• Mother, both being in declining Years, would fain fee • me, their eldest Scn, as they call it fettled. I am as ⚫ much for that as they can be; but I maft be fe:tled,

it feems, not according to my own, but their liking. • Upon this account I am teiz`d every Day, because I ́ have not yet fallen in Love, in spite of Nature, with one of a neighbouring Gentleman's Daughters; for out of their abundant Generofity they give me the Choice of four. Jack, begins my Father, Mrs. Catherine is a fine Woman —Yes, Sir, but she ⚫ is rather too old ——— She will make the more difcreet Manager, Boy. Then my Mother plays her part. Is not Mrs. Betty exceeding fair ? Yes, Madam, but • she is of no Converíation; he has no Fire, no agree ́able Vivacity; she neither speaks nor looks with Spirit. True, Son; but for thofe very Reasons, the will ・ be an easy, soft, obliging, tractable Creature. After all, cries an old Aunt, (who belongs to the Clais of those who read Plays with Spectacles on) what hims you, Nephew, of proper Mrs. Dorothy? What do I think? why I think the cannot be above fix Foot thes Inches high. Well, well, you may banter as long · you please, but Height of Stature is commanding majeflick. Come, come ays a Coufin of mine ... Family, I'll fit him : 2 is yet behind

6

6

← Miss Fiddy must ple

'

ble Servant, dear (

eldet Sifter is t good Mr. Pert` twenty-two, 2 6 be in her Te

'Thing. T

Oh! your very .......
as much too your i
is it fo indeed

o are but bro'.
halfa Yem
cable

or thefe

ter home to my be"

eld where the red to nESS Haffey can layeren in my my Glover, and den land in of it. I do not know, from y I have leaner or aged 10 37 were not for a few Books Vica at thiHoura Novice to all comnot be worth your vale a 47 viour in thi. Cafe, and tell People, eft honet plain Anfvers as a Thy muft I,good Sir,because I have a omplexion, and am in the Bloom of fled in all my Actions and have the od and Ill confounded in my Mind, for ce, but because I have the A Fortune? Indeed, Sir, whe ch is paid us by the fort n of, and the utter Neg r us, the Converfation of is no other than what n

Ignorance and Vanity, if not Vice. All this is humbly fubmitted to your Spectatorial Wifdom, by,

SIR,

Your humble Servant,

Sharlot Wealthy.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

PR

Will's Coffee-house.

RAY, Sir, it will ferve to fill up a Paper, if you put in this; which is only to ask, whether that Copy of Verfes, which is a Paraphrafe of Isaiah, in one of your Speculations, is not written by Mr. Pope? Then you get on another Line, by putting in, with proper Distances, as at the End of a Letter,

I am, SIR,.

Your bumble Servant,

Abraham Dapperwit.

Mr. Dapperwit,

I

A M glad to get another Line forward, by faying that excellent Piece is Mr. Pope's, and so, with proper Distances.

I

am

SIR,

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

WAS a wealthy Grocer in the City, and as fortunate as diligent; but I was a fingle Man, and you know ⚫ there are Women. One in particular came to my Shop, who I wished might, but was afraid never would make a Grocer's Wife. I thought, however, to take an effectual Way of Courting, and fold to her at a lefs Price than I bought, that I might buy at lefs Price than I fold. She, you may be fure, often came, and helped me to many Cuftomers at the fame Rate, fancying. I was obliged to her. You must needs think this was a good living Trade, and my Riches must be vastly improved. In fine, I was nigh being declared Bankrupt, when I declared my felf her Lover, and she herself mar

ried. I was juft in a Condition to fupport my self, and am now in hopes of growing rich by lofing my • Customers.

Yours,

Jeremy Comfit.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

I

A M in the Condition of the Idol you was once plea fed to mention, and Bar-keeper of a Coffee-houfe. I believe it is needlefs to tell you the Opportunities I muft give, and the Importunities I fuffer. But there is one Gentleman who befieges me as clofe as the French did Bouchain. His Gravity makes him work cautious, and his regular Approaches denote a good Engineer. • You need not doubt of his Oratory, as he is a Lawyer; and efpecially fince he has had fo little Ufe of it at Westminster, he may fpare the more for me.

WHAT then can weak Women do? I am willing to furrender, but he would have it at Difcretion, and • I with Difcretion. In the mean time, whilft we parly, our feveral Interefts are neglected. As his Siege grows ftronger, my Tea grows weaker; and while he pleads at my Bar, none come to him for Counfel but in Forma Pauperis. Dear Mr. SPECTATOR, advise him not to infift upon hard Articles, nor by his irregular ⚫ Defires contradict the well-meaning Lines of his Coun ⚫tenance. If we were agreed, we might fettle to fomething, as foon as we could determine where we should get moft, by the Law at the Coffee-house, or at Weft• minster.

6

Your humble Servant,

Lucinda Parly,

A Minute from Mr. John Sly.

HE World is pretty regular for about forty Rood Eaft, and ten Weft of the Obfervatory of the faid Mr. Sly; but he is credibly informed, that when they are got beyond the Pafs into the Strand, or those who move City-ward are got within Temple-Bar, they are

just

juft as they were before. It is therefore humbly propofed, that Moving-Centries may be appointed all the bufy Hours of the Day between the Exchange and Westminster, and report what paffes to your Honour, or your fubordinate Officers, from time to time.

Ordered,

THAT Mr. Sly name the faid Officers, provided he will answer for their Principles and Morals.

T

No. 535. Thursday, November 13.

Spem longam refeces

Hor.

M

Y Four hundred and Seventy first Speculation turned upon the Subject of Hope in general. I defign this Paper as a Speculation upon that vain and foolish Hope, which is mifemployed on temporal Objects, and produces many Sorrows and Calamities in human Life.

IT is a Precept feveral times inculcated by Horace, that we should not entertain an Hope of any thing in Life which lies at a great diftance from us. The Shortnefs and Uncertainty of our Time here, makes fuch a kind of Hope unreasonable and abfurd. The Grave lies unfeen between us and the Object which we reach after : Where one Man lives to enjoy the Good he has in View, ten thousand are cut off in the Pursuit of it.

IT happens likewife unluckily, that one Hope no fooner dies in us, but another rifes up in its ftead. We are apt to fancy that we fhall be happy and fatisfied if we poffefs our felves of fuch and fuch particular Enjoyments; but either by reason of their Emptinefs, or the natural Inquietude of the Mind, we have no fooner gained one Point but we extend our Hopes to another. We ftill find new inviting Scenes and Landskips lying behind thofe which at a distance terminated our View.

THE