on more enchantments than ever.

Sir John faw, in one character, a perpetual variety; for Lady Conftant always fuited the temper of the day.

At parting, fhe gently preffed his hand, laid her cheek carelessly against his, fo that, for the first time, he might kifs her lips, and he went to bed that night, in total oblivion of his fair unknown.

After this tranfaction, he had, in the course of two years, fifty other rambling fymptoms, against the force of which Lady Conftant had to combat. But fhe had fo much novelty in herself, that she displayed every day a new set of charms.

Indeed, fhe had the art of affuming the beauties that laft ftruck our rover. -"Why, there is a whole world in this woman (faid Sir John one day, after she had broken a fresh enchantment he had conceived for another): I muft (continued he) live for ever to do her juftice, or to know all her sweet accomplishments perfectly.

Well, Lady Conftant (faid he quite tired of teafing her), will you accept of my hand and heart after all my follies? In marrying you, I marry all the women I ever admired; for you have all their perfections, and none of their follies."

"Do you think fo, Sir John?" faid fhe fmiling. "Well then, I will now venture to wife; and I will only make one condition with you. It is this. Whenever, hence

be

your

forth,

forth, you are, after marriage, taken with any other woman, tell me the particular charm that ftrikes you, that I may at least endeavour either to imitate, or to acquire it."

This fort of conduct quite fubdued our hero; and the arts of Lady Conftant, in the end, perfectly managed him.

As there are, alas! but too many Fickles in the world, it is to be wished there were an equal number of the character of Lady Conftant.

THE PLATONIC LOVERS:

BEING A LETTER FROM A LADY IN THE COUNTRY TO HER FRIEND IN LONDON.

MY DEAR MELISSA,

A few days after I

arrived in the country, a young lady, called Clelia, was introduced to me. As I found her infinitely more agreeable than any other of thofe, who came to compliment me, and indeed much

more than I could have expected to meet with at: fuch a distance from the place, which I always looked upon as the only feat of politeness, I was quite charmed with her behaviour, and she appeared no lefs pleased with mine. We foon grew extremely intimate, yet not enough for her. to entrust me with the secret of her heart, and it was from others that I firft learned fhe had been for a long time deeply in love with a gentleman of a neighbouring county, whom fhe had never feen, and that he, with as little knowledge of her, was at least equally captivated.-I will tell you by what means.

Clelia has a very pretty genius for poetry,, which, to amufe herself and friends, fhe exercises on every occafion.-A little copy of verfes fhe had wrote on the innocent fatisfaction of a rural life, happened to be fhewn to him, and he having a great taste that way, and written feveral good' things himself, was fo much charmed with the product of this lady's brain, that he would needs employ his mufe in writing a compliment on her verfes. This was prefented to her by a friend. of his who was acquainted with her.-The manner of this addrefs feemed fo elegant to her,. that the imagined herfelf under a kind of obligation to return it, and, as I faid before, being extremely fond of fhewing her intereft in Parnaffus, fent him her thanks in heroics for the approbation he had teftified of her poetry. This fecond

fecond proof of her wit and politeness, drew another epiftle from him; that, an answer from her; that, from him again; and fo on from one to the other, till, at laft, what was meant only as gallantry, became converted into a ferious admiration; and as others look themselves into love, they wrote themselves into the most violent paffion that I have heard of fince the days of Oroondates and Statira.-He fancies her all angel'; fhe confiders him no lefs than a demi-god.The extravagant ideas they have of each other's perfections, render them diffident of their own; and as ordinary lovers are impatient for an interview, these are no less fearful of meeting.-There was the other day a great horse-race on the downs. Few perfons of any note for forty miles round were abfent. But Clelia, who, though before her correfpondence with Cleomenes, (for fo he is called) would not for half her fortune have been deprived of that pleasure, now could not be prevailed on to go, for fear of being feen by Cleomenes; and Cleomenes, though his own horfe was one that ran, avoided the fport, left he fhould not be able to conceal himself from Clelia.

In fine, this Platonic paffion, with which they were mutually infpired, became the whole talk of the country, and as there was no difparity between them, either as to birth or fortune, many of the friends on both fides laboured to bring them into fentiments more like thofe of people

of

of this world; but all that could be faid in order to perfuade them to fee each other was ineffectual.-The answer that both gave was, that they were confcious of not deserving that efteem which a diftant correfpondence had excited, and were loth to forfeit it by a nearer acquaintance.

As Clelia now knows I am in the fecret, I take the liberty of rallying her with all the feverity I am capable of, on this caprice.-She takes it, however, in good part, and fhews me all the letters fhe every day receives, with the anfwers fhe fends back.-Nothing certainly ever was more paffionate on his fide, more tender on her's I tell her I would have her change her name of Clelia into that of Sappho, and that Cleomenes ought to affume that of Phaon.

:

I cannot help faying, that this is one of the prettieft, as well as moft innocent amours I ever heard of. Here is all the love, all the gallantry, all the amusement and eclat of the paffion, without any of its pains. Both parties are fatisfied and fecure of their conqueft. Each is contented with the poffeffion of the other's heart, and seems to aim at no farther gratification.

Whether the coldness is real, or only affected, through an excess of timidity, I will not, however, be pofitive, but a plot is laid to try their conftitutions more effectually, and bring them together in fpite of themfelves-It will be excuted