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 reason they live almost upon an equality in conversation; land as Honoria has given Flavia to understand, that it is ill-bred to be always calling mother, Flavia is as well-pleased 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 pass between them but out of spite. Flavia one night at a play observing 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 snuff-box for one moment. Another time, when a lover of Honoria was on his knees befeeching the favour to kiss her hand, Flavia, rushing into the room, kneeled down by him and asked bleffing. Several of these contradictory acts of duty have raised between them fuch a coldness that they generally converse 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 such a provocation, is fure to observe, 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 they are themselves past them, but because they love to continue in them. These beauties rival each other on all occafions, not that they have always had the fame lovers, but each has kept up a vanity to shew the other the charms of her lover. Dick Graftin and plbsa Tom Tom Tulip, among many others, have of late been pretenders in this family: Dick to Honoria, Tom to Flavia. Dick is the only surviving beau of the last age, and Tom almost the only one that keeps up that order of men in this. I wish I could repeat the little circumstances of a converfation of the four lovers, with the spirit in which the young lady I had my account from reprefented it, at a visit where I had the honour to be present; but it seems Dick Graftin, the admirer of Honoria, and Tom Tulip, the pretender to Flavia, were purposely 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 taste in courtship, as well as in every thing else,. than the last had, these gentlemen are instances of Lit in their different manner of application. Tulip is ⚫ever making allusions to the vigour of his person, the finewy force of his make; while Graftin professes a wary observation of the turns of his miftress's mind. Tulip gives himself the air of a refiftless ravisher. Craftin practises that of a skilful lover. Poety is the infeparable property of every man in love; and as men of wit write verses on those occafions, the rest of the world repeat the verses of others. These servants of the ladies were used to imitate their manner of conversation, and allude to one another, rather than interchange discourse in what they faid when they met. Tulip the other day seized his mistress's hand, and repeated out of Ovid's Art of Love, 'Tis I can in soft battles pass the night, } Upon hearing this, Craftin, with an air of defer ence, played Honoria's fan, and repeated,ó 5. Sedley Sedley has that prevailing gentle art, } When Craftin had uttered these verses with a tenderness which at once spoke paffion and respect, Honoria cast a triumphant glance at Flavia, as exulting in the elegance of Craftin's courtship, and upbraiding her with the homeliness of Tulip's. Tulip understood the reproach, and in return began to applaud the wisdom of old amorous gentlemen, who turned their mistress's imagination, as far as poffible, from what they had long themselves forgot, and ended his discourse 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 spare body. The old gentleman immediately left the room with fome diforder, and the conversation fell upon untimely paffion, afterlove, and unseasonable youth. Tulip fung, danced, moved before the glass, led his mistress half a minuet, hummed Celia the fair, in the bloom of fifteen; when there came a servant with a letter to him, which was as follows. sistem antros, SIR, I Understand very well what you meant by your mention of Platonick love. I shall be glad to meet you immediately in Hide-Park, or behind Montague-House, or attend you to Barn-elms, or any other fashionable place that's fit for a gentleman to die in, that you shall appoint for, SIR, your most humble servant, RICHARD CRASTIN." Tulip's Tulip's colour changed at the reading this epistle; for which reason his mistress snatched it to read the contents. While the was doing fo Tulip went away, and the ladies now agreeing in a common calamity, bewailed together the danger of their lovers. They immediately undressed to go out, and took hackneys to prevent mischief: 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, curses and despises her charmer, is fallen in love with Craftin: Which is the first part of the history of the Rival Mother. R NO 92. FRIDAY, JUNE 15. -Conviva propè dissentire videntur, Quid dem? Quid non dem? HOR. Ep. II. 1. ii. ver. 61. - HubaoIMITATED. What wou'd 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 task, to hit the palate of fuch guests. L POPE. OOKING over the late packets of letters which have been fent to me, I found the following one. Mr. SPECTATOR, YOUR paper is a part of my tea-equipage; and my fervant knows my humour so well, that calling for my breakfast this morning (it being paft my ufual hour) the answered, the SPECTATOR was 'was not yet come in; but that the tea-kettle boil'ed, and the expected it every moment. Having thus in part fignified to you the esteem and vene'ration 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 advisein this particular, being your daily difciple and humble servant, LEONORA. In answer 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 shall give an account of. In the first class I shall take notice of those which come to me from eminent booksellers, who every one of them mention with respect the authors they have printed, and consequently 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 peruse a better book than Dalton's Country Justice: Another thinks they cannot be without The Complete Jockey. A third observing 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 accomplished who has not read the secret treaties and negotiations of Marshal D'Estrades. Mr.Jacob Tonfon jun. is of opinion, that Bayle's Dictionary might be of very great use to the ladies, in order to make them general scholars. Another, whose name I have forgotten, thinks it highly proper that every woman with child should read Wall's History of infant bapVOL. II. tifm; + E |