Every Feature, Charming Creature,—­he went on, It is a most unreasonable thing that People cannot go peaceably to see their Friends, but these Murderers are let loose.  Such a Shape! such an Air! what a Glance was that as her Chariot pass’d by mine—­My Lady herself interrupted him; Pray who is this fine Thing—­I warrant, says another, tis the Creature I was telling your Ladyship of just now.  You were telling of? says Jack; I wish I had been so happy as to have come in and heard you, for I have not Words to say what she is:  But if an agreeable Height, a modest Air, a Virgin Shame, and Impatience of being beheld, amidst a Blaze of ten thousand Charms—­The whole Room flew out—­Oh Mr. Triplett!—­When Mrs. Lofty, a known Prude, said she believed she knew whom the Gentleman meant; but she was indeed, as he civilly represented her, impatient of being beheld—­Then turning to the Lady next to her—­The most unbred Creature you ever saw.  Another pursued the Discourse:  As unbred, Madam, as you may think her, she is extremely bely’d if she is the Novice she appears; she was last Week at a Ball till two in the Morning; Mr. Triplett knows whether he was the happy Man that took Care of her home; but—­This was followed by some particular Exception that each Woman in the Room made to some peculiar Grace or Advantage so that Mr. Triplett was beaten from one Limb and Feature to another, till he was forced to resign the whole Woman.  In the end I took notice Triplett recorded all this Malice in his Heart; and saw in his Countenance, and a certain waggish Shrug, that he design’d to repeat the Conversation:  I therefore let the Discourse die, and soon after took an Occasion to commend a certain Gentleman of my Acquaintance for a Person of singular Modesty, Courage, Integrity, and withal as a Man of an entertaining Conversation, to which Advantages he had a Shape and Manner peculiarly graceful.  Mr. Triplett, who is a Woman’s Man, seem’d to hear me with Patience enough commend the Qualities of his Mind:  He never heard indeed but that he was a very honest Man, and no Fool; but for a fine Gentleman, he must ask Pardon.  Upon no other Foundation than this, Mr. Triplett took occasion to give the Gentleman’s Pedigree, by what Methods some part of the Estate was acquired, how much it was beholden to a Marriage for the present Circumstances of it:  After all, he could see nothing but a common Man in his Person, his Breeding or Understanding.

Thus, Mr. SPECTATOR, this impertinent Humour of diminishing every one who is produced in Conversation to their Advantage, runs thro the World; and I am, I confess, so fearful of the Force of ill Tongues, that I have begged of all those who are my Well-wishers never to commend me, for it will but bring my Frailties into Examination, and I had rather be unobserved, than conspicuous for disputed Perfections.  I am confident a thousand young People, who would have been Ornaments to Society, have, from Fear of Scandal, never dared to exert themselves