beauteous form! For beauty is often made a privilege against thought and reflection; it laughs at wif dom, and will not abide the gravity of its inftructions. Were I able to reprefent Emilia's virtues in their proper colours and their due proportions, love or flattery might perhaps be thought to have drawn the picture larger than life; but as this is but an imperfect draught of fo excellent a character, and as I cannot, will not, hope to have any interest in her perfon, áll that I can fay of her is but impartial praife extorted from me by the prevailing brightnefs of her virtues. So rare a pattern of female excellence ought not to be concealed, but fhould be fet out to the view and imitation of the world; for how amiable does virtue appear thus as it were made visible to us in fo fair an example!

Honoria's difpofition is of a very different turn: her thoughts are wholly bent upon conqueft and arbitrary power. That the has fome wit and beauty no body denies, and therefore has the esteem of all her acquaintance as a woman of an agreeable perfon and converfation; but (whatever her husband may think of it) that is not fufficient for Honoria: fhe waves that title to refpect as a mean acquifition, and demands veneration in the right of an idol; for this reafon her natural defire of life is continually checked with an inconfiftent fear of wrinkles and old age.

Emilia cannot be fuppofed ignorant of her perfonal charms, though fhe fecins to be fo; but he will not hold her happinefs upon fo precarious a tenure, whilft her mind is adorned with beauties of a more exalted and lafting nature. When in the full bloom of youth and beauty we faw her furrounded with a croud of aderers, fhe took no pleasure in flaughter and deftruction, gave no falte deluding hopes which might increase the torments of her difappointed lovers; but having for, fome time given to the decency of a virgin, coyneis, and examined the merit of their feveral pre tenfions, the at length gratified her own, by refigning herself to the ardent paffion of Bromius. Bromius was then mafter of many good qualities and a moderate

fortune, which was foon after unexpectedly increased to a plentiful estate. This for a good while proved his misfortune, as it furnished inexperienced age with the opportunites of evil company and a fenfual life. He might have longer wandered in the labyrinths of vice and folly, had not Emilia's prudent conduct won him over to the government of his reafon. Her ingenuity has been conftantly employed in humanizing his paffions, and refining his pleasures. She had fhewed him by her own example, that virtue is con-fiftent with decent freedom and good humour, or rather, that it cannot fubfift without them. Her good fense readily inftructed her, that a filent example, and an eafy unrepining behaviour, will always be more perfuafive than the feverity of lectures and admonitions; and that there is fo much pride interwoven into the make of human nature, that an obftinate man muft only take the hint from another, and then be left to advife and correct himself. Thus by an artful train of management and unfeen perfuafions, having at first brought him not to diflike, and at length to be pleafed with that which otherwife he would not have bore to hear of, fhe then knew how to prefs and secure this advantage, by approving it as his thought, and feconding it as his propofal. By this means the has gained an intereft in fome of his leading paffions, and made them acceffary to his reformation.

There is another particular of Emilia's conduc which I can't forbear to mention: To fome it may at first fight appear but a trifling, inconfiderable circumftance; but, for my part, I think it highly worthy of obfervation, and to be recommended to the confideration of the fair fex. I have often thought wrapping gowns and dirty linen, with all that huddled œconomy of drefs which paffes under the general name of a mob, the bane of conjugal love, and one of the readieft means imaginable to alienate the affection of an hufband, efpecially a fond one. I have heard fome ladies, who have been furprised by company in fuch a difhabelle, apologise for it after this manner: Truly I am ashamed to be caught in this pickle; but my husband and I

were fitting all alone by ourselves, and I did not expect to fee fuch good company. This, by the way, is a fine compliment to the good man, which, 'tis ten to one but he returns in dogged anfwers, and a churlifh behaviour, without knowing what it is that puts him out of hu

mour.

Emilia's obfervation, teach her, that as little inadvertencies and neglects caft a blemish upon a great character; fo the neglect of apparel, even among the moft intimate friends, does infenfibly leffen their regards to each other, by creating a familiarity too low and contemptible. She understands the importance of those things which the generality account trifles; and confiders every thing as a matter of confequence, that has the leaft tendency toward keeping up or abating the affection of her husband; him the ef teems as a fit object to employ her ingenuity in plea,because he is to be pleafed for life.

By the help of these, and a thousand other namelefs arts, which 'tis easier for her to practise than for another to exprefs, by the obftinacy of her goodnefs and unprovoked fubmiffion, in fpite of all her afflic tions and ill ufage, Bromius is become a man of fense and a kind husband, and Emilia an happy wife.

Ye guardian angels, to whofe care heaven has intrufted its dear Emilia, guide her ftill forward in the paths of virtue, defend her from the infolence and wrongs of this undifcerning world; at length, when we must no more converfe with fuch purity on earth, lead her, gently hence, innocent and unreprovable, to a better place, where, by an easy tranfition from what The now is, the may fhine forth an angel of light.-T. SPECTATOR, Vol. IV. No. 302.

T

CHARACTER of the ENGLISH.

HERE is nothing, fays Plato, fo delightful, as the hear ing or speaking of truth. For this reafon there is no converfation fo agreeable as that of the man of integ

rity, who hears without any intention to betray, and fpeaks without any intention to deceive.

Among all the accounts which are given of Cato, I do not remember one that more redounds to his honour than the following paffage related by Plutarch. As an advocate was pleading the caufe of his client before one of the prætors, he could only produce a fingle witnefs in a point where the law required the teftimony of two perfons; upon which the advocate infifted. on the integrity of that perfon whom he had produced but the prætor told him, that where the law required two witneffes he would not accept of one, though it were Cato himself. Such a speech from a person who fat at the head of a court of juftice, while Cato was ftill living, fhews us more than a thousand examples, the high reputation this great man had gained among his cotemporaries upon the account of his fincerity.

When fuch an inflexible integrity is a little foftened and qualified by the rules of converfation and good-breeding, there is not a more shining virtue in the whole catalogue of social duties. A man however ought to take great care not to polish himself out of his veracity, nor to refine his behaviour to the prejudice of his virtue.

This fubject is exquifitely treated in the moft elegant fermons of the great British Preacher. I fhall beg leave to tranfcribe out of it two or three fentences, as a proper introduction to a very curious letter, which I hall make the chief entertainment of this fpeculation.

"The old English plainnefs and fincerity, that gen erous integrity of nature, and honefty of difpofition, which always argues true greatnefs of mind, and is ufually accompanied with undaunted courage and refolution, is in a great measure loft among us.

The dialect of conversation is now-a-days fo fwelled with vanity and compliment, and fo furfeited (as may fay) with expreffions of kindness and refpect, that if a man who lived within an age or two ago, fhould return into the world again, he would really want a

dictionary to help him to understand his own language, and to know the true intrinsic value of the phrafe in fashion; and would hardly at firft, believe at what a low rate the highest strains and expreffions of kindnefs imaginable do commonly pafs in current payment; and when we fhould come to understand it, it would be a great while before he could bring himfelf, with a good countenance and a good confcience, to converse with inen upon equal terms and in their own way."

I have by me a letter which I look upon as a great curiofity, and which may ferve as an exemplification to the foregoing paffage, cited out of this moft excellent prelate. It is faid to have been written in king Charles II's reign by the ambaffador of Bantam, a little after his arrival in England..

Mafter,

THE

HE people, where I now am, have tongues farther from their hearts than from London to Bantam, and thou knowest the inhabitants of one of these places do not know what is done in the other. They call thee and thy fubjects barbarians, becaufe we speak what we mean; and account themselves a civilifed people, because they speak one thing and mean another: Truth they call barbarity, and falfhood poIrenefs. Upon my firft landing, one who was fent: from the king to this place to meet me, told me, that he was extremely forry for the form I had met with just before my arrival. I was troubled to hear him grieve and afflict himfelf on my account; but in lefs than a quarter of an hour he fmiled, and was as merry as if nothing had happened. Another, who came with him, told me by my interpreter, he should be glad to do me any fervice that lay in his power. Upon which I defired him to carry one of my portmanteaus for me; but instead of ferving me according to his promife, he laughed, and bid another do it. I lodged, the firft week, at the houfe of one who defired me to think myself at home, and to confider bis house as my own. VOL. II.

B