in his L'Allegro and Il Penseroso to this lady's * Dialogue between Mirth and Melancholy. The celebrated Orinda, Mrs. Katherine Philips, was next placed in the saddle, amid the shouts and applauses of the lords Roscommon and Orrery, Cowley, and other famous wits of her time. Her dress was simple, though of a very elegant make: it had no profuse ornaments, and approached very nearly to the cut and fashion of the present age. Though she never ventured beyond a canter or a hand-gallop, she made Pegasus do his paces with so much ease and exactness, that Waller himself owned he could never bring him under so much command. After her Mrs. Killigrew, assisted by Dryden, and several other ladies of that age took their turns to ride: and every one agreed, that (making some allowances for their sex) they could not be excelled by the most experienced riders among the men. A bold masculine figure now pushed forward in a thin, airy, gay habit, which hung so loose about her, that she appeared to be half undrest. When she came up to Pegasus, she clapped her hand upon the side-saddle, and with a spring leaped across it, saying she should never ride him but astride. She made the poor beast frisk, and caper, and curvet, and play a thousand tricks; while she herself was quite unconcerned, though she shewed her legs at every motion of the horse, and many of the Muses turned their heads aside blushing. Thalia, indeed, was a good deal pleased with her frolicks; and Erato declared, that next to her favourite Sappho she should always prefer this lady. Upon enquiring her name, I found her to be the free-spirited Mrs. Behn. When she was to dis Poems by Eminent Ladies. N. B. This lady, it is supposed, VOL. XXXI. M Vol. II. page 199. mount, Lord Rochester came up, and caught her in his arms; and repeating part of her* Ode to Desire, To a myitle bower He led her nothing loth. MILTON. I had now the pleasure to see many ladies of our own times, whose names I was very well acquainted with, advance towards Pegasus. Among the re could not but wonder at the astonishing dexterity, with which the admired Mrs. Leapor of Brackley guided the horse, though she had not the least assist. ance from any body. Mrs. Barber of Ireland was assisted in getting upon the saddle by Swift himself, who even condescended to hold the stirrup while she mounted. Under the Dean's direction she made the horse to pace and amble very prettily: notwithstanding which some declared, that she was not equal to her friend and country-woman Mrs. Grierson. Another lady, a native of the same kingdom, then briskly stepped up to Pegasus; and despising the weak efforts of her husband to prevent her, she boldly jumped into the saddle, and whipping and cutting rode away furiously helter skelter over hedge and ditch, and trampled on every body who came in her road. She took particular delight in driving the poor horse, who kicked and winced all the while, into the most filthy places; where she made him fling about the dirt and mire, with which she bespattered almost every one that came near her. Sometimes, however, she would put a stop to this mad career; and then she plainly convinced us, that she knew as well how to manage Pegasus as any of the females, who had tried before her. Being told that this lady was no other than the celebrated biographer of her own actions Mrs. Pilkington, I had Pocms by Eminent Ladies. Vol. I. Page 167. the curiosity to take a nearer view of her; when stepping up towards her, and offering my assistance to help her down, methought she returned my civility with such an uncourteous slap on the face, that (though I awaked at the instant) I could not help fancying for some time, that I felt my cheek tingle with the blow. W. N° 70. THURSDAY, MAY 29, 1755. - Causam hanc justam esse in animum inducite, Ut aliqua pars laboris minuatur mihi. TER. Write correspondents, write, whene'er you will; My publisher having acquainted me, that he intends to close the volume with this number, I shall take the opportunity to throw together several letters, which I have received in the course of this work, and to balance with all my correspondents; at the same time assuring them, that I should be very glad to open a fresh account with them in my next volume. In the infancy of this undertaking I was honoured with a very kind billet from a brother of the quill; the terms of which I am sorry it was not in my power to comply with. It was as follows. DEAR SIR, I can be of great assistance to you, if you want any help. I will write for you every other week, or oftner if you choose it. As a specimen of my powers, I have sent you an essay, which is at your service. It is short, but a very good one. Yours at command, T. TURNPENNY, P. S. Please to send by the bearer a guinea. This alludes to the division of volumes in the second edition of this work. The contents of the postscript I naturally referred to the consideration of my publisher, who consequently had a right to determine on the goodness of my friend's essay; but, whatever was the reason, I heard no more of it. The commerce between bookseller and author is, indeed, of very great service, especially to the latter for though I myself must undoubtedly be excepted out of the number, yet it must be confessed, that the most famous wits have owed their support to this pecuniary intercourse. Meat and drink, and the other conveniences of life, are as necessary to an author as pen, ink and paper: and I remember to have seen in the possession of Mr. Tonson a curious manuscript of the great Dryden himself, wherein he petitions his bookseller to advance a sum of money to his taylor. The next letter comes likewise from an author, who complains of an evil, which does not, indeed, often affect many of our fraternity; I mean, the custom of giving money to servants. DEAR MR. TOWN, I have been happy all this winter in having the run of a nobleman's table, who was pleased to patronize a work of mine, and to which he allowed me the honour of prefixing his name in a dedication. We geniuses have spirit, you know, far beyond our pockets: and (besides the extraordinary expence of new clothes to appear decent) I assure you I have laid out every farthing, that I ever received from his lordship's bounty, in tips to his servants. After every dinner I was forced to run the gauntlet through a long line of powdered pickpockets; and could not but look upon it as a very ridiculous circumstance, that I should be obliged to give money to a fellow, who was dressed much finer than myself. In such a case, I am apt to consider the showy waiscoat of a foppish footman or butler out of livery, as laced down with the shillings and halfcrowns of the guests. I would therefore beg of you, Mr. Town, to recommend the poor author's case to the consideration of the gentlemen of the cloth; humbly praying, that they would be pleased to let us go scot-free as well as the clergy For though a good meal is in truth a very comfortable thing to us, it is enough to blunt the edge of our appetites, to consider that we must afterwards pay so dear for our ordinary. I am, Sir, Your humble servant, By some of my papers I find I have drawn upon me the censure, not only of the free-thinkers, but of the Moravians, Methodists, and other numerous sectaries, which have lately started up in opposition to our established religion. The following letter, occasioned by my sixty-first number, bears about it so many marks of an original, that it certainly comes from one of their teachers, who (as his style smells so much of the craft) is undoubtedly some inspired shoemaker, or enlightened bricklayer. I have therefore printed it without any alteration, except in the spelling. SIR, MR. CONNOISSEUR. I have taken the pains as usual to read your paper; and as you receive letters, I thought proper among the rest to send one also, to let you know, that I did not know that a cat was capable of constituting a religious society before. A priest may, 'tis true; and so may another rational creature, and perhaps an old woman also. But, Sir, you argue, that what a French fool or lunatic says on this head, is true; but you make more out, I observe, from the old woman and the leathern apron, than |