of a falefman; and at my first appearance after the wedding night, was asked by my wife's mother, whether I had fent our marriage to the Advertiser? I endeavoured to fhew how unfit it was to demand the attention of the publick to our domeftick affairs; but he told me, with great vehemence, "That he would not have it thought to be a "ftolen match; that the blood of the Mchairs "fhould never be difgraced; that her hufbard "had ferved all the parish offices but one; that "fhe had lived five and thirty years at the fame

houfe, had paid every body twenty fhillings in "the pound, and would have me know, though "fhe was not as fine and as flaunting as Mrs.

Ginghum, the deputy's wife, fhe was not ashamed "to tell her name, and would fhew her face with "the best of them, and fince I had married her "daughter” At this inftant entered my father-in-law, a grave man, from whom I expected fuccour; but upon hearing the cafe he told me, "That it would be very imprudent to mifs fuch "an opportunity of advertising my shop; and that "when notice was given of my marriage, many "of my wife's friends would think themfelves

obliged to be my customers." I was fubdued by clamour on one fide, and gravity on the other, and shall be obliged to tell the town, that three days ago, Timothy Mushroom, an eminent oilman in Sea-Coal Lane, was married to Mifs Polly Mohair of Lothbury, a beautiful young lady, with a large fortune.

I am, SIR, &c.

SIR,

I AM the unfortunate wife of the grocer whose letter you published about ten weeks ago, in which he complains, like a forry fellow, that I loiter in the shop with my needle-work in my hand, and that I oblige him to take me out on Sundays, and keep a girl to look after the child. Sweet Mr. Idler, if you did but know all, you would give no encouragement to fuch an unreasonable grumbler. I brought him three hundred pounds, which fet him up in a fhop, and bought in a stock, on which, with good management, we might live comfortably; but now I have given him a fhop, I am forced to watch him and the shop too. I will tell you, Mr. Idler, how it is. There is an alehouse over the way with a ninepin alley, to which he is fure to run when I turn my back, and there lofes his money, for he plays at ninepins as he does every thing elfe. While he is at this favourite sport, he fets a dirty boy to watch his door, and call him to his cuftomers, but he is long in coming, and fo rude when he comes, that our custom falls off every day.

Those who cannot govern themselves, muft be governed. I have refolved to keep him for the future behind his counter, and let him bounce at his cuftomers if he dares. I cannot be above ftairs and below at the fame time, and have therefore taken a girl to look after the child and drefs the dinner; and, after all, pray who is to blame?

On a Sunday, it is true, I make him walk abroad, and sometimes carry the child; I wonder who fhould carry it! But I never take him out till after church

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time,

time, nor would do it then, but that, if he is left alone, he will be upon the bed. On a Sunday, if he ftays at home, he has fix meals, and, when he can eat no longer, has twenty ftratagems to escape from me to the alehoufe; but I commonly keep the door locked, till Monday produces fomething for him to

do.

This is the true ftate of the cafe, and these are the provocations for which he has written his letter to you. I hope you will write a paper to fhew, that, if a wife muft fpend her whole time in watching her hufband, fhe cannot conveniently tend her child, or fit at her needle.

I am, SIR, &c.

SIR,

THERE is in this town a fpecies of oppreffion which the law has not hitherto prevented or re

dreffed.

I am a chairman. You know, Sir, we come when we are called, and are expected to carry all who require our affiftance. It is common for men of the moft unwieldy corpulence to crowd themfelves into a chair, and demand to be carried for a fhilling as far as an airy young lady whom we fcarcely feel upon our poles. Surely we ought to be paid like all other mortals in proportion to our labour. Engines fhould be fixed in proper places to weigh chairs as they weigh waggons; and thofe whom eafe and plenty have made unable to carry themfelves, fhould give part of their fuperfluities to those who carry them.

I am, SIR, &c.

NUMB. 29. SATURDAY, November 4, 1758.

I

SIR,

To the ID LE R.

HAVE often obferved, that friends are loft by difcontinuance of intercourfe without any offence on either part, and have long known, that it is more dangerous to be forgotten than to be blamed; I therefore make hafte to fend you the rest of my story, left, by the delay of another fortnight, the name of Betty Broom might be no longer remembered by you or your readers.

Having left the last place in hafte to avoid the charge or the fufpicion of theft, I had not fecured another service, and was forced to take a lodging in a back ftreet. I had now got good clothes. The woman who lived in the garret oppofite to mine was very officious, and offered to take care of my room and clean it, while I went round to my acquaintance to enquire for a mistress. I knew not why fhe was fo kind, nor how I could recompenfe her; but in a few days I miffed fome of my linen, went to another lodging, and refolved not to have another friend in the next garret.

In fix weeks I became under-maid at the house of a mercer in Cornbill, whose fon was his apprentice. The young gentleman used to fit late at the tavern, without the knowledge of his father; and I was ordered by my miftrefs to let him in filently to his bed VOL. VIII.

I

under

under the counter, and to be very careful to take away his candle. The hours which I was obliged to watch, whilft the rest of the family was in bed, I confidered as fupernumerary, and, having no business affigned for them, thought myself at liberty to spend them my own way: I kept myself awake with a book, and for fome time liked my ftate the better for this opportunity of reading. At laft, the uppermaid found my book, and fhewed it to my mistress, who told me, that wenches like me might fpend their time better; that fhe never knew any of the readers that had good defigns in their heads; that he could always find fomething elfe to do with her time, than to puzzle over books; and did not like that fuch a fine lady fhould fit up for her young master.

This was the first time that I found it thought criminal or dangerous to know how to read. I was dif miffed decently, left I fhould tell tales, and had a finall gratuity above my wages.

I then lived with a gentlewoman of a fmall fortune. This was the only happy part of my life. My miftrefs, for whom publick diverfions were too expenfive, spent her time with books, and was pleafed to find a maid who could partake her amusements. I rofe early in the morning, that I might have time in the afternoon to read or liften, and was fuffered to tell my opinion, or exprefs my delight. Thus fifteen months ftole away, in which I did not repine that I was born to fervitude. But a burning fever feized my miftrefs, of whom I fhall fay no more, than that her fervant wept upon her grave.

I had lived in a kind of luxury, which made me very unfit for another place; and was rather too de