may poffibly be, and no great compliment, in my opinion, even fuppofing your comparison to reach Tom's and the Grecian: Surely you are too wife to think That a real commendation of a woman. Were it not rather to be wifhed we improved in our own sphere, and approved ourselves better daughters, wives, mothers, and friends?

I can't but agree with the judicious trader in Cheapfide, (though I am not at all prejudiced in his favour) in recommending the ftudy of arithmetick; and muft dif⚫ fent even from the authority which you mention, when it advises the making our fex scholars. Indeed a little more philosophy, in order to the fubduing our paffions to our reafon, might be fometimes ferviceable, and a treatife of that nature I fhall approve of, even in exchange for Theodofius, or The Force of Lone; but as I • well know you want not hints, I will proceed no fur⚫ther then to recommend the Bishop of Cambray's educa⚫tion of a daughter, as 'tis tranflated into the only language I have any knowledge of, tho' perhaps very much to its difadvantage. I have heard it objected against that piece, that its inftructions are not of general ufe, but only fitted for a great lady; but I confess I am not of that opinion; for I don't remember that there are any rules laid down for the expences of a woman, in which particular only I think a gentlewoman ought to differ from a lady of the best fortune, or highest quality, and not in their principles of juftice, gratitude, fincerity, prudence, or modefty. I ought ⚫ perhaps to make an apology for this long epiftle; but as I rather believe you a friend to fincerity, than cere mony, fhall only affure you I am, SIR,

T

I

Your most humble fervant,

ANABELLA.

Wednesday,

@@16®°D

N° 96 Wednesday, June 20.

- Amicum

Mancipium domino, & frugi

Hor. Sat. 7. 1. 2. V. 3.
CREECH.

The faithful fervant, and the true.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

Have frequently read your difcourfe upon fervants, and, as I am one myself, have been much offended, that in that variety of forms wherein you confider'd the bad, you found no place to mention the good. There is however one obfervation of yours I approve, which is, That there are men of wit and good fenfe among all orders of men, and that fervants report moft of the good or ill which is spoken of their mafters. That there are men of fenfe who live in fervitude, I have the vanity to fay I have felt to my woful experience. You attribute very jully the fource of our general iniquity to board-wages, and the manner of living out of a domeftick way: But I cannot give you my thoughts on this fubject any way fo well, as by a fhort account of my own life to this the forty• fifth year of my age; that is to fay, from my being firft a footboy at fourteen, to my prefent ftation of a nobleman's porter in the year of my age above• mentioned.

Know then, that my father was a poor tenant to the family of Sir Stephen Rackrent. Sir Stephen put me to fchool, or rather made me follow his fon Harry to fchool, from my ninth year; and there, tho' Sir Ste-phen paid fomething for my learning, I was ufed like a fervant, and was forced to get what fcraps of learning I could by my own induftry, for the fchoolmafter took very little notice of me. My young mafter was a lad of very fprightly parts; and my being conftantly about him, and loving him, was no small advantage to

.

me

4

me. My mafter lov'd me extremely, and has often been whipp'd for not keeping me at a distance. He ufed always to fay, That when he came to his estate I fhould have a leafe of my father's tenement for nothing. I came up to town with him to Westminsterfchool; at which time he taught me at night all he learnt; and put me to find out words in the dictionary when he was about his exercife. It was the will of Providence that mafter Harry was taken very ill of a fever, of which he died within ten days after his firft falling fick. Here was the firft forrow I ever knew; and I affure you, Mr. SPECTATOR, I remember the beautiful action of the fweet youth in his fever, as fresh as if it were yesterday. If he wanted any thing, it must be given him by Tom: When I let any thing fall, through the grief I was under, he would cry, Donot beat the poor boy: Give him fome more julep for me, no body elfe fhall give it me. He would ftrive to hide his being fo bad, when he faw I could not bear his being in fo much danger, and comforted me, faying, Tom, Tom, have a good heart. When I was holding a cup at his mouth, he fell into convulfions; and at this very time I hear my dear master's laft groan. I was quickly turned out of the room, left to fob and beat my head against the wall at my leifure. The grief I was in was inexpreffible; and every body thought it would have coft me my life. In a few days my old lady, who was one of the housewifes of the world, thought of turning me out of doors, becaufe I put her in mind of her fon. Sir Stephen propofed putting me to prentice; but my lady being an excellent manager, would not let her husband throw away his money in acts of charity. I had fenfe enough to be under the utmoft indignation, to fee her ⚫ difcard with fo little concern, one her fon had loved fo ⚫ much; and went out of the house to ramble wherever my feet would carry me.

and

The third day after I left Sir Stephen's family, I was ftrolling up and down the walks in the Temple. A young gentleman of the houfe, who (as I heard him fay afterwards) feeing me half-ftarved and welldreffed, thought me an equipageready to his hand,

• after

after very little enquiry more than Did I want I mafter? bid me follow him; I did fo, and in a very little while thought myself the happieft creature in this world. My time was taken up in carrying letters to wenches, or meffages to young ladies of my mafter's, acquaintance. We rambled from tavern to tavern, to the playhoufe, the mulberry-garden, and all places of refort; where my mafter engaged every night in forme new amour, in which and drinking he spent all his time when he had money. During thefe extravagancies I had the pleasure of lying on the ftairs of a tavern half a night, playing at dice with other fervants, and the like idleneffes. When my mafter was moneylefs, I was generally employ'd in tranfcribing amorous pieces of poetry, old fongs, and new lampoons. This life held till my mafter married, and he had then the prudence to turn me off, because I was in the fecret of his intrigues.

I was utterly at a loss what courfe to take next; when at laft I applied myfelf to a fellow-fufferer, one of his miftreffes, a woman of the town. She happening at that time to be pretty full of money, clothed me from head to foot; and knowing me to be a fharp fellow, employed me accordingly. Sometimes I was to go abroad with her, and when the had pitched upon a young fellow, the thought for her turn, I was to be dropped as one she could not truft. She would often cheapen goods at the New Exchange; and when the had a mind to be attacked, fhe would fend me away on an errand. When an humble fervant and the were beginning a parley, I came immediately, and told her Sir John was come home; then the would order another coach to prevent being dogged. The lover makes figns to me as I get behind the coach, I fhake my head it was impoffible: I leave my lady at the next turning, and follow the cully to know how to fall in his way on another occafion. Befides good offices of this nature, I writ all my miftrefes's love-letters; fome from a lady that faw fuch a gentleman at fuch a place in fuch a coloured coat, fome fhewing the terror the was in of a jealeas old hufband, others explaining that the severity of her parents was such (tho' her fortune

was

was fettled) that she was willing to run away with fuch a one, tho' fhe knew he was but a younger brother. In a word, my half education and love of idle books, ⚫ made me outwrite all that made love to her by way of epiftle; and as fhe was extremely cunning, fhe did well enough in company by a skilful affectation of the greatest modesty. In the midst of all this I was furprised with a letter from her and a ten pound note.

Honeft Tom,

Yo

YOU will never fee me more. I am married to a very cunning country gentleman, who "might poffibly guefs fomething if I kept you still; "therefore farewel."

When this place was loft alfo in marriage, I was ⚫ refolved to go among quite another people, for the fit· ture; and got in butler to one of those families where there is a coach kept, three or four fervants, a clean ⚫ houfe, and good general outfide upon a fmall estate. Here I lived very comfortably for fome time, till I unfortunately found my mafter, the very gravest man alive, in the garret with the chambermaid. I knew the world too well to think of staying there; and the next day pretended to have received a letter out of the country that my father was dying, and got my difcharge with a bounty for my difcretion.

6

The next I lived with was a peevish fingle man, whom I stayed with for a year and a half. Moft part of the time I paffed very eafily; for when I began to know him, I minded no more than he meant what he faid; fo that one day in a good humour he faid I • was the best man he ever had, by my want of refpect to him.

Thefe, Sir, are the chief occurrences of my life, and I will not dwell upon very many other places I have been in, where I have been the ftrangeft fellow in the world, where no body in the world had fuch fervants as they, where fure they were the unluckiest people in the world in fervants, and fo forth. I mean by this representation, is, to fhew you that we • poor fervants are not (what you called us too generally)

All

'all