LETTER LVI.

Mrs. B-to Lady Davers.

WELL, now, my dear lady, I will give you my poor opinion of the masquerade, to which Mr. B—— persuaded me to Baccompany Miss Darnford; for, as I hinted in my former, I had a great indifference, or rather dislike, to go; and miss therefore wanted so powerful a second, to get me with her ; because I was afraid the freedoms which I had heard were used there, would not be very agreeable to my apprehensive temper, at this time especially.

But finding Mr. B—— chose to have me go, if, as he was pleased to say, I had no objection; I said, I will have none, sir, I can have none, when you tell me it is your choice; and so send for the habits you like, and that you would have me appear in, and I will cheerfully attend you.

We all ad

promising

Mr. B

The habit Mr. B-- pitched upon, was that of a Spanish Don, and it well befitted the majesty of his person and air; and Miss Darnford chose that of a young widow; and Mr. B―― recommended that of a quaker for me. mired one another in our dresses; and Mr. Bto have me always in his eye, we went thither. But I never desire to be present at another. was singled out by a bold nun, who talked Italian to him with such free airs, that I did not much like it, though I knew not what she said; for I thought the dear gentleman no more kept to his Spanish gravity than she to the requisites of the habit she wore: When I had imagined, that all that was tolerable in a masquerade, was the acting up to the character each person assumed: and this gave me no objection to the quaker's dress; for I thought I was prim enough for that naturally.

I said softly, Dear Miss Darnford (for Mr. B—— and the nun were out of sight in a moment), what is become of that nun?-Rather, whispered she, what is become of the Spaniard ?

A cardinal attacked me instantly in French: but I answered in English, not knowing what he said, Quakers are not fit company for red-hats.

They are, said he, in the same language; for a quaker and a jesuit is the same thing.

Miss Darnford was addressed by the name of the sprightly widow. Another asked how long she intended to wear those weeds? And a footman, in a rich livery, answered for her eyes, through her mask, that it would not be a month.

But I was startled when a presbyterian parson came up to me and bid me look after my Musidorus-So that I doubted not by this, it must be somebody who knew my name to be Pamela; and I presently thought of one of my lawyers, whose characters I gave in a former letter.

Indeed, he needed not to bid me; for I was sorry, on more accounts than that of my timorousness, to have lost sight of him. Out upon these nasty masquerades! thought I; I can't abide them already!

An egregious beauish appearance came up to miss, and said, You hang out a very pretty sign, widow

Not, replied she, to invite such fops as you to my shop. Any customer would be welcome, returned he, in my opinion. I whisper this as a secret.

And I whisper another, said she, but not whisperingly, that no place warrants ill manners.

Are you angry, widow?

She affected a laugh: No, indeed: it isn't worth while.

He turned to me and I was afraid of some such hit as he gave me I hope, friend, thou art prepared with a father for the light within thee?-This was his free word.

Is this wit? said I, turning to Miss Darnford: I have enough of this diversion, where nothing but coarse jests appear barefaced.

At last Mr. B- accosted us, as if he had not known us: So lovely a widow, and so sweet a friend! no wonder you do not separate; for I see not in this various assembly a third person of your sex fit to join with you.

Not one, sir-said I-will not a penitent nun make a good third with a mournful widow and a prim quaker? Not for more than ten minutes at most.

Instantly the nun, a fine person of a lady, with a noble air, though I did not like her, joined us, and spoke in Italian something very free, as it seemed by her manner, and Mr. B's smiling answer; but neither Miss Darnford nor I understood that language, and Mr. B—— would not explain it to us.

But she gave him a signal to follow her, seeming to be much taken with his person and air; for though there were three other Spanish habits there, he was called 'the stately Spaniard' by one, and the handsome Spaniard' by another, in our hearing, as he passed with us to the dessert, where we drank each of us a glass of champagne, and ate a few sweetmeats, with a crowd about us; but we appeared not to know one another: While several odd appearances, as one Indian prince, one Chinese mandarin, several dominos, of both sexes, a Dutch skipper, a Jewish rabbi, a Greek monk, a harlequin, a Turkish bashaw, and a Capuchin friar, glided by us, as we returned into company, signifying, that we were strangers to them, by squeaking out, I know you !-Which is half the wit of the place.

Mr. B had more attacks made upon him by ladies. than we had by gentlemen; and his fine person, noble air, and a deportment so suited to his habit (only in the encounter of the nun, when he had more of the French freedom, as I thought, than the Spanish gravity), made him many admirers; and more, when the Spanish minister, who was there in a French dress, spoke to him in Spanish, and received a polite answer from him in the same; while there were several who personated foreign characters, and knew nothing of the language of the country whose habits they assumed.

There were divers antic figures, some with caps and bells, one dressed like a punch; several harlequins, and other ludicrous forms, that jumped and ran about like

mad; and seemed as if they would have it thought that all their wit lay in their heels.

Two ladies, one in a very fantastic party-coloured habit, with a plume of feathers; the other in a rustic one, with a garland of flowers round her head; were much taken notice of for their freedom, and having something to say to everybody. They were as seldom separated as Miss Darnford and I, and were followed by a crowd wherever they went.

The party-coloured one came up to me: Friend, said she, there is something in thy person that attracts every one's notice: but if a sack had not been a profane thing, it would have become thee almost as well.

I thank thee, friend, said I, for thy counsel; but if thou hadst been pleased to look at home, thou wouldst not have taken so much pains to join such advice, and such an appearance, together, as thou makest!

This made every one that heard it laugh.-One said, the butterfly had met with her match.

She returned, with an affected laugh-Smartly said!— But art thou come hither, friend, to make thy light shine before men or women?

Verily, friend, neither, replied I; but out of mere curiosity, to look into the minds of both sexes; which I read in their dresses.

A general satire on the assemblée, by the mass! said a fat monk.

The nun whisked to us: We're all concerned in my friend's remark

And no disgrace to a fair nun, returned I, if her behaviour answer her dress-nor to a reverend friar, turning to the monk, if his mind be not a discredit to his appearance -nor yet to a country girl, turning to the party-coloured lady's companion, if she has not weeds in her heart to disgrace the flowers on her head.

An odd figure, representing a merry andrew, took my hand, and said, I had the most piquant wit he had met with that night: And, friend, said he, let us be better acquainted!

Forbear, said I, withdrawing my hand, not a companion for a jack-pudding neither!

A Roman senator just then accosted Miss Darnford; and Mr. B—— seeing me so much engaged, 'Twere hard, said he, if our nation, in spite of Cervantes, produced not one cavalier to protect a fair lady thus surrounded.

Though surrounded, not distressed, my good knighterrant, said the nun: the fair quaker will be too hard for half a dozen antagonists, and wants not your protection: -But your poor nun bespeaks it, whispered she, who has not a word to say for herself.

Mr. B answered her in Italian (I wish I understood Italian!)—And she had recourse to her beads.

You can't imagine, madam, how this nun haunted him! -Indeed, you can't imagine it!

I must needs say, I don't like these masquerades at all. Many ladies, on these occasions, are so very free, that the censorious will be apt to blame the whole sex for their conduct, and to say their hearts are as faulty as those of the most culpable men, since they scruple not to show as much, when they think they cannot be known by their faces. But it is my humble opinion, that could there be a standard fixed by which one could determine readily what is, and what is not wit, decency would not be so often wounded, by attempts to be witty, as it is. For here every one who can give himself the liberty to say things that shock a modester person, not meeting with due rebuke, but perhaps a smile (without considering whether it be of contempt or approbation), mistakes courage for wit; and everything sacred or civil becomes the subject of his frothy jest.

How else can one account for the liberties of expression and behaviour taken by some of those who personated bishops, cardinals, priests, nuns, &c.?-For the freest things I heard said were from persons in those habits; who behaved with so much levity and indecorum, as if they were resolved, as much as in them lay, to throw those venerable characters into ridicule, for no other reason than