The Visionary, whofe name was Marraton, after having travelled for a long space under an hollow mountain, arrived at length on the confines of this world of Spirits; but could not enter it by reafon of a thick foreft made up of bushes, brambles, and pointed thorns, fo perplexed and interwoven with one another, that it was impoffible to find a paffage through it. Whilst he was looking about for fome track or path-way that might be worn in any part of it, he faw an huge Lion couched under the fide of it, who kept his eye upon him in the fame pofture as when he watches for his prey. The Indian immediately started back, whilst the Lion rose with a spring, and leaped towards him. Being wholly deftitute of all other weapons, he stooped down to take up an huge stone in his hand; but to his infinite furprize grafped nothing, and found the supposed stone to be only the apparition of one. If he was difappointed on this fide, he was as much pleafed on the other, when he found the Lion, which had feized on his left shoulder, had no power to hurt him and was only the Ghost of that ravenous creature which it appeared to be. He no fooner got rid of his impotent enemy, but he marched up to the wood, and after having furveyed it for fome time, endeavoured to prefs. into one part of it that was a little thinner than the reft; when again, to his great furprize, he found the bushes made no refiftance, but that he walked through briars and brambles with the fame eafe as through the open air; and, in fhort, that the whole wood was nothing elfe but a wood of Shades. He immediately concluded, that this huge thicket of thorns and brakes was defigned as a kind of fence or quick-fet hedge to the Ghosts it inclosed; and that probably their foft fubftances might be torn by these subtle points and prickles, which were too weak to make any impreffions in flesh and blood. With this thought he resolved to travel through this intricate wood; when by degrees he felt a gale of perfumes breathing upon him, that grew ftronger and fweeter in proportion as he advanced. He had not proceeded much further when he observedthe thorns and briars to end, and give place to a thousand beautiful green trees covered with bloffoms of the fineft fcents and colours, that formed a wilderness of fweets, and were a kind of lining to thofe ragged fcenes which he had before paffed through. As he was coming out of this de-lightful part of the wood, and entering upon the plains it inclofed, he faw feveral horsemen rushing by him, and a little while after heard the cry of a pack of dogs. He had not liftned long before he faw the apparition of a milk-white steed, with a young man on the back of it, advancing upon full stretch after the Souls of about an hundred beagles that were hunting Uuu 2

down

down the ghost of an hare, which ran away before them with an unspeakable swiftnefs. As the man on the milk-white fteed came by him, he looked upon him very attentively, and found him to be the young Prince Nicharagua, who died about half a year before, and, by reafon of his great virtues, was at that time lamented over all the western parts of America.

He had no fooner got out of the wood, but he was entertained with fuch a landskip of flowry plains, green meadows, running ftreams, funny hills, and shady vales, as were not to be reprefented by his own expreffions, nor, as he faid, by the conceptions of others. This happy region was peopled with innumerable fwarms of Spirits, who applied themfelves to exercises and diverfions according as their fancies led them. Some of them were toffing the figure of a coit; others were pitching the fhadow of a bar; others were breaking the apparition of a horse; and multitudes employing themselves upon ingenious handicrafts with the Souls of departed Utensils; for that is the name which in the Indian language they give their tools when they are burnt or broken. As he travelled through this delightful scene, he was very often tempted to pluck the flowers that rofe every where about him in the greatest variety and profufion, having never seen several of them in his own country: but he quickly found that though they were objects of his fight, they were not liable to his touch. He at length came to the fide of a great river, and being a good fisherman himself, stood upon the banks of it fome time to look upon an Angler that had taken a great many fhapes of fishes, which lay flouncing up and down by him.

I fhould have told my Reader, that this Indian had been formerly married to one of the greatest beauties of his country, by whom he had feveral children. This couple were fo famous for their love and conftancy to one another, that the Indians to this day, when they give a married man joy of his wife, wish that they may live together like Marraton and Taratilda. Marraton had not stood long by the fisherman when he faw the fhadow of his beloved Taratilda, who had for fome time fixed her eye. upon him, before he discovered her. Her arms were ftretched out towards him, floods of tears ran down her eyes; her looks, her hands, her voice called him over to her; and at the fame time feemed to tell him that the river was unpaffable. Who can describe the paffion made up of joy, forrow, love, defire, aftonishment, that rose in the Indian upon the fight of his dear Taratilda? he could express it by nothing but his tears, which ran like a river down his cheeks as he looked upon her. He had

not

not stood in this posture long, before he plunged into the stream tha lay before him; and finding it to be nothing but the phantom of a river, stalked on the bottom of it till he arofe on the other fide. At his approach Taratilda flew into his arms, whilft Marraton wifhed himself difencumbred of that body which kept her from his embraces. After many questions and endearments on both fides, fhe conducted him to a bower which he had dreffed with her own hands with all the ornaments that could be met with in those blooming regions. She had made it gay beyond imagination, and was every day adding fomething new to it. As Marraton ftood aftonished at the unspeakable beauty of her habitation, and ravished with the fragrancy that came from every part of it, Taratilda told him that fhe was preparing this bower for his reception, as well knowing that his piety to his God, and his faithful dealing towards men, would certainly bring him to that happy place, whenever his life should be at an end. She then brought two of her children to him, who died fome years before, and refided with her in the fame delightful bower; advising him to breed up those others which were ftill with him in such a manner, that they might hereafter all of them meet together in this happy place.

This tradition tells us further, that he had afterwards a fight of those difmal habitations which are the portion of ill men after death; and mentions several molten feas of gold, in which were plunged the Souls of barbarous Europeans, who put to the fword fo many thousands of poor Indians for the fake of that precious metal: But having already touched upon the chief points of this tradition, and exceeded the measure of my paper, I shall not give any further account of it.

Saturday,

Juv.

Quem præftare poteft mulier galeata pudorem
Que fugit a fexu?

W

HEN the wife of Hector, in Homer's Iliads, difcourfes with her husband about the battel in which he was going to engage, the Heroe, defiring her to leave that matter to his care, bids. her go to her maids and mind her fpinning: by which the Poet intimates, that men and women ought to bufie themselves in their proper fpheres, and on fuch matters only as are fuitable to their respective sex.

I am at this time acquainted with a young Gentleman, who has paffed a great part of his life in the nursery, and, upon occafion, can make a caudle or a fack poffet better than any man in England. He is likewife a wonderful Critick in cambrick and muflins, and will talk an hour together upon a sweet-meat. He entertains his mother every night with obfervations that he makes both in Town and Court as what Lady fhews the niceft fancy in her drefs; what man of quality wears the faireft whig; who has the finest linnen, who the prettieft fnuff-box, with many other the like curious remarks that may be made in good company. On the other hand I have very frequently the opportunity of seeing a rural Andromache, who came up to Town laft winter, and is one of the greatest fox hunters in the country. She talks of hounds and horses, and makes nothing of leaping over a fix-bar gate. If a man tells her a waggish story, the gives him a push with her hand in jeft, and calls him an impudent dog; and if her fervant neglects his business, threatens to kick him out of the house. I have heard her, in her wrath, call a substantial tradesman a loufie cur; and remember one day, when he could not think of the name of a perfon, fhe defcribed him, in a large company of Men and Ladies, by the fellow with the broad fhoulders.

If those speeches and actions, which in their own nature are indifferent, appear ridiculous when they proceed from a wrong fex, the faults and

imperfections of one sex transplanted into another, appear black and monftrous. As for the men, I fhall not in this paper any further concern my self about them; but as I would fain contribute to make woman-kind, which is the most beautiful part of the creation, entirely amiable, and wear out all thofe little spots and blemishes that are apt to rife among the charms which nature has poured out upon them, I fhall dedicate this paper to the irfervice. The fpot which I would here endeavour to clear them of, is that party-rage which of late years is very much crept into their conversation. This is, in its nature, a male vice, and made up of many angry and cruel paffions that are altogether repugnant to the foftnefs, the modefty, and those other endearing qualities which are natural to the fair fex. Women were formed to temper mankind, and footh them into tenderness and compaffion; not to fet an edge upon their minds, and blow up in them those paffions which are too apt to rise of their own accord. When I have seen a pretty mouth uttering calumnies and invectives, what would I not have given to have ftopt it? how have I been troubled to fee fome of the finest features in the world grow pale, and tremble with party-rage? Camilla is one of the greatest beauties in the British nation, and yet values her felf more upon being the Virago of one party, than upon being the Toast of both. The dear creature, about a week ago, encountered the fierce and beautiful Penthefilea across a tea-table; but in the height of her anger, as her hand chanced to fhake with the earnestness of the difpute, fhe fcalded her fingers, and spilt a dish of tea upon her petticoat. Had not this accident broke off the debate, no body knows where it would have ended.

There is one confideration which I would earnestly recommend to all my female readers, and which, I hope, will have fome weight with them. In fhort, it is this, that there is nothing fo bad for the face as party-zeal.. It gives an ill-natured caft to the eye, and a disagreeable fournefs to the look; befides, that it makes the lines too strong, and flushes them worfe than brandy. I have seen a woman's face break out in heats, as she has been talking against a great Lord, whom she had never feen in her life; and indeed never knew a party-woman that kept her beauty for a twelvemonth. I would therefore advise all my female readers, as they value their complexions, to let alone all difputes of this nature; though, at the fame time I would give free liberty to all fuperannuated motherly partizans to be as violent as they please, fince there will be no danger either of their spoiling their faces, or of their gaining converts.

For