her cruelty in love ditties, madrigals, and elegies, without expecting any other recompence than the reputation of a conftant lover and a good poet. By the mere force of imagination, and the eloquence of their own metaphyfical fonnets, they became perfuaded that their mistresses were poffeffed of every accomplishment of face and mind, and that themselves were dying for love.

As in those days women were constantly guarded by their fathers and brothers before marriage, and watched and confined by their husbands for the reft of their lives; the refined paffions above described were not exposed to the fame accidents which fo frequently befall thofe of modern lovers; they could neither fall into a decay from a more perfect knowledge of the lady's character, nor were they liable to fudden death. from enjoyment. But whilft the women were adored in fong, they were miferable in reality; confinement and diftruft made them deteft their hufbands, and they endeavoured

deavoured to form connections with men more to their tafte than either jealous hufbands or metaphyfical lovers. To treat

a woman of character as if he were an unprincipled wanton, is the most likely way to make her one. In those days of jealoufy, a continual trial of skill feems to have fubfifted between hufband and wife, as if every lord, foon after marriage, had told his lady, "Now, Madam, I know "perfectly well what you would be at; "but it is my business to prevent you: "I'll guard you fo well, and watch you "fo closely, that it fhall never be in your વ power to gratify your inclinations." "You are perfectly in the right, my "lord," replied the lady, with all meeknefs, " pray guard and watch as your "wisdom shall direct; I, alfo, fhall be vi"gilant on my part, and we shall fee how "the bufinefs will end." The bufinefs generally did end as might have been expected; and the only confolation left the hulband

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hufband was, to endeavour to affaffinate the happy lover.

But when French manners began to fpread over Europe, and to infinuate themselves among nations the most oppofite in character to the French, jealoufy was first held up as the most deteftable of all the paffions. The law had long declared against its difmal effects, and awful denunciations had been pronounced from the pulpit against those who were inflamed by its bloody fpirit; but without effect, till ridicule joined in the argument, and expofed thofe hufbands to the contempt and derifion of every fashionable fociety, who harboured the gloomy dæmon in their bofoms.

As in England, after the Reftoration, people, to fhew their averfion to the Puritans, turned every appearaoce of religion into ridicule, and, from the extreme of hypocrify, flew at once to that of profligacy;

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fligacy; fo in Italy, from the custom of fecluding the wife from all mankind but her husband, it became the fashion that she should never be feen with her husband, and yet always have a man at her elbow.

I fhall conclude what I have to say on this fubject in my next.

LETTER LXXV.

Florence.

EFORE the Italian hufbands could

BE

adopt or reconcile their minds to a cuftom fo oppofite to their former practice, they took fome measures to fecure at point which they had always thought of the highest importance. Finding that confinement was a plan generally reprobated, and that any appearance of jealousy subjected the husband to ridicule, they agreed that their wives fhould go into company and attend public places, but always attended by a friend whom they could truft, and who, at the fame time, fhould not be disagreeable to the wife. This compromise could not fail of being acceptable to the women, who plainly perceived that they must be gainers by any alteration of the former system;

and