The fool of nature ftood with ftupid eyes,
And gaping mouth, that teftify'd furprise;
Fix'd on her face, nor could remove his fight,
New as he was to Love, and novice in delight:
Long mute he stood, and leaning on his staff,
His wonder witnefs'd with an idiot laugh;

Then would have fpoke, but by his glimm'ring
fense

Firft found his want of words, and fear'd offence:
Doubted for what he was he should be known,
By his clown-accent, and his country-tone.

But left this fine defcription fhould be excepted against, as the creation of that great mafter Mr. Dryden, and not on account of what has really ever happened in the world, I fhall give you verbatim, the epiftle of an enamoured footman in the country to his miftrefs. Their furnames shall not be inferted, because their pasfions demand a greater refpect than is due to their quality. James is fervant in a great fa`mily, and Elizabeth waits upon the daughter of one as numerous, fome miles off her lover. James, before he beheld Betty, was vain of his strength, a rough wreftler, and quarrelfome cudgel-player; Betty a public dancer at maypoles, a romp at ftool-ball: he always following idle women, the playing among the peasants: he a country bully, the a country coquette. But Love has made her conftantly in her mistress's chamber, where the young lady gratifies a fecret paffion of her own, by making Betty talk of James; and James is become a conftant waiter near his master's apartment, in reading as well as he can, romances. I cannot learn who Molly

Ee 2

is,

is, who it seems walked ten miles to carry the angry message, which gave occafion to what

follows.

'My dear Betty,

R

May 14, 1711.

EMEMBER your bleeding lover, who lies bleeding at the wounds Cupid made with the arrows he borrowed at the eyes of • Venus, which is your sweet perfon.

Nay more, with the token you sent me for my love and fervice offered to your sweet perfon; which was your base respects to my ill conditions; when alas! there is no ill conditions in me, but quite contrary; all love and purity, efpecially to your fweet perfon; but all this I take as a jest.

But the fad and difmal news which Molly brought me ftruck me to the heart, which was it feems, and is, your ill conditions for my love and refpects to you.

For the told me, if I came forty times to you, you would not fpeak with me, which words I am fure is a great grief to me.

Now my dear, if I may not be permitted to your fweet company, and to have the happinefs of fpeaking with your sweet sweet perfon, I beg the favour of you to accept of this my fecret mind and thoughts, which hath fo long lodged in my breaft, the which if you do not accept, I believe will go nigh to break my heart.

For indeed, my dear, I love you above all ⚫ the beauties I ever faw in all my life.

The young gentleman, and my master's daughter,

daughter, the Londoner that is come down to marry her, fat in the arbour most part of last night. Oh, dear Betty, must the nightingales fing to those who marry for money, and not to us true lovers! Oh, my dear Betty, that we could meet this night where we used to do in the wood!

Now my dear, if I may not have the bleffing of kifling your fweet lips, I beg I may have the happiness of kiffing your fair hand, 'with a few lines from your dear felf, prefent'ed by whom you please or think fit. I believe, if time would permit me, I could write all day; but the time being short, and paper little, no 'more from your never-failing lover till death, JAMES

Poor James! fince his time and paper were fo fhort, I that have more than I can ufe well of both, will put the fentiments of this kind letter (the ftile of which feems to be confufed with fcraps he had got in hearing and reading what he did not understand) into what he meant to exprefs.

Dear Creature,

CA

AN you then neglect him who has forgot all his recreations and enjoyments, to pine away his life in thinking of you? When I do fo, you appear more amiable to me than Venus does

in

* This man's name was James Hirft. He was a fervant to the Hon. Edward Wortley, Efq; and in delivering a parcel of letters to his mafter, gave by miftake this letter, which he just prepared for his fweetheart, and kept in its stead

in the most beautiful defcription that ever was made of her. All this kindness you return with an accufation, that I do not love you: but the contrary is fo manifeft, that I cannot think you in earnest. But the certainty given me in your meffage by Molly, that you do not love me, is what robs me of all comfort. She fays you will not fee me if you can have so much cruelty, at least write to me, that I may kifs the impreffion made by your fair hand. I love you above all things, and in my condition, what you look upon with indifference is to me the most exquifite pleasure or pain. Our young lady, and a fine gentleman from London, who are to marry for mercenary ends, walk about our gardens, and hear the voice of evening nightingales, as if for fashion fake they courted thofe folitudes, because they have heard Lovers do so. Oh Betty! could I hear these rivulets murmur, and birds fing, while you ftood near me, how little fenfible fhould I be that we are both fervants, that there

one of his master's. He quickly returned to rectify the blunder, but it was too late. Unfortunately the letter to Betty was the first that prefented itfelf to Mr. Wortley, who had indulged his curiofity in reading the love-tale of his enamoured footman. James requested to have it returned in vain. "No, James," faid his mafter, " you fhall be a great man, and this letter muft appear in the Spectator."

James fucceeded in putting an end to Betty's ill-conditions, and obtained her confent to marry him; but the marriage was prevented by her fudden death. James Hirst, foon after, from his regard and love for Betty, married her fifter, and died about thirteen years ago, by Pennistone, in the neighbourhood of Wortley, near Leeds. Betty's fifter and fucceffor, was probably the Molly who walked ten miles to carry the angry meffage which occafioned the preceding letter.

is any thing on earth above us! Oh! I could write to you as long as I love you, till death itself. JAMES.

N. B. By the words Ill-Conditions, James. means, in a woman Coquetry, in a man Inconftancy. R*.

N° 72. Wednesday, May 23, 1711.

-Genus immortale manet, multofque per annos
Stat fortuna domus, & avi numerantur avorum.
VIRG. Georg. iv. 208.

Th' immortal line in fure fucceffion reigns,
The fortune of the family remains,
And grandfires grandfons the long lift contains.
DRYDEN.

HAV

AVING already given my reader an account of feveral extraordinary Clubs both ancient and modern, I did not defign to have troubled him with any more narratives of this nature; but I have lately received information of a Club, which I can call neither ancient nor modern, that I dare fay will be no less surprising to my reader than it was to myself; for which reafon I fhall communicate it to the public as one of the greatest curiofities in its kind.

A friend of mine complaining of a tradef

By STEELE. See final Note to N° 6 or N° 4, on the Signature R.