man than a brother of the coife tells me, that he began his fuit Vicefimo 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 issue, the fair one still demurs.-I am fo well pleased with this gentleman's phrafe, that I fhall diftinguish this fect of women by the title of Demurrers. I find by another letter from one that calls himself Thyrfis, that his mistress has been demurring above thefe feven years. But among all my plaintiffs of this nature, I most pity the unfortunate Philander, a man of a conftant paffion and plentiful fortune, who fets forth that the timorous and irresolute Sylvia has demurred till she is past child-bearing. Strephon appears by his letter to be a very choleric lover, and irrevocably fmitten with one that demurs out of self-intereft. 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 pleasant fellow, who it seems has at last married a demurrer. I must only premise, 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. e i. e. A ferjeant at law. ' DEAR SIR, 'You know very well my paffion for Mrs. Martha, and what a dance fhe has led me. She took me out at the age of two and twenty, and dodged with me above thirty years. I have loved her till fhe is grown as grey as a cat, and am with much ado become the master of her person, fuch as it is at prefent. She is however in my eye a very charming old woman. We often lament that we did not marry fooner, but fhe has nobody to blame for it but herself. You know very well that she would never think of me whilft fhe had a tooth in her head. I have put the date of my paffion (Anno Amoris Trigefimo primo) instead of a pofy on my wedding ring. I expect you should send me a congratulatory letter, or, if you please, an epithalamium upon this occafion. Mrs. Martha's and your's eternally, In order to banifh an evil out of the world, that does not only produce great uneasiness to private perfons, but has alfo a very bad influence on the public, I fhall endeavour to fhow the folly of demurrage from two or three reflections which I earnestly recommend to the thoughts of my fair readers. First of all I would have them seriously think on the shortness of their time. Life is not long enough for a coquette to play all her tricks in. A timorous woman drops into her grave before she has done deliberating. Were the age of man the fame that it was before the flood, a lady might facrifice half a century to a fcruple, and be two or three ages in demurring. in demurring. Had the nine hundred years good, fhe might hold out to the converfion of the Jews before the thought fit to be prevailed upon. But, alas! fhe ought to play her part in hafte, when fhe confiders that she is fuddenly to quit the stage, and make room for others. In the fecond place, I would defire my female readers to confider, that as the term of life is fhort, that of beauty is much fhorter. The finest skin wrinkles in a few years, and lofes the strength of its colourings fo foon, that we have scarce time to admire it. I might embellish this fubject with rofes and rainbows, and feveral other ingenious conceits, which I may poffibly referve for another opportunity. There is a third confideration which I would likewife recommend to a demurrer, and that is the great danger of her falling in love when she is about threescore, if the cannot fatisfy her doubts and fcruples before that time. There is a kind of latter fpring, that sometimes gets into the blood of an old woman and turns her into a very odd fort of an animal. I would therefore have the demurrer confider what a ftrange figure she will make, if the chances to get over all difficulties, and comes to a final refolution, in that unseasonable part of her life. I would not however be understood, by any thing I have here faid, to discourage that natural modesty in the fex, which renders a retreat from the first approaches of a lover both fashionable and graceful. All that I intend is, to advise them, when they are prompted by reason and inclination, to demur only out of form, and fo far as decency requires. A virtuous woman fhould reject the first offer of marriage, as a good man does that of a bishoprick; but I would advise neither the one nor the other to persist in refusing what they fecretly approve. I would in this particular propofe the example of Eve to all her daughters, as Milton has represented her in the following paffage, which I cannot forbear transcribing intire, though only the twelve last lines are to my present purpose. The rib he form'd and fashion'd with his hands; She disappear'd, and left me dark; I wak'd I, overjoy'd, could not forbear aloud; "This turn hath made amends: thou haft fulfill'd Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign! Giver of all things fair; but fairest this Her virtue, and the conscience of her worth, Nature herself, though pure of finful thought, N° L Paradife Loft, VIII. 469–511. 90. Wednesday, June 13, 1711. Magnus fine viribus Ignis Incaffum furit In all the rage of impotent defire, VIRG. Georg. iii. 99. They feel a quenchless flame, a fruitless fire. THERE is not, in my opinion, a confideration more effectual to extinguish inordinate defires in the foul of man, than the notions of Plato and his followers upon that fubject. They tell us, that every paffion which has been contracted by the foul during her refidence in the body, remains with her in a separate state; and that the foul in the body, or out of the f By Addison, dated London. See final note to N° 7. VOL. II. E |