after their Masters, and referve their Wages for other Occafions. From hence it arises, That they are but in a lower Degree what their Masters themselves are; and ufually affect an Imitation of their Manners: And you have in Liveries, Beaux, Fops, and Coxcombs, in as high Perfection as among People that keep Equipages. It is a common Humour among the Retinue of People of Quality, when they are in their Revels, that is when they are out of their Masters Sight, to assume in an hu mourous Way the Names and Titles of those whose Liveries they wear. By which means Characters and Distinctions become fo familiar to them, that it is to this, among other Causes, one may impute a certain Infolence among our Servants, that they take no Notice of any Gentleman though they know him ever so well, except he is an Acquaintance of their Masters. MY Obscurity and Taciturnity leave me at Liberty,' without Scandal to dine, if I think fit, at a common Ordinary, in the meanest as well as the most sumptuous House of Entertainment. Falling in the other Day at a Victualling-House near the House of Peers, I heard the Maid come down and tell the Landiady at the Bar, That my Lord Bishop fwore he would throw her out at Window if she did not bring up more Mild-Beer, and that my Lord Duke would have a double Mug of Purle. My Surprize was encreased, in hearing loud and ruftick Voices speak and anfwer to each other upon the publick. Affairs, by the Names of the most Illustrious of our Nobility; till of a fudden one came running in, and cry'd the House was rising. Down came all the Company together, and away: The Ale-House was immediately filled with Clamour, and scoring one Mug to the Marquiss of such a Place, Oyl and Vinegar to fuch an Earl, three Quarts to my new Lord for wetting his Title, and so forth. It is a Thing too notorious to mention the Crowds of Servants, and their Infolence, near the Courts of Justice, and the Stairs towards the Supreme Assembly, where there is an universal Mockery of all Order, fuch riotous Clamour and licentious Confufion, that one would think the whole Nation lived in Jeft, and there were no such thing as Rule and Distinction among us. C2 THE THE next Place of Resort, wherein the servile World are let loose, is at the Entrance of Hide-Park, while the Gentry are at the Ring. Hither People bring their Lacques out of State, and here it is that all they say at their Tables, and act in their Houses, is communicated to the whole Town. There are Men of Wit in all Conditions of Life; and mixing with these People at their Diversions, I have heard Coquets and Prudes as well ral-. lied, and Insolence and Pride exposed, (allowing for want of Education) with as much Humour and good Senfe, as in the politest Companies. It is a general Obervation, That all Dependants run in some measure into the Manners and Behaviour of those whom they serve: You shall frequently meet with Lovers and Men of Intrigue among the Lacques, as well as at White's or in the SideBoxes. I remember some Years ago an Instance of this Kind. A Footman to a Captain of the Guard used frequently, when his Master was out of the Way, to-carry on Amours and make Afsignations in his Master's Cloaths. The Fellow had a a very good Person, and there are very many Women that think no further than the Outfide of a Gentleman; befides which, he was almost as learned a Man as the Collonel himself: I say, thus qualified, the Fellow could scrawl Billets doux so well, and furnish a Conversation on the common Topicks, that he had, as they call it, a great deal of good Business on his Hands. It happened one Day, that coming down a Tavern-Stairs in his Master's fine Guard Coat, with a well-dress'd Woman masked, he met the Collonel coming up with other Company; but with a ready Affurance he quitted his Lady, came up to him, and faid, Sir, I know you have too much Respect for your self to cane me in this honourable Habit: But you see there is a Lady in the Cafe, and I hope on that Score also you will put off your Anger till I have told you all another time. After a little Pause the Collonel cleared up his Countenance, and with an Air of Familiarity whispered his Man apart, Sirrah, bring the Lady wish you to ask Pardon for you; then aloud, Look to it Will, I'll never forgive you elfe. The Fellow went back to his Mistress, and telling her with a loud Voice and an Oath, That was the honestest Fellow in the World, conveyed her to an Hackney-Coach. BUT 88. orld the ac BUT the many Irregularities committed by Servants in the Places above-mentioned as well as in the Theatres of which Masters are generally the Occasions, are too various not to need being refumed on another Occafion. R N° 89. Tuesday, June 12. -Petite hinc juvenesque senesque A S my Correfpondents upon the Subject of Love are very numerous, it is my Design, if poffible, to range them under several Heads, and address my felf to them at different Times. The first Branch of them, to whose Service I shall dedicate this Paper, are those that have to do with Women of dilatory Tempers, who are for fpinning out the Time of Courtship to an immoderate Length, without being able either to close with their Lovers, or to dismiss them. I have many Letters by me filled with Complaints against this fort of Women. In one of them no less a Man than a Brother of the Coiff tells me, that he began his Suit Viceffimo nono Caroli fecundi before he had been a Twelve-month at the Temple; that he profecuted it for many Years after he was called to the Bar; that at prefent he is a Serjeant at Law; and notwithstanding he hoped that Matters would have been long fince brought to an Issue, the Fair One still demurrs. I am so well pleased with this Gentleman's Phrafe, that I shall diftinguish this Sect of Women by the Title of Demurrers. I find by another Letter from one that calls himself Thirfis, that his Mistress has been demurring above these seven Years. But among ! : all my Plaintiffs of this Nature, I most pity the unfor-tunate Philander, a Man of a constant Paffion and plentiful Fortune, who sets forth that the timorous and irrefolute Sylvia has demurred till she is paft Child-bearing. Strephon appears by his Letter to be a very cholerick Lover, and irrevocably smitten with one that demurs out of Self-Interest. He tells me with great Paffion that she has bubbled him out of his Youth; that the drilled him on to five and fifty, and that he verily believes she will drop him in his old Age if the can find her Account in another. I shall conclude this Narrative with a Letter from honest SAM. HOPEWELL, a very pleasant Fellow, who it feems has at last married a Demurrer: I must only premise, that SAM. who is a very good Bottle-Companion, has been the Diversion of his Friends, upon account of his Passion, ever since the Year One thousand fix hundred and eighty one.. Dear Sir, Y OU know very well my Passion for Mrs. Martha, and what a Dance she has led me: She took me out at the Age of Two and twenty, and dodged. ' with me above Thirty Years, I have loved her till the is grown as gray as a Cat, and am with muchado become • the Master of her Person, such as it is at present. She ⚫ is however in my Eye a very charming old Woman. * We often lament that we did not marry sooner, but • the has no body to blame for it but her felf: You know very well that the would never think of me whilft the • had a Tooth in her Head. I have put the Date of my • Paffion (Anno Amoris Trigessimo primo) instead of a Pofy, ' on my Wedding-Ring. I expect you should fend me ⚫a Congratulatory Letter, or, if you please, an Epithalamium, upon this Occafion. 6 Mrs. Martha's and Yours eternally, SAM. HOPEWELL IN order to banish an Evil out of the World, that does not only produce great Uneasiness to private Perfons, but has also a very bad Influence on the Publick, I shall endeavour to thew the Folly of Demurring from two. two or three Reflections, which I earnestly recommend to the Thoughts of my fair Readers. FIRST of all I would have them serioufly think on the Shortness of their Time. Life is not long enough for a Coquet to play all her Tricks in. A timorous Woman drops into her Grave before she has done deliberating. Were the Age of Man the fame that it was before the Flood, a Lady might facrifice half a Century to a Scruple, and be two or three Ages in demurring. Had The Nine hundred Years good, the might hold out to the Conversion of the Jews before the thought fit to be prevailed upon. But, alas! the ought to play her Part in haste, when the confiders that the is suddenly to quết the Stage, and make Room for others. IN the second Place, I would defire my Female Readers to confider, that as the Term of Life is short, that of Beauty is much shorter. The finest Skin wrinkles in a few Years, and loses the Strength of its Colouring fo foon, that we have scarce. Time to admire it. I might embelish this Subject with Roses and Rain-bows, and several other ingenious Conceits, which I may poflibly reserve for another Opportunity. THERE is a third Confideration which I would likewife recommend to a Demurrer, and that is the great Danger of her falling in Love when she is about Threefcore, if she cannot fatisfie her Doubts and Scruples before that Time. There is a kind of latter Spring, that sometimes gets into the Blood of an old Woman and turns her into a very odd fort of an Animal. I would therefore have the Demurrer consider what a strange Figure she will make, if the chances to get over all. Difficulties, and comes to a final Resolution, in that unfea-fonable Part of her Life.. I would not however be understood, by any thing I have here faid, to discourage that natural Modefty in the Sex, which renders a Retreat from the first Approaches of a Lover both fashionable and graceful; All that I intend, is, to advise them, when they are prompted by Reason and Inclination, to demurr only out of Form, and so far as Decency requires. A virtuous Woman should reject the first Offer of Marriage, as a good Man does that of a Bishoprick; but I would advile neither C4 the |