€ never been at any fuch place before, I was very much pleafed and furprifed with that part of his entertainment which he called French Dancing. There were feveral young men and women, whofe limbs feemed to have no other motion, but purely what the music gave them. After this part was over, they began a diverfion which they call Country-Dancing, and wherein there were alfo fome things not difagreeable, and divers Emblematical Figures, compofed, as I guess, by wife men, for the inftruction of youth. #

• Among the reft, I observed one, which, I think, they call Hunt the Squirrel, in which while the woman flies the man purfues her, but as foon as the turns, he runs away, and the is obliged to follow.

The moral of this dance does, I think, very aptly recommend modefty and difcretion to the female fex.

But as the best inftitutions are liable to corruptions, fo, Sir, I must acquaint you, that very great abuses are · crept into this entertainment. I was amazed to fee < my girl handed by, and handing, young fellows with fo

much familiarity; and I could not have thought it had been in the child. They very often made ufe of a most • impudent and lafcivious step called Setting, which I know not how to defcribe to you, but by telling you that it is the very reverse of back to back. At laft an impudent young dog bid the fiddlers play a dance called • Mol. Pately, and after having made two or three capers, ran to his partner, locked his arms in hers, and whisked her round cleverly above ground in fuch a manner, that I, who fat upon one of the loweft benches, faw further above her fhoe than I can think fit to acquaint you with. I could no longer endure thefe enormities; wherefore, juft as my girl was going to be made a whirligig, I ran in, feized on the child, and carried her

home.

Sir, I am not yet old enough to be a fool. I fuppofe this diverfion might be at first invented to keep up a good understanding between young men and women, and fo far I am not against it; but I fhall never allow

• of

of these things. I know not what you will fay to this cafe at present, but am fure that, had you been with me, you would have feen matter of great fpeculation.

• I am

• Yours, &c.'

I must confefs I am afraid that my correfpondent had too much reafon to be a little out of humour at the treatment of his daughter; but I conclude that he would have been much more fo, had he feen one of those kiffing dances in which Will. Honeycomb affures me they are obliged to dwell almost a minute on the fair one's lips, or they will be too quick for the mufic, and dance quite out of time.

I am not able however to give my final fentence against this diverfion; and am of Mr. Cowley's opinion, that fo much of dancing, at leaft, as belongs to the behaviour and an handfome carriage of the body, is extremely ufeful, if not abfolutely neceffary.

We generally form fuch ideas of people at first fight, as we are hardly ever perfuaded to lay afide afterwards: for this reason, a man would wish to have nothing difagreeable or uncomely in his approaches, and to be able to enter a room with a good grace.

I might add, that a moderate knowledge in the little rules of good-breeding gives a man fome affurance, and makes him cafy in all companies. For want of this, I have feen a profeffor of a liberal fcience at a lofs to falute a lady; and a moft excellent mathematician not able to determine whether he fhould ftand or fit while my lord drank to him.

It is the proper bufinefs of a dancing-mafter to regulate thefe matters; though I take it to be a juft obfervation, that unless you add fomething of your own to what these fine gentlemen teach you, and which they are wholly ignorant of themfelves you will much fooner get the character of an affected fop, than of a well-bred man.

As for Country-Dancing, it must indeed be confeffed

that

that the great familiarities between the two fexes on this occafion may fometimes produce very dangerous confequences; and I have often thought that few ladies hearts are so obdurate as not to be melted by the charms of mufic, the force of motion, and an handfome young fellow who is continually playing before their eyes, and convinc. ing them that he has the perfect ufe of all his limbs.

But as this kind of dance is the particular invention of our own country, and as every one is more or less a proficient in it, I would not difcountenance it; but rather fuppofe it may be practifed innocently by others, as well as myfelf, who am often partner to my landlady's eldest daughter.

POSTSCRIPT.

Having heard a good character of the collection of pictures which is to be exposed to fale on Friday next; and concluding from the following letter, that the perfon who collected them is a man of no unelegant tafte, I will be so much his friend as to publifh it, provided the reader will only look upon it as filling up the place of an advertifement.

From the Three Chairs in the Piazza, Covent-Garden. May 16, 1711.

Sir,

AS you are a Spectator, I think we, who make it our business to exhibit any thing to public view, ought to apply ourselves to you for your approbation. I have travelled Europe, to furnish out a fhow for you, and have brought with me what has been admired in every country through which I paffed. You have declared in many papers, that your greatest delights are thofe of the eye, which I do not doubt but I shall gratify with as beautiful objects as yours ever beheld. If cattles, forefts, ruins, fine women, and graceful men, can please you, I dare promife you much fatisfaction, if you will appear at my auction on Friday next. fight is, I fuppofe, as grateful to a Spectator, as a treat

A

to

to another perfon, and therefore I hope you will pardon this invitation from,

ONE would think that the larger the company is

in which we are engaged, the greater variety of thoughts and fubjects would be ftarted in dicourfe; but, inftead of this, we find that converfation is never fo much trained and confined as in numerous affemblies. When a multitude meet together upon any fubject of dif courfe, their debates are taken up chiefly with forms and general pofitions: nay, if we come into a more contracted affembly of men and women, the talk generally runs upon the weather, fashions, news, and the like public topics. In proportion as converfation gets into clubs and knots of friends, it defcends into particulars, and grows more free and communicative: but the moft open, inftructive, and unreferved difcourfe, is that which paffes between two perfons who are familiar and intimate friends. On these occafions, a man gives a loofe to every paffion and every thought that is uppermoft, difcovers his moft retired opinions of perfons and things, tries the beauty and ftrength of his fentiments, and expofes his whole foul to the examination of his friend.

Tully was the first who obferved, that friendship improves happinefs and abates mifery, by the doubling of our joy and dividing of our grief; a thought in which he hath been followed by all the effayers upon friendship, that have written fince his time. Sir Francis Bacon has

finely defcribed other advantages, or, as he calls them, fruits of friendship; and indeed there is no fubject of morality which has been better handled and more exhausted than this. Among the feveral fine things which have been spoken of it, I fhall beg leave to quote fome out of a very ancient author, whofe book would be regarded by our modern wits as one of the most shining tracts of morality that is extant, if it appeared under the name of a Confucius, or of any celebrated Grecian philofopher: I mean the little apocryphal treatise entitled, The wisdom of the Son of Sirach. How finely has he defcribed the art of making friends, by an obliging and affable behaviour; and laid down that precept which a late excellent author has delivered as his own, That we fhould have many well-wishers, but few friends?' Sweet language will multiply friends; and a fair-speaking tongue will increase kind greetings. Be in peace with many, nevertheless have but one counfeller of a thoufand. With what prudence does he caution us in the choice of our friends; and with what strokes of nature, I could almoft fay of humour, has he defcribed the behaviour of a treacherous and self-interested friend? If

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6

If

thou wouldst get a friend, prove him firft, and be not hafty to credit him: for fome man is a friend for his own • occafion, and will not abide in the day of thy trouble. And there is a friend, who being turned to enmity and ⚫ftrife will discover thy reproach. Again, Some friend is a companion at the table, and will not continue in the day of thy affliction: but in thy prosperity he will be as thyfelf, and will be bold over thy fervants. thou be brought low he will be against thee, and hide himself from thy face.' What can be more strong and pointed than the following verfe? Separate thyfelf from thine enemies, and take heed of thy friends.' In the next words he particularizes one of those fruits of friendfhip which is described at length by the two famous authors above-mentioned, and falls into a general elogium of friendship, which is very juft as well as very fublime. A faithful friend is a strong defence; and he that hath

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found