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ever fince the beauteous Cecilia has made fuch a figure as fhe now does in the circle of charming women, Cynthio has been fecretly one of her adorers. Lætitia has

been the finest woman in town these three months, and fo long Cynthia has acted the part of a lover very awkwardly in the prefence of Flavia. Flavia has been too blind towards him, and has too fincere an heart of her own to observe a thousand things which would have difcovered this change of mind to any one lefs engaged than fhe was. Cynthia was mufing yesterday in the piazza in Covent Garden, and was faying to himself that he was a very ill man to go on in visiting and profeffing love to Flavia, when his heart was inthralled to another. It is an infirmity that I am not conftant to Flavia; but it would be still a greater crime, fince I cannot continue to love her, to profefs that I do. To marry a woman with the coldness that ufually indeed comes on after marriage, is ruining one's felf with one's eyes open; befides it is really doing her an injury. This laft confideration, forfooth, of injuring her in perfifting, made him refolve to break off upon the first favourable opportunity of making her angry. When he was in this thought, he faw Robin the porter, who waits at Will's coffee-house, paffing by. Robin, you must know, is the best man in town for carrying a billet; the fellow has a thin body, fwift ftep, demure looks, fufficient fenfe, and knows the town. This man carried Cynthio's first letter to Flavia, and by frequent errands ever fince, is well known to her.

The fellow covers his knowledge of the nature of his meffages with the most exquifite low humour imaginable: The firft he obliged Flavia to take, was by complaining to her that he had a wife and three children, and if he did not take that letter, which he was fure, there was no harm in, but rather love, his family muft go fupperlefs to bed, for the gentleman would pay him according as he did his bufinefs. Robin therefore Cynthio now thought fit to make use of, and im orders to wait before Flavia's door, and if she caned him to her, and asked whether it was Cynthio who paffed by, he fhould at firft be loth to own it was, but upon impor tunity confefs it. There needed not much fearch into that part of the town to find a well-dressed huffey fit for

the

the purpofe Cynthio defigned her. As foon as he be lieved Robin was pofted, he drove by Flavia's lodgings in an hackney-coach and a woman in it. Robin was at the door talking with Flavia's maid, and Cynthio pulled up the glafs as furprifed, and hid his affociate. The report of this circumftance foon flew up ftairs, and Robin could not deny but the gentleman favoured his mafter; yet if it was he, he was fure the lady was but his cousin whom he had feen afk for him; adding that he believed the was a poor relation, because they made her wait one morning till he was awake. Flavia immediately writ the following epiftle, which Rabin brought to Will's.

SIR,

June, 4, 1712. T is in vain to deny it, bafeft, falfeft of mankind;

I'my maid, as well as the bearer faw you.

The injur'd Flavia.

After Cynthio had read the letter, he asked Robin how fhe looked,and what she said at the delivery of it. Robin' faid she spoke fhort to him, and called him back again, and had nothing to fay to him, and bid him and all the men in the world go out of her fight; but the maid: followed, and bid him bring an answer.

Cynthio returned as follows.

Madam,

T

June 4, Three Afternoon, 1712. HAT maid and the bearer has feen me very your often is very certain; but I defire to know, being engaged at piquet, what your letter means by 'tis in vain to deny it. I fhall ftay here all the evening.

Your amazed Cynthio..

As foon as Robin arrived with this, Flavia answered:

Dear Cynthio,

I

Have walked a turn or two in my anti-chamber fince I writ to you, and have recovered myfelt from an impertinent fit which you ought to forgive me, and

• defire

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• defire you would come to me immediately to laugh off a jealoufy that you and a creature of the town went by in an hackney coach an hour ago.

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I am your most humble servant,

FLAVIA.

I will not open the letter which my Cynthio writ upon the mifapprehenfion you must have been under when you writ, for want of hearing the whole circumftance.

Robin came back in an instant, and Cynthio anfwered';

Madam,

I

Half an hour, fix minutes after three,
June 4, Will's coffee-bouse.

T is certain I went by your lodging with a gentlewoman to whom I have the honour to be known, 'fhe is indeed my relation, and a pretty fort of a wo-' man. But your ftarting manner of writing, and owning you have not done me the honour fo much as to open my letter, has in it fomething very unaccountable, and alarms one that has had thoughts of paffing his ⚫ days with you. But I am born to admire you with all your little imperfections.

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CYNTHIO.

Robin run back, and brought for answer;

E

XACT Sir, that are at Will's coffee-house fix minutes after three, June 4; one that has had thoughts, and all my little imperfections. Sir, come to me immediately, or I shall determine what may perhaps not be very pleafing to you.

FLAVIA.

Robin gave an account that she looked exceffive angry when the gave him the letter; and that he told her, for fhe afked, that Cynthio only looked at the clock, taking fauff, and writ two or three words on the top of the let ter when he gave him his.

Now

Now the plot thickened fo well, as that Cynthio saw he had not much more to accomplish being irreconcilaably banished, he writ,

Madam,

I'

Have that prejudice in favour of all you do, that it is not poffible for you to determine upon what will not be very pleasing to

Your obedient fervant,

CYNTHIO.

This was delivered, and the answer returned, in a little more than two feconds.

SIR,

Is

'S it come to this? You never loved me; and the creature you were with is the propereft perfon for your affociate. I defpife you, and hope I'fhall foon hate you as a villain to The credulous Flavia.

Robin ran back with

Madam,

YOUR credulity when you are to gain your point, and fufpicion when you fear to lose it, make it a

You

" very hard part to behave as becomes

Your bumble flave,

CYNTHIO.

Robin whipt away, and return'd with,

Mr. Wellford,

I relieve you

LAVIA and Cynthio are no more.
from the hard part of which you complain, and
you from my fight for ever.

• banish

Ann Heart.

Robin had a crown for his afternoon's work; and this

is published to admonish Cecilia to avenge the injury

done to Flavia.

N° 399

Saturday, June 7.

Ut nemo in fefe tentat defcendere!- Perf. Sat. 4. v. 23.
None, none descends into himself, to find
The fecret imperfections of his mind.

H

DRYDEN.

"YPOCRISY at the fashionable end of the town, is very different from hypocrify in the city. The modifh hypocrite endeavours to appear more vicious than he really is, the other kind of hypocrite more virtuous. The former is afraid of every thing that has the fhew of religion in it, and would be thought engaged in many criminal galantries and amours, which he is not guilty of. The latter affumes a face of fanctity, and covers a multitude of vices under a feeming religious deportment.

But there is another kind of hypocrify, which differs from both these, and which I intend to make the fubject of this paper: I mean that hypocrify, by which a man does not only deceive the world, but very often impofes on himself; that hypocrify which conceals his own heart from him, and makes him believe he is more virtuous than he really is, and either not attend to his vices, or mistake even his vices for virtues. It is this fatal hypocrify, and felf-deceit, which is taken notice of in thofe words, Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from fecret faults.

If the open profeffors of impiety deserve the utmost application and endeavours of moral writers to recover; them from vice and folly, how much more may those lay a claim to their care and compaffion, who are walking in the paths of death, while they fancy themfelves engaged in a course of virtue! I fhall endeavour, therefore, to lay down fome rules for the discovery of those vices that lurk in the fecret corners of the foul, and to fhew my reader those methods by which he may arrive at a true and impartial knowledge of himself. The ufual means prescribed for this purpose, are to examine ourselves by the

rules

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