had the Happinefs, by tracing her through all with ⚫ whom I heard fhe was acquainted, to find one who was intimate with a Friend of mine, and to be introduced to her Notice. I have made fo good ufe of my Time, as to procure from that Intimate of hers one of her Letters, which the writ to her when in the Country. This Epifle of her own may ferve to alarm the World ⚫ against her in ordinary Life, as mine, I hope, did those, 'who fhall behold her at Church. The Letter was written laft Winter to the Lady who gave it me; and I doubt not but you will find it the Soul of an happy felfloving Dame, that takes all the Admiration fhe can meet with, and returns none of it in Love to her Admirers. 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 Dear Jenny, I AM glad to find you are likely to be difpos'd of in Marriage fo much to your Approbation as you tell 66 me. You fay you are afraid only of me, for I fhall laugh at your Spoufe's Airs. I beg of you not to fear "it, for I am too nice a Difcerner to laugh at any, but "whom most other People think fine Fellows; io that 66 your Dear may bring you hither as foon as his Horfes "are in cafe enough to appear in Town, and you be very fafe against any Raillery you may apprehend from me; for I am furrounded with Coxcombs of my own making, who are all ridiculous in a manner, yourGoodman, I prefume, cannot exert himself. As Men who cannot raise their Fortunes, and are uneafy under the Incapacity of fhining in Courts, rail at Ambition; "fo do aukward and infipid Women, who cannot warm "the Hearts and charm the Eyes of Men, rail at Af"fectation: But the that has the Joy of feeing a Man's. "Heart leap into his Eyes at beholding her, is in no "Pain for want of Efteem among a Crew of that Part "of her own Sex, who have no Spirit but that of Envy, "and no Language but that of Malice. I do not in "this, I hope, exprefs myfelf infenfible of the Merit of "Leodacia, who lowers her Beauty to all but her Huf"band, and never spreads her Charms but to gladden "him who has a Right to them: I fay, I do Honour 66 to those who can be Coquets, and are not fuch; but "I defpife all who would be so, and in despair of ar 66 66 66 riving at it themfelves, hate and vilify all thofe who can. But, be that as it will, in answer to your Defire of knowing my Hiftory: One of my chief prefent Pleafures is in Country-Dances: and, in Obedience to me, as well as the Pleafure of coming up to me 66 with a good Grace, fhewing themselves in their Addrefs to others in my Prefence, and the like Opportu"nities, they are all Proficients that Way: And I had "the Happinefs of being the other Night where we "made fix Couple, and every Woman's Partner was a profefs'd Lover of mine. The wildeft Imagination. "cannot form to itfelf on any Occafion, higher Delight "than I acknowledge myself to have been in all that Evening. I chofe out of my Admirers a Set of Men "who moft love me, and gave them Partners of fuch "of my own Sex who most envy'd me. 66 66 "My way is, when any Man who is my Admirer pretends to give himself Airs of Merit, as at this time a certain Gentleman you know did, to mortify him "by favouring in his Prefence the most infignificant "Creature I can find. At this Ball I was led into the "Company by pretty Mr. Fanfly, who, you know, is "the moft obfequious, well-fhaped well-bred Woman's "Man in Town. I at first Entrance declared him my "Partner if I danced at all; which put the whole Af 66 fembly into a Grin, as forming no Terrors from "fuch a Rival. But we had not been long in the Room, before I over-heard the meritorious Gentleman above-mention'd fay with an Oath, There is no Rallery in the Thing, flie certainly loves the Puppy. My Gentleman, when we were dancing, took an "Occafion to be very foft in his Oglings upon a Lady "he danced with, and whom he knew of all Women "I love moft to outfhine. The Contest began who "fhould plague the other moft. I who do not care a 66 66 Farthing for him, had no hard Task to out-vex him. "I made Fanfly, with a very little Encouragement, "cut Capers coupee, and then fink with all the Air and "Tenderness imaginable. When he perform'd this, "I obferved the Gentleman you know of fall into the 66 fame Way, and imitate as well as he could the defpifed Fanfly. I cannot well give you, who are fo 66 66 66 grave a Country Lady, the Idea of the Joy we have "when we see a stubborn Heart breaking, or a Man of "Senfe turning Fool for our Sakes; but this happened to our Friend, and I expect his Attendance when66 ever I go to Church, to Court, to the Play, or the "Park. This is a Sacrifice due to us Women of Ge"nius, who have the Eloquence of Beauty, an eafy Mein. I mean by an eafy Mein, one who can be on Occafion eafily affected For I must tell you dear fenny, I hold one Maxim, which is an uncommon one, to wit, That our greatest Charms are owing to Affectation.'Tis to that ,, ourArms can lodge fo quietly juft over our Hips, and the Fan can play without any Force or Motion but just "of the Wrift. 'Tis to Affectation we owe the penfive "Attention of Deidamia at a Tragedy, the fcornful "Approbation of Dulciamara at a Comedy, and the lowly Afpect of Lanquicelfa at a Sermon. 66 66 66 66 66 "To tell you the plain Truth, I know no Pleafure "but in being admir'd, and have yet never failed of at"taining the Approbation of the Man whofe Regard I "had a Mind to. You fee all the Men who make a Figure in the World (as wife a Look as they are pleafed to put upon the Matter) are moved by the fame Va"nity as I am. What is there in Ambition, but to "make other People's Wills depend upon yours? This "indeed is not to be aim'd at by one who has a Geni 66 66 us no higher than to think of being a very good "Housewife in a Country Gentleman's Family. The 66 care of Poultrey and Pigs are great Enemies to the "Countenance: The vacant Look of a fine Lady is not "to be preferved, if the admits any thing to take up "her Thoughts but her own dear Perfon. But I interrupt you too long from your Cares, and myself 66 from my Conquefts. I am, MADAM, Your most humble Servant. GIVE me leave, Mr. SPECTATOR, to add her • Friend's Anfwer to this Epistle, who is a very difcreet ⚫ ingenious Woman. Dear 661 Dear Gatty, TAKE your Raillery in very good Part, and am o I bliged to you for the free Air with which you speak "of your own Gaieties. But this is but a barren fuper"ficial Pleafure; for indeed, Gatty, we are made for "Man, and in ferious Sadness I muft tell you, whether you yourself know it or no, all these Gallantries tend 66 to no other end but to be a Wife and Mother as fast as you can. 66 66 I am, Madam, T Your most obedient Servant No. 516. Wednesday, October 22. Immortale odium & nunquam fanabile vulnus, OF Juv. F all the monftrous Paffions and Opinions which have crept into the World, there is none fo wonderful as that thofe who profefs the common Name of Chriftians, fhould purfue each other with Rancour and Hatred for Differences in their Way of following the Example of their Saviour. It feems fo natural that all who purfue the Steps of any Leader fhould form themfelves after his Manner, that it is impoffible to account for Effects fo different from what we might expect from those who profefs themselves Followers of the highest Pattern of Meekness and Charity, but by ascribing such Effects to the Ambition and Corruption of those who are fo audacious, with Souls full of Fury, to ferve at the Altars of the God of Peace. THE Maffacres to which the Church of Rome has animated the ordinary People, are dreadful Inftances of the Truth of this Obfervation; and whoever reads the History of the Irish Rebellion, and the Cruelties which enfued thereupon, thereupon, will be fufficiently convinc'd to what Rage poor Ignorants may be worked up by thofe who profefs Holiness, and become Incendiaries, and under the Difpenfations of Grace, promote Evils abhorrent to Nature. 1 THIS Subject and Catastrophe, which deferve fo wel to be remarked by the Proteftant World, will, I doubt not, be confidered by the Reverend and Learned Prelate that preaches to-morrow before many of the Descendants of those who perished on that lamentable Day, in a Manner fuitable to the Occafion, and worthy his own great Virtue and Eloquence. I fhall not dwell upon it any further, but only tranfcribe out of a little Tract called, The Chriftian Hero, published in 1701. what I find there in honour of the renowned Hero William III. who refcued that Nation from the Repetition of the fame Difafters. His late Majefty, of glorious Memory, and the moft Chriftian King, are confidered at the Conclufion of that Treatife as Heads of the Proteftant and Roman Catholick World in the following manner. • THERE were not ever, before the Entrance of the • Christian Name into the World, Men who have main⚫tained a more renowned Carriage, than the two great Rivals who poffefs the full Fame of the prefent Age, and will be the Theme and Examination of the future. They are exactly form'd by Nature for thofe Ends to which Heaven feems to have fent them amongst us : • Both animated with a reftlefs Defire of Glory, but purfue it by different Means, and with different Motives. To one it confifts in an extenfive undifputed Empire over his Subjects, to the other in their rational and ⚫ voluntary Obedience: One's Happiness is founded in their want of Power, the other's in their want of Defire to oppofe him. The one enjoys the Summit of Fortune with the Luxury of a Perfian, the other with the Moderation of a Spartan: One is made to opprefs, 'the other to relieve the Oppreffed: The one is fatiffy'd with the Pomp and Öftentation of Power to prefer and debase his Înferiors, the other delighted only 'with the Caufe and Foundation of it to cherish and protect 'em. To one therefore Religion is but a con • venient |