, to sacrifice to the Goddess Nemesis
; a Deity who was thought by them to look with an invidious Eye on human
Felicity, and to have a peculiar Delight in overturning it.
    As we are very far from believing in any such Heathen Goddess, or from
encouraging any Superstition, so we wish Mr. John Fr-, or some other such
Philosopher, would bestir himself a little, in order to find out the real Cause
of this sudden Transition, from good to bad Fortune, which hath been so often
remarked, and of which we shall proceed to give an Instance; for it is our
Province to relate Facts, and we shall leave Causes to Persons of much higher
Genius.
    Mankind have always taken great Delight in knowing and descanting on the
Actions of others. Hence there have been, in all Ages, and Nations, certain
Places set apart for public Rendezvous, where the Curious might meet, and
satisfy their mutual Curiosity. Among these, the Barbers Shops have justly borne
the Pre-eminence. Among the Greeks, Barbers News was a proverbial Expression,
and Horace, in one of his Epistles, makes honourable Mention of the Roman
Barbers in the same Light.
    Those of England are known to be no wise inferior to their Greek or Roman
Predecessors. You there see foreign Affairs discussed in a Manner little
inferior to that with which they are handled in the Coffee-houses; and domestick
Occurrences are much more largely and freely treated in the former, than in the
latter. But this serves only for the Men. Now, whereas the Females of this
Country, especially those of the lower Order, do associate themselves much more
than those of other Nations, our Polity would be highly deficient, if they had
not some Place set apart likewise for the Indulgence of their Curiosity, seeing
they are in this no way inferior to the other half of the Species.
    In enjoying, therefore, such Place of Rendezvous, the British Fair ought to
esteem themselves more happy than any of their foreign Sisters; as I do not
remember either to have read in History, or to have seen in my Travels, any
thing of the like Kind.
    This Place then is no other than the Chandler's Shop; the known Seat of all
the News; or, as it is vulgarly called, Gossiping, in every Parish in England.
    Mrs. Partridge being one Day at this Assembly of Females, was asked by one
of her Neighbours, if she had heard no News lately of Jenny Jones. To which she
answered in the negative. Upon this, the other replied, with a Smile
