THESE two Rivals for the Reputation of Beauty, were in their Stature, Countenance and Mien fo very much alike, that if you were speaking of them in their Abfence, the Words in which you described the one must give you an Idea of the other, They were hardly diftinguishable, you would think, when they were apart, tho' extremely different when together. What made their Enmity the more entertaining to all the reft of their Sex was that in Detraction from each other neither could fall upon Terms which did not hit herself as much as her Adverfary. Their Nights grew restless with Meditation of new Dreffes to outvy each other, and inventing new Devices to recal Admirers, who obferved the Charms of the one rather than those of the other on the laft Meeting. Their Colours failed at each other's Appearance, flushed with Pleasure at the Report of a Difadvantage, and their Countenances withered upon Inftances of Applause. The Decencies to which Women are obliged, made these Virgins ftifle their Resentment so far as not to break into open Violences, while they equally fuffered the Torments of a regulated Anger. Their Mothers, as it is ufual, engaged in the Quarrel, and fupported the feveral Pretenfions of the Daughters with all that ill-chofen fort of Expence which is common with People of plentiful Fortunes and mean Tafte. The Girls preceded their Parents likeQueens of May, in all the gaudy Colours imaginable, on every Sunday to Church, and were expofed to the Examination of the Audience for Superiority of Beauty. DURING this conftant Struggle it happened, that Phillis one Day at public Prayers fmote the Heart of a gay Weft-Indian, who appear'd in all the Colours which can affect an Eye that could not diftinguish between being fine and taudry. This American in a SummerIfland Suit was too shining and too gay to be refifted by Phillis, and too intent upon her Charms to be diverted by any of the laboured Attractions of Brunetta. Soon after, Brunetta had the Mortification to fee her Rival difpofed of in a wealthy Marriage, while fhe was only addreffed to in a Manner that fhewed fhe was the Admiration of all Men, but the Choice of none. Phillis was carried to the Habitation of her Spouse in Barbadoes: Brunetta had the Ill-nature to inquire for her by cence. every Opportunity, and had the Misfortune to hear of her being attended by numerous Slaves, fanned into Slumbers by fucceffive Hands of them, and carried from Place to Place in all the Pomp of barbarous MagnifiBrunetta could not endure these repeated Advices, but employed all her Arts and Charms in laying Baits for any of Condition of the fame Island, out of a mere Ambition to confront her once more before fhe died. She at laft fucceeded in her Design, and was taken to Wife by a Gentleman whose Estate was contiguous to that of her Enemy's Hufband. It would be endless to enumerate the many Occafions on which these irreconcilable Beauties laboured to excel each other; but in procefs of Time it happened that a Ship put into the Island configned to a Friend of Phillis, who had Directions to give her the Refufal of all Goods for Apparel, before Brunetta could be alarm'd of their Arrival. He did so, and Phillis was dreffed in a few Days in a Brocade more gorgeous and coftly than had ever before appeared in that Latitude. Brunetta languifhed at the Sight, and could by nomeans come up to the Bravery of herAntagonist. She communicated her Anguish of Mind to a faithful Friend, who by an Intereft in the Wife of Phillis's Merchant, procured. a Remnant of the fame Silk for Brunetta. Phillis took pains to appear in all public Places where fhe was fure to meet Brunetta; Brunetta was now prepared for the Infult, and came to a public Ball in a plain black Silk Mantua, attended by a beautiful Negro Girl in a Petticoat of the fame Brocade with which Phillis was attired.. This drew the Attention of the whole Company, upon which the unhappy Phillis fwooned away, and was immediately convey'd to her Houfe. As foon as the came to herself she fled from her Hufband's Houfe, went on board a Ship in the Road, and is now landed in inconfolable Defpair at Plimouth. POSTSCRIPT. AFTER the above melancholy Narration, it may perhaps be a Relief to the Reader to perufe the following Expoftulation. To To Mr. SPECTATOR. The just Remonftrance of affronted THAT. HO' I deny not the Petition of Mr. Who and and to call honeft People Names: For that bears very hard on fome of thofe Rules of Decency, which you are justly famous for eftablishing. They may find fault, and correct Speeches in the Senate and at the Bar: But let them try to get themselves so often and with fo much Eloquence repeated in a Sentence, as a great Orator doth frequently introduce me. MyLords! (fays he) with humble Submiffion, That that I fay is this; that, That that that Gentleman has * advanced, is not That, that he should have proved to your Lordships. Let thofe two queftionary Petitioners try to do thus with their Who's and their Whiches. WHAT great Advantage was I of to Mr. Dryden * in his Indian Emperor, You force me fill to anfwer You in That, to furnish out a Rhyme to Morat? And what a poor Fi gure would Mr. Bayes have made without his Egad and all That? How can a judicious Man diftinguish one thing from another, without faying This here, or That there? And how can a fober Man without ufing the Expletives of Oaths (in which indeed the Rakes and Bullies have a great Advantage over others) make a Difcourfe of any tolerable Length, without That is; and if he be a very grave Man indeed, without That is to fay? And how inftructive as well as entertaining are thofe ufual Expreffions, in the Mouths of great Men, Such Things as That and the like of That. I am not againft reforming the Corruptions of Speech You mention, and own there are proper Seasons for the • Introduction of other Words befides That; but I fcorn as much to fupply the Place of a Who or a Which at every Turn, as they are unequal always to fill mine; and I expect good Language and civil Treatment, and hope to receive it for the future: That, that I fhall only add is, that I am, R Yours, THAT. The THE INDE X. A. ABIGAILS (male) in Fashion among the Ladies, 55. Abfence in Conversation, a remarkable Inftance of it in Acroftick, a piece of falfe Wit, divided into Simple and A&t of Deformity, for the ufe of the ugly Club, N. 17. Advice; no Order of Persons too confiderable to be ad- Affectation, a greater Enemy to a fine Face than the Small- Americans, their Opinion of Souls, N. 56. exemplified in Ample (Lady) her Uneafinefs, and the Reafon of it, N. 32. April (the first of) the merriest Day in the Year, N. 47. Ariftotle, his Obfervation upon the Iambick Verfe, N. 31. Arfinoe, the first mufical Opera on the English Stage, N.18. Avarice Avarice, the Original of it, N. 55. Operates with Luxury, ibid. at War with Luxury, ibid. its Officers and Adhe rents, ibid. comes to an Agreement with Luxury, ibid. Audiences at prefent void of Common Sense. N. 13. Aurelia, her Character, N. 15. Author, the Neceffity of his Readers being acquainted with his Size, Complexion, and Temper, in order to read his Works with Pleasure, N. 1. his Opinion of his own Performances, 4. The Expedient made ufe of by those that write to the Stage, 5.1. BA B. ACON, (Sir Francis) his Comparison of a Book well written, N. 10. his Obfervation upon Envy, 19. Bags of Money, a fudden Transformation of them into Sticks and Paper, N. 3. Baptift Lully, his prudent Management, N. 29. Bawdry,never writ but where there is a Dearth of Invention, N. 51. Beaver, the Haberdasher, a great Politician, N. 49. Beauties, when Plagiaries, N. 4. The true Secret how to improve Beauty, 33. then the most charming when heighten'd by Virtue, ibid. Bell, (Mr.) his ingenious Device, N. 28. Bell-Savage, its Etymology, N. 28. Birds, a Cage full for the Opera, N. 5. Biters, their Bufinefs, N. 47. Blackmore (Sir Richard) his Obfervation, N. 6. Blanks of Society, who, N. 10. Blank Verfe proper for Tragedy, N. 39 Boubours, (Monfieur) a great Critick among the French, N. 62. Bouts-Rimex, what, N. 60. Breeding, fine Breeding diftinguished from good, N. 66. Butts defcribed, N. 47. the Qualification of a Butt, ibid. C C. ESAR (Julius) his Behaviour to Catullus, who had put him into a Lampoon, N. 23. Caligula, his Wish, N. 16. Camilla, |