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which I have fo often mentioned in my papers. I laughed often at Sir Roger in my fleep, and was the more diverted with Will Honeycomb's galantries, (when we afterwards became acquainted) because I had forefeen his marriage with a farmer's daughter. The regret which arofe in my mind upon the death of my companions, my anxieties for the public, and the many calamities ftill fleeting before my eyes, made me repent my curiofity; when the magician entered the room, and awakened me by telling me (when it was too late) that he was juft going to begin.

N. B. I have only delivered the prophecy of that part of my life which is paft, it being inconvenient to divulge the fecond part until a more proper opportunity.

No 605. MONDAY, OCTOBER II.

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Exuerint fylveftrem animum; cultuque frequenti,
In quafcunque voces artes, haud tarda fequentur.
VIRG. Georg. ii. ver. 51.

They change their favage mind,
Their wildness lofe, and quitting nature's part,
Obey the rules and discipline of art. DRYDEN.
HAVING perufed the following letter, and find-

ing it to run upon the fubject of love, I referred it to the learned Cafuift, whom I have retained in my fervice for fpeculations of that, kind. He returned it to me the next morning with his report annexed to it, with both of which I thall here prefent my reader.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

FINDING that you have entertained an useful perfon in your fervice in quality of Love-Ca• fuift, I apply myself to you, under a very great difficulty,

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difficulty, that hath for fome months perplexed me. I have a couple of humble fervants, one of which I have no averfion to; the other I think of very kindly. The firft hath the reputation of a man of good fenfe, and is one of thofe people that your fex are apt to value. My fpark is reckoned a coxcomb among the men, but is a favourite of the ladies. If I marry the man of worth, as they call him, I fhall oblige my parents, ⚫ and improve my fortune; but with my dear beau • I promise myself happiness, although not a jointure. Now I would ask you, whether I should confent to lead my life with a man that I have ⚫ only no objection to, or with him against whom all objections to me appear frivolous. I am determined to follow the Cafuift's advice, and I dare fay he will not put me upon so serious a thing as ' matrimony contrary to my inclination.

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FANNY FICKLE,'

P. S. I forgot to tell you, that the pretty gentleman is the most complaifant creature in the world, and is always of my mind, but the other, forfooth, fancies he has as much wit as myfelf, flights my lap-dog, and hath the infolence to contradict me when he thinks I am not in the right. About half an hour ago, he maintained to my face, that a patch always implies a pimple.'

As I look upon it to be my duty rather to fide with the parents than the daughter, I fhall propose fome confiderations to my gentle querift, which may incline her to comply with thofe under whose direction fhe is: And at the fame time convince. her, that it is not impoffible but fhe may, in time, have a true affection for him who is at prefent in-: different to her; or, to ufe the old family maxim, that, If he marries firft, love will come after. VOL. VIII.

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The only objection that the feems to infinuate against the gentleman propofed to her, is want of complaifance, which, I perceive, fhe is very willing to return. Now, I can difcover from this very circumftance, that fhe and her lover, whatever they may think of it, are very good friends in their hearts. It is difficult to determine, whether love delights more in giving pleasure or pain. Let Miss Fickle afk her own heart, if the doth not take a secret pride in making this man of good fenfe look very filly. Hath the ever been better pleafed than when her behaviour hath made her lover ready to hang himself? Or doth fhe ever rejoice more than when fhe thinks fhe hath driven him to the very brink of a purling ftream? Let her confider, at the fame time, that it is not impoffible but her lover may have discovered her tricks, and hath a mind to give her as good as fhe brings. I remember a handfome young baggage that treated a hopeful Greek of my acquaintance, just come from Oxford, as if he had been a Barbarian. The first week, after he had fixed him, fhe took a pinch of fnuff out of his rival's box, and apparently touched the enemy's little finger. She became a profest eneny to the arts and sciences, and fearce ever wrote a letter to him without wilfully mifpelling his name. The young scholar, to be even with her, railed at coquettes as foon as he had got the word; and did not want parts to turn into ridicule her men of wit and pleasure of the town. After have irritated one another for the space of five months, fhe made an affignation with him fourscore miles from London. But as he was very well acquainted with her pranks, he took a journey the quite contrary way. Accord

ingly they met, quarrelled, and in a few days were married. Their former hoftilities are now the fubject of their mirth, being content at prefent with that part of love only, which beftows pleafure,

Women

Women who have been married fome time, not having it in their heads to draw after them a numerous train of followers, find their fatisfaction in the poffeffion of one man's heart. I know very well,

that Ladies in their bloom defire to be excufed in this particular. But when time hath worn out their natural vanity, and taught them difcretion, their fondness fettles on its proper object. And it is probable for this reafon, that among husbands, you will find more that are fond of women beyond their prime, than of those who are actually in the infolence of beauty. My reader will apply the fame. obfervation to the other fex.

I need not infift upon the neceffity of their purfuing one common intereft, and their united care for their children, but fhall only obferve, by theway, that married perfons are both more warm in their love, and more hearty in their hatred, than any others whatfoever. Mutual favours and obligations which may be fuppofed to be greater here than in any other ftate, naturally beget an intense affection in generous minds. As, on the contrary, perfons who have beftowed fuch favours have a particular bitterness in their refentments, when they think themselves ill treated by thofe of whom they have deferved fo much.

Befides, Mifs Fickle may confider, that as there are often many faults concealed before marriage, fo there are fometimes many virtues unobserved.

To this we may add the great efficacy of custom, and conftant converfation, to produce a mutual friendship and benevolence in two perfons. It is a nice reflexion, which I have heard a friend of mine make, that you may be fure a woman loves a man, when she uses his expreffions, tells his ftories, or imitates his manner. This gives a fecret delight; for imitation is a kind of artlefs flattery, and mightily favours the powerful principal of felf-love. It is certain, that married perfons, who are poffeffed

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of a mutual efteem, not only catch the air and talk from one another, but fall into the fame, traces of thinking and liking. Nay, fome have carried the remark fo far as to affert, that the features of a man and wife grow, in time, to refemble one another. Let my fair correfpondent therefore confider, that the gentleman recommended will have a good deal of her own face in two or three years; which the muft not expect from the beau, who is too full of his dear felf to copy after another. And I dare appeal to her own judgment, if that perfon will not be the handsomeft, that is the most like herfelf.

We have a remarkable inftance to our prefent purpose in the hiftory of King Edgar, which I fhall here relate, and leave it with my fair correfpondent to be applied to herfelf.

This great monarch, who is fo famous in British flory, fell in love, as he made his progrefs through his kingdom, with a certain Duke's daughter who lived near Winchester, and was the most celebrated beauty of the age. His importunities and the violence of his paffion were fo great, that the mother of the young Lady promised him to bring her daughter to his bed the next night, though in her heart fhe abhorred fo infamous an office. It was no fooner dark than the conveyed into his room a young maid of no disagreeable figure, who was one of her attendants, and did not want address to improve the opportunity for the advancement of her fortune. She made fo good ufe of her time, that when the offered to rife a little before day, the King could by no means think of parting with her. So that finding herfelf under a neceffity of difcovering who fhe was, fhe did it in fo handfome a manner, that his Majefty was exceeding gracious to her, and took her ever after under his protection: Infomuch that our chronicles tell us he carried her along with him, made her firft minister of ftate, and continued

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