fmile, and the men to ogle, the women grew soft, and the men lively. When they had thus infenfibly formed one another upon finishing of the war, which concluded with an intire conqueft of their common enemy, the colonels in one army married the colonels in the other; the captains in the fame manner took the captains to their wives: the whole body of common foldiers were matched, after the example of their leaders. By this means the two republics incorporated with one another, and became the most flourishing and polite government in the part of the world which they inhabited. N° 435. Saturday, June 19. Nec duo funt, at forma duplex, nec fœmina dici نوع C. utrumque videntur. OVID. Metam. 1. 4. v. 378. Both bodies in a fingle body mix, A fingle body with a double fex. ADDISON. MOST of the papers I give the public are writ ten on fubjects that never vary but are for ever fixt and immutable. Of this kind are all my more ferious effays and difcourfes; but there is another fort of fpeculations, which I confider as occafional papers, that take their rife from the folly, extravagance, and caprice of the prefent age. For I look upon myself as one fet to watch the manners and behaviour of my countrymen and contemporaries, and to mark down every abfurd fashion, ridiculous custom, or affected form of fpeech, that makes its appearance in the world, during the courfe of thefe my fpeculations. The petticoat no fooner began to fwell, but I obferved its motions. The party-patches had not time to mufter themfelves before I detected them. I had intelligence of the coloured hood the very first time it appeared in a public affeinbly. I might here mention feveral other the like con tingent fubjects, upon which I have beftowed diftir & papers. By this means, I have fo effectually quafhed thofe irregularities which gave cccafion to them, that I am afraid pofterity will fcarce have a fufficient idea of them to relish thofe difcourfes which were in no little vogue at the time when they were written. They will be apt to think that the fashions and cuftoms I attacked were fome fantastic conceits of my own, and that their great grandmothers could not be fo whimfical as I have reprefented them. For this reafon, when I think on the figure my feveral volumes of fpeculations will make about a hundred years hence, I confider them as fo many pieces of old plate, where the weight will be regarded, but the fashion loft. Among the feveral female extravagancies I have already taken notice of, there is one which ftill keeps its ground. I mean that of the ladies who dress themfelves in a hat and feather, a riding coat and a periwig, or at least tie up their hair in a bag or ribbon, in imitation of the fmart part of the oppofite fex. As in my yefterday's paper I gave an account of the mixture of two fexes in one commonwealth, I fhall here take notice of this mixture of two fexes in one perfon: I have already fhewn my diflike of this immodeft custom more than once; but in contempt of every thing I have hitherto faid, I am informed that the highways about this great city are ftill very much infefted with these female cavaliers. I remember when I was at my friend Sir ROGER DE COVERLY's about this time twelve-month, an equestrian lady of this order appeared upon the plains which lay at a distance from his house. I was at that time walking in the fields with my old friend; and as his tenants ran out on every fide to fee fo ftrange a fight, Sir ROGER afked one of them who came by us what it was? To which the country fellow replied, it is a gentlewoman, faving your worship's prefence, in a coat and hat.' This produced a great deal of mirth at the knight's houfe, where we had a story at the fame time of another of his tenants, who meeting this gentle.. man-like lady on the highway, was asked by her whether that was Coverly-hall?" The honeft man seeing only the male part of the querift, replied, Yes, Sir;' but upon the fecond question, whether Sir ROGER DE COVERLY was a married man,' having dropped his eye upon the petticoat, he changed his note into No, • madam.' ་ Had one of thefe hermaphrodites appeared in Juvenal's days, with what an indignation fhould we have feen her defcribed by that excellent fatirift? He would have represented her in a riding habit as a greater monster than the centaur. He would have called for facrifices of purifying waters, to expiate the appearance of fuch a prodigy. He would have invoked the fhades of Portia or Lucretia, to fee into what the Roman ladies had transformed themfelves. For my own part I am for treating the fex with greater tenderness, and have all along made ufe of the moft gentle methods to bring them off from any little extravagance into which they are fometimes unwarily fallen: I think it however abfolutely neceffary to keep up the partition between the two fexes, and to take notice of the smalleft incroachments which the one makes upon the other. I hope therefore that I fhall not hear any more complaints on this fubject. I am fure my fhe-cifciples who perufe these my daily lectures, have profited but little by them, if they are capable of giving into fuch an amphibious drefs. This I fhould not have mentioned, had not I lately met one of thefe my female readers in Hyde-park, who looked upon me with a mafculine affurance, and cocked her hat full in my face. For my part, I have one general key to the behaviour of the fair fex. When I fee them fingular in any part of their drefs, I conclude it is not without fome evil intention; ard therefore queftion not but the defign of this ftrange fashion is to finite more effectually their male beholders. Now to fet them right in this particu lar, I would fain have them confider with themfelves, whether we are not more likely to be ftruck by a figure entirely female, than with fuch an one as we may fee every day in our glaffes: or, if they please, let them reflect upon their own hearts, and think how they would be affected fhould they meet a man on horfeback, in his breeches and jack-boots, and at N° 436. the fame time dreffed up in a commode and a nightraile. 1 muft obferve that this fashion was first of all brought to us from France, a country which has infected all the nations of Europe with its levity. I speak not this in derogation of a whole people, having more than once found fault with thofe general reflections which strike at kingdoms or commonwealths in the grofs: a piece of cruelty, which an ingenious writer of our own compares to that of Caligula, who wished the Roman people had all but one neck, that he might behead them at a blow. I fhall therefore only remark, that as liveliness and affurance are in a peculiar manner the qualifications of the French nation, the fame habits and cuftoms will not give the fame offence to that people, which they produce among thofe of our own country. Modefty is our diftinguishing character, as vivacity is theirs: and when this our national virtue appears in that female beauty, for which our British ladies are celebrated above all others in the univerfe, it makes up the most amiable object that the eye of man can poffibly behold. C. BEING a perfon of infatiable curiofity, I could not forbear going on Wednesday laft to a place of no fmall renown for the gallantry of the lower order of Britons, namely, to the bear garden at Hockley in the Hole; where, as a whitish brown paper, put into my hands in the street, informed me, there was to be a trial of skill exhibited between two mafters of the noble fcience of defence, at two of the clock precifely. I was not a little charmed with the folemnity of the challenge, which ran thus : I James Miller, ferjeant, lately come from the frontiers of Portugal, mafter of the noble science of defence, hearing in moft places where I have been of the · great fame of Timothy Buck, of London, master of the faid fcience, do invite him to meet me, and exercise at the feveral weapons following, viz. If the generous ardour in James Miller to difpute the reputation of Timothy Buck, had fomething resembling the old heroes of romance, Timothy Buck returned anfwer in the fame paper with the like fpirit, adding a little indignation at being challenged, and feeming to condefcend to fight James Miller, not in regard to Miller. himself, but in that, as the fame went about, he had fought Parkes, of Coventry. The acceptance of the combat ran in thefe words: I Timothy Buck, of Clare-market, mafter of the noble fcience of defence, hearing he did fight Mr. Parkes of Coventry, will not fail, God willing, to meet this fair inviter at the time and place appointed, defiring a clear stage and no favour. • Vivat Regina.' I fhall not here look back on the fpectacles of the Greeks and Romans of this kind, but must believe this custom took its rife from the ages of knight-errantry; from those who loved one woman fo well, that they hated all men and women elfe; from thofe who would fight you, whether you were or were not of their n ind; from those who demanded the combat of their contemporaries, both for admiring their mistress or difcommending her. I cannot therefore but lament, that the terrible part of the ancient fight is preserved, when the amorous fide of it is forgotten. We have retained the barbarity, but loft the gallantry of the old combatants. I could wifh, methinks, thefe gentlemen had confulted me in the promulgation of the conflict. I was obliged by a |