The Queen of Furies by their Side is fet,

And fnatches from their Mouths th' untafted Meat; Which if they touch, her biffing Snakes fhe rears,

Toffing her Torch, and thund'ring in their Ears. Dryd.'

THAT I may a little alleviate the Severity of this my Speculation (which otherwife may lofe me feveral of my polite Readers) I fhall tranflate a Story that has been quoted upon another Occafion by one of the moft learned Men of the prefent Age, as I find it in the Original. The Reader will fee it is not foreign to my prefent Subject, and I dare fay will think it a lively Reprefentation of a Perfon lying under the Torments of fuch a kind of Tantalifm, or Flatonick Hell, as that which we have now under Confideration. Monfieur Pontignan, fpeaking of a Love Adventure that happened to him in the Country, gives the following Account of it.

WHEN I was in the Country laft Summer, I was often in Company with a Couple of charming Women, who had all the Wit and Beauty one could defire in Female Companions, with a Dafh of Coquetry, that from time to time gave me a great many agreeable Torments. I was, after my Way, in Love with both of them, and had fuch frequent Opportunities of pleading my Paffion to them when they were afunder, that I had Reafon to hope for particular Favours from each of them. As I was walking one Evening in my Chamber with nothing about me but my Night"Gown, they both came into my Room and told me, they had a very pleafant Trick to put upon a Gentleman that was in the fame Houfe, provided I would bear a part in it. Upon this they told me fuch a. plaufible Story, that I laughed at their Contrivance, and agreed to do whatever they fhould require of me. They immediately began to fwaddle me up in my Night-Gown with long Pieces of Linnen, which they folded about me till they had wrapt me in ' above an hundred Yards of Swathe: My Arms were preffed to my Sides, and my Legs clofed together by fo many Wrappers one over another, that I looked like an Egyptian Mummy. As I ftood bolt upright ⚫ upon one End in this antique Figure, one of the La

"

dies burft out a laughing. "And now Pontignan, fays fhe, we intend to perform the Promife that we find "s you have extorted from each of us. You have often "asked the Favour of us, and I dare fay you are a better bred Cavalier than to refuse to go to Bed to two "Ladies that defire it of you. After having ftood a Fit of Laughter, I begged them to uncafe me, and do with. me what they pleafed. No, no, fay they, we like you very well as you are; and upon that ordered me to be carried to one of their Houfes, and put to Bed

• in all my Swaddles. The Room was lighted up on all

Sides: and I was laid very decently between a Pair of Sheets, with my Head (which was indeed the only Part I could move) upon a very high Pillow: This was no fooner done, but my two Female Friends came into Bed to me in their fineft Night-Cloaths. You may easily guess at the Condition of a Man that faw a Couple of the most beautiful Women in the World undreft and abed with him, without being able to * ftir Hand or Foot. I begged them to release me, and ftruggled all I could to get loofe, which I did with fo much Violence, that about Mid-night they both leaped out of the Bed, crying out they were undone. But feeing me fafe, they took their Posts again, and renewed their Raillery. Finding all my Prayers and Endeavours were loft, I compofed my felf as well as I could; and told them, that if they would not unbind me, I would fall afleep between them, and by that '6 means difgrace them for ever: But alas! this was impoffible; could I have been difpofed to it, they would have prevented me by feveral little ill-natured Careffes and Endearments which they bestowed upon me. As much devoted as I am to Womankind, I would not país fuch another Night to be Mafter of the whole Sex. My Reader will doubtless be curious to know what became of me the next Morning: Why truly my Bed-fellows left me about an Hour before Day, and told me if I would be good and lie ftill, they ⚫ would fend fome Body to take me up as foon as it was time for me to rife: Accordingly about Nine a Clock in the Morning an Old Woman came to unfwathe me. I bore all this very patiently, being refolved to take my 6. • Revenge

Revenge of my Tormentors, and to keep no Measures with them as foon as I was at Liberty; but upon asking my old Woman what was become of the two Ladies, fhe told me the believed they were by that Time within Sight of Paris, for that they went away in a Coach and fix before five a Clock in the Morning..

N°

91.

Thursday, June 14.

L

In furias ignemque ruunt, Amor omnibus Idem, Virg.

TH

HO' the Subject I am now going upon would be much more properly the Foundation of a Comedy, I cannot forbear inferting the Circumstances which pleafed me in the Account a young Lady gave me of the Loves of a Family in Town, which fhall be namelefs; or rather for the better Sound and Elevation of the Hiftory, instead of Mr. and Mrs. fuch-a-one, I shall call them by feigned Names. Without further Preface, you are to know, that within the Liberties of the City of Westminster lives the Lady Honoria, a Widow about the Age of Forty, of a healthy Conftitution, gay Temper, and elegant Perfon. She dreffes a little too much like a Girl, affects a childish Fondness in the Tone of her Voice, fometimes a pretty Sullennefs in the leaning of her Head, and now and then a Down-caft of her Eyes on her Fan: Neither her Imagination nor her Health would ever give her to know that the is turned of Twenty; but that in the midft of thefe pretty Softneffes, and Airs of Delicacy and Attraction, fhe has a tall Daughter with a Fortnight of Fifteen, who impertinently comes into the Room, and towers fo much towards Woman, that her Mother is always checked by her Prefence, and every Charm of Honoria droops at the Entrance of Flavia. The agreeable Flavia would be what the is not, as well as her Mother Honoria; but all their Beholders are more partial to an Affectation of what a Perfon is growing up to, than of what has been already enjoyed,, and is gone for ever. It is:

therefore

N° gr. therefore allowed to Flavia to look forward, but not to Honoria to look back. Flavia is no way dependant on her Mother with relation to her Fortune, for which Reason they live almost upon an Equality in Conversation; and as Honoria has given Flavia to understand, thať it is ill-bred to be always calling Mother, Flavia is as well pleafed never to be called Child. It happens by this Means, that these Ladies are generally Rivals in all Places where they appear; and the Words Mother and Daughter never país between them but out of Spite. Flavia one Night at a Play obferving Honoria draw the Eyes of feveral in the Pit, called to a Lady who fat by her, and bid her ask her Mother to lend her her SnuffBox for one Moment. Another Time, when a Lover of Honoria was on his Knees befeeching the Favour to kifs her hand, Flavia rufhing into the Room kneeled down by him and asked Bleffing. Several of these contradictory Acts of Duty have raised between them fuch a Coldness, that they generally converfe when they are in mixed Company by way of talking at one another, and not to one another. Honoria is ever complaining of a certain Sufficiency in the young Women of this Age, who affume to themselves an Authority of carrying all things before them, as if they were Poffeffors of the Efteem of Mankind; and all, who were but a Year before them in the World, were neglected or deceafed. Flavia upon fuch a Provocation, is fure to obLerve, that there are People who can refign nothing, and know not how to give up what they know they cannot hold; that there are those who will not allow Youth their Follies, not because they are themfelves paft them, but because they love to continue in them. Thefe Beauties rival each other on all Occafions, not that they have always had the fame Lovers, but each has kept up a Vanity to fhew the other the Charms of her Lover. Dick Craftin and Tom Tulip, among many others, have of late been Pretenders in this Family: Dick to Honoria, Tom to Flavia. Dick is the only furviving Beau of the last Age. and Tom almost the only one that keeps up that Order of

Men in this.

I wish I could repeat the little Circumstances of a Converfation of the four Lovers with the Spirit in

which the young Lady, I had my Account from, reprefented it at a Vifit where I had the Honour to be prefent; but it seems Dick Craftin, the Admirer of Honoria, and Tom Tulip the Pretender to Flavia, were purposely admitted together by the Ladies, that each might fhew the other that her Lover had the Superiority in the Accomplishments of that Sort of Creature whom the fillier Part of Women call a fine Gentleman. As this Age has a much more grofs Tafte in Courtfhip, as well as in every thing else, than the last had, these Gentlemen are Inftances of it in their different Manner of Application. Tulip is ever making Allufions to the Vigour of his Perfon, the finewy Force of his Make; while Craflin profeffes a wary Obfervation of the Turns of his Mistress's Mind. Tulip gives himself the Air of a refiftless Ravisher, Craftin practises that of a skilful Lover. Poetry is the infeparable Property of every Man in Love; and as Men of Wit write Verfes on thofe Occafions, the rest of the World repeat the Verfes of others. Thefe Servants of the Ladies were used to imitate their Manner of Converfation, and allude to one another, rather than interchange Difcourfe in what they faid when they met. Tulip the other Day feized his Mistress's Hand, and repeated out of Ovid's Art of Love,

'Tis I can in foft Battles pass the Night,
Yet rife next Morning vigorous for the Fight,
Fresh as the Day, and active as the Light.

}

UPON hearing this, Craftin, with an Air of Defe rence, played Honoria's Fan, and repeated,

Sidley has that prevailing gentle Art,
That can, with a refiftless Charm, impart
The Loofeft Wishes to the chastest Heart:
Raife fuch a Conflict, kindle fuch a Fire,
Between declining Virtue and Defire,

Till the poor vanquifh'd Maid diffolves away
In Dreams all Night, in Sighs and Tears all Day.

}

WHEN Craftin had uttered thefe Verfes, with a Tenderness which at once spoke Paffion and Respect,

Honoria