in, Sir, there's neatness,-marble pavementfides of beft Dutch tileing,-and obferve ftill the delicious Rhine rolling under you. Here he pointed to another outlet, where, I muft confefs, I fhould never have thought of looking for a profpect;-But the mafter of the manfion abfolutely piqued himself upon it.There, Sir, what do you think of that!-In your very bed chamber-almost within reach of your bed, Monfieur,-there's comfort,there's recommendation !-Affurément bien commode, faid the young lady, joining in the converfation with all the eafe in the world.Indeed the had left the door open on her coming out, purely with a defign to affift the great character her friend and relation, as 1 afterwards underftood he was, had given it. The man concluded his eulogy by again intreating to know what I thought of it? Hereupon, I obferved to him, that though I could not fay they fettle these matters better in Weftphalia than in England, yet they do fettle them in the former place much more at their eafe. The lady had juft left the room, fo that my anfwer was addreffed only to my officious groom of the chamber, who was extremely furprised, when K 4 when I told him that the little adventure of the little lady in the little apartment could never gain credit, were I to relate it in my country; nay, could never have happe ed in any decent part of the kingdom of England, except by an accident, which would have covered even a girl of ten years old with confufion, and made a female of maturer age alhamed to lift her eye to the difcoverer, if he happened to be a man, for fome days after: I added, that the fenfe of decency was fo nice in my country, that very ferious illneffes had fometimes been incurrred from the dread of fome fuch expofure. Ma foi, cela est bien bifarre: i'faith that's whimfical enough, faid the man. He then fhewed off the reft of his houte in the fame inflated ftyle of panegyrick, And pray where are the fuperb beds? They may be had, Sir, in a month, and I might have the beautiful falle below, and the charming chamber above, and the delicious apartment thereunto belonging, for fo very trifling a fum as feven hundred florins a year, and my diet for feven hundred more. The enormity of the demand, being no lefs a fum than would purchafe the fee-fimple of the whole houfe, fhop, and little apartment into the bargain, brought our difcourfe to a fhort conclufion. . I could not but feel it as an infult levelled at his opinion opinion of English folly, and left his houfe with telling him, I was forry we had taken up fo much of each other's time to fo little purpofe. He feemed to think fo too, and dropping his vivacity and his courtefy at once, fuffer'd me to depart even without a bow. My friend, I beg pardon; and your's my good Reader: I dare fay you are nice, but I prefume alfo, you are wife-the delicacies of your country, the graceful decency of its manners and customs, deferve to be appreciated; but, inafmuch as they are brought into comparison. and contraft with the difgufting freedoms of other nations, they will be yet more valued, and appear more amiable, In truth, people of both fexes, on this fide the water, have scarcely an idea of thofe decencies, which by habit, if not by principle, difcover themselves even in the lowest domesticks of Great Britain, Throughout. Holland, Pruffia, and the Empire, even more than in France, the men and women display almost oftentatiously thofe objects which we conceal with the greatest care. As if proud of the natural defects that are confidered as humiliating with us, you will fee them carrying to and fro, in open day, and as a fort of pageantry of display, all the arcana of the bedchamber; chamber; whether you are in ficknefs or in health it is the fame thing; and I have remarked that the fervants who prefide over thefe fhews (in England they would be myfteries, and difpofed of as if by magick)-the fervants, I fay, generally choofe to exhibit their machines. at breakfast, by paffing from one room to another, not fo much as fuppofing it poffible your delicacy can be diftreffed about the matter, Our fenfe of propriety on this occafion paffes for mauvaise honte. May it never be exchanged for either confident impudence, or habitual groffhefs, which, though lefs culpable, is not lefs offenfive. In a word, may that fhamefacedness, which the holy writers have ufed to fignify one of the moft lovely virtues in oppofition to the boldest vice, ever continue to be reckoned amongst the prejudices of British education! A prayer in which I am Ture your own modeft nature, and chaftened manners, will heartily join your affectionate friend. LETTER LETTER LXV. TO THE SAME. IN our firft fheaf I collected for you a Gleaning of the village fuperftitions of Wales. I will now offer you thofe of Germany, efpecially in the country of Juliers, Le Mark, &c. bordering on Weftphalia. The country people of thofe places have the moft folemn faith in forceries and witches, who though in their proper shape are only a pack of very old women, can affume any form, either beftial or human; but are, it feems, moft fond of appear. ing in the character of cats. Some of this witchery is carried to fuch excefs, that many people in the country of Juliers will on no confideration intermarry with a perfon, who may be fufpected of having a forcerer's blood in his veins; nay, the most advantageous matches have been refused, and the attractions of love itself been refifted, rather than a daughter fhould go to the arms of a man who has ever had a witch in his family; and the geneological tree was never more cautioufly examined, and traced by a birth-proud noble to efcape the difgrace of pollution, than it is to avoid an alliance with a forcerer or forcerefs. If there can |