herself for our reception. Her hair appeared in a very nice diforder, as the night-gown which was thrown upon her fhoulders was ruffled with great care. For my part, I am so shocked with every thing which looks immodeft in the fair fex, that I could not forbear taking off my eye from her when she moved in her bed, and was in the greatest confufion imaginable every time she ftirred a leg, or an arm. As the coquettes who introduced this cuftom grew old, they left it off by degrees; well knowing, that a woman of threescore kick and tumble her heart out, may without making any impreffions.

Sempronia is at prefent the most profest admirer of the French nation, but is fo modest as to admit her vifitants no farther than her toilet. It is a very odd fight that beautiful creature makes, when she is talking politics with her treffes flowing about her fhoulders, and examining that face in the glafs, which does fuch execution upon all the male ftanders-by. How prettily does fhe divide her difcourfe betwen her woman and her vifitants? What fprightly tranfitions does the make from an opera or a fermon to an ivory comb or a pin-cufhion? How have I been pleased to fee her interrupted in an account of her travels, by a meffage to her footman; and holding her tongue in the midft of a moral reflection, by applying the tip of it to a patch?

There is nothing which expofes a woman to greater dangers, than that gaiety and airiness of temper, which are natural to moft of the fex.

It should be therefore the concern of every wife and virtuous woman, to keep this fprightliness from degenerating into levity. On the contrary, the whole discourse and behaviour of the French is to make the fex more fantastical, or (as they are pleased to term it) more awakened, than is confiftent either with virtue or difcretion. To fpeak loud in public affemblies, to let every one hear you talk of things that should only be mentioned in private or in whisper, are looked upon as parts of a refined education. At the fame time a blush is unfafhionable, and filence more ill-bred than any thing that can be spoken. In short discretion and modefty, which in all other ages and countries have been regarded as the greatcft ornaments of the fair fex, are regarded as the ingredients of narrow conversation, and family behaviour.

Some years ago I was at the tragedy of Macbeth, and unfortunately placed myfelf under a woman of quality that is fince dead; who as I found by the noife the made, was newly returned from France. A little before the rifing of the curtain, the broke out into a loud foliloquy, "When will the dear witches enter;" and immediately upon their first appearance, afked a lady that fat three boxes from her on her right hand, if thofe witches were not charming creatures. little after, as Betterton was in one of the finest fpeeches of the play, the fhook her fan at another lady who fat as far on the left hand, and told her with a whifper that might be heard all over the pit, We must not expect to fee Balloon

A

to-night.

to-night. Not long after, calling out to a young baronet by his name, who fat three feats before me, fhe afked him whether Macbeth's wife was ftill alive; and before he could give an anfwer, fell a talking of the ghost of Banquo. She had by this time formed a little audience to herfelf, and fixed the attention of all about her. But as I had a mind to hear the play, I got out of the sphere of her impertinence, and planted myfelf in one of the remoteft corners of the pit.

This pretty childishness of behaviour is one of the moft refined parts of coquetry, and is not to be attained in perfection by ladies that do not travel for their improvement. A natural and unconstrained behaviour has fomething in it fo agreeable, that it is no wonder to fee people endeavouring after it. But at the fame time it is very hard to hit, when it is not born with us, that people often make themselves ridiculous in attempting it.

fo

A very ingenious French author tells us, that the ladies of the court of France in his time, thought it ill-breeding, and a kind of female pedantry, to pronounce an hard word right; for which reason they took frequent occafion to ufe hard words, that they might fhew a politenefs in murdering them. He further adds, that a lady of fome quality at court, having accidentally made ufe of a hard word in a proper place, and pronounced it right, the whole affembly was out of countenance for her.

I must however be so just to own, that there are many ladies who have travelled feveral thou

fands of miles without being the worfe for it, and have brought home with them all the modefty, difcretion, and good-fenfe, that they went abroad with. As on the contrary, there are great numbers of travelled ladies, who have lived all their days within the smoke of London. I have known a woman that never was out of the parish of St. James, betray as many foreign fopperies in her carriage, as the could have gleaned up in half the countries of Europe.

N° 46. Tuesday, April 23, 1711.

Non bene junctarum difcordia femina rerum.

C*.

ÖVID. Met. 1. i. ver. 9.

The jarring feeds of ill-conforted things.

W

WHEN I want materials for this Paper,

it is my custom to go abroad in queft of game; and when I meet any proper fubject, I take the first opportunity of fetting down an hint of it upon paper. At the fame time I look into the letters of my correfpondents, and if I find any thing fuggefted in them that may afford matter of Speculation, I likewise enter a minute of it in my collection of materials. By this means I frequently carry about me a whole fheetful of hints, that would look like a rhapfody of nonfenfe to any body but myself. There is nothing in them but obfcurity and confufion, raving and inconfiftency. In fhort, they are By ADDISON, dated it is thought from Chelfea. See N°7, final Nate,

*

my

1

my SPECULATIONS in the first principles, that (like the world in its chaos) are void of all light, distinction, and order.

About a week fince there happened to me a very odd accident, by reafon of one of these my papers of minutes which I had accidentally dropped at Lloyd's coffee-houfe, where the auctions are ufually kept. Before I miffed it, there were a cluster of people who had found it, and were diverting themselves with it at one end of the coffee-house. It had raised so much laughter among them before I had obferved what they were about, that I had not the courage to own it. The boy of the coffee-house, when they had done with it, carried it about in his hand, afking every body if they had dropped a written paper; but nobody challenging it, he was ordered by thofe merry gentlemen who had before perused it, to get up into the auction pulpit, and read it to the whole room, that if any one would own it, they might. The boy accordingly mounted the pulpit, and with a very audible voice read as follows.

MINUTES.

Sir ROGER DE COVERLEY'S country-featYes, for I hate long fpeeches-Query, if a good Christian may be a Conjurer-Childermas - day, faltfeller, houfe-dog, fcreech-owl, cricket

Mr. Thomas Incle of London, in the good ship called the Achilles. Yarico- Egrefcitque medendo-Ghofts-The Lady's library-Lion by trade a taylor-Dromedary called BucephalusS 4 Equipage