with the fair Sex. The Obfervations which I made in this Conjuncture, and the repeated Advices which I received at that Time from the good old Man above-mentioned, have produced the following Effay upon Love and Marriage. THE pleafanteft Part of a Man's Life is generally that which paffes in Courtship, provided his Paffion be fincere, and the Party beloved kind with Difcretion. Love, Defire, Hope, all the pleafing Motions of the Soul rife in the Purfuit. IT is easier for an artful Man, who is not in Love, to perfuade his Miftrefs he has a Paffion for her, and to fucceed in his Purfaits, than for one who loves with the greatest Violence. True Love hath ten thousand Griefs, Impatiencies and Refentments, that render a Man unamiable in the Eyes of the Perfon whofe Affection he follicits; befides, that it finks his Figure, gives him Fears, Apprehenfions and Poornefs of Spirit, and often makes him appear ridiculous where he has a Mind to recommend himfelf. THOSE Marriages generally abound most with Love and Conftancy, that are preceded by a long Courtship. The Paffion fhould frike Root, and gather Strength be fore Marriage be grafted on it. A long Courfe of Hopes . and Expectations fixes the Idea in our Minds, and habituates us to a Fondnefs of the Perfon beloved. THERE is Nothing of fo great Importance to us, as the good Qualities of one to whom we join outfelves for Life; they do not only make our prefent State agreeable, but often determine our Happinefs to all Eternity, Where the Choice is left to Friends, the chief Point under Confideration is an Estate: Where the Parties chufe for themfelves, their Thoughts turn moft upon the Perfon. They have both their Reafons. The firft would procure many Conveniencies and Pleafures of Life to the Party |