eruelty I could be guilty of towards you? In return for your long and faithful paffion, I must let you know that you are old enough to become a little

I

HOR. EP. I. LIB. I. VER. 90.

Have endeavoured in the course of my papers to do juftice to the age, and have taken care as much as poffible to keep myself a neuter between both fexes. I have neither spared the ladies out of complaifance, nor the men out of partiality; but notwithstanding the great integrity with which I have acted in this particular, I find myself taxed with an inclination to favour my own half of the fpecies. Whether it be that the women afford a more fruitful field for fpeculation, or whether they run more in my head than the men, I cannot tell, but I fhall fet down the charge as it is Jaid against me in the following letter.

MR. SPECTATOR,

I Always make one among a company of young females, who perufe your fpeculations every morning, I am at prefent commiffioned by our whole affembly, to let you know, that we fear you are a little inclined to be partial to wards your own fex. We must how. ever acknowledge, with all due gratitude, that in fome cafes you have given us our revenge on the men, and done us juftice. We could not eafily have forgiven you feveral strokes in the diffection of the coquette's heart, if you had not much about the fame time made a facrifice to us of a beau's fcull.

You may further, Sir, pleafe to remember, that not long fince you attacked our hoods and commodes in fuch manner, as, to ufe your own expreffion, made very many of us afhamed to fhew our heads. We mult, therefore, beg leave to represent to you, that we are in hopes, if you would please to make a due inquiry, the men in all ages would be found to have been little lefs whimfical in adorning that part, than ourselves. The different forms of their wigs, toge

CREECH.

ther with the various cocks of their hats, all flatter us in this opinion.

I had an humble fervant laft fummer, who the first time he declared himself, was in a full-bottomed wig; but the day after, to my no fmall furprise, he accofted me in a thin natural one. I received him at this our fecond interviews as a perfect stranger, but was extremely confounded, when his fpeech disco vered who he was. I resolved, there. fore, to fix his face in my memory for the future; but as I was walking in the Park the fame evening, he appeared to me in one of thofe wigs that I think you call a night-cap, which had altered him more effectually than before. He afterwards played a couple of black riding wigs upon me with the fame fuccefs; and in short, affumed a new face, almost every day in the firft month of his courtship.

I obferved afterwards, that the variety of cocks into which he moulded his hat, had not a little contributed to his impofitions upon me.

Yet as if all these ways were not fufficient to diftinguish their heads, you must doubtless, Sir, have observed, that great numbers of young fellows have, for feveral months laft paft, taken upon

them to wear feathers.

We hope, therefore, that thefe may, with as muck juftice, be called Indian princes, as you have ftiled a woman in a coloured hood an Indian queen; and that you will, in due time, take thefe airy gentlemen into confideration.

We the more earnestly beg that you would put a ftop to this practice, fince it has already loit us one of the molt agreeable members of our fociety, who after having refufed feveral good eftates, and two titles, was lured from us latt week by a mixed feather.

I am

SIR,

I Prefume I need not inform you, that among men of drefs it is a common phrafe to fay, Mr. Such-a-one bas ftruck a bold ftroke;' by which we understand, that he is the first man who has had courage enough to lead up a fashion. Accordingly, when our tailors take measure of us, they always demand whether we will have a plain fuit, or ftrike a bold ftroke. I think I may without vanity fay, that I have ftruck fome of the boldest and most fuccefsful ftrokes of any man in Great Britain. I was the first that ftruck the long pocket about two years fince; I was likewife the author of the frofted button, which when I faw the town come readily into, being refolved to ftrike while the iron was hot, I produced much about the fame time the fcallop flap, the knotted cravat, and made a fair pufh for the filver-clocked stocking.

A few months after I brought up the modish jacket, or the coat with clofe

fleeves. I ftruck this at firft in a plain Doily; but that failing, I ftruck it a fecond time in blue camblet; and repeated the ftroke in feveral kinds of cloth, until at last it took effect. There are two or three young fellows at the other end of the town, who have always their eve upon me, and answer me ftroke for ftroke. I was once fo unwary as to mention my fancy in relation to a newfashioned furtout before one of thefe gentlemen,whowas difirgenuous enough to fteal my thought, and by that means prevented my intended ftroke.

I have a defign this fpring to make very confiderable innovations in the waistcoat; and have already begun with a coup d' effai upon the fleeves, which has fucceeded very well.

I muft further inform you, if you will promife to encourage, or at least connive at me, that it is my deign to flike such a stroke the beginning of the next month, as fhall furprife the whole

MR. SPECTATOR,

You

OU have given many hints in your papers to the difadvantage of perfons of your own fex, who lay plots upon women. Among other hard words you have published the term MaleCoquets, and been very fevere upon fuch as give themselves the liberty of a little dalliance of heart, and playing fast and loofe, between love and indifference, until perhaps an easy young girl is reduced to fighs, dreams, and tears; and languishes away her life for a careless coxcomb, who looks aftonifhed, and wonders at fuch an effect from what in him was all but common civility. Thus

you have treated the men who were irrefolute in marriage; but if you defign to he impartial, pray be fo honeft as to print the information I now give you, of a certain fet of women who never co

quet for the matter, but with an high hand marry whom they pleafe to whom they please. As for my part, I fhould not have concerned myfelf with them, but that I understand I am pitched upon by them to be married, against my will, to one I never faw in my life. It has been my misfortune, Sir, very innocently, to rejoice in a plentiful fortune, of which I am mafter, to bespeak a fine chariot, to give direction for two or three hand fome fnuff-boxes, and as

he

CROXAL.

men whom I had employed, and told me that they had certainly informed against me. Mr. Spectator, whatever the world may think of me, I am more coxcomb than fool, and I grew very inquifitive upon this head, not a little plea.ed with the novelty. My friend told me, there were a certain fet of women of fafhion, whereof the number of fix made a committee, who fat thrice a week, under the title of the Inquifition on Maids and Bachelors. It feems, whenever there comes fuch an unthinking gay thing as myfelf to town, he muft want all manner of neceflaries, or be put into the inquifition by the first tradesman he employs. They have conftant intelligence. with cane-fhops, perfumers, toyinen, coach-makers, and china-houfes. From thefe feveral places thefe undertakers for marriages have as contant and regular correfpondence, as the funeral-men have with vintners and apothecaries. All bachelors are under their iminediate infpection; and my friend produced to me a report given in to their board, wherein an old uncle of mine who came to town with me, and myself, were inferted, and we ftood thus: The uncle fmoky, rotten, poor; the nephew raw, but no fool, found at prefent, very rich. My information did not end here; but my friend's advices are fo good, that he could fhew me a copy of the letter fent to the young lady who is to have me; which I inclofe to you.

MADAM,

nance.

412

lang. My books, except thofe I have taken to fleep upon, have been totally neglected, and my Lord Coke and other venerable authors were never fo flighted in their lives. I spend most of the day at a neighbouring coffee-house, where we have what I may call a Lazy Club. We generally come in night-gowns, with our stockings about our heels, and fometimes but one on. Our falutation at entrance is a yawn and a stretch, and then without more ceremony we take our place at the lolling-table, where our difcourfe is, what I fear you would not read out, therefore fhall not infert. But

I affure you, Sir, I heartily lament this lofs of time, and am now refolved, if poffible, with double diligence, to retrieve it, being effectually awakened by the arguments of Mr. Slack out of the fenfelefs ftupidity that has fo long poffeffed me. And to demonftrate that penitence accompanies my confeffion, and conftancy my refolutions, I have locked my door for a year, and defire you would let my companions know I am not within. I am with great refpect, Sir, your most obedient servant, T

N. B..

TH

HOSE, who know how many volumes have been written on the poems of Homer and Virgil, will eafily pardon the length of my difcourfe upon Milton. The Paradife Loft is looked upon by the best judges, as the greatest production, or at least the nobleft work of genius in our language, and therefore deferves to be fet before an English reader in it's full beauty. For this reason, though I have endeavoured to give a general idea of it's graces and imperfections in my fix first papers, I thought myself obliged to bestow one upon every book in particular. The first three books I have already dispatched, and am now entering upon the fourth. I need not acquaint my reader that there are multitudes of beauties in this great author, efpecially in the defcriptive parts of this poem, which I have not touched upon, it being my intention to point out thofe only, which appear to me the most exquifite, or those which are not fo obvious to ordinary readers. Every one that has read the critics who have written upon the Odyffey, the Iliad, and the neid, knows very well, that though they agree in the opinions of the great beauties in those poems, they have nevertheless each of them difcovered feveral mafter-strokes, which have efcaped the obfervation of the reft. In the fame manner, I queftion not but any writer, who fhall treat of this subject after me,

RoscoMMON.

may find feveral beauties in Milton, which I have not taken notice of. I muft likewife obferve, that as the greateft mafters of critical learning differ among one another, as to fome particu lar points in an epic poem, I have not bound myself fcrupuloufly to the rules which any one of them has laid down upon that art, but have taken the liberty fometimes to join with one, and fometimes with another, and fometimes to differ from all of them, when I have thought that the reaton of the thing was on my fide.

We may confider the beauties of the fourth book under three heads. In the

first are thofe pictures of ftill-life, which we meet with in the defcription of Eden, Paradife, Adam's bower, &c. In the next are the machines, which comprehend the fpeeches and behaviour of the good and bad angels. In the laft is the conduct of Adam and Eve, who are the principal actors in the poem.

In the defcription of Paradife, the poet has obferved Ariftotle's rule of lavihing all the ornaments of diction on the weak unactive parts of the fable, which are not fupported by the beauty of fentiments and characters. Accordingly the reader may observe, that the expreffions are more florid and elaborate in thefe defcriptions, than in most other parts of the poem. I muft further add, that though the drawings of gardens,

rivers,