good as your neighbours; but that is being very bad. You are a woman at the head of a family, and lead a perfect Town-Lady's life. You go on your own way, and confult nothing but your glafs. What imperfections indeed you see there, you immediately mend as faft as you can. You may do the fame by the faults I tell you: of; for they are much more in your power to correct. You are to know then, that you visiting Ladies, that carry your Virtue from house to houfe with fo much prattle in each other's applaufe, and triumph over other people's faults, I grant you, have but the fpeculation of Vice in your own converfations; but promote the prac tice of it in all others you have to do with..

As for you, Madam, your time paffes away in dreffing, eating, fleeping, and praying. When you rife in a morning, I grant you an hour spent very well; but you: come out to dress in so froward an humour, that the poor girl, who attends you, curfes her very Being in that he is your fervant, for the peevish things you fay to her. When this poor creature is put into a way, that good or evil are regarded but as they as relieve her from the hours fhe has and muft pafs with you; the hext your have to do with is your coachman and footmen. They convey your Lady fhip to church. While you are praying there, they are curfing, fwearing and drinking in an ale-house. During the time alfo which your Ladyfhip fets apart for Heaven, you are to know, that your cook is fweating and fretting in preparation for your dinner. Soon after your meal you make vifits, and the whole world, that belongs to you, fpeak all the ill of you which you are repeating of others. You fee, Madam, whatever way you go, all about you are in a very broad one. The morality of thefe people it is your proper bufinefs to enquire into; and until you reform them, you had beft let your equals alone; otherwife, if I al-. low you, you are not vitious, you must allow me you are not virtuous..

I took my leave, and received at my coming home the following Letter.

Mr. BICKER STAFF,

I Have lived a pure and undefiled virgin these twenty

feven years; and I affure you, it is with great grief "and forrow of heart I tell you, that I become weary "and impatient of the derifion of the gigglers of our "Sex; who call me old maid, and tell me, I fhall lead apes. If you are truly a patron of the diftreffed, and an Adept in Aftrology, you will advife whether I fhall, or ought to be prevailed upon by the impertinences "of my own Sex, to give way to the importunities of yours. I affure you, I am furrounded with both, "though at prefent a forlorn.

I am, &c.

I must defer my answer to this Lady out of a point of chronology. She fays, fhe has been twenty-feven years a maid; but I fear, according to a common error, she dates her virginity from her birth, which is a very erroneous method; for a woman of twenty is no more to be thought chafte fo many years, than a man of that age can be faid to have been fo long valiant. We must not allow people the favour of a virtue, until they have been under the temptation to the contrary. A woman is not a maid until her birth-day, as we call it, of her fifteenth year. My plaintiff is therefore defired to inform me, whether fhe is at prefent in her twenty-eighth or fortythird year, and fhe fhall be dispatched accordingly.

Tuesday,

N° 211. Tuesday, Auguft:15, 1710.

Nequeo monftrare, & fentio tantùm.

Ju v. Sat. 7. ver. 56.

What I can fancy, but can ne'er express.

Sunday, August 13.

DRYDEN.

F there were no other confequences of it, but barely that human creatures on this day affemble themselves before their Creator, without regard to their ufual employments, their minds at leifure from the cares of this life, and their bodies adorned with the best attire they can bestow on them; I fay, were this mere outward ce lebration of a Sabbath all that is expected from men, even that were a laudable diftinétion, and a purpose worthy the Human Nature.. But when there is added to it the fublime pleafure of Devotion, our Being is exalted above itself; and he, who fpends a feventh day in the contemplations of the next life, will not eafily fall into the corruptions of this in the other fix. They, who never admit thoughts of this kind into their imaginations, lofe higher and fweeter fatisfactions than can be raised by any other entertainment. The moft illiterate. man who is touched with Devotion, and ufes frequent exercises of it, contracts a certain greatnefs of mind, mingled with a noble fimplicity, that raifes, him above thofe of the fame condition; and there is an indelible mark of goodness in those who fincerely poffefs it. It is hardly poffible it should be otherwife; for the fervors of a pious mind will naturally contract fuch an earnestness and attention towards a better Being, as will make the ordinary paffages of life go off with a becoming indifference. By this a man in the loweft condition will not appear mean, or in the moft fplendid fortune infolent.

As to all the intricacies and viciffitudes, under which men are ordinarily entangled with the utmoft forrow and paffion, one who is devoted to Heaven, when he falls into fuch difficulties, is led by a clue through a labyrinth. As to this world, he does not pretend to kill in the mazes of it; but fixes his thoughts upon one certainty, that he fhall foon be out of it. And we may ask very boldly, what can be a more fure confolation than to have an hope in death? When men are arrived at thinking of their very diffolution with pleasure, how few things are there that can be terrible to them? Certainly, nothing can be dreadful to fuch Spirits, but what would make death terrible to them, falfhood towards man, or impiety towards Heaven. To fuch as thefe, as there are certainly many fuch, the gratifications of innocent pleasures are doubled, even with reflections upon their imperfection. The difappointments, which naturally attend the great promifes we make ourselves in expected enjoy. ments, ftrike no damp upon fuch men, but only quicken their hopes of foon knowing joys, which are too pure to admit of allay or fatiety.

It is thought, among the politer fort of mankind, an imperfection to want relish of any of thofe things which refine our lives. This is the foundation of the acceptance which eloquence, mufic, and poetry make in the world; and I know not why Devotion, confidered merely as an exaltation of our happinefs, fhould not at least be fo far regarded as to be confidered. It is poffible, the very enquiry would lead men into fuch thoughts and gratifications, as they did not expect to meet with in this place. Many a good acquaintance has been loft from a general prepoffeffion in his disfavour, and a fevere aspect has often hid under it a very agreeable companion.

There are no diftinguishing qualities among men to which there are not falfe pretenders; but though none is more pretended to than that of Devotion, there are, perhaps, fewer fuccefsful impoftors in this kind than any other. There is fomething fo natively great and good in a perfon that is truly devout, that an aukward man may as well pretend to be genteel, as an hypocrite to be pious. The constraint in words and actions are equally vifible in both cafes; and any thing fet up in their room

does

pre

It

does but remove the endeavours the farther off their tenfions. But however the fenfe of true Piety is abated, there is no other motive of action that can carry us through all the viciffitudes of life with alacrity and refolution. But Piety, like philofophy, when it is fuperficial, does but make men appear the worfe for it; and a principle that is but half received does but diftract, inftead of guiding our behaviour. When I reflect upon the unequal conduct of Lotius, I fee many things that run directly counter to his intereft; therefore I cannot attribute his labours for the public good to ambition. When I confider his difregard to his fortune, I cannot esteem him covetous. How then can I reconcile his neglect of himself, and his zeal for others? I have long fufpected him to be a "little pious:" But no man ever hid his vice with greater caution, than he does his virtue. was the praife of a great Roman, that he had rather be, than appear, good. But fuch is the weakness of Latius, that I dare fay, he had rather be eftemed irreligious than devout. By I know not what impatience of raillery, he is wonderfully fearful of being thought too great a believer. A hundred little devices are made ufe of to hide a time of private Devotion; and he will allow you any fufpicion of his being ill employed, fo you do not tax him with being well. But alas! how mean is fuch a behaviour? To boast of virtue is a moft ridiculous way of difappointing the merit of it, but not fo pitiful as that of being afhamed of it. How unhappy is the wretch, who makes the moft abfolute and independent motive of action the caufe of perplexity and inconftancy? How different a figure does Calicolo make with all who know him? His great and fuperior mind, frequently exalted by the raptures of heavenly meditation, is to all his friends of the fame ufe, as if an Angel were to appear at the decifion of their difputes. They very well understand, he is as much difinterefted and unbiassed as fuch a Being. He confiders all applications made to him, as thofe addreffes will affect his own application to Heaven. All his determinations are delivered with a beautiful humility; and he pronounces his decisions with the air of one who is more frequently a fupplicant than a Judge.

Thus