the dear child committed to my care, let her sobriety of carriage, and severity of behaviour, be such as may make that noble lord who is taken with her beauty, turn his designs to such as are honourable.' Here Parisatis heard her niece nestle closer to the key-hole: she then goes on; 'Make her the joyful mother of a numerous and wealthy offspring; and let her carriage be such, as may make this noble youth expect the blessings of an happy marriage, from the singularity of her life, in this loose and censorious age.' Miss, having heard enough, sneaks off for fear of discovery, and immediately at her glass alters the setting of her head; then pulls up her tucker, and forms herself into the exact manner of Lindamira: in a word, becomes a sincere convert to every thing that is commendable in a fine young lady; and two or three such matches, as her aunt feigned in her devotions, are at this day in her choice. This is the history and original cause of Pastorella's conversion from coquetry. The prudence in the management of this young lady's tem per, and good judgment of it, is hardly to be exceeded. I scarce remember a greater instance of forbearance of the usual peevish way with which the aged treat the young than this, except that of our famous Noy, whose good-nature went so far, as to make him put off his admonitions to his son, even until after his death; and did not give him his thoughts of him, until he came to read that memorable passage in his will: All the rest of my estate,' says he, 'I leave to my son Edward (who is executor to this my will), to be squandered as he shall think fit: I leave it him for that purpose, and hope no better from him.'

8 William Noy, attorney general in 1631. His will is dated June 3, 1634, about a month or six weeks before his death.

A generous disdain, and reflection upon how little he deserved from so excellent a father, reformed the young man, and made Edward from an arrant rake become a fine gentleman9.

St. James's Coffee-house, April 29.

LETTERS from Portugal of the eighteenth instant, dated from Estremos, say, that on the sixth the earl of Galway arrived at that place, and had the satisfaction to see the quarters well furnished with all manner of provisions, and a quantity of bread sufficient for subsisting the troops for sixty days, besides biscuit for twenty-five days. The enemy give out, that they shall bring into the field fourteen regiments of horse, and twenty-four battalions. The troops in the service of Portugal will make up 14,000 foot, and 4000 horse. On the day these letters were dispatched, the earl of Galway received advice, that the marquis de Bay was preparing for some enterprize, by gathering his troops together on the frontiers. Whereupon his excellency resolved to go that same night to Villa Viciosa, to assemble the troops in that neighbourhood, in order to disappoint his designs.

Yesterday in the evening captain Foxton, aid decamp to major-general Cadogan, arrived here express from the duke of Marlborough. And this day a mail is come in with letters from Brussels of the sixth

9 The expedient (Wood tells us) did not operate an alteration in his son, so altogether favourable; for within two years Edward was slain in a duel by one captain Byron, who was pardoned for it. Athen. Oxon. edit. 1691. vol, i. 507.-The anagram of his name becomes "I moyl in Law;" and Noy was an indefatigable plodder in his profession.

of May, N. S. which advise, that the enemy had drawn together a body, consisting of 20,000 men, with a design, as was supposed, to intercept the great convoy on the march towards Lisle, which was safely arrived at Menin and Courtray, in its way to that place, the French having retired without making any attempt.

We hear from the Hague, that a person of the first quality is arrived in the Low Countries from France, in order to be a plenipotentiary in the ensuing treaty of peace.

Letters from France acknowledge, that monsieur Bernard has made no higher offers of satisfaction to his creditors than of 351. per cent.

These advices add, that the marshal Boufflers, monsieur Torcy (who distinguished himself formerly, by advising the court of France to adhere to the treaty of partition), and monsieur d'Harcourt (who negotiated with cardinal Portocarrero for the succession of the crown of Spain in the house of Bourbon) are all three joined in a commission for a treaty of peace. The marshal is come to Ghent: the other two are arrived at the Hague.

It is confidently reported here, that the right honourable the lord Townshend is to go with his grace the duke of Marlborough into Holland.

*** Mr. Bickerstaff has received the epistles of Mrs. Rebecca Wagstaff, Timothy Pikestaff and Wagstaff, which he will acknowledge farther as occasion shall serve.

STEELE.

N° 10. TUESDAY, MAY 3, 1709.

Quicquid agunt homines

nostri est farrago libelli.

Whatever good is done, whatever ill

JUV. Sat. i. 85, 86.

By human kind, shall this collection fill.

BY MRS. JENNY DISTAFF', HALF-SISTER TO MR.

BICKERSTAFF.

From my own Apartment, May 1.

My brother Isaac, having a sudden occasion to go out of town, ordered me to take upon me the dispatch of the next advices from home, with liberty to speak in my own way; not doubting the allowances which would be given to a writer of my sex. You may be

sure I undertook it with much satisfaction: and I con

We find Miss, a contraction of Mistress, in Miege's French Dictionary, 1688; but in 1709 the appellation of miss seems to have been given only to girls not yet in their teens, or to loose young women. In No 9, the giddy Pastorella is styled miss; but here it is Mrs. Jenny Distaff, and she was only turned of twenty, as we find N° 33. A young lady of nineteen is called mistress in Spec. No 534. i. e. in 1712. Shakspeare distinguishes maidens from their mothers, by adding the christian names; 'mistress Ann Page,' anno 1601. See more N° 13, note.-At what time the term miss first began to be used as the only appellative to unmarried ladies, it is not easy to ascertain. But from a passage in the Universal Spectator of July 1, 1738, it may be supposed to have been then of recent introduction.

fess, I am not a little pleased with the opportunity of running over all the papers in his closet, which he has left open for my use on this occasion. The first that I lay my hands on, is a treatise concerning the Empire of Beauty,' and the effects it has had, in all nations of the world, upon the public and private ac tions of men; with an appendix, which he calls, 'The Bachelor's Scheme for governing his Wife.' The first thing he makes this gentleman propose, is, that she shall be no woman; for she is to have an aversion to balls, to operas, to visits: she is to think his company sufficient to fill up all the hours of life with great satisfaction; she is never to believe any other man wise, learned, or valiant; or at least, but in a second degree. In the next place, he intends she shall be a cuckold; but expects, that he himself must live in perfect security from that terror. He dwells a great while on instructions for her discreet behaviour, in case of his falsehood. I have not patience with these unreasonable expectations, therefore turn back to the treatise itself. Here indeed my brother deduces all the revolutions among men from the passion of love; and in his preface answers that usual observation against us, that there is no quarrel without a woman in it,' with a gallant assertion, that there is nothing else worth quarrelling for.' My brother is of a complexion truly amorous; all his thoughts and actions carry in them a tincture of that obliging inclination; and this turn has opened his eyes to see that we are not the inconsiderable creatures which unlucky pretenders to our favour would insinuate. He observes, that no man begins to make any tolerable figure, until he sets out with the hopes of pleasing some one of us. No sooner he takes that in hand, but he pleases every one else by the bye. It has an immediate effect upon