1 ، which the late Proclamation fell my Heaven, than give it; is levell'd. I was first betray'd by keeping 6 company with a Lady that C was not over Modeft ; but not T now HE first Night I tra-thinking to engage my felf, vers'd the Pall Mall, and till one of her Gallants weakread the Face of every un-ned my Refolves, and at last 'mask'd Lady I met; and if I know not mask'd, I started fome Quefti- what; but I was ruin'd, for on that still gave me an Indi- all my Refolves are 'cation of their Temper, en- too weak to refift, never bedeavouring to light upon as ing able to hold out a Quarrefin'd, yet modest Piece of 'ter of a Year together; but • Wickedness as I could; at fecure my Honour for this laft having made (as I once by Secrecy, and not thought) the best of the watching me to my LodgMarket, away we walk'd to ings, and I hope the Novelty drink upon the Bargain. So of this Enterprize may have after feveral Glaffes, and Effects upon me, and keep · as must be repented of, or I fome little infignificant Prit-me from doing fuch Actions tle-prattle, I fix'd my Eyes upon her and faid. Madam, 'methinks I read fome Lines and < ' am undone. 'The next Attack was a • Characters of Goodness in your City Madam, with a MelanFace, which are not yet abfo-choly Air in her Face, which lutely defac'd: Tour Educati on, I'm confident, has not been unhappy: Pray be free, and tell me, Are you yet Proof against the Lahes of your Confcience? Sir (faid fhe) your Defign I know not, but I dare not believe it to be ill, you having. made fuch an inquifitive Prologue. No indeed (reply'd I) my Request proceeds purely from a generous Pity at your Misfortunes, which are 'fufficiently flavish. Alas Sir! (faid fhe, and figh'd) 'tis a lavish Riddle, to chufe what I bate; I have repeated these Actions, but never without 'regret and felf.abhorrency for fuch a Folly: This I had peculiar to my felf, that "I never was mercenary, think⚫ing it a greater Bafeness to put me upon acting as follows: After having drunk a Glafs or Two, fhe began to draw a little too near me; whereupon I rofe up, and with as fevere a Look as I 'cou'd affect, I said, Madam, keep off, you think I'm Flesh, and Blood, and I doubt not but that I imitate it near enough to deceive your Eyes; affure your felf I am not what lappear: Reclaim your Whoredoms, or you are left; you have but a little Time left, make good Ufe of it; if you are otherwife refolv'd view these Features, and expect me to be a Witness against you at at the Day of Judgment. Here the waxed pale, and fwooned away, and as foon as he came to her felf again I left her; and enquiring quiring the next Day about her, I heard fhe took me for a Spirit, and was refolv'd to follow the Advice of her 'ftrange Monitor. The Third was a SavoyBird, well skill'd in Confidence and the Depth of Pockets, but fo fimple and foolish in all her Anfwers, that I think no having no Way left to get her Bread, and not being able to work, took up this Courfe, which (faid fhe) at first was very afflicting and uneafie to my Confcience, but had worn off by Degrees; tho after all, I could with Í had begg'd rather than liv'd thus diflatisfy'd; for I have thing can reclaim her but Af-loft my Credit, am afhamed flitions. Such Wretches perhaps may deferve a particular Way of Treating in the C new Meafures of Reforma❝tion. of my Friends, afraid of my · Enemies, and which is yet worfe, fee no Probability of living under better Circum 'ftances in my Life, and muft die without Hopes of mending it in the other World. ? < The fixth and laft Enterprize was fo like the Story, of Paphnutius's converting a Harlot, that I fhall tell that only, perhaps not yet known to every Body: He put on the Habit of a Soldier and went to an infamous Houfe, and choofing his Woman, he defired to go with her into a private Room, where none might fee him; fhe brought him into a Chamber which 'The next Enterprize was an old Friend, a Companion of mine whom 1 overtook Ca. reffing a Lady near the May. Pole in the Strand, but being not certain, I kept behind ''em till they came to S---lane® where feeing 'em turn down, I made a Halt, and they came up again prefently into the Strand; fo refolving to be fatisfy'd, I made up to em, and by asking What is't C a Clock difcover'd the Truth of the Matter; the < Lady finding my Acquain-he objects against, as not priwith my Friend, 'fcowr'd off; and he feeing • himself discover'd, begg'd my Silence, and promis'd a Reformation, which I hope he has kept to ever fince, ha'ving given me fuch Satif'faction as argues his Sincerity in this Affair. <tance The fifth Engagement occafion'd this Confeffion, That fhe had an eafie tender Edu cation, but her Brother grew extravagant, and instead of paying her's and her Sifters Portions, he spent all, and the Vo 1. III. vate enough; fhe brings him into another, against which 'he alfo objected; at laft fhe brings him into the most pri vate Room in the House: "He looks about every way, and asks if they were fecure there? and if none faw ''em? She answer'd, None • but GOD or the Devil. And believeft thou, faid he, that there is a GOD? She anwered, Tes. And believest thou that he is every where prefent, and feeth all Things? She answered, fhe did be D 2 lieve lieve it. And fhall we, greeableness of her Temper, Dress, faid he, fin fo fhamefully under the Eye of the moft Just Judge that feeth all Things? Hereupon the had nothing to fay for her felf, but fetched a deep Sigh, being afham'd of her wicked · Life; and lived afterwards on Bread and Water, not daring to take the Name of GOD into her Mouth, but C frequently repeated thefe Words, Thou who haft made me, bave Mercy on me; and fo The continued three Years, and 'died. To this Conviction our prefent Inftance agrees, and we are not without hopes of like Effects in the reft. Gentlemen, If the Time and Moneys spent in thefe Six < Night Rambles, may reclaim or hinder the Debauchery of one fingle Perfon, I fhall think it worth all my Labour. &c. fo that he feem'd to have a peculiar Averfion and Antipathy against her; bis Thoughts almost continually being fix'd upon her when abfent, and his Eyes when prefent; till at last, by Degrees, all thofe difpleafing Things feem'd to vanish, and be fell most defperately in Love with her, and wou'd have made the moft paffionate Addresses, but that he thought he should be deny'd, which he believes wou'd certainly kill him: Query, What's the Caufe of this? We might be fuller in our Accounts of this Nature, and of the Methods of Redreffing fuch Evils, but a worthy Gentleman, who is very inftrumental in this begun Reformation, has already drawn up an A, which is printed, and intitu. led, An At for the more effectu al reftraining and fuppreffing of divers notorious Sins, and Refor mation of the Manners of the People of this Nation; which 'tis hoped the next Seffions of Parliament will take particular Notice of, in order to the Ends defigned by it. Q. A Cow-Keeper's Daughter became very remarkable to a Gentleman, by reafen of the ftrange Deformity of her perfon, difa A. The Story is so odd, that were we not certain of the Probity of him who fent it, we fhou'd doubt the Matter of Fact. But being affured thereof, muft endeavour to search into the Reafon of the Thing: Tho' at first Glance any Lover would be apt to reflect on the Folly of fuch an Undertaking; and ask us what we meant to do, to fearch for a Reafon for what's fo perfectly unaccountable and unreafonable. The old Poets would fay, 'twas the arch Wagg Cupid was the Caufe of this strange Accident; who seeing how highly the Gentleman fcorn'd the poor Wench for her Uglinefs, which she could not help, took a Fegary to give him a touch of his Art; and out of a Piece of Juftice or Revenge, make him fall in Love with her. The most probable Account we can give on't is, that through a ftrange Inconftancy in Nature, and Defectibility in Judgment, her Deformities made lefs and lefs Impreffions upon him; till at last it's probable, he discover'd in her fome real or fancy'd Beauties or Excel lencies, which drowned the Memory of the other, and reduced the unhappy Gentleman into fo ftrange a Condition. Q. How shall a Woman that is plagued with an ill Husband, reclaim or make him better? A. Shew him this Mercury, and tell him, if he don't a mend, his Name fhall be printed in it at Length, the first Tuesday of the next Month. But to be graver, the best Direction that can be given in fo general a Cafe, is to be as patient as poffible; unless the Husband's fuch a Brute, that this Manner of Behaviour will but make him more in fulting. Q. If any fingle Man who is much in Debt, and can't conve. niently live unmarried, has a fair Offer with a Woman of a good Fortune, by which he might pay all bis Debts, and live comfortably in the World Whether be is oblig'd to make her acquainted with his Circum ftances when he courts her, and forun the Hazard of not obtaining ber? A. By no means, every Man being to make the best of himfelf and his Fortunes, that he honestly can; but he firft ought in this Cafe to take a particular Care that he ben't cheated; and fo in a worse Condition than before Nor ought he actually to affirm himself worth more than he really is, nor to marry any Perfon without a fufficient Fortune to discharge his Obligations, and answer to the other Ends of Life; left he make both her, himself, and perhaps many others miferable. QA Lady of good Birth and Fortune has granted fome private Favours to me, but at the fame Time fo difcreetly, as to preserve her Reputation. A Friend of mine courts her bonourably, and defires of me to tell him unfeignedly my Opinion of ber Virtue: Query, How 1 shall behave my self in this Cafe, So as not to tranfgrefs the Rules of Honour nor Friendship? A. If by that Expreffion fome private Favours, be meant, what every one will fufpect that reads the Question, all the Anfwer we'll give is, Marry her quickly your felf; for till that's done, whate'er fine Names you put upon the Matter, you're a and she's a Q. How that Perfon is to behave himself, who has a Lady's Confent; but at present for fome private Reasons, or for want of a Fortune, is not permitted to marry her? A. If he neither has a Fortune, nor a Prospect of any, we think he'd do generously to release her, had the any advantageous Offers; and this fome Years after he may perhaps wish he had done, when his Kindness cools, or he has fafted fo long, till he has quite loft his Stomach. But if no fuch Thing happens, there's but one Way for him to take; and that is, to be as patient as he can, fince after all, he must be fo whether he will or no: In the mean Time, not to press her he pretends to love to fuch a D 3 Mar Marriage, as, whatever he flatters himself, will in their Circumftances certainly render 'em both very miferable. Q. A Toung Man being gone to Sea, and ftaying there from bis Wife Eighteen Months, fhe in the mean Time marries another: Query, At the Return of the firft Husband, whefe Wife Shall he be? A. If the first were really and effectually married to her, The must be his ftill, if he has a Mind to take her again, and thinks her ne'er the worfe for wearing. Q. Whether a Young Lady ought in Reafon or Prudence, to keep by ber, after fhe's married, any Letters or Pictures from any of ber former Lovers? or A. It may feem in its felf an indifferent thing, unless in fonic few Circumstances, which totally alter the Cafe. One, if the Husband be inclin'd to Jealoufie; the other, if the Lady when marry'd, lov'd any other Perfon more than her Husband, whofe Letters Pictures might, on that Account, be as dangerous for her to keep about her, as on the other imprudent. There may yet be one Cafe more, where in it mayn't be convenient for her to keep any thing of a former Lover's, but either to restore or burn it: And that is, when there is a Probability fuch Perfons may think or fpeak unhandfomely of her, if the keep fuch things; and be ing enraged at her Lofs, they may eafily enough take Occafion to do it. Q. There's a young Lady who is courted by feveral Gentlemen, but her Affections are chiefly on a Perfon who makes no outward Pretention, left thereby it may frustrate both their Defigns. Whe ther he ought to entertain the faid Pretenders, fince she does it only to amuse fome about her, without any Intentions of having 'em? Or what other bonourable Courfe may she take therein? A. The entertaining fuch Pretenders, were, we own, a fure, tho' fcarce a handfome Way of keeping the real Amour private. But the Entertaining any Gentleman, engaging his Affections, and giving him Hopes without any Intention to make him happy, we look upon to be both fo unjuft, cruel, and ungenerous an Action, that no Custom can excufe it, no Neceffity defend it, no good End fanctifie fo bafe a Means. As for that Queftion, Whet other bonourable Courfe fhe may take therein? If thofe about her whom fhe mentions, are her Parents, fhe ought to do nothing against their Confent. If only Friends, but fuch as fhe'd yet keep her Amours private from, either for quiet fake, or other Reafons; he can't want Ways to do it more honourably, than that he has here proposed: It being in her Power to entertain the favour'd Lover as privately as the thinks fit, and at the fame Time find Excufes enough to put off the rest. Q. In your Vol. 2. A Mother and a Miftrefs being at the fame Time in great and equal Danger, which is a Man oblig'd to fave, Juppofing |