of the sea for his looking-glass, and could never dress himself to advantage but in a calm. My friend Will, to show us the whole compass of his learning upon this subject, further informed us, that there were still several nations in the world so very barbarous as not to have any looking-glasses among them; and that he had lately read a voyage to the South Sea, in which it is said that the ladies of Chili always dressed their heads over a basin of water. I am the more particular in my account of Will's last night's lecture on these natural mirrors, as it seems to bear some relation to the following letter, which I received the day before. "SIR, "I HAVE read your last Saturday's observations on the fourth book of Milton with great satisfaction, and am particularly pleased with the hidden moral which you have taken notice of in several parts of the poem. The design of this letter is to desire your thoughts, whether there may not also be some moral couched under that place in the same book, where the poet lets us know, that the first woman, immediately after her creation, ran to a lookingglass, and became so enamoured of her own face, that she had never removed to view any of the other works of nature, had not she been led off to a man? If you think fit to set down the whole passage from Milton, your readers will be able to judge for themselves, and the quotation will not a little contribute to the filling-up of your paper. "Your humble servant, The last consideration urged by my querist is so strong, that I cannot forbear closing with it. The passage he alludes to is part of Eve's speech to Adam, and one of the most beautiful passages in the whole poem: That day I oft remember, when from sleep Under a shade of flowers, much wondering where Mine eyes till now, and pined with vain desire, 6 Had not a voice thus warn'd me: What thou see'st, Than that smooth watery image; back I turn'd; Seized mine; I yielded, and from that time see And wisdom, which alone is truly fair. X iv. 449. MR. SPECTATOR, "YOUR correspondent's letter relating to fortunehunters, and your subsequent discourse upon it, have given me encouragement to send you a state of my case, by which you will see that the matter complained of is a common grievance both to city and country. "I am a country-gentleman of between five and six thousand a year. It is my misfortune to have a very fine park and an only daughter; upon which account I have been so plagued with deer-stealers and fops, that for these four years past I have scarce enjoyed a moment's rest. I look upon myself to be in a state of war; and am forced to keep as constant watch in my seat, as a governor would do that commanded a town on the frontier of an enemy's country. I have, indeed, pretty well secured my park, having for this purpose provided myself of four keepers, who are left-handed, and handle a quarter-staff beyond any other fellows in the country. And for the guard of my house, besides a band of pensioner matrons and an old maiden relation, whom I keep on constant duty, I have blunderbusses always charged, and fox-gins planted in private places about my garden, of which I have given frequent notice in the neighbourhood; yet so it is, that in spite of all my care, I shall every now and then have a saucy rascal ride by, reconnoitering, as I think you call it, under my windows, as sprucely dressed as if he were going to a ball. I am aware of this way of attacking a mistress on horseback, having heard that it is a common practice in Spain; and have therefore taken care to remove my daughter from the road-side of the house, and to lodge her next the garden. But to cut short my story. What can a man do after all? I durst not stand for member of parliament last election, for fear of some ill consequence from my being off of my post. What I would therefore desire of you is, to promote a project I have set on foot, and upon which I have writ to some of my friends and that is, that care may be taken to secure our daughters by law, as well as our deer; and that some honest gentleman of a public spirit would move for leave to bring in a bill for the better preserving of the female game. : "I am, SIR, "Your humble servant." "MR. SPECTATOR, "HERE is a young man walks by our door every day about the dusk of the evening. He looks up at my window, as if to see me; and if I steal towards it to peep at him, he turns another way, and looks frightened at finding what he was looking for. The air is very cold; and pray let him know, that, if he knocks at the door, he will be carried to the parlour fire, and I will come down soon after, and give him an opportunity to break his mind. "I am, SIR, "Your humble servant, "Mile-End-Green, March 6, 1711-12. "MARY COMFIT. "If I observe he cannot speak, I'll give him time to recover himself, and ask him how he does." 66 DEAR SIR, "I beg you to print this without delay, and by the first opportunity give us the natural causes of longing in women; or put me out of fear that my wife will one time or other be delivered of something as monstrous as any thing that has yet appeared to the world; for they say the child is to bear a resemblance of what was desired by the mother. I have been married upwards of six years, have had four children, and my wife is now big with the fifth. The expenses she has put me to, in procuring what she has longed for during her pregnancy with them, would not only have handsomely defrayed the charges of the month, but of their education too; her fancy being so exorbitant for the first year or two, as not to confine itself to the usual objects of eatables and drinkables, but running out after equipage and furniture, and the like extrava |