57. Saturday, May 5, 1711.

N° 57°

Quem præftare poteft mulier Galata pudorem
Que fugit à fexu?

Juv. Sat. vi. 251.

What fenfe of fhame in woman's breaft can lie Inur'd to arms, and her own fex to fly? DRYDEN.

HEN the wife of Hector, in Homer's

WHE

Iliad, difcourfes with her husband about the battle in which he was going to engage, the hero defiring her to leave the matter to his care, bids her go to her maids, and mind her fpinning: by which the poet intimates, that men and women ought to bufy themselves in their proper fpheres, and on fuch matters only as are fuitable to their respective sex.

I am at this time acquainted with a young gentleman, who has paffed a great part of his life in the nursery, and upon occafion, can make a caudle or a fack-poffet better than any man in England. He is likewife a wonderful critic in cambric and muflins, and he will talk an hour together upon a fweet-meat. He entertains his mother every night with obfervations that he makes both in town and court: as what lady fhews the niceft fancy in her drefs; what man of quality wears the faireft wig; who has the finest linen, who the prettieft fnuff-box, with many other the like curious remarks, that may be made in good company.

On

On the other hand I have very frequently the opportunity of seeing a rural Andromache, who came up to town laft winter, and is one of the greatest foxhunters in the country. She talks of hounds and horfes, and makes nothing of leaping over a fix-bar gate. If a man tells her a waggish ftory, fhe gives him a push with her hand in jeft, and calls him an impudent dog; and if her fervant neglects his business, threatens to kick him out of the house. I have heard her in her wrath, call a fubftantial tradefman a loufy cur; and remember one day, when he could not think of the name of a perfon, she described him in a large company of men and ladies, by the fellow with the broad fhoulders.

If thofe fpeeches and actions, which in their own nature are indifferent, appear ridiculous when they proceed from a wrong fex, the faults and imperfections of one fex tranfplanted into another, appear black and monftrous. As for the men, I shall not in this Paper any further concern myself about them; but as I would fain contribute to make womankind, which is the moft beautiful part of the creation, entirely amiable, and wear out all thofe little spots and blemishes, that are apt to rise among the charms which nature has poured out upon them, I fhall dedicate this Paper to their fervice. The fpot which I would here endeavour to clear them of, is that party-rage which of late years is very much crept into their converfation. This is, in its nature, a male vice, and made up of many angry and cruel paffions that are altogether re

pugnant

pugnant to the foftnefs, the modefty, and those other endearing qualities which are natural to the fair fex. Women were formed to temper mankind, and foothe them into tendernefs and compaffion; not to set an edge upon their minds, and blow up in them those paffions which are too apt to rife of their own accord. When I have feen a pretty mouth uttering calumnies and invectives, what would I not have given to have ftopt it? How I have been troubled to fee fome of the fineft features in the world grow pale, and tremble with party rage. Camilla is one of the greatest beauties in the British nation, and yet values herself more upon being the Virago of one party, than upon being the toast of both. The dear creature, about a week ago, encountered the fierce and beautiful Penthefilea'. across a tea-table; but in the height of her anger, as her hand chanced to fhake with the earneftness of the difpute, fhe fcalded her fingers, and fpilt a dish of tea upon her petticoat. Had not this accident broke off the debate, no body knows where it would have ended.

There is one confideration which I would earnestly recommend to all my female readers, and which I hope, will have fome weight with them. In fhort, it is this, that there is nothing fo bad for the face as party zeal. It gives an illnatured caft to the eye, and a difagreeable fournefs to the look; befides that it makes the lines too ftrong, and flushes them worse than brandy. I have seen a woman's face break out in heats, as he has been talking against a great lord,

whom

whom he had never feen in her life; and indeed I never knew a party-woman that kept her beauty for a twelvemonth. I would therefore advife all my female readers, as they value their complexions, to let alone all difputes of this nature; though at the fame time, I would give free liberty to all fuperannuated motherly partizans to be as violent as they pleafe, fince there will be no danger either of their spoiling their faces, or of their gaining converts.

When

For my own part, I think a man makes an odious and defpicable figure, that is violent in a party; but a woman is too fincere to mitigate the fury of her principles with temper and difcretion, and to act with that temper and referv-. edness which are requifite in our fex. this unnatural zeal gets into them, it throws them into ten thoufand heats and extravagancies; their generous fouls fet no bounds to their love, or to their hatred, and whether a whig or tory, a lap-dog or a gallant, an opera or a puppet-fhow, be the object of it, the paffion while it reigns, engroffes the whole woman.

I remember when Dr. TITUS OATES* was

in all his glory, I accompanied my friend WILL HONEYCOMB in a vifit to a lady of his acquaintance. We were no fooner fat down, but upon cafting my eyes about the room, I found in almoft every corner of it a print that reprefented the doctor in all magnitudes and dimenfions. A little after, as the lady was difcourfing my friend,

Though the name of Dr. T. Oates is made ufe of here, Dr. Sacheverell is the perfon alluded to.

and

and held her fnuff-box in her hand, who should I fee in the lid of it but the doctor. It was not long after this when he had occafion for her handkerchief, which upon first opening, difco'vered among the plaits of it the figure of the doctor. Upon this my friend WILL who loves raillery, told her, That if he was in Mr. Truelove's place (for that was the name of her hufband) he should be made as uneafy by a handkerchief as ever Othello was. I am afraid, faid fhe," Mr. HONEYCOMB, you are a Tory: tell "me truly, are you a friend to the doctor, or "not?" WILL, inftead of making her a reply, smiled in her face (for indeed the was very pretty) and told her that one of her patches was dropping off. She immediately adjusted it, and looking a little seriously, "Well," says she, “ I "will be hanged if you and your filent friend "are not against the doctor in your hearts, I fufpected as much by his faying nothing." Upon this fhe took her fan into her hand, and upon the opening of it, again difplayed to us the figure of the doctor, who was placed with great gravity among the fticks of it. In a word, I found that the doctor had taken poffeffion of her thoughts, her difcourfe, and most of her furniture; but finding myself preffed too close by her question, I winked upon my friend to take his leave, which he did accordingly. C*.

r

By ADDISON, dated it is fuppofed from Chelfca. See final Note to N° 5, on ADDISON's Signatures C, L, I, O; N° 221, and Note, on Capital and Cabalistical LETTERS.

N° 58.