orange wench to attract her eye, she persisted in her confounded ogle, till Mrs. Robinson came upon the stage to my relief. I now sat down sufficiently mortified, and determined, at the end of the Opera, to make my submission in the most humble manner. Accordingly, rising up, I put on a sneaking penitential look, but, to my unspeakable confusion, found her back turned upon me. 'I had now nothing left for it but to make amends for all by handing her to her chair. I bustled through the crowd, and 10 got to her box-door as soon as possible, when, to my utter con fusion, the young puppy, I have been telling you of before, bolted out upon me with Mrs. Lucy in his hand. I could not have started back with greater precipitation if I had met a ghost. The malicious gipsy took no notice of me, but turning aside her head said something to her dog of a gentleman usher, with a smile that went to my heart. I could not sleep all night for it, and the next morning wrote the following letter to her. ““MADAM, ""I protest I meant nothing by what passed last night, and 20 beg you will put the most candid interpretation upon my looks and actions; for however my eyes may wander, there is none but Mrs. Lucy who has the entire possession of my heart. ""I am, Madam, ""With a passion that is not to be expressed either by looks, words or actions, ""Your most unalienable, and most humble servant, ""TOM WHIFFLE." 'And now, Sir, what do you think was her answer? Why, to 30 give you a true notion of her, and that you may guess at all her cursed tricks by this one-Here it is. 666 ""I am very much surprised to hear you talk of anything that passed between us last night, when to the best of my remembrance I have not seen you these three days. Lover, No. 7.] ""Your servant, 666 ""L. T."" [March 11, 1714. No. 86. On a Fine Lady at Church. Deleo omnes dehinc ex animo mulieres. 'MR. SPECTATOR, 'You have often mentioned with great vehemence and indignation the misbehaviour of people at church"; but I am at present to talk to you on that subject, and complain to you of one, whom at the same time I know not what to accuse of, except it be looking too well there, and diverting the eyes of the congregation to that one object. However, I have this to say, that she might have stayed at her own parish, and not come to perplex those who are otherwise intent upon their 10 duty. 'Last Sunday was sevennight I went into a church not far from London-bridge; but I wish I had been contented to go to my own parish, I am sure it had been better for me; I say I went to church thither, and got into a pew very near the pulpit. I had hardly been accommodated with a seat, before there entered into the aisle a young lady in the very bloom of youth and beauty, and dressed in the most elegant manner imaginable. Her form was such that it engaged the eyes of the whole congregation in an instant, and mine among the rest. Though we 20 were all thus fixed upon her, she was not in the least out of countenance, or under the least disorder, though unattended by any one, and not seeming to know particularly where to place herself. However, she had not in the least a confident aspect, but moved on with the most graceful modesty, every one making way until she came to a seat just over against that in which I was placed. The deputy of the ward sat in that pew, and she stood opposite to him, and at a glance into the seat, though she did not appear the least acquainted with the gentleman, was let in, with a confusion that spoke much admiration at the novelty 30 of the thing. The service immediately began, and she composed herself for it with an air of so much goodness and sweetness, that the confession which she uttered, so as to be heard where I sat, appeared an act of humiliation more than she had occasion for. The truth is, her beauty had something so innocent, and yet so sublime, that we all gazed upon her like a phantom. None of the pictures which we behold of the best Italian painters have anything like the spirit which appeared in her countenance, at the different sentiments expressed in the several parts of Divine service. That gratitude and joy at a thanksgiving, that lowliness and sorrow at the prayers for the sick and distressed, that triumph at the passages which gave instances of the Divine mercy, which appeared respectively in her aspect, will be in my memory to my last hour. I protest 10 to you, Sir, she suspended the devotion of every one around her; and the ease she did everything with soon dispersed the churlish dislike and hesitation in approving what is excellent, too frequent among us, to a general attention and entertainment in observing her behaviour. All the while that we were gazing at her, she took notice of no object about her, but had an art of seeming awkwardly attentive, whatever else her eyes were accidentally thrown upon. One thing indeed was particular, she stood the whole service, and never kneeled or sat: I do not question but that was to show herself with the greater advantage, 20 and set forth to better grace her hands and arms, lifted up with the most ardent devotion; and her bosom, the fairest that ever was seen, bare to observation; while she, you must think, knew nothing of the concern she gave others, any other than as an example of devotion, that threw herself out, without regard to dress or garment, all contrition, and loose of all worldly regards, in ecstasy of devotion. Well; now the organ was to play a voluntary, and she was so skilful in music, and so touched with it, that she kept time not only with some motion of her head, but, also with a different air in her countenance. 30 When the music was strong and bold, she looked exalted, but serious; when lively and airy, she was smiling and gracious; when the notes were more soft and languishing, she was kind and full of pity. When she had now made it visible to the whole congregation, by her motion and ear, that she could dance, and she wanted now only to inform us that she could sing too; when the psalm was given out, her voice was distinguished above all the rest, or rather people did not exert their own, in order to hear her. Never was any heard so sweet and so strong. The organist observed it, and he thought fit to play 40 to her only, and she swelled every note, when she found she had thrown us all out, and had the last verse to herself in such a manner as the whole congregation was intent upon her, in the same manner as we see in the cathedrals they are on the person who sings alone the anthem. Well; it came at last to the sermon, and our young lady would not lose her part in that neither; for she fixed her eye upon the preacher, and as he said anything she approved, with one of Charles Mather's fine tablets" she set down the sentence, at once showing her fine hand, the gold pen, her readiness in writing, and her judgIo ment in choosing what to write. To sum up what I intend by this long and particular account, I mean to appeal to you, whether it is reasonable that such a creature as this shall come from a jaunty part of the town, and give herself such violent airs, to the disturbance of an innocent and inoffensive congregation, with her sublimities. The fact, I assure you, was as I have related: but I had like to have forgot another very considerable particular. As soon as church was done, she immediately stepped out of her pew, and fell into the finest pittypat air, forsooth, wonderfully out of countenance, tossing her 20 head up and down, as she swam along the body of the church. I, with several others of the inhabitants, followed her out, and saw her hold up her fan to a hackney-coach at a distance, who immediately came up to her, and she whipped into it with great nimbleness, pulled the door with a bowing mien, as if she had been used to a better glass. She said aloud, 'You know where to go,' and drove off. By this time the best of the congregation was at the church-door, and I could hear some say, 66 A very fine lady;" others, "I'll warrant you, she is no better than she should be; and one very wise old lady said, "she 30 ought to have been taken up." Mr. Spectator, I think this matter lies wholly before you: for the offence does not come under any law, though it is apparent this creature came among us only to give herself airs, and enjoy her full swing in being admired. I desire you will print this, that she may be confined to her own parish; for I can assure you there is no attending anything else in a place where she is a novelty. She has been talked of among us ever since under the name of the Phantom :' but I would advise her to come no more; for there is so strong a party made by the women against her, that she must expect 40 they will not be excelled a second time in so outrageous a manner, without doing her some insult. Young women, who assume after this rate, and affect exposing themselves to view in congregations at the other end of the town, are not so mischievous, because they are rivalled by more of the same ambition, who will not let the rest of the company be particular; but in the name of the whole congregation where I was, I desire you to keep these agreeable disturbances out of the city, where sobriety of manners is still preserved, and all glaring and ostentatious behaviour, even in things laudable, discounteIo nanced. I wish you may never see the Phantom, and am, 'Sir, your most humble Servant, Spectator, No. 503.] 'RALPH WONDER.' No. 87. On Fashionable Visiting. Perditur hæc inter misero lux.-HOR. Sat. ii. 6. 59. There has not some years been such a tumult in our neighbourhood as this evening about six. At the lower end of the lane the word was given, that there was a great funeral coming by. The next moment came forward, and in a very hasty, instead of a solemn manner, a long train of lights, when at last a footman, in very high youth and health, with all his force, ran through the whole art of beating the door of the house next to 20 me, and ended his rattle with the true finishing rap. This did not only bring one to the door at which he knocked, but to that of every one in the lane in an instant. Among the rest, my country maid took the alarm, and immediately running to me, told me, 'there was a fine, fine lady, who had three men with burial torches making way before her, carried by two men upon poles, with looking-glasses on each side of her, and one glass also before, she herself appearing the prettiest that ever was.' The girl was going on in her story, when the lady was come to my door in her chair, having mistaken the house. As soon as 30 she entered I saw she was Mr. Isaac's scholar", by her speak |