confolate. Daphne has a Countenance that appears chearful, open and unconcerned, A Young Gentleman faw Latitia this Winter at a Play, and became her Captive. His Fortune was fuch, that he wanted very little Introduction to speak his Sentiments to her Father. The Lover was admitted with the utmost Freedom into the Family,. where a conftrained Behaviour, severe Looks, and distant Civilities, where the higheft Favours he could obtain of Latitia; while Daphne ufed him with the good Humour, Familiarity, and Innocence of a Sifter: Infomuch that he would often fay to her, Dear Daphne, wert thou but as Handfome as Lætitia! She received fuch Language: with that ingenious and pleafing Mirth, which is natural to a Woman without Defign. He ftill Sighed in vain for Latitia, but found certain Relief in the agreeable Con verfation of Daphne. At length, heartily tired with the haughty Impertinence of Laritia, and charmed with re-peated Inftances of good Humour he had obferved in Daphne, he one Day told the latter, that he had fomething to fay to her he hoped fhe would be pleafed with.

Faith Daphne, continued he, I am in Love with thee, and defpife thy Sifter fincerely. The manner of his declar ing himself gave his Mistress Occafion for a very hearty Laughter. Nay, fays he, I knew you would laugh at me, but I'll ask your Father. He did fo; the Father res ceived his Intelligence with no lefs Joy than Surprize,. and was very glad he had now no Care left but for his Beauty, which he thought he could carry to Market at his Leifure. I do not know any thing that has pleafed me fo much a great while, as this Conqueft of my Friend Daphne's. All her Acquaintance congratulate her upon her Chance-Medly, and laugh at that premeditating Mur derer her Sifter. As it is an Argument of a light Mind, so think the worfe of our felves for the Imperfections of our Perfons, it is equally below us to value our selves on the Advantages of them. The Female World feem to be almoft incorrigibly gone aftray in this Particular; for which Reafon, I fhall recommend the following Extract out of a Friend's Letter to the Profefs'd Beauties, who are a People almost as unfufferable as the Profefs'd Wits

MON

&

NSIEUR St. Evremont has concluded one of

Mhis Effays with affirming, that the laft Sighs of

a handsome Woman are not fo much for the Lofs of her Life as of her Beauty. Perhaps this Raillery is pur* fued too far, yet it is turned upon a very obvious Re mark, that Woman's strongest Paffion is for her own Beauty, and that fhe values it as her Favourite Diftinction. From hence it is that all Arts, which pretend to improve or preferve it, meet with fo general Reception among the Sex. To fay nothing of many falfe Helps, and Contraband Wares of Beauty, which are daily vended in this great Mart, there is not a • Maiden Gentlewoman, of a good Family in any County of South-Britain, who has not heard of the Virtues of May-Dew, or is unfurnished with fome Receipt or other in Favour of her Complexion; and I have known a Phyfician of Learning and Senfe, after eight Years Study in the University, and a Courfe of Travels into moft Conatries in Europe, owe the firft raifing of his Fortunes to a Cofmetick Wafh.

THIS has given me Occafion to confider how fo Univerfal a Difpofition in Womankind, which fprings from a laudable Motive, the Defire of Pleafing, and • proceeds upon an Opinion, not altogether groundless, that Nature may be helped by Art, may be turned to their Advantage. And, methinks, it would be an ac-'ceptable Service to take them out of the Hands of Quacks and Pretenders, and to prevent their impofing upon themselves, by difcovering to them the true Se cret and Art of improving Beauty.

IN order to this, before I touch upon it directly, it will be neceffary to lay down a few Preliminary Max ims, viz.

THAT no Woman can be Handfome by the Force ⚫ of Features alone, any more than fhe can be Witry only by the Help of Speech.

THAT Pride deftroys all Symmetry and Grace, and Affectation is a more terrible Enemy to fine. Faces than the Small Pox..

THAT no Woman is capable of being Beautiful? "who is not incapable of being Falfe.

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AND, That what would be Odious in a Friend, is Deformity in a Miftrefs..

PROMI

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FROM thefe few Principles, thus laid down, it will be eafie to prove, that the true Art of affifting Beauty confifts in Embellishing the whole Perfon by the proper Ornaments of virtuous and commendable Qualities. By this Help alone it is, that thofe who are the Favourite Work of Nature, or, as Mr. Dryden expreffes it, the Porcelain Clay of human Kind, become animated, and are in a Capacity of exerting their Charms: And those who feem to have been neglected by her, like Models wrought in hafte, are capable in a great Measure of finishing what She has left imperfect.

IT is, methinks, a low and degrading Idea of that Sex, which was created to refine the Joys, and soften the Cares of Humanity, by the most agreeable Participation, to confider them meerly as Objects of Sight. • This is abridging them of their natural Extent of Power, to put them upon a Level with their Pictures at • Kneller's. How much nobler is the Contemplation of Beauty heightened by Virtue, and commanding our Efteem and Love, while it draws our Obfervation ? How faint and fpiritlefs are the Charms of a Coquet, when compar'd with the real Lovelinefs of Sophronia's Innocence, Piety, good Humour and Truth; Virtues which add a new Softness to her Sex, and even beautifie her Beauty! That Agreeableness which must otherwife have appeared no longer in the modeft Virgin, is now preserved in the tender Mother, the prudent Friend, and the faithful Wife. Colours artfully fpread upon Canvas may entertain the Eye, but not affect the Heart; and fhe, who takes no Care to add to the na⚫tural Graces of her Perfor any excelling Qualities, may be allowed ftill to amufe, as a Picture, but not to triumph as a Beauty.

WHEN Adam is introduced by Milton defcribing Eve in Paradife, and relating to the Angel the Impreffions he felt upon feeing her at her firft Creation, he does not reprefent her like a Grecian Venus, by her Shape or Features, but by the Luftre of her Mind which fhone în • them, and gave them their Power of charming.

Grace was in all her Steps, Heav'n in her Eye,
In all her Ceftures Dignity and Love!

WITHOUT

• WITHOUT this irradiating Power the proudest • Fair One ought to know, whatever her Glass may tell her to the contrary, that her most perfect Features are • Uniformed and Dead.

I cannot better clofe this Moral, than by a fhort Epitaph written by Ben. Johnson, with a Spirit which nothing could infpire but fuch an Object as I have been defcribing.

Underneath this Stone doth lye
As much Virtue as cou'd die ;
Which when alive did Vigour give
To as much Beauty as cou'd live.

T

Cognatis maculis fimilis fera

Juv

HE Club of which I am a Member, is very luckily compofed of fuch Perfons as are engaged in different Ways of Life, and deputed as it were out of the moft confpicuous Claffes of Mankind: By this Means I am furnished with the greatest Variety of Hints and Materials, and know every thing that paffes in the different Quarters and Divifions, not only of this great City, but of the whole Kingdom. My Readers too have the Satisfaction to find, that there is no Rank or Degree among them who have not their Reprefentative in this Club, and that there is always fomebody prefent who will take Care of their refpective Interefts, that nothing may be written or published to the Prejudice or Infringement of their juft Rights and Privileges.

I laft Night fate very late in Company with this felect Body of Friends, who entertained me with feyeral Re

marks

marks which they and others had made upon thefe my Speculations, as also with the various Succefs which they had met with among their several Ranks and Degrees of Readers. WILL. HONEYCOMB told me, in the fofteft manner he could, that there were fome Ladies (but for your Comfort, fays WILL, they are not those of the moft Wit) that were offended at the Liberties I had taken with the Opera and the Puppet-fhow; That fome of them were likewife very much furprized, that I should think fuch ferious Points as the Drefs and Equigage of Perfons of Quality, proper Subjects for Raillery.

HE was going on, when Sir ANDREW FREEPORT took him up fhort, and told him,, That the Papers he hinted at had done great good in the City, and that all their Wives and Daughters were the better for them :: And further added, That the whole City thought them felves very much obliged to me for declaring my generous Intentions to fcourge Vice and Folly as they appear in a Multitude, without condefcending to be a Publisher of particular Intreagues and Cuckoldoms. In fhort, fays Sir ANDREW, if you avoid that foolish beaten Road of falling upon Aldermen and Citizens, and employ your Pen upon the Vanity and Luxury of Courts, your Paper must needs be of general Ufe.

UPON this my Friend the TEMPLER told Sir A N-DREW, That he wondered to hear a Man of his Senfe talk after that manner; that the City had always been the Province for Satyr; and that the Wits of King Charles's Time jefted upon nothing else during his whole Reign. He then fhewed, by the Examples of Horace, Juvenal,, Boileau, and the best Writers of every Age, that the Follies of the Stage and Court had never been accounted too facred for Ridicule, how great foever the Perfons might be that patronized them. But after all, fays he, I think your Raillery has made too great an Excurfion, in attacking feveral Perfons of the Inns of Court; and I do not be-lieve you can fhew me any Precedent for your Behaviour in that Particular..

MY good Friend Sir R'O GER DE COVERLEY, who Had faid nothing all this while, began his Speech with a Pifh! and told us, That he wondered to fee fo many Men of Senfe fo very ferious upon Fooleries. Les our good!

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Friend,,