fended that I have taken care he should not be an interruption to our future assignations. These last words foreboded what she found when she came to the jail, her husband executed by the order of Rhynsault.

It was remarkable that the woman, who was full of tears and lamentations during the whole course of her affliction, uttered neither sigh or complaint, but stood fixed with grief at this consummation of her misfortunes. She betook herself to her abode, and after having in solitude paid her devotions to him who is the avenger of innocence, she repaired privately to court. Her person and a certain grandeur of sorrow, negligent of forms gained her passage into the presence of the duke her sovereign. As soon as she came into the presence, she broke forth into the following words: Behold, O mighty Charles, a wretch weary of life, though it has always been spent with innocence and virtue. It is not in your power to redress my injuries, but it is to avenge them. And if the protection of the distressed, and the punishment of oppressors, is a task worthy a prince, I bring the duke of Burgundy ample matter for doing honour to his own great name, and wiping infamy off from mine."

When she had spoken this, she delivered the duke a paper reciting her story. He read it with all the emotions that indignation and pity could raise in a prince jealous of his honour in the behaviour of his officers, and prosperity of his subjects.

Upon an appointed day, Rhynsault was sent for to court, and, in the presence of a few of the council, confronted by Sapphira; the prince ask

ing, Do you know that lady?" Rhynsault as soon as he could recover his surprise, told the duke he would marry her, if his highness would please to think that a reparation. The duke seemed contented with this answer, and stood by during the immediate solemnization of the ceremony. At the conclusion of it he told Rhynsault, Thus far you have done as constrained by my authority: 1 shall not be satisfied of your kind usage of her, without you sign a gift of your whole estate to her after your decease.' To the performance of this also the duke was a witness. When these two acts were executed, the duke turned to the lady, and told her, It now remains for me to put you in quiet possession of what your husband has so bountifully bestowed on you;' and ordered the immediate execution of Rhynsault.

STEELE.

'T.

No. 492. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24.

Quicquid est boni moris levitate extinguitur. SENECA. Levity of behaviour is the bane of all that is good and virtuous.

Tunbridge, September 18, 1712.

6 DEAR MR. SPECTATOR,

'I AM a young woman of eighteen years of age, and I do assure you a maid of unspotted reputation, founded upon a very careful carriage in all my looks, words and actions. At the same time I must own to you, that it is with much constraint to flesh and blood that my behaviour

is so strictly irreproachable; for I am naturally addicted to mirth, to gaiety, to a free air, to motion, and gadding. Now what gives me a great deal of anxiety, and is some discouragement in the pursuit of virtue is, that the young women who run into greater freedoms with the men are taken more notice of than I am. The men are such unthinking sots that they do not prefer her who restrains all her passions and affections, and keeps much within the bounds of what is lawful, to her who goes to the utmost verge of innocence, and parleys at the very brink of vice, whether she shall be a wife or a mistress. But I must appeal to your Spectatorial wisdom, who I find, have passed very much of your time in the study of women, whether this is not a most unreasonable proceeding. I have read somewhere, that Hobbes of Malmsbury asserts, that continent persons have more of what they contain, than those who give a loose to their desires. cording to this rule, let there be equal age, equal wit, and equal good humour, in the woman of prudence, and her of liberty; what stores has he to expect who takes the former? What refuse must he be contented with who chooses the latter? Well, but I sat down to write you, to vent my indignation against several pert creatures who are addressed to and courted in this place while poor I, and two or three like me, are wholly unregarded.

Ac

Every one of these affect gaining the hearts of your sex. This is generally attempted by a particular manner of carrying themselves with familiarity. Glycera has a dancing walk, and keeps time in her ordinary gate. Chloe, her sis

run.

ter, who is unwilling to interrupt her conquests, comes into the room before her with a familiar Dulcissa takes advantage of the approach of the winter, and has introduced á very pretty shiver; closing up her shoulders and shrinking as she moves. All that are in this mode carry their fans between both hands before them. Dulcissa herself who is the author of this air, adds the pretty run to it; and has also, when she is in very good humour, a taking familiarity in throwing herself into the lowest seat in the room, and letting her hooped petticoats fall with a lucky decency about her. I know she practises this way of sitting down in her chamber; and indeed she does it as well as you may have seen an actress fall down dead in a tragedy. Not the least indecency in her posture. If you have observed what pretty carcases are carried off at the end of a verse at the theatre, it will give you a notion how Dulcissa plumps into a chair. Here's a little country girl that's very cunning, that makes her use of being young and unbred, and outdoes the insnarers, who are almost twice her age. The air that she takes is to come into company after a walk, and is very successfully out of breath upon occasion. Her mother is in the secret, and calls her romp, and then looks round to see what young men stare at her.

'It would take up more than can come into one of your papers, to enumerate all the particular airs of the younger company in this place. But I can not omit Dulceorella, whose manner is the most indolent imaginable, but still as watchful of conquests as the busiest virgin among us. She has a peculiar art of staring at a young fel

low, till she sees she has got him, and inflamed him by so much observation. When she sees she has him, and he begins to toss his head upon it, she is immediately short-sighted, and labours to observe what he is at a distance with her eyes half shut. Thus the captive, that thought her first struck, is to make very near approaches, or be wholly disregarded. This artifice has done more execution than all the ogling of the rest of the women here, with the utmost variety of half glances, attentive heedlessnesses, childish inadvertencies, haughty contempts, or artificial oversights. After I have said thus much of ladies among us, who fight thus regularly, I am to complain to you of a set of familiar romps, who have broken through all common rules, and have thought of a very effectual way of showing more charms than all of us. These, Mr. Spectator, are the swingers. You are to know these careless pretty creatures are very innocents again; and it is to be no matter what they do; for it is all harmless freedom. They get on ropes, as you must have seen the children, and are swung by their men visitants. The jest is, that Mr. Sucha-one, can name the colour of Mrs. Such-a-one's stockings; and she tells him he is a lying thief, so he is, and full of roguery; and she'll lay a wager, and her sister shall tell the truth if he says right, that he can't tell what colour her garters are of. In this diversion there are very many pretty shrieks, not so much for fear of falling, as that their petticoats should untie: for there is a great care had to avoid improprieties; and the lover who swings the lady, is to tie her clothes