there hinted at) from a Gentleman who is now in the Weftern Circuit.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

B D by Birth, I generally ride the Western Circuit for EING a Lawyer of the Middle-Temple, a Cornishman my Health, and as I am not interrupted with Clients, have leifure to make many Obfervations that escape the Notice of my Fellow-Travellers.

ONE of the most fashionable Women I met with in all the Circuit was my Landlady at Stains, where I ⚫ chanced to be on a Holiday. Her Commode was not halfa Foot high, and her Petticoat within fome Yards of a modifh Circumference. In the fame Place I ob⚫ ferved a young Fellow with a tolerable Perriwig, had it not been covered with a Hat that was fhaped in the • Ramillie Cock. As I proceeded in my Journey I obferved the Petticoat grew fcantier and fcantier, and ⚫ about threefcore Miles from London was fo very unfafhionable, that a Woman might walk in it without any ⚫ manner of Inconvenience.

Not far from Salisbury I took Notice of a Juftice of Peace's Lady, who was at least ten Years behind-hand in her Drefs, but at the fame time as fine as Hands could • make her. She was flounced and furbelowed from Head to Foot; every Ribbon was wrinkled, and every Part of her Garments in Curl, fo that fhe looked like one of thofe Animals which in the Country we call a Frieze⚫land Hen.

Not many Miles beyond this Place I was informed that one of the laft Year's little Muffs had by fome means or other ftraggled into those Parts, and that all the Women of Fashion were cutting their old Muffs in two, or retrenching them, according to the little Model which was got among them. I cannot believe the Report they have there, that it was fent down frank'd by a Parlia ment-man in a little Packet, but probably by next Wins ter this Fafhion will be at the height in the Country, when it is quite out at London.

THE greatest Beau at our next County Seffions was dre fed in a moft monstrous Flaxen Perriwig, that was made in King William's Reign, The Wearer of it goes,

' it seems, in his own Hair, when he is at honie, and lets his Wig lie in Buckle for a whole half Year, that he may put it on upon Occafion to meet the Judges in it.

I must not here omit an Adventure which happened ⚫ to us in a Country Church upon the Frontiers of Cornwall. As we were in the midft of the Service, a Lady 'who is the chief Woman of the Place, and had paffed the "Winter at London with her Husband, entered the Congregation in a little Head-drefs, and a hoop'd Petticoat. The People, who were wonderfully startled at fuch a Sight, all of them rofe up. Some ftared at the prodigious Bottom, and fome at the little Top of this ftrange Drefs. In the mean time the Lady of the Manor filled the Area of the Church, and walked up to her Pew with an unfpeakable Satisfaction, amidst the Whispers, Conjec⚫tures and Aftonishments of the whole Congregation.

UPON our way from hence we faw a young Fellow riding towards us full Gallop, with a Bob-Wig and a black Silken Bag tied to it. He ftopt fhort at the Coach, to ask us how far the Judges were behind us. His Stay C was fo very fhort, that we had only time to obferve his new Silk Waftcoat, which was unbuttoned in several Places to let us fee that he had a clean Shirt on, which 6 was ruffled down to his middle.

FROM this Place, during our Progrefs through the most Western Parts of the Kingdom, we fancied our ⚫ felves in King Charles the Second's Reign,the People having made very little Variations in their Drefs fince that time. The fmarteft of the Country Squires appear still in the Monmouth Cock, and when they go a wooing (whether they have any Poft in the Militia or not) they generally put on a red Coat. We were, indeed, very much furprized, at the Place we lay at laft Night, to meet with Gentleman that had accoutered himself in a Night-Cap Wig, a Coat with long Pockets and flit Sleeves, and a pair of Shoes with high Scollop Tops; but we foon found by his Converfation that he was a Perfon who laughed at the Ignorance and Rufticity of the Country People, and was refolved to live and die in the Mode.

a

SIR, If you think this Account of my Travels may be of any Advantage to the Publick, I will next Year ⚫ trouble you with fuch Occurrences as I fhall meet with

in other Parts of England. For I am informed there are greater Curiofities in the Northern Circuit than in the Weftern; and that a Fashion makes its Progrefs much flower into Cumberland than into Cornwall, I have heard in particular, that the Steenkirk arrived but two Months ago at Newcastle, and that there are feveral Commodes in thofe Parts which are worth taking a Journey thither to fee.

C

Virg!

S I was Yefterday riding out in the Fields with my Friend Sir ROGER, we faw at a little Distance from us a Troop of Gypfies. Upon the first Discovery of them, my Friend was in fome doubt whether he should not exert the Justice of the Peace upon fuch a Band of Lawlefs Vagrants; but not having his Clerk with him, who is a neceffary Counsellor on thefe Occafions, and fearing that his Poultry might fare the worse for it, he let the Thought drop. But at the fame Time gave me a particuIar Account of the Mifchiefs they do in the Country, in ftealing Peoples Goods and fpoiling their Servants. If a ftray Piece of Linnen hangs upon an Hedge, fays Sir RoGER, they are fure to have it; if a Hog lofes his Way in the Fields, it is ten to one but he becomes their Prey; our Geefe cannot live in Peace for them; if a Man profecutes them with Severity, his Hen-rooft is fure to pay for it: They generally ftraggle into thefe Parts about this Time of the Year; and fet the Heads of our Servant-Maids fo agog for Husbands, that we do not expect to have any Bufinefs done, as it should be, whilft they are in the Country. I have an honeft Dairy-Maid who croffes their Hands with a Piece of Silver every Summer, and never fails being promised the handfomeft young Fellow in the Parish

for

for her Pains. Your Friend the Butler has been Fool enough to be feduced by them; and though he is fure to lofe a Knife, a Fork, or a Spoon every Time his Fortune is told him, generally thuts himself up in the Pantry with an old Gypfie for above half an Hour once in a Twelvemonth. Sweethearts are the things they live upon, which they beftow very plentifully upon all thofe that apply themselves to them. You fee now and then fome handfome young Jades among them: The Sluts have very often white Teeth and black Eyes.

SIR ROGER obferving that I liftned with great Attention to his Account of a People who were fo entirely new to me, told me, That if I would they fhould tell us our Fortunes. As I was very well pleased with the Knight's Propofal, we rid up and communicated our Hands to them. A Caffandra of the Crew, after having examined my Lines very diligently, told me, That I loved a pretty Maid in a Corner, that I was a good Woman's Man, with fome other Particulars which I do not think proper to relate. My Friend Sir ROGER alighted from his Horfe, and expofing his Palm to two or three that ftood by him, they crumpled it into all Shapes, and dili gently fcanned every Wrinkle that could be made in it; when one of them, who was older and more Sun-burnt than the reft, told him, That he had a Widow in his Line of Life: Upon which the Knight cryed, Go, go, you are an idle Baggage; and at the fame time fmiled upon me. The Gypfie finding he was not displeased in his Heart, told him after a further Enquiry into his Hand, that his True-love was conftant, and that she should dream of him to Night. My old Friend cryed Pish, and bid her go on. The Gypfie told him that he was a Batchelor, but would not be fo long; and that he was dearer to fome Body than he thought: The Knight ftill repeated, She was an idle Baggage, and bid her go on. Ah Mafter, fays the Gypfie, that roguifh Leer of yours makes a pretty Woman's Heart ake; you ha'n't that Simper about the Mouth for Nothing The uncouth Gibberish with which all this was uttered like the darkness of an Oracle, made us the more attentive to it. To be fhort, the Knight left the Money with her that he had croffed her Hand with, and got up again on his Horfe.

AS

AS we were riding away, Sir ROGER told me, that he knew feveral fenfible People who believed thefe Gypfies now and then foretold very strange things; and for half an Hour together appeared more jocund than ordinary. In the Height of his good Humour, meeting a common Beggar upon the Road who was no Conjurer, as he went to relieve him he found his Pocket was pickt: That being a Kind of Palmiftry at which this Race of Vermin are very dextrous.

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I might here entertain my Reader with Hiftorical Remarks on this Idle profligate People, who infeft all the Countries of Europe, and live in the midft of Governments in a kind of Commonwealth by themfelves. But instead of entring into Obfervations of this nature, I fhall fill the remaining part of my Paper with a Story which is ftill fresh in Holland, and was printed in one of our Monthly Accounts about twenty Years ago, As the Trekfchuyt, or Hackney-boat, which carries Paffengers from Leiden to Amfterdam, was putting off, a Boy running along the Side of the Canal defired to be taken in; which the Mafter of the Boat refused, because the Lad had not quite Money enough to pay the ufual Fare. An eminent Merchant being pleafed with the Looks of the Boy,and fecretly touched with Compaffion towards him, paid the Money for him, and ordered him to be taken on board. Upon talking with him afterwards, he found that he could fpeak readily in three or four Languages, and learned upon further Examination that he had been •ftoln away when he was a Child by a Gypfy, and had rambled ever fince with a Gang of thofe Strollers up and down several Parts of Europe. It happened that the Merchant, whofe Heart seems to have inclined towards the Boy by a fecret kind of Inftinct, had him⚫ felf loft a Child fome Years before. The Parents, after a long fearch for him, gave him for drowned in one of the Canals with which that Country abounds; and the Mother was fo afflicted at the Lofs of a fine Boy, who was her only Son, that he died for Grief of it. Upon laying together all Particulars, and examining the feveral Moles and Marks by which the Mother used to <defcribe the Child when he was firft miffing, the Boy proved to be the Son of the Merchant whofe Heart

had