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'P. S. Pray do not omit the mention of grooms • in particular.'

This honeft gentleman, who is fo defirous that I fhould write a fatire upon grooms, has a great deal of reason for his refentment, and I know no evil which touches all mankind fo much as this of the misbehaviour of fervants.

The complaint of this letter runs wholly upon men-fervants; and I can attribute the lifcentiousness which has at prefent prevailed among them, to nothing but what an hundred before me have ascribed it to, The cuftom of giving board-wages: This one inftance of falfe economy is fufficient to debauch the whole nation of fervants, and makes them as it were but for fome part of their time in that quality. They are either attending in places where they meet and run into clubs, or elfe, if they wait at taverns, they eat after their mafters, and referve their wages for other occafions. From hence it arifes, that they are but in a lower degree what their masters themfelves are; and ufually affect an imitation of their manners: And you have in liveries, beaux, fops, and coxcombs, in as high perfection as among people that keep equipages. It is a common humour among the retinue of people of quality, when they are in their revels, that is when they are out of their masters fight, to affume in an humourous way the names and titles of those whose liveries they wear. By which means characters and diftinctions become fo familiar to them, that it is to this, among other caufes, one may impute a certain infolence among our fervants, that they take no notice of any gentleman, though they know him ever fo well, if not an acquaintance of their mafters.

My obfcurity and taciturnity leave me at liberty, without fcandal, to dine, if I think fit, at a common ordinary, in the meaneft as well as the most sumptuous house of entertainment. Falling in the other

day

day at a victualling-house near the Houfe of Peers, I heard the maid come down and tell the landlady at the bar, That my Lord Bifhop fwore he would throw her out at the window, if the did not bring up more mild beer, and that my Lord Duke would have a double mug of purle. My surprise was increased, in hearing loud and ruftick voices fpeak and anfwer to each other upon the publick affairs, by the names of the most illustrious of our nobility; till of a fudden one came running in, and cried the house was rising. Down came all the company together, and away! The alehoufe was immediately filled with clamour, and fcoring one mug to the Marquis of fuch-a-place, oil and vinegar to fuch an Earl, three quarts to my new Lord for wetting his title, and fo forth. It is a thing too notorious to mention the crouds of fervants, and their infolence, near the courts of justice, and the stairs towards the fupreme affembly, where there is an univerfal mockery of all order, fuch riotous clamour and licentious confufion, that one would think the whole nation lived in jeft, and there were no fuch thing as rule and diftinction among us.

The next place of refort, wherein the fervile world are let loose, is at the entrance of Hide-Park, while the gentry are at the ring. Hither people bring their lacqueys out of ftate, and here it is that all they fay at their tables, and act in their houses, is communicated to the whole town. There are

men of wit in all conditions of life; and mixing with these people at their diverfions, I have heard coquettes and prudes as well rallied, and infolence and pride exposed, (allowing for their want of edu cation) with as much humour and good fense, as in the politeft companies. It is a general obfervation, That all dependents run in fome measure into the manners and behaviour of those whom they ferve You fhall frequently meet with lovers and men of intrigue among the lacqueys, as well as at White's,

White's, or in the fide-boxes. I remember fome years ago an instance of this kind. A footman to a Captain of the guard ufed frequently, when his mafter was out of the way, to carry on amours and make affignations in his master's cloaths. The fellow had a very good perfon, and there are very many women that think no further than the outfide of a gentleman; befides which, he was almost as learned a man as the Colonel himself; I fay, thus qualified, the fellow could fcrawl billet-doux so well, and furnish a converfation on the common topicks, that he had, as they call it, a great deal of good business on his hands. It happened one day, that coming down a tavern-stairs in his master's fine guard-coat, with a well-dreffed woman mafked, he met the Colonel coming up with other company; but with a ready affurance he quitted his lady, came up to him, and faid, Sir, I know you have too much refpect for yourself to cane me in this honourable habit: But you fee there is a lady in the cafe, and I hope on that score alfo you will put off your anger till I have told you all another time. After a little paufe, the Colonel cleared up his countenance, and with an air of familiarity whispered his man apart, Sir? rah, bring the lady with you to afk pardon for you; then aloud, Look to it, Will, I'll never forgive you elfe. The fellow went back to his miftrefs, and telling her with a loud voice and an oath, That was the honesteft fellow in the world, conveyed her to an hackney-coach.

But the many irregularities committed by fervants in the places above-mentioned, as well as in the theatres, of which mafters are generally the occa fions, are too various not to need being refumed on another occafion.

TUESDAY.

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-Petite hinc, juvenefque fenefque,

Finem animo certum, miferifque viatica canis.
Cras hoc fiet. Idem cras fiet. Quid? quafi magnum,
Nempe diem donas? fed cùm lux altera venit,
Jam cras hefternum confumpfimus; ecce aliud cras
Egerit hos annos, et femper paulum erit ultra.
Nam quamvis prope te, quamvis temone fub uno,
Vertentem fefe fruftrà sectabere canthum.

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PERS. Sat. 5. ver. 64.

young, with pro

The bounds of good and evil to discern.

Cornutus. Unhappy he, who does this work ad-
journ,

And to to-morrow would the fearch delay:
His lazy morrow will be like to-day.

Perf. But is one day of eafe too much to borrow?
Gorn. Yes, fure; for yesterday was once to-

morrow.

That yesterday is gone, and nothing gain'd;
And all thy fruitless days will thus be drain'd:
For thou haft more to-morrow yet to ask,
And wilt be ever to begin thy task;

Who, like the hindmost chariot wheels, are curst,
Still to be near, but ne'er to reach the firft.

DRYDEN.

AS. my correfpondents upon the subject of love

are very numerous, it is my design, if poffible, to range them under feveral heads, and addrefs myfelf to them at different times. The firft branch of them, to whose service I thall dedicate this paper, are those that have to do with women of dilatory tempers, who are for spinning out the time of court

fhip to an immoderate length, without being able either to close with their lovers, or to difmifs them. I have many letters by me filled with complaints against this fort of women. In one of them no lefs

a man than a brother of the coif tells me, that he' began his fuit Viceffimo nono Caroli fecundi, before he had been a twelvemonth at the Temple; that he profecuted it for many years after he was called to the bar; that at present he is a ferjeant at law; and notwithstanding he hoped that matters would have been long fince brought to an iffue, the fair one ftill demurs. 1 am fo well pleased with this gentleman's phrase, that I fhall diftinguish this fect of women by the title of demurers. I find by another letter from one that calls himself Thyrfis, that his mistress has been demurring above these seven years. But among all my plantiffs of this nature, I most pity the unfortunate Philander, a man of a conftant paffion and plentiful fortune, who fets forth that the timerous and irrefolute Sylvia has demurred till fhe is past child-bearing. Strephon appears by his letter to be a very cholerick lover, and irrevocably fmitten with one that demurs out of felf-interest. He tells me with great paffion that she has bubbled him out of his youth; that the drilled him on to five and fifty, and that he verily believes fhe will drop him in his old age, if the can find her account in another. I fhall conclude this narrative with a letter from honeft SAM HOPEWELL, a very pleafant fellow, who it seems has at last married a demurer: I must only premife, that SAM, who is a very good bottle-companion, has been the diverfion of his friends, upon account of his paffion, ever. fince the year One thousand fix hundred and eighty

one.

DEAR SIR,

You know very well my paffion for Mrs Martha, and what a dance the has led me:

She

' took

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