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• tions, as also gradual and deliberate Openings, with maný voluntary Fallings afunder in the Fan itself, that are feldom learned under a Month's Practice. This Part of the Exercife pleafes the Spectators more than any other, as it difcovers on a fudden an infinite Number of Cupids, Garlands, Altars, Birds, Beafts, Rainbows, and the like agreeable Figures, that display themselves to View, whilft every one in the Regiment holds a Picture in her Hand. '

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UPON my giving the Word to difcharge their Fans, they give one general Crack that may be heard at a confiderable Distance when the Wind fits fair. This is one of the most difficult Parts of the Exercife; but I have feveral Ladies with me, who at their firft Entrance could not give a Pop loud enough to be heard at the further End of a Room, who can now difcharge a Fan in fuch a Manner, that it shall make a Report like a Pocket'Piftol. I have likewife taken Care (in order to hinder young Women from letting off their Fans in wrong Places or unfuitable Occasions) to fhew upon what Subject the Crack of a Fan may come in properly: 1have likewise invented a Fan, with which a Girl of Sixteen, by the Help of a little Wind which is enclofed about one of the largest Sticks, can make as loud a Crack as a Woman of Fifty with an ordinary Fan.

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WHEN the Fans are thus discharged, the Word of • Command in courfe is to ground their Fans. This teaches a Lady to quit her Fan gracefully when the throws it afide in order to take up a Pack of Cards, adjust a Curl of Hair, replace a falling Pin, or apply her felf to any other Matter of Importance. This Part of the Exercise, as it only confifts in toffing a Fan with an Air upon a long Table (which ftands by for that Purpofe) may be learned in two Days Time as well as in a Twelvemonth

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WHEN my Female Regiment is thus difarmed, I generally let them walk about the Room for fome Time; when on a fudden (like Ladies that look upon their Watches after a long Vifit) they all of them haften to their Arms, catch them up in a Hurry, and place themfelves in their proper Stations upon my calling out reco ver your Fans. This Part of the Exercife is not difficult, provided a Woman applies her Thoughts to it.

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THE Fluttering of the Fan is the last, and indeed the Mafter-piece of the whole Exercife; but if a Lady does' not mif-spend her Time, fhe may make her felf Mistress of it in three Months. I generally lay afide the Dogdays and the hot Time of the Summer for the teaching this Part of the Exercife, for as foon as ever I pronounce Flutter your Fans, the Place is filled with fo many Zephyrs and gentle Breezes as are very refreshing in that Seafon of the Year, though they might be dangerous to Ladies of a tender Conftitution in any other.

THERE is an infinite Variety of Motions to be made ufe of in the Flutter of a Fan:. There is the an gry Flutter, the modeft Flutter, the timorous Flutter, the confufed Flutter, the merry Flutter, and the amorous Flutter. Not to be tedious, there is fcarce any E<motion in the Mind which does not produce a suitable Agitation in the Fan; infomuch, that if I only fee the Fan of a difciplin'd Lady, I know very well whether fhe laughs, frowns, or blushes. I have feen a Fan fo very angry, that it would have been dangerous for thể abfent Lover who provoked it to have come within the . Wind of it; and at other times fo very languifhing, that I have been glad for the Lady's Sake the Lover was at à fufficient Distance from it. I need not add, that a Fan is either a Prude or Coquet, according to the Nature of the Perfon who bears it. To conclude my Letter, I must acquaint you that I have from my own Obfervations compiled a little Treatife for the Ufe of my Scholars, entitled the Paffions of the Fan; which I will communicate to you, if you think it may be of Ufe to the Publick. I fhall have a general Review on Thursday next; to which you shall be very welcome if you will honour it with your Presence.

P. S.

I am, &c.

teach young Gentlemen the whole Art: of Gallanting a Fan.

N. B. I have feveral little plain Fans-made for this Ufe, to avoid Expence,

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Y Friend the Divine having been used with Words of Complaifance (which he thinks could be properly applied to no one living, and I think could be only fpoken of him, and that in his Abfence) was fo extreamly offended with the exceffive way of fpeaking. Civilities among us, that he made a Difcourfe against it at the Club; which he concluded with this Remark, that he had not heard one Compliment made in our Society fince its Commencement. Every one was pleafed with his Conclufion; and as each knew his good Will to the reft, he was convinced that the many Profeffions of Kindnefs and Service, which we ordinarily meet with, are not natural where the Heart is well inclined: But are a Proftitution of Speech, feldom intended to mean any Part of what they exprefs, never to mean All they exprefs. Our Reverend Friend, upon this Topick, pointed to us two or three Paragraphs on this Subject in the firft Sermon of the first Volume of the late Archbishop's Pofthumous Works. I do not know that I ever read any thing that pleafed me more, and as it is the Praife of Longinus, that he speaks of the Sublime in a Style fuitable to it, fo one may fay of this Author upon Sincerity, that he abhors any Pomp of Rhetorick on this Occafion, and treats it with a more than ordinary Simplicity, at once to be a Preacher and an Example. With what Command of himself does he lay before us, in the Language and Temper of his Profeffion, a Fault, which by the leaft Liberty and Warmth of Expreffron would be the moft lively Wit and Satyr? But his Heart was better difpofed, and the good Man chaftifed the great Wit in fuch a manner, that he was able to speak as follows..

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-AMONGST too many other Inftances of the great Corruption and Degeneracy of the Age wherein we live, the great and general want of Sincerity in Converfation is none of the leaft. The World is grown fo full of Diffimulation and Compliment, that Mens Words are hardly any Signification of their Thoughts; and if any Man measure his Words by his Heart, and fpeak as he thinks, and do not exprefs more Kindness to every Man, than Men ufually have for any Man, he can hardly efcape the Cenfure of want of Breeding. The old English Plainnefs and Sincerity, that generous Integrity of Nature, and Honefty of Difpofition, which always argues true Greatness of Mind, and is ufually accompa nied with undaunted Courage and Refolution, is in a great measure loft amongst us: There hath been a long endeavour to transform us into Foreign Manners and Fashions, and to bring us to a fervile Imitation of none of the best of our Neighbours in fome of the worst of their Qualities. The Dialect of Converfation is now-adays fo fwelled with Vanity and Compliment, and fo furfeited (as I may fay) of Expreffions of Kindness and Refpect, that if a Man that lived an Age or two ago • Thould return into the World again he would really want a Dictionary to help him to understand his own Language, and to know the true intrinfick Value of the Phrafe in Fashion, and would hardly at firft believe at what a low Rate the higheft Strains and Expreffions of Kindness imaginable do commonly pafs in current Payment and when he fhould come to understand it, it would be a great while before he could bring himself with a good Countenance and a good Confcience to converfe with Men upon equal Terms, and in their

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AND in Truth it is hard to fay, whether it should more provoke our Contempt or our Pity, to hear what folemn Expreffions of Refpect and Kindness will pafs between Men, alinoft upon no Occafion; how great Honour and Efteem they will declare for one whom perhaps they never faw before, and how intirely they are all on the fudden devoted to his Service and Inte reft, for no Reafon; how infinitely and eternally obliged to him, for no Benefit; and how extreamly they

? will be concerned for him, yea and afflicted too, for no Caufe. I know it is faid, in Juftification of this hollow kind of Converfation, that there is no Harm, f. no real Deceit in Compliment, but the Matter is well • enough, fo long as we understand one another; Ver'ba valent ut Nummi, Words are like Money; and when the ⚫ current Value of them is generally understood, no Man is cheated by them. This is fomething; if fuch Words were any thing; but being brought into the Accompt, they are meer Cyphers. However, it is ftill a juft Matter of Complaint, that Sincerity and Plainnefs are out of Fashion, and that our Language is running into a Lie; that Men have almoft quite perverted the ufe of Speech, and made Words to fignifie nothing, that the greateft 6 part of the Converfation of Mankind is little elfe but driving a Trade of Diffimulation; infomuch that it would make a Man heartily fick and weary of the World, to fee the little Sincerity that is in Ufe and Pratice among Men.

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WHEN the Vice is placed in this contemptible Light, he argues unanfwerably against it, in Words and Thoughts fo natural, that any Man who reads them would imagine he himself could have been Author of them."

IF the Show of any thing be good for any thing, I am fure Sincerity is better: for why does any Man dif• femble, or feem to be that which he is not, but because he thinks it good to have fuch a Quality as he pretends to? For to counterfeit and diffemble, is to put on the Appearance of fome real Excellency. Now the beft Way in the World to feem to be any thing, is really to be what he would feem to be. Befides, that it is many times as troublefome to make good the Pretence of a good Quality, as to have it; and if a Man have it not, it is ten to one but he is difcovered to want it; and then all his Pains and Labour to feem to have it, is loft.

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IN another Part of the fame Difcourfe he goes on t fhew, that all Artifice muft naturally tend to the Difappointment of him that practifes it.

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WHATSOEVER Convenience may be thought to be in Falfhood and Diffimulation, it is foon over; but the Inconvenience of it is perpetual, because it

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