Dicite Iö Pæan, et Iö bis dicite Pæan:
Decidit in casses præda petita meos.
Ovid.
translation
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'Having in your Paper of
Monday last published my Report on the
Case of Mrs.
Fanny Fickle, wherein I have taken Notice, that Love
comes after Marriage; I hope your Readers are satisfied of this Truth,
that as Love generally produces Matrimony, so it often happens that
Matrimony produces Love.
'It perhaps requires more Virtues to make a good Husband or Wife, than
what go the finishing any the most shining Character whatsoever.
'Discretion seems absolutely necessary, and accordingly we find that
the best Husbands have been most famous for their Wisdom.
Homer, who
hath drawn a perfect Pattern of a prudent Man, to make it the more
compleat, hath celebrated him for the just Returns of Fidelity and
Truth to his
Penelope; insomuch that he refused the Caresses of a
Goddess for her sake, and to use the Expression of the best of Pagan
Authors,
vetulam suam prætulit Immortalitati, his old Woman was
dearer to him than Immortality.
'Virtue is the next necessary Qualification for this domestick
Character, as it naturally produces Constancy and mutual Esteem. Thus
Brutus and
Porcia were more remarkable for Virtue and Affection
than any others of the Age in which they lived.
'Good-Nature is a third necessary Ingredient in the Marriage-State,
without which it would inevitably sower upon a thousand Occasions.
When Greatness of Mind is joined with this amiable Quality, it
attracts the Admiration and Esteem of all who behold it. Thus
Cæsar,
not more remarkable for his Fortune and Valour than for his Humanity,
stole into the Hearts of the
Roman People, when breaking through the
Custom, he pronounced an Oration at the Funeral of his first and best
beloved Wife.
'Good-Nature is insufficient, unless it be steady and uniform, and
accompanied with an Evenness of Temper, which is, above all things, to
be preserved in this Friendship contracted for Life. A Man must be
easie within himself, before he can be so to his other self.
Socrates, and
Marcus Aurelius, are Instances of Men, who, by the
Strength of Philosophy, having entirely composed their Minds, and
subdued their Passions, are celebrated for good Husbands,
notwithstanding the first was yoked with
Xantippe, and the other
with
Faustina. If the wedded Pair would but habituate themselves for
the first Year to bear with one another's Faults, the Difficulty would
be pretty well conquer'd. This mutual Sweetness of Temper and
Complacency, was finely recommended in the Nuptial Ceremonies among
the Heathens, who, when they sacrificed to
Juno at that Solemnity,
always tore out the Gaul from the Entrails of the Victim, and cast it
behind the Altar.
'I shall conclude this Letter with a Passage out of Dr.
Plot's
Natural History of Staffordshire, not only as it will serve to fill
up your present Paper; but if I find my self in the Humour, may give
Rise to another; I having by me an old Register, belonging to the
Place here under-mentioned.'
Sir Philip de Somervile held the Manors of Whichenovre,
Scirescot, Ridware, Netherton, and Cowlee, all in Com.
Stafford, of the Earls of Lancaster, by this memorable Service.
The said Sir Philip shall find, maintain, and sustain, one Bacon
Flitch, hanging in his Hall at Whichenovre ready arrayed all
times of the Year, but in Lent, to be given to every Man or Woman
married, after the Day and the Year of their Marriage be past, in
Form following.
Whensoever that any one such before named will come to enquire for
the Bacon, in their own Person, they shall come to the Bailiff, or
to the Porter of the Lordship of Whichenovre, and shall say to
them in the manner as ensueth;
'Bayliff, or Porter, I doo you to know, that I am come for my self,
to demand one Bacon Flyke hanging in the Hall of the Lord of
Whichenovre, after the Form thereunto belonging.'
After which Relation, the Bayliff or Porter shall assign a Day to
him, upon Promise by his Faith to return, and with him to bring
Twain of his Neighbours. And in the mean Time the said Bailiff shall
take with him Twain of the Freeholders of the Lordship of
Whichenovre, and they three shall go to the Manor of Rudlow,
belonging to Robert Knightleye, and there shall summon the
aforesaid Knightleye, or his Bayliff, commanding him to be ready
at Whichenovre the Day appointed, at Prime of Day, with his
Carriage, that is to say, a Horse and a Saddle, a Sack and a Pryke,
for to convey the said Bacon and Corn a Journey out of the County of
Stafford, at his Costages. And then the said Bailiff shall, with
the said Freeholders, summon all the Tenants of the said Manor, to
be ready at the Day appointed, at Whichenovre, for to do and
perform the Services which they owe to the Bacon. And at the Day
assigned, all such as owe Services to the Bacon, shall be ready at
the Gate of the Manor of Whichenovre, from the Sun-rising to Noon,
attending and awaiting for the coming of him who fetcheth the Bacon.
And when he is come, there shall be delivered to him and his
Fellows, Chapelets; and to all those which shall be there, to do
their Services due to the Bacon. And they shall lead the said
Demandant with Trumps and Tabours, and other manner of Minstrels to
the Hall-Door, where he shall find the Lord of Whichenovre, or his
Steward, ready to deliver the Bacon in this Manner.
He shall enquire of him, which demandeth the Bacon, if he have
brought twain of his Neighbours with him: Which must answer, They
be here ready. And then the Steward shall cause these two
Neighbours to swear, if the said Demandant be a wedded Man, or have
been a Man wedded; and if since his Marriage one Year and a Day be
past; and if he be a Free-man, or a Villain. And if his said
Neighbours make Oath, that he hath for him all these three Points
rehearsed; then shall the Bacon be taken down and brought to the
Hall-Door, and shall there be laid upon one half Quarter of Wheat,
and upon one other of Rye. And he that demandeth the Bacon shall
kneel upon his Knee, and shall hold his right Hand upon a Book,
which Book shall be laid upon the Bacon and the Corn, and shall make
Oath in this manner.
'Here ye, Sir Philip de Somervile, Lord of Whichenovre,
mayntener and gyver of this Baconne: That I A sithe I Wedded B
my Wife, and sithe I had hyr in my kepyng, and at my Wylle, by a
Year and a Day after our Marriage, I would not have chaunged for
none other; farer ne fowler; richer, ne pourer; ne for none other
descended of greater Lynage; slepyng ne wakyng, at noo tyme. And if
the seyd B were sole and I sole I would take her to be my Wife
before all the Wymen of the Worlde, of what condiciones soever they
be: good or evylle, as help me God ond his Seyntes, and this Flesh
and all Fleshes.'
And his Neighbours shall make Oath, that they trust verily he hath
said truly. And if it be found by his Neighbours before-named that
he be a Free-man, there shall be delivered to him half a Quarter of
Wheat and a Cheese; and if he be a Villain, he shall have half a
Quarter of Rye without Cheese. And then shall Knightleye the Lord
of Rudlow be called for, to carry all these Things tofore
rehearsed; and the said Corn shall be laid on one Horse and the
Bacon above it: and he to whom the Bacon appertaineth shall ascend
upon his Horse; and shall take the Cheese before him if he have a
Horse. And if he have none, the Lord of Whichenovre shall cause
him to have one Horse and Saddle, to such time as he be past his
Lordship: and so shall they depart the Manor of Whichenovre with
the Corn and the Bacon, tofore him that hath won it, with Trumpets,
Tabourets, and other manner of Minstrelsie. And all the Free Tenants
of Whichenovre shall Conduct him to be passed the Lordship of
Whichenovre. And then shall they all return; except him, to whom
appertained to make the Carriage and Journey without the County of
Stafford, at the Costs of his Lord of Whichenovre.
Contents
|
Monday, October 18, 1714 |
Addison1 |
—Perjuria ridet Amantum—
Ovid.
translation
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'According to my Promise, I herewith transmit to you a List of several
Persons, who from time to time demanded the
Flitch of Bacon of
Sir
Philip de Somervile and his Descendants; as it is preserved in an
ancient Manuscript under the Title of
The Register of
Whichenovre-Hall, and of the Bacon Flitch there maintained.
'In the Beginning of this Record is recited the Law or Institution in
Form, as it is already printed in your
last Paper: To which are added
Two By-Laws, as a Comment upon the General Law, the Substance whereof
is, that the Wife shall take the same Oath as the Husband,
mutatis
mutandis; and that the Judges shall, as they think meet, interrogate
or cross-examine the Witnesses. After this proceeds the Register in
Manner following.
'Aubry de Falstaff,
Son of Sir John Falstaff,
Kt. with Dame Maude
his Wife, were the first that demanded the Bacon, he having bribed
twain of his Father's Companions to swear falsly in his Behoof whereby
he gained the Flitch: But he and his said Wife falling immediately
into a Dispute how the said Bacon should be dressed, it was by Order
of the Judges taken from him, and hung up again in the Hall.
'Alison
the Wife of Stephen Freckle,
brought her said Husband along
with her, and set forth the good Conditions and Behaviour of her
Consort, adding withal that she doubted not but he was ready to attest
the like of her, his Wife; whereupon he, the said Stephen,
shaking
his Head, she turned short upon him, and gave him a Box on the Ear.
'Philip de Waverland,
having laid his Hand upon the Book, when the
Clause, Were I sole and she sole,
was rehearsed, found a secret
Compunction rising in his Mind, and stole it off again.
'Richard de Loveless,
who was a Courtier, and a very wellbred Man,
being observed to hesitate at the Words after our Marriage,
was
thereupon required to explain himself. He reply'd, by talking very
largely of his exact Complaisance while he was a Lover; and alledg'd,
that he had not in the least disobliged his Wife for a Year and a Day
before Marriage,
which he hoped was the same Thing.
'Rejected.
'Joceline Jolly, Esq.,
making it appear by unquestionable Testimony,
That he and his Wife had presented full and entire Affection for the
Space of the first Month, commonly called the Honey-Moon;
he had in
Consideration thereof one Rasher bestowed upon him.
'After this, says the Record, many Years passed over before any
Demandant appeared at
Whichenovre-Hall; insomuch that one would have
thought that the whole Country were turned
Jews, so little was their
Affection to the Flitch of Bacon.
'The next Couple enrolled had like to have carried it, if one of the
Witnesses had not deposed, That dining on a
Sunday with the
Demandant, whose Wife had sate below the Squire's Lady at Church, she
the said Wife dropped some Expressions, as if she thought her Husband
deserved to be knighted; to which he returned a passionate
Pish! The
Judges taking the Premises into Consideration, declared the aforesaid
Behaviour to imply an unwarrantable Ambition in the Wife, and Anger in
the Husband.
'It is recorded as a sufficient Disqualification of a certain Wife,
that speaking of her Husband, she said,
God forgive him.
'It is likewise remarkable, that a Couple were rejected upon the
Deposition of one of their Neighbours, that the Lady had once told her
Husband, that
it was her Duty to obey; to which he replied,
Oh! my
Dear, you are never in the wrong.
'The violent Passion of one Lady for her Lap-Dog; the turning away of
the old House-Maid by another; a Tavern-Bill torn by the Wife, and a
Taylor's by the Husband; a Quarrel about the Kissing-Crust; spoiling
of Dinners, and coming in late of Nights; are so many several Articles
which occasioned the Reprobation of some Scores of Demandants, whose
Names are recorded in the aforesaid Register.
'Without enumerating other particular Persons, I shall content my self
with observing, that the Sentence pronounced against one
Gervase
Poacher is, that
he might have had Bacon to his Eggs, if he had not
heretofore scolded his Wife when they were over boiled. And the
Deposition against
Dorothy Dolittle runs in these Words;
That she
had so far usuped the Dominion of the Coalfire, (the Stirring whereof
her Husband claimed to himself) that by her good Will she never would
suffer the Poker out of her Hand.
'I find but two Couples, in this first Century, that were successful:
The first, was a Sea-Captain and his Wife, who since the Day of their
Marriage, had not seen one another till the Day of the Claim. The
Second, was an honest Pair in the Neighbourhood; The Husband was a Man
of plain good Sense, and a peaceable Temper; the Woman was dumb.'
Footnote 1:
Lord Macaulay, in a letter published p. 1433 ... of Mr.
Bohn's edition of Lowndes's
Bibliographer's Manual
, calls this paper
'undoubtedly Addison's, and one of his best,' although not claimed,
because he could not own it without admitting what Lord Macaulay rightly
considered quite as obvious, his authorship of
. Addison wrote,
evidently, some other of these unappropriated papers.
Contents
|
Wednesday, October 20, 1714 |
|
—Farrago libelli—
Juv.
translation
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'I
have for some Time de
Sir ed to appear in your Paper, and have
therefore chosen a Day
1 to steal into the SPECTATOR, when I take it
for granted you will not have many spare Minutes for Speculations of
your own. As I was the other Day walking with an honest
Country-Gentleman, he very often was expressing his Astonishment to
see the Town so mightily crowded with Doctors of Divinity: Upon which
I told him he was very much mistaken if he took all those Gentlemen he
saw in Scarfs to be Persons of that Dignity; for, that a young Divine,
after his first Degree in the University, usually comes hither only to
show himself; and on that Occasion is apt to think he is but half
equipp'd with a Gown and Cassock for his publick Appearance, if he
hath not the additional Ornament of a Scarf of the first Magnitude to
intitle him to the Appellation of Doctor from his Landlady and the Boy
at
Childs. Now since I know that this Piece of Garniture is looked
upon as a Mark of Vanity or Affectation, as it is made use of among
some of the little spruce Adventurers of the Town, I should be glad if
you would give it a Place among those Extravagancies you have justly
exposed in several of your Papers: being very well assured that the
main Body of the Clergy, both in the Country and the Universities, who
are almost to a Man untainted with it, would be very well pleased to
see this Venerable Foppery well exposed. When my Patron did me the
Honour to take me into his Family, (for I must own my self of this
Order) he was pleased to say he took me as a Friend and Companion; and
whether he looked upon the Scarf like the Lace and Shoulder-knot of a
Footman, as a Badge of Servitude and Dependance, I do not know, but he
was so kind as to leave my wearing of it to my own Discretion; and not
having any just Title to it from my Degrees, I am content to be
without the Ornament. The Privileges of our Nobility to keep a certain
Number of Chaplains are undisputed, though perhaps not one in ten of
those reverend Gentlemen have any Relation to the noble Families their
Scarfs belong to; the Right generally of creating all Chaplains except
the Domestick, where there is one, being nothing more than the
Perquisite of a Steward's Place, who, if he happens to out-live any
considerable Number of his noble Masters, shall probably, at one and
the same Time, have fifty Chaplains, all in their proper
Accoutrements, of his own Creation; though perhaps there hath been
neither Grace nor Prayer said in the Family since the Introduction of
the first Coronet.'
I am, &c.
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'I wish you would write a Philosophical Paper about Natural
Antipathies, with a Word or two concerning the Strength of
Imagination. I can give you a List upon the first Notice, of a
Rational
China Cup, of an Egg that walks upon two Legs, and a Quart
Pot that sings like a Nightingale. There is in my Neighbourhood a very
pretty prattling Shoulder of Veal, that squawls out at the Sight of a
Knife. Then as for Natural Antipathies, I know a General Officer who
was never conquered but by a smother'd Rabbit; and a Wife that
domineers over her Husband by the Help of a Breast of Mutton. A Story
that relates to my self on this Subject may be thought not
unentertaining, especially when I assure you that it is literally
true. I had long made Love to a Lady, in the Possession of whom I am
now the happiest of Mankind, whose Hand I shou'd have gained with much
Difficulty without the Assistance of a Cat. You must know then, that
my most dangerous Rival had so strong an Aversion to this Species,
that he infallibly swooned away at the Sight of that harmless
Creature. My Friend Mrs.
Lucy, her Maid, having a greater Respect
for me and my Purse than she had for my Rival, always took Care to pin
the Tail of a Cat under the Gown of her Mistress, whenever she knew of
his coming; which had such an Effect, that every Time he entred the
Room, he looked more like one of the Figures in Mrs.
Salmon's
Wax-work, than a de
Sir able Lover. In short, he grew Sick of her
Company; which the young Lady taking Notice of, (who no more knew why,
than he did) she sent me a Challenge to meet her in
Lincoln's-Inn
Chappel, which I joyfully accepted, and have (amongst other Pleasures)
the Satisfaction of being praised by her for my Stratagem, I am, &c.'
From the Hoop.
Tom. Nimble.
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'The Virgins of
Great Britain are very much oblig'd to you for
putting them upon such tedious Drudgeries in Needlework as were fit
only for the
Hilpa's and the
Nilpa's that lived before the Flood.
Here's a stir indeed with your Histories in Embroidery, your Groves
with Shades of Silk and Streams of Mohair! I would have you to know,
that I hope to kill a hundred Lovers before the best Housewife in
England can stitch out a Battel, and do not fear but to provide Boys
and Girls much faster than your Disciples can embroider them. I love
Birds and Beasts as well as you, but am content to fancy them when
they are really made. What do you think of Gilt Leather for Furniture?
There's your pretty Hangings for a Chamber
2; and what is more, our
own Country is the only Place in
Europe where Work of that kind is
tolerably done. Without minding your musty Lessons: I am this Minute
going to
Paul's Church-Yard to bespeak a Skreen and a Set of
Hangings; and am resolved to encourage the Manufacture of my Country.'
Yours,
Cleora.
Footnote 1:
Oct. 20, 1714, was the day of the Coronation of George I.
Footnote 2:
There was at this time a celebrated manufactory of tapestry
at Chelsea.
Contents
Sic, cum transierint mei
Nullo cum strepitu dies,
Plebeius moriar senex.
Illi mors gravis incubat,
Qui, notus nimis omnibus,
Ignotus moritur sibi.
Seneca.
translation
I have often wondered that the
Jews
should contrive such a worthless
Greatness for the Deliverer whom they expected, as to dress him up in
external Pomp and Pageantry, and represent him to their Imagination, as
making Havock amongst his Creatures, and acted with the poor Ambition of
a
Cæsar
or an
Alexander
. How much more illustrious doth he appear in
his real Character, when considered as the Author of universal
Benevolence among Men, as refining our Passions, exalting our Nature,
giving us vast Ideas of Immortality, and teaching us a Contempt of that
little showy Grandeur, wherein the
Jews
made the Glory of their
Messiah to consist!
Nothing
(says
Longinus
)
can be Great, the Contempt of which is
Great
. The Possession of Wealth and Riches cannot give a Man a Title to
Greatness, because it is looked upon as a Greatness of Mind, to contemn
these Gifts of Fortune, and to be above the De
Sir
e of them. I have
therefore been inclined to think, that there are greater Men who lie
concealed among the Species, than those who come out, and draw upon
themselves the Eyes and Admiration of Mankind.
Virgil
would never have
been heard of, had not his Domestick Misfortunes driven him out of his
Obscurity, and brought him to
Rome
.
If we suppose that there are Spirits or Angels who look into the Ways of
Men, as it is highly probable there are, both from Reason and
Revelation; how different are the Notions which they entertain of us,
from those which we are apt to form of one another? Were they to give us
in their Catalogue of such Worthies as are now living, how different
would it be from that, which any of our own Species would draw up?
We are dazled with the Splendour of Titles, the Ostentation of Learning,
the Noise of Victories; They, on the contrary, see the Philosopher in
the Cottage, who possesses his Soul in Patience and Thankfulness, under
the Pressure of what little Minds call Poverty and Distress. They do not
look for great Men at the Head of Armies, or among the Pomps of a Court,
but often find them out in Shades and Solitudes, in the private Walks
and By-paths of Life. The Evening's Walk of a wise Man is more
illustrious in their Sight, than the March of a General at the Head of a
hundred thousand Men. A Contemplation of God's Works; a voluntary Act of
Justice to our own Detriment; a generous Concern for the Good of
Mankind; Tears that are shed in Silence for the Misery of others; a
private De
Sir
e or Resentment broken and subdued; in short, an unfeigned
Exercise of Humility, or any other Virtue; are such Actions as are
glorious in their Sight, and denominate Men great and reputable. The
most famous among us are often looked upon with Pity, with Contempt, or
with Indignation; while those who are most obscure among their own
Species, are regarded with Love, with Approbation and Esteem.
The Moral of the present Speculation amounts to this, That we should not
be led away by the Censures and Applauses of Men, but consider the
Figure that every Person will make, at that Time when Wisdom shall be
justified of her Children, and nothing pass for Great or Illustrious,
which is not an Ornament and Perfection to humane Nature.
The Story of
Gyges
the rich
Lydian
Monarch, is a memorable Instance
to our present Purpose. The Oracle being asked by
Gyges
, who was the
happiest Man, replied
Aglaüs
.
Gyges
, who expected to have heard
himself named on this Occasion, was much surprized, and very curious to
know who this
Aglaüs
should be. After much Enquiry he was found to be
an obscure Countryman, who employ'd all his Time in cultivating a
Garden, and a few Acres of Land about his House.
Cowley's
agreeable Relation of this Story shall close this Day's
Speculation.
Thus Aglaüs (a Man unknown to Men,
But the Gods knew, and therefore lov'd him then)
Thus liv'd obscurely then without a Name,
Aglaüs, now consign'd t' eternal Fame.
For Gyges, the rich King, wicked and great,
Presum'd at wise Apollo's Delphick Seat,
Presum'd to ask, Oh thou, the whole World's Eye,
See'st thou a Man that happier is than I?
The God, who scorned to flatter Man, reply'd,
Aglaüs happier is. But Gyges cry'd,
In a proud Rage, Who can that Aglaüs be?
We've heard as yet of no such King as he.
And true it was, through the whole Earth around,
No King of such a Name was to be found.
Is some old Hero of that Name alive,
Who his high Race does from the Gods derive?
Is it some mighty Gen'ral, that has done
Wonders in Fight, and God-like Honours won?
Is it some Man of endless Wealth? said he:
None, none of these; who can this Aglaüs be?
After long Search, and vain Enquiries past,
In an obscure Arcadian Vale at last,
(Th' Arcadian Life has always shady been)
Near Sopho's Town (which he but once had seen)
This Aglaüs, who Monarchs Envy drew,
Whose Happiness the Gods stood Witness to,
This mighty Aglaüs was lab'ring found,
With his own Hands, in his own little Ground.
So, gracious God, (if it may lawful be,
Among those foolish Gods to mention thee)
So let me act, on such a private Stage,
The last dull Scenes of my declining Age;
After long Toils and Voyages in vain,
This quiet Port let my toss'd Vessel gain;
Of heav'nly Rest, this Earnest to me lend,
Let my Life sleep, and learn to love her End.
Contents
Contents, p. 8
Perfide! sed duris genuit te cautibus horrens
Caucasus, Hircanæque admórunt ubera tigres.
Virg.
translation
I am willing to postpone every thing, to do any the least Service for
the Deserving and Unfortunate. Accordingly I have caused the following
Letter to be inserted in my Paper the Moment that it came to my Hands,
without altering one Tittle in an Account which the Lady relates so
handsomely her self.
Mr. SPECTATOR,
'I flatter my self, you will not only pity, but, if possible, redress
a Misfortune my self and several others of my Sex lie under. I hope
you will not be offended, nor think I mean by this to justifie my own
imprudent Conduct, or expect You should. No! I am sensible how
severely, in some of your former Papers, you have reproved Persons
guilty of the like Mismanagements. I was scarce Sixteen, and, I may
say without Vanity, Handsome, when courted by a false perjured Man;
who, upon Promise of Marriage, rendered me the most unhappy of Women.
After he had deluded me from my Parents, who were People of very good
Fashion, in less than three Months he left me. My Parents would not
see, nor hear from me; and had it not been for a Servant, who had
lived in our Family, I must certainly have perished for want of Bread.
However, it pleased Providence, in a very short time, to alter my
miserable Condition. A Gentleman saw me, liked me, and married me. My
Parents were reconciled; and I might be as happy in the Change of my
Condition, as I was before miserable, but for some things, that you
shall know, which are insupportable to me; and I am sure you have so
much Honour and Compassion as to let those Persons know, in some of
your Papers, how much they are in the wrong. I have been married near
five Years, and do not know that in all that time I ever went abroad
without my Husband's Leave and Approbation. I am obliged, through the
Importunities of several of my Relations, to go abroad oftner than
suits my Temper. Then it is, I labour under insupportable Agonies.
That Man, or rather Monster, haunts every Place I go to. Base Villain!
By reason I will not admit his nauseous wicked Visits and
Appointments, he strives all the ways he can to ruin me. He left me
destitute of Friend or Money, nor ever thought me worth enquiring
after, till he unfortunately happened to see me in a Front Box,
sparkling with Jewels. Then his Passion returned. Then the Hypocrite
pretended to be a Penitent. Then he practised all those Arts that
helped before to undo me. I am not to be deceived a second time by
him. I hate and abhor his odious Passion; and, as he plainly perceives
it, either out of Spight or Diversion, he makes it his Business to
expose me. I never fail seeing him in all publick Company, where he is
always most industriously spightful. He hath, in short, told all his
Acquaintance of our unhappy Affair, they tell theirs; so that it is no
Secret among his Companions, which are numerous. They, to whom he
tells it, think they have a Title to be very familiar. If they bow to
me, and I out of good Manners return it, then I am pester'd with
Freedoms that are no ways agreeable to my self or Company. If I turn
my Eyes from them, or seem displeased, they sower upon it, and whisper
the next Person; he his next; 'till I have at last the Eyes of the
whole Company upon me. Nay, they report abominable Falshoods, under
that mistaken Notion, She that will grant Favours to one Man, will to
a hundred. I beg you will let those who are guilty, know, how
ungenerous this way of Proceeding is. I am sure he will know himself
the Person aim'd at, and perhaps put a stop to the Insolence of
others. Cursed is the Fate of unhappy Women! that Men may boast and
glory in those things that we must think of with Shame and Horror! You
have the Art of making such odious Customs appear detestable. For my
Sake, and I am sure, for the Sake of several others, who dare not own
it, but, like me, lie under the same Misfortunes, make it as infamous
for a Man to boast of Favours, or expose our Sex, as it is to take the
Lie or a Box on the Ear, and not resent it.'
Your Constant Reader,
and Admirer,
Lesbia.
P. S. 'I am the more Impatient under this Misfortune, having receiv'd
fresh Provocation, last Wednesday, in the Abbey.'
I entirely agree with the amiable and unfortunate
Lesbia
, that an
Insult upon a Woman in her Circumstances, is as infamous in a Man, as a
tame Behaviour when the Lie or a Buffet is given; which Truth, I shall
beg leave of her to illustrate by the following Observation.
It is a Mark of Cowardice passively to forbear resenting an Affront, the
Resenting of which would lead a Man into Danger; it is no less a Sign of
Cowardice to affront a Creature, that hath not Power to avenge it self.
Whatever Name therefore this ungenerous Man may bestow on the helpless
Lady he hath injur'd, I shall not scruple to give him in return for it,
the Appellation of
Coward.
A Man, that can so far descend from his Dignity, as to strike a Lady,
can never recover his Reputation with either Sex, because no Provocation
is thought strong enough to justifie such Treatment from the Powerful
towards the Weak. In the Circumstances, in which poor
Lesbia
is
situated, she can appeal to no Man whatsoever to avenge an Insult, more
grievous than a Blow. If she could open her Mouth, the base Man knows,
that a Husband, a Brother, a generous Friend would die to see her
righted.
A generous Mind, however enrag'd against an Enemy, feels its Resentments
sink and vanish away, when the Object of its Wrath falls into its Power.
An estranged Friend, filled with Jealousie and Discontent towards a
Bosom-Acquaintance, is apt to overflow with Tenderness and Remorse, when
a Creature, that was once dear to him, undergoes any Misfortune. What
Name then shall we give to his Ingratitude, (who forgetting the Favours
he sollicited with Eagerness, and receiv'd with Rapture) can insult the
Miseries that he himself caused, and make Sport with the Pain to which
he owes his greatest Pleasure? There is but one Being in the Creation
whose Province it is to practise upon the Imbecillities of frail
Creatures, and triumph in the Woes which his own Artifices brought
about; and we well know, those who follow his Example, will receive his
Reward.
Leaving my fair Correspondent to the Direction of her own Wisdom and
Modesty; and her Enemy, and his mean Accomplices, to the Compunction of
their own Hearts; I shall conclude this Paper with a memorable Instance
of Revenge, taken by a
Spanish
Lady upon a guilty Lover, which may
serve to show what violent Effects are wrought by the most tender
Passion, when sower'd into Hatred; and may deter the Young and unwary
from unlawful Love. The Story, however Romantick it may appear, I have
heard affirmed for a Truth.
Not many Years ago an
English
Gentleman, who in a Rencounter by Night
in the Streets of
Madrid
had the Misfortune to kill his Man, fled into
a Church-Porch for Sanctuary. Leaning against the Door, he was surprized
to find it open, and a glimmering Light in the Church. He had the
Courage to advance towards the Light; but was terribly startled at the
sight of a Woman in White who ascended from a Grave with a bloody Knife
in her Hand. The Phantome marched up to him, and asked him what he did
there. He told her the Truth, without reserve, believing that he had met
a Ghost: Upon which, she spoke to him in the following Manner.
'Stranger, thou art in my Power: I am a Murderer as thou art. Know then,
that I am a Nun of a noble Family. A base perjur'd Man undid me, and
boasted of it. I soon had him dispatched; but not content with the
Murder, I have brib'd the Sexton to let me enter his Grave, and have now
pluck'd out his False Heart from his Body; and thus I use a Traitor's
Heart.' At these Words she tore it in Pieces, and trampled it under her
Feet.