no other bufinefs with the rest of mankind, but to look upon them. Under this clafs of men are comprehended all contemplative Tradefmen, titular Phyficians, Fellows of the Royal Society, Templars that are not given to be contentious, and Statesmen that are out of business; in fhort, every one that confiders the world as a theatre, and defires to form a right judgment of those who are the actors on it.

There is another fet of men that I must likewife lay a claim to, whom I have lately called the Blanks of fociety, as being altogether unfurnished with ideas, till the bufinefs and converfation of the day has fupplied them. I have often confidered these poor fouls with an eye of great commiferation, when I have heard them afking the firft man they have met with, whether there was any news ftirring and by that means gathering together materials for thinking. These needy perfons do not know what to talk of, 'till about twelve o'clock in the morning; for by that time they are pretty good judges of the weather, know which way the wind fits, and whether the Dutch mail be come in. As they lie at the mercy of the first man they meet, and are grave or impertinent all the day long, according to the notions which they have imbibed in the morning, I would earneftly intreat them not to stir out of their chambers till they have read this paper, and do promise them that I will daily inftil into them fuch found and wholfome fentiments, as fhall have a good effect on their converfation for the enfuing twelve hours.

But there are none to whom this paper will be more ufeful than to the female world. I have often thought there has not been fufficient pains taken in finding out. proper employments and diverfions for the fair ones.. Their amufements feem contrived for them, rather as they are women, than as they are reasonable creatures; and are more adapted to the fex than to the fpecies. The toilet is their great fcene of bufinefs, and the right. adjusting of their hair the principal employment of their lives. The forting of a fuit of ribbons is reckoned a very good morning's work; and if they make an excurfion to a mercer's or a toy-fhop, fo great a fatigue makes them unfit for any thing elfe all the day after.

Their more serious occupations are fewing and embroidery, and their greatest drudgery the preparation of jellies and fweet-meats. This, I fay, is the ftate of ordinary women; though I know there are multitudes of thofe of a more elevated life and converfation, that move in an exalted sphere of knowledge and virtue, that join all the beauties of the mind to the ornaments of drefs, and infpire a kind of awe and refpect, as well as love, into their male-beholders. I hope to increase the number of thefe by publishing this daily paper, which I shall always endeavour to make an innocent if not an improving entertainment, and by that means at leaft divert the minds of my female readers from greater trifles. At the fame time, as I would fain give fome finishing touches to those which are already the most beautiful pieces in human natnre, I fhall endeavour to point out all those imperfections that are the blemishes, as well as thofe virtues which are the embellishments, of the fex. In the mean while I hope thefe my gentle readers, who have fo much time on their hands, will not grudge throwing away a quarter of an hour in a day on this paper, fince they may do it without any hindrance to bufinefs.

I know feveral of my friends and well-wishers are in great pain for me, left I fhould not be able to keep up the fpirit of a paper which I oblige myself to furnish every day; but to make them eafy in this particular, I will promife them faithfully to give it over as foon as I grow dull. This I know will be matter of great raillery to the fmall wits; who will frequently put me in mind of my promife, defire me to keep my word, affure me that it

high time to give over, with many other little pleafantries of the like nature, which men of a little smart genius cannot forbear throwing out against their best friends, when they have fuch a handle given them of

being witty. But let them remember that I do hereby

enter my caveat against this piece of raillery.

Tuesday,

No II

Tuesday, March 13.

Dat veniam corvis, vexat cenfura columbas.

Juv. Sat. ii. ver. 63. The doves are cenfur'd, while the crows are spared.

A

RIETTA is vifited by all perfons of both fexes, who have any pretence to wit and gallantry. She is in that time of life which is neither affected with the follies of youth, or infirmities of age; and her converfation is fo mixed with gaiety and prudence, that the is agreeable both to the young and old. Her behaviour is very frank, without being in the leaft blameable; and as fhe is out of the track of any amorous or ambitious purfuits of her own, her vifitants entertain her with accounts of themfelves very freely, whether they concern their paffions or their interests. I made her a vifit this afternoon, having been formerly introduced to the honour of her acquaintance, by my friend Will Honeycomb, who has prevail'd upon her to admit me fometimes into her affembly, as a civil inoffenfive man. I found her accompanied with one perfon only, a common-place talker, who, upon my entrance, arofe, and after a very flight civility fat down again; then turning to Arietta, pursued his difcourfe, which I found was upon the old topic of conftancy in love. He went on with great facility in repeating what he talks every day of his life; and with the ornaments of infignificant laughs and gestures, enforced his arguments by quotations out of plays and fongs, which allude to the perjuries of the fair, and the general levity of women. thought he ftrove to fhine more than ordinary in his talkative way, that he might infult my filence, and diftinguish himself before a woman of Arietta's taste and understanding. She had often an inclination to interrupt him, but could find no opportunity, till the larum ceafed of itfelf; which it did not till he had reVOL. I. peated

C

Me.

peated and murdered the celebrated ftory of the Ephefian matron.

Arietta feemed to regard this piece of raillery as an outrage done to her fex; as indeed I have always obfrved that women, whether out of a nicer regard to their honour, or what other reason I cannot tell, are more fenfibly touched with those general afperfions which are cast upon their fex, than men are by what is faid of theirs.

When she had a little recovered herself from the ferious anger she was in, the replied in the following man

ner.

Sir, When I confider how perfectly new all you have faid on this fubject is, and that the story you have given us is not quite two thousand years old, I cannot but think it a piece of prefumption to difpute with you; but your quotations put me in mind of the fable of the Lion and the Man. The man walking with that noble animal, fhewed him, in the oftentation of human fuperiority, a fign of a man killing a lion. Upon which the lion faid very jufly, "We lions are none of us painters, else we could fhew a hundred men killed by "lions, for one lion killed by a man.' You men are writers, and can reprefent us women as unbecoming as you pleafe in your works, while we are unable to return the injury. You have twice or thrice obferved in your difcourfe, that hypocrify is the very foundation of our education; and that an ability to diffemble our affections is a profeffed part of our breeding. Thefe, and fuch other reflections, are fprinkled up and down the writings of all ages, by authors, who leave behind them memorials of their refentment against the fcorns of particular women, in invectives against the whole fex. Such a writer, I doubt not, was the celebrated Petronius, who invented the pleafant aggravations of the frailty of the Ephefian Lady; but when we confider this queftion between the fexes, which has been either a point, of difpute or raillery ever fince there were men and women, let us take facts from plain people, and from fuch as have not either ambition or capacity to embellish their narrations with any beauties of imagina tion. I was the other day amufing myfelf with Ligon's

account

account of Barbadoes; and in anfwer to your wellwrought tale, I will give you (as it dwells upon my memory) out of that honeft traveller, in his fifty-fifth page, the hiftory of Inkle and Yarico.

Mr. Thomas Inkle, of London, aged twenty years, embarked in the Downs on the good fhip called the Achilles, bound for the Weft-Indies, on the 16th of June, 1647, in order to improve his fortune by trade and merchandise. Our adventurer was the third son of an eminent citizen, who had taken particular care to inftil into his mind an early love of gain, by making him a perfect mafter of numbers, and confequently giving him a quick view of lofs and advantage, and preventing the natural impulfes of his paffions, by prepoffeffion towards his interefts. With a mind thus turned, young Inkle had a perfon every way agreeable, a ruddy vigour in his countenance, ftrength in his limbs, with ringlets of fair hair loofely flowing on his fhoulders. It happened, in the courfe of the voyage, that the Achilles, in fome diftrefs, put into a creek on the main of America, in fearch of provifions. The youth, who is the hero of my itory, among others went ashore on this occafion. From their firft landing they were obferved by a party of Indians, who hid themselves in the woods for that purpose. The English unadvisedly marched a great diftance from the fhore into the country, and were intercepted by the natives, who flew the greatest number of them. Our adventurer efcaped among others, by flying into a foreft. Upon his coming into a remote and pathlefs part of the wood, he threw himself, tired, and breathlefs, on a little hillock, when an Indian maid rushed from a thicket behind him. After the firit furprize, they appeared mutually agreeable to each other. If the European was highly charmed with the limbs, features, and wild graces of the naked American; the American was no lefs taken with the drefs, complexion, and fhape of an European, covered from head to foot. The Indian grew immediately enamoured of him, and confequently folici.. tous for his preservation. She therefore conveyed him to a cave, where he gave him a delicious repait of fruits, and led him to a stream to flake his thirft. In the midt