my felf, when I had Children grown up to keep my House, and adminifter comfortably to my Neceffities.

Here the two Divinities, by ftroking with their Hands, and applying a proper Antidote, expelled the Fire that had fwell'd the poor Prieft's Face and Eyes in a terrible He returned them a thousand Thanks for their Civility. They took their Leaves very courteously, often regretting the Miseries he seem'd to fuffer with fuch a Fury of a Wife.

manner:

Intell.] You are now, Ladies, very near Angela; but juft at Hand is the Prado, a Place eminent for what's either illuftrious or confpicuous; here the Rich and the Fair, adorned in their moft diftinguishing Habits, come to take the Duft, under pretence of Air. If a Lady be new-married, and longs to fhew her Equipage, no Place fo proper as the Prado. A Beauty juft come to Town, who has a mind to be a Toaft, expofes her felf first upon the Prado; the Gamefter after a lucky Run from no Shoes and a Coat out of Elbows, fteps into a large well-built Coach with Pillars and Arches, glorious Horfes, and Trappings, with rich Liveries, and where's the Place fo proper for Admiration as the Prado? The Aldermen's Wives come to learn Fashions, and make the Court envy the Luftre of their Jewels at the Prado young amourous Beaus, who have a mind to ogle the airy vain Coquet, whisk to the Prado; a Town-Husband would have but

an ill Life (thefe fashionable Times) if he grudg'd his Wife a Chariot for the Prado; nay, the very Country-Gentlewoman (humble in Town, and proud in the Country) when the has got her Husband in the Mind to let her come to Angela, thinks the had as good ftay at Home, if the be not able to have her only pair of Horfes drag her thro' the dirty Roads, in order to carry her to the Prado, with her Country-built Coach, and her ruftical Airs, to divert the rest of the Company. Nay, the very Coachmen here are fo refined, they fhall ridicule a Brother come from the Country, and find fault with his driving, because it mayn't be exactly a la mode de Prado. Both the Men and Women, who are not able themselves to keep Coaches, make their Court with indefatigable Industry to thofe who do, flattering their Haughtinefs, Affectation, Ill-nature, and Vanity, calling their Vices Vertues, to purchase by these egregious Compliances, a Back-place in their Coach, that they may Spark it in the Prado.. Not long ago, an honeft Gentleman, (whofe Father kept back the greateft part of the Eftate) fuffer'd. his handfome Wife to compound with her Gallant, (who had given her a Settlement for Life) upon fuch and fuch Terms, provided he toffed in a Jewel for her Neck, and a Chariot for the Prado; and therefore, Ladies, if you have a Curiofity, it must be impoffible you fhould not defire to fee the Ca-valcade of the Prado.

Afireas

Aftrea.] My Lady Intelligence judges of us by her felf; fhe thinks that we likewife find Diverfions among the moft Company: Tho I cannot foresee any great Ufe this will be to my Defign, yet it being an Establishment fince I left the World, I am contented to follow you to your admirable Prado.

Intell. See there the Prince Adario, confpicuous for his Equipage, but much more for his having his Princefs in the fame Coach with him. She came down deep to his French Valet de Chamber for this Favour. My Lady Vertue, fhe is certainly of your Court, and the greatest Ornament of that of Angela's. Is not her Perfon graceful, her Air Tweet and modeft? Would not one believe her Charms were fufficient to conquer a Thoufand Hearts? yet they make no Impreffion upon that only One the defires to touch. Her Birth is moft Illuftrious, defcended from a Race of Heroe's; neither has Scandal, (which fcarce fpares your very Ladyfhips) tainted her Character; but when they object, they tell us, the loves Cards too well, which was a Diverfion fhe probably took up, to amufe her Trouble of Mind from her Lord's repeated Inconftancy. How great and how little is that Man? Something fo very high, and yet fo very low in his Character; even his Generofity is a Vertue too much extended, and borders fo intimately upon Extravagancy, that one knows not how to divide them: Then the Merit of his Courage is fo allay'd by his

Want

want of Conduct, that in praifing one, it always puts us in mind how much we ought to blame the other. So ambitious in his Principles; fo humble in his Converfe; fo managed by his Favourites, and fo miftaken in his unworthy Choice of them. In his Amours only there's no Contradiction, there 'tis all of a Piece, Vice without any Allay; he has corrupted more Women than a Grand Seignior; his Pleasure confifts in Variety; he leaves nothing undone to compafs his Ends, and becaufe Money makes the best Dispatch, he is lavifh of that to profufenefs. The Traders in Amour no fooner fee a handfome young Girl come to Town, a Citizen married to a pretty Wife, a beautiful Daughter exposed to the Frowns of Fortune, by the Death of Parents, but they run with Intelligence to his Highness. The French Valets introduce them, one is very well rewarded, and the others, by thefe Services, keep themselves in Favour. Yet has he this of Magnificent in his Temper, he turns none of his Women to ftarve when he has done with them; there are several (that fometimes fhine in the Prado) to whom he has given large Cantons of his Eftate. His now Favourite Mistress is a Woman of exalted Birth; he purchased her of her Mother (and that was most abominable!) by a confiderable Sum to her felf, and a Settlement of two thousand Crowns a Year upon her Daughter; the Reverend Matron did not blufh to fell the Prince's

Fa

Favour to all that would purchase; (a wretched Principle.) She was not afhamed to take fixty Pieces of a poor Poet, (all the Profit that his Brains had ever been able to prefent him) to make him only a Subaltern. The French Valets rejoiced at her Death, because she was very like, during her Daughter's Reign, to run away with their Profit, the Bribes having all found the way to her. When the Prince went to his ViceRoyalty in the Indies, the Princefs, his Wife, was forced to give an incredible Sum to thofe rafcally Fellows, or fhe had been left behind; yet had the the new Mortification to find her Lord fo wholly neglectful of her, and of all Business, as to fhut up himfelf whole Days, to write long tedious repeated Affurances of Love to his then reigning Miftrefs: Neither was he ever eafy 'till the arrived. But thofe Tranfports are pretty well abated of their first Violence; he has returned, long fince, to his darling Love of Variety. 'Tis pity no kind Hand is found to refcue him from this continu'd Vice, to point out his Lady's fuffering Merit, that if poffible, he may, tho' late, do Juftice to it. He's now no longer in his Youth; 'tis time thefe Follies fhould pafs away, but I doubt there's fmall Hopes of it whilft he is in thofe Hands that manage him (but by the Continuation of his Frailties) and will not, in all probability, fo much to their own Prejudice, awaken him from that Lethargy he appears fo many

Years