October 3 to the best Lights they had of the divine Nature, Pytha No. 186. goras's first Rule directs us to worship the Gods as it is Wednes ordained by Law, for that is the most natural Interpret day, ation of the Precept, Socrates, who was the most re 1711 nowned among the Heathens both for Wisdom and Virtue, in his last Moments desires his Friends to offer a Cock to Esculapius; doubtless out of a submissive Deference to the established Worship of his Country, Xenophon tells us, that his Prince (whom he sets forth as a Pattern of Perfection) when he found his Death approaching, offered Sacrifices on the Mountains to the Persian Jupiter and the Sun, according to the Custom of the Persians; for those are the Words of the His torian. Nay, the Epicureans and Atomical Philosophers shewed a very remarkable Modesty in this Particular; for though the Being of a God was entirely repugnant to their Schemes of natural Philosophy, they contented themselves with the Denial of a Providence, asserting at the same Time the Existence of Gods in general; because they would not shock the common Belief of Mankind, and the Religion of their Country, L HE Intelligence given by this Correspondent is so important and useful, in order to avoid the Persons he speaks of, that I shall insert his Letter at length.. 'Mr. SPECTATOR, I do not know that you have ever touched upon a cer tain Species of Women, whom we ordinarily call Jilts. You cannot possibly go upon a more useful Work, than the Consideration of these dangerous Animals. The Coquet is indeed one degree towards the Jilt; but the Heart of the former is bent upon admiring her self, and giving false Hopes to her Lovers; but the latter is not contented to be extreamly Amiable, but she must add No. 187. add to that Advantage a certain Delight in being a Thursday, Torment to others. Thus when her Lover is in the October 4, full Expectation of Success, the Jilt shall meet him with 1711, a sudden Indifference, an Admiration in her Face at his being surprized that he is received like a Stranger, and a Cast of her Head another way with a pleasant Scorn of the Fellow's Insolence. It is very probable the Lover goes Home utterly astonished and dejected, sits down to this Scrutore, sends her Word, in the most abject Terms, That he knows not what he has done, that all which was desirable in this Life is so suddenly vanished from him, that the Charmer of his Soul should withdraw the vital Heat from the Heart which pants for her. He continues a Mournful Absence for some time pining in Secret, and out of Humour with all things which he meets with. At length he takes a Resolution to try his Fate, and explain with her reso lutely upon her unaccountable Carriage. He walks up to her Apartment with a thousand Inquietudes and Doubts in what manner he shall meet the first Cast of her Eye; when upon his first Appearance she flies towards him, wonders where he has been, accuses him of his Absence, and treats him with a Familiarity as surprizing as her former Coldness. This good Corre spondence continues 'till the Lady observes the Lover grows happy in it, and then she interrupts it with some new Inconsistency of Behaviour. For (as I just now said) the Happiness of a Jilt consists only in the Power of making others uneasie. But such is the Folly of this Sect of Women, that they carry on this pretty skittish Behaviour, 'till they have no Charms left to render it supportable. Corinna, that used to torment all who conversed with her with false Glances, and little heedless unguarded Motions, that were to betray some Inclination towards the Man she would insnare, finds at present all she attempts that way unregarded; and is obliged to indulge the Jilt in her Constitution, by laying Artificial Plots, writing perplexing Letters from unknown Hands, and making all the young Fellows in Love with her, 'till they find out who she is. Thus, as before she gave Torment by disguising her Inclin ation, she now is obliged to do it by hiding her No. 187. Person Thursday As for my own part, Mr. SPECTATOR, it has been my 1711 Unhappy Fate to be Jilted from my Youth upward, and as my Taste has been very much towards Intreague, and having Intelligence with Women of Wit, my whole Life has passed away in a Series of Impositions. I shall, for the Benefit of the present Race of young Men, give some account of my Loves. I know not whether you have ever heard of the famous Girl about Town called Kitty; this Creature (for I must take Shame upon my self) was my Mistress in the Days when Keeping was in Fashion, Kitty, under the Appearance of being Wild, Thoughtless and Irregular in all her Words and Actions, concealed the most accomplished Jilt of her Time. Her Negligence had to me a Charm in it like that of Chastity, and want of Desires seemed as great a Merit as the Conquest of them. The Air she gave her self was that of a Romping Girl, and whenever I talked to her with any Turn of Fondness, she would immediately snatch off my Perriwig, try it upon her self in the Glass, clap her Arms a Kimbow, draw my Sword, and make Passes on the Wall, take off my Cravat, and seize it to make some other use of the Lace, or run into some other unaccountable Rompishness, 'till the time I had appointed to pass away with her was over: I went from her full of Pleasure at the Reflection that I had the keeping of so much Beauty in a Woman, who as she was too heedless to please me, was also too unattentive to form a Design to wrong me. Long did I divert every Hour that hung heavy upon me in the Company of this Creature, whom I looked upon as neither Guilty or Innocent, but could laugh at my self for my unaccount able Pleasure in an Expence upon her, 'till in the end it appeared my pretty Insensible was with Child by my Footman, This Accident roused me into a Disdain against all Libertine Women, under what Appearance soever they hid their Insincerity, and I resolved after that Time to converse with none but those who lived within the Rules of Decency and Honour. To this End, I formed my No. 187. my self into a more regular Turn of Behaviour, and Thursday, began to make Visits, frequent Assemblies, and lead out October 4, Ladies from the Theatres, with all the other insignifi 1711 cant Duties which the professed Servants of the Fair place themselves in constant readiness to perform, In a very little time, (having a plentiful Fortune) Fathers and Mothers began to regard me as a good Match, and I found easie Admittance into the best Families in Town to observe their Daughters; but I, who was born to follow the Fair to no purpose, have by the force of my ill Stars made my Application to three Jilts successively, Hyæna is one of those who form themselves into a melancholy and indolent Air, and endeavour to gain Admirers from their Inattention to all around them, Hyaena can loll in her Coach, with something so fixed in her Countenance, that it is impossible to conceive her Meditation is employed only on her Dress and her Charms in that posture. If it were not too coarse a Simile, I should say Hyaena, in the Figure she affects to appear in, is a Spider in the midst of a Cobweb, that is sure to destroy every Fly that approaches it. The Net Hyæna throws is so fine, that you are taken in it before you can observe any Part of her Work. attempted her for a long and weary Season; but I found her Passion went no further than to be admired, and she is of that unreasonable Temper as not to value the Inconstancy of her Lovers, provided she can boast she once had their Addresses, I Biblis was the second I aimed at, and her Vanity lay in purchasing the Adorers of others, and not in rejoicing in their Love it self. Biblis is no Man's Mistress, but every Woman's Rival. As soon as I found this, I fell in Love with Chloe, who is my present Pleasure and Torment. I have writ to her, danced with her, and fought for her, and have been her Man in the sight and expectation of the whole Town this three Years, and thought my self near the end of my Wishes, when the other Day she called me into her Closet, and told me, with a very grave Face, that she was a Woman of Honour, and scorned to deceive a Man who loved her with so much Sincerity as she saw I did, and there fore fore she must inform me that she was by Nature the No. 187. most inconstant Creature breathing, and begg'd of me Thursday, October 4, not to marry her: If I insisted upon it, I should; but 1711. that she was lately fallen in Love with another. What to do or say I know not, but desire you to inform me, and you will infinitely oblige, Sir, Your most humble Servant, Charles Yellow.' ADVERTISEMENT. Mr. Sly, Haberdasher of Hats at the Corner of Devereux Court in the Strand, gives Notice, that he has prepared very neat Hats, Rubbers and Brushes, for the Use of young Tradesmen in their last Year of Apprenticeship, at reasonable Rates, No. 188. Friday, October 5, Laetus sum laudari a te laudato viro,-Tull. T Hbeing very red by the Multitude, er affects a general E is a very unhappy Man who sets his Heart upon What and undistinguishing Applause among Men. be |