White's Chocolate House, October 12.
It will be allowed me that I have all along showed great respect in
matters which concern the fair sex; but the inhumanity with which the
author of the following letter has been used is not to be suffered:--
"Sir,
"Yesterday I had the misfortune to drop in at my Lady Haughty's upon her
visiting-day. When I entered the room where she receives company, they
all stood up indeed; but they stood as if they were to stare at, rather
than to receive me. After a long pause, a servant brought a round stool,
on which I sat down at the lower end of the room, in the presence of no
less than twelve persons, gentlemen and ladies, lolling in elbow-chairs.
And, to complete my disgrace, my mistress was of the society. I tried to
compose myself in vain, not knowing how to dispose of either my legs or
arms, nor how to shape my countenance, the eyes of the whole room being
still upon me in a profound silence. My confusion at last was so great,
that, without speaking, or being spoken to, I fled for it, and left the
assembly to treat me at their discretion. A lecture from you upon these
inhuman distinctions in a free nation will, I doubt not, prevent the
like evils for the future, and make it, as we say, as cheap sitting as
standing.
"I am, with the greatest respect, Sir,
"Your most humble, and
"Most obedient servant,
"J. R.
"Oct. 9.
"P.S.--I had almost forgot to inform you that a fair young lady sat in
an armless chair upon my right hand, with manifest discontent in her
looks."
Soon after the receipt of this epistle, I heard a very gentle knock at
my door. My maid went down and brought up word "that a tall, lean, black
man, well dressed, who said he had not the honour to be acquainted
with me, desired to be admitted." I bid her show him up, met him at
my chamber-door, and then fell back a few paces. He approached me with
great respect, and told me, with a low voice, "he was the gentleman that
had been seated upon the round stool." I immediately recollected that
there was a joint-stool in my chamber, which I was afraid he might take
for an instrument of distinction, and therefore winked at my boy to
carry it into my closet. I then took him by the hand, and led him to the
upper end of my room, where I placed him in my great elbow-chair, at the
same time drawing another without arms to it for myself to sit by him. I
then asked him, "at what time this misfortune befell him?" He answered,
"Between the hours of seven and eight in the evening." I further
demanded of him what he had ate or drank that day? He replied, "Nothing
but a dish of water-gruel with a few plums in it." In the next place, I
felt his pulse, which was very low and languishing. These circumstances
confirmed me in an opinion, which I had entertained upon the first
reading of his letter, that the gentleman was far gone in the spleen. I
therefore advised him to rise the next morning, and plunge into the cold
bath, there to remain under water till he was almost drowned. This
I ordered him to repeat six days successively; and on the seventh to
repair at the wonted hour to my Lady Haughty's, and to acquaint me
afterwards with what he shall meet with there: and particularly to tell
me, whether he shall think they stared upon him so much as the time
before. The gentleman smiled; and, by his way of talking to me, showed
himself a man of excellent sense in all particulars, unless when a
cane-chair, a round or a joint-stool, were spoken of. He opened his
heart to me at the same time concerning several other grievances, such
as being overlooked in public assemblies, having his bows unanswered,
being helped last at table, and placed at the back part of a coach, with
many other distresses, which have withered his countenance, and worn him
to a skeleton. Finding him a man of reason, I entered into the bottom
of his distemper. "Sir," said I, "there are more of your constitution in
this island of Great Britain than in any other part of the world: and
I beg the favour of you to tell me whether you do not observe that you
meet with most affronts in rainy days?" He answered candidly, "that
he had long observed, that people were less saucy in sunshine than in
cloudy weather." Upon which I told him plainly, "his distemper was the
spleen; and that though the world was very ill-natured, it was not so
bad as he believed it." I further assured him, "that his use of the
cold bath, with a course of STEEL which I should prescribe him,
would certainly cure most of his acquaintance of their rudeness,
ill-behaviour, and impertinence." My patient smiled and promised to
observe my prescriptions, not forgetting to give me an account of their
operation.