PROTONIANZEE

No 536. Friday, November 14.

Q vere Phrygiæ neque enim Phryges!·

A

Virg.

S I was the other Day standing in my Bookfeller's Shop, a pretty young Thing, about Eighteen Years of Age, ftept out of her Coach, and brushing by me, beck'ned the Man of the Shop to the further end of his Counter, where the whispered fomething to him with an attentive Look, and at the fame time presented him with a Letter: After which, preffing the End of her Fan upon his Hand, the delive red the remaining part of her Meffage, and withdrew. I obferved in the midst of her Discourse, that fhe flushed, and caft an Eye upon me over her Shoulder, having been informed by my Bookfeller, that I was the Man of the short Face whom fhe had fo often read of. Upon her paffing by me, the pretty blooming Creature fmiled in my Face,

and

and dropped me a Curtfy. She scarce gave me time to return her Salute, before the quitted the Shop with an eafy Skuttle, and stepped again into her Coach, giving the Footman Directions to drive where they were bid. Upon her De parture, my Bookfeller gave me a Let ter, fuperfcribed, To the ingenious Spectator, which the young Lady had defired him to deliver into my own Hands, and to tell me, that the speedy Publication of it would not only oblige her felf but a whole Tea-Table of my Friends. I opened it therefore, with a Refolu tion to publish it, whatever it fhould contain, and am fure, if any of my Male Readers will be fo feverely critical as not to like it, they would have been as well pleased with it as my felf, had they seen the Face of the pretty Scribe.

Mr. SPECTATor,

Lond. Nov. 1712. You OU are always ready to receive any useful Hint or Propofal, and 'fuch, I believe, you will think one that may put you in a way to employ the most idle part of the Kingdom; I mean that part of Mankind who are known by the Name of the Wo

mens

mens-Men or Beaus, &c. Mr. SPECTATOR, you are fenfible these pretty • Gentlemen are not made for any manly Employments, and for want of Bufinefs are often as much in the Vapours as the Ladies. Now what I propofe is this, fince knotting is again in Fashion, which has been found a very pretty Amusement, that you 'would recommend it to these Gentlemen as fomething that may make them useful to the Ladies they admire. And fince 'tis not inconfiftent ' with any Game, or other Diversion, for it may be done in the Play-house, in their Coaches, at the Tea-Table, C and, in fhort, in all Places where they come for the fake of the Ladies (except at Church, be pleased to forbid it there, to prevent Mistakes) it will be eafily complied with. 'Tis befide C an Imployment that allows, as we fee by the Fair Sex, of many Graces, which will make the Beaus more readily come into it; it fhews a white 'Hand and a Diamond Ring to great advantage; it leaves the Eyes at full liberty to be employed as before, as alfo the Thoughts, and the Tongue. In short, it seems in every refpect fo proper,

proper, that 'tis needlefs to urge it further, by fpeaking of the Satisfaction these Male-knotters will find, when they see their Work mixed up in a Fringe, and worn by the fair Lady for whom and with whom it was done. Truly, Mr. SPECTATOR, I cannot but be pleased I have hit upon fomething that these Gentlemen are capable of; for it is fad fo confiderable a part of the Kingdom (I mean for Numbers) fhould be of no manner of use. I fhall not trouble you farther at this time, but only to fay, that I am always your Reader, and generally your Admirer,

C. B.

P.S. THE fooner thefe fine Gentlemen are fet to Work the better there being at this time several fine Fringes that ftay only for more • Hands.

I fhall, in the next place, prefent my Reader with the Defcription of a Set of Men who are common enough in the World, though I do not remember that I have yet taken notice of them, as they are drawn in the following Letter.

Mr.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

SINCE you have lately, to fo good purpose, enlarged upon Conjugal Love, it's to be hoped you'll difcourage every Practice that rather proceeds from a regard to Intereft, than to Happiness. Now you cannot but obferve, that most of our fine young Ladies readily fall in with the Dire ction of the graver fort, to retain in their Service, by fome fmall Encouragement, as great a Number as they can of fupernumerary and infignificant Fellows, which they ufe like Whifflers, and commonly call Shoeing-Horns. These are never defigned to know the length of the Foot, but only, when a good Offer comes, to whet and C fpur him up to the Point. Nay, 'tis the Opinion of that grave Lady, Madam Matchwell, that it's abfolutely convenient for every prudent Family to have several of thefe Implements about the House, to clap on as occafion ferves, and that every Spark ought to produce a Certificate of his being a Shoeing-Horn, before he be admitmitted as a Shoe. A certain Lady, whom I could name, if it was necef

fary,