When from behind there starts fome petty state*, Tuesday, May 8, 1709. STEEL E. N° 13. Quicquid agunt homines noftri eft farrago libelli. Juv. Sat. i. 85, 86, "Whate'er men do, or fay, or think, or dream, "Our motley paper feizes for its theme." From my own Apartment, May 8. MUCH hurry and UCH hurry and business has to-day perplexed me into a mood too thoughtful for going into company; for which reafon, inftead of the tavern, I went into Lincoln's Inn walks; and, having taken a round or two, I fat down, according to the allowed familiarity of these places, on a bench; at the other end of which fat a venerable gentleman, who speaking with a very affable air," Mr. BICKERSTAFF," faid he, "I take it for a very great piece of good "fortune that you have found me out." Sir," faid I, "I had never, that I know of, the ho # Query, "What petty state is that? and when will it ftart up?" Annot. on the TATL. part I. p. 40. Anfuer. AMERICA, in 1783, ❝ nour "nour of seeing you before." "That," replied he," is what I have often lamented; "but, I affure you, I have for many years "done you good offices, without being ob"ferved by you; or elfe, when you had any "little glimpse of my being concerned in an affair, you have fled from me, and fhunned "me like an enemy; but however, the part I 66 Sam to act in the world is fuch, that I am to go on in doing good, though I meet with "never so many repulfes, even from those I "oblige." This, thought I, fhews a great good-nature, but little judgement in the perfons upon whom he confers his favours. Hel immediately took notice to me, that he observed by my countenance I thought him indifcreet in his beneficence, and proceeded to tell me his quality in the following manher: "I "know thee, ISAAC*, to be so well versed in the "occult sciences, that I need not much pre“face, or make long preparations to gain 'your faith that there are airy beings, who "are employed in the care and attendance of men, as nurses are to infants, until they "come to an age in which they can act of "felves. These beings are ufually called amongst 66 men, guardian angels; and, Mr. BICKER66 STAFF, I ain to acquaint you, that I am to "be yours for fome time to come; it being "our orders to vary our stations, and fome 7 * See TAT. No 7. note; and N° 14, "times "times to have one patient under our protec❝tion, and sometimes another, with a power "of affuming what fhape we pleafe, to en"fnare our wards into their own good. I have ❝ of late been upon fuch hard duty, and know you have fo much work for me, that I think fit to appear to you face to face, to defire you will give me as little occafion for vigi❝lance as you can. "Sir," faid I, "it will " be a great instruction to me in my behaviour, if 66 you please to give me fome account of your "late employments, and what hardships or "fatisfactions you have had in them, that I "may govern myfelf accordingly." He anfwered, "To give you an example of the "drudgery we go through, I will entertain you "only with my three laft ftations: I was on the " first of April laft put to mortify a great beauty, "with whom I was a week; from her I went to a common fwearer, and have been last with a "gamefter. When I first came to my lady, I "found my great work was to guard well her "eyes and ears; but her flatterers were fo nu"merous, and the house, after the modern way, "fo full of looking-glaffes, that I seldom had her fafe but in her fleep. Whenever we went "abroad, we were furrounded by an army of "enemies: when a well-made man appeared, he "was fure to have a fide glance of observation: "if a difagrecable fellow, he had a full face, out "of mere inclination to conquefts. But at the "clofe "close of the evening, on the fixth of the laft "month, my ward was fitting on a couch, read'ing Ovid's Epiftles; and as fhe came to this "line of Helen to Paris, "She half confents who filently denies *; "entered PHILANDER †, who is the most skilful of "all men in an addrefs to women. He is arrived "at the perfection of that art which gains them, "which is, 'to talk like a very miserable man, "but look like a very happy one.' I faw Dic TINNA blush at his entrance, which gave ine the "alarm; but he immediately faid fomething fo "agreeably on her being at study, and the no"velty of finding a lady employed in fo grave a 66 manner, that he on a fudden became very fa"miliarly a man of no confequence; and in an in"stant laid all her fufpicions of his skill asleep, as "he had almoft done mine, until I obferved "him very dangerously turn his discourse upon "the elegance of her drefs, and her judgement in "the choice of that very pretty mourning. Having had women before under my care, I trem"bled at the apprehenfion of a man of fenfe who "could talk upon trifles, and refolved to stick to my poft with all the circumfpection imaginable. "In short, I prepoffeffed her against all he could 66 fay to the advantage of her drefs and perfon; *This line occurs in a joint tranflation of "Helen's Epistle to "Paris," by the Earl of MULGRAVE and DRYDEN, in the edition of "OVID's Epiftles, 1709.” t See TATLER, N° 49, note on PHILANDER. "" but "but he turned again the difcourfe, where I found "I had no power over her, on the abufing her "friends and acquaintance. He allowed indeed that Flora had a little beauty, and a great deal "of wit; but then she was so ungainly in her be "haviour, and such a laughing hoyden!---Pasto"rella* had with himthe allowance of being "blameless: but what was that towards being praife-worthy? To be only innocent, is not to "be virtuous +! He afterwards fpoke fo much against Mrs. Dipple's forehead, Mrs. Prim's "mouth, Mrs. Dentifrice's teeth, and Mrs. Fid"get's cheeks, that she grew downright in love "with him for it is always to be understood, "that a lady takes all you detract from the rest of "her fex to be a gift to her. In a word, things, TAT. N° 9. + See TAT. No 10. note. In the Original Letters to the TAT. and SPEC. printed by CHALES LILLY, there is a "Table of the titles and distinctions "of women," from which what follows is extracted. "Let all country-gentlewomen, without regard to more or "lefs fortune, content themfelves with being addressed by the "style of Mrs. 66 "Let Madam govern independently in the city, &c. "Let no woman affume the title of Lady, without adding "her name, to prove her right to it. Titles flowing from real "honour fupport themselves. Let no woman after the known age of 21, prefume to admit of her being called Miss, unless "she can fairly prove she is not out of her fampler: Let every common maid-fervant be plain Jane, Doll or Sue, and let the better-born and higher-placed be distinguished by Mrs. "Patience, Mrs. Prue, or Mrs. Abigal." Original Lett. to TAT. and SPEC. vol. I. No 86. p. 213. 8vo. 1725. Ibidem, vol. II. N° 62. p. 156. 66 went |