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<DATE>2009-06-11</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Lauren Proux</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist:
x Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate
X Add DIV TYPEs, validate
X Review structure, use BODY or rarely GROUP
X Check PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N=""
X Proof title page(s)
x Check HEAD TRAILER ARGUMENT EPIGRAPH OPENER CLOSER SIGNED SALUTE BYLINE
x Check ^, oe, abq, italic I / J, _Initals, space between &amp;c.
x Check &num; # @ -- UNCLEAR LB FIGURE
x Check q; startq endq Q
x Correct illegibles from proofsheet
x Check illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs
Final validate

Corrected [  ] illegible groups out of [  ].
Converted [  ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible".
DONE</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A27022">
<STC T="W">b139</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">12335053</BIBNO>
<VID>59761</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>A LETTER FROM A <HI>Matron of Rank Quality</HI> IN WINDSOR, TO One of the &s;ame, IN DRUERY-LANE.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IN my la&s;t to you I gave you an account of the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of our Af|fairs here, without omition; nor am I un&s;en&s;ible (however you plea&s;e to think me) of your Qualification; that is, I know you &s;o exact a Mi&s;tris of your affections, that you &s;leep not without coun&s;elling your Table-Book or Diary; this known to me, forces me to an ill opi|nion, and that a wor&s;e, which is, that either you have nothing worth communicating, or that you have forgot that knack of friend&s;hip and commerce which keeps the World in bu&s;ine&s;s; but I will not per&s;i&s;t this way, the Town I hope will never want Community, though the Court be di&s;tant, and to &s;u&s;pect you were a &s;in that I &s;hall never be guilty of. I have nothing that's new to &s;end you, onely &s;ome few Remarks of my own; Our Court is a continued Scene of joy and plea&s;ure; not pre&s;cribed by time of day or night, for they are one, and are but u&s;ed as other Ma&s;que|ing Robes in the Great Balls; the Day in Grottoes, &s;hady Springs and Bowers, they &s;it like <HI>Venus</HI> Doves, Billing and Cooing; till envying <HI>Jove,</HI> who cannot court &s;o well, though he &s;hould do it with a Golden Showre, talks loud, and with repeated Thunder frights the &s;oft fair one clo&s;er to his arms; the trembling Prey, with Eyes half bent, and Heart and Brea&s;t all throbbing, looks in his face; the Youth, though no contemner of a Deity, offers protection, and yet clo&s;er, takes the Charmer.</P>
<PB N="2" REF="2">
<Q><L>And whil&s;t the Thunderer larums all above,</L>
<L>He &s;torms below, and gets the Fort of Love.</L></Q>
<P>The night is another Act of the &s;ame Scene, yet no intire <HI>Broben</HI> Scene, as your Neighbour &s;aid his la&s;t Act was; not like that of Poet <HI>Bay&s;e,</HI> for this is all love and intriegue, without &s;leeping or frighting. Here might indeed be U&s;urping, but that here is more Collonies than Conquerers; but for Seranading, as Fidling, Dancing, and fat Singing. <HI>Augu&s;tus</HI> kept his Court in <HI>Greece</HI> Land in Winter time compared to us, yet with &s;uch Dicorum, that Guards nor no one is di&s;turbed, no Bravades, no Marter|ers of Gla&s;s; none of tho&s;e Copper-Captains here, Gold is thought too ba&s;e, to take the Impre&s;&s;ion of the God of Love; &s;o Hearts for Hearts exchange, and only leave the Guinney-Slaves in Ho&s;tage for the League they have concluded. Indeed Madam, I cannot give you the character of any one intreague, and not le&s;&s;en it; all things are manag'd to your ad|vantage, that &s;ure &s;ome God directs in each affair, onely your Friend and mine, pritty Mi&s;s <HI>Lay-Cock,</HI> is almo&s;t dead of a Cold, occa&s;ioned (my Lord imagines) by her ri&s;ing to hear and &s;ee the Serenaders; but &s;he is mighti|ly di&s;turb'd with it, her Shoulders, Arms, e&s;pecially her Head and Throat, and what is mo&s;t ob&s;ervable, when &s;he is on a Bed, let my Lord do all he can, &s;he does not &s;leep for pain; <HI>Album Greebium</HI> has been u&s;ed, and the foot of her Stocking; but that is not the Remedy; you are de&s;ired by her to take the old Lodging for her and my Lord at Doctor <HI>R</HI>&mdash; in <HI>Long-Acre,</HI> the fine ayr and ill Wine has brought a flu&s;hing in my Lords face, which &s;he indeavouring to take off with a Mercurial Water, turns to a dry Scurf; Dear Madam, if your face burn'd la&s;t night you mu&s;t par|don us, we were together a knot of excellent Company, and your name was not the lea&s;t in u&s;e among&s;t us: Old Mr. <HI>T</HI>&mdash; came to &s;ee Madam <HI>F</HI>&mdash;, and brought along with him one Sir <HI>D</HI>&mdash;, a Gentleman of great Ignorance, yet very inqui&s;itive, and as ceremonious as a <HI>French</HI>-Taylor, or a Country Dancing-Ma&s;ter, and &s;o over-civil, that he would not put on his Hat till the Lady had drank her Gla&s;s off; Ma&s;ter <HI>T</HI>&mdash; partly tyred with the formalities of the <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> and partly to leave him to the management of the Lady, pretends private bu&s;ine&s;s with me, and takes me into the next Room, from whence we had the conveniency both to &s;ee and hear what there was acted after a little pau&s;e, as playing with his Hat, looking at his Feet, and &s;cratching his Head, he &s;tarts up, and boldly ask|ed her what a Clock it was, and at the &s;ame time (becau&s;e he would not take her word) pull'd from his Pocket a Gold Watch, which &s;he &s;o prittily commended, that the <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> had &s;ence enough (with a great &s;igh) to &s;ay, It was at her &s;ervice; which &s;he graciou&s;ly accepted, and from her Arm took a Bracelet of <HI>Pomander</HI> and pre&s;ented the Squire; See (&s;aid &s;he) it is not in my nature to be ungrateful, nor in my power to &s;hew the bounty of it; &s;o tying it on his Arm, offered to have ki&s;t his Hand, which he preven|ted, falling on his knee; <HI>The Gods forbid,</HI> &s;aid he, <HI>that the Son of a Dotrel by the Father, and Trebubble by the Mother, &s;hould permit &s;uch Wor&s;hip; no, Madam, let me pay it here;</HI> So taking up the <HI>Martins-Lane,</HI> he Ki&s;t and blu&s;ht, and blu&s;ht and ki&s;t &s;o hard, that had it been fle&s;h and Blood, it
<PB N="3" REF="2">might have Sworn a Rape again&s;t him. What el&s;e pa&s;t that night I leave you to judge, but I think that &s;he's a happy Woman that has a fine E&s;tate and a Fool to manage, there's one provided for, which I am heartily glad of, though my care mu&s;t be the greater: Heaven they &s;ay, provides for the Lame and the Lazy, but I am &s;ure I might have &s;tarv'd but for my own In|du&s;try; but I know in ca&s;e of nece&s;&s;ity, &s;he's more Genteele then to de|ny to &s;ee a Gentleman that's my Friend, however, our time here is very &s;hort, <HI>New-Market</HI>'s comming on, I cannot help my Ambition, I mu&s;t fol|low the <HI>Court,</HI> though I prote&s;t, a penny's better and ea&s;ier got among&s;t the hone&s;t Citizens, with le&s;s noi&s;e, le&s;s care, and more &s;ecurity, nay, the the world is come to that pa&s;s, that if a Gentleman &s;end his Foot-man with expre&s;s command for &s;uch a Lady, the &s;awcy Ra&s;cal will &s;ee all, ex|amine their Linnen, &s;ee their Brea&s;ts and Teeth, &s;mell their Breaths; nay, &s;ome mu&s;t know whether their Bellies are not wrinkled, and Page mu&s;t be deny'd nothing, becau&s;e For&s;ooth, a great Courtier has that priviledge. Indeed Madam I am weary, and would leave it off, but that I am &s;ure they would &s;ay I am grown <HI>Whiggi&s;h,</HI> therefore &s;ince I cannot leave it off with my Credit: Pray make it your bu&s;ine&s;s again&s;t the time, to provide what new Faces you can, and if you can, think of &s;omething, if po&s;&s;ible, to out-doe that Cutting at <HI>New-Market;</HI> if there be a Penny to be got hone&s;tly, why not we? I have &s;poke to Mr. <HI>C</HI>&mdash; the <HI>Tarter,</HI> to help you with 20 of his <HI>Coulen de Feile,</HI> and pray deliver one to each of them, tho&s;e that cannot Read may &s;tudy the Po&s;ture, which if well done, will look better than a Feather you know where. Dear Madam, a&s;&s;i&s;t my poor Husband in what you can, I under&s;tand that a parcel of Hectoring Roy|&s;ters, came at an un&s;ea&s;onable hour, when a woman could not be got for Love nor Money, and only becau&s;e the hou&s;e was unprovided at that time, broke my windows and his Pate, for pretending to keep a Bawdy-hou&s;e and having never a whore in it; but I know not how this can be ju&s;tified, they were not Ignorant where I was. But as to our bu&s;ine&s;s at <HI>New-Market,</HI> now I think on't, 'tis <HI>Bartholomew</HI>-Fair time, and for tho&s;e women I &s;poke of, you cannot furni&s;h your &s;elf better then out of the <HI>Bell-Conies,</HI> many of them Dance well, and have a pritty way of Sing|ing, I know not whether they under&s;tand Catting or no, but if you do not provide for them they will go naked within this two months. Par|don me Madam, that I pre&s;cribe Rules to one &s;o ab&s;olute, one that has <HI>Pit-B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">xt</HI> and <HI>Gallared</HI> from your Infancy; one that knows more names than I do faces, but I pre&s;ume becau&s;e you can forgive, which is the be&s;t excu&s;e at this time I can offer: This with the re&s;t we mu&s;t be &s;ure to have, one &s;trong Dockt Third Rate, one that has Courage, no matter for his Beauty and Crape, it's good enough; the Guard mu&s;t be Courted &s;ome|times a good To&s;&s;ing before-hand; have a care of a Pin-Buttock, a <HI>Bar|bary</HI> never becomes a Portmantle for Coach-men, Grooms, Foot-men, and Po&s;tilions, we'l fit our &s;elves at <HI>Sturbridge,</HI> but for the Serving-men, tho&s;e Jucetos of their Ma&s;ters, tho&s;e <HI>Autum</HI> Butter-flies with <HI>May</HI>-wings, Gentlemen of the <HI>Shedrew</HI> and <HI>Cravat</HI>-&s;tring, tho&s;e and the Genteele Pages, will be content with nothing under a Sopp in the pan. Madam, I am &s;ure the Hou&s;e that I have taken has conveniency enough for all the&s;e, and que&s;tion not but with our endeavours, to make a bet|ter time on't then the la&s;t, New Faces will be the onely thing:
<PB N="4" REF="3">I prote&s;t, I was forced to pa&s;s one Woman by Three &s;everal names to one Man; this was a great deal of confidence, Madam, but I hope, &s;o warn'd, you will provide better; you know who I have here, <HI>Druery-Lane, Covent-Garden,</HI> and thereabouts will furni&s;h a larger <HI>Seragalio</HI> then we &s;hall need; and truly, it is nothing but con&s;cience to imploy them, poor Women! they have had a long Vacation. Pray Madam, let me have your an&s;wer by the next, and forget not the Rooms in <HI>Long-Acre,</HI> lea&s;t they be taken up, for &s;uch Colds are infectious, and few e&s;cape them; which will obliege to your &s;ervice for ever,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>M. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>Printed for <HI>J. Shuter,</HI> 1682.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
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