mour her so far as to take them out of that figure, and place them fide by fide. What the abfurdity was which I had committed I did not know, but I suppose there was fome traditionary fuperftition in it; and therefore, in obedience to the Lady of the house, I difpofed of my knife and fork in two parellel lines, which is the figure I fhall always lay them in for the future, though I do not know any reason for it. It is not difficult for a man to see that a person has conceived an aversion to him. For my own part,. I quickly found, by the Lady's looks, that the regarded me as a very odd kind of fellow, with an unfortunate afpect. For which reason I took my leave immediately after dinner, and withdrew to my own lodgings. Upon my return home, I fell into a profound contemplation on the evils that attend thefe fuperftitious follies of mankind; how they fubject us to imaginary afflictions, and additional forrows, that do not properly come within our lot. As if the natural calamities of life were not fuffi cient for it, we turn the most indifferent circumftances into misfortunes, and fuffer as much from trifling accidents as from real evils. I have known the fhooting of a star spoil a night's reft; and have feen a man in love grow pale and lofe his appetite, upon the plucking of a merry thought. A fcreechowl at midnight has alarmed a family more than a band of robbers; nay, the voice of a cricket hath: ftruck more terror than the roaring of a lion. There is nothing fo inconfiderable, which may not appear dreadful to an imagination that is filled with omens and prognostics. A rufty nail, or a crooked! pin, fhoot up into prodigies. I remember I was once in a mixed affembly, that was full of noise and mirth, when on a fudden an old woman unluckily obferved there were thirteen of us in company. This remark ftruck a panic terror into feveral who were present, infomuch that one one or two of the Ladies were going to leave the room: but a friend of mine, taking notice that one of our female companions was big with child, affirmed there were fourteen in the room, and that, inftead of portending one of the company fhould. die, it plainly foretold one of them fhould be born. Had not my friend found out this expedient to break. the omen, I queftion not but half the women in the company would have fallen fick that very night. An old maid, that is troubled with the vapours, produces infinite difturbances of this kind among her friends and neighbours. I know a maiden aunt,, of a great family, who is one of these antiquated. Sibyls, that forebodes and prophefies from one end of the year to the other. She is always feeing apparitions, and hearing dead-watches; and was the, other day almoft frighted out of her wits by the. great houfe-dog, that howled in the ftable at a time. when the lay ill of the tooth-ach. Such an extravagant caft of mind engages multitudes of people, not only in impertinent terrors, but in fupernume-rary duties of life; and arifes from that fear and ignorance which are natural to the foul of man. The horror with which we entertain the thoughts of death (or indeed of any future evil) and the uncertainty of its approach, fill a melancholy mind with innumerable apprehenfions and fufpicions, and confequently difpofe it to the obfervation of fuch groundless prodigies and predictions. For, as it is the chief concern of wife men to retrench the evils of life by the reasonings of philofophy, it is the employment of fools to multiply them by the fenti ments of fuperftition.. For my own part, I fhould be very much troubled were I endowed with this divining quality, though it fhould inform me truly of every thing that can befal me. I would not anticipate the relifh of any happiness, nor feel the weight of any misery, be fore it actually arrives. .. I know 隆 I know but one way of fortifying my foul against thefe gloomy prefages and terrors of mind, and that is, by fecuring to myself the friendship and protection of that Being who difposes of events, and governs futurity. He fees, at one view, the whole thread of my exiftence, not only that part of it which I have already paffed through, but that which runs forward into all the depths of eternity. When I lay me down to fleep, I recommend myself to his care; when I awake, I give myself up to his direction. Amidst all the evils that threaten me, I will look up to him for help, and queftion not but he will either avert them, or turn them to my advantage. Though I know neither the time nor the manner of the death I am to die, I am not at all folicitous about it; because I am sure that he knows them both, and that he will not fail to comfort and fupport me under them. No. 8. FRIDAY, MARCH 9. I At Venus obfcuro gradientes aëre fepfit, C VIRG. Æn. i. ver. 415. They march obfcure, for Venus kindly fhrouds DRYDEN. Shall here communicate to the world a couple of letters, which I believe will give the reader as, good an entertainment as any that I am able to furniih him with, and therefore fhall make no apology for them. SIR, To the SPECTATOR, &C. I am one of the directors of the fociety for the reformation of manners, and therefore think • myself myself a proper perfon for your correfpondence. I have thoroughly examined the prefent ftate of religion in Great Britain, and am able to acquaint you with the predominant vice of every • market-town in the whole island. I can tell " you the progress that virtue has made in all our cities, boroughs, and corporations: and know as well the evil practices that are committed in Ber‹ wick or Exeter, as what is done in my own family. In a word, Sir, I have my correfpondents in the remoteft parts of the nation, who fend me up 'punctual accounts from time to time of all the little irregularities, that fall under their notice in ⚫ their several diftricts and divisions. I am no lefs acquainted with the particular < quarters and regions of this great town, than with the different parts and diftributions of the ⚫ whole nation. I can defcribe every parish by itsimpieties, and can tell you in which of our streets • lewdness prevails, which gaming has taken poffeffion of, and where drunkenness has got the better of them both. When I am difpofed to raise • a fine for the poor, I know the lanes and allies that are inhabited by common fwearers. When I would encourage the hofpital of Bridewell, and • improve the hempen manufacture, I am very well. acquainted with all the haunts and reforts of female night-walkers. After this short account of myself, I must let you know, that the design of this paper is to give you information of a certain irregular affembly, which I think falls very properly under your obfervation, especially fince the perfons it is compofed of are criminals too confiderable for the animadverfions of our fociety. I mean, Sir, the midnight mafk, which has of late been very, frequently held in one of the moft confpicuous parts of the town, and which I hear will be continued with additions and improvements. As all the • perfons • perfons who compofe this lawless affembly are • masked, we dare not attack any of them in our way, left we should send a woman of quality to • Bridewell, or a peer of Great Britain to the Coun•ter: befides that their numbers are so very great, that I am afraid they would be able to rout our whole fraternity, though we were accompanied ⚫ with all our guard of constables. Both these reafons, which fecure them from our authority, • make them obnoxious to yours; as both their disguife and their numbers will give no particular perfon reason to think himself affronted by you. If we are rightly informed, the rules that are obferved by this new fociety are wonderfully contrived for the advancement of cuckoldom. The • women either come by themselves, or are intro⚫duced by friends who are obliged to quit them, upon. their firft entrance, to the converfation of ཝ any body that addreffes himfelf to them. There 6 are feveral rooms where the parties may retire, and, if they please, fhew their faces by confent. Whispers, fqueezes, nods, and embraces, are the innocent freedoms of the place. In fhort, the • whole defign of this libidinous affembly, feems to terminate in affignations and intrigues; and I hope you will take effectual methods, by your public advice and admonitions, to prevent fuch a promifcuous multitude of both fexes from meeting together in fo clandeftine a manner. I am, Your humble servant, And fellow-labourer, T. B. Not long after the perufal of this letter, I received another upon the fame fubject; which, by the date and style of it, I take to be written by fome young Templar. SIR, Middle-Temple, 1710-11. When a man has been guilty of any vice or folly, I think the best atonement he can make • for |