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N° 187

Thursday, October 4, 1711.

Miferi quitus

Intentata nites

I

Hor. Od. v. 12.

"Ah wretched they! whom Pyrrha's fmile "And anfufpected arts beguile!"

T

DUNCOMBE.

HE intelligence given by this correfpondent is fo important and ufeful, in order to avoid the perfons he speaks of, that I fhall infert his letter at length.

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• Mr. SPECTATOR,

Do not know that you have ever touched upon a

Jilts. You cannot poffibly go upon a more useful work, 'than the confideration of thefe dangerous animals. 'The Coquette is indeed one degree towards the Jilt; 'but the heart of the former is bent upon admiring her 'felf, and giving falfe hopes to her lovers; but the latter ' is not contented to be extremely amiable, but she must ' add to that advantage a certain delight in being a tor" ment to others. Thus when her lover is in the full expectation of fuccefs, the Jilt fhall meet him with a fud'den indifference, and admiration in her face at his being furprised that he is received like a ftranger, and a 'caft of her head another way with a pleasant fcorn of 'the fellow's infolence. It is very probable the lover goes home utterly aftonished and dejected, fits down to his fcrutoire, fends her word in the most abject terms, 'That he knows not what he has done, that all which " was defirable in this life is fo fuddenly vanished from him, that the charmer of his foul fhould withdraw the vital heat from the heart which pants for her. He 'continues a mournful abfence for fome time, pining in * fecret, and out of humour with all things which he

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" meets

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meets with. At length he takes a refolution to try his fate, and explain with her resolutely upon her unaccountable carriage. He walks up to her apartment, ⚫ with a thousand inquietudes and doubts in what manner he shall meet the first caft of her eye; when upon his first appearance fhe flies towards him, wonders where ◄ he has been, accufes him of his absence, and treats him with a familiarity as furprising as her former coldness. This good correfpondence continues until the lady obferves the lover grows happy in it, and then she interrupts it with fome new inconfiftency of behaviour. For (as I juft now faid) the happinefs of a Jilt confifts only. in the power of making others uneafy. But fuch is the folly of this fect of women, that they carry on this pretty skittish behaviour, until they have no charms left to render it fupportable. Corinna, that used to torment all who converfed with her with falfe glances, and little heedlefs unguarded motions, that were, to betray fome inclination towards the man fhe would infnare, finds at prefent all the attempts that way un• regarded; and is obliged to indulge the Jilt in her conftitution, by laying artificial plots, writing perplexing letters from unknown hands, and making all the young fellows in love with her, until they find out who he is. Thus, as before fhe gave torment, by difguifing her inclination, fhe now is obliged to do it by hiding her perfon.

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As for my own part, Mr. SPECTATOR, it has been my unhappy fate to be jilted from my youth upward; and as my tafte has been very much towards intrigue, and having intelligence with women of wit, my whole life has paffed away in a series of impofitions. I fhall, for the benefit of the prefent race of young men, give ⚫ fome account of my loves. I know not whether you have ever heard of the famous girl about town called KITTY. This creature (for I must take fhame upon myfelf) was my miftrefs in the days when keeping was in fafhion. Kitty, under the appearance of being wild, thoughtlefs, and irregular in all her words and actions, concealed the moft accomplished jilt of her time. Her negligence had to me a charm in it like that of chastity, and want of defires feemed as great

a merit

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a merit as the conqueft of them. The air fhe gave ⚫ herself was that of a romping girl, and whenever I 'talked to her with any turn of fondness, the would ⚫ immediately fnatch off my periwig, try it upon her• felf in the glass, clap her arms a-kimbow, draw my fword, and make paffes on the wall, take off my cravat, and feize it to make some other use of the lace, or run into fome other unaccountable rompifhness, ' until the time I had appointed to pafs away with her < was over. I went from her full of pleasure at the reflection that I had the keeping of fo much beauty in a woman, who, as fhe was too heedlefs to please me, was alfo too unattentive to form a defign to wrong + me. Long did I divert every hour that hung heavy upon me in the company of this creature, whom I looked upon as neither guilty nor innocent, but could laugh at myself for my unaccountable pleasure in an expence upon her, until in the end it appeared my. pretty infenfible was with child by my footman.

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This accident roufed me into a difdain against all ⚫ libertine women, under what appearance foever they ⚫ hid their infincerity, and I refolved after that time to • converse with none but thofe who lived within the * rules of decency and honour. To this end I formed myfelf into a more regular turn of behaviour, and began to make vifits, frequent affemblies, and lead ⚫ out ladies from the theatres, with all the other infig⚫nificant duties which the profeffed fervants of the fair ⚫ place themselves in conftant readiness to perform. In a very little time, (having a plentiful fortune) fathers and mothers began to regard me as a good ' match, and I found eafy admittance into the best fa'milies in town to obferve their daughters; but I, who was born to follow the fair to no purpose, have by the force of my ill ftars made my application to ⚫ three Jilts fucceffively.

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HYÆNA is one of those who form themselves into a melancholy and indolent air, and endeavour to gain admirers from their inattention to all around them. Hyæna can loll in her coach, with fomething fo fixed in her countenance, that it is impoffible to conceive <her meditation is employed only on her drefs and her

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⚫ charms.

charms in that pofture. If it were not too coarse a fimile, I should fay, Hyæna, in the figure fhe affects to appear in, is a fpider in the midst of a cobweb, that is fure to deftroy every fly that approaches it. The net Hyæna throws is fo fine, that you are taken in it before you can obferve any part of her work. I attempted her for a long and weary feafon, but I found her paffion went no farther than to be admired; and fhe is of that unreafonable temper, as not to value the inconftancy of her lovers, provided she can boast fhe once had their addreffes.

BIBLIS was the fecond I aimed at, and her vanity lay in purchafing the adorers of others, and not in rejoicing in their love itself. Biblis is no man's mistress, but every woman's rival. As foon as I found this, I fell in love with CHLOE, who is my prefent pleasure • and torment. I have writ to her, danced with her, • and fought for her, and have been her man in the fight and expectation of the whole town these three years, and thought myself near the end of my wishes; when the other day the called me into her closet, and told me, with a very grave face, that she was a woman of honour, and scorned to deceive a man who loved her with fo much fincerity as fhe faw I did, and therefore fhe muft inform me that he was by nature the most inconftant creature breathing, and begged of me not to marry her: if I infifted upon it, I fhould; but that fhe was lately fallen in love with another. What to do or fay I know not, but defire you to inform me, and you will infinitely oblige,

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Sir, your moft humble fervant,
CHARLES YELLOW.'

ADVERTISEMENT.

Mr. Sly, haberdasher of hats, at the corner of Devereux-court in the Strand, gives notice, That he has prepared very neat hats, rubbers, and brushes for the ufe of young tradefmen in the laft year of apprenticefhip, at reafonable rates.

** By STEELE.

T*

+++ Laft night died of a mortification in his leg, after a long time enduring the fame, JOHN SLY, the late famous haberdasher, fo often mentioned in the SPECTATOR. Lon. Even. Poft, Sat. April 12, to Tuefd. April 15, 1729.

Friday,

N° 188

Friday, October 5, 1711.

Latus fum laudari à te laudato viro.

Tull.

"It gives me pleasure to be praised by you, whom all "men praife."

E is a very unhappy man who fets his heart upon

H being admired by the multitude, or affects a ge

neral and undiftinguishing applaufe amɔng men. What pious men call the teftimony of a good confcience, fhould be the measure of our ambition in this kind; that is to fay, a man of spirit should contemn the praise of the ignorant, and like being applauded for nothing but what he knows in his own heart he deferves. Befides which the character of the perfon who commends you is to be confidered, before you fet a value upon his efteem. The praife of an ignorant man is only goodwill, and you should receive his kindness as he is a good neighbour in fociety, and not as a good judge of your actions in point of fame and reputation. The Satirist faid very well of popular praife and acclamations, "Give the tinkers and coblers their prefents again, "and learn to live of yourself." It is an argument of a loose and ungoverned mind to be affected with the promifcuous approbation of the generality of mankind; and a man of virtue should be too delicate for fo coarse an appetite of fame. Men of honour should endeavour only to please the worthy, and the man of merit fhould defire to be tried only by his peers. I thought it a noble fentiment which I heard yesterday uttered in converfation; "I know, faid a gentleman, a way to be greater than any man. If he has worth in him, I can rejoice in his fuperiority to me; and that fatif"faction is a greater act of the foul in me, than any in him which can poffibly appear to me." This

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Tollat fua munera cerdo :

Tecum babita.

E. 5

Perf. Sat. iv. fect. 51. thought

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