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one is become AN OLD MAID, if it be then adviseable to marry ? and if it be, what fort of husband to choose? and you'll oblige an admirer of yours, Hopeful.

A. Sweet Mrs. Hopeful, repentance is always neceffary, but more particularly so, when the crime is of a long continuance, by the expression AN OLD MAID, we are apt to believe you somewhat pass’d your Me. ridian, for Apollo is more of a Gentleman than to think any virgin under thirty deserves that character; and if so, Madam, never stand to examine into the merits of your humble servant ; but strike while the ironi is hot, and if you please, bear this maxim in your memory?

Beauty's chief merit does in youth confift,
Your bloom once paft, you have your crisis mist;
And if in Autumn ftraggling lovers sue,
Think what approaching Winter's storms may do ;
For when rough winds your scatter'd leaves displace,
No youthful ivy then will your old trunk embrace

Q. Ye witty Sparks, who make pretence
To answer questions with good sense;
How comes it that your monthly Phoebus
Is made a fool by Dionysius?
For had the Sabines as they came,
Departed with their virgin fame,
The Romans had been styld dull tools
And they, poar girls, been April-fools :
Therefore, if this ben't out of season,
Pray think and give a better reason 3

A. Tho' virgin fame afflicted you,
It might not grieve the Sabines too;
Or tho' perhaps you better sped,
And gain'd by loss of maiden-head,
Whether you thought them fools or nox
The Romans doubtless thought 'em foj.
But since your case and theirs may
Comparisons of one degree,
Our former thoughts we'll humbly quit,
And grant the Romans AIR and Sabines wit,

GS

Q. Afonia

be

Q. APOLLO's fons, hoping it will you pose,
7 send you our great Mastiff Bungy's nose,
If you can tell me why 'tis always cold,
And then I'll say you're worth your weight in gold,
So I rest till death your humble servant, Roger Bold.

4. From Bungy's brain a thin cold ferum flows,
And glides in limpid currents thro' the nose,
Thence, as a part extream, 'tis often cold;
But that 'tis always fomnWe do not hold,
And therefore you're mistaken, houest Roger Bold.

Q. Can your society pretend
To be the female sex's friend,
Yet murther Cleopatra's fame,
Which has preferu'd fo bright a name?
For name, Phoebeans, think agen,
And answer me like Gentlemen ;
Not whine with pedant-like pretence,
And give us cant inftead of fenfe,
For her Theology and ours,
Aded on very diff'rent pow'rs;
The heathens held 'twas brave to-die;
When urg'd by strong neceflity:
The christian hero's more refin'd,
And boasts a conquest. o'er his mind;
Therefore unjustly, you prepare
A charge on this Egyptian fair,
For that most just to her belief might seem,
Which you on christian principles condemn ?

A. Nay, now Apollo, rowse for shame,
And vindicate your injur'd fame,
Nor let a woman conquer you,
In charms of wit and beauty too;
Mistaken fair one, 'ris in vain
You strive to wash away her stain,
Who, tho' we yield to most you say,
Died, not a brave but fordid way;
She, who from Alium fled dismayil,'.
And her lor'd Anthony betray'd :
she, who her passion could remove,
And with her humour change her love:

She

She, who could nuptial ties betray,
And fall to lustful vice a prey:
She, who could thus pollute her royal fame,
Died not for glory, surely, but for same.

Q. I never yet knew what it was to love,
Till now, from the asherial skies above ;
The subtil fon of Venus with a dart
Hath wounded me, hath pieri'd my yielding hearts
My hurt is pleasing, nay, the wound delights me,
But still me, whom I love, disdains and rights me,
'Cause she's above my station, and I
Without advice undoubtedly shall die ?

4. Alas, alas, tby mournful doleful ditty
Really and truly moves our hearts to pity,
And since thy love and wit fo bright appear,
We will advise thee how to charm thy Dear :
One moon-fhine night when 12 a-clock draws nighi,
And twinkling stars adorn the spangled sky,
When universal silence reigns around,
Nor trampling feet disturb the beaten ground,
Go to thy Mistress's window and rehearse,
Ia melting Serenade thy doleful verse,
She'll ne'er be able to withstand their charms, s
But save your life by rushing to your arms. -
Q. Te sages, who shine

In responses to fire,
And of love understand every

Pray tell sts the cause

When our moisture withdraws,
Why our head fill retains the fond notion ? :
A. The cause does appear

To us very clear,
To proceed from deprav'd inclination;

For we think it a fháme

The wrong end thould have flame,
When the right can have no citillation.
To a Lady who fied tears at the misfortune of her lover.

"Ilat, shed a tcar! tho' it speaks much regard,".
No lover's grief could merit that reward.
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Shoud nature faint, and her bright frame give way,
Should all this glorious Orb of light decay,
One tear of yours the loss would over-pay.
But O! I burn; can tears encrease defire ?
Have they the pow'r to cause fo bright a fire ?
Strange force of water in a fair one's eye,
To raise a Lover's flame, which makes all others die

To the God of LOVE.
Mbition, rage, our warmest parlions ceafe,

From all but love we can regain our ease.
A disappointment may abate their ire,
But love oppos’d is rais*d by Arong delire,
And triumphs o'er the mind with force so great,
'Tis not to be with tood, but wounds like fare.
Most lovely boy, with pleasure I resign
My soul to thee, and own thy pow'r divine.
Tell my. Hortensia for her fake I bear,
Whole days of fighing, nights of deep despair,
Tell her how true my love, how great my sufferings

are; Then teach me how my tend'rest vow's may move, And charm her yet unconquer'd heart to love. My Muse fhall then raife trophies to thy name, And love and pleasure be my endless theme.

Q. Whether an officious lye be lawful, as in the cases of the Hebrew midwives in Egypt, and of Rahab the barlot?

A. If a lie be finful, while consider'd fimply and abstractedly, then no circumstance can change its nature, our obligation to that eternal sule, we must not do evil that good may come, being unalterable; and yet, that it is simply and abstractedly evil, appears from this, that a lye is an allegation contrary to our inward fentiments, fo an unbyass’d conscience cannot but suggest that its natural obliquity consists in such a contra. Tiety.

Puffendorf indeed says, that such lies, which do no ways

lessen our dependence upon one another, cannot be impeach'd of illegality: but as the finfulness of a

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lye is not to be drawn merely from advantages of truth, fo that great moralist supposes what we cannot admit of, namely, that officious lyes, if we allow our selves in no other kinds, do not at all weaken our mutual dependence; for when we know any one, who we are sensible makes no fcruple of telling an officious lie, we cannot reafonably forbear being jealous and fufpicious, left in feveral of their affertions they should propose to do some particular offices of kindness, which we are unacquainted with.

As for the Hebrew midwives, and Rahab the barlot, whose praise is in the Scriptures, we need not wonder, that since the fin of lying, which they committed, was probably the result of an erroneous conícieace, that since they did it with fo pious an intention, and display'd fo unusual a faith, fo extraordinary a confidence in their great Creator, we do not wonder that in so particular a case a merciful and a gracious God should overlook the 'evil, and commend the good.

Q. Who was the person that Lamech flero, the account of which he exhorts his wives in fo remarkable a manner to give attention to? And for what reason may be be fuppoi'd to pay, if Cain shall be avenged fevenfold, truly Law mech feventy and sevenfold?

4. Not to take notice of that uncertain tradition menţion'd by St. Ferom, we subscribe to the opinion of the Chaldee paraphrast, who herein is followed by a late great Prelate of our Church; for Onkelos points the words with an interrogatory, Have I Nain a man, or so much as a youth? for lince his fon Tubal-cain had found out the management of iron, and thence probably the use of weapons, his wives seem to have been apprehensive, left those weapons should be ema ploy'd to destroy their husband ; but be endeavours to abate their groundless fears, by acquainting them that no man would venture to attempt fo great a villany, since, if Cain, who was himself a murderer, was to be avenged seven-fold, fure one who was entirely innocent with respect to fo notorious a crime, would be avenged no less than seventy seven-fold.