undefigning innocence was fo ftrong in his • head, he attributed all my followers to the in⚫evitable force of my charms; and, from several blushes and fide glances, concluded himself the favourite; and, when I ufed him like a dog for my diverfion, he thought it was all prudence and fear; and pitied the violence I did my own • inclinations to comply with my friends, when • I married Sir Nicholas Fribble of fixty years of age. You know, Sir, the cafe of Mrs. Medlar. I hope you would not have had me cry out my 6 eyes for fuch a Husband. I fhed tears enough for my Widowhood a week after my marriage; and when he was put in his grave, reckoning • he had been two years dead, and myself a Widow of that standing, I married three weeks afterwards John Sturdy, Efq. his next heir. I had indeed fome thoughts of taking Mr. • Waitfort, but I found he could stay; and befides, he thought it indecent to ask me to marry again until my year was out; fo, privately refolving him for my fourth, I took Mr. Sturdy for the prefent. Would you believe it, Sir, Mr. Sturdy was juft five-and-twenty, about fix foot high, and the ftouteft fox-hunter in the country, and I believe I wifhed ten thousand times for my old Fribble again; he was following his dogs all the day, all the night keeping them up at table with him his companions; however, I think myfelf obliged to them for leading him a chafe in which he broke his neck. Mr. Waitfort began his ad• dreffes anew; and I verily believe I had married • him

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95 him now, but there was a young officer in 'the guards that had debauched two or three of my acquaintance, and I could not forbear being a little vain of his courtship. Mr. Waitfort heard of it, and read me fuch an infolent • lecture upon the conduct of women, I married the officer that very day, out of pure fpite to him. Half an hour after I was married I re'ceived a penitential letter from the honour⚫able Mr. Edward Waitfort, in which he begged 'pardon for his paffion, as proceeding from the 'violence of his love. I triumphed when I read it, and could not help, out of the pride of my heart, fhewing it to my new fpoufe; and we were very merry together upon it. Alas! my ⚫ mirth lafted a short time; my young Hufband was very much in debt when I married him, and his firft action afterwards was to fet

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up a gilt chariot and fix in fine trappings before and 'behind. I had married fo haftily, I had not the prudence to referve my estate in my own ́hands; my ready money was loft in two nights at the Groom-porter's; and my dia'mond necklace, which was ftole, I did not know how, I met in the ftreet upon Jenny 'Wheedle's neck. My plate vanished piece by piece and I had been reduced to downright pewter, if my officer had not been delicioufly killed in a duel, by a fellow that had cheated ❝ him of five hundred pounds, and afterwards, at his own requeft, fatisfied him and me too, by running him through the body. Mr. Waitfort was ftill in love, and told me fo

again; and, to prevent all fears of ill ufage, he defired me to referve every thing in my own hands: but now my acquaintance began to wish me joy of his conftancy, my charms < were declining, and I could not refift the delight I took in fhewing the young flirts about town it was yet in my power to give pain to a man of fenfe; this, and fome private hopes he would hang himfelf, and what a glory it would be for me, and how I fhould be envied, made me accept of being third wife to my * Lord Friday. I proposed, from my rank and his eftate, to live in all the joys of pride; but how was I miftaken! he was neither extravagant, nor ill-natured, nor debauched. I fuffered however more with him than with

all my others. He was fplenetic. I was forced to fit whole days hearkening to his imaginary ails; it was impoffible to tell what would please him; what he liked when the fun fhined made him fick when it rained; he had no diftemper, but lived in conftant fear of them all; my good genius dictated to me to bring him acquainted with Dr. Gruel; from that day he was always contented, becaufe he had names for all his complaints; the good doctor furnished him with reafons for all his pains, and prefcriptions for every fancy that troubled him; in hot weather he lived upon juleps, and let blood to prevent fevers; when it grew cloudy he generally apprehended a confumption: to shorten the hiftory of this wretched part of my life, he • ruined

⚫ ruined a good conftitution by endeavouring to mend it; and took feveral medicines, which ' ended in taking the grand remedy, which cured both him and me of all our uneafineffes. After his death I did not expect to 'hear any more of Mr. Waitfort. I knew he had renounced me to all his friends, and been very witty upon my choice, which he affected to talk of with great indifferency. I gave ' over thinking of him, being told that he was engaged with a pretty woman and a great fortune; it vexed me a little, but not enough 'to make me neglect the advice of my coufin Wishwell, that came to fee me the day my ' lord went into the country with Ruffel; fhe told me experimentally, nothing put an unfaithful lover and a dear husband fo foon out ' of one's head as a new one; and, at the fame time, propofed to me a kinfman of her's. You understand enough of the world (faid the) to know money is the most valuable confideration; he is very rich, and I am • fure cannot live long; he has a cough that muft carry him off foon. I knew afterwards ⚫ the had given the self-fame character of me to him; but however I was fo much perfuaded by her, I haftened on the match for fear he 'fhould die before the time came; he had the fame fears, and was fo preffing, I married ' him in a fortnight, refolving to keep it private a fortnight longer. During this fortnight Mr. Waitfort came to make me a visit: 'he told me he had waited on me fooner, but VOL. VIII.

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had that respect for me, he would not interrupt me in the first day of my affliction for 6 my dear lord; that, as foon as he heard I was at liberty to make another choice, he had broke off a match very advantageous for his fortune, juft upon the point of conclufion, and was forty times more in love with me than ever. I never received more pleasure in my life than from this declaration: but I compofed my face to a grave air, and faid the news of his engagement had touched me to ⚫ the heart, that in a rafh jealous fit I had married a man I could never have thought on, if I had not loft all hopes of him. Good-natur⚫ed Mr. Waitfort had like to have dropped down • dead at hearing this, but went from me with • fuch an air as plainly fhewed me he laid all the blame upon himfelf, and hated thofe friends that had advifed him to the fatal application; he feemed as much touched by my misfortune as his own, for he had not the leaft doubt I was ftill paflionately in love with him. The truth of this ftory is, my new • husband gave me reason to repent I had not ftaid for him; he had married me for my money, and I foon found he loved money to diftraction; there was nothing he would not do to get it; nothing he would not suffer to preferve it; the fmalleft expenfe kept him awake whole nights; and when he paid a bill, it was with as many fighs, and after as many delays, as a man that endures the lofs of a limb. I heard nothing but reproofs for extravagancy