was nothing within the Lid but a little Looking-Glafs, in which, after fhe had view'd her own Face with more Pleasure than fhe had ever done before, fhe returned the Box with a Smile, telling him, fhe could not but admire at his Choice.

WILL. fancying that his Story took, immediately fell into a Differtation on the Ufefulness of LookingGlaffes; and applying himself to me, asked, if there were any Looking-Glaffes in the Times of the Greeks and Romans; for that he had often obferved in the Translations of Poems out of thofe Languages, that People general. ly talked of feeing themselves in Wells, Fountains, Lakes, and Rivers: Nay, fays he, I remember Mr. Dryden in his Ovid tells us of a fwinging Fellow, called Polypheme, that made ufe of the Sea for his LookingGlafs, and could never drefs himself to Advantage but in a Calm.

MY Friend WILL. to fhew us the whole Compass of his Learning upon this Subject, further informed us, that there were still feveral Nations in the World fo very barbarous as not to have any Looking-Glaffes among them; and that he had lately read a Voyage to the South-Sea, in which it is faid, that the Ladies of Chili always dress their Heads over a Bafon of Water..

I am the more particular in my Account of WILL's laft Night's Lecture on thefe natural Mirrors, as it seems to bear fome Relation to the following Letter, which I recei ved the Day before.

SIR,

I Have read your last Saturday's Obfervation on the Fourth Book of Milton with great Satisfaction, and am particularly pleased with the hidden Moral, which you have taken notice of in feveral Parts of the Poem. The Defign of this Letter is to defire your Thoughts, whether there may not alfo be fome < Moral couched under that Place in the fame Book where the Poet lets us know, that the first Woman immediately after her Creation ran to a Looking Glafs, and became fo enamoured of her own Face, that she had 6 never removed to view any of the other Works of Nature, had not fhe been led off to a Man. If you

think fit to fet down the whole Paffage from Milton, your Readers will be able to judge for themselves, and the Quotation will not a little contribute to the filling up of your Paper.

Your humble Servant,

R. T

THE laft Confideration urged by my Querift is fo ftrong, that I cannot forbear clofing with it. The Paf fage he alludes to, is part of Eve's Speech to Adam, and one of the most beautiful Paffages in the whole Poem.

That Day I oft remember, when from fleep

I firft awak'd, and found my felf repos'd
Under a fhade of flow'rs, much wond'ring where
And what I was, whence thither brought, and how.
Not diftant far from thence a murmuring Sound
Of Waters iffu'd from a Cave, and Spread
Into a liquid Plain, then stood unmov'd
Pure as th' Expanfe of Heav'n: I thither event
With unexperienc'd Thought, and laid me down.
On the green Bank, to look into the clear
Smooth Lake, that to me seem'd another Sky.
As I bent down to look, juft oppofite,
A Shape within the watry Gleam appear'd
Bending to look on me; I started back,
It started back; but pleas'd I foon return'd,
Pleas'd it return'd as foon with answering Looks
Of Sympathy and Love; there I had fix'd
Mine Eyes till now, and pined with vain Defire,
Had not a Voice thus warn'd me, What thou feeft,
What there thou feeft, fair Creature, is thy felf,
With thee it came and goes: but follow me,
And I will bring thee where no Shadow ftays
Thy coming, and thy foft Embraces, he
Whofe Image thou art, him thou shalt enjoy
Infeparably thine, to him shalt bear
Multitudes like thy felf, and thence be call'd
Mother of Human Race. What could I do,
But follow ftreight, invifibly thus led?
Till I efpy'd thee, fair indeed and tall,

Under

Under a Platan, yet methought lefs fair,
Lefs winning foft, lefs amiably mild,

Than that fmooth watry Image: back I turn'd,
Thou following cry'dft aloud, Return fair Eve,
Whom fly't thou? whom thou fly'st, of him thou art
His Flesh, his Bone; to give thee Being, I lent
Out of my Side to thee, nearest my Heart,
Subftantial Life, to have thee by my fide
Henceforth an individual Solace dear.

Part of my Soul I feek thee, and thee claim

My other half! With that thy gentle hand.
Seiz'd mine, I yielded, and from that time fee
How Beauty is excell'd by manly Grace,

And Wifdom, which alone is truly fair.
So fpake our general Mother-

X

N° 326.

Friday, March 14.

Inclufam Danaen turris ahenea
Rebuftaque fores, & vigilum canum
Triftes excubia, munierant fatis
Nocturnis ab adulteris;

Si non

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Y

Hor.

YOUR Correfpondent's Letter relating to Fortune-Hunters, and your fubfequent Difcourfe upon it, have given me Encouragement to fend you a State of my Cafe, by which you will fee, that the Matter complained of is a common Grievance both to City and Country.

I am a Country Gentleman of between five and fix thousand a Year. It is my Misfortune to have a very fine Park and an only Daughter; upon which account I have been fo plagu'd with Deer-Stealers and Fops, that for thefe four Years paft I have fcarce enjoy'd a Moment's Reft. 1 look upon my felf to be in a State of War, and am forc'd to keep as conftant watch

in my Seat, as a Governour would do that commanded <a Town on the Frontier of an Enemy's Country. I have indeed pretty well fecur'd my Park, having for this purpofe provided my felf of four Keepers, who are lefthanded, and handle a Quarter-Staff beyond any other Fellows in the Country. And for the Guard of my House, ⚫ befides a Band of Penfioner-Matrons and an old Maiden Relation, whom I keep on conftant Duty, I have Blunderbuffes always charged, and Fox-Gins planted in private Places about my Garden, of which I have given frequent notice in the Neighbourhood; yet fo it is, that ⚫ in fpite of all my Care, I fhall every now and then have a faucy Rafcal ride by reconnoitring (as I think you call it) under my Windows, as fprucely dreft as if he were going to a Ball. I am aware of this way of attacking a . Mistress on Horseback, having heard that it is a common Practice in Spain; and have therefore taken care to re< move my Daughter from the Road-fide of the House, and to lodge her next the Garden. But to cut fhort my Story; what can a Man do after all? I durft not stand for Member of Parliament laft Election, for of fear fome ill Confequence from my being off of my Poft. What Iwould therefore defire of you, is, to promote a Project I have fet on foot; and upon which I have writ to fome of my Friends; and that is, that care may be taken to fecure our Daughters by Law, as well as our Deer; and that fome honeft Gentleman of a publick Spirit, . would move for Leave to bring in a Bill For the better preferving of the Female Game.

I am,

SIR,

Your humble Servant.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

H

Mile-End-Green, March 6. 1711-12. ERE is a young Man walks by our Door every Day about the Dusk of the Evening. He looks up at my Window, as if to fee me; and if I fteal to"wards it to peep at him, he turns another way, and looks frightned at finding what he was looking for. The Air

.6

is very cold; and pray let him know that if he knocks

at

at the Door, he will be carry'd to the Parlour Fire, and I will come down foon after, and give him an opportu $ nity to break his Mind.

I am, SIR,

Your bumble Servant,

Mary Comfitt.

IF I obferve he cannot fpeak, I'll give him time I to recover himself, and ask him how he does.

Dear S IR,

BEG you to print this without delay, and by the first Opportunity give us the natural Causes of Longing in Women; or put me out of Fear that my Wife will one time or other be deliver'd of fomething as monftrous as any thing that has yet appeared to the World; for they fay the Child is to bear a Refemblance of what was defir'd by the Mother. I have been marry'd upwards of fix Years, have had four Children, and my Wife is now big with the fifth. The Expences fhe has put me to in procuring what fhe has longed for during her Pregnancy with them, would not only have handfomly defray'd the Charges of the Month, but of their Education too; her Fancy being fo exorbitant for the firft Year or two, as not to confine it felf to the ufual Objects of Eatables and Drinkables, but ruaning out af⚫ter Equipage and Furniture, and the like Extravagances. To trouble you only with a few of them: When he was with Child of Tom, my eldest Son, the came home one day juft fainting, and told me she had been vifiting a Relation, whofe Husband had made her a Present of a • Chariot and a ftately pair of Horfes; and that she was pofitive she could not breathe a Week longer, unless she took the Air in the Fellow to it of her own within that time: This, rather than lofe an Heir, I readily comply'd with. Then the Furniture of her beft Room must be inftantly changed, or fhe fhould mark the Child with fome of the frightful Figures in the old-fafhion'd Tapeftry. Well, the Upholiterer was called, and her Longing fav'd that bout. When she went with Molly, the had fix'd her Mind upon a new Set of Plate, and as much China as would have furnished an India Shop: Thefe al