Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Auguft9, 1711.

Am now in the Sixty feventh Year of my Age, and read you with Approbation; but methinks you do not ftrike at the Root of the greateft Evil in Life, ⚫ which is the falfe Notion of Gallantry in Love. It is, and has long been, upon a very ill Foot; but I who have been a Wife Forty Years, and was bred in a way that has made me ever fince very happy, fee through the Folly of it. In a Word, Sir, when I was a young Woman, all who avoided the Vices of the Age were very carefully educated, and all Phantaftical Objects were turned out of our Sight. The Tapeftry Hangings, with the great and venerable Simplicity of the Scripture Stories, had better Effects than now the Loves of Venus and • Adonis, or Bacchus and Ariadne in your fine present Prints. The Gentleman I am Married to made Love to • me in Rapture, but it was the Rapture of a Christian and a Man of Honour, not a Romantick Hero, or a Whining • Coxcomb: This put our Life upon a right Biafs. To give you an Idea of our Regard one to another, I enclofe to you feveral of his Letters writ Forty Years ago, • when my Lover; and one writ t'other Day, after fo many Years Cohabitation.

Your Servant,

Madam,

IF

Andromache.

August 7, 1671.

F my Vigilance and ten thousand Wishes for your Welfare and Repofe could have any force, youlaft Night flept in Security, and had every good Angel in your Attendance. To have my Thoughts ever fixed on you, to live in conftant Fear of every Accident to which Human Life is liable, and to fend up my hourly Prayers to avert 'em from you; I fay, Madam, thus to think, and thus to fuffer, is what I do for Her who is in Pain at my Approach, and calls all my tender Sorrow Impertinence. You are now before my Eyes, my Eyes that are ready to flow with Tendernefs, but cannot give Relief to my gufhing Heart, that dictates what I am now Taying, and yearns to tell you all its Achings. How art

K

thou

.

thou, oh my Soul, ftoln from thy felf! How is all thy Attention broken! My Books are blank Papers, and my Friends Intruders. I have no hope of Quiet but from your Pity. To grant it, would make more for your Triumph. To give Pain is the Tyranny, to make Happy the true Empire of Beauty. If you would confider aright, you'd find an agreeable Change in difmiffing the Attendance of a Slave, to receive the Complaifance of a Companion. I bear the former in hopes of the latter Condition: As I live in Chains without murmuring at the Power which inflicts 'em, so I could enjoy Freedom without forgetting the Mercy that gave it.

Madam,

BER

Tho' Imade him no Declarations in his Favour, you fee he had hopes of Me when he writ this in the Month following, September 3, 1671. EFORE the Light this Morning dawned upon the Earth I awaked, and lay in expectation of its return, not that it cou'd give any new Sense of Joy to me, but as I hoped it would blefs you with its chearful Face, after a Quiet which I wifh'd you laft Night. If my Prayers are heard, the Day appear'd with all the Influ ence of a Merciful Creator upon your Perfon and Actions. Let others, my lovely Charmer, talk of a blind Being that difpofes their Hearts, I contemn their low Ima ges of Love. I have not a Thought which relates to you, ⚫ that I cannot with Confidence befeech the All-feeing Power to bless me in. May He direct you in all your Steps, and reward your Innocence, your Sanctity of Manners, your prudent Youth, and becoming Piety, with the Continuance of his Grace and Protection. This is an unufual Language to Ladies; but you have a Mind elevated above the giddy Motions of a Sex infnared by Flattery, and mif-led by a falfe and fhort Adoration into a folid and long Contempt, Beauty, my faireft Creature, palls in the Poffeffion, but I love alfo your Mind; your Soul is as dear to me as my own; and if the Advantages of a liberal Education, fome Knowledge, and

4

as

⚫ as much Contempt of the World, join'd with the Endeavours towards a Life of ftrict Virtue and Religion, can qualify me to raise new Ideas in a Breaft fo well difpofed as yours is, our Days will pafs away with Joy; and old Age, inftead of introducing melancholy Profpects of Decay, give us hope of Eternal Youth in a better <Life. I have but few Minutes from the Duty of my Employment to write in, and without time to read over what I have writ, therefore befeech you to pardon the firft Hints of my Mind, which I have exprefs'd in so little Order.

I am, Dearest Creature,

Your most Obedient, moft Devoted Servant.

The two next were Written after the Day for our Marriage was fixed.

Madam,

September 25, 1671. Tis the hardest thing in the World to be in Love, and

yet

As for me, all that speak

to me find me out, and I muft lock my felf up, or other People will do it for me. A Gentleman asked me this Morning what News from Holland, and I answered, • She's exquifitely handfome. Another defir'd to know • when I had been laft at Windfor, I reply'd, She designs to go with me. Pr'ythee allow me at least to kifs your Hand ⚫ before the appointed Day, that my Mind may be in fome Compofure. Methinks I could write a Volume to you, but all the Language on Earth would fail in faying how 【 much, and with what dif-interested Passion,

Dear Creature,

N

I am ever yours.

September 30, 1671.

Seven in the Morning.

EXT to the Influence of Heav'n, I am to thank you that I fee the returning Day with Pleafure. To pass my Evenings in fo fweet a Conversation, and • have the Efteem of a Woman of your Merit, has in it a Particularity of Happiness no more to be exprefs'd than return'd. But I am, my Lovely Creature, contented

· to

to be on the oblig'd Side, and to employ all my Days in new Endeavours to convince you and all the World of the Senfe I have of your Condefcenfion in Chufing, MADA M, your moft Faithful,

Moft Obedient Humble Servant.

He was, when be writ the following Letter, as agreeable and pleasant a Man as any in England.

Madam,

October 20, 1671.

I Beg Pardon that my Paper is not finer, but I am

forc'd to write from a Coffee Houfe where I am attending about Bufinefs. There is a dirty Croud of Bufie Faces all around me talking of Money, while all my Ambition, all my Wealth is Love: Love, which animates my Heart, fweetens my Humour, enlarges my Soul, and affects every Action of my Life. 'Tis to my Lovely Charmer I owe that many noble Ideas are continually affix'd to my Words and Actions: 'Tis the natural Ef "fect of that Generous Paflion to create in the Admirers fome Similitude of the Object admir'd; thus, my Dear, I am every Day to improve from fo sweet a Companian. Look up, my Fair One, to that Heaven which made thee fuch, and join with me to implore its Influence on our tender innocent Hours, and befeech the Author of Love to blefs the Rites he has ordain'd, and mingle with our Happiness a juft Senfe of our Tranfient Condition, and a Refignation to his Will, which only can regulate our Minds to a fteady Endeavour to please him and each other.

Iam, for ever, your Faithful Servant.

I will not trouble you with more Letters at this time, but if you faw the poor withered hand which fends you these Minutes, I am fure you would fmile to think that there is one whe is fo gallant as to speak of it ftill as fo welcome a Prefent, after forty Years Poffefbon of the Woman whom he writes to.

Madam,

June 20, 1711. Heartily beg your Pardon for my Omiffion to write Yefterday. It was no Failure of my tender Regard ⚫ for you; but having been very much perplexed in my Thoughts

T

Thoughts on the Subject of my laft, made me determine to fufpend fpeaking of it till I came my felf But, my lovely Creature, know it is not in the Power of Age, of Misfortune, or any other Accident which hangs over Human Life,to take from me the pleasing Efteem I have for you, or the Memory of the bright Figure you appeared in when you gave your Hand and Heart to,

Madam, Your most grateful

Husband, and obedient Servant.

No 143. Tuesday, August 14.

Non eft vivere fed valere Vita.

Martial.

Tis an unreasonable Thing fome Men expect of their Acquaintance. They are ever complaining that they are out of Order, or difpleafed, or they know not how, and are fo far from letting that be a Reafon for retiring to their own Homes, that they make it their Argument for coming into Company. What has any Body to do with Accounts of a

fician? If a Man laman's being indifpos'd but his Phy

in the reft in Humour enough to enjoy themfelves, he fhould not take it ill if a Servant is ordered to prefent him with a Porringer of Cawdle or Poffet-Drink, by way of Admonition that he go home to Bed. That Part of Life which we ordinarily understand by the Word Converfation, is an Indulgence to the Sociable Part of our Make; and fhould incline us to bring our Proportion of good Will or good Humour among the Friends we meet with, and not to trouble them with Relations which muft of Neceffity oblige them to a real or feigned Affliction. Cares, Diftreffes, Difeafes, Uneafineffes, and Diflikes of our own, are by no means to be obtruded upon our Friends. If we would confider how little of this Viciffitude of Motion and Reft, which we call Life, is fpent with Satisfaction, we fhould be more tender of our Friends, than to bring them little Sorrows which do not belong to them. There is no real Life, but chearful Life; therefore Valetudinarians fhould be fworn before they enter into Company, not fo

fays