1711, that it is a Stranger to Ceremony, and that it bears in its No. 95, own Nature a Dignity much above the little Circum Tuesday, stances which are affected under the Notion of Decency, June 19, You must know, Sir, I have lately lost a dear Friend, for whom I have not yet shed a Tear, and for that Reason your Animadversions on that Subject would be the more acceptable to, Sir, Your most Humble Servant, 'Mr. SPECTATOR, 1 B. D.' June the 15th. As I hope there are but few that have so little Grati tude as not to acknowledge the Usefulness of your Pen, and to esteem it a Publick Benefit; so I am sensible, be that as it will, you must nevertheless find the Secret and Incomparable Pleasure of doing Good, and be a great Sharer in the Entertainment you give. I acknowledge our Sex to be much obliged, and I hope improved by your Labours, and even your Intentions more particularly for our Service. If it be true, as 'tis sometimes said, that our Sex have an Influence on the other, your Paper may be a yet more general Good. Your directing us to Reading is certainly the best Means to our Instruction ; but I think, with you, Caution in that Particular very useful, since the Improvement of our Understandings may, or may not, be of Service to us, according as it is managed. It has been thought we are not generally so Ignorant as Ill-taught, or that our Sex does so often want Wit, Judgment, or Knowledge, as the right Application of them: You are so well-bred, as to say your fair Readers are already deeper Scholars than the Beaus, and that you could name some of them that talk much better than several Gentlemen that make a Figure at Will's: This may possibly be, and no great Compliment, in my Opinion, even supposing your Comparison to reach Tom's and the Grecian Sure you are too wise to think That a Real Commendation of a Woman. Were it not rather to be wished we improved in our own Sphere, and approved our selves better Daughters, Wives, Mothers, and Friends? I can't but agree with the Judicious Trader in Cheap No. 95, June 19, 1711, side (though I am not at all prejudiced in his Favour) in Tuesday, recommending the Study of Arithmetick; and must dissent even from the Authority which you mention, when it advises the making our Sex Scholars. Indeed a little more Philosophy, in order to the Subduing our Passions to our Reason, might be sometimes serviceable, and a Treatise of that Nature I should approve of, even in Exchange for Theodosius, or the Force of Love; but as I well know you want not Hints, I will proceed no further than to recommend the Bishop of Cambray's Education of a Daughter, as 'tis Translated into the only Language I have any Knowledge of, tho' perhaps very much to its Disadvantage. I have heard it objected against that Piece, that its Instructions are not of General Use, but only fitted for a great Lady; but I confess I am not of that Opinion; for I don't remember that there are any Rules laid down for the Expences of a Woman, in which Particular only I think a Gentlewoman ought to differ from a Lady of the best Fortune, or Highest Quality, and not in their Prin ciples of Justice, Gratitude, Sincerity, Prudence, or Modesty, I ought perhaps to make an Apology for this long Epistle, but as I rather believe you a Friend to Sincerity, than Ceremony, shall only assure you I am, I Mancipium domino & frugi 'Mr. SPECTATOR, HAVE frequently read your Discourse upon Servants, and, as I am one my self, have been much offended, that in that Variety of Forms wherein you considered the Bad, you found no Place to mention the Good, There is however one Observation of yours I approve, which is, That there are Men of Wit and good Sense among all Orders of Men; and that Servants report most of the Good or Ill which is spoken of their Masters. That June 20, 1711. That there are Men of Sense who live in Servitude, I No. 96. have the Vanity to say I have felt to my woful Ex- Wednes perience. You attribute very justly the Source of our day, general Iniquity to Board-Wages, and the Manner of living out of a domestick Way: But I cannot give you my Thoughts on this Subject any Way so well, as by a short Account of my own Life to this the Forty fifth Year of my Age; that is to say, from my being first a Foot-boy at Fourteen, to my present Station of a Noble man's Porter in the Year of my Age above-mentioned. Know then, that my Father was a poor Tenant to the Family of Sir Stephen Rackrent: Sir Stephen put me to School, or rather made me follow his Son Harry to School, from my Ninth Year; and there, though Sir Stephen paid something for my Learning, I was used like a Servant, and was forc'd to get what Scraps of Learning I could by my own Industry, for the School master took very little Notice of me. My young Master was a Lad of very sprightly Parts; and my being constantly about him and loving him, was no small Advantage to me, My Master loved me extremely, and has often been whipped for not keeping me at a Distance, He used always to say, That when he came to his Estate I should have a Lease of my Father's Tenement for nothing. I came up to Town with him to Westminster School; at which Time he taught me, at Night, all he learnt, and put me to find out Words in the Dictionary when he was about his Exercise. It was the Will of Providence that Master Harry was taken very ill of a Fever, of which he died within ten Days after his first falling sick. Here was the first Sorrow I ever knew; and I assure you, Mr. SPECTATOR, I remember the beautiful Action of the sweet Youth in his Fever, as fresh as if it were Yesterday. If he wanted any thing, it must be given him by Tom: When I let any thing fall through the Grief I was under, he would cry, "Do not beat the poor Boy: Give him some more Julep for me, no Body else shall give it me." He would strive to hide his being so bad, when he saw I could not bear his being in so much Danger, and comforted me, saying, "Tom, Tom, have a good Heart." When I was holding a No. 96. day, June 20, 1711, a Cup at his Mouth he fell into Convulsions; and at Wednes this very Time I hear my dear Master's last Groan. I was quickly turned out of the Room, and left to sob and beat my Head against the Wall at my Leisure. The Grief I was in was inexpressible; and every Body thought it would have cost me my Life. In a few Days my old Lady, who was one of the Housewives of the World, thought of turning me out of Doors, because I put her in Mind of her Son Sir Stephen proposed putting me to Prentice, but my Lady being an excellent Manager, would not let her Husband throw away his Money in Acts of Charity, I had Sense enough to be under the utmost Indignation, to see her discard with so little Concern one her Son had loved so much; and went out of the House to ramble wherever my Feet would carry me. The third Day after I left Sir Stephen's Family, I was strolling up and down the Walks in the Temple. A young Gentleman of the House, who (as I heard him say afterwards) seeing me half starved and well dressed, thought me an Equipage ready to his Hand, after very little Enquiry more than did I want a Master? bid me follow him I did so, and in a very little while thought my self the happiest Creature in this World. My Time was taken up in carrying Letters to Wenches, or Messages to young Ladies of my Master's Acquaintance. We rambled from Tavern to Tavern, to the Play-house, the Mulberry-garden, and all Places of Resort; where my Master engaged every Night in some new Amour, in which and drinking he spent all his Time when he had Money, During these Extravagancies I had the Pleasure of lying on the Stairs of a Tavern half a Night, playing at Dice with other Servants, and the like Idlenesses. When my Master was moneyless, I was generally employed in transcribing amorous Pieces of Poetry, old Songs, and new Lampoons. This Life held till my Master married, and he had then the Prudence to turn me off because I was in the Secret of his Intreagues, I was utterly at a Loss what Course to take next; when at last I applied my self to a Fellow-sufferer, one of his Mistresses, a Woman of the Town. She happening at that Time to be pretty full of Money, cloathed me from Head June 20, Head to Foot; and knowing me to be a sharp Fellow, No. 96. employed me accordingly. Sometimes I was to go abroad Wednes with her, and when she had pitched upon a young Fellow day, she thought for her Turn, I was to be dropped as one she 1711, could not trust. She would often cheapen Goods at the New Exchange; and when she had a Mind to be attacked, she would send me away on an Errand. When an humble Ser vant and she were beginning a Parley, I came immediately, and told her Sir John was come home; then she would order another Coach to prevent being dogged. The Lover makes Signs to me as I get behind the Coach, I shake my Head it was impossible: I leave my Lady at the next Turning, and follow the Cully to know how to fall in his Way on another Occasion. Besides good Offices of this Nature, I writ all my Mistress's Love letters; some from a Lady that saw such a Gentleman at such a Place in such a coloured Coat, some shewing the Terrour she was in of a jealous old Husband, others explaining that the Severity of her Parents was such (tho' her Fortune was settled) that she was willing to run away with such a one tho' she knew he was but a younger Brother. In a Word, my Half-Education and Love of idle Books, made me outwrite all that made Love to her by way of Epistle; and as she was extreamly cunning, she did well enough in Company by a skilful Affectation of the greatest Modesty. In the Midst of all this, I was surprized with a Letter from her and a Ten Pound Note, "Honest Tom, You will never see me more. I am married to a very cunning Country-Gentleman, who might possibly guess something if I kept you still; therefore farewell." When this Place was lost also in Marriage, I was resolved to go among quite another People for the Future; and got in Butler to one of those Families where there is a Coach kept, three or four Servants, a clean House, and a good general Outside upon a small Estate, Here I lived very comfortably for some Time, till I unfortunately found my Master, the very gravest Man alive, in the Garret with the Chambermaid. I knew the World too well to think of staying there; and the next Day pretended to |