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 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 fpirit 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 seems Dick Craftin, the admirer of Honoria, and Tom Tulip, the pretender to Flavia, were purposely admitted together by the ladies, that each might fhow 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, these gentlemen are inftances of it in their different manner of application. Tulip is ever making allufions to the vigour of his perfon, the finewy force of his make; while Craftin profeffes a wary observation of the turns of his mif. trefs's mind. Tulip gives himself the air of a refist, lefs ravither. Craftin practices that of a skilful lover, Poetry is the infeparable property of every man in love; and as men of wit write verfes on those occafions, the rest of the world repeat the verses of others. These fervants of the ladies were used to imitate their manner of converfation, and allude to one another, rather than interchange difcourfe in what they faid when they met. Tulip the other day feized his mistrefs's hand, and repeated out of Ovid's Art of Love, 'Tis I can in foft battles pass the night, } Upon hearing this, Craftin, with an air of defer ence, played Honoria's fan, and repeated, Sedley Sedley has that prevailing gentle art, } 'Till the poor vanquish'd maid diffolves away In dreams all night, in fighs and tears all day. When Craftin had uttered these verses with a tendernefs which at once spoke paffion and refpect, Honoria caft a triumphant glance at Flavia, as exult. ing in the elegance of Craftin's courtship, and upbraiding her with the homlinefs 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 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 unfeasonable youth. Tulip fung, danced, moved before the glafs, led his mistress half a mi nuet, hummed, Celia the fair, in the bloom of fifteen ; when there came a fervant with a letter to him,' which was as follows. SIR I understand very well what you meant by your ' mention of Platonick love. I fhall 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 shall appoint for, SIR, your moft humble fervant, Tulip's colour changed at the reading this epiftle; for which reafon his miftrefs fnatched it to read the contents. While fhe was doing so 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 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 efcape 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 firft part of the hiftory of the Rival mother. R 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. IMITATED. What wou'd you have me do, When out of twenty I can please not two?- POPE. QOKING 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 fo well, that calling for my breakfast this morning (it being past my ufual hour) fhe 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 vene'ration which I have for you, I muft put you in 'mind of the catalogue of books which you have promised to recommend to our fex; for I have 'deferred furnishing my clofet with authors, 'till "I receive your advice in this particular, being your daily difciple and humble fervant, LEONORA.' In anfwer to my fair difciple, whom I am very proud of, I must acquaint her and the reft 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. In the first class I fhall 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 confequently have an eye to their own advantage more than that of the ladies. One tells me, that he thinks it abfolutely neceflary for women to have true notions of right and equity, and that therefore they cannot peruse 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 accomplished who has not read the fecret treaties and negotiations of Marshal 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. E tifmi tifm; as another is very importunate with me to recommend to all my female readers The finishing firoke, being a vindication of the patriarchal fcheme, &c. In the fecond clafs I fhall mention books which are recommended by husbands, if I may believe the writers of them. Whether or no they are real hufbands or perfonated ones I cannot tell, but the books they recommend are as follow. A Paraphrafe on the hiftory of Sufanna. Rules to keep Ient. The Chriftians overthrow prevented. A diffuafive from the playhouse. The virtues of camphire, with directions to make camphire tea. The pleasures of a country life. The government of the tongue. A letter dated from Cheapfide defires me that I would advise all young wives to make themselves miftreffes of Wingate's Arithmetick, and concludes with a postcript, that he hopes I will not forget The Countess of Kent's receipts. I may reckon the ladies themselves as a third clafs among these my correfpondents and privy-counfellors. In a letter from one of them, I am advised to place Pharamond at the head of my catalogue, and, if I think proper, to give the second place to Caffandra. Coquetilla begs me not to think of nailing women upon their knees with manuals of devotion, nor of fcorching their faces with books of housewifery. Florella defires to know if there are any books written against prudes, and intreats me, if there are, to give them a place in my library. Plays of all forts have their feveral advocates: All for love is mentioned in above fifteen letters; Sophonifta, or Hannibal's overthrow, in a dozen; The innocent adultery is likewife highly approved of: Mithridates King of Pontus has many friends; Alexander the Great and Aurenzebe have the fame number of voices; but Theodofius, or the Force of love, carries it from all the reft. I fhould, in the laft place, mention fuch books as have been propofed by men of learning, and thofe |