find the name of a minister of state in one part of their hiftory, who was fined for appearing too frequently in clean linen; and of a certain great general who was turned out of his poft for effeminacy, it having been proved upon him by feveral credible witneffes that he washed his face every morning. If any member of the commonwealth had a foft voice, a finooth face, or a fupple behaviour, he was banished into the commonwealth of females, where he was treated as a flave, dressed in petticoats, and fet a fpinning. They had no titles of honour among them, but such as denoted fome bodily strength or perfection, as fuch an one the tall, fuch an one the flocky, fuch an one the gruff. Their public debates were generally managed with kicks and cuffs, infomuch that they often came from the council-table with broken fhins, black eyes, and bloody nofes. When they would reproach a man in the moft bitter terms, they would tell him his teeth were white, or that he had a fair skin and a foft hand. The greatest man I meet with in their history was one who could lift five hundred weight, and wore fuch a prodigious pair of whiskers as had never been feen in the commonwealth before his time. These accomplishments it feems had rendered him fo popular, that if he had not died very feafonably, it is thought he might have enflaved the republic. Having made this fhort extract out of the hiftory of the male commonwealth, I fhall look into the hiftory of the neighbouring state, which confifted of females, and if I find any thing in it, will not fail to communicate it to the public. No. CDXXXIV. ་ No. CDXXXIV. FRIDAY, JULY 18. Quales Threiciæ, cùm flumina Thermodoontis So march'd the Thracian Amazons of old, From the fierce virgin when the Grecians fled. VIRG, DRYDEN, HAVING carefully perufed the manufcript I mentioned in my yesterday's paper, fo far as it relates to the republic of women, I find in it feveral particulars which may very well deferve the reader's attention. The girls of quality, from fix to twelve years old, were put to public fchools, where they learned to box and play at cudgels, with feveral other accomplishments of the fame nature; fo that nothing was more ufual than to fee a little miss returning home at night with a broken pate, or two or three teeth knocked out of her head. They were afterwards taught to ride the great horse, to fhoot, dart, or fling, and lifted into feveral companies, in order to perfect themselves in military exercifes. No woman was to be married until fhe had killed her man. The ladies of fashion ufed to play with young lions inftead of lap-dogs, and when they made any parties of diverfion, inftead of entertaining themselves at ombre and piquet, they would wrestle and pitch the bar for a whole afternoon together. There was never any fuch thing as a blush feen, or a figh heard, in the commonwealth. The women never dreffed but to look terrible, to which end they would sometimes after a battle paint their cheeks with the blood of their enemies. For this reafon likewife the face which had the moft fcars was looked upon as the most beautiful. If they found lace, jewels, ribbands, or any ornaments in filver or gold among the booty which they had taken, they uted to drefs their horfes with it, but never entertained a thought of wearing it themselves. There were particular rights and privileges allowed to any member of the commonwealth, who was a mother of three daughters. The fenate was made up of old women; for by the laws of the country none was to be a counsellor of frate that was not paft child-bearing. They used to boaft their republic had continued four thousand years, which is altogether improbable, unless we may fuppofe, what I am very apt to think, that they meafured their time by lunar years.. bat There was a great revolution brought about in this female republic, by means of a neighbouring king, who had made war upon them feveral years with various fuc cefs, and at length overthrew them in a very great tle. This defeat they afcribe to feveral caufes; fome fay that the fecretary of ftate having been troubled with the vapours, had committed fome fatal miftakes in feveral dispatches about that time. Others pretend, that the first minifter being big with child, could not attend the public affairs, as fo great an exigency of ftate required; but this I can give no manner of credit to, fince it seems to contradict a fundamental maxim in their government, which I have before mentioned. My author gives the most probable reason of this great difatter; for he affirms that the general was brought to bed, or (as others say) mifcarried the very night before the battle: however it was, this fignal overthrow obliged them to call in the male republic to their afliftance; but notwithstanding their common efforts to repulfe the victorious enemy, the war continued for many years before they could entirely bring it to a happy conclufion. The campaigns which both fexes paffed together, made them fo well acquainted with one another, that at the end of the war they did not care for parting. In the begin ning of it they lodged in feparate camps, but afterwards as they grew more familiar, they pitched their tents promifcuously. From this time, the armies being checkered with both fexes, they polished apace. The men used to invite their fellow-foldiers into their quarters, and would dress their tents with flowers and boughs for their reception. If they chanced to like one more than another, they would be cutting her name in the table, or chalking out her figure upon the wall, or talking of her in a kind of rapturous language, which by degrees improved into verfe and fonnet. These were as the firft rudiments of architecture, painting and poetry, among this favage people. After any advantage over the enemy, both fexes used to jump together, and make a clattering with their fwords and fhields, for joy, which in a few years produced feveral regular tunes and fet dances. As the two armies romped on thefe occafions, the women complained of the thick bushy beards and long nails of their confederates, who thereupon took care to prune themselves into fuch figures as were most pleasing to their female friends and allies. When they had taken any spoils from the enemy, the men would make a prefent of every thing that was rich and showy to the women whom they moft admired, and would frequently drefs the necks, or heads, or arms of their mistreffes with any thing which they thought appeared gay or pretty. The women obferving that the men took delight in looking upon them, when they were adorned with fuch trappings and gewgaws, fet their heads to work to find out new inventions, and to outshine one another in all councils of war or the like folemn meetings. On the other hand, the men obferving how the women's hearts were fet upon finery, began to embellifh themselves, and look as agreeable as they could in the eyes of their affociates. In fhort, after a few years converfing together, the women had learnt to finile, and the men to ogle; the women grew foft, and the men lively. When they had thus infenfibly formed one another, upon finishing of the war, which concluded with an in tire conqueft of their common enemy, the colonels in one army married the colonels in another; the captains in the fame manner took the captains to their wives: the whole body of common foldiers were matched, after the example of their leaders. By this means the wo republics incorporated with one another, and became the most flourishing and polite government in the part of the world which they inhabited. No. CDXXXV. SATURDAY, JULY 19. Nec duo funt, at forma duplex, nec fœmina dici Both bodies in a fingle body mix, C OVID. ADDISON. MOST of the papers I give the public are written on fubjects that never vary, but are for ever fixt and immutable. Of this kind are all my more ferious effays and difcourfes; but there is another fort of fpeculations, which I confider as occafional papers, that take their rife from the felly, extravagance, and caprice of the present age. For I look upon myself as one fet to watch the manners and behaviour of my countrymen and contemporaries, and to mark down every abfurd fashion, ridicu lous custom, or affected form of speech, that makes its appearance in the world, during the courfe of these my fpeculations. The petticoat no fooner began to fwell, but 1 obferved its motions. The party-patches had not time to mufter themselves before I detected them. I had intelligence of the coloured hood the very first time it appeared in a public affembly. I might here mention feveral other the like contingent fubjects, upon which I have beftowed diftinct papers. By this means I have fo effectually quafhed thofe irregularities which gave occafion to them, that I am afraid pofterity will fcarce have a fufficient idea of them to relish thofe difcourfes which were |