Opinion what is proper to be determined in fuch Cafes for the: future. Mr. SPECTATOR, HER is an elderly Perfon lately left off Business T and festled in our Town, in order, as he thinks, to retire from the World; but he has brought with him fuch an Inclination to Tale-bearing, that he disturbs both himself and all our Neighbourhood. Notwithftanding this Frailty the honeft Gentleman is fo happy as to have no Enemy: At the fame time he has not one Friend who will venture to acquaint him with his Weakness. It is not to be doubted but if this Fail-ing were fet in a proper Light, he would quickly per-ceive the Indecency and evil Confequences of it. Now, Sir, this being an Infirmity which I hope may ⚫ be corrected, and knowing that he pays much Deference to you, I beg that when you are at leifure, to give us a Speculation on Goffiping, you would think of my Neighbour: You will hereby oblige feveral who will be glad to find a Reformation in their gray haired Friend: And how becoming will it be for him, inftead of pouring forth Words at all Adventures, to fet a • Watch before the Door of his Mouth, to refrain his Tongue, to check its Impetuofity, and guard against the Sallies of that little, pert, forward, bufy, Perfon;: which, under a fober Conduct, might prove a useful • Member of a Society. In compliance with whofe Imitations, I have taken the Liberty to make this Ad-• drefs to you.. Lam, SIR, Mr. SPECTATOR, TH t Your moft obfcure Servant; Philanthropos. Feb. 16, 1712.. HIS is to Petition you in Behalf of my felf and many more of your gentle Readers, that at any time when you may have private Reasons against letting us know what you think yourself, you would be pleafed to pardon us fuch Letters of your Correfpondents as feem to be of no Ufe but to the Printer. IT is further our humble Request, that you would • fubftitute Advertisements in the Place of fuch Epistles; " and that in order hereunto Mr. Buckley may be autho rized to take up of your zealous Friend Mr. Charles Lillie, any Quantity of Words he fhall from time to time have occafion for. THE many useful Parts of Knowledge which may be communicated to the Publick this Way, will, we hope, be a confideration in favour of your Petitioners. And your Petitioners, &c.. Note, THAT particular Regard be had to this Peti tion; and the Papers marked Letter R may be carefully examined for the future. No. 31. Tuesday, February 26. Nec veneris pharetris macer eft, aut lampade fervet: Juv. Sat. 6. v. 137. · He fighs, adores, and courts her ev'ry Hour: Mr. SPECTATOR," I DRY DENY AM amaz'd that among all the Variety of Charäc--ters, with which you have enriched your Speculations, you have never given us a Picture of those audacious young Fellows among us, who commonly go by the Name of Fortune-Stealers. You must know, Sir, I am one who live in a continual Apprehenfion* of this fort of People that lie in wait, Day and Night, for our Children, and may be confidered ase "a kind of Kidnappers within the Law I am the Father of a young Heirefs, whom I begin to look upon as Marriageable, and who has looked upon herself as fuch for above thefe Six Years. She is now in the Eighteenth Eighteenth Year of her Age. The Fortune-hunters have already caft their Eyes upon her, and take care -to plant themselves in her View whenever the appears in any publick Affembly. I have myfelf caught a young Jackanapes with a pair of Silver-Fringed Gloves in the very Fact. You must know, Sir, I' have kept her as a Prisoner of State ever fince the was in her Teens. Her Chamber-Windows are cross-barred; ⚫ the is not permitted to go out of the Houfe but with her Keeper, who is a ftayed Relation of my own; I have likewife forbid her the use of Pen and Ink, for this Twelve-month laft paft, and do not fuffer a Band-Box to ⚫ be carried into her Room before it has been searched. Notwithstanding thefe Precautions, I am at my Wits End for fear of any fudden Surprife. There were, two or three Nights ago, fome Fiddles heard in the Street, which I am afraid portend me no Good; not to mention a tall Irish Man, that has been seen walking before my House more than once this Winter. My Kinfwoman likewise informs me, that the Girl has talked to her twice or thrice of a Gentleman in a fair Wig, and that The loves to go to Church more than ever fhe did in her • Life. She gave me the flip about a Week ago, upon which my whole Houfe was in Alarm. I immediately dispatched a Hue and Cry after her to the Change, to ⚫ her Mantua-maker, and to the young Ladies that vifit her; but after above an hour's fearch the return'd of herfelf, having been taking a walk, as fhe told me, by Rofamond's Pond. I have hereupon turn'd off her • Woman, doubled her Guards, and given new Inftructions to my Relation, who, to give her her due, keeps • a watchful Eye over all her Motions. This, Sir, keeps • me in a perpetual Anxiety, and makes me very often watch when my Daughter fleeps, as I am afraid she is even with me in her Turn. Now, Sir, what I would defire of you is, to reprefent to this fluttering Tribe of young Fellows, who are for making their Fortunes' by these indirect Means, that stealing a Man's Daughter' ⚫ for the Sake of her Portion, is but a kind of a Tolerated Robbery; and that they make but a poor Amends to the Father, whom they plunder after this Manner, by' ⚫ going to Bed with his Child. Dear Sir, be fpeedy in ༦ your your Thoughts on this Subject, that, if poffible, they' may appear before the Dibanding of the Army. I am, SIR, Your most bumble Servant, Tim. Watchwell.. THEMISTOCLES, the great Athenian General, being afk'd whether he would choose to marry his Daughter to an Indigent Man of Merit, or to a worthlefs Man of an Eftate, replied, That he fhould prefer a Man without an Eftate, to an Estate without a Man. The worst of it is, our Modern Fortune-hunters are those who turn their Heads that way, because they are good for nothing elfe. If a young Fellow finds he can make nothing of Cook and Littleton, he provides himfelf with a Ladder of Ropes, and by that means very often enters upon the Premises. THE fame Art of fcaling has likewife been practifed with good Succefs by many military Ingineers, Stratagems of this Nature make Parts and Induftry fuperfluous, and cut short the way to Riches. NOR is Vanity a lefs Motive than Idlenefs to this kind of Mercenary Pursuit. A Fop, who admires his Perfon in a Glafs, foon enters into a Refolution of making his Fortune by it, not queftioning but every Woman that falls in his way will do him as much Justice as he does himself. When an Heirefs fees a Man throwing particylar Graces into his Ogle, or talking loud within her Hearing, the ought to look to herfelf; but if withal fhe obferves a pair of red Heels, a Patch, or any other Particularity in his Dress, she cannot take too much care of her Perfon. These are Baits not to be trifled with, Charms that have done a World of Execution, and made their way into Hearts which have been thought impregnable. The Force of a Man with these Qualifications is to well known, that I am credibly informed there are feveral Female Undertakers about the Change, who upon the Arrival of a likely Man out of a neighbouring Kingdom,, will furnish him with proper Drefs from Head to Foot, to be paid for at a double Price on the Day of Marriage. WE must however diftinguish between Fortune-hunters and Fortune-stealers. The firit are thofe affiduous Gentlemen Gentlemen who employ their whole Lives in the Chace,. without ever coming to the Quarry, Suffenus has combed and powdered at the Ladies for thirty Years together, and taken his Stand in a Side-Box, 'till he is grown wrinkled under their Eyes. He is now laying the fame Snares for the prefent Generation of Beauties, which he practis'd on their Mothers. Cottilus, after having made his Appli-cations to more than you meet with in Mr. Cowley's Ballad of Miftreffès, was at last smitten with a City Lady of 20,000l. Sterling; but died of old Age before he could bring Matters to bear. Nor must I here omit my worthy Friend Mr. HONEYCOMB; who has often told us in the Club, that for twenty Years fucceffively, upon the death of a Childlefs rich Man, he immediately drew on his Boots, called for his Horfe, and made up to the Widow. When he is rallied upon his Succefs, WILL, with his ufual Gaiety tells us, that he always found her Preengaged. WIDOWS are indeed the great Game of your Fortune-hunters: There is fcarce a young Fellow in the Town of fix Foot high, that has not paffed in Review Before one or other of thefe wealthy Relicts. Hudibras's Cupid, who ·took his Stand' Upon a Widow's Jointure Land is daily employed in throwing Darts, and kindling Flames, But as for Widows, they are fuch a Subtle Generation of People, that they may be left to their own Conduct; or; if they make a falfe Step in it, they are anfwerable for it. to no body but themselves. The young Innocent Creatures who have no Knowledge and Experience of the World, are those whofe fafety I would principally, con-falt in this Speculation. The ftealing of fuch an onefhould, in my Opinion, be as punishable as a Rape. Where there is no Judgment there is no Choice; and why the inveighling a Woman before the is come to Years of Difcretion, fhould not be as Criminal as the feducing of her before he is ten Years old, I am at ar lofs to comprehend. Li « Wednesdays |