being not a little shocked at the proceeding of a young widow that would not recede from her demands of pin-money, was so enraged at her mercenary temper, that he told her in great wrath, 'as much as she thought him her slave, he would show all the world he did not care a pin for her.' Upon which he flew out of the room, and never saw

her more.

Socrates, in Plato's 'Alcibiades,' says he was informed by one, who had travelled through Persia, that as he passed over a great tract of lands, and inquired what the name of the place was, they told him it was the Queen's Girdle; to which he adds, that another wide field, which lay by it, was called the Queen's Veil, and that in the same manner there was a large portion of ground set aside for every part of her majesty's dress. These lands might not be improperly called the Queen of Persia's Pin

money.

I remember my friend Sir Roger, who I dare say never read this passage in Plato, told me some time since, that upon his courting the perverse widow (of whom I have given an account in former papers) he had disposed of an hundred acres in a diamond ring, which he would have presented her with, had she thought fit to accept it; and that upon her wedding day she should have carried on her head fifty of the tallest oaks upon his estate. He further informed me that he would have given her a coalpit to keep her in clean linen, that he would have allowed her the profits of a windmill for her fans, and have presented her, once in three years, with the shearing of his sheep for her under-petticoats. To which the knight always adds, that though he did not care for 1 Sheep to keep her in under-petticoats' (folio).

6

fine clothes himself, there should not have been a woman in the country better dressed than my Lady Coverley. Sir Roger perhaps may in this, as well as in many other of his devices, appear something odd and singular; but if the humour of pin-money prevails, I think it would be very proper for every gentleman of an estate to mark out so many acres of it under the title of The Pins.

No. 296.

Friday, Feb. 8, 1712

L.

[STEELE.

Nugis addere pondus.—HOR., I Ep. xix. 42.

'DEAR SPEC.,

HA

AVING lately conversed much with the fair sex on the subject of your speculations (which, since their appearance in public, have been the chief exercise of the female loquacious faculty) I found the fair ones possessed with a dissatisfaction at you prefixing Greek mottoes to the frontispiece of your late papers; and, as a man of gallantry, I thought it a duty incumbent on me to impart it to you, in hopes of a reformation, which is only to be effected by a restoration of the Latin to the usual dignity in your papers, which of late the Greek, to the great displeasure of your female readers, has usurped; for though the Latin has the recommendation of being as unintelligible to them as the Greek, yet being written of the same character with their mother tongue, by the assistance of a spelling-book it is legible; which quality the Greek wants: and since the introduction of operas into this nation, the ladies are so charmed with sounds abstracted from their ideas, that they adore and honour the sound

of Latin as it is old Italian. I am a solicitor for the fair sex, and therefore think myself in that character more likely to be prevalent in this request, than if I should subscribe myself by my proper name. J. M.

'I desire you may insert this in one of your speculations, to show my zeal for removing the dissatisfaction of the fair sex, and restoring you to their favour.'

'I was some time since in company with a young officer, who entertained us with the conquest he had made over a female neighbour of his; when a gentleman who stood by, as, I suppose, envying the captain's good fortune, asked him what reason he had to believe the lady admired him? "Why," says he, "my lodgings are opposite to hers, and she is continually at her window either at work, reading, taking snuff, or putting herself in some toying posture on purpose to draw my eyes that way. The confession of this vain soldier made me reflect on some of my own actions; for you must know, sir, I am often at a window which fronts the apartments of several gentlemen, who I doubt not have the same opinion of me. I must own I love to look at them all, one for being well dressed, a second for his fine eye, and one particular one because he is the least man I ever saw; but there is something so easy and pleasant in the manner of my little man, that I observe he is a favourite of all his acquaintance. I could go on to tell you of many others that I believe think I have encouraged them from my window:

but pray let me have your opinion of the use of the window in a beautiful lady; and how often she may look out at the same man, without being supposed to have a mind to jump out to him.

Yours,

AURELIA CARELESS.'

Twice.

'Mr. SPECTATOR,

'I HAVE for some time made love to a lady, who received it with all the kind returns I ought to expect. But without any provocation that I know of, she has of late shunned me with the utmost abhorrence, insomuch that she went out of church last Sunday in the midst of divine service, upon my coming into the same pew. Pray, sir, what must I do in this business? Your Servant,

Let her alone ten days.

EUPHUES.'

'Mr. SPECTATOR,

YORK,

January the 20th, 1711-12.

WE have in this town a sort of people who pretend to wit and write lampoons: I have lately been the subject of one of them. The scribbler had not genius enough in verse to turn my age, as indeed I am an old maid, into raillery, for affecting a youthier turn than is consistent with my time of day; and therefore he makes the title to his madrigal, “The Character of Mrs. Judith Lovebane, born in the year 1680." What I desire of you is, that you disallow that a coxcomb who pretends to write verse, should put the most malicious thing he can say in prose. This I humbly conceive will dis

able our country wits, who indeed take a great deal of pains to say anything in rhyme, though they say it very ill. I am, SIR,

Your humble Servant,

'Mr. SPECTATOR,

SUSANNA LOVEBANE.'

'WE are several of us, gentlemen and ladies, who board in the same house, and after dinner one of our company (an agreeable man enough otherwise) stands up and reads your paper to us all. We are the civillest people in the world to one another, and therefore I am forced to this way of desiring our reader, when he is doing this office, not to stand afore the fire. This will be a general good to our family this cold weather. He will, I know, take it to be our common request when he comes to these words, "Pray, sir, sit down"; which I desire you to insert, and you will particularly oblige, Your daily Reader,

'SIR,

CHARITY FROST.'

AM a great lover of dancing, but cannot perform so well as some others. However, by my out-of-the-way capers, and some original grimaces, I don't fail to divert the company, particularly the ladies, who laugh immoderately all the time. Some, who pretend to be my friends, tell me they do it in derision, and would advise me to leave it off, withal that I make myself ridiculous. I don't know what to do in this affair, but am resolved not to give over upon any account till I have the opinion of the Spectator.

Your humble Servant,

JOHN TROTT.'