from her Dishonour, and exposed to pass through the Hands and Discipline of one of those Hags of Hell whom we call Bawds.  But lest I should grow too suddenly grave on this Subject, and be my self outragiously good, I shall turn to a Scene in one of Fletchers Plays, where this Character is drawn, and the Oeconomy of Whoredom most admirably described.  The Passage I would point to is in the third Scene of the second Act of The Humorous Lieutenant.  Leucippe who is Agent for the Kings Lust, and bawds at the same time for the whole Court, is very pleasantly introduced, reading her Minutes as a Person of Business, with two Maids, her Under-Secretaries, taking Instructions at a Table before her.  Her Women, both those under her present Tutelage, and those which she is laying wait for, are alphabetically set down in her Book; and as she is looking over the Letter C, in a muttering Voice, as if between Soliloquy and speaking out, she says,

Her Maidenhead will yield me; let me see now; She is not Fifteen they say:  For her Complexion—–­ Cloe, Cloe, Cloe, here I have her, Cloe,_ the Daughter of a Country Gentleman; Here Age upon Fifteen.  Now her Complexion, A lovely brown; here tis; Eyes black and rolling, The Body neatly built; she strikes a Lute well, Sings most enticingly:  These Helps consider’d, Her Maidenhead will amount to some three hundred, Or three hundred and fifty Crowns, twill bear it handsomly.  Her Fathers poor, some little Share deducted, To buy him a Hunting Nag_—­

These Creatures are very well instructed in the Circumstances and Manners of all who are any Way related to the Fair One whom they have a Design upon.  As Cloe is to be purchased with [350] [2] Crowns, and the Father taken off with a Pad; the Merchants Wife next to her, who abounds in Plenty, is not to have downright Money, but the mercenary Part of her Mind is engaged with a Present of Plate and a little Ambition.  She is made to understand that it is a Man of Quality who dies for her.  The Examination of a young Girl for Business, and the crying down her Value for being a slight Thing, together with every other Circumstance in the Scene, are inimitably excellent, and have the true Spirit of Comedy; tho it were to be wished the Author had added a Circumstance which should make Leucippe’s Baseness more odious.

It must not be thought a Digression from my intended Speculation, to talk of Bawds in a Discourse upon Wenches; for a Woman of the Town is not thoroughly and properly such, without having gone through the Education of one of these Houses.  But the compassionate Case of very many is, that they are taken into such Hands without any the least Suspicion, previous Temptation, or Admonition to what Place they are going.  The last Week I went to an Inn in the City to enquire for some Provisions which were sent by a Waggon out of the Country; and as I waited in one of the Boxes till