• mother's fhade, is not fo honourable, nor does the ap

pear fo amiable, as she would in full bloom.

[There is a great deal left out before he concludes.] 'Mr. SPECTATOR,

Your humble fervant,

BOB HARMLESS.'

IF this gentleman be really no more than eighteen, I must do him the juftice to lay he is the most knowing infant I have yet met with. He does not, I fear, yet understand, that all he thinks of is another woman; therefore, until he has given a further account of himself, the young lady is hereby directed to keep close to her

mother.

THE SPECTATOR.

I cannot comply with the request of Mr. Trott's letter; but let it go just as it came to my hands, for being fo familiar with the old gentleman, as rough as he is to him. Since Mr. Trott has an ambition to make him his father-in-law, he ought to treat him with more respect; befides, his style to me might have been more distant than he has thought fit to afford me: moreover, his mistress fhall continue in her confinement, until he has found out which word in his letter is not rightly spelt.

'I SHALL ever own myself your obliged humble • fervant for the advice you gave me concerning my dancing; which unluckily came too late: for, as I faid, I would not leave off capering until I had your opinion of the matter; I was at our famous affembly the day before I received your papers, and there was observed by an old gentleman, who was informed I had a refpect for his daughter; he told me I was an infignificant little fellow, and faid that for the future he would take care of his child; fo that he did not doubt but to cross my amerous inclinations. The lady is confined to her chamber, and for my part I am ready to hang myself with the thoughts that I have danced myself out of

favour with her father. I hope you will pardon the trouble I give; but fhall take it for a mighty favour, if you will give me a little more of your advice to put me in a right way to cheat the old dragon and ⚫ obtain my mitrefs. I'am once more,

York, Feb. 23,

1711-12.

< Sir,

'Let me defire you to make what alterations you pleafe, and infert this as foon as poflible. Pardon miftakes by hafte.

I NEVER do pardon mistakes by hafte.

THE SPECTATOR.

Feb. 27, 1711-12.

• SIR,

PRAY be fo kind as to let me know what you efteem to be the chief qualification of a good poet, efpecially of one who writes plays ; and you will • much oblige,

Sir, your very humble fervant,

very

• N. B.'

TO be a very well bred man.

THE SPECTATOR.

· Mr. SPECTATOR,

YOU are to know that I am naturally brave, and love fighting as well as any man in England. This gallant temper of nine makes me extremely delighted with battles on the flage. I give you this trouble to complain to you, that Nicolini refused to gratify me in that part of the opera for which I have most taste. I obferve it is become a cuftom, that whenever any gentlemen are particularly pleafed with a fong, at their crying out Encore or Altro Volto, the performer is fo obliging as to fing it over again. I was at the opera the last time Hydafpes was performed. At that part of it where the hero engages with the lion, the VOL. IV.

M

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graceful manner with which he put that terrible monfter to death, gave me fo great a pleasure, and at the fame time fo just a fenfe of that gentleman's intrepidity and conduct, that I could not forbear defiring a repetition of it, by crying out Altro Volto, in a very audible voice; and my friends flatter me that I pronounced thofe words with a tolerable good accent, confidering that was but the third opera I had ever seen in my life. Yet, notwithstanding all this, there was fo little regard had to me, that the lion was carried off, and went to bed, without being killed any more that night. Now, fir, pray confider that I did not understand a word of what Mr. Nicolini faid to this cruel creature; befides I have no ear for mufic; fo that during the long difpute between them, the whole entertainment I had was from my eyes; why then have not I as much right to have a graceful action repeated as another has a pleafing found, fince he only hears as I only fee, and we neither of us know that there is any reafonable thing a doing? Pray, fir, fettle the bufinefs of this claim in the audience, and let us know when we may cry Altro Volto, Anglicè, again, again," for the future. I am an Englishman, and expect fome reafon or other to be given me, and perhaps an ordinary one may ferve; but I expect your • aufwer.

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46

YOU must give me leave, amongst the rest of your remale correfpondents, to addrefs you about an affair which has already given you many a fpeculation; and which, I know, I need not tell you have had a very happy influence over the adult part of our fex but as many of us are either too old to learn, or too obftinate in the purfuit of the vanities, which have been bred up with us from our infancy, and all of us quitting the ftage whilst you are prompting us

་

to act our part well; you ought, methinks, rather to turn your inftructions for the benefit of that part of our fex who are yet in their native innocence, and ignorant of the vices and that variety of unhappinesses ⚫ that reign amongst us.

I mult tell you, Mr. SPECTATOR, that it is as much a part of your office to overfee the education of the female part of the nation, as well as of the male; and to convince the world you are not partial, pray proceed to detect the mat administration of governeffes as fuccessfully as you have expofed that of pedagogues; and rescue our fex from the prejudice and tyranny of education as well as that of your own, who without your feasonable interpofition are like to improve upon the vices that are now in vogue.

I who know the dignity of your poft, as SPECTATOR, and the authority a fkilful eye ought to bear in the female world, could pot forbear confulting you, and beg your advice in fo critical a point, as is that of the education of young gentlewomen Having already provided myfelt with a very convenient house in a good air, I am not without hope but that you will promote this generous defign. I must farther tell you, fir, that all who fhali be committed to my conduct, besides the ufual accomplishments of the needle, dancing, and the French tongue, fhall not fail to be your conftant readers. It is therefore my humble petition, that you will en⚫tertain the town on this important fubject, and fo far oblige a stranger, as to raife a curiofity and inquiry in my behalf, by publishing the following advertisement. • I am, Sir,

• Your conftant admirer,

'M. W.'

ADVERTISEMENT.

"The boarding fchool for young gentlewomen, which was formerly kept on Mile-End-Green, being laid "down, there is now one fet up almoft oppofite to it at "the two Golden-Balls, and much more convenient in every refpect; where, befides the common inftructions

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given to young gentlewomen, they will be taught the "whole art of pastry and preferving, with whatever may render then accomplished. Those who pleafe "to make trial of the vigilance and ability of the perfons concerned, may inquire at the two Golden-Balls on "Mile-End Green near Stepney, where they will re"ceive further fatisfaction.

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"This is to give notice, that the SPECTATOR has "taken upon him to be vifitant of all boarding-schools "where young women are educated; and defigns to proceed in the faid office after the fame manner that "vifitants of colleges do in the two famous univerfities "of this land,

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All lovers who write to the SPECTATOR, are de"fired to forbear one expreffion which is in most of the "letters to him, either out of lazinefs or want of in

vention, and is true of not above two thousand women in the whole world; viz. She has in her all that is valuable in woman.'

T.

N° 315.

Saturday, March 1.

Nec deus interfit, nifi dignus vindice nodus

Inciderit

HOR. Ars Poet. ver. 191.

Never prefume to make a God appear,
But for a bufinefs worthy of a God.

ROSCOMMON.

HORACE advifes a poet to confider thoroughly

the nature and force of his genius. Milton feems to have known perfectly well, wherein his ftrength lay, and has therefore chofen a subject intirely conformable to those talents, of which he was mafter. As his genius was wonderfully turned to the fublime, his fubject is the nobleft that could have entered into the thoughts of man.