your Beauty, not to inform you, that you'll injure it extreamly, fhould you be fo ill advised as to fet off and adorn your felf after the Fafhion of the Court-Ladies on the Queen's BirthDay. Let others of your Sex make Ufe of Ornaments; for, properly fpeaking, they are but fo many artificial Helps, which we employ to cover the Defects of Nature, or elfe to give us fome Agreements that are wanting in our Perfons. But, Heaven be praifed, Madam, you lie under no fuch Neceflity: Every Ornament that is beftow'd upon you, hides a Charm, as every Ornament that is taken from you, reftores you fome new Graces; and you are never fo lovely, as when we behold nothing in you but your felf. The greatest Part of the Ladies lofe themfelves very advantageously under their Drefs. How many indifferent Faces pafs well enough with Jew els and Diamonds, and conquer Hearts by Candle-light, that would make a very forry Figure without them. The richeft Necklace in the World would have an ill Effect upon you. It would make fome Alteration in your Perfon, and every Alteration that happens to a perfect Beauty, would cer tainly be for the worse. Leave others then to ruin themfelves by their Jewels, and other Decorations; Nature that has been at fo vaft an Expence to frame you, has fav'd you that. Charge. You, Madam, would be very ingrateful, and we should discover but a wretched Tafte, should we not be equally content with that Profufion of Gifts he has heap'd upon you. I would counfel you, Madam, to take the fame Meafures on her Majesty's Birth-Day, which the famous Buffi d' Amboife formerly obferv'd at a Tournament. Being inform'd before-hand, that all the Noblemen of the Court defign'd to put themselves to an extraordinary Expence in their Equipages and Cloaths, he order'd thofe of his Retinue to be drefs'd like Lords, and appear'd himself in the the plainest Drefs in the World, at the Head of fo rich a Train. The Advantages of Nature were fo confpicuous in the Perfon of Buff, that he alone was taken for a great Lord, and the other Noblemen, that rely'd fo much upon the Magnificence of their Habits, pafs'd but for Valets. Govern your felf, I befeech you, Madam, by the Example of Buffs: Let your Women be attir'd like Dutcheffes, but as for your felf, appear in the ordinary Drefs of a Country Nymph, with nothing but the Charms of your Beauty to recommend you. All the Ladies will be taken for your Women, and the Plainnefs of your Habit will not hinder you from out-fhining all the Queens in the Univerfe. I have no great Inclination to tell Stories, which, perhaps, is nothing but the Effect of an ill-grounded Vanity, that makes me prefer the expreffing of what I imagine, to the reciting of what I have feen. The Profeffion of a Storyteller fits but awkardly upon young People, and is downright Weakness in old Men. When Our Wit is not arriv'd to its due Vigour, or when it begins to decline, we then take a Pleafure in telling what does not put us to any great Expence of Thought. However, I will for once renounce the Pleasure which I generally take in my own Imagination, to recount to you a fhort Adventure, which I once faw happen at the Hague. During my Refidence in that Place, fome malicious Demon put it one Day into the Head of a certain Count and his Friend, to draw the Eyes of the Spectators after them. To put which noble Defign in Execution, they both refolv'd that their Drefs fhould have all the Magnificence which this Part of the World was able to give it, and at the fame Time difcover the Goodness of their Invention. The Count, who was one of the niceft Men of his Age, had a thousand Singularities to distinguifh him. He had a Plume of Feathers in his Hat, which was button'd up by a Diamond, the largeft that could be found for this Occafion: He wore about his Neck fome Point de Venise, which was neither a Cravat nor a Band, but a small Ruff, which had ferv'd him formerly instead of a Golille when he liv'd at Madrid. After this, Madam, you would expect to find him in a Doublet, after the Spanish manner, but, to your Surprize, I muft tell you, it was an Hungarian Veft. Then the Ghost of Antiquity haunted his Memory, he cover'd his Ancles with Bufkins, but infinitely richer than the ancient Romans us'd to wear them, on which he had order'd his Miftrefs's Name to be written in Letters that were extreamly well defign'd upon an Embroidery of Pearls. From his Hat down to his Veft 'twas all fingular, and old, and fanciful: By the latter you would have taken him for the Count de Serini, or fome Beau of Quality, dropt out of the Hungarian World; and an old Picture of Cafar or Scipio had infpir'd him with the noble Thought of wearing Bufkins. As for his Friend, he had apparell'd himfelf after as extraordinary a manner as he poffibly could, but it was in the modern French Way: His Cravat reach'd down to his Middle, and had Stuff enough in it to make a Sail for a Barge. A most prodigious Cravat-ftring peep'd from under his Chin, the two Corners of which, in Conjunction with a monftrous Perriwig, that would have made a Laplander fweat under the Northern Pole, eclips'd three quarters of his Face. In fhort, he was fo be-ribbon'd all over, that one would have thought all the Milleners in the Place had join'd their Stocks to furnish him. This, in fhort, was the Equipage of our Meffieurs, when they made their Appearance in the Voorhout, which is the Place where Perfons of Quality ufe to take the Air, and divert themselves. They They were fcarce enter'd upon the Spot, when Multitudes ran from all Hands to gaze and ftare at them ; and as every Body was furpriz'd at fo fantaftick a Scene, they could not tell at firft whether to admire it as extraordinary, or to ridicule it as extravagant. In this Uncertainty of Thought, as they were going to determine it one Way or another, Monf. de Louvigni arriv'd in the Place, and put a stop to their grave Contemplation. He wore a plain black Suit, and clean Linnen made up the reft; but then he fhew'd one of the fineft Shapes and moft agreeable Face that can be imagin'd: His modeft Deportment filently infinuated the Merits of all his excellent Qualities. Having thus defcrib'd his Charms to you, 'tis no difficult Matter to guefs how the Company receiv'd him : The Ladies were touch'd, and the Men were infinitely pleas'd. In short, Madam, all the Spectators were as much affected, as the poor Count and his Friends were mortify'd, to their great Difappointment. People still remember at the Hague how triumphantly Monf. de Louvigny came off, and ftill make Sport with telling the ill Succefs of the two aforefaid Gentlemen. I need not give myfelf the Trouble, Madam, to make a formal Application of this Story to you, who have a Judgment fo exquifitely nice and difcerning. Let my Advice meet with what Entertainment it will, none of your Subjects prays fo heartily for your long and happy Reign over us, as, Madam, Your most humble Servant, &c. P 4 Jo. 茶 Jo. Haines in Penance: Or, bis Recantation-Prologue, at his acting of Poet Bays in the Duke of Buckingham's Play call'd The Rehearfal. Spoken in a white Sheet, with a burning Taper in his Hand, upon bis Admittance into the Houfe after his Return from the Church of Rome. Written by T. Brown, for his Friend Jo. Haines. S you diflike the Converts of the Nation, By the fame Rule, pray kindly entertain Your penitent loft Sheep return'd again. For re-converted Haines, taught by the Age, Is now come back to his primitive Church, the Stage ; } At |