She goes by the

offer a bag of money with it. name of Moll White, and has made the country ring with feveral imaginary exploits which are palmed upon her. If the dairy-maid does not make the butter come fo foon as the fhould have it, Moll White is at the bottom of the churn. If a horse fweats in the stable, Moll White has been upon his back. If a hare makes an unexpected efcape from the hounds, the huntsman curfes Moll White. Nay (fays Sir ROGER) I have known the mafter of the pack, upon fuch an occafion, fend one of his fervants to fee if Moll White had been out that morning.

This account raised my curiosity so far, that I begged my friend Sir ROGER to go with me into her hovel, which stood in a solitary corner under the fide of the wood. Upon our first entering Sir ROGER winked to me, and pointed at fomething that stood behind the door, which, upon looking that way I found to be an old broomstaff. At the fame time he whispered me in the ear to take notice of a tabby cat that fat in the chimney-corner, which, as the old Knight told me, lay under as bad a report as Moll White herfelf; for, befides that Moll is faid often to accompany her in the fame fhape, the cat is reported to have spoken twice or thrice in her life, and to have played several pranks abovethe capacity of an ordinary cat.

I was fecretely concerned to fee human nature in fo much wretchedness and difgrace, but at the same time could not forbear fmiling to hear Sir ROGER, who is a little puzzled about the old woman, advifing her as a justice of peace to avoid all communication with the Devil, and never to hurt any of her neighbour's cattle. We concluded our vifit with a bounty, which was very acceptable.

In our return home Sir ROGER told me, that old Moll had been often brought before him for making children spit pins, and giving maids the nightmare; and that the country people would be tofs

ing her into a pond, and trying experiments with her every day, if it was not for him and his chap

lain.

I have fince found, upon inquiry, that Sir Ro. GER was feveral times ftaggered with the reports that had been brought him concerning this old woman, and would frequently have bound her over to the county-feffions, had not his chaplain with much ado perfuaded him to the contrary.

I have been the more particular in this account, because I hear there is fcarce a village in England that has not a Moll White in it. When an old woman begins to dote, and grow chargeable to a parifh, fhe is generally turned into a witch, and fills the whole country with extravagant fancies, imaginary diftempers, and terrifying dreams. In the mean time, the poor wretch that is the innocent occafion of fo many evils begins to be frighted at herself, and fometimes confeffes fecret commerce and familiarities that her imagination forms in at delirious old age. This frequently cuts off charity from the greatest objects of compaffion, and infpires people with a malevolence towards thofe poor decrepid parts of our fpecies, in whom human nature is defaced by infirmity and dotage.

No. 118.

betet tettet

MONDAY, JULY 16.

Hæret lateri lethalis arundo

L

VIRG. Æn. iv. ver. 73.

-The fatal dart

Sticks in his fide, and rankles in his heart.

TH

DRYDEN.

His agreeable feat is surrounded with so many pleafing walks, which are ftruck out of a wood, in the midst of which the house stands, that

one

one can hardly ever be weary of rambling from one labyrinth of delight to another. To one used to live in a city the charms of the country are fo exquifite, that the mind is loft in a certain tranfport which raises us above ordinary life, and yet is not ftrong enough to be inconfiftent with tranquility. This ftate of mind was I in, ravished with the mur.. mur of waters, the whisper of breezes, the singing of birds; and whether I looked up to the heavens, down on the earth, or turned to the profpects around me, ftill ftruck with new fenfe of pleasure ; when I found by the voice of my friend who walked by me, that we had infenfibly ftrolled into the grove facred to the widow. This woman, fays. he, is of all others the most unintelligible; the either designs to marry, or the does not. What is the most perplexing of all, is, that she does not. either fay to her lovers fhe has any refolution against that condition of life in general, or that the banishes them; but, confcious of her own merit, the permits their addreffes, without fear of any ill confequence, or want of refpect, from their rage or despair. She has that in her aspect, against which it is impoffible to offend. A man whofe thoughts are constantly bent upon fo agreeable an object, must be excufed if the ordinary occurrences in converfation are below his attention. I call her indeed perverfe; but, alas! why do I call her fo? Because her fuperior merit is fuch, that I cannot approach her without awe, that my heart is checked by too much efteem: I am angry that her charms are not more acceffible, that I am more inclined to worship than falute her: How often have I wished her unhappy, that I might have an opportunity of ferving her? and how often troubled in that very imagination, at giving her the pain of being obliged? Well, I have led a miferable life in fecret upon her account; but fancy the would have condefcended to have fome regard for

me,

me, if it had not been for that watchful animal her confident.

Of all perfons under the fun (continued he, calling me by my name) be fure to set a mark upon confidents: They are of all people the most impertinent. What is most pleasant to obferve in them, is, that they affume to themselves the merit of the perfons whom they have in their cuftody. Oreftilla is a great fortune, and in wonderful danger of furprifes, therefore full of fufpicions of the leaft indifferent thing, particularly careful of new acquaintance, and of growing too familiar with the old. Themifta, her favourite woman, is every whit as careful of whom the fpeaks to, and what the fays. Let the ward be a beauty, her confident shall treat you with an air of distance; let her be a fortune, and the affumes the fufpicious behaviour of her friend and patronefs. Thus it is that very many of our unmarried women of diftinction, are to all intents and purposes married, except the confideration of different fexes. They are directly under the conduct of their whisperer; and think they are in a state of freedom, while they can prate with one of these attendants of all men in general, and ftill avoid the man they moft like. You do not fee one heiress in a hundred whofe fate does not turn upon this circumftance of chufing a confident. Thus it is that the lady is addressed to, prefented and flattered, only by proxy, in her woman. In my cafe, how is it poffible that-------Sir ROGER was proceeding in his harangue, when we heard the voice of one fpeaking very importunately, and repeating thefe words, What, not one fmile?" We followed the found till we came to a clofe thicket, on the other fide of which we faw a young woman fitting as it were in a perfonated fullennefs, just over a transparent fountain. Oppofite to her ftood Mr William, Sir ROGER's mafter of the game. The Knight whispered me, Hift! these are lovers.' VOL. II.

The

The huntsman looking earneftly at the fhadow of the maiden in the ftream, Oh thou dear young picture, if thou couldst remain there in the abfence of that fair creature whom you reprefent in the water, how willingly could I stand here 'fatisfied for ever, without troubling my dear Betty ' herfelf without any mention of her unfortune Wil< liam, whom she is angry with: But alas! when 'fhe pleases to be gone, thou wilt also vanish-----· yet let me talk to thee while thou dost stay. Tell my dearest Betty thou doft not more depend up< on her, than does her William: Her abfence will 'make away with me as well as thee. If the offers 'to remove thee, I will jump into these waves to lay hold on thee; herself, her own dear person, 'I must never embrace again.----Still do you hear me without one fmile---It is too much to bear.---' He had no fooner spoke these words, but he made an offer of throwing himself into the water: At which his mistress started up, and at the next inftant he jumped across the fountain and met her in an embrace. She, half recovering from her fright, faid, in the most charming voice imaginable, and with a tone of complaint, "I thought how well

you would drown yourself. No, no, you won't "drown yourself till you have taken your leave of "Sufan Holiday." The huntfman, with a tendernefs that fpoke the most passionate love, and with his cheek close to her's, whispered the softest vows of fidelity in her ear, and cried, 'Don't, my dear, 'believe a word Kate Willow fays; fhe is fpiteful, and makes ftories because she loves to hear me talk to herself for your fake.' Look you there, quoth Sir ROGER, do you fee there, all mischief comes from confidents! But let us not interrupt them; the maid is honest, and the man dares not be otherwife, for he knows I loved her father: I will interpofe in this matter, and haften the wedding. Kate Willow is a witty mifchievous wench in

the