mer, who owed me a hundred pounds for fome Lisbon, (for, you must know, I am a wine merchant, Mr. Babler) had failed, and that there was but little probability of expecting two and fix pence from the fale of all his effects. I furthermore informed her, that I was much to blame in the affair, and that I had trusted this man contrary to the advice of an intimate friend, who was perfectly converfant with his circumtances. My wife, instead of repre, hending me for indifcretion, as the generality of her fex would have done in the fame cafe, made ufe of every argument in hr power to diffipate my chagrin; told me, the mot careful were unable now and then to avoid an error, and bid me confole myfclf under my lofs, by thanking Providence that I had not been a fufferer in double the fum. I was greatly charmed with this difpofition in Mrs. Mountain, Sir, and expreffed my fenfibility of it in a manner with which the feemed infinitely pleated. Well, after all this, would you ima. gine, Mr. Babler, that a most trivial circumitance fhould make us part beds for that night! My favourite liquor is a glass of punch, and it happens to be my wife's too: making a little as we were alone, I unluckily squeezed the pulp of the lemon into the bowl; upon which the immediately exclaimed, with fome warmth Lord, my dear, you have fpoiled the punch! No, my • love,' replied I, the pulp gives it a fine flavour; and befides, you know I am very fond of it. Ay, but,' fays the, you are fenfible I can't abide it. Then, my dear,' returned I, it is an easy matter to avoid putting any in your glafs.- - Lord! Mr. Mountain, I have fpoke to you a thousand times about this very cir• cumitance; I believe, in my confcience, you do it on purpofe to give me difguit.'

Here, Mr. Babler, we began a conteft; feverity produced feverity, till at laft I ordered a bed to be made for myfelf; and poor Nancy retired to her own, with her eyes fwimming in tears.

For the whole night, neither of us (for I judge of her by myself) had a fingle wink of fleep; we tumbled and toffed, canvaffed the matter fifty ways in our minds; and at lait concluded, like Lockit and Peachum in the Beggar's

Opera, that we were both in the wrong. Yet, notwithstanding all this, when we met at breakfast, but an hour ago, neither of us would condescend to speak firtt; we affected a refentment of countenance that was utterly foreign to our hearts, and endeavoured to keep up the appearance of an unremitting anger, when we both of us longed to be reconciled, and had the moit paifionate inclination to be pleafed. Breakfaft was over before we exchanged a fyilable. When the fervant had left the room, I prepared to go out, and had just got to the parlour-door, when poor Nancy, unable to hold it out any longer, cried, in a tone of irresistible foftnels- And

will you go without peaking a word ?* Here our whole ridiculous quarrel was at an end: I turned to her with all the fondness I could poffibly affame, and held her in my arms for fome moments; while the, returning the fervor of the embrace, burst into a flood of tears.

It is inconceivable to think, Mr. Bahter, how contemptible thefe little differences have made us in the eyes of our own fervants. Whenever they fee us cool towards one another, they titter and laugh, and fay the poor things will foon kils and make it up again. It was no longer ago than last week that I overheard my raical of a coachman tell one of his fellow-fervants, that his mafter and mistress were nothing better than an overgrown boy and girl, and that he fancied a little of his horfe-whip would be of great fervice to both of them. It is very odd, Mr. Babler, that people who really love one another, and are not wholly deftitute of understanding, fhould give way to fuch refentment in the merelt trifles, who, in the most important circumstances of life, are above feeling the smalleft refentment, or entertaining the minuteft difcfteem. Many is the time, Sir, I have found fault with my wife for flirring the fire, when her fpending five hundred pounds has not given me the leaft uneafinefs; and many a time has the fallen out with me, if, in cutting up a fowl, I happened to splash ever fo small a drop of gravy on the table-cloth, though he has felt no difcompofure in life, if I spoiled a rich filk, or dirtied a fine head-drefs. This morning, however, we have agreed, as a means of keeping ourfelves from paffions of this

nature

nature for the future, to fend you the foregoing account; and if it should turn out any way ferviceable to others, as I hope it will, I fhall have a double rea

fon to fign myself, your moft humble fervant, ROBERT MOUNTAIN.

HERE is a very fenfible faying

their acquaintance happen to be brought to-bed of a boy; and this is, That Mrs. Such-a-one has got one of the right fort. In reality, there are fo many dangers attending the education of a young lady to years of maturity, and there are fuch a variety of circumstances to deftroy her reputation, which, through the fathionable depravity of the times, are confidered as fo many excellencies in the other fex, that I am no way furprized to find people particularly rejoiced at having one of the right fort,' as it is emphatically expreffed; fince the fatisfaction of the parent is corfiderably lefs expofed, as well as the happiness of the child; to fay nothing of the infinitely greater eafe with which the infant can be brought up.

When I feriously confider the cuftomary mode of educating the fair-fex, instead of being furprized to find so many turn out an affliction to their friends, or a difgrace to fociety, I am in fact aftonifhed that we do not find a multitude more. Now-a-days, inftead of being attentive to the cultivation of a young lady's mind, our regard is entirely engrofled by the accomplishments of her perfon; and the generality of our mothers are totally unconcerned whether or no their daughters are acquainted with the moft neceffary duties of religion, provided they can make a tolerable figure at a party of whift, and

turn out their toes.

From the first moment little Mifs is fent to fchool, fhe is provided with a doll, perhaps as large again as herself; and is inftructed in the neceffary manner of dreffing it properly, and fending it quietly to bed. Thus, in the earlieft ftage, her mind receives a turn for gallantry and drefs, which imperceptibly ftrengthens with her years; and being accustomed to nothing but compliments on her beauty, fhe becomes utterly indifferent to every thing elfe; the little

reading the is miftrefs of is rather a

principally compofed of novels, it conftantly warms her imagination with fentiments of intrigue, and adds to the opinion which the entertained of her, own perfon and understanding. Hence the fancies herfelf the heroine of every extravagant romance; till at last, from an admiration of the character, the really takes it up, and runs off, if in high life, with fome Amadis of a fubaltern officer; and, if in low, with a trolling player, or a barber's boy.

The fcandalous neglect of female education may, however, be put down to the account of the other fex. By a cuftom, no lefs arbitrary than unreason. able, we cut them off from a liberal inftruction; yet, at the very time that we lay a manacle on their understandings, affect to defpife them for fools: as if they were beings totally oppofite by nature to ourselves, we fancy that the fame enlargement of mind, which is fo abfolutely neceffary for us, is utterly improper for them; and fuppofe that, the better capable they are of acting in life, the worse they must behave of courfe. Such are the fentiments entertained by the high and mighty lords of the creation, relative to the education of the ladies. What wonder, therefore, or what pity is it, that we are fo frequently unhappy in our daughters and our wives! Are we not in fact anfwerable for every error refulting from their ignorance, fince that ignorance is principally occafioned by ourselves? And thould we not, confequently, inftead of throwing the whole blame at their doors, remove it entirely to our own?

I fhall conclude this paper with a few memorandums, written by an excellent young lady, lately deceafed, who was brought up in a very different manner from the generality of her fex. They were communicated to me yesterday by her father, with tears in his eyes, and

TO HARRY RATTLE, ESQ.

JUDEAR/HARRY, TOO

IN

Nmy last letter I told you how deep. ly I was ftruck with the perfon of Sally Poplar, my tenant's daughter, and expreffed an intention of fetting out immediately for London, for fear I Thould fucceed in any defign prejudicial to her innocence and virtue. Yet, notwithstanding I was perfectly convinced how neceffary a ftep of that nature would be, I could not work myself up to a fufficient refolution of quitting the place. I flattered myself I thould be able to refift every temptation, yet indulge mylelf a few days longer under the fame roof with the bewitching raftic; and though I knew it would be impoffible to poffefs this happiness without faying fome tender things to her, I nevertheless thought I should avoid carrying matters to any critical length, by a criminal importunity. From my ex ample, however, the unthinking part of our acquaintance may be inftructed, that sitsis infinitely wifer to fly from a temptation than to combat with an op portunity. The moment a man is alone with a woman he admires, and from whom he has received fome indi cations of reciprocal esteem, human na ture: must not be human nature if he does not endeavour to improve fo fair an occafion of gratifying his wifhes: he may fancy he will go to fuch and fuch lengths, and no further; but paffion will hurry him, imperceptibly, from li berty to liberty, and he will find it utterly impoffible to retain the leat confideration for the unhappy girl, when he has totally loft all confideration for himfelf.i * go toda a vle of >Such was my cafe the night before laft: Sally and I lay on the fante Hoor, and he had promited to let me chat half an hour with her before the went to bed. This half hour was productive of another and another; till at laft, the poor girl was worked up to fuchsa pitchs of tenderness, that the could refule nothing; and then it was I found, in fpite of all my humanity, that there was no poffibility of getting off. It would have been very strange, after preffing three hours for the last favour, which all the time I was in hopes would have been refused, if I had withdrawn the moment it was granted ho confequence therefore was that af

I I

ter I had been rafcal enough to deprive her of her reason, I was villain enough to feize the opportunity which that fufpenfion gave me

And for a moment's guilt, destroyed
A life of spotless fame.

We had fcarcely fallen asleep, (de not laugh, Rattle, we flept, upon my foul) but old Mrs. Poplar having, as the imagined, forgot to fee that the kitchen-fire was out, (a piece of care which the never omitted) came down fairs, and paffing by Sally's door, which in the confulion of affairs we had neglected to lock, turned the bolt and came in. I need not attempt to paint her aftonishment, nor, upon being waked, our own furprize. Sally thrieked, and hid herfelf beneath the clothes; Mrs. Poplar wrung her hands in a fit of unutterable diftraction, and defired her husband to come inftantly down. The good man, terrified out of his wits for fear his defk had been broke open, or his houfe fet on flames, made what hafte he could; but never was diftrefs or conIternation fo great, as when he found out the real fituation of affairs, and be held the destruction of his only child: for a moment he was petrified; till at laft, recovering the use of his recollec tion, he calt a look at me that cut me to the very foul, and crying O Sirt burit into a violent flood of tears. In. my life I never was fo much affected; I felt myself truly despicable, and was at once torn with frame and remorfe. To a man not utterly deftiture of humanity and reflection, Harry, no circum stances could be fo mortifying: "infteað of gratitude for the cordial welcome which I had received in the house of my friend, I had violated the hofpitality of his roof, and robbed the darling of his age of what ought to be infiniteby dearer than her bfe. The girl I doated on to death feemed abforbed in distraction; and her worthy parents were almoft tot in defpair. What could I do, Harry? The torture of the danned was an Elyfium to what I fuffered ; and, without reparation, of what fervice was it to repent? Thus fituated, I begged Mr. Poplar and his wife to withdraw fill was dreffed, and then I would endeavour to fatisfy them "they did fo, and went down to the parlour. I fal owed them in a few minutes; and fummoning all the fortitude I could, deli

vered