advantage of her negligence to increafe expence. But I can fupply her omiffions by my own diligence, and should not much regret this new course of life, if it did nothing more than transfer to me the care of our accounts. The changes which it has made are more vexatious. My wife has no longer the use of her understanding. She has no rule of action but the fashion. She has no opinion but that of the people of quality. She has no language but the dialect of her own fet of company. She hates and admires in humble imitation; and echoes the words charming and deteftable without confulting her own perceptions, If for a few minutes we fit down together, fhe entertains me with the repartees of lady Cackle, or the converfation of lord Whiffler and mifs Quick, and wonders to find me receiving with indifference fayings which put all the company into Jaughter. By her old friends fhe is no longer very willing to be feen, but she must not rid herfelf of them all at once; and is fometimes furprifed by her beft" vifitants in company which fhe would not fhew, and cannot hide; but from the moment that a countess enters, fhe takes care neither to hear nor fee them they foon find themselves neglected and retire, and fhe tells her ladyship that they are fomehow related at a great distance, and that as they are good fort of people he cannot be rude to them. As by this ambitious union with thofe that are above her, she is always forced upon difadvantaP 3 geous geous comparisons of her condition with she has a conftant fource of mifery within never returns from glittering affemblies and nificent apartments but the growls out her d tent, and wonders why fhe was doomed to digent a ftate. When she attends the duches fale, fhe always fees fomething that fhe cannot and, that she may not feem wholly infignifican will fometimes venture to bid, and often mai quifitions which she did not want at prices w the cannot afford. What adds to all this uneafinefs is, that expence is without ufe, and this vanity wit honour; fhe forfakes houfes where the might courted, for those where he is only fuffered; equals are daily made her enemies, and her periors will never be her friends. I am, SIR, yours, &c. MB. 54. SATURDAY, April 28, 1759. IR, To the IDLE R. OU have lately entertained your admirers with the cafe of an unfortunate hufband, and reby given a demonstrative proof you are not erfe even to hear appeals and terminate differences tween man and wife; I therefore take the lirty to present you with the case of an injured lady, hich, as it chiefly relates to what I think the awyers call a point of law, I fhall do in as juridical manner as I am capable, and fubmit it to the confideration of the learned gentlemen of that profeffion. Imprimis. In the style of my marriage articles, a marriage was bad and folemnized about fix months ago, between me and Mr. Savecharges, a gentleman poffeffed of a plentiful fortune of his own, and one who, I was perfuaded, would improve, and not fpend mine. Before our marriage Mr. Savecharges had all along preferred the falutary exercise of walking on foot, to the distempered ease, as he terms it, of lolling in a chariot: but notwithstanding his fine panegyricks on walking, the great advantages the infantry were in the fole poffeffion of, and the many dreadful dangers they escaped, he found I had very different P 4 notions notions of an equipage, and was not eafily to be converted, or gained over to his party. An equipage I was determined to have, whenever I married. I too well knew the difpofition of my intended confort to leave the providing one intirely to his honour, and flatter myself Mr. Savecharges has, in the articles made previous to our marriage, agreed to keep me a coach; but left I fhould be miftaken, or the attornies fhould not have done me juftice in methodizing or legalizing these half dozen words, I will fet about and transcribe that part of the agreement, which will explain the matter to you much better than can be done by one who is fo deeply interested in the event; and fhew on what foundation I build my hopes of being foon under the transporting, delightful denomination of a fathionable lady, who enjoys the exalted and muchenvied felicity of bowling about in her own coach. "And further the faid Solomon Savecharges, for divers good caufes and confiderations him here"unto moving, hath agreed, and doth hereby "agree, that the faid Solomon Savecharges fhall and et will, fo foon as conveniently may be after the fo"lemnization of the faid intended marriage, at his "own proper coft and charges, find and provide a "certain vehicle or four-wheel carriage, commonly "called or known by the name of a coach; which faid vehicle or wheel-carriage, fo called or known by "the name of a coach, shall be used and enjoyed by the faid Sukey Modifh, his intended wife," [pray mind that, Mr. Idler]" at fuch times and in such manner as the the faid Sukey Modifh fhall think fit and convenient." Such, Such, Mr. Idler, is the agreement my paffionate admirer entered into; and what the dear frugal husband calls a performance of it remains to be defcribed. Soon after the ceremony of figning and fealing was over, our wedding-clothes being fent home, and, in fhort, every thing in readinefs except the coach, my own fhadow was fcarce more conftant than my paffionate lover in his attendance on me; wearied by his perpetual importunities for what he called a completion of his blifs, I confented to make him happy; in a few days I gave him my hand, and, attended by Hymen in his faffron-robes, retired to a country-feat of my husband's, where the honeymoon flew over our heads ere we had time to recollect ourselves, or think of our engagements in town. Well, to town we came, and you may be fure, Sir, I expected to ftep into my coach on my arrival here; but, what was my furprize and difappointment, when, instead of this, he began to found in my ears, "That the intereft of money was low, very low; and what a terrible thing it was to be incumbered with a little regiment of fervants in thefe hard times." I could eafily perceive what all this tended to, but would not feem to understand him; which made it highly neceffary for Mr. Savecharges to explain himself more intelligibly; to harp upon and protest he dreaded the expence of keeping a coach. And truly, for his part, he could not conceive how the pleasure refulting from fuch a convenience could be any way adequate to the heavy expence attending it. I now thought it high time to speak with equal plainnefs, and told him, as the fortune I brought fairly entitled me to ride in my |