Council, told a Senior Burgess, he was perfectly out in the Orders of their Houfe. In other Circumftances, he is fo thoroughly modeft a Fellow, that he feems to pretend only to Things he understands. He is a Citizen only at Court, and in the City a Courtier. In a Word, to fpeak the Characteristical Difference between a modeft Man and a modeft Fellow; the modeft Man is in Doubt in all his Actions; a modeft Fellow never has a Doubt from his Cradle to his Grave..

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N° 53.

Thursday, August 11. 1709..

White's Chocolate-boufe, Auguft 10..

The Civil Husband.

THE Fate and Character of the inconftant Ofmyn, is a juft Excufe for the little Notice taken by his Widow, of his Departure out of this Life, which was equally troublefome to Elmira his faithful Spoufe, and to himself. That Life paffed between them after this Manner, is the Reafon the Town has juft now received a Lady with all that Gaiety, after having been a Relic but three Months, which other Women hardly affume under fifteen after fuch a Difafter. Elmira is the Daughter of a rich and worthy Citizen,who gave her to Ofmyn. with a Portion which might have obtained her an Alliance with our nobleft Houses, and fixed her in the Eye of the World, where her Story had not been now to be related: For her good Qualities had made her the Object of univerfal Efteem among the polite Part of Mankind, from whom fhe has been banish'd and immur'd till the Death of her Goaler. It is now full fifteen Years fince that beauteous Lady was given into the Hands of the happy Ofmyn, who in the Senfe of all the World received at that Time a Prefent more valuable than the Pof-. feifion of both the Indies. She was then in her early Bloom, with an Understanding and Discretion very little inferior to the most experienced Matrons. She was

not beholden to the Charms of her Sex, that her Company was preferable to any Ofmyn could meet with abroad; for were all fhe faid confidered, without Regard to her being a Woman, it might ftand the Examination of the fevereft Judges. She had all the Beauty of her own Sex, with all the Converfation-Accomplishments of ours: But Ofmyn very foon grew furfeited. with the Charms of her Perfon by Poffeffion, and of her Mind by Want of Tafte; for he was one of that loofe Sort of Men, who have but one Reason for fet

ting any Value upon the Fair Sex, who confider even Brides but as new Women, and confequently neglect 'em when they ceafe to be fuch. All the Merit of Elmira could not prevent her becoming a meer Wife within few Months after her Nuptials; and Ofmyn had fo little Relifh for her Converfation, that he complained of the Advantages of it. My Spouse (faid he to one of his Companions) is fo very difcreet, fo good, fo virtuous, and I know not what, that I think her Perfon is rather the Object of Efteem than of Love; and there is fuch a Thing as a Merit, which caufes rather Distance than Paffion. But their being no Medium in the State of Ma-trimony, their Life began to take the ufual Gradations to become the most irkfome of all Beings. They grew in the first Place very complaisant ; and having at Heart a certain Knowledge that they were indifferent to each other, Apologies were made for every little Circum... ftance which they thought betray'd their mutual Coldnefs. This lafted but few Months,, when they fhewed a Difference of Opinion in every Trifle; and, as a Sign of certain Decay of Affection, the Word perhaps was introduced in all their Difcourfe. I have a Mind to go to the Park, fays fhe; but perhaps, my Dear, you will want the Coach on fome other Occafion. He would very. willingly carry her to the Play; but perhaps, she had rather go to Lady Centaure's and play at Ombre.. They were both Perfons of good Difcerning, and foon found that they mortally hated each other, by their Manner of hiding it. Certain it is, that there are fome Genio's which are not capable of pure Affection, and a Man is born with Talents for it as much as for Poetry or any other Science.

B.5

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Ofmyn began too late to find the Imperfection of his own Heart, and used all the Methods in the World to correct it, and argue himself into Return of Defire: and Paffion for his Wife, by the Contemplation of her excellent Qualities, his great Obligations to her, and the high Value he saw all the World except himself did put upon her. But fuch is Man's unhappy Condition,, that tho' the Weakness of the Heart has a prevailing Power over the Strength of the Head, yet the Strength of the Head has but fmall Force against the Weakness of the Heart. Ofmyn therefore ftruggled in vain to revive departed Defire; and for that Reason refolved to retire to one of his Eftates in the Country, and pass away his Hours of Wedlock in the noble Diverfions of the Field; and in the Fury of a disappointed Lover, made an Oath, to leave neither Stag, Fox, or Hare living, during the Days of his Wife. Befides, that Country Sports would be an Amusement, he hoped alfo, that his Spouse would be half killed by the very Senfe of feeing this Town no more, and would think her Life ended as foon as fhe left it. He communicated. his Defign to Elmira, who received it (as now fhe did all Things) like a Perfon too unhappy to be relieved or afflicted by the Circumftance of Place. This unexpected Refignation made Ofmyn refolve to be as obliging to her as poffible; and if he could not prevail upon himself to be kind, he took a Refolution at least to act fincerely, and communicate frankly to her the Weaknefs of his Temper, to excufe the Indifference of his Behaviour. He difpofed his Houfhold in the Way to Rutland, fo as he and his Lady travelled only in the Coach for the Convenience of Difcourfe. They had not gone many Miles out of Town, when Ofmyn fpoke to this Purpose:

My Dear, I believe I look quite as filly now I am going to tell you I do not love you, as when I firft told you I did. We are now going into the Country together, with only one Hope. for making this Life agreeable, Survivorship: Defire is not in our Power; mine is all gone for you. What Jhall we do to carry it with Decency to the World, and hate one another with Difcretion?

THE

THE Lady answered without the leaft Obfervation on the Extravagance of the Speech:

My Dear, you have lived most of your Days in a Court, and I have not been wholly unacquainted with that Sort of Life. In Courts, you fee Good-will is spoken with great Warmth, Ill-will covered with great Civility. Men are long in their Civilities to thofe they hate, and fhort in Expreffions of Kindness to thofe they love. Therefore, my Dear, Let us be well-bred ftill, and it is no matter, as to all who fee us, whether we love or hate: And to let you fee how much you are beholden to me for my Conduct, I have both hated and defpifed you, my Dear, this half. Year; and yet neither in Language or Behaviour has it been visible but that I loved you tenderly. Therefore, as I know you go out of Town to divert Life in Purfuit of Beafts, and Converfation with Men just above 'em ; fo, my Life, from this Moment, I fhall read a l the learned Cooks who have ever writ, ftudy Broths, Plaifters, and Conferves, till from a fine Lady I become a notable Woman. We must take our Mind a Note or two lower, or we shall be tortur'd by Jealousy or Anger. Thus Iam refolved to kill all keen Paffions by employing my Mind on little Subjects, and leffening the Eafinefs of my Spirit; while you, my Dear, with much Ale, Exercife, and ill Company, are fo good, as to endeavour to be as contemptible as it is necessary for my Quiet I fhould think you.

To Rutland they arrived, and lived with great, but fecret Impatience for many fucceffive Years, till Ofmyn thought of an happy Expedient to give their Affairs a new Turn, One Day he took Elmira afide, and spoke as follows:

My Dear, you fee here the Air is fo temperate and ferene, the Rivulets, the Groves, and Soil, fo extremely kind to Nature, that we are ftronger and firmer in our Health fince we left the Town; fo that there is no.Hope of a Release in this Place: But if you will be so kind as to go with me to my Eftate in the Hundreds of Effex, it is poffible fome kind Damp may one Day or other remove us. If you will con defcend to accept of this Offer, I will add that whole Eftate to your Jointure in this County.

Elmira, who was all Goodness, accepted the Offer, removed accordingly, and has left her Spoufe in that Place to reft with his Fathers...

ΤΗΣΕ

THIS is the real Figure in which Elmira ought to be beheld in this Town, and not thought guilty of an Indesorum, in not profeffing the Senfe, or bearing the Habit of Sorrow, fot one who robbed her of all theEndearments of Life, and gave her only common Civility, instead of Complacency of Manners, Dignity of Paffion, and that conftant Affemblage of foft Defires and Affections which all feel who love, but none can exprefs.

Will's Coffee-houfe, Auguft 10.

Mr. Truman, who is a mighty Admirer of Dramatick Poetry, and knows I am about a Tragedy, never meets me, but he is giving Admonitions and Hints for my Conduct. Mr. Bickerstaff (faid he) I was reading laft Night your fecond Act you were fo kind to lend me; but I find you depend mightily upon the Retinue of your Hero to make him magnificent. You make Guards and Ufhers, and Courtiers, and Commons, and Nobles, march before, and then enters your Prince, and fays, they can't defend him from his Love.. Why, prithee Ifaac, who ever thought they could? Place me your loving Monarch in a Solitude; let him have no Senfe at all of his Grandeur, but let it be eaten up with his Paffion. He muft value himself as the greatest of Lovers, not as the firft of Princes: And then let him fay a more tender Thing than ever Man faid before

For his Feather and Eagle's Beak are nothing at all. The Man is to be expreffed by his Sentiments and Affections, and not by his Fortune or Equipage. You are also to. take Care, that at his first Entrance he says something which may give us an Idea of what we are to expect in a Perfon of his Way of Thinking. Shakespear is your Pattern. In the Tragedy of Cafar, he introduces his Heio in his Night-gown. He had at that Time all the Power of Rome: Depofed Confuls, Subordinate Generals, and Captive Princes, might have preceded him but his Genius was above fuch Mechanick Methods of fhowing Greatnefs. Therefore he rather prefents that great Soul debating upon the Subject of Life and Death. with his intimate Friends, without endeavouring to pre-. poffefs his Audience with empty Show and Pomp.

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