Ganymede, whofe curiosity had been on tiptoe to find out who I was, went to the upper end of the room to make the needful inquiries of the lady of the house. Having in a whisper afked the question, Mrs. Butler anfwered aloud, "Surely, you must know her. "I am certain you know her; nay, that you are well “acquainted with her." The gentleman, not a little difconcerted at this want, in a lady of fashion, of what is ufually termed du monde, that is, among other things, replying to a whisper in an audable voice; affuring her, ftill in a low tone, that he had never seen me before, and now felt himself greatly interested in the inquiry. Fye, fye, Mr. Medlicote," returned my patronefs, "what can you fay for yourself, when "I inform you, that this is the dear girl whose cha"racter you fo cruelly afperfed at dinner ?"

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I now plainly perceived, that this accomplished gentleman, vain of his attractive graces, had boafted, like too many others, of favours he had never received; not knowing that he did so in the presence. of my best friends, and that there was a certainty of his false affertions being detected. The pencil of Hogarth alone could juftly depicture the confufion of the gentleman at this discovery of his treachery; or of my petrifaction at finding myself the subject of his flander. It for fome time totally deprived me of the use of every faculty, Till at length my patroness

kindly relieved me from the fituation in which I was abforbed. Coming up to me, she took me by the hand, and with a fmile on her countenance thus adMy dear child, you have gone through

dreffed me:

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a fiery trial; but it was a very neceffary one. This gentleman has vilely traduced your character. We "were all perfectly convinced that you did not merit "what he faid of you; but had he feen you firft at "the theatre, inftead of here, he would, doubtlessly, "have maintained his affertions with oaths, and there "would then have been no poffibility of contradicting him, however favourably we may have thought "of you, notwithstanding. By the method we have pursued, though it has been somewhat irkefome to you, his falfehoods have been fo palpably difproved, "as not to admit of the leaft palliation." Having faid this, fhe embraced me in the most cordial manner. And as foon as I got from her embrace, I ran and threw myself into the arms of my dear aunt, who feemed to feel the utmoft fatisfaction at my triumph.

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As for my traducer, it may be fuppofed he did not long difguft us with his company. Charming and accomplished as he was, there did not appear to be a wifh among us all to detain him-How much more charming and accomplished would he have been, had truth spread her refulgent beams over those

per

fections with which nature in fo bounteous a manner had favoured him!-Of all human failings that of detraction is certainly one of the worft. The venom of the tongue is more fatal in its consequences than the deadly poifon of the afp. It not only proves deftructive to individuals, but to the peace and happiness of whole families.-But its fatal effects are fo pointedly and beautifully defcribed by that great master of nature, Shakespeare,* in the following wellknown paffage, that were I to fill up a whole letter with the fevereft cenfures reafon and experience could dictate, I should not be able to say the twentieth part the tithe of what he has said in these few immortal lines.

"GOOD NAME in man and woman

"Is the immediate jewel of their fouls;

"Who fteals my purfe fteals trash, 'tis fomithing, nothing; "Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been flave to thousands;

"But he that filches from me my good name,

"Robs me of that which not enriches him,

"And makes me poor indeed.".

LETTER XXII.

March 31, 17

WHEN Mr. Medlicote was gone, one of the

gentlemen prefent acquainted us, that during his travels, he became enamoured with a beautiful Italian lady; who, listening to his profeffions of love, left her family, and became the partner of his flight. Her brother, being informed of the feduction, purfued the fair fugitive and her paramour, and overtaking them, gave the gentleman his choice either to marry his fifter, or fettle the affair in the field of honour. Mr. Medlicote, finding there was no alternative, prudently chofe the former, and they were accordingly united in indiffoluble bonds.

All the company at Colonel Butler's feemed to agree in opinion, that had my family and fortune equalled his expectations, he would have confidered his union with the Italian lady invalid, from its being an act of compulfion on his part, and without the leaft fcruple, have made me an offer of his hand, in defiance of honour, humanity, and every tender feeling. Mrs. Butler obferved, that nothing could equal her pleasure at this public teftimony of the fal fity of Medlicote's accufation; for notwithflanding fhe was convinced of my innocence, and had found

it fully confirmed by the propriety of my conduct fince I had refided in that kingdom, fhe could uot have permitted her daughter to live in terms of ftrict intimacy with one whose reputation was not perfectly unfullied.

The laft word unsullied ftruck me, at the time Mrs. Butler made ufe of it, with inexpreffible force and as there is no crime, as I have frequently faid, that I hold in equal deteftation with deceipt, I determined, let what would be the confequence, to inform that lady the first opportunity that offered, that I was, unhappily, an unfit perfon for an intimate with her daughter, my character having been fullied, though very undeservedly, by the rude breath of scandal, through the wicked machinations of the noblemen formerly mentioned. For the prefent, I contented myfelf with entering into a vindication of thofe of the profeffion in which I was engaged.

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I told the company, that though many young men, through levity, were so inhuman as to blaft the character of most of thofe females who were in the theatrical line, merely becaufe they fuppofed their reputation was of fo little confequence, that they were fit fubjects for their sportive fancy; yet there were many I was perfuaded, who trod the ftage, and were truly virtuous. I brought as examples a Pritchard and a Clive to whom I faid, I doubted not but many

others