FIND that I am fo very unhappy, that while I am bufy in correcting the folly and vice of one fex, feveral exorbitances break out in the other. I have not thoroughly examined their new fashioned petticoats, but shall fet afide one day in the next week for that purpose. The following petition on this fubject was prefented to me this morning.

"The humble Petition of William Jingle, coach-maker and chair-maker of the liberty of Westminster,

"To Ifaac Bickerstaff, Efq., Censor of Great Britain, "Sheweth,

"That upon the late invention of Mrs. Catherine Croff-stitch, mantua-maker, the petticoats of ladies were too wide for entering into any coach or chair which was in ufe before the faid invention.

"That for the fervice of the faid ladies, your petitioner has built a round chair, in the form of a lantern, fix yards and an half in circumference, with a stool in the centre of it; the faid vehicle being fo contrived, as to receive the paffenger by open

ing in two in the middle and clofing mathematically when she is feated.

"That your petitioner has alfo invented a coach for the reception of one lady only, who is to be let in at the top.

"That the faid coach has been tried by a lady's woman in one of these full petticoats, who was let down from a balcony, and drawn up again by pullies, to the great fatisfaction of her lady, and all who beheld her.

"Your petitioner therefore most humbly prays, that for the encouragement of ingenuity and ufeful inventions, he may be heard before you pass fentence upon the petticoats aforefaid. "And your petitioner, &c."

I have likewise received a female petition, figned by several thousands, praying that I would not defer giving judgment in the cafe of the petticoat, many of them having put off making clothes until fuch time as they know what verdict will pafs upon it. I do, therefore, certify to all whom it may concern, that I do defign to fet apart Tuesday next for the final determination of that matter, having already ordered a jury of matrons to be impanelled for the clearing up of any difficult points that may arise in the trial.

Being informed that several dead men, in and about this city, do keep out of the way and abfcond, for fear of being buried; and being willing to refpite their interment in confideration of their families, and in hopes of their amendment, I shall allow them certain privileged places, where they may appear to one another, without caufing any let or moleftation to the living, or receiving any in their own perfons from the company of upholders. Between the hours of seven and nine in the mornings, they may appear in safety in St. James's coffeehouse, or at White's, if they do not keep their beds, which is more proper for men in their condition. From nine to eleven I allow them to walk from Story's to Rofamond's Pond in the Park, or in any other publick walks which are not frequented by the living at that time. Between eleven and three they are to vanish, and keep out of fight until three in the afternoon, at which time they may go to the Exchange until five, and then,

if they please, divert themselves at the Haymarket or Drury Lane until the play begins. It is further granted in favour of these perfons, that they may be received at any table where there are more present than seven in number, provided that they do not take upon them to talk, judge, command, or find fault with any fpeech, action, or behaviour of the living. In which case, it shall be lawful to feize their persons at any place or house whatfoever, and to convey their bodies to the next undertaker's, anything in this advertisement to the contrary notwithstanding.

The court being prepared for proceeding on the cause of the petticoat, I gave orders to bring in a criminal who was taken up as she went out of the puppet-show about three nights ago, and was now standing in the street with a great concourfe of people about her. Word was brought me, that she had endeavoured twice or thrice to come in, but could not do it by reason of her petticoat, which was too large for the entrance of my house, though I had ordered both the folding doors to be thrown open for its reception. Upon this I defired the jury of matrons, who stood at my right hand, to inform themselves of her condition, and know whether there were any private reafons why fhe might not make her appearance separate from her petticoat. This was managed with great discretion, and had such an effect, that, upon the return of the verdict from the bench of matrons, I issued out an order forthwith that the criminal fhould be stripped of her incumbrances till she became little enough to enter my house. I had before given directions for an engine of several legs, that could contract or open itself like the top of an umbrella, in order to place the petticoat upon it, by which means I might take a leifurely furvey of it, as it should appear in its proper dimenfions. This was all done accordingly, and forthwith, upon the closing of the engine, the petticoat was brought into court. I then directed the machine to be set upon the table and dilated in fuch a manner as to fhew the garment in its utmost circumference, but my great hall was too narrow for the experiment, for before it was half unfolded, it described fo immoderate a circle that the lower part of it brushed upon my face as I fat in my chair of judicature. I then inquired for the person that

belonged to the petticoat, and to my great furprise was directed to a very beautiful young damfel, with so pretty a face and shape that I bid her come out of the crowd, and feated her upon a little crock at my left hand. "My pretty maid,” said I, "do you own yourself to have been the inhabitant of the garment before us?" The girl I found had good sense, and told me with a smile, that notwithstanding it was her own petticoat, she should be very glad to see an example made of it, and that she wore it for no other reafon but that she had a mind to look as big and burly as other perfons of her quality ; that she had kept out of it as long as fhe could, and till she began to appear little in the eyes of all her acquaintance, that if she laid it aside people would think she was not made like other women. I always give great allowances to the fair fex upon account of the fashion, and therefore was not displeased with the defence of my pretty criminal. I then ordered the veft which stood before us to be drawn up by a pully to the top of my great hall, and afterwards to be spread open by the engine it was placed upon in fuch a manner that it formed a very fplendid and ample canopy over our heads, and covered the whole court of judicature with a kind of filken rotunda, in its form not unlike the cupola of St. Paul's. I entered upon the whole cause with great fatisfaction as I fat under the shadow of it.

The counsel for the petticoat was now called in, and ordered to produce what they had to say against the popular cry which was raised against it. They anfwered the objections with great strength and folidity of argument, and expatiated in very florid harangues, which they did not fail to fet off and furbelow (if I may be allowed the metaphor) with many periodical fentences and turns of oratory. The chief arguments for their client were taken, first, from the great benefit that might arise to our woollen manufacture from this invention, which was calculated as follows: the common petticoat has not above four yards in the circumference, whereas this over our heads had more in the femi-diameter; fo that by allowing it twenty-four yards in the circumference, the five millions of woollen petticoats, which (according to Sir William Petty) supposing, what

ought to be fuppofed in a well-governed state, that all petticoats are made of that stuff, would amount to thirty millions of those of the ancient mode. A prodigious improvement of the woollen trade! and what could not fail to fink the power of France in a few years.

To introduce the fecond argument, they begged leave to read a petition of the rope-makers, wherein it was reprefented that the demand for cords and the price of them were much rifen fince this fafhion came up. At this all the company who were prefent lifted up their eyes into the vault, and I must confefs we did discover many traces of cordage which were interwoven in the stiffening of the drapery.

A third argument was founded upon a petition of the Greenland trade, which likewise represented the great confumption of whalebone which would be occafioned by the present fashion, and the benefit which would thereby accrue to that branch of the British trade.

To conclude, they gently touched upon the weight and unweildiness of the garment, which they infinuated might be of great ufe to preferve the honour of families.

These arguments would have wrought very much upon me (as I then told the company in a long and elaborate difcourfe), had I not confidered the great and additional expense which fuch fashions would bring upon fathers and husbands, and therefore by no means to be thought of till fome years after a peace. I further urged that it would be a prejudice to the ladies themselves, who could never expect to have any money in the pocket if they laid out fo much on the petticoat.

At the fame time, in anfwer to the feveral petitions produced on that fide, I fhewed one fubfcribed by the women of several persons of quality, humbly setting forth, that fince the introduction of this mode, their respective ladies had, instead of bestowing on them their caft gowns, cut them into fhreds and mixed them with the cordage and buckram, to complete the stiffening of their under petticoats. For which, and fundry other reafons, I pronounced the petticoat a forfeiture; but to fhow that I did not make that judgment for the fake of filthy lucre, I ordered it to be folded up and fent it as a

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