prov'd more fatal to me, than Cupid and all his Roguery; for, Madam, while I was Star-gazing t'other Night at your Window, full of Fire and Flame, (as we Lovers ufe to be) I dropt plumb into your Fishpond, by the fame Token that I hifs'd like a red-hot Horfe-fhoe Aung into a Smith's Trough. 'Twas a hun dred Pounds to a Penny but I had been drown'd; for thofe that came to my Aflistance, left me to fhift for my felf,while they fcrambled for boil'd Fish that were as plentiful as Herrings at Rotterdam. Some of my Fellow-fufferers I caught, of which I intend to make an Offering to your Ladythip, as well as of, Madam, Your most devoted Slave,

Colletier,

A

To Madam

S nothing is fo honourable as an an cient Friendship, fo nothing is fo fcandalous as an old Paffion. Undeceive yourself, Madam, of the false Merit of being faithful, and take it for a certain Truth, that Conftancy is the only Thing in the World that can bring the Repuration of your Beauty in Question. Who knows whether you refolv'd to love but one Perfon; or whether it was your Happiness to find but one fingle Lover. Malicious People will be apt to fancy the latter.

You vainly imagine that you practife a Vertue, while, alas! you make us fufpect you have Defects we don't perceive. In the mean Time, confider how many Inquietudes accompany this pretended Vertue, and what a vaft Difference there is between

the

the Difgufts that an old Engagement gives us, and the pleasant Conflicts of a growing Paffion.

In a new Amour we pass every Hour of the Day with new Satisfaction. Tis an unexpreffible Pleasure to find that our Love grows upon us every Minute; but in a Paffion of an old ftanding, our Time is spent very uneafily, in ftill loving less, or not loving at all.

We may live well enough with Perfons that are indifferent to us either common Civility, good Manners, or the Confideration that they may fome. times be ferviceable to us, may reconcile us to it: But how miferably do we pafs our Lives with them whom we love, when we find that we are not be lov'd again?

I have only four Words more to fay to you, and I will be fo free with you as to defire you to make some Reflection upon them. If you continue ftill to place your Affection upon that which ought to difpleafe you, 'tis a Sign you have none of the best Taftes; and if you have not Refolution enough to quit that which makes you uneafy, 'tis a downright Weak-nefs; you ought to put it into your Litany, and pray to be deliver'd from it.

Out of the Reflections of Monfieur Villiers. To his much efteem'd Friend, Monfieur Shewing the Dif ference between a young Lady and anold Hypocrite..

I

Remember that the laft Time I had the Honour of your Converfation, we happen'd to talk of feveral Perfons that made a great Oftentation of their Piety, and pafs'd for Saints in the Places where they liv'd, who, as we had juft Occafion to fufpect,

by

by their over-acting the Farce, were downright Cheats, if truly examin'd. I was going to confirm this with a Story that lately fell within my own Obfervation; but happen'd to be interrupted by the coming in of fresh Company, which put a Stop to the Difcourfe. However, as it is worth your knowing, I have given my felf the Trouble to fend you a full Account of it in this Letter.

About a Month ago I had Occafion to travel into the Country with two Ladies, one of them a young Marchionefs, defcended of one of the nobleft Families iu the Kingdom; the other a Lawyer's Widow, about fifty Years old, who took the fame Title upon her, tho' the Meannefs of her Extraction, and her Husband's Em ployment, that was none of the most honourable, might have fecur'd her, one would have thought, from fo ridiculous a Temptation. But being left very rich, her own Vanity, and the Complaifance of her Friends, had made her a Marchionefs, and this was the Title fhe receiv'd on all Occafions, and at laft challeng'd as her Due.

I had but little Acquaintance with either of them; but I was engag'd in this Journey by a Friend, whose Commands I could not well disobey, and who knew both thefe Ladies perfectly well.

We were going to the Government of the young Marchionefs's Hufband, where he was expected, and Preparations were made on the Road for her Reception, the old Marchionefs travelling only as her Companion; however, he had her Share ofall the Honours and Civilities that were paid to the other. At the first City where we arriv'd, as foon as we had alighted out of the Coach, the young Marchionefs was invited to a very pleasant Walk without the Town; and it being Summer-time, fhe embrac'd the Motion: But the old Lady taking an Air of Authority upon her, faid it would be much better to go to Church, and hear a good Sermon there. The young Marchionefs told her, the might go thither if the pleas'd, while fhe took a Walk. This Anfwer cruelly nettled the Widow; but she diffembled

the

the Matter as well as he could, and, taking the next Way to the Church;fhe defir'd me to bear her Company thither. Altho' this Fit of Devotion feem'd fomewhat unfeasonable to me, yet good Manners would not fuffer me to let her walk alone. So with her I went, and all the Way had the Satisfaction to hear her vent her godly Spleen very plentifully at the young Marchionefs; he told me a hundred reproachful Stories of her; nay, she did not forbear to cenfure even her Conduct. This Language continu'd 'till fhe came into the ChurchPorch. Iadmir'd with my felf how it was poffible for fo zealous a Sermon-hunter to be fo damnably cenforious.

All the while he was at Church, fhe made up her Mouth as demurely as the beft of the Congregation; as foon as it was over, the re-affum'd the old Argument, and rail'd on as faft as her malicious Lungs would give her leave, 'till we came to the young Marchonefs, who was still walking in the Garden. I had there an Opportunity to difcourfe the young Lady in private; and to fatisfy my felf whether there had been ang former Quarrel between them; turn'd the Converfation upon the old Marchionefs, of whom she fpoke in very obliging Terms, and did not fay the leaft Syllable of her that was difrefpectful. I then made no Difficulty to conclude, that this formal Hypocrite, that was perpetually difgorging broken Ends of Sermons, and pelting every Body that came near her with Texts of Scripture, was nothing near fo vertuous at Bottom as the young Lady, who kept her Devotion to herself; and I made a thousand Observations during this fhort Journey, that fully confirm'd me in this Opinion.

The young Marchionefs, who, as I told you before, made no great Noife or Buftle about her Religion, fpent but half an Hour at her Toilet, and always got ready one of the firft for her Journey.

The old Lady fpent no lefs than three Hours in tricking herself, and made the Company perpetually tarry for her.

Our

Our religious Dame, for all her Pretences to Mortification, thought it no Sin to patch and paint her felf: The Marchionefs, content with her Face fuch ́as Heaven made it, fcorn'd to have Recourse to such Artifices.

The former muft always have her Gellies, and Broths, and Caudles, and the Lord knows what, brought to her before he would venture her Carcafe out of Bed; the latter never thought of eating'till the very Moment before he went into her Coach.

The young Lady was always in good Humour, fpoke well of every Body, was fatisfy'd with every Thing, and carefully avoided all the Complements and Honours that were done her, in a Country where she was Mistress.

On the other Hand, the old Marchionefs, who was a perfect Stranger in it, not only took every Occasion to receive them, but was always complaining that The had not Refpect enough paid her. The Beds were never good enough for her, the Dinner never pleas'd her, the Servants were always fawcy or negligent, the Bills unreasonable, the Coach-man either drove too faft or too flow: Still fhe found one Opportunity or another to vent her pious Indignation. No Body's Name could be mention'd to her, but ftill fhe found fomething to blame in their Conduct. Then fhe was the moft imperious Devil alive to her Servants, none of her Women ever liv'd a full Fortnight with her. In fhort, fhe was eternally railing, cenfuring, and backbiting but ftill fhe did it with a godly Air, and in the Language of the Old Teftament.

If any one now should ask me the Question, which of these two I thought to have the moft Religion, I fhould immediately declare my felf in Favour of the young Marchionefs; and yet to fee how partially the World judges of Perfons, the young Lady paffes by common Confent for a Woman that is wholly devoted to the World, and the other is univerfally taken for a Saint.

Thus