Original. This muft certainly be a moft charming Exercife to the Mind that is rightly turned for it; befides that it may in a good measure be made fubfervient to Morality, if the Perfon is capable of drawing juft Conclufions concerning the Uncertainty of human things,' 'from the ruinous Alterations Time and Barbarity have brought upon fo many Palaces, Cities and whole Countries, which make the most illustrious Figures in History. And this Hint may be not a little improved by examining every Spot of Ground that we find celebrated as the • Scene of fome famous Action, or retaining any Footsteps of a Cato, Cicero or Brutus, or fome fuch great virtuous Man. A nearer View of any fuch Particular, tho' really little and trifling in it self, may ferve the more powerfully to warm a generous Mind to an Emulation ⚫ of their Virtues, and a greater Ardency of Ambition to • imitate their bright Examples, if it comes duly temper'd and prepar'd for the Impreffion. But this I believe you'll hardly think thofe to be, who are fo far from entring into the Senfe and Spirit of the Ancients, that they don't yet understand their Language with any Exactness.

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6

BUT I have wander'd from my Purpofe, which was only to defire you to fave, if poffible, a fond Engli Mother, and Mother's own Son, from being shewn a riculous Spectacle thro' the most polite Part of Europe. Pray tell them, that though to be Sea-fick, or jumbled • in an outlandish Stage-Coach, may perhaps be healthful for the Conftitution of the Body, yet it is apt to • caufe fuch a Dizziness in young empty Heads, as too ⚫ often lafts their Life-time.

I am, SIR,

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Your most Humble Servant,

Philip Homebred,

7

S.IR,

M

Birchin-Lane,

Was marry'd on Sunday last, and went peaceably

I to bed; but, to my surprize, was awaken'd the next

morning by the Thunder of a Set of Drums. Thefe • warlike Sounds (methinks) are very improper in a Marriage-Confort, and give great Offence; they feem to in⚫ finuate, that the Joys of this State are Thort, and that Jars and Difcord foon enfue. I fear they have been Cominous to many Matches, and fometimes proved a Prelude to a Battel in the Honey-Moon. A Nod from -you may hufh them; therefore pray, Sir, let them be filenced, that for the future none but foft Airs may usher in the Morning of a Bridal Night, which will be a Favour not only to thofe who come after, but to me, who can ftill fubfcribe my felf,

6

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Your most humble

and most obedient Servant,

Robin Bridegroom.

I Am one of that fort of Women whom the gayer.

Part of our Sexare apt to call a Prude. But to fhew them that I have very little regard to their Raillery, I fhall be glad to fee them all at The Amorous Widow, or the Wanton Wife, which is to be acted, for the Benefit of Mrs. Porter, on Monday the 28th Inftant. I affure you I can laugh at an Amorous Widow, or Wanton Wife, with as little Temptation to imitate them, as I could at any other vicious Character. Mrs. Porter obliged me fo very much in the exquifite Sense the seemed 'to have of the honourable Sentiments and noble Paffions in the Character of Hermione, that I fhall appear in her behalf at a Comedy, tho' I have no great relish for any • Entertainments where the Mirth is not feafon'd with a certain Severity, which ought to recommend it to People

7

who

* who pretend to keep Reason and Authority over all their Actions,

T

Virg.'

HE Author of the Menagiana acquaints us, that difcourfing one day with feveral Ladies of Quality about the Effects of the Month of May, which infufes a kindly Warmth into the Earth, and all its Inhabitants; the Marchionefs of S who was one of the Company, told him, That though she would promife to be chafte in every Month befides, she could not engage for herfelf in May. As the beginning therefore of this Month is now very near, I defign this Paper for a Caveat to the Fair Sex, and publifh it before April is quite out, that if any of them fhould be caught tripping, they may not pretend they had not timely Notice.

I am induced to this, being perfuaded the above-mentioned Obfervation is as well calculated for our Climate as for that of France, and that fome of our British Ladies are of the fame Constitution with the French Marchionefs.

I fhall leave it among Phyficians to determine what may be the Cause of such an anniversary Inclination; whether or no it is that the Spirits after having been as it were frozen and congealed by Winter, are now turned loofe, and fet a rambling; or that the gay Profpects of Fields and Meadows, with the Courtship of the Birds in every Bush, naturally unbend the Mind, and foften it to Pleafure; or that, as fome have imagined, a Woman is

prompted

prompted by a kind of Instinct to throw herself on a Bed of Flowers, and not to let those beautiful Couches which Nature has provided lie useless. However it be, the Effects of this Month on the lower part of the Sex, who act without Difguife, are very visible. It is at this time that we fee the young Wenches in a Country Parish dancing round a May-Pole, which one of our learned Antiquaries fuppofes to be a Relique of a certain Pagan Worship that I do not think fit to mention.

IT is likewife on the firft Day of this Month that we fee the ruddy Milk-Maid exerting herself in a most sprightly manner under a Pyramid of Silver-Tankards, and, like the Virgin Tarpeia, opprefs'd by the coftly Ornaments which her Benefactors lay upon her.

I need not mention the Ceremony of the Green Gown, which is alfo peculiar to this gay Seafon.

THE fame periodical Love-Fit fpreads through the whole Sex, as Mr. Dryden well obferves in his Description of this merry Month:

For thee, fweet Month, the Groves green Liv'ries wear,
If not the first, the fairest of the Year;

For thee the Graces lead the dancing Hours,
And Nature's ready Pencil paints the Flow'rs.
The fprightly May commands our Youth to keep
The Vigils of her Night, and breaks their Sleep;
Each gentle Breast with kindly Warmth fhe moves,
Infpires new Flames, revives extinguish'd Loves.

ACCORDINGLY among the Works of the great Mafters in Painting, who have drawn this genial Seafon of the Year, we often obferve Cupids confufed with Zephirs flying up and down promifcuously in several Parts of the Picture. I cannot but add from my own Experience, that about this Time of the Year Love-Letters come up to me in great Numbers from all Quarters of the Na tion.

I receiv'd an Epiftle in particular by the laft Poft from a Yorkshire Gentleman, who makes heavy Complaints of one Zelinda, whom it feems he has courted unfuccefs

fully

fully these three years paft. He tells me that he defigas to try her this May, and if he does not carry his Point, he will never think of her more.

HAVING thus fairly admonished the female Sex, and laid before them the Dangers they are exposed to in this critical Month, I fhall in the next place lay down fome Rules and Directions for their better avoiding those Calentures which are fo very frequent in this Season.

IN the firft place, I would advise them never to venture abroad in the Fields, but in the Company of a Parent, a Guardian, or fome other fober difcreet Perfon. I have before fhewn how apt they are to trip in a flow'ry Meadow, and shall further obferve to them, that Proferpine was out a maying, when the met with that fatal Adventure to which Milton alludes, when he mentions

That fair Field

Of Enna, where Proferpine gathering Flowers,
Her felf, a fairer Flower, by gloomy Dis
Was gather'd

SINCE I am got into Quotations, I fhall conclude this Head with Virgil's Advice to young People, while they are gathering wild Strawberries and Nofegays, that they fhould have a care of the Snake in the Grass.

IN the fecond place, I cannot but approve thofe Prefcriptions, which our Aftrological Physicians give in their Almanacks for this Month; fuch as are a spare and fimple Diet, with the moderate Ufe of Phlebotomy.

UNDER this Head of Abftinence I fhall also advise my fair Readers to be in a particular manner careful how they meddle with Romances, Chocolate, Novels, and the like Inflamers, which I look upon as very dangerous to be made ufe of during this great Carnival of Nature.

AS. I have often declared, that I have nothing more at heart than the Honour of my dear Country-Women, I would beg them to confider, whenever their Resolutions begin to fail them, that there are but one and thirty days of this foft Season, and that if they can but weather out this one Month, the reft of the Year will be eafy to them VOL. V.

K

As