The following Letter is of a quite contrary Nature; No. 324. but I add it here that the Reader may observe at the Wednes day, same View, how amiable Ignorance may be when it March 12, is shewn in its Simplicities, and how detestable in 1712. Barbarities. It is written by an honest Countryman to his Mistress, and came to the Hands of a Lady of good Sense wrapped about a Thread-Paper, who has long kept it by her as an Image of artless Love,

'To her I very much Respect, Mrs. Margaret Clark.

Lovely, and oh that I could write loving Mrs. Margaret Clark, I pray you let Affection excuse Presumption. Having been so happy as to enjoy the Sight of your sweet Countenance and comely Body, sometimes when I had Occasion to buy Treacle or Liquorish Powder at the Apothecary's Shop, I am so enamour'd with you, that I can no more keep close my flaming Desire to become your Servant,

And I

am the more bold now to write to your sweet self, because I am now my own Man, and may match where I please; for my Father is taken away, and now I am come to my Living, which is Ten Yard Land, and a House; and there is never a Yard of Land in our Field but it is as well worth ten Pound a Year as a Thief is worth a Halter; and all my Brothers and Sisters are provided for: Besides I have good Householdstuff, though I say it, both Brass and Pewter, Linnen and Woollens; and though my House be thatched, yet, if you and I match, it shall go hard but I will have one Half of it slated. If you think well of this Motion, I will wait upon you as soon as my new Cloaths is made and Hay-Harvest is in. I could, though I say it, have good--' The rest is torn off; and Posterity must be contented to know that Mrs. Margaret Clark was very pretty, but are left in the Dark as to the Name of her Lover,

T

Thursday

1712.

Thursday, March 13,

Quid frustra simulacra fugacía captas?

Quod petís, est nusquam: quod amas, avertere, perdes.
Ista repercussae, quam cernis, imaginis umbra est.
Nil habet ista sui; tecum venitque, manetque,
Tecum díscedat, si tu discedere possis.-Ovid.

WILL Fellow's first Discovering

ILL HONEYCOMB diverted us last Night with an
Account of a young

his Passion to his Mistress. The young Lady was one,
it seems, who had long before conceived a favourable
Opinion of him, and was still in Hopes that he would
some Time or other make his Advances. As he was
one Day talking with her in Company of her two
Sisters, the Conversation happening to turn upon Love,
each of the young Ladies was, by way of Raillery,
recommending a Wife to him; when, to the no small
Surprize of her who languished for him in Secret, he
told them with a more than ordinary Seriousness, That
his Heart had been long engaged to one whose Name
he thought himself obliged in Honour to conceal; but
that he could shew her Picture in the Lid of his
Snuff-Box. The young Lady, who found herself the
most sensibly touched by this Confession, took the first
Opportunity that offered of snatching his Box out of
his Hand, He seemed desirous of recovering it, but
finding her resolved to look into the Lid, begged her,
that if she should happen to know the Person she
would not reveal her Name. Upon carrying it to the
Window she was very agreeably surprized to find there
was Nothing within the Lid but a little Looking-Glass,
in which, after she had view'd her own Face with
more Pleasure than she had ever done before, she
returned the Box with a Smile, telling him, She could
not but admire at his Choice,

WILL fancying that his Story took, immediately fell into a Dissertation on the Usefulness of Looking-Glasses, and applying himself to me, asked, If there were any Looking Glasses in the Times of the Greeks and Romans; for that he had often observed in the Trans

lations

1712,

lations of Poems out of those Languages, that People No. 325, generally talked of seeing themselves in Wells, Foun- Thursday, tains, Lakes, and Rivers: Nay, says he, I remember March 13, Mr. Dryden in his Ovid tells us of a swinging Fellow, called Polypheme, that made use of the Sea for his Looking Glass, and could never dress himself to Advantage but in a Calm,

My Friend WILL, to shew us the whole Compass of his Learning upon this Subject, further informed us, that there were still several Nations in the World so very barbarous as not to have any Looking-Glasses among them, and that he had lately read a Voyage to the South-Sea, in which it is said, that the Ladies of Chili always dress their Heads over a Bason of Water,

I am the more particular in my Account of WILL'S last Night's Lecture on these natural Mirrors, as it seems to bear some Relation to the following Letter, which I received the Day before,

Sir,

I have read your last Saturday's Observation on the Fourth Book of Milton with great Satisfaction, and am particularly pleased with the hidden Moral, which you have taken Notice of in several Parts of the Poem, The Design of this Letter is to desire your Thoughts, whether there may not also be some Moral couched under that Place in the same Book where the Poet lets us know, that the first Woman immediately after her Creation, ran to a Looking Glass, and became so enamoured of her own Face, that she had never removed, to view any of the other Works of Nature, had not she been led off to a Man, If you think fit to set down the whole Passage from Milton, your Readers will be able to judge for themselves, and the Quotation will not a little contribute to the filling up of your Paper.

Your Humble Servant,

R. T.

The last Consideration urged by my Querist is so strong, that I cannot forbear closing with it. The

Passage

No. 325. Passage he alludes to is part of Eve's Speech to Adam, Thursday, and one of the most beautiful Passages in the whole March 13, Poem.

1712.

That Day I oft remember, when from sleep

I first awak'd, and found my self repos'd

Under a shade of flowers, much wondring where
And what I was, whence thither brought, and how,
Not distant far from thence, a murmuring sound
Of waters issu'd from a Cave, and spread
Into a liquid Plain, then stood unmov'd
Pure as the Expanse of Heav'n; I thither went
With unexperienc'd thought, and laid me down
On the green Bank, to look into the clear
Smooth Lake, that to me seem'd another Skie,
As I bent down to look, just opposite,
A shape within the watry gleam appear'd
Bending to look on me; I started back;
It started back; but pleas'd I soon return'd;
Pleas'd it return'd as soon, with answering looks
Of sympathy and love; there I had fixt

Mine Eyes till now, and pin'd with vain desire,
Had not a Voice thus warn'd me: What thou seest,
What there thou seest fair Creature is thy self;
With thee it came and goes: but follow me,
And I will bring thee where no shadow stays
Thy coming, and thy soft Embraces; he
Whose image thou art, hím thou shalt enjoy
Inseparably thine, to him shalt bear
Multitudes like thy self, and thence be call'd
Mother of humane Race: What could I do,
But follow streight, invisibly thus led;
Till I espy'd thee, fair indeed and tall,
Under a Platan, yet methought less fair,
Less winning soft, less amiable mild,

Than that smooth watry image; back I return'd;
Thou following cry'dst aloud, Return fair Eve;

Whom fly'st thou; whom thou fly'st, of him thou art,
His flesh, his bone; to give thee being I lent,
Out of my side to thee, nearest my heart,
Substantial Life, to have thee by my side
Henceforth an individual solace dear:
Part of my Soul I seek thee, and thee claim
My other half; with that thy gentle hand
Seis'd mine; I yielded, and from that time see
How beauty is excell'd by manly grace
And wisdom, which alone is truly fair.
So spake our general Mother-

X

YOU

-Hor.

OUR Correspondent's Letter relating to FortuneHunters, and your subsequent Discourse upon it, have given me Encouragement to send you a State of my Case; by which you will see, that the Matter com plained of is a common Grievance both to City and Country,

I am a Country Gentleman of between five and six thousand a Year, It is my Misfortune to have a very fine Park and an only Daughter; upon which Account I have been so plagu'd with Deer-Stealers and Fops, that for these Four Years past I have scarce enjoy'd a Moment's Rest, I look upon my self to be in a State of War; and am forc'd to keep as constant Watch in my Seat, as a Governour would do that commanded a Town on the Frontier of an Enemy's Country, I have indeed pretty well secur'd my Park, having for this Purpose provided my self of four Keepers, who are Left-handed, and handle a Quarter-staff beyond any other Fellows in the Country, And for the Guard of my House, besides a Band of Pensioner-Matrons and an old Maiden Relation, whom I keep on constant Duty, I have Blunderbusses always charged, and Fox gins planted in private Places about my Garden, of which I have given frequent Notice in the Neighbour hood; yet so it is, that in spite of all my Care, I shall every now and then have a sawcy Rascal ride by re connoitring (as I think you call it) under my Windows, as sprucely drest as if he were going to a Ball. I am aware of this Way of Attacking a Mistress on Horseback, having heard that it is a common Practice in Spain; and have therefore taken Care to remove my Daughter from the Road-side of the House, and to lodge

her