The Fortunate Mistress (Parts 1 and 2)

by Daniel Defoe

her some directions to the music, by whichthe company presently understood that I would give them a dance bymyself. Immediately all the house rose up and paid me a kind of acompliment by removing back every way to make me room, for the place wasexceedingly full. The music did not at first hit the tune that Idirected, which was a French tune, so I was forced to send my woman tothem again, standing all this while at my drawing-room door; but as soonas my woman spoke to them again, they played it right, and I, to letthem see it was so, stepped forward to the middle of the room. Then theybegan it again, and I danced by myself a figure which I learnt inFrance, when the Prince de ---- desired I would dance for his diversion.It was, indeed, a very fine figure, invented by a famous master atParis, for a lady or a gentleman to dance single; but being perfectlynew, it pleased the company exceedingly, and they all thought it hadbeen Turkish; nay, one gentleman had the folly to expose himself somuch as to say, and I think swore too, that he had seen it danced atConstantinople, which was ridiculous enough.

  At the finishing the dance the company clapped, and almost shouted; andone of the gentlemen cried out "Roxana! Roxana! by ----," with an oath;upon which foolish accident I had the name of Roxana presently fixedupon me all over the court end of town as effectually as if I had beenchristened Roxana. I had, it seems, the felicity of pleasing everybodythat night to an extreme; and my ball, but especially my dress, was thechat of the town for that week; and so the name of Roxana was the toastat and about the court; no other health was to be named with it.

  Now things began to work as I would have them, and I began to be verypopular, as much as I could desire. The ball held till (as well as I waspleased with the show) I was sick of the night; the gentlemen maskedwent off about three o'clock in the morning, the other gentlemen satdown to play; the music held it out, and some of the ladies were dancingat six in the morning.

  But I was mighty eager to know who it was danced with me. Some of thelords went so far as to tell me I was very much honoured in my company;one of them spoke so broad as almost to say it was the king, but I wasconvinced afterwards it was not; and another replied if he had been hisMajesty he should have thought it no dishonour to lead up a Roxana; butto this hour I never knew positively who it was; and by his behaviour Ithought he was too young, his Majesty being at that time in an age thatmight be discovered from a young person, even in his dancing.

  Be that as it would, I had five hundred guineas sent me the nextmorning, and the messenger was ordered to tell me that the persons whosent it desired a ball again at my lodgings on the next Tuesday, butthat they would have my leave to give the entertainment themselves. Iwas mighty well pleased with this, to be sure, but very inquisitive toknow who the money came from; but the messenger was silent as death asto that point, and bowing always at my inquiries, begged me to ask noquestions which he could not give an obliging answer to.

  I forgot to mention, that the gentlemen that played gave a hundredguineas to the box, as they called it, and at the end of their play theyasked for my gentlewoman of the bedchamber, as they called her (Mrs.Amy, forsooth), and gave it her, and gave twenty guineas more among theservants.

  These magnificent doings equally both pleased and surprised me, and Ihardly knew where I was; but especially that notion of the king beingthe person that danced with me, puffed me up to that degree, that I notonly did not know anybody else, but indeed was very far from knowingmyself.

  I had now, the next Tuesday, to provide for the like company. But, alas!it was all taken out of my hand. Three gentlemen, who yet were, itseems, but servants, came on the Saturday, and bringing sufficienttestimonies that they were right, for one was the same who brought thefive hundred guineas; I say, three of them came, and brought bottles ofall sorts of wines, and hampers of sweetmeats to such a quantity, itappeared they designed to hold the trade on more than once, and thatthey would furnish everything to a profusion.

  However, as I found a deficiency in two things, I made provision ofabout twelve dozen of fine damask napkins, with tablecloths of the same,sufficient to cover all the tables, with three tablecloths upon everytable, and sideboards in proportion. Also I bought a handsome quantityof plate, necessary to have served all the sideboards; but the gentlemenwould not suffer any of it to be used, telling me they had bought finechina dishes and plates for the whole service, and that in such publicplaces they could not be answerable for the plate. So it was set all upin a large glass cupboard in the room I sat in, where it made a verygood show indeed.

  On Tuesday there came such an appearance of gentlemen and ladies, thatmy apartments were by no means able to receive them, and those who inparticular appeared as principals gave order below to let no morecompany come up. The street was full of coaches with coronets, and fineglass chairs, and, in short, it was impossible to receive the company. Ikept my little room as before, and the dancers filled the great room;all the drawing-rooms also were filled, and three rooms below stairs,which were not mine.

  It was very well that there was a strong party of the guards brought tokeep the door, for without that there had been such a promiscuous crowd,and some of them scandalous too, that we should have been all disorderand confusion; but the three head servants managed all that, and had aword to admit all the company by.

  It was uncertain to me, and is to this day, who it was that danced withme the Wednesday before, when the ball was my own; but that the king wasat this assembly was out of question with me, by circumstances that, Isuppose, I could not be deceived in, and particularly that there werefive persons who were not masked; three of them had blue garters, andthey appeared not to me till I came out to dance.

  This meeting was managed just as the first, though with much moremagnificence, because of the company. I placed myself (exceedingly richin clothes and jewels) in the middle of my little room, as before, andmade my compliment to all the company as they passed me, as I didbefore. But my Lord ----, who had spoken openly to me the first night,came to me, and, unmasking, told me the company had ordered him to tellme they hoped they should see me in the dress I had appeared in thefirst day, which had been so acceptable that it had been the occasion ofthis new meeting. "And, madam," says he, "there are some in thisassembly who it is worth your while to oblige."

  I bowed to my Lord ----, and immediately withdrew. While I was above,a-dressing in my new habit, two ladies, perfectly unknown to me, wereconveyed into my apartment below, by the order of a noble person, who,with his family, had been in Persia; and here, indeed, I thought Ishould have been outdone, or perhaps balked.

  One of these ladies was dressed most exquisitely fine indeed, in thehabit of a virgin lady of quality of Georgia, and the other in the samehabit of Armenia, with each of them a woman slave to attend them.

  The ladies had their petticoats short to their ankles, but plaited allround, and before them short aprons, but of the finest point that couldbe seen. Their gowns were made with long antique sleeves hanging downbehind, and a train let down. They had no jewels, but their heads andbreasts were dressed up with flowers, and they both came in veiled.

  Their slaves were bareheaded, but their long, black hair was braided inlocks hanging down behind to their waists, and tied up with ribands.They were dressed exceeding rich, and were as beautiful as theirmistresses; for none of them had any masks on. They waited in my roomtill I came down, and all paid their respects to me after the Persianmanner, and sat down on a safra--that is to say, almost crosslegged, ona couch made up of cushions laid on the ground.

  This was admirably fine, and I was indeed startled at it. They madetheir compliment to me in French, and I replied in the same language.When the doors were opened, they walked into the dancing-room, anddanced such a dance as indeed nobody there had ever seen, and to aninstrument like a guitar, with a small low-sounding trumpet, whichindeed was very fine, and which my Lord ---- had provided.

  They danced three times all alone, for nobody indeed could dance withthem. The novelty pleased, truly, but yet there was something wild and_bizarre_ in it, because the
y really acted to the life the barbarouscountry whence they came; but as mine had the French behaviour under theMahometan dress, it was every way as new, and pleased much betterindeed.

  As soon as they had shown their Georgian and Armenian shapes, anddanced, as I have said, three times, they withdrew, paid theircompliment to me (for I was queen of the day), and went off to undress.

  Some gentlemen then danced with ladies all in masks; and when theystopped, nobody rose up to dance, but all called out "Roxana, Roxana."In the interval, my Lord ---- had brought another masked person into myroom, who I knew not, only that I could discern it was not the sameperson that led me out before. This noble person (for I afterwardsunderstood it was the Duke of ----), after a short compliment, led meout into the middle of the room.

  I was dressed in the same vest and girdle as before, but the robe had amantle over it, which is usual in the Turkish habit, and it was ofcrimson and green, the green brocaded with gold; and my