ing up to, than of what has been already enjoyed, and is gone for ever. It is therefore allowed to Flavia to look forward, but not to Honoria to look back. Flavia is no way dependent on her mother with relation to her fortune, for which reafon they live almoft upon an equality in converfation; land as Honoria has given Flavia to understand, that it is ill-bred to be always calling mother, Flavia is as well-pleafed never to be called a child. It happens by this means, that these ladies are generally rivals in all places where they appear; and the words mother and daughter never pafs between them but out of fpite. Flavia one night at a play obferving Honoria draw the eyes of feveral in the pit, called to a lady who fat by her, and bid her afk her mother to lend her her fnuff-box for one moment. Another time, when a lover of Honoria was on his knees befeeching the favour to kifs her hand, Flavia, rufhing into the room, kneeled down by him and alked bleffing. Several of thefe contradictory acts of duty have raifed between them fuch a coldness that they generally converfe when they are in mixed company by way of talking at one another, and not to one another. Honoria is ever complaining of a certain fufficiency in the young women of this age, who affume to themselves an authority of carrying all things before them, as if they were poffeffors of the esteem of mankind, and all, who were but a year before them in the world, were neglected or deceased. Flavia, upon fuch a provocation, is fure to obferve, that there are people who can refign nothing, and know not how to give up what they know they cannot hold; that there are those who will not allow youth their follies, not because are themselves paft them, but because they love to continue in them. Thefe beauties rival each other on all occafions, not that they have always had the fame lovers, but each has kept up a vanity to fhew the other the charms of her lover. Dick Graftin and obse Tem Tom Tulip, among many others, have of late been pretenders in this family: Dick to Honoria, Tom to Flavia. Dick is the only furviving beau of the laft age, and Tom almost the only one that keeps up that yorder of men in this, mmjot I wish I could repeat the little circumftances of a. converfation of the four lovers, with the spirit in which the young lady I had my account from reprefented it, at a vifit where I had the honour to be prefent; but it feems Dick Graftin, the admirer of Honoria, and Tom Tulip, the pretender to Flavia, were purpofely admitted together by the ladies, that each might show the other that her lover had the fuperiority in the accomplishments of that fort of creature whom the fillier part of women call a Fine Gentleman. As this age has a much more grofs tafte in courtship, as well as in every thing elfe,. than the last had, thefe gentlemen are inftances of Lit in their different manner of application. Tulip is ever making allufions to the vigour of his perfon, the finewy force of his make; while Graftin profeffes a wary obfervation of the turns of his miftrefs's mind. Tulip gives himself the air of a refiftlefs ravisher, Craftin practifes that of a fkilful lover. Poety is the infeparable property of every man in love; and as men of wit write verfes on thofe occafions, the reft of the world repeat the verfes af others. Thefe fervants of the ladies were used to limitate their manner of converfation, and allude to one another, rather than interchange difcourfe in what they fail when they met. Tulip the other day feized his miftrefs's hand, and repeated out of Ovid's Art of Love, "Tis I can in foft battles pass the night, Yet rife next morning vig'rous for the fight, Upon hearing this, Craftin, with an air of deference, played Honoria's fan, and repeated, Sedley Sedley has that prevailing gentle art,ok When Craftin had uttered thefe verfes with a tendernefs which at once fpoke paflion and refpect, Honoria caft a triumphant glance at Flavia, as exulting in the elegance of Craftin's courtship, and upbraiding her with the homelinefs of Tulip's. Tulip understood the reproach, and in return began to applaud the wifdom of old amorous gentlemen, who turned their miftrefs's imagination, as far as poffible, from what they had long themfelves forgot, and ended his difcourfe with a fly commendation of the doctrine of Platonick love; at the fame time he ran over, with a laughing eye, Craftin's thin legs, meagre looks, and fpare body. The old gentleman immediately left the room with fome diforder, and the converfation fell upon untimely paffion, afterlove, and unfeafonable youth. Tulip fung, danced, moved before the glafs, led his miftrefs half a minuet, hummed wha Clia the fair, in the bloom of fifteen 3 there came a fervant with a letter to him, which was as follows. casing odruch SIR, I Understand very well what you meant by your mention of Platonick love. I thall be glad to meet you immediately in Hide-Park, or behind Montague-Houfe, or attend you to Barn-elms, or ' any other fashionable place that's fit for a gentleman to die in, that you fhall appoint for, SIR, your most humble fervant, RICHARD CRASTIN. Tulip's Tulip's colour changed at the reading this epiftle; for which reafon his mistress fnatched it to read the contents. While fhe was doing fo Tulip went away, and the ladies now agreeing in a common calamity, bewailed together the danger of their lovers. They immediately undreffed to go out, and took hackneys to prevent mifchief: But, after alarming all parts of the town, Craftin was found by his widow in his pumps at Hide-Park,, which appointment Tulip never kept, but made his escape into the country. Flavia tears her hair for his inglorious fafety, curfes and defpifes her charmer, is fallen in love with Craftin: Which is the first part of the hiftory of the Rival Mother. OUR ********************** NO 92. FRIDAY, JUNE 15. Conviva propè diffentire videntur, Pofcentes vario multum diverfa palato ; Quid dem? Quid non dem ? HOR. Ep. II. 1. ii. ver. 61. Han Holdos IMITATED.lg dila sro) you have me do, When out of twenty I can please not two? One likes the pheafant's wing, and one the leg; The vulgar boil, the learned roaft an egg: Hard talk, to hit the palate of fuch guefts. POPE. LOOKING over the late packets of letters which have been fent to me, I found the following one. • Mr. SPECTATOR, YOUR OUR paper is a part of my tea-equipage; and my fervant knows my humour fo well, that calling for my breakfaft this morning (it being paft my ufual hour) the answered, the SPECTATOR was was not yet come in; but that the tea-kettle boiled, and the expected it every moment. Having thus in part fignified to you the esteem and veneration which I have for you, I must put you in mind of the catalogue of books which you have promised to recommend to our fex; for I have ⚫ deferred furnishing my closet with authors, 'till I receive your advife in this particular, being your daily difciple and humble fervant,me LEONORA. In anfwer to my fair difciple, whom I am very proud of, I must acquaint her and the rest of my readers, that fince I have called out for help in my catalogue of a Lady's library, I have received many letters upon that head, fome of which I fhall give an account of. Motors In the first clafs I fhall take notice of thofe which come to me from eminent booksellers, who every one of them mention with refpect the authors they have printed, and confequently have an eye to their own advantage more than that of the ladies. One tells me, that he thinks it abfolutely neceffary for women to have true notions of right and equity, and that therefore they cannot perufe a better book than Dalton's Country Juftice: Another thinks they cannot be without The Complete Jockey. A third obferving the curiofity and defire of prying into fecrets, which he tells me is natural to the fair fex, is of opinion this female inclination, if well directed, might turn very much to their advantage, and therefore recommends to me Mr. Mede upon the Revelations. A fourth lays it down as an unqueftioned truth that a Lady cannot be thoroughly ac complished who has not read the fecret treaties and negotiations of Marfbal D'Eftrades. Mr. Jacob Tonfon jun. is of opinion, that Bayle's Dictionary might be of very great ufe to the ladies, in order to make them general scholars. Another, whofe name I have forgotten, thinks it highly proper that every woman with child fhould read Wall's Hiftory of infant bapVOL. II. 2 +E tifm; |