'fix Months Marriage to hear thee talk of Love, ' and paint the Country Scenes fo foftly, is a lit'tle extravagant; one would think you lived the

Lives of Sylvan Deities, or roved among the 'Walks of Paradife, like the first happy Pair. But pr'ythee leave thefe Whimfies, and come to Town in Order to live and talk like other Mortals. However, as I am extreamly interefted in your Reputation, I wou'd willingly give you a little good Advice at your first Appear⚫ance under the Character of a married Woman: ''Tis a little Infolence in me, perhaps, to ad'vife a Matron, but I am fo afraid you'll make fo filly a Figure as a fond Wife, that I cannot help warning you not to appear in any publick Places with your Husband, and never to faunter about St. James's Park together: If you pre'fume to enter the Ring at Hide-Park together, you are ruined for ever; nor muft you take the leaft Notice of one another at the Play-Houfe or Opera, unless you would be laughed at for a very loving Couple moft happily paired in the Yoke of Wedlock. I would recommend the Example of an Acquaintance of ours, to your 'Imitation; he is the most negligent and fashion⚫able Wife in the World; he is hardly ever feen in the fame Place with her Husband, and if they · happen to meet you would think them perfect Strangers: She never was heard to name him in his Abfence, and takes Care he fhall never be the Subject of any Difcourfe that the has a Share in. I hope you'll propofe this Lady as a Pattern, tho' I am very much afraid you'll be fo filly to think Porcia, &c. Sabine and Roman Wives, much brighter Examples. I with it may never come into your Head to imitate thofe an tiquated Creatures fo far, as to come into publick in the Habit as well as Air of a Roman 'Matron.

B 3

1

• Matron. You make already the Entertainment · at Mrs. Modifb's Tea-Table; the fays the always thought you a difcreet Perfon, and quali'fied to manage a Family with admirable Prudence; the dies to fee what demure and serious • Airs Wedlock has given you, but the fays fhe 'fhall never forgive your Choice of fo gallant a 'Man as Bellamour to transform him into a meer fober Husband; 'twas unpardonable: You fee, my Dear, we all envy your Happiness, and no < Perfon more than

Your humble Servant,

Lydia.

•BE not in Pain, good Madam, for my Ap

pearance in Town; I fhall frequent no pub

lick Places, or make any Vifits where the Cha*racter of a modest Wife is ridiculous: As for your wild Rallery on Matrimony, 'tis all Hypocrifie; you, and all the handfome young Women of your Acquaintance, fhew your felves to no other Purpose than to gain a Conqueftover fome Man of Worth, in order to beftow your Charms and Fortune on him. There's no Indecency in the Confeffion, the Defign is • modeft and honourable, and all your Affectation can't difguife it.

'I am married, and have no other Concern but to please the Man I love; he's the End of • every Care I have; if I drefs 'tis for him, if I read " a Poem or a Play 'tis to qualifie my self for a Converfation agreeable to his Tafte: He's almoft the End of my Devotions; half my Pray· ers are for his Happiness I love to talk of • him, and never hear him named but with Plea• fure and Emotion. I am your Friend, and wish ⚫ you Happiness, but am forry to fee by the Air of

'your

your Letter that there are a fort of Women who are got into the Common-Place Rallery of every Thing that is fober, decent, and proper: Matrimony and the Clergy are the Topicks of People of little Wit and no Underftanding. I own to you, I have learned of the Vicar's Wife all you tax me with: She is a difcreet, ingenious, pleasant, pious Woman; I with the had the handling of you and Mrs. Modifh; you would find, if you were too free with her, fhe would foon make you as charming as ever you were, he would make you blush as much as if you never had been fine Ladies. The Vicar, Madam, is fo kind as to vifit my Husband, and his agreeable Converfation has brought him to enjoy many fober happy Hours when even I am fhut out, and my dear Mafter is entertained only with his own Thoughts. Thefe Things, dear Madam, will be lafting Satisfactions, when the fine Ladies and the Coxcombs by whom they form themfelves are irreparably ridiculous, ridiculous in old Age. I am,

Madam, Your most humble Servant,
Mary Home.

Dear Mr. SPECTATOR,

YOU have no Goodness in the World, and are not in Earnest in any Thing you fay that is ferious, if you do not fend me a plain "Answer to this: I happened fome Days paft to be at the Play, where, during the time of Perfor 'mance, I cou'd not keep my Eyes off from a beautiful young Creature who fat juft before me, and who I have been fince informed has no Fortune. It would utterly ruin my Reputation ⚫ for Difcretion to marry fuch a one, and by

< what

what I can learn fhe has a Character of great Modefty, fo that there is nothing to be thought on any other Way. My Mind has ever fince 'been fo wholly bent on her, that I am much in 'Danger of doing fome thing very extravagant without your fpeedy Advice to,

SIR, Your most humble Servant.

I am forry I cannot answer this impatient Gentleman but by another Question.

Dear Correfpondent,

W

OULD you marry to please other People, or your felf.

N° 255. Saturday, December 22.

T

Laudis amore tumes? funt certa piacula quæ te Ter pure lecto poterunt recreare libello. Hor. THE Soul, confidered abftractedly from its Paf

fions, is of a remifs and fedentary Nature, flow in its Refolves, and languishing in its Executions. The Ufe therefore of the Paffions is to ftir it up, and put it upon Action, to awaken the Understanding, to enforce the Will, and to make the whole Man more vigorous and attentive in the Profecution of his Defigns. As this is the End of the Paffions in general, fo it is particularly of Ambition, which pushes the Soul to fuch Actions as are apt to procure Honour and Renutation to the A&tor. But if we carry our Reflectons higher, we may difcover further Ends of Providence in implanting this Paffion in Mankind..

IT was neceffary for the World, that Arts fhould be invented and improved, Books written and tranfmitted to Pofterity, Nations conquered and civilized: Now fince the proper and genuine Motives to thefe and the like great Actions, would only influence virtuous Minds; there would be

but

but fmall Improvements in the World, were there not fome common Principle of Action working equally with all Men. And fuch a Principle is Ambition, or a Defire of Fame, by which great Endowments are not fuffered to lye idle and ufelefs to the Publick, and many vicious Men overreached, as it were, and engaged contrary to their natural Inclinations in a glorious and laudable Courfe of Action. For we may further observe, that Men of the greatest Abilities are moft fired with Ambition: And that, on the contrary, mean and narrow Minds are the least actuated by it; whether it be that a Man's Senfe of his own Incapacities makes him despair of coming at Fame, or that he has not Range of Thought enough to look out for any Good which does not more immediately relate to his Intereft or Convenience, or that Providence, in the very Frame of his Soul, would not fubje&t him to fuch a Paffion as would be useless to the World, and a Torment to himfelf.

WERE not this Defire of Fame very ftrong, the Difficulty of obtaining it, and the Danger of lofing it when obtained, would be fufficient to deter a Man from fo vain a Purfuit.

How few are there who are furnished with Abilities fufficient to recommend their Actions to the Admiration of the World, and to diftinguish themselves from the reft of Mankind? Providence for the most part fets us upon a Level, and obferves a kind of Proportion in its Difpenfations towards us. If it renders us perfect in one Accomplishment, it generally leaves us defective in another, and feems careful rather of preferving every Perfon from being mean and deficient in his Qualifications, than of making any fingle one eminent or extraordinary.

AND