which is the Livery both of Guilt and Innocence? Modefty confifts in being confcious of no Ill, and not inbe ing afhamed of having done it. When People go upon any other Foundation than the Truth of their own Hearts for the Conduct of their Actions, it lies in the power of fcandalous Tongues to carry the World before them, and make the rest of Mankind fall in with the Ill, for fear of Reproach. On the other hand, to do what you ought, is the ready way to make Calumny either filent or ineffectually malicious. Spencer, in his Fairy Queen, fays admirably to young Ladies under the Diftrels of being defamed; The best, faid he, that I can you advife, For when the Caufe, whence Evil doth arife, So fhall you foon repair your prefent evil Plight. Inftead of this Care over their Words and Actions, res commended by a Poet in old Queen Befs's Days, the mo dern Way is to do and fay what you pleafe, and yet be the prettiest fort of Woman in the World. If Fathers and Brothers will defend a Lady's Honour, fhe is quite as fafe as in her own Innocence. Many of the Diftreffed, who fuffer under the Malice of evil Tongues, are fo harmlefs that they are every day they live afleep 'till twelve at Noon; concern themfelves with nothing but their own Perfons 'till two; take their neceffary Food between that time and four; vifit, go to the Play, and fit up at Cards 'till towards the enfuing Morn: and the malicious World fhall draw Conclufions from innocent Glances, fhort Whif pers, or pretty familiar Railleries with fafhionable Men, that thefe Fair ones are not as rigid as Veftals. It is cer tain, fay thefe goodeft Creatures very well, that Virtue does not confift in conftrain'd Behaviour and wry Faces, that must be allow'd; but there is a Decency in the Afpect and Manner of Ladies contracted from an Habit of Virtue, and and from general Reflections that regard a modeft Conduct, all which may be understood, tho' they cannot be defcribed. A young Woman of this fort claims an Efteem mixed with Affection and Honour, and meets with no Defamation; or if she does, the wild Malice is overcome with an undisturbed Perfeverance in her Innocence. To fpeak freely, there are fuch Coveys of Coquets about this Town, that if the Peace were not kept by fome impertinent Tongues of their own Sex, which keep them under fome Restraint, we fhould have no manner of Engagement upon them to keep them in any tolerable Order. AS I am a SPECTATOR, and behold how plainly one Part of Womankind ballance the Behaviour of the other, whatever I may think of Tále-bearers or Slanderefs, I cannot wholly fupprefs them, no more than a General would difcourage Spies. The Enemy would eafily furprize him whom they knew had no Intelligence of their Motions. It is fo far otherwife with me, that I acknow ledge I permit a She Slanderer or two in every Quarter of the Town, to live in the Characters of Coquets, and take all the innocent Freedoms of the reft, in order to fend me Information of the Behaviour of their refpective Sifterhoods. BUT as the Matter of Refpect to the World, which looks on, is carried on, methinks it is fo very eafie to be what is in the general called virtuous, that it need not coft one Hour's Reflection in a Month to preferve that Appellation. It is pleafant to hear the pretty Rogues talk of Virtue and Vice among each other: She is the lazieft Creature in the World, but I must confefs ftri&ly virtuous: The peevifheft Huffy breathing, but as to her Virtue fhe is without Blemish: She has not the leaft Charity for any of her Acquaintance, but I muft allow rigidly Virtuous. As the unthinking Part of the Male World call every Man a Man of Honour who is not a Coward; fo the Crowd of the other Sex terms every Woman who will not be a Wench Virtuous, . T Thurfdays N 391. Thursday, May 29. Non tu prece pofcis emaci, Qua nifi feductis nequeas committere Divis :: Haud cuivis promptum eft, murmurque humilefque fufurros; Mens bona, fama, fides, hac clarè, & ut audiat hofpes.... Sub raftre crepet argenti mihi feria dextro Perf HERE Homer reprefents Phanix, the Tutor of. W Achilles, as perfuading his Pupil to lay afide his. Refentments, and give himself up to the Entreaties of his Countrymen, the Poet, in order to make him. fpeak in Character, afcribes to him a Speech full of those Fables and Allegories which old Men take Delight in rela-. ting, and which are very proper for Inftruction. The. Gods, fays he, fuffer themselves to be prevailed upon by Entreaties. When Mortals have offended them by their Tranfgreffians, they appease them by Vows and Sacrifices. You must know, Achilles, that PRAYERS are the Daughters of Jupiter. They are crippled by frequent Kneeling, have. their Faces full of Cares and Wrinkles, and their Eyes always caft towards Heaven. They are conftant Attendants on the Goddess ATE, and march behind her. This Goddess walks forward with a bold and haughty Air, and being very light of foot, runs thro' the whole Earth, grieving and afflicting the Sons of Men. She gets the start. of PRAYERS, who always follow her, in order to heal thofe Perfons whom she wounds. He who honours thefe Daughters of Jupiter, when they draw near to him, reeives great Benefit from them; but as for him who rejects them,. them, they intreat their Father to give his Orders to the Goddess ATE to punish him for his Hardness of Heart. This noble Allegory needs but little Explanation; for whether the Goddefs ATE fignifies Injury, as fome have explained it; or Guilt in general, as others; or divine Juftice, as I am the more apt to think; the Interpretation is obvious enough. I fhall produce another Heathen Fable relating to Prayers, which is of a more diverting kind. One would think by fome Paffages in it, that it was compofed by Lucian, or at least by fome Author who has endeavour'd to imitate his Way of Writing; but as Differtations of this Nature are more curious than ufeful, I fhall give my Reader the Fable, without any further Enquiries after the Author. MENIPPUS the Philofopher was a fecond time taken up into Heaven by Jupiter, when for his Entertainment he •lifted up a Trap-Door that was placed by his Foot-ftool. At its rifing, there iffued through it fuch a Dino Cries as aftonifhed the Philofopher. Upon his asking what they meant, Jupiter told him they were the Prayers that were fent up to him from the Earth. Menippus, amidst the Confufion of Voices, which was so great, that nothing less than the Ear of Jove could diftinguish them, heard the Words, Riches, Honour, and Long Life repeated in feveral different Tones and Languages. When the firft Hubbub of Sounds was over, the Trap-Door being left open, the Voices came up more feparate and diftinct. The first Prayer was a very odd one, it came from Athens, and defired Jupiter to increase the Wisdom and the Beard of his humble Supplicant. Menippus knew it by the Voice to be the Prayer of his Friend Licander the Philofopher. This was fucceeded by the Petition of one who had just laden a Ship, and promifed Jupiter, if he took care of it, and returned it home again full of Riches, he would make him an of fering of a Silver Cup. Jupiter thanked him for nothing and bending down his Ear more attentively than ordinary, heard a Voice complaining to him of the Cruelty of an Ephefian Widow, and begging him to breed Compaffion in her Heart: This, fays Jupiter, is a very honeft Fellow.. I have received a great deal of Incense from him; I will not be fo cruel to him as to hear his Prayers. He was then interrupted with a whole Volly of Vows, which were made made for the Health of a tyrannical Prince by his Subjects who pray'd for him in his Prefence. Menippus was furprized, after having liftned to Prayers offered up with fo much Ardour and Devotion, to hear low Whispers from the fame Affembly, expoftulating with Jove for fuffering fuch a Tyrant to live, and asking him how his Thunder could lie idle? Jupiter was fo offended at thefe prevaricating Rafcals, that he took down the firft Vows, and puffed away the laft.. The Philofopher feeing a great Cloud mounting upwards, and making its way directly to the TrapDoor, enquired of Jupiter what it meant. This, fays Jupiter, is the Smoke of a whole Hecatomb that is offered me by the General of an Army, who is very importunate with me to let him cut off an hundred thousand Men. that are drawn up in Array against him: What does the impudent Wretch think I fee in him, to believe that I will make a Sacrifice of fo many Mortals as good as himself, and all this to his Glory, forfooth? But hark, fays Jupiter, there is a Voice I never heard but in time of danger; 'tis a Rogue that is fhipwreck'd in the Ionian Sea: I fav'd him on a Flank but three Days ago, upon his Promife to mend his Manners, the Scoundrel is not worth a Groat, and.. yet has the Impudence to offer me a Temple if I will keep him from finking- But yonder, fays he, is a special. Youth for you, he deftres me to take his Father, who keeps a great Eftate from him, out of the Miseries of human Life. The old Fellow fhall live till he makes his Heart ake, I can tell him that for his pains. This was followed by the foft Voice of a pious Lady, defiring Jupiter that he might appear amiable and charming in the Sight of her Emperor. As the Philofopher was reflecting on this extraordinary Petition, there blew a gentle Wind thro' the Trap-Door, which he at first mistook for a Gale of Zephirs, but afterwards found it to be a Breeze of Sighs: They fmelt ftrong of Flowers and Incenfe, and were fucceeded by most paffionate Complaints of Wounds and Torments, Fires and Arrows, Cruelty, Defpair and Death. Menippus fancied that fuch lamentable Cries arofe from fome general Execu-tion, or from Wretches lying under the Torture; but Jupiter told him that they came up to him from the Isle of Paphos, and that be every day received Complaints of the Same nature from that whimsical Tribe of Mortals who |