and do not fuffer a band-box to be carried into her room before it has been fearched. Notwithstanding thefe precautions, I am at my wits end for fear of any fudden furprife. There were, two or three nights ago, fome fiddles heard in the street, which I am afraid portend me no good; not to mention a tall Irishman, that has been feen walking before my houfe more than once this winter. My kinfwoman likewife informs me, that the girl has talked to her twice or thrice of a gentleman in a fair wig, and that the loves to go to church more than ever she did in her life. She gave me the flip about a week ago, upon which my whole houfe was in alarm, I immediately dispatched a hue and cry after her to the 'Change, to her mantua-maker, and to the young ladies ' that visit her; but after above an hour's search she returned of herself, having been taking a walk, as she told me, by Rofamond's pond. I have hereupon turned off her woman; doubled her guards, and given new inftructions to my relation, who to give her her due, keeps a 'watchful eye over all her motions. This, Sir, keeps me in a perpetual anxiety, and makes me very often watch when my daughter fleeps, as I am afraid he is even with me in her turn. Now, Sir, what I would defire of you is, to reprefent to this fluttering tribe of * young fellows, who are for making their fortunes by thefe indirect means, that ftealing a man's daughter for *the fake of her portion, is but a kind of a tolerated robbery; and that they make but a poor amends to the father, whom they plunder after this manner, by going * to bed with his child. Dear Sir, be fpeedy in your thoughts on this fubject, that, if poffible, they may ap pear before the difbanding of the army.

I am, Sir,

• Your most humble fervant, Tim. Watchwell.'

Themistocles, the great Athenian general, being asked whether he would choose to marry his daughter to an indigent man of merit, or to a worthless man of an estate, replied, that he should prefer a man without an eftate, to an eftate without a man, The worst of it is, our mo

dern

dern fortune-hunters are those who turn their heads that way, because they are good for nothing elfe. If a young fellow finds he can make nothing of Coke and Littleton, he provides himself with a ladder of ropes, and by that means very often enters upon the premises.

'The fame art of fcaling has likewife been practifed with good fuccefs by many military engineers. Stratagems of this nature make parts and industry superfluous, and cut fhort the way to riches.

Nor is vanity a lefs motive than idleness to this kind of mercenary purfuit. A fop, who admires his perfon in a glafs, foon enters into a refolution of making his fortune by it, not queftioning but every woman that falls in his way will do him as much juftice as he does himself. When an heiress fees a man throwing particular graces into his ogle, or talking loud within her hearing, fhe ought to look to herself; but if withal fhe obferves a pair of red heels, a patch, or any other particularity in his drefs, she cannot take too much care of her perfon. These are baits not to be trifled with, charms that have done a world of execution, and made their way into hearts which have been thought impregnable. The force of a man with thefe qualifications is fo well known, that I am credibly informed there are feveral female undertakers about the 'Change, who upon the arrival of a likely man out of a neighbouring kingdom, will furnish him with proper drefs from head to foot, to be paid for at a double price on the day of marriage.

We must however diftinguish between fortune-hunters and fortune-stealers. The firft are thofe affiduous gentlemen who employ their whole lives in the chace, without ever coming at the quarry. Suffenus has combed and powdered at the ladies for thirty years together, and taken his ftand in a fide-box, until he is grown wrinkled under their eyes. He is now laying the fame fnare for the prefent generation of beauties, which he practised on their mothers. Cottilus, after having made his applications to more than you meet with in Mr. Cowley's ballad of miftreffes, was at last smitten with a city lady of 20,0001. fterling; but died of old age before he could bring matters to bear. Nor must I here omit my worthy friend

Mr.

Mr. Honeycomb, who has often told us in the club, that for twenty years fucceffively, upon the death of a childlefs rich man, he immediately drew on his boots, called for his horse, and made up to the widow. When he is rallied upon his ill fuccefs, Will, with his ufual gaiety. tells us, that he always found her pre-engaged.

Widows are indeed the great game of your fortunehunters. There is fcarce a young fellow in the town of fix foot high, that has not paffed in review before one or other of these wealthy relicts. Hudibras's Cupid, who took his ftand

"Upon a widow's jointure land,"

is daily employed in throwing darts, and kindling flames. But as for widows, they are fuch a fubtle generation of people, that they may be left to their own conduct; or if they make a falfe ftep in it, they are answerable for it to no body but themfelves. The young innocent creatures who have no knowledge and experience of the world, are those whofe fafety I would principally confult in this fpeculation. The ftealing of fuch an one fhould, in my opinion, be as punishable as a rape.. Where there is no judgment there is no choice; and why the inveigling a woman before fhe is come to years of difcretion, fhould not be as criminal as the feducing of her before the is ten years old, I am at a lofs to comprehend.

L

N° 3.12. Wednesday, February 27.

Quod buic officium, quæ laus, quod decus erit tanti, quod adipifci cum dolore corporis velit, qui dolorem fummum malum fibi perfuaferit? Quam porrò quis ignominiam, quam turpitudinem non pertulerit, ut effugiat dolorem, fi id fummum malum esse decreverit ?

TULL.

What duty will a man perform, what praife, what honour will he think worth purchafing at the expence of his eafe, who is perfuaded that pain is the greatest of evils? And what ignominy, what bafenefs will he not fubmit to, in order to avoid pain, if he has determined it to be the worft of misfortunes?

I

T is a very melancholy reflexion, that men are usually fo weak, that it is abfolutely neceffary for them to know forrow and pain, to be in their right fenfes. Profperous people, for happy there are none, are hurried away. with a fond fenfe of their prefent condition, and thoughtlefs of the mutability of fortune: fortune is a term which we must use in fuch difcourfes as thefe, for what is wrought by the unfeen hand of the Difpofer of all things. But methinks the difpofition of a mind which is truly great, is that which makes misfortunes and sorrows little when they befal ourselves, great and lamentable when they be fal other men. The most unpardonable malefactor in the world going to his death and bearing it with compofure, would win the pity of those who should behold him; and this not becaufe his calamity is deplorable, but because he seems himself not to deplore it: we fuffer for him who is lefs fenfible of his own mifery, and are inclined to defpife him who finks under the weight of his diftreffes. On the other hand, without any touch of envy, a temperate and well-governed mind looks down on fuck as are exalted with fuccefs, with a certain fhame for the

imbecillity

:

He

imbecillity of human nature, that can fo far forget how liable it is to calamity, as to grow giddy with only the fufpence of forrow, which is the portion of all men. therefore who turns his face from the unhappy man, who will not look again when his eye is caft upon modest forrow, who fhuns affliction like a contagion, does but pamper himself up for a facrifice, and contract in himself a greater aptitude to mifery by attempting to efcape it. A gentleman, where I happened to be laft night, fell into a difcourfe which I thought fhewed a good difcerning in him he took notice that whenever men have looked into their heart for the idea of true excellency in human nature, they have found it to confift in fuffering after a right manner and with a good grace. Heroes are always drawn bearing forrows, ftruggling with adverfities, undergoing all kinds of hardships, and having in the fervice of mankind a kind of appetite to difficulties and dangers. The gentleman went on to obferve, that it is from this fecret fenfe of the high merit which there is in patience under calamities, that the writers of romances, when they attempt to furnish out characters of the higheft excellence, ranfack nature for things terrible; they raife a new creation of monsters, dragons, and giants: where the danger ends,. the hero ceases; when he has won an empire, or gained his mistress, the reft of his ftory is not worth relating. My friend carried his difcourfe fo far as to fay, that it was for higher beings than men to join happiness and greatnefs in the fame idea; but that in our condition we have no conception of fuperlative excellence, or heroism, but as it is furrounded with a shade of distress.

It is certainly the proper education we should give ourfelves, to be prepared for the ill events and accidents we are to meet with in a life fentenced to be a scene of forrow: but instead of this expe tation, we foften ourselves with profpects of conftant delight, and destroy in our minds the feeds of fortitude and virtue, which fhould fupport us in hours of anguish. The conftant purfuit of pleasure has in it fomething infolent and improper for our being. There is a pretty fober liveliness in the ode of Horace to Delius, where he tells him, "loud mirth, or immoderate forrow, inequality of behaviour either in profperity or

adverfity,