nished your self in them by the utmost Improvements of Art. A Man that is defective in either of these Qualifications (whatever may be the secret Ambition of his Heart) must never hope to make the Figure you have done, amongst the fashionable part of his Species. It is therefore no wonder, we fee fuch Multitudes of afpiring young Men fall short of you in all these Beauties of your Character, notwithstanding the Study and Practice of them is the whole Bufinefs of their Lives. But I need not tell you that the free and difengaged Behaviour of a fine Gentleman makes as many aukward Beaux, as the Easiness of your Favourite Waller hath made infipid Poets.

AT

AT present your are content to aim all your Charms at your own Spouse, without further Thought of Mischief to any others of the Sex. I know you had formerly a very great Contempt for that Pedantick Race of Mortals who call themselves Philofophers; and yet, to your Honour be it fpoken, there is not a Sage of them all could have better acted up to their Precepts in one of the most important Points of Life: Í mean in that Generous Difregard of Popular Opinion, which you showed some Years ago, when you chofe for your Wife an obfcure young Woman, who doth not indeed pretend to an ancient Family, but has certainly

A 4

tainly as many Forefathers as any Lady in the Land, if the could but reckon up their Names.

I must own I conceived very extraordinary hopes of you from the Moment that you confeffed your Age, and from eight and forty (where you had stuck fo many Years) very ingeniously ftep'd into your Grand Climacterick. Your Deportment has fince been very venerable and becoming. If I am rightly informed, you make a regular Appearance every Quarter-Seffions among your Brothers of the Quorum; and if things go on as they do, ftand fair for being a Colonel of the Militia. I am told

told that your Time paffes away as agreeably in the Amufements of a Country Life, as it ever did in the Gallantries of the Town: And that you now take as much pleasure in the Planting of young Trees, as you did formerly in the cutting down.. of your old Ones. In fhort, we hear from all Hands that you are thoroughly reconciled to your dirty Acres, and have not too much Wit to look into your own Estate..

AFTER having spoken thus much of my PATRON, I muft take the Privilege of an Author in saying something of my self. I fhall therefore beg leave to add, that I have purposely omitted A. S fet

fetting thofe Marks to the End of every Paper, which appeared in my former Volumes, that you may have an Opportunity of fhowing Mrs. Honeycomb the Shrewdness of your Conjectures, by afcribing every Speculation to its proper Author: Though you know how often many profound Criticks in Style and Sentiments have very judiciously érred in this Particular, before they were let into the Secret. I

am,

SIR,

Your most Faithful

Humble Servant,

The SPECTATOR.