N° 359. Tuesday, April 22. Torva leana lupum fequitur, lupus ipfe capellam; A Virg. S we were at the Club laft Night, I obferved that my Friend Sir ROGER, contrary to his usual Custom, fat very filent, and inftead of minding what was faid by the Company, was whistling to himself in a very thoughtful Mood, and playing with a Cork. I jogg'd Sir ANDREW FREEPORT who fat between us; and as we were both obferving him, we faw the Knight fhake his Head, and heard him fay, to himself, A foolish Woman! I can't believe it. Sir ANDREW gave him a gentle Pat upon the Shoulder, and offered to lay him a Bottle of Wine that he was thinking of the Widow. My old Friend started, and recovering out of his brown Study, told Sir ANDREW that once in his Life he had been in the right. In fhort, after fome little Hefitation,, Sir RoGER told us in the Fulness of his Heart that he had just received a Letter from his Steward, which acquainted him that his old Rival and Antagonist in the Country, Sir David Dundrum, had been making a Vifit to the Widow. However, fays Sir ROGER, I can never think that fhe'll have a Man that's half a Year older than I am, and a noted Republican into the bargain. WILL. HONEYCOMB, who looks upon. Love as his particular Province, interrupting our Friend with a janty Laugh; I thought, Knight, fays he, thou hadft lived long enough in the World, not to pin thy Happiness upon one that is a Woman and a Widow. I think that without Vanity I may pretend to know as much of the Female World as any Man in Great-Britain, tho' the chief of my Knowledge confifts in this, that they are not to be known. WILL. immediately, with his ufual Fluency; rambled into an Account of his own Amours. I am now, fays he, upon the Verge of Fifty, (tho? by the way we all knew knew he was turn'd of Threefcore.) You may eafily guefs, continu'd WILL. that I have not lived fo long in the World without having had fome Thoughts of fettling in it, as the Phrafe is. To tell you truly, I have feveral times tried my Fortune that way, tho' I can't much boast of my Success. I made my first Addreffes to a young Lady in the Country; but when I thought things were pretty well drawing to a Conclufion, her Father happening to hear that I had formerly boarded with a Surgeon, the old Put forbid me his House, and within a Fortnight after married his Daughter to a Fox-hunter in the Neighbourhood. I made my next Application to a Widow, and attacked her fo briskly, that I thought my felf within a Fortnight of her. As I waited upon her one Morning, she told me, that she intended to keep her Ready Money and Jointure in her own Hand, and defired me to call upon her Attorney in Lyons- Inn, who would adjust with me what it was proper for me to add to it. I was fo rebuffed by this Overture, that I never inquired either for her or her Attorney afterwards. A few Months after I addreffed my felf to a young Lady, who was an only Daughter, and of a good Family. I danced with her at feveral Balls, fqueez'd her by the Hand, faid foft things to her, and in fhort, made no doubt of her Heart; and tho' my Fortune was not equal to hers, I was in hopes that her fond Father would not deny her the Man fhe had fixed her Affections upon. But as I went one Day to the House in order to break the matter to him, I found the whole Family in Confufion, and heard to my unspeakable Surprize, that Mifs Jenny was that very Morning run away with the Butler. I then courted a fecond Widow, and am at a Lofs to this Day how I came to mifs her, for fhe had often commended my Perfon and Behaviour. Her Maid indeed told me one Day, that her Miftrefs had faid fhe never faw a Gentleman with fuch a spindle Pair of Legs as Mr. HONEY COM B. AFTER this I laid fiege to four Heireffes fucceffively, and being a handfom young Dog in thofe Days, quickly made a Breach in their Hearts; but I don't know how it came to país, tho' I feldom failed of getting the Daughe ters ters Confent, I could never in my Life get the old People on my fide. I could give you an Account of a thousand other unfuccefsful Attempts, particulary of one which I made fome Years fince upon an old Woman, whom I had certainly borne away with flying Colours, if her Relations had not come pouring in to her Affiftance from all Parts of England; nay, I believe I fhould have got her at last, had not the been carried off by a hard Frost. AS WILL'S Transitions are extremely quick, he turn'd from Sir ROGER, and applying himself to me, told me there was a Paffage in the Book I had confidered laft Saturday, which deferved to be writ in Letters of Gold; and taking out a Pocket-Milton read the following Lines, which are Part of one of Adam's Speeches to Eve after the Fall. O! why did God, Creator wife! that peopled higheft Heav'n Mankind? This Mischief had not then befall'n, To buman Life, and Houshold Peace confound. SIR ROGER liftened to this Paffage with great Attention, and defiring Mr. HONEYCOMB to fold down a Leaf at the Place, and lend him his Book, the Knight put put it up in his Pocket, and told us that he would read over those Verses again before he went to Bed. X N® 360. I Wednesday, April 23. De paupertate tacentes Plus pofcente ferent. Hor. Have nothing to do with the Bufinefs of this Day, any further than affixing the piece of Latin on the Head of my Paper; which I think a Motto not unsuitable, fince if Silence of our Poverty is a Recommendation, still more commendable is his Modesty who conceals it by a decent Dress. Mr. SPECTATOR, T HERE is an Evil under the Sun which has not yet come within your Speculation, and is, the Cenfure, Difefteem, and Contempt which fome young • Fellows meet with from particular Perfons, for the rea⚫ fonable Methods they take to avoid them in general. This is by appearing in a better Dress, than may seem to a Relation regularly confiftent with a small Fortune; and ⚫ therefore may occafion a Judgment of a fuitable Extravagance in other Particulars: But the Difadvantage with which the Man of narrow Circumftances acts and fpeaks, is fo feelingly fet forth in a little Book called the Chriftian Hero, that the appearing to be otherwise is not only pardonable but neceffary. Every one knows the hurry of Conclufions that are made in contempt of a • Perfon that appears to be calamitous, which makes it very excufable to prepare one's felf for the Company ⚫ of thofe that are of a fuperior Quality and Fortune, by appearing to be in a better Condition than one is, fo far as fuch Appearance fhall not make us really of worse. IT is a Juftice due to the Character of one who suffers hard Reflexions from any particular Perfon upon ⚫ this account, that such Persons would inquire into his manner < manner of spending his Time; of which, tho' no further Information can be had than that he remains fo many Hours in his Chamber, yet if this is cleared, to imagine that a reasonable Creature wrung with a narrow • Fortune does not make the beft ufe of this Retirement, ⚫ would be a Conclufion extremely uncharitable. From ⚫ what has, or will be faid, I hope no Confequence can be extorted, implying, that I would have any young Fellow fpend more time than the common Leifure which his Studies require, or more Money than his Fortune or Allowance may admit of, in the pursuit of an Acquaintance with his Betters: For as to his Time, the grofs of that ought to be facred to more fubftantial Acquifitions; for each irrevocable Moment of which he ought to believe he ftands religiously accountable. And as to his Dress, I fhall engage my felf no further than in the modeft Defence of two plain Suits a Year: For being perfectly fatisfied in Eutrapelus's Contrivance of making a Mobock of a Man, by presenting him with lac'd and embroider'd Suits, I would by no means be ⚫ thought to controvert that Conceit, by infinuating the Advantages of Foppery. It is an Affertion which ad'mits of much Proof, that a Stranger of tolerable Sense ⚫ drefs'd like a Gentleman, will be better received by ⚫ those of Quality above him, than one of much better 'Parts, whofe Dress is regulated by the rigid Notions of Frugality. A Man's Appearance falls within the Cenfure of every one that fees him; his Parts and Learning very few are Judges of; and even upon these few, they can't at first be well intruded; for Policy and GoodBreeding will counsel him to be referv'd among Stran.gers, and to fupport himself only by the common Spirit of Converfation. Indeed among the Injudicious, the • Words Delicacy, Idiom, fine Images, Structure of Periods, Genius, Fire, and the rest, made use of with a frugal and comely Gravity, will maintain the Figure of immenfe Reading, and the Depth of Criticism. • ALL Gentlemen of Fortune, at least the young and • middle-aged, are apt to pride themselves a little too • much upon their Drefs, and confequently to value others • in some measure upon the fame Confideration. With what Confufion is a Man of Figure obliged to return the ⚫ Civilities |