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on what they call weaker minds; or an aversion to a belief that must cut them off from many of those pleasures they propose to themselves, and fill them with remorse for many of those they have already tasted.

The great received articles of the Christian Religion have been so clearly proved, from the authority of that Divine Revelation in which they are delivered, that it is impossible for those who have ears to hear, and eyes to see, not to be convinced of them. But were it possible for any thing in the Christian Faith to be erroneous, I can find no ill consequences in adhering to it. The great points of the incarnation and sufferings of our SAVIOUR produce naturally such habits of virtue in the mind of man, that I say, supposing it were possible for us to be mistaken in them, the Infidel himself must at least allow that no other system of religion could so effectually contribute to the heightening of mcrality. They give us great ideas of the dignity of human nature, and of the love which the Supreme Being bears to his creatures, and consequently engage us in the highest acts of duty towards our Creator, our neighbour and ourselves. How many noble arguments has Saint PAUL raised from the chief articles of our religion, for the advancing of morality in its three great branches? To give a single example in each kind. What can be a stronger motive to a firm trust and reliance on the mercies of our Maker, than the giving us his Son to suffer for us? What can make us love and esteem even the most inconsiderable of mankind more than the thought that CHRIST died for him? Or what dispose us to set a stricter guard upon the purity of our own hearts, than our being members of CHRIST, and a part of the society of which that immaculate person is the head? But these are only a specimen of those admirable inforcements of morality, which the Apostle has drawn from the history of our blessed SAVIOUR.

If our modern Infidels considered these matters with that candour and seriousness which they deserve, we

should

should not see them act with such a spirit of bitterness, arrogance, and malice. They would not be raising such insignificant cavils, doubts, and scruples, as may be started against every thing that is not capable of mathematical demonstration; in order to unsettle the minds of the ignorant, disturb the public peace, subvert morality, and throw all things into confusion and disorder. If none of these reflections can have any influence on them, there is one that perhaps may, because it is adapted to their vanity, by which they seem to be guided much more than their reason. I would therefore have them consider, that the wisest and best of men, in all ages of the world, have been those who lived up to the religion of their country, when they saw nothing in it opposite to morality, and to the best lights they had of the Divine Nature. PYTHAGORAS's first rule directs us to worship the Gods " as it is ordained by law," for that is the most natural interpretation of the precept.* SOCRATES, who was the most renowned among the Heathens both for wisdom and virtue, in his last moments desires his friends to offer a cock to ESCULAPIUS; doubtless out of a submissive deference to the established worship of his country. XENOPHON tells us, that his prince (whom he sets forth as a pattern of perfection) when he found his death approaching, offered sacrifices on the mountains to the Persian JUPITER, and the Sun, "according to the custom of the Persians;" for those are the words of the historian. † Nay, the Epicureans and atomical. philosophers shewed a very remarkable modesty in this particular; for though the being of a God was entirely repugnant to their schemes of natural philosophy, they contented themselves with the denial of a Providence, asserting at the same time the existence of Gods in general because they would not shock the common belief of mankind, and the religion of their country.'

L.

NO.

*See the motto to No. 112. + Xenoph. Cyropad. lib. viii,

p. 500.

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THE intelligence given by this correspondent is so important and useful, in order to avoid the persons he speaks of, that I shall insert his letter at length.

MR. SPECTATOR,

'I Do not know that you have ever touched upon a certain species of women, whom we ordinarily call filts. You cannot possibly go upon a more useful work, than the consideration of these dangerous animals. The Coquette is indeed one degree towards the Jilt; but the heart of the former is bent upon admiring herself, and giving false hopes to her lovers; but the latter is not contented to be extremely amiable, but she must add to that advantage a certain delight in being a torment to others. Thus when her lover is in the full expectation of success, the Jilt shall meet him with a sudden indifference, and admiration in her face at his being surprised that he is received like a stranger, and a cast of her head another way with a pleasant scorn of the fellow's insolence. It is very probable the lover goes home utterly astonished and dejected, sits down to his

'scrutoire,

'scrutoire, sends her word in the most abject terms "That he knows not what he has done, that all which was desirable in this life is so suddenly vanished from him, that the charmer of his soul should withdraw the vital heat from the heart which pants for her." He continues a mournful absence for some time, pining in secret, and out of humour with all things which he meets with. At length he takes a resolution to try his fate, and explain with her resolutely upon her unaccountable carriage. He walks up to her apartments, with a thousand inquietudes and doubts in what manner he shall meet the first cast of her eye; when upon his first appearance she flies towards him, wonders where he has been, accuses him of his absence, and treats him with a familiarity as surprising as her former coldness. This good correspondence continues until the lady observes the lover grows happy in it, and then she interrupts it with some new inconsistency of behaviour. For (as I just now said) the happiness of a Jilt consists only in the power of making others uneasy. But such is the folly of this sect of women, that they carry on this pretty skittish behaviour, until they have no charms left to render it supportable. CORINNA, that used to torment all who conversed with her false glances, and little heedless unguarded motions, that were to betray some inclination towards the man she would ensnare, finds at present all she attempts that way unregarded; and is obliged to indulge the Jilt in her constitution, by laying artificial plots, writing perplexing letters from unknown hands, and making all the young fellows in love with her, until they find out who she is. Thus, as before she gave torment by disguising her inclination, she now is obliged to do it by hiding her person.

'As for my own part, Mr. SPECTATOR, it has been my unhappy fate to be jilted from my youth upward; and as my taste has been very much towards intrigue, and having intelligence with women of wit, my whole life has passed away in a series of impositions. I shall,

for the benefit of the present race of young men, give some account of my loves. I know not whether you have heard of the famous girl about town called KITTY. This creature (for I must take shame upon myself) was my mistress in the days when keeping was in fashion. KITTY, under the appearance of being wild, thoughtless, and irregular in all her words and actions, concealed the most accomplished Jilt of her time. Her negligence had to me a charm in it like that of chastity, and want of desires seemed as great a merit, as the conquest of them. The air she gave herself was that of a romping girl, and whenever I talked to her with any turn of fondness, she would immediately snatch off my periwig, try it upon herself in the glass, clap her arms a-kimbow, draw my sword, and make passes on the wall, take off my cravat, and seize it to make some other use of the lace, or run into some other unaccountable rompishness, until the time I had appointed to pass away with her was over. I went from her full of pleasure at the reflection that I had the keeping of so much beauty in a woman, who, as she was too heedless to please me, was also too unattentive to form a design to wrong me. Long did I divert every hour that hung heavy upon me in the company of this creature, whom I looked upon as neither guilty nor innocent, but could laugh at myself for my unaccountable pleasure in an expence upon her, until in the end it appeared my pretty insensible was with child by my footman.

This accident roused me into a disdain against all libertine women, under what appearance soever they hid their insincerity, and I resolved after that time to converse with none but those who lived within the rules of decency and honour. To this end I formed myself into a more regular turn of behaviour, and began to make visits, frequent assemblies, and lead out ladies from the theatres, with all the other insignificant duties which the professed servants of the fair place themselves in constant readiness to perform. In a very little time, (hav

VOL. 111.

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