J

one fhe was hardly acquainted with. However, it ftruck upon the vanity of a girl, that it may poffibly be, his thoughts might have been as favourable of me, as mine were amorous of him; and as unlikely things as that have happened, if he fhould make me his wife. She never mentioned this more to me; but I ftill in all public places ftole looks at this man, who easily obferved my paffion for him. It is fo hard a thing to check the return of agreeable thoughts, that he became my dream, my vifion, my food, my wifh, my torment.

That miniftrefs of darknefs, the lady SEMPRONIA *, perceived too well the temper I was in, and would, one day after evening fervice, needs take me to the park. When we were there, my lord paffes by; I flufhed into a flame. "Mrs. DISTAFF," fays the, "you may very "well remember the concern I was in upon "the firft notice I took of your regard to that "lord; and forgive me, who had a tender "friendship for your mother (now in her grave)

STEELE probably adopted this name in allufion to a fimilar character finely drawn by SALLUST, for a beautiful båd woman of this name in Rome. The infamous perfon held up here to public deteftation, was notorious about this time,, and is faid to be the fame mentioned in TAT. No and No under the title of Madam D'EPINGLE; whether this lat was true or only a fictitious name, is unworthy of notice. See SALLUST, Bell. Catil. cap. xxi. 1

+ See TAT. No 1o. note, and No 13. note. was at this time turned of twenty.

Bb 4

Mus. Diag

that

"that I am vigilant of your conduct." She went on with much feverity, and after great folicitation prevailed on me to go with her into the country, and there fpend the enfuing fummer out of the way of a man fhe faw I loved, and one whom the perceived meditated my ruin, by frequently defiring her to introduce him to me which fhe abfolutely refused, except he would give his honour that he had no other defign but to marry me. To her country. houfe a week or two after we went there was at the farther end of her garden a kind of wildernefs, in the middle of which ran a foft rivulet by an arbour of jefamine. In this place I ufually paffed my retired hours, and read fome romantic or poetical tale until the close of the evening. It was near that time, in the heat of fummer, when gentle winds, foft murmurs of water, and notes of nightingales, had given my mind an indolence, which added to that repofe of foul twilight and the end of a warm day naturally throws upon the fpirits. It was at fuch an hour, and in such a state of tranquillity I fat, when, to my inexpreffible amazement, I faw my lord walking towards me, whom I knew not until that moment to have been in the country. I could obferve in his proach the perplexity which attends a man big with defign; and I had, while he was coming forward, time to reflect that I was betrayed;

ap

the

the fenfe of which gave me a refentment fuitable to fuch a bafenefs: but, when he entered into the bower where I was, my heart flew to. wards him, and, I confefs, a certain joy came into my mind, with an hope that he might then make a declaration of honour and paffion. This threw my eye upon him with fuch tendernefs as gave him power, with a broken accent, to begin. "Madam-you will wonder"for it is certain, you must have obferved"though I fear you will mifinterpret the mo "tives-but by heaven, and all that is facred! "if you could"-Here he made a full ftand, and I recovered power to fay," The confter"nation I am in you will not, I hope, believe "--an helpless innocent maid-besides that, the

66

place"——He saw me in as great confufion as himself; which attributing to the fame caufes, he had the audacioufnefs to throw himfelf at my feet, talk of the ftillnefs of the evening, and then ran into deifications of my perfon, pure flames, conftant love, eternal raptures, and a thousand other phrases drawn from the images we have of heaven, which ill men ufe for the fervice of hell, when run over with uncoinmon vehemence. After which he feized me in his arms his defign was too evident. In my utmost distress, I fell upon my knees ——“ My "lord, pity me, on my knees-on my knees "in the cause of virtue, as you were lately in

"that

"that of wickednefs. Can you think of de

ftroying the labour of a whole life, the pur"pofe of a long education, for the base ser"vice of a fudden appetite; to throw one that "loves you, that doats on you, out of the

company and the road of all that is virtuous "and praise-worthy? Have I taken in all the "inftructions of piety, religion, and reafon, "for no other end, but to be the facrifice of luft, "and abandoned to fcorn? Affume yourself,

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my lord; and do not attempt to vitiate a tem

ple facred to innocence, honour, and religion. "If I have injured you, ftab this bosom, and "let me die, but not be ruined, by the hand I

love." The ardency of my paffion made me incapable of uttering more; and I saw my lover aftonished, and reformed by my behaviour when rushed in SEMPRONIA. "Ha! "faithlefs bafe man, could you then steal out "of town, and lurk like a robber about my "house for fuch brutish purposes!"

He

My lord was by this time recovered, and fell into a violent laughter at the turn which SEMPRONIA defigned to give her villainy. bowed to me with the utmost respect: "Mrs. "DISTAFF," faid he," be careful hereafter of 'your company ;" and fo retired. The fiend SEMPRONIA Congratulated my deliverance with a flood of tears.

This nobleman has fince very frequently made his addreffes to me with honour; but I have as often refused them; as well knowing that familiarity and marriage will make him, on some ill-natured occafion, call all I faid in the arbour a theatrical action. Befides that, I glory in contemning a man, who had thoughts to my dishonour. If this method were the imitation. of the whole fex, innocence would be the only drefs of beauty; and all affectation by any other arts to please the eyes of men would be banished to the ftews for ever. The conqueft of paffion gives ten times more happiness than we can reap from the gratification of it; and fhe, that has got over fuch a one as mine, will ftand among Beaux and Pretty Fellows, with as much fafety as in a fummer's day among grafhoppers and butterflies.

P. S. I have ten millions of things more against men, if I ever get the pen again.

St. James's Coffee-house, June 24.

Our laft advices from the Hague, dated the twenty-eighth inftant, N. S. fay, that on the twenty-fifth, a fquadron of Dutch men of war failed out of the Texel to join Admiral Baker at Spithead. The twenty-fixth was obferved as a day of fafting and humiliation, to implore a bleffing on the arms of the allies this enfuing

campaign.