- an

greatest Regard imaginable to that fofter Species, yet am I forry to find they have very little for themfelves. So far are they from being tender of one another's Reputation, that they take a malicious Pleasure in deftroying it.. My Lady the other Day, when Jack was asking who could be fo bafe to fpread fuch a Report about Mrs.fwer'd, None, you may be fure, but a Woman. A little after Dick told my Lady, that he had heard Florella hint as if Cleora wore artificial Teeth; The Reason is, faid he, because Cleora firft gave out, that Florella ow'd her Complexion to a Wafh. Thus the industrious pretty Creatures take Pains, by Invention, to throw Blemishes on each other, when they don't confider that there is a profligate Sett of Fellows too ready to taint the Character of the Virtuous, or blaft the Charms of the blooming Virgin. The young Lady, from whom I had the Honour of receiving the following Letter, deferves, or rather claims, Protection from our Sex, fince fo barbaroufly treated by her own. Certainly they ought to defend Innocence from Injury, who gave ignorantly the Occafion of its being affaulted. Had the Men been lefs Liberal of their Applauses, the Women had been more fparing of their calumnious Cenfures.

SIR,

To the GUARDIAN.

'I Don't know at what nice Point you fix the Bloom of a young Lady; but I am one who can just look back upon Fifteen. My Father dying three Years ago, left me under the Care and Direction of my Mother, ⚫ with a Fortune not profufely great, yet fuch as might ⚫ demand a very handfom Settlement, if ever Propofals of Marriage fhould be offered. My Mother, after the usual * time of retired Mourning was over, was fo affectionately indulgent to me, as to take me along with her in all her Vifits; but ftill not thinking the gratified my Youth enough, permitted me further to go with my Relations to all the publick, chearful, but innocent Entertainments, where fhe was too referved to appear her felf. The two first Years of my Teens were eatie, gay and delightful. Every one careffed me; the old Ladies told me how finely I grew, and the young ones were proud

6

The

of my Company; but when the third Year had a little advanced, my Relations used to tell my Mother that pretty Mifs Clary was fhot up into a Woman. 'Gentlemen begun now not to let their Eyes glance over me, and in moft Places I found my felf diftinguished; ⚫ but obferved the more I grew into the Efteem of their Sex, the more I loft the Favour of my own. Some of ⚫ thofe whom I had been familiar with, grew cold and indifferent Others miftook, by defign, my Meaning, made me fpeak what I never thought, and fo by degrees took occafion to break off all Acquaintance. There were several little infignificant Reflections caft upon me, as being a Lady of a great many Quaintnesses and fuch like, which 1 feemed not to take notice of. But my • Mother coming home about a Week ago, told me there was a Scandal fpread about Town by my Enemies, that would at once ruin me for ever for a Beauty; I earnestly entreated her to know it, she refused me, but Yefterday it discovered it felf. Being in an Affembly of Gentlemen and Ladies, one of the Gentlemen who had been very facetions to several of the Ladies, at last turning to me, And as for you, Madam, Prior has already given us your Character,

That Air and Harmony of Shape express,

Fine by degrees, and beautifully less.

I perceived immediately a malignant Smile display itself ' in the Countenance of fome of the Ladies, which they • feconded with a fcornful flutter of the Fan, till one of ⚫ them, unable any longer to contain, ask'd the Gentleman if he did not remember what Congreve faid about Aurelia, for the thought it mighty pretty. He made no Anfwer, but inftantly repeated the Verses.

The Mulcibers, who in the Minories fweat,

And Maffive Bars on ftubborn Anvils beat;

Deform'd themselves, yet forge thofe Stays of Steel
Which arm Aurelia with a Shape to kill.

This was no fooner over, but it was eafily difcernable what an ill-natured Satisfaction most of the Company Stook, and the more Pleasure they showed by dwelling

upon

upon the two laft Lines, the more they increased my • Trouble and Confufion. And now, Sir, after this tedi ⚫ous Account, what would you advife me to? Is there

no way to be cleared of thefe malicious Calumnies? • What is Beauty worth, that makes the Poffeffor thus Unhappy? Why was Nature fo lavish of her Gifts to me, as to make her Kindness prove a Cruelty? They 'tell me my Shape is delicate, my Eyes fparkling, my Lips I know not what, my Cheeks, forfooth, adorned ⚫ with a juft mixture of the Rofe and Lillie; but I wish this Face was barely not difagreeable, this Voice harsh ⚫ and unharmonious, thefe Limbs only not deformed, and then perhaps I might live cafie and unmolefted, and 'neither raife Love and Admiration in the Men, nor ! Scandal and Hatred in the Women.

THE beft Answer I can make my fair Correfpondent is, That the ought to comfort her self with this Confideration, that thofe who talk thus of her know it is falfe, but wish they could make others believe it true. 'Tis not they think you deform'd, but are vex'd that they themselves were not as nicely framed. If you will take an old Man's Advice, laugh, and be not concerned at them; they have attained what they endeavoured if they make you uneafie, for it is Envy that has made them fo. I would not have you with your Shape one fixtieth Part of an Inch difproportioned, nor defire your Face might be impoverished with the Ruin of half a Feature, tho' num bers of remaining Beauties might make the Lofs infenfible; but take Courage, go into the brighteft Affemblies, and the World will quickly confefs it to be Scandal. Thus Plate, hearing it was afferted, by fome Perfons, that he was a very bad Man, I shall take care, said he, to live for that no Body will believe them.

I fhall conclude this Paper with a Relation of matter of Fact. A gay young Gentleman in the Country, not many Years ago, fell defperately in Love with a blooming fine Creature, whom give me leave to call Meliffa.

After

After a pretty long Delay, and frequent Sollicitations, the refufed feveral others of larger Eftates, and confented to make him happy. But they had not been Marry'd much above a Twelve-month, till it appeared too true, what Juba fays,

Beauty foon grows familiar to the Lover,

Fades in the Eye, and palls upon the Senfe.

Polydore (for that was his Name) finding himself grow every Day more uneafie, and unwilling the fhould difcover the Caufe, for Diverfion came up to Town, and to avoid all Sufpicions brought Meliffa along with him. After fome Stay here, Polydore was one Day informed, that a Sett of Ladies over their Tea-Table, in the Circle of Scandal, had touched upon Meliffa- And was that the filly Thing fo much talked of? How did the ever grow into a Toa? For their parts they had Eyes, as well as the Men, but could not discover where her Beauties lay. Polydore upon hearing this flew immediately home, and told Meliffa, with the utmoft Transport, that he was now fully convinced how numberless were her Charms, fince her own Sex would not allow her any...

·

Mr. IRONSIDE,

Button's Coffee House.

'I Have obferved that this Day you make Mention of Will's Coffee-houfe, as a Place where People are too • Polite to hold a Man in Difcourfe by the Button. Every body knows your Honour frequents this House, therefore they will take an Advantage against me, and say if my Company was as Civil as that at Will's, you would fay fo: Therefore pray your Honour do not be afraid of doing me Juftice, becaufe People would think it may be a Conceit below you on this Occafion to name the 8 Name of,

Your Humble Servant,
Daniel Button,

THE young Poets are in the back Room, and take their Places as you directed.

Friday,

་

N° 86.

Friday, June 19.

Cui Mens divinor, atque Os

Magna fonaturum

SIR,

'T

Hor.

TO NESTOR IRONSIDE, Efq;

Oxford, June 16, 1713.

HE Claffical Writers, according to your Advice, are by no means neglected by me, while I purfue my Studies in Divinity. I am perfwaded that they are Fountains of good Senfe and Eloquence; • and that it is absolutely neceffary for a young Mind to • form it felf upon fuch Models. For, by a careful Study of their Stile and Manner, we fhall at leaft avoid thofe Faults, into which a youthful Imagination is apt to hurry • us; fuch as Luxuriance of Fancy, Licentioufnefs of Stile, • Redundancy of Thought, and falfe Ornaments. As Í ⚫ have been flattered by my Friends that I have fome Genius for Poetry, I fometimes turn my Thoughts that way; and with Pleasure reflect, that I have got over • that childish part of Life, which delights in Points and • Turns of Wit; and that I can take a manly and ratio⚫nal Satisfaction in that, which is called Painting in Poe8 try. Whether it be, that in these Copyings of Nature the Object is placed in fuch Lights and Circumftances, ་ as ftrike the Fancy agreeably; or whether we are furprized to find Objects, that are abfent, placed before our Eyes; or whether it be our Admiration of the Author's • Art and Dexterity; or whether we amufe our felves with comparing the Picture and the Original; or ra. ther (which is moft probable) because all thefe Reasons concur to affect us, we are wonderfully charmed with thefe Drawings after the Life, this Magic that raises Apparitions in the Fancy.

LANDSKIPS, or Still Life, work much lefs upon us, than Representations of the Poftures or Paffions of living

Creatures.