tS^. THE BEE, o:r Feb. 2, 



her what fhe could mean by offering him fiich a paul- 

 try compliment as that. The lady, who was very cer- 

 tain fhe had put good gold into the paper, and recol- 

 ledling that fhe had often heard him called a cheat and 

 an impoflor, immediately concluded that he himfelf, 

 had put the halfpence in place of the gold, and made 

 ufe of that pretext to extort more from her ; and fell 

 upon him mod bloodily, telling him, fhe had often 

 heard him called a fwindler and a rafcal, but till now 

 fhe had never believed it. She was certain Ihe had 

 given him ten red guineas out of her hands, and now 

 he pretended he had got only as many halfpence ; nor 

 did fhe leave him till fhe had given him a very full 

 complement of abufe. She then went home in a great 

 hurry; and had a much better opinion of her hufband's 

 difeernment and fagacity ever afterwards. He kept his 

 fccret ; and till her dying day, fhe made a good wife to 

 him ; nor ever after v.ards went after field-preachers of 

 any fort. A. 



To the Editor of the Bee. 

 Sir, 

 YotJR ingenious correfpondent's obferv'ations on the 

 Flowers of the Foreft, go far to prove that it is not of 

 as old a date as has been generally fuppofed. But what 

 he has fuggefted, has not produced full conviclion 011 

 niy mind. 



The firft dawnings of the Reformation in Scotland 

 ■uere in the end of the 15th century. In the beginning 

 of the 1 6th, we know for certain there were many 

 preachings in churches, private houfes, the flreets, 

 fields, and fealliore. Is there any thing incredible in 

 fuppofing, that then, as at all times, people reforted to 

 them from various motives : Some froin mere curiofi- 

 ty ; ana that the youth of both fexes might occafionallj 

 injDiove thele ftafcns for the purpofes of love ? 



