"backs of the nation; and high fhoulders, as well as high noses, were the top of the fashion. But to come "to ourfelves, gentlemen, tho' I find by my quinquen"nial obfervations, that we shall never get ladies enough to make a party in our own country, yet might we << meet with better fuccefs among fome of our allies. And what think you if our board fat for a Dutch "piece? Truly I am of opinion, that as odd as we appear in fefh and blood, we should be no fuch strange "things in metzo-tinto. But this project may reft 'till our number is complete; and this being our election "night, give me leave to propofe Mr. SPECTATOR. "You fee his inclinations, and perhaps we may not have "his fellow."

66

I found most of them (as is ufual in all fuch cases) were prepared; but one of the feniors (whom by the by Mr. Prefident had taken all this pains to bring over) fat ftill, and cocking his chin, which feemed only to be levelled at his nofe, very gravely declared, "That in cafe he had had fufficient knowledge of you, no man fhould have been more willing to have ferved you; but that he, for his part, had always had regard to his own confcience, as well as other people's "merit; and he did not know but that you might be a handsome fellow; for as for your own certificate, it was every body's bufinefs to speak for themselves." Mr. Prefident immediately retorted,' "A handsome "fellow! why he is a wit, Sir, and you know the pro"verb:" and to eafe the old gentleman of his fcruples,

cried, “That for matter of merit it was all one, you "might wear a mafk." This threw him into a pause, and he looked defirous of three days to confider on it; but Mr. Prefident improved the thought, and followed • him up with an old ftory, "That wits were privileged 66 to wear what marks they pleafed in all ages; and that a vizard had been the conitant crown of their labours, which was generally prefented them by the hand of "fome fatyr, and fometimes of Apollo himfelf:" For the truth of which he appealed to the frontifpiece of • feveral books, and particularly to the English Juvenal, to-which he referred him; and only added;. "That

"fuch

"fuch authors were the Larvati, or Larvâ donati of the "ancients." This cleared up all, and in the conclufion you were chofe probationer: and Mr. Prefident put round your health as fuch, protesting, "That "though indeed he talked of a vizard, he did not be"lieve all the while you had any more occafion for it "than the cat-a-mountain;" fo that all you have to do now is to pay your fees, which here are very reafonable, if you are not impofed upon: and you may ftile yourself Informis Societatis Socius: which I am defired to acquaint you with; and upon the fame I beg 'you to accept of the congratulation of,

The

HOR. Od. I. xxx. 5.

graces with their zones unloos'd, The nymphs their beauties all expos'd, From every fpring, and every plain; Thy powerful, hot, and winged boy, And youth that's dull without thy joy, And Mercury compofe thy train.

CREECH.

AFRIEND of mine has two daughters, whom I

will call Letitia and Daphne; the former is one of the greatest beauties of the age in which the lives, the latter no way remarkable for any charms in her person. Upon this one circumftance of their outward form, the good and ill of their life feems to turn. Lætitia has not, from her very childhood, heard any thing elfe but com

mendations

mendations of her features and complexion, by which means fhe is no other than nature made her, a very beautiful out-fide. The consciousness of her charms has rendered her infupportably vain and infolent towards all who have to do with her. Daphne, who was almoft twenty before one civil thing had ever been faid to her, found herself obliged to acquire fome accomplishments to make up for the want of thofe attractions which she saw in her fifter. Poor Daphne was feldom fubmitted to in a debate wherein he was concerned; her discourse had nothing to recommend it but the good sense of it, and fhe was always under a neceffity to have very well confidered what he was to fay before the uttered it; while Lætitia was liftened to with partiality, and approbation fat in the countenances of those fhe converfed with, be fore the communicated what he had to fay. These causes have produced fuitable effects, and Lætitia is as infipid a companion, as Daphne is an agreeable one. Lætitia, confident of favour, has ftudied no arts to please; Daphne, defpairing of any inclination towards her perfon, has depended only on her merit. Lætitia has always fomething in her air that is fullen, grave, and difconfolate. Daphne has a countenance that appears chearful, open, and unconcerned. A young gentleman faw Letitia this winter at a play, and became her captive. His fortune was fuch, that he wanted very little intro-duction to speak his fentiments to her father. The lover was admitted with the utmost freedom into the family, where a constrained behaviour, fevere looks and distant civilities, were the highest favours he could obtain of Lætitia; while Daphne used him with the good-humour, familiarity, and innocence of a fitter; infomuch that he would often fay to her, "Dear Daphne, wert thou but 66 as handfome as Lætitia"- -She received fuch language with that ingenuous and pleafing mirth, which is natural to a woman without defign. He till figh'd in vain for Lætitia, bút found certain relief in the agree able converfation of Daphne. At length, heartily tired. with the haughty impertinence of Lætitia, and charmed with repeated inftances of good-humour he had obferved in Daphne, he one day told the latter, that he had fomething to fay to her he hoped the would be pleased with

6-Faith,

gave

"Faith, Daphne, continued he, I am in love with "thee, and defpife thy fifter fincerely." The manner of his declaring himself his mistress occafion for a very hearty laughter.-- "Nay, fays he, I knew you would laugh at me, but I'll afk your father." He did fo; the father received his intelligence with no lefs joy than furprife, and was very glad he had now no care left but for his Beauty, which he thought he could carry to market at his leifure. I do not know any thing that has pleafed me fo much a great while, as this conquest of my friend Daphne's. All her acquaintance congratulate her upon her chance-medley, and laugh at that premeditating murderer her fifter. As it is an argument of a light mind, to think the worse of ourselves for the im perfections of our perfons, it is equally below us to value ourfelves upon the advantages of them. The female world feem to be almost incorrigibly gone aftray in this particular; for which reafon, I fhall recommend the following extract out of a friend's letter to the profefs'& beauties, who are a people almost as unfufferable as the profefs'd wits.

CONSIEUR St. Evremond has concluded one of

CONSI Melays with affirming, that the laft fighs of a

handfome woman are not fo much for the lofs of her life as of her beauty. Perhaps this raillery is pursued too far, yet it is turned upon a very obvious remark, that woman's ftrongest paffion is for her own beauty, and that the values it as her favourite diftinction. From hence it is that all arts, which pretend to improve or preferve it, meet with fo general a reception among the fex. To fay nothing of many falfe helps, and ⚫ contraband wares of beauty, which are daily vended in this great mart, there is not a maiden gentlewoman of a good family in any country of South-Britain, who has not heard of the virtues of May-dew, or is unfurnished with fome receipt or other in favour of her 'complexion; and I have known a phyfician of learning and fenfe, after eight years study in the univerfity, and a course of travels into moft countries in Europe, owe the first raising of his fortunes to a cofmetic wash.

This has given me occafion to confider how fo univerfal a difpofition in womankind, which fprings from · a laudable

a laudable motive, the defire of pleafing, and proceeds < upon an opinion, not altogether groundless, that nature may be helped by art, may be turned to their advantage. And, methinks, it would be an acceptable service to take them out of the hands of quacks and pretenders, and to prevent their impofing upon themfelves, by difcovering to them the true fecret and art of improving beauty.

In order to this, before I touch upon it directly, it will be neceffary to lay down a few preliminary maxims, viz.

That no woman can be handfome by the force of features alone, any more than the can be witty only by the help of fpeech.

That pride destroys all symmetry and grace, and 'affectation is a more terrible enemy to fine faces than the fmall-pox.

That no woman is capable of being beautiful, who is not incapable of being falfe.

And, that what would be odious in a friend, is deformity in a mistress.

From these few principles, thus laid down, it will be eafy to prove, that the true art of affifting beauty confifts in embellishing the whole perfon by the proper ornaments of virtuous and commendable qualities. By this help alone it is, that thofe who are the favourite work of nature, or, as Mr. Dryden expreffes it, the • Porcelain clay of human kind, become animated, and are in a capacity of exerting their charms; and those who feem to have been neglected by her, like models wrought in hatte, are capable in a great measure of finishing what he has left imperfect.

'

It is, methinks, a low and degrading idea of that fex, which was created to refine the joys, and foften the cares of humanity, by the most agreeable participation, to confider them merely as objects of fight. This is abridging them of their natural extent of power, to put them upon a level with their pictures at Kneller's. How much nobler is the contemplation of beauty heightened by virtue, and commanding our esteem and love, while it draws our obfervation? How faint and fpiritlefs are the charms of a coquette, when compar'd