Had a youthful beauty received fuch a flattering epiftle, vanity would, moft probably, have mifconftrued it into a billetdoux; but few such, I fear, are written to a perfon of a certain age. Indeed, I fear there are few fuch men; and, for the honour of the age, I wish I was permitted to infert the name; but I am commanded and must obey. How exactly does the following paffage, in which Shakfpere has fo truly defcribed the pleasures of beneficence, feem to correfpond with the fentiments contained in the foregoing letter.

"Oh you gods! (think I) what need we "have any friends, if we fhould never have "need of them? they would most resemble "sweet instruments hung up in cafes, that "keep their founds to themfelves. Why, "I have often wished myself poorer, that I "might come nearer to you: we were born "to do benefits. And what better or pro<< perer can we call our own, than the riches "of our friends? O! what a precious com

fort 'tis to have fo many, like brothers,

commanding one another's fortunes ?" Real difinterested friendship, is the rara avis of this age; and to me, the writer of the foregoing letter appears to be that phoenix.. There may be, however, I make no doubt, many of the fame generous disposition; but as I have outlived all my other friends, and

* Timon of Athens, A&t I. Scene V.

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have had more than came to my fhare, or than I merited, I ought to be thankful that I retain the good wishes of one.

Having given you the letter of a fenfible and liberal friend, I cannot refift the temptation of fending you, by way of contrast, the beginning of one, containing the declaration of love, which I received from a noble lord, upon my return from Ireland: and this I fhall do verbatim, to add to the fingularity of it.

"I have not capcity to tell you ho mouch "I low you."

This short specimen, I think, will fuffice to let you into the merits of this elegant epiftle it is taken from; the whole of which, and it was a long one, was written in the same learned ftyle, and fpelt agreeable to the rules of the fame kind of orthography. As I can fay with Millamont, "that an illiterate man "is my averfion," had I been inclined to gallantry, his lordship's curious letter would have barred his fuccefs.

How comes it that ignorance is more confpicuous in a man than in a woman? As drinking and fwearing, though dreadful vices. in themselves, appear more horrid in the latter than the former. This obfervation tempts

tempts me to proceed a little farther on the fame topic. When once a woman divests herself of that delicacy and softness which is one of the moft diftinguished adornments of the female character, the debases herself into a brute; and having thus loft all claim to the name of a human being, fhe is looked upon with horror and contempt, by even the moft diffolute of the other fex.

I have often thought, that the legislature ought to interfere upon this occafion, and enact fome law to exclude fuch unhappy wretches from fociety. For as precept is lefs powerful than example, youth and ignorance are often deluded by them; as in general, they wish to make others as abandoned as themselves. Not that I wish my loved countrywomen to be tied down to the fevere rules of the Lacedæmonian ladies. I would only recommend them to join the fortitude, patience, and courage of a Roman matron, to the beauty, good fenfe, brilliancy of wit,. and delicacy of an English woman.

Methinks I hear you here exclaim, "You "are a very proper perfon, indeed, to fet up "for a dictatrefs over the conduct of your "country women; you who have fo erred "yourself!"-I acknowledge there is fome room for your making this remark-appearances I own are against me.-But when it is confidered, that my errors have proceeded rather from imprudence than a bad difpofition;

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that I have severely fuffered for them; and that I entertain no affuming ideas of my own understanding; I hope my having intermixed with my ftory, when they occurred, fuch fentiments as feem probable to prove beneficial to those into whofe hands they might fall, will not be objected to.

G. A. B.

LETTER CIT.

March 23, 17

Little after Christmas, as a gentlewoman with whom I was very intimate, was condoling with me upon the many untoward events of my life, and the almost incredible difappointments I had met with, my maid came up, almost breathlefs with joy, for money to pay for a letter, which the poftman faid came from India. Concluding it was from my fon, as he used always to direct for me by the name of West, and not having a doubt but it was for me, in the agitation of fpirits I was thrown into by the unexpected occurrence, I tore it open, where it was already almost open at the back; when, inftead of the letter I was in hopes of receiving, I found two bills of exchange; one drawn upon a gentleman in Marlboroughftreet for fifty pounds, which was the fecond; and the other upon a gentleman in Ireland

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for thirty, with a letter of advice written to him; but no other letter.

I fent immediately to enquire if any other Mrs. Weft lived in the neighbourhood, but could not learn that there was. I then recollected that Mrs. Charles Smith, of Wimpole-ftreet, had called at my lodgings a year and a half before, and had left a card. As I' had not the honour of knowing that lady, I judged the might have intended the vifit for another Mrs. Weft, and confequently might be able to give me fome intelligence relative to the affair. I accordingly wrote to inform her of my having received a pacquet; but as it contained no letter by which it could be known from whom it came, it might be intended for another. To this note I received no answer. I wrote again; when the chairmain brought a verbal meffage which I could not underftand. It was either that: the lady was abroad, or in the country.

Not being able to gain any intelligence,, after waiting fome time, I carried the bill of fifty pounds for acceptance, it being at thirty days fight. When I prefented it, the gentleman enquired where the first bill was; to which I answered, that I had not received it. We therefore conjectured it to be loft. At the time the bill became due, the friend with whom I had left it, fent me word that there was another claimant, who had produced the third bill of exchange, and proved to be the G 6 hufband