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I saw she was Mr. Isaac's scholar, by her speaking air, and the becoming stop she made when she began her apology. "You will be surprized, Sir," said she, that I take this liberty, who am utterly a stranger to you: besides that it may be thought an indecorum that I visit a man." She made here a pretty hesitation, and held her fan to her face.

"But I think you have said, that men of your age are of no sex; therefore, I may be as free with you as one of my own." The lady did me the honour to consult me on some particular matters, which I am not at liberty to report. But, before she took her leave, she produced a long list of names, which she looked upon, to know whither she was to go next. I must confess, I could hardly forbear discovering to her, immediately, that I secretly laughed at the fantastical regularity she observed in throwing away her time; but I seemed to indulge her in it, out of a curiosity to hear her own sense of her way of life. "Mr. Bickerstaff," said she, "you cannot imagine how much you are obliged to me, in staying thus long with you, having so many visits to make; and, indeed, if I had not hopes that a third part of those I am going to will be abroad, I should be unable to dispatch them this evening.""Madam," said I, "are you in all this haste and perplexity, and only going to such as you have not a mind to see?"-"Yes, Sir," said she, "I have several now with whom I keep a constant correspondence, and return visit for visit punctually every week, and yet we have not seen each other since last November was twelvemonth."

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names who come ni wa 18. un al wet patriad to a return of their T.- u. aa • Fadam I presume those who are searching is not ther: and know one another by messages are unter-stood as candidates only for each other “ that after so many how-do-ye-tues, vor precedi visit or not, as you like the run of each other repe tation or fortune."-"You understand it." sa she; “and we become friends, as soon as we ar convinced that our dislike to each other may be of any consequence: for, to tell you truly," said she. for it is in vain to hide any thing from a nas e your penetration, general visits are not mate or o good-will, but for fear of ill-will. Punctuair min case is often a suspicious circumstance: an is nothing so common as to have a lad sr. she has heard nothing of what I said c grows so great with me! But indeer my pore dull and negligent, that I fear he ha

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half the people I owe visits to."—“· hasa.
"methinks it would be very prone
man-usher or groom of the chamurrera
keep an account, by way of
know a city-lady who uses
think very laudable; for thou
at the court end of the towTEEFF
light up better than witm."

do that justice to my

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that on the first of January last, when she made up her account for the year 1708, it stood thus:

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"This gentlewoman is a woman of great economy, and was not afraid to go to the bottom of her affairs; and, therefore, ordered her apprentice to give her credit for my lady Easy's impertinent visits upon wrong days, and deduct only twelve per cent. He had orders also to subtract one and a half from the whole of such as she had denied herself to before she kept a day; and after taking those proper articles of credit on her side, she was in arrear but five hundred. She ordered her husband to buy in a couple of fresh coach-horses; and with no other loss than the death of two footmen, and a churchyard cough, brought upon her coachman, she was clear in the world on the tenth of February last, and keeps so before-hand, that she pays every body their own, and yet makes daily new acquaintances."

I know not whether this agreeable visitant was fired with the example of the lady I told her of, but she immediately vanished out of my sight, it being, it seems, as necessary a point of good-breeding, to go off as if you stole something out of the house, as it is to enter as if you came to fire it. I do not know one thing that contributes so much to the lessening the esteem men of sense have to the fair sex, as this article of visits. A young lady cannot be married, but all impertinents in town must be beat

ing the tattoo from one quarter of the town to the other, to show they know what passes. If a man of honour should once in an age marry a woman of merit for her intrinsic value, the envious things are all in motion in an instant, to make it known to the sisterhood as an indiscretion, and published to the town how many pounds he might have had to have been troubled with one of them. After they are tired with that, the next thing is, to make their compliments to the married couple and their relations. They are equally busy at a funeral, and the death of a person of quality is always attended with the murder of several sets of coach-horses and chairmen. In both cases, the visitants are wholly unaffected, either with joy or sorrow. For which reason, their congratulations and condolences are equally words of course; and one would be thought wonderfully ill-bred, that should build upon such expressions as encouragements to expect from them any instance of friendship.

Thus are the true causes of living, and the solid pleasures of life, lost in show, imposture, and impertinence. As for my part, I think most of the misfortunes in families arise from the trifling way the women have in spending their time, and gratifying only their eyes and ears, instead of their reason and understanding.

A fine young woman, bred under a visiting mother, knows all that is possible for her to be acquainted with by report, and sees the virtuous and the vicious used so indifferently, that the fears she is born with are abated, and desires indulged, in proportion to her love of that light and trifling conversation. I know I talk like an old man; but I must go on to say, that I think the general reception of mixed company, and the pretty fellows that are admitted at those assemblies, give a young woman so false an idea of life, that she is generally bred up

with a scorn of that sort of merit in a man, which only can make her happy in marriage; and the wretch to whose lot she falls, very often receives in his arms a coquette, with the refuse of an heart long before given away to a coxcomb.

**

Having received from the society of Upholders sundry complaints of the obstinate and refractory behaviour of several dead persons, who have been guilty of very great outrages and disorders, and by that means elapsed the proper time of their interment; and having on the other hand received many appeals from the aforesaid dead persons, wherein they desire to be heard before such their interment; I have set apart Wednesday, the twenty-first instant, as an extraordinary court-day for the hearing of both parties. If, therefore, any one can allege why they, or any of their acquaintance, should or should not be buried, I desire they may be ready with their witnesses at that time, or that they will for ever afterwards hold their tongues. N.B. This is the last hearing on this subject.

N° 110. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1709.

Qua lucis miseris tam dira cupida?

VIRG. En. vi. 721.

Gods! can the wretches long for life again?

Sheer-lane, December 21.

PITT.

As soon as I had placed myself in my chair of judicature, I ordered my clerk, Mr. Lillie, to read to the assembly, who were gathered together, according to notice, a certain declaration, by way of charge, to open the purpose of my session, which tended only to this explanation, that as other courts were

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