the Head. As Nature on the contrary has poured out her Charms in the greatest Abundance upon the female Part of our Species, fo they are very affiduous in beftowing upon themselves the finest Garnitures of Art. The Peacock, in all his Pride, does not difplay half the Colours that appear in the Garments of a British Lady, when the is dreffed either for a Ball or a Birthday. The BUT to return to our Female Heads. Ladies have been for fome Time in a Kind of moulting Seafon, with regard to that Part of their Drefs, having caft great Quantities of Ribbon, Lace, and Cambrick, and in fome measure reduced that Part of the humane Figure to the beautiful globular Form, which is natural to it. We have for a great While expected what Kind of Ornament would be fubftituted in the Place of those antiquated Commodes. But our Female Projectors were all the laft Summer fo taken up with the Improvement of their Petticoats, that they had not Time to attend to any Thing elfe; but having at length fufficiently adorned their lower Parts, they now begin to turn their Thoughts upon the other Extremity, as well remembring the old Kitchin Proverb, that if you light your Fire at both Ends, the middle will fhift for its felf. I am engaged in this Speculation by a Sight which I lately met with at the Opera. As I was standing in the hinder Part of the Box, I took notice of a little Clufter of Women fitting together in the prettieft coloured Hoods tha I ever faw. One of them was blue, another yellow, and another philomot; the fourth was of a Pink Colour, and the fifth of a pale Green. I looked with as much Pleasure upon this little party-coloured Affembly, as upon a Bed of Tulips, and did not know at firft whether it might not be an Embaffie of Indian Queens; but upon my going about into the Pit, and taking them in Front, I was immediately undeceived, and saw so much Beauty in every Face, that I found them all to be English. Such Eyes and Lips, Cheeks and Foreheads, could be the Growth of no other Country. The Complection of their Faces hindered me from obferving any further the Colour of their Hoods, though I could eafily perceive by that unfpeakable Satisfaction which appeared in their Looks, that their own Thoughts were wholly taken up on thofe pretty Ornaments they wore upon their Heads. I am informed that this Fashion spreads daily, infomuch that the Whig and Tory Ladies begin already to hang out different Colours, and to fhew their Principles in their Head-drefs. Nay, if I may believe my Friend WILL HONEYCOM в, there is a certain old Coquet of his Acquaintance, who intends to appear very fuddenly in a Rainbow Hood, like the Iris in Dryden's Virgil, not queftioning but that among fuch a Variety of Colours fhe fhall have a Charm for every Heart. MY Friend WILL, who very much values himself upon his great Infights into Gallantry, tells tells me, that he can already guess at the Humour a Lady is in by her Hood, as the Courtiers of Morocco know the Difpofition of their prefent Emperor by the Colour of the Dress which he puts on. When Melefinda wraps her Head in Flame Colour, her Heart is fet upon Execution. When fhe covers it with Purple, I would not, fays he, advise her Lover to approach her; but if the appears in White, it is Peace, and he may hand her out of her Box with Safety. WILL informs me likewife, that these Hoods may be used as Signals. Why elfe, fays he, does Cornelia always put on a Black Hood when her Husband is gone into the Country. SUCH are my Friend HONEYCOMB'S Dreams of Gallantry. For my own Part, I impute this Diverfity of Colours in the Hoods to the Diversity of Complection in the Faces of my pretty Country Women. Ovid in his Art of Love has given fome Precepts as to this Particular, though I find they are different from thofe which prevail among the Moderns. He recommends a red ftriped Silk to the pale Complection; White to the Brown, and Dark to the Fair. On the contrary, my Friend WILL, who pretends to be a greater Mafter in this Art than Ovid, tells me, that the palett Features look the most agreeable in white Sarfenet; that a Face which is overflushed appears to advantage in the deepest Scarlet, and that the darkeft Complection is not a little allevia ted ted by a Black Hood. In fhort, he is for lo fing the Colour of the Face in that of the Hood, as a Fire burns dimly, and a Candle goes half out in the Light of the Sun. This, fays he, your Ovid himself has hinted, where he treats of these Matters, when he tells us that the blue Water Nymphs are dreffed in Sky-coloured Garments; and that Aurora, who always appears in the Light of the Rifing Sun, is robed in Saffron. WHETHER these his Obfervations are juftly grounded I cannot tell; but I have often known him, as we have ftood together behind the Ladies, praise or difpraife the Complection of a Face which he never faw, from obferving the Colour of her Hood, and has been very seldom out in these his Guesses. AS I have Nothing more at Heart than the Honour and Improvement of the fair Sex, I cannot conclude this Paper without an Exhortation to the British Ladies, that they would excel the Women of all other Nations as much in Vertue and good Senfe, as they do in Beauty; which they may certainly do, if they will be as induftrious to cultivate their Minds, as they are to adorn their Bodies: In the mean while I fhall recommend to their most serious Confideration the Saying of an old Greek Poet, Τωαικὶ κόσμο ὁ τρόπο, κ' ε χρυσία. C. Fridays N° 266. Friday, January 4. Id vero eft, quod ego mihi puto palmarium, N° Ter. O Vice or Wickedness, which People fall into from Indulgence to Defires which are natural to all, ought to place them below the Compaffion of the virtuous Part of the World; which indeed often makes me a little apt to fufpect the Sincerity of their Virtue, who are too warmly provoked at other Peoples perfonal Sins. The unlawful Commerce of the Sexes is of all other the hardest to avoid; and yet there is no one which you fhall hear the rigider Part of Womankind speak of with fo little Mercy. It is very certain that a modest Woman cannot abhor the Breach of Chastity too much; but pray let her hate it for herself, and only pity it in others. WILL. HONEYGOMB Calls thefe over-offended Ladies, the outragiously virtuous. I do not defign to fall upon Failures in general, with Relation to the Gift of Chastity, but at prefent only enter upon that large Field, and begin with the Confideration of poor and publick Whores. The other Evening paffing along near |