nstant will forget her lover in the midst of
all his aches. But if this expedient does not succeed, I must be so just
to the young lady's distinguishing sense, as to applaud her choice. A
fine young woman, at last, is but what is due from fate to an honest
fellow, who has suffered so unmercifully by the sex; and I think we
cannot enough celebrate her heroic virtue, who (like the patriot that
ended a pestilence by plunging himself into a gulf) gives herself up to
gorge that dragon which has devoured so many virgins before her.

A letter directed to "Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq.; astrologer and physician
in ordinary to her Majesty's subjects of Great Britain, with respect,"
is come to hand.

[Footnote 258: See Nos. 1, 5, 35, 85.]

[Footnote 259: The following advertisement appeared in Nos. 20 and 22:
"Mr. Cave Underhill, the famous comedian in the reigns of Charles II.,
King James II., King William and Queen Mary, and her present Majesty
Queen Anne; but now not able to perform so often as heretofore in the
playhouse, and having had losses to the value of near L2500, is to have
the tragedy of 'Hamlet' acted for his benefit, on Friday, the 3rd of
June next, at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, in which he is to perform
his original part, the Grave-maker. Tickets may be had at the Mitre
Tavern in Fleet Street." Colley Cibber says that Underhill was
particularly admired in the character of the Grave-digger; and he adds:
"Underhill was a correct and natural comedian; his particular excellence
was in characters that may be called still-life; I mean the stiff, the
heavy, and the stupid; to these he gave the exactest and most expressive
colours, and in some of them looked as if it were not in the power of
human passions to alter a feature of him. A countenance of wood could
not be more fixed than his, when the blockhead of a character required
it; his face was full and long; from his crown to the end of his nose
was the shorter half of it, so that the disproportion of his lower
features, when soberly composed, threw him into the most lumpish, moping
mortal, that ever made beholders merry; not but, at other times, he
could be wakened into spirit equally ridiculous." Genest says that
Underhill acted again as the Grave-digger on Feb. 23, 1710, at Drury
Lane.]

[Footnote 260: "Grandfather" (folio).]

No. 23. [STEELE.

From _Tuesday, May 31_, to _Thursday, June 2_, 1709.

* * * * *

White