Lodgings, the Knight of the forrowful Countenance is ever improving the harmlefs lowly Hints of his Squire to the poetical Conceit, Rapture and Flight, in Contemplation of the dear Dulcinea of his Affections.

On the other fide Dictamnus and Moria are ever fquabling, and you may obferve them all the Time they are in Company in a State of Impatience. As Uxander and Viramira with you all gone, that they may be at Freedom for Dalliance; Dictamnus and Moria wait your Abfence, that they may speak their harsh Interpretati ons on each other's Words and Actions during the Time you were with them.

IT is certain that the greater Part of the Evils attending this Condition of Life, arifes from Fashion. Prejudice in this Cafe is turn'd the wrong Way, and inftead of expecting more Happiness than we shall meet with in it, we are laugh'd into a Prepoffeffion, that we shall be difappointed if we hope for lafting Satisfactions.

WITH all Perfons who have made good Senfe the Rule of Action, Marriage is defcrib'd as the State capable of the highest human Felicity. Tully has Epiftles full of affectionate Pleasure, when he writes to his Wife, or speaks of his Children. But above all the Hints of this kind I have met with in Writers of ancient date, I am pleas'd with an Epigram of Martial, in honour of the Beauty of his Wife Cleopatra. Commentators fay it was written the Day after his Wedding-Night. When his Spoufe was retir'd to the Bathing-room in the Heat of the Day, he, it feems, came in upon her when he was juft going into the Water. To her Beauty and Carriage on this Occafion we owe the following Epigram, which I fhew'd my Friend WILL. HONEYCOMB in French, who has tranflated it as follows, without understanding the Original. I expect it will please the English better than the Latin Reader.

When my bright Confort, now nor Wife nor Maid,
Afham'd and wanton, of Embrace afraid,
Fled to the Streams, the Streams my Fair betray'd;
To my fond Eyes fhe all transparent flood,
She blush'd, I fmil'd at the flight covering Flood.
Thus thro' the Glafs the lovely Lilly glows,
Thus thro' the ambient Gem fhines forth the Rofe.

І Гача

I faw new Charms, and plung'd to feize my Store, Kiffes I fnatch'd, the Waves prevented more.

My Friend would not allow that this luscious Account could be given of a Wife,and therefore used the Word Confort; which he learnedly faid, would ferve for a Mistress as well, and give a more gentlemanly Turn to the Epigram. But, under favour of him and all other fuch fine Gentlemen, I cannot be perfuaded but that the Paffion a Bridegroom has for a virtuous young Woman, will, by little and little, grow into Friendship, and then it is afcended to a higher Pleasure than it was in its first Fervour. Without this happens, he is a very unfortunate Man who has enter'd into this State, and left the Habitudes of Life, he might have enjoy'd with a faithful Friend. But when the Wife proves capable of filling ferious as well as joyous Hours, fhe brings Happiness unknown to Friendship it felf. Spencer fpeaks of each kind of Love with great Juftice, and attributes the highest Praife to Friendship; and indeed there is no difputing that Point, but by making that Friendship take its place between two married Perfons.

Hard is the Doubt, and difficult to deem

When all three kinds of Love together meet,
And do difpart the Heart with Power extreme,
Whether fhall weigh the Ballance down; to wit,
The dear Affection unto Kindred feet,
Or raging Fire of Love to Womankind,
Or Zeal of Friends combin'd by Virtues meet,
But, of them all, the Band of virtuous Mind
Methinks the gentle Heart fhould moft affured bind.

For natural Affection foon doth cease,
And quenched is with Cupid's greater Flame;
But faithful Friendship doth them both suppress,
And them with mastering Discipline doth tame,
Through thoughts afpiring to eternal Fame.
For as the Soul doth rule the Earthly Mafs,
And all the Service of the Body frame;
So Love of Soul doth Love of Body pass,

No less than perfect Gold furmounts the meaneft Brass.

T.

Tuesday,

孟孟孟孟惠!孟孟孟孟

No.491. Tuesday, September 23.

Digna fatis fortuna revifit.

Virg.

Tis common with me to run from Book to Book to

I exercife my Mind with many Objects, and qualify my

felf for my daily Labours. After an Hour spent in this loitering way of Reading, fomething will remain to be Food to the Imagination. The Writings that pleafe me moft on fuch Occafions are Stories, for the Truth of which there is good Authority. The Mind of Man is naturally a Lover of Justice, and when we read a Story wherein a Criminal is overtaken, in whom there is no Quality which is the Object of Pity, the Soul enjoys a certain Revenge for the Offence done to its Nature, in the wicked Actions committed in the preceding part of the Hiftory. This will be better understood by the Reader from the following Narration it felf, than from any thing which I can fay to introduce it.

W

HEN Charles Duke of Burgundy, firnamed The Bold reigned over fpacious Dominions now (wallowed up by the Power of France, he heaped many Favours and Honours upon Claudius Rhynfault, a German, who had ferv'd him in his Wars against the Infults of his Neighbours. A great Part of Zealand was at that Time in Subjection to that Dukedom. The Prince him felf was a Person of fingular Humanity and Juftice. Rhynfault, with no other real Quality than Courage, had Diffimulation enough to pafs upon his Generous and unfufpicious Mafter for a Perfon of blunt Honefty and Fidelity, without any Vice that could biafs him from the Execution of Justice. His Highness prepoffeffed to his Advantage, upon the Deceafe of the Governor of his chief Town of Zealand, gave Rhynfault that Command. He was not long feated in that Government, before he caft his Eyes upon Sapphira, a Woman of exquifite Beauty, the Wife of Paul Danvelt, a wealthy Merchant of the City under his Pro

tection

tection and Government. Rhynfault was a Man of a warm Conftitution and violent Inclination to Women, and not unskill'd in the foft Arts which win their Favour. He knew what it was to enjoy the Satisfactions which are reaped from the Poffeffion of Beauty, but was an utter Stranger to the Decencies, Honours and Delicacies that attend the Paffion towards them in elegant Minds. However he had fo much of the World, that he had a great share of the Language which ufually prevails upon the weakerPart of that Sex, and he could with his Tongue utter a Paffion with which his Heart was wholly untouch'd. He was one of thofe brutal Minds which can be gratified with the Violation of Innocence and Beauty, without the leaft Pity, Paffion or Love to that with which they are fo much delighted. Ingratitude is a Vice in feparable to a luftful Man; and the Poffeffion of a Woman by him who has no Thought but allaying a Paffion painful to himfelf, is neceffarily followed by diftafte and Averfion. Rhynfault being refolv'd to accomplish his Will on the Wife of Danvelt, left no Arts untried to get into a Familiarity at her House, but she knew his Character and Difpofition too well not to fhun allOccafions that might enfnare her into his Conversation. The Governor defpairing of Succefs by ordinary Means, apprehended and imprifoned her Husband, under pretence of an Information that he was guilty of a Correspondence with the Enemies of the Duke, to betray the Town into their Poffeffion. This Defign had its defired Effect, and the Wife of the unfortunate Danvelt, the Day before that which was appointed for his Execution, prefented her felf in the Hall of the Governor's Houfe, and as he pass'd thro' the Apartment, threw her felt at his Feet, and holding his Knees, befeeched his Mercy. Rhynfault beheld her with a diffembled Satisfaction, and affuming an Air of Thought and Authority, he bid her arife, and told her fhe muft follow him to his Clofet; and asking her whether she knew the Hand of the Letter he pulled out of his Pocket, went from her, leaving this admonition aloud, if you will fave your Husband, you must give me an account of all you know without Prevarication; for every body is fatisfied he was too fond of you to be able to hide from you the Names of the rest of the Confpirators, or any other Particulars whatsoever. He went to his Clofet, and

foon

foon after the Lady was fent for to an Audience. The Servant knew his Distance when Matters of State were to be debated; and the Governor, laying afide the Air with which he had appear'd in Publick, began to be the Supplicant, to rally an Affliction, which it was in her Power eafily to remove, and relieve an innocent Man from his Imprifonment.She eafily perceiv'd his Intention, and, bathed in Tears, began to deprecate fo wicked a Defign. Luft, like Ambition, takes all the Faculties of the Mind and Body into its Service and Subjection. Her becoming Tears, her honeft Anguish, the wringing of her Hands, and the many Changes of her Pofture and Figure in the Vehemence of fpeaking, were but fo many Attitudes in which he beheld her Beauty, and further Incentives of his Defire. All Humanity was loft in that one Appetite, and he fignified to her in fo many plain Terms, that he was unhappy till he had poffefs'd her, and nothing less shou'd be the -Price of her Husband's Life; and the muft, before the following Noon, pronounce the Death or Enlargement of Danvelt. After this Notification, when he faw Sapphira enough again diftracted to make the Subject of their Difcourfe to common Eyes appear different from what it was, he called Servants to conduct her to the Gate. Loaded with infupportable Affliction, the immediately repairs to her Husband, and having fignified to his Goalers, that she had a Propofal to make to her Husband from the Governor, fhe was left alone with him, reveal'd to him all that had pafs'd, and reprefented the endlefs Conflict fhe was in between Love to his Perfon, and Fidelity to his Bed. It is easy to imagine the fharp Affliction this honest Pair was in upon fuch an Incident, in Lives not us'd to any but ordinary Occurrences. The Man was bridled by Shame from fpeaking what his Fear prompted, upon fo near an Approach of Death; but let fall Words that fignified to her, he should not think her polluted, though fhe had not yet confefs'd to him that the Governor had violated her Perfon, fince he knew her Will had no Part in the Action. She parted from him with this oblique Permiffion to fave a Life he had not Resolution enough to refign for the Safety of his Honour.

THE next Morning the unhappy Sapphira attended the Governor, and being led into a remote Apartment, fubVOL. VII.

D

mitted