before
her a chearful Countenance, where Joy and Respect seem to be blended
with Good-Humour, and all together make up an artificial Serenity,
more ingaging than untaught Nature is able to produce.

When two Persons are so well met, the Conversation must be very
agreeable, as well as extremely mannerly, tho' they talk about
Trifles. Whist she remains irresolute what to take, he seems to be the
same in advising her, and is very cautious how to direct her Choice:
but when once she has made it, and is fix'd, he immediately becomes
positive that it is the best of the sort; extols her Fancy, and the
more he looks upon it, the more he wonders he should not before have
discovered the pre-eminence of it over any thing he has in his Shop.
By Precept, Example, and great Application, he has learn'd and
observ'd to slide into the inmost Recesses of the Soul, found the
Capacity of his Customers, and discover'd their blind side unknown to
them: By all which he is instructed in fifty other Stratagems, to
make her overvalue her own Judgment; as well as the Commodity she
would purchase. The greatest Advantage he has had over her, lies in
the most material part of the Commerce between them, the Debate about
the Price, which he knows to a Farthing, and she is wholly ignorant
of: therefore he no where more egregiously imposes on her
Understanding: and tho' here he has the liberty of telling what Lyes
he pleases, as to the _Prime-Cost_, and _the Money he has refused_,
yet he trusts not to them only; but attacking her Vanity, makes her
believe the most incredible things in the World, concerning his own
Weakness, and her superior Abilities. _He had taken a Resolution_, he
says, _never to part with that_ Piece _or_ Set _under such a Price,
but she has the power of talking him out of his Goods beyond any body
he ever sold to_: He _protests, that he loses by what she offers; but
seeing that she has a fancy for it, and is resolv'd to give no more,
rather than disoblige a Lady he has such an uncommon value for, he'll
let her have it; and only begs, that another time she will not stand
so hard with him._ In the mean time the Buyer, who has a voluble
Tongue, and imagines herself no Fool, is easily persuaded that she has
a very winning way of Talking; and thinking it sufficient, for the
sake of Good Breeding, to disown her Merit, and in some witty Repartee
retort the Compliment, he makes her swallow very contentedly the
substance of every thing he