I fhall conclude this Difcourfe of the Tucker with a Moral which I have taught upon all Occafions, and shall ftill continue to inculcate into my Female Readers; namely, that nothing bestows fo much Beauty on a Woman as Modefty. This is a Maxim laid down by Ovid himself, the greatest Master in the Art of Love, He obferves upon it, that Venus pleases, moft when the appears (femi-reducta) in a Figure withdrawing herself from the Eye of the Beholder. It is very probable he had in his Thoughts the Statue which we fee in the Venus de Medicis, where he is reprefented in fuch a fhy retiring Pofture, and covers her Bofom with one of her Hands. In fhort, Modefty gives the Maid greater Beauty than even the Bloom of Youth, it beftows on the Wife the Dignity of a Matron, and reinftates the Widow in her Virginity.

N° 101.

Tuesday, July 1.

Tros Tyriufve mihi nullo discrimine khabetur. Virg.

T

HIS being the great Day of Thanksgiving for the Peace, I fhall prefent my Reader with a couple of Letters that are the Fruits of it. They are written by a Gentleman who has taken this Opportunity to fee France, and has given his Friends in England a general Account of what he has there met with, in feveral Epiftles. Those which follow were put into my Hands with Liberty to make them publick, and I queftion not but my Reader will think himself obliged to me for fo doing.

SIR,

INCE I had the Happiness to fee you laft, I have S'encountered as many Misfortunes as a Knight-Er

rant. I had a Fall into the Water at Calais, and fince ⚫ that feveral Bruifes upon the Land, lame Poft-horses by . Day, and hard Beds at Night, with many other difmal Adventures.

Quorum animus meminisse horret luctuque refugit.

MY

MY Arrival at Paris was at firft no lefs uncom'fortable, where I could not fee a Face nor hear a Word ⚫ that I ever met with before; fo that my most agreeable • Companions have been Statues and Pictures, which are many of them very extraordinary; but what particularly recommends them to me is, that they do not fpeak French, and have a very good Quality, rarely to ⚫ be met with in this Country, of not being too Talkative. I am fettled for fome Time at Paris. Since my being here I have made the Tour of all the King's Palaces, which has been I think the pleasantest Part of my Life. I could not believe it was in the Power of Art to furnish out fuch a Multitude of noble Scenes as I there met with, or that fo many delightful Prospects • could lie within the Compass of a Man's Imagination. There is every thing done that can be expected from a Prince who removes Mountains, turns the Course of • Rivers, raises Woods in a Day's Time, and plants a • Village or Town on fuch a particular Spot of Ground ⚫ only for the bettering of a View. One would wonder

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to fee how many Tricks he has made the Water play ⚫ for his Diverfion. It turns itself into Pyramids, Trium phal Arches, Glass-bottles, imitates a Firework, rises ⚫ in a Mist, or tells a Story out of Æsop.

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I do not believe, as good Poet as you are, that you can make finer Landskips than those about the King's Houses, or with all your Descriptions raise a more magnificent Palace than Versailles. I am however fo fingular as to prefer Fountaine-bleau to all the reft. It is fituated among Rocks and Woods, that give you a fine Variety of Salvage Profpects. The King • has humour'd the Genius of the Place, and only made • use of so much Art as is neceffary to help and regulate Nature, without reforming her too much. The: ⚫ Cascades feem to break through the Clefts and Cracks of Rocks that are covered over with Mofs, and look as if they were piled upon one another by Accident. There is an Artificial Wildness in the Meadows, Walks ⚫ and Canals; and the Garden, instead of a Wall, is⚫ fenced on the lower End by a natural Mound of Rock⚫ work that strikes the Eye very agreeably. For my part, I think there is fomething more charming in

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thefe

these rude Heaps of Stone than in fo many Statues, ⚫ and would as foon fee a River winding through Woods ⚫ and Meadows, as when it is toffed up in fo many ⚫ whimsical Figures at Verfailles. To pals from Works ⚫ of Nature to thofe of Art. In my Opinion, the plea• fanteft Part of Verfailles is the Gallery. Every one ⚫ fees on each fide of it fomething that will be fure to pleafe him. For one of them commands a View of the finest Garden in the World, and the other is • Wainscotted with Looking glafs. The Hiftory of the prefent King 'till the Year 16 is painted on the Roof by le Brun, fo that his Majefty has Actions enough by him to furnifh another Gallery much longer

than the Prefent.

THE Painter has represented his moft Chriftian Majefty under the Figure of Jupiter, throwing Thunderbolts all about the Cieling, and ftriking Terror into the Danube and Rhine, that lie aftonifhed and blafted with Lightning a little above the Cornice,

BUT what makes all these Shows the more agree⚫able is, the great Kindness and Affability that is fhown to Strangers. If the French do not excel the English in all the Arts of Humanity, they do at least in the out⚫ward Expreffions of it. And upon this, as well as other Accounts, though I believe the English are a ⚫ much wifer Nation, the French are undoubtedly much more happy. Their old Men in particular are, I believe, the most agreeable in the World. An Antediluvian could not have more Life and Briskness in him at Threefcore and ten: For that Fire and Levity which makes the young ones fcarce Converfible, when a little wafted and tempered by Years, makes a very pleafant and gay old Age. Befides, this National Fault of being fo very Talkative looks natural and graceful in one that has gray Hairs to countenance it. The mentioning this Fault in the French must put me in mind to finifh my Letter, left you think me already too much infected by their Converfation; but I muft defire you to confider, that Travelling does in this refpect lay a little Claim to the Privilege of old • Age.

་

I am, SIR, &c.

SIR,

Blois, May 15, N. S. I Cannot pretend to trouble you with any News from this Place, where the only Advantage I have, be⚫ fides getting the Language, is, to fee the Manners and • Temper of the People, which I believe may be better learnt here than in Courts and greater Cities, where 'Artifice and Disguise are more in Fashion.

་

I have already feen, as I informed you in my laft, all the King's Palaces, and have now feen a great Part of the Country. I never thought there had been in the World fuch an exceffive Magnificence or Poverty as I have met with in both together. One can scarce 'conceive the Pomp that appears in every thing about the King; but at the fame time it makes half his Subjects go barefoot. The People are, however, the happieft in the World, and enjoy, from the benefit of their Climate and Natural Conftitution, fuch a perpetual Gladness of Heart and Eafinefs of Temper as even Liberty and Plenty cannot bestow on thole of other Nations. "Tis not in the Power of Want or Slavery to make 'em miferable. There is nothing w ⚫ be met with in the Country but Mirth and Poverty.. Every one fings, laughs and ftarves. Their Converfation is generally agreeable, for if they have any Wit or Senfe, they are fure to fhow it. They never mend upon a fecond Meeting, but ufe all the Freedom and Familiarity at firft fight, that a long Intimacy or abundance of Wine can fcarce draw from an Englishman. Their Women are perfect Miftreffes in this Art ⚫ of Showing themselves to the best Advantage. They are always gay and fprightly, and fet off the worit Faces in Europe with the beft Airs. Every one knows how to give her felf as charming a Look and Posture as Sir Godfrey Kneller could draw her in. I cannot end my Letter without obferving that from what I have already feen of the World, I cannot but set a particular Mark of Distinction upon those who abound moft in the Virtues of their Nation, and leaft with its Imperfections. When therefore I fee the good Senfe of an Englishman in its higheft Perfection, without any mixture of the. Spleen, I hope you will excufe me

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if

if I admire the Character, and am ambitious of fubfcribing my self,

SIR, Yours, &c.

N° 102.

I

Wednesday, July 8.

Natos ad flumina primùm

Deferimus, favoque gelu duramus & undis.

Virg.

Am always beating about in my Thoughts for fomething that may turn to the Benefit of my dear Countrymen. The prefent Seafon of the Year having put molt of them in flight Summer-Suits, has turned my Speculations to a Subject that concerns every one who is fenfible of Cold or Heat, which I believe takes in the greateft part of my Readers.

THERE is nothing in Nature more inconftant than the British Climate, if we except the Humour of its Inhabitants. We have frequently in one Day all the Seafons of the Year. I have fhivered in the Dog-days, and been forced to throw off my Coat in January. I have gone to bed in Auguft, and rofe in December. Summer has often caught me in my Drap de Berry, and Winter in my Doily Suit.

I remember a very whimfical Fellow (commonly known by the Name of Pofture-mafter) in King Charles the Second's Reign, who was the Plague of all the Taylors about Town. He would often fend for one of 'em to take Measure of him, but would fo contrive it as to have a most immoderate Rifing in one of his Shoulders. When the Clothes were brought home, and try'd upon him, the Deformity was removed into the other Shoulder. Upon which the Taylor begged Pardon for the Miftake, and mended it as faft as he could, but upon a third Trial found him a ftraight-fhouldered Man as one would defire to fee, but a little unfortunate in a Humpt Back. In fhort, this wandring Tumour puzzled all the Workmen about Town, who found it impoffible to accom

modate