brought acquainted in the course of the courtship, can receive the happy couple with countenances illumined, and joyful hearts. The brothers, the fifters, the friends of one family, are the brothers, the fifters, the friends of the other. Their two families, thus made one, are the world to the young couple. Their home is the place of their principal delight, nor do they ever occafionally quit it but they find the pleasure of returning to it augmented in proportion to the time of their abfence from it. Oh, Mr. RAMBLER! forgive the talkativeness of an old man! When I courted and married my Lætitia, then a blooming beauty, every thing paffed just fo! But how is the cafe now? The ladies, maidens, wives, and widows, are engroffed by places of open resort and general entertainment, which fill every quarter of the metropolis, and being conftantly frequented, make home irksome. Breakfasting-places, diningplaces; routes, drums, concerts, balls, plays, operas, masquerades for the evening, and even for all night, and lately, publick fales of the goods of broken housekeepers, which the general diffolutenefs of manners has contributed to make very frequent, come in as another feasonable relief to thefe modern timekillers. In the fummer there are in every country-town affemblies; Tunbridge, Bath, Cheltenham, Scarborough! What expence of drefs and equipage is required to qualify the frequenters for fuch emulous appearance? By the natural infection of example, the lowest people have places of fix-penny refort, and gamingtables for pence. Thus fervants are now induced to fraud I fraud and difhonefty, to fupport extravagance, and fupply their loffes. As to the ladies who frequent those publick places, they are not afhamed to fhew their faces wherever men dare go, nor blush to try who shall ftare most impudently, or who shall laugh loudest on the publick walks. The men who would make good husbands, if they vifit thofe places, are frighted at wedlock, and refolve to live fingle, except they are bought at a very high price. They can be fpectators of all that paffes, and, if they please, more than spectators, at the expence of others. The companion of an evening, and the companion for life, require very different qualifications. Two thousand pounds in the last age, with a domestick wife, would go farther than ten thousand in this. Yet fettlements are expected, that often, to a mercantile man especially, fink a fortune into useleffness; and pin-money is ftipulated for, which makes a wife independent, and deftroys love, by putting it out of a man's power to lay any obligation. upon her, that might engage gratitude, and kindle affection. When to all this the card-tables are added, how can a prudent man think of marrying? And when the worthy men know not where to find wives, must not the fex be left to the foplings, the coxcombs, the libertines of the age, whom they help to make fuch? And need even these wretches marry to enjoy the conversation of those who render their company fo cheap? And what, after all, is the benefit which the gay coquette obtains by her flutters? As fhe is approach able able by every man without requiring, I will not fay incense or adoration, but even common complaifance, every fop treats her as upon the level, looks upon her light airs as invitations, and is on the watch to take the advantage: fhe has companions indeed, but no lovers; for love is respectful, and timorous; and where among all her followers will fhe find a huf band? Set, dear Sir, before the youthful, the gay, the inconfiderate, the contempt as well as the danger to which they are exposed. At one time or other, women, not utterly thoughtless, will be convinced of the justice of your cenfure, and the charity of your inftruction. But should your expoftulations and reproofs have no effect upon those who are far gone in fashionable folly, they may be retailed from their mouths to their nieces (marriage will not often have entitled these to daughters), when they, the meteors of a day, find themselves elbowed off the ftage of vanity by other flutterers; for the most admired women cannot have many Tunbridge, many Bath seasons to blaze in; fince even fine faces, often feen, are less regarded than new faces, the proper punishment of fhowy girls, for rendering themselves so impolitickly cheap. I am, SIR, Your fincere admirer, &c.* *This paper was written by Richardson, the author of "Clariffa," "Pamela," &c. and, although mean and hacknied in style and fentiment, was the only paper which had a great fale during the publica tion of the Rambler, in its original form. C. NUMB. 98. SATURDAY, February 23, 1751. Que nec Sarmentus iniquas Cæfaris ad menfas, nec vilis Gabba tulisset. Juv. Which not Sarmentus brook'd at Cafar's board, ELPHINSTON, To the AUTHOR of the RAMBLER. Mr. RAMBLER, OU have often endeavoured to imprefs upon γου your readers an observation of more truth than novelty, that life paffes, for the most part, in petty tranfactions; that our hours glide away in trifling amufements and flight gratifications; and that there very feldom emerges any occafion that can call forth great virtue or great abilities. It very commonly happens that fpeculation has no influence on conduct. Juft conclufions, and cogent arguments, formed by laborious ftudy, and diligent inquiry, are often repofited in the treafuries of memory, as gold in the mifer's cheft, ufelefs alike to others and himself. As fome are not richer for the extent of their poffeffions, others are not wifer for the multitude of their ideas. You have truly defcribed the ftate of human beings, but it may be doubted whether you have accommodated your precepts to your description; whether you have not generally confidered your readers readers as influenced by the tragick paffions, and susceptible of pain or pleasure only from powerful agents, and from great events. To an author who writes not for the improvement of a single art, or the establishment of a controverted doctrine, but equally intends the advantage and equally courts the perufal of all the claffes of mankind, nothing can justly feem unworthy of regard, by which the pleasure of converfation may be increased, and the daily fatisfactions of familiar life secured from interruption and disgust. For this reason you would not have injured your reputation, if you had fometimes defcended to the minuter duties of focial beings, and enforced the obfervance of thofe little civilities and ceremonious delicacies, which, inconfiderable as they may appear to the man of fcience, and difficult as they may prove to be detailed with dignity, yet contribute to the regulation of the world, by facilitating the intercourfe between one man and another, and of which the French have fufficiently teftified their efteem, by terming the knowledge and practice of them Sçavoir vivre, the art of living. Politeness is one of thofe advantages which we never estimate rightly but by the inconvenience of its lofs. Its influence upon the manners is constant and uniform, fo that, like an equal motion, it escapes perception. The circumstances of every action are fo adjusted to each other, that we do not fee where any error could have been committed, and rather acquiefce in its propriety than admire its exactnefs. But as fickness fhews us the value of ease, a little familiarity with those who were never taught to en deavour |
