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dog looked like a few. He feeds hogs in his park and the court-yard, and has guinea-pigs in his parlour. Every Saturday he has an hunt, because it is the Jewish fabbath; and in the evendrunk with the vicar in deAs he is in the commiffion, few pedlar, who came to hawk goods at his house, to Bridewell; and he was once going to fend a little parish-boy to the fame place, for prefuming to play in his worfhip's hearing on that unchriftian-like inftrument the Jews-Harp.

ing he is fure to get fence of religion. he ordered a poor

THE fair sex here are no less ambitious of difplaying their affection for the fame cause; and they manifeft their fentiments by the colour and fashion of their drefs. Their zeal more particularly fhews itself in a variety of pofies for rings, buckles, knots, and garters. I obferved the other night at the affembly, that the ladies feemed to vie with each other, in hanging out the enfigns of the faith in orthodox ribbands, bearing the infcription of No JEWS, CHRISTIANITY FOR EVER. They likewife wore little croffes at their breasts; their pompons were formed into crucifixes, their knots disposed in the fame angles, and fo many parts of their habits moulded into that shape, that the whole affembly looked

like the court on St. Andrew's day. It was remarkable that the vicar's lady, who is a thorough-paced High-Churchwoman, was more religious in the decorations of her dress than any of the company; and, indeed, fhe was fo ftuck over from head to foot with croffes, that a wag justly compared her to an old Popish monument in a Gothic cathedral.

I SHALL Conclude my letter with the relation of an adventure, that happened to myself at my first coming into this town. I intended to put up at the Catherine-Wheel, as I had often ufed the house before, and knew the landlord to be a good civil kind of fellow. I accordingly turned my horse into the yard; when to my great furprize the landlord, as foon as he faw me, gave me an hearty curfe, and told me I might go about my bufinefs, "for, indeed, he would not "entertain any fuch rafcals.". Upon this he faid something to two or three ftrapping countryfellows, who immediately came towards me; and if I had not rode away directly, I should have met with a very rough falutation from their horfe-whips. I could not imagine what offence I had committed, that could give occafion for fuch ill ufage, 'till I heard the master of the inn hollowing after me, "that's the fcoundrel, that

"came here fome time ago with Tom T'otherfide;' who, I have fince learnt, is an agent for the other party.

T

I am, dear Coufin, yours, &c.

NUMB. XIV. Thursday, May 2, 1754.

Tum in lecto quoque videres

Stridere fecretâ divifos aure fufurros.

Nullos his mallem ludos fpectaffe. Sed illa
Redde age, quæ deinceps rififti.

Imparted to each laughter-loving fair,

HOR.

The whizzing whifper glides from chair to chair :
And e'er the conscious ear receives it half,

With titterings they betray the ftifled laugh.

Such giggling glee !—what farce fo full of mirth !— But tell the tickling caufe, that gave it birth.

SIR,

As

To Mr. TOWN.

S the ladies are naturally become the immediate objects of your care, will you permit a complaint to be inferted in your paper, which is founded upon a matter of fact? They

will pardon me, if by laying before you a particular inftance I was lately witness to of their improper behaviour, I endeavour to expose a reigning evil, which fubjects them to many fhameful imputations.

I RECEIVED laft week a dinner-card from a friend, with an intimation that I fhould meet fome very agreeable ladies. At my arrival, I found that the company confifted chiefly of females, who indeed did me the honour to rife, but quite difconcerted me in paying my respects, by their whispering each other, and appearing to ftifle a laugh. When I was feated, the ladies grouped themselves up in a corner, and entered into a private cabal, seemingly to discourse upon points of great fecrecy and importance, but of equal merriment and diverfion.

THE fame conduct of keeping close to their ranks was observed at table, where the ladies feated themselves together. Their converfation was here alfo confined wholly to themselves, and feemed like the myfteries of the Bona Dea, in which men were forbidden to have any share. It was a continued laugh and whisper from the beginning to the end of dinner. A whole fentence was scarce ever spoken aloud. Single F 6 words,

words, indeed, now and then broke forth; fuch as odious, horrible, deteftable, shocking, HUMBUG. This last new-coined expreffion, which is only to be found in the nonfenfical vocabulary, founds abfurd and difagreeable, whenever it is pronounced; but from the mouth of a lady it is "fhocking, deteftable, horrible, and odious."

My friend feemed to be in an uneafy fituation at his own table: but I was far more miserable. I was mute, and feldom dared to lift up my eyes from my plate, or turn my head to call for small beer, left by fome aukward gefture I might draw upon me a whisper or a laugh. Sancho, when he was forbid to eat a delicious banquet fet before him, could scarce appear more melancholy. The rueful length of my face might poffibly encrease the mirth of my tormenters at leaft their joy feemed to rise in exact proportion with my mifery. At length, however, the time of my delivery approached. Dinner ended, the ladies made their exit in pairs, and went off hand in hand whispering, like the two kings of Brentford.

MODEST men, Mr. Town, are deeply wounded, when they imagine themselves the objects of ridicule or contempt: and the pain