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THE 
 
 WOMAN 
 
 O F 
 
 HONOR. 
 
 In THREE VOLUAIES. 
 
 VOLUME L 
 
 Letters bring things more home, and repre- 
 fent them more to the life, than either 
 Annals or Lives. 
 
 Bacon, Lord Verulam. 
 
 LONDON, 
 
 Printed for T. Lowndes, at N° 77, 
 in Fleet-ftreet J 
 
 And W. N I c o L L, at N° 51, in 
 St. Paul's Church-yard. 
 
 M D c Q L X V I I I., 
 
V,! 
 
I -^^ V m-- V m" t 
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 O F A 
 
 ^ WOMAN of HONOR. 
 
 C^ LETTER!. 
 
 .y:^from Mr. M e l l e f o n t, to Mrs. 
 Buckley. 
 
 Lmcajhire, 
 
 ©°^°^^ H I S letter, dear aunt, will be de- 
 
 I ^ I livered to you by that filler cf 
 
 @ooooocoo^ my wife's, of whom you have 
 
 been fo good to promife that ycu will 
 
 Vol. I. B take 
 
 142121 
 
2 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 take care and do her any good offices that 
 may depend on you. But as in my lad 
 I only fummarily mentioned the circum- 
 flance of her going to London, it is now 
 very fit to acquaint you more at large of 
 the neceflary particulars relating to her 
 pafl: and prefent circumftances : In favor 
 of preferving the chain of which, you 
 will readily excufe my mentioning cer- 
 tain fads already abundantly known to 
 you. 
 
 Her father, the learned Dr. Maynwa-*' 
 ring, dying about eleven years after his 
 marriage with the daughter of a country 
 gentleman, left her a widow with two 
 children, Efther, and Clara. The firfl:, 
 being the eldeft by many years, on her 
 coming into this part of the country, with 
 Mrs. Alderton, a diftant relation by the 
 father's fide, with whom fhe lived as a 
 
 companion. 
 
to Mrs. Buckle r. j 
 
 companion, I had the good fortune to 
 fee her, and foon, with the approbation 
 of her friends, and efpecially of Mrs. 
 Alderton, was made, by obtaining her 
 hand, the happied of men. Views of 
 fortune in this m.atch I could have none, 
 fince I well knew that her father had 
 died in rather flreight circumftances, tho* 
 not long after I received the fmall legacy 
 which you know, on the death of Mrs, 
 Alderton, as a mark of her friendfliip to 
 my wife, and of her approbation of her 
 choice. 
 
 Mrs. Maynwaring, her mother, who 
 was, in every point of female worth, an 
 excellent woman, had not failed to give 
 her children the beft education in her 
 power. In her impatience to fee her 
 daughter after her marriage with me, as 
 it was not poITible for me to be fpared 
 B 2 from 
 
4 From Mr. M e l l e f o N t, 
 
 from my refidence, fLe was fo good as to 
 take a long journey acrofs the country, 
 purely to pay us a vifitj ii which there 
 was not wanting to the heartieft welcome, 
 any circumftance but that of her not 
 bringing Clara with her, of whom fhe 
 was unwilling to rifque the fatigue, being 
 but jufl recovered from the inoculation 
 which Ihe had undergone with the utmoft 
 fuccefs. 
 
 Unfortunately, Mrs. Maynv/aring, not 
 long after her return, was fuddenly car- 
 ried off by burfting a vein, as fhe was on 
 fome occafion (Lraining beyond her (Irength 
 to move a cheft of drawers in her apart*- 
 ment, not having waited for a fervant to 
 ndifl: her. On this melancholy news, which 
 I was obliged to conceal from my wife, 
 then on the point of delivery, to whom it 
 would, in all probability, have been fatal. 
 
to Mrs, Buckley. 5 
 
 and whom I could invent no plaufible pre- 
 text for leaving, I immediately, however, 
 fent off a perlbn to take care of poor 
 Clara, who was left in a very undefirabie 
 condition, and who, even in her tender 
 age, not being full feven years old, v/as 
 fo little infenfible to her lofs, that it had 
 nearly killed her. She was aclually fo 
 ill upon it, that '^n^ cculd not immedi- 
 ately bear the removal I had directed of 
 her to our houfe. She remained then 
 under the care of an old nurfe in the 
 family, who, though very v/illing, was 
 very ill qualified for that, or any office, 
 being fo worn with years and infirnv.ties, 
 that fhe died loon after Clara's leaving 
 her. 
 
 Before this diflrefs of Clara's fituation 
 
 was well over, by trie orders I had fent, 
 
 and jufl after I had found means, by due 
 
 B 3 degrees, 
 
6 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 degrees, to break this misfortune to my 
 wife, we had received a confolatory letter 
 from Mr. GlafTmore, a merchant of fome 
 eminence in London, and brother to Mrs. 
 Maynwaring, in which there was an offer, 
 conceived in the mod tender and affedion- 
 ate terms, of taking care of CLira, if we 
 would fend her up to him. Senfible of 
 the advantages to her from our accept- 
 ance of this offer, it was not, however, 
 without fome flruggle of prudence v\ith 
 inclination, that Eflher,. who paffionately 
 loved her filler, confented to the pre- 
 ference, on this occafion, of her uncle over 
 herfelf. 
 
 The point being fettled, and my wife 
 being as yet too weak to bear any travel- 
 ling fatigue, I contrived fo as to go my- 
 felf to Norfolk, where I found Clara 
 fomewhat recovered, and in a way that 
 
 I judged 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 7 
 
 I judged the journey, and change of ob- 
 jeds, would rather be of fervice than not 
 to her health. It is true (he much wanted 
 to go with me to her fifter, at lead, be- 
 fore fhe went to London, and I was myfelf 
 ftrongly inclined to give her that fatif- 
 fadtion ; but as I found Mr. Glaflmore 
 had fent a perfon down to take care of 
 bringing her to town as foon as pofTi- 
 ble, I was afraid of his not taking well 
 any retardment. 
 
 This gentleman was a widower, left 
 without any ifllie, which, doubtlefs, had 
 fome influence in his determination to 
 take care of Clara, and even to leave her 
 his fortune, if fhe (hould be found to 
 defer ve it. 
 
 I had never feen her, as I had not been 
 
 before then in that part of the country. 
 
 B 4 She 
 
8 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 She was, I repeat it, about her feventhyear, 
 but for her age rather tall. I had been by 
 my wife prepared for feeing an uncom- 
 monly pretty child, not however without 
 due allowance being made for dedudions 
 for fifterly partiality. But for this injuftice 
 I had now at fight of her to make honora- 
 ble amends, for in my life I had never 
 feen, never imagined any thing compa- 
 rable to her for fweetnefs and beauty of 
 features, delicacy of fhape and air, and a 
 bloom of complexion, in which the mo- 
 mentary prevalence of the faireft white 
 over the rofeate hue of her cheeks, from 
 the remaining impreffions of languor and 
 affliclion for the death of her mother, gave 
 an inexprefilble tendernefs to her looks, 
 and increafed the natural fimpathy for the 
 grief they exprelTcd. 
 
 Not, 
 
io Mrs, Buckley. 9 
 
 • Not, however, to tire you unnecefTarily 
 with particulars, which luch an earhnefs 
 of age would not fuffer to be very intereft- 
 ing, and which v/ould unmercifully length- 
 ■en a letter, that from the introduclory 
 defign of it muft be along one, I fhallonly 
 obrerve to you, that fhe arrived very fafely 
 in London, where flie was received by Mr. 
 'Glaflfmore with the utmofl: tendernefs and 
 •affection. The lovelinefs of her figure 
 would, at lead, not leflen fuch a difpofi- 
 fition. 
 
 That no cultivation might be wanting to 
 her natural perfedlions, he placed her imme- 
 diately under the care of Mrs. Mercier, the 
 widow of a bcokfcller, who, by extraction, 
 .was a French refugee. Athis death, with the 
 little fortune he had left her, fhe had fet 
 up a boarding-fchool for young ladies at 
 Chelfea, and^ by her perfonal management, 
 B 5 had 
 
I o From Mr. M e l l e f o n T, 
 
 had brought it into great and juft reputa- 
 tion. Her method of education was ad- 
 mirable, for without neglefling any one 
 accompUfliment that pecuharly contri- 
 butes to grace the female fex, fhe had 
 a fpecial regard to cultivating and improv- 
 ing the heart. It was by making virtue 
 amiable, and by placing in its true point 
 of view, of fuperior dignity and pleafurcin 
 a confcioufnefs of innocence, that fhe in- 
 fpired her fcholars with almoft an enthu- 
 fiafm of love for their duty. Shame, that 
 great engine of education, fhe employed 
 with great fparingnefs and attention not 
 to ftale its effedt, or wear out the fprings 
 of it by too frequent an ufe. Manual 
 corredlion was entirely out of the queftion ; 
 flie looked on it not only as carrying an 
 air of (lavery with it, but even as contrary 
 to the end propofed ; from its hardening 
 that tender age in its faults, by endearing 
 
 them 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. ii 
 
 them to it for what it fuffers for them, and 
 by only adding to it a new guilt, the fpirit of 
 concealment ; which finds a kind ofjoy in de- 
 ceiving parents and teachers. Befides that, if 
 you ufe children to blows or to hard words, 
 they are apt to contract an abjedl fear, 
 and by dint of being debafed by others are 
 infenfibly accu domed to debafe themfelves. 
 The beft matters are not furely thofe who 
 prefer bringing their fcholars forward by 
 flavifh correiflions, to the finding out a 
 good method of inflrudion. But that 
 cods too much trouble. The quickeft way 
 with them, and which does not require 
 much fkill, is that of rating and ftriking. 
 For that there needs nothing more but 
 hafl-inefs and ill-nature. Whereas to bring 
 them up by reafon, there mud be a care, 
 an attention to their tempers and capaci- 
 ties, a delicacy, in fnort, of which few 
 teachers are capable. Mrs. Mercier's plan 
 B 6 was 
 
J 2 From Mr, Mellefont, 
 
 ^vas to make her pupils fear nothing (o 
 much as being in difgrace with themfelves, 
 on having done any thing to incur a juft 
 reproach from her, which flie never made 
 to them, without, at the fame time, render- 
 ing theni fenfiblc that it was a pain to her- 
 felf, which it was mean and cruel in them to 
 give her. Thus governing more by love 
 than by fear, fhe was always fure of the 
 whole fchool on her fide, in the cafe of 
 any aniniadverfion for a fault •, the offend- 
 ing party on incurring her difpleafure, lay 
 under a kind of civil excommunication, 
 from her companions and play- fellows, 
 who fhunned her, not without expreflions 
 of a pity more mortifying than re- 
 proach, till, on her fhow of penitence, or 
 atonement by a better condud, fhe was 
 reftored to the favor of the Governefs, 
 who had fucceeded in making herfelf con- 
 fidered lefs as the auftere mifti^s, than as 
 
 the 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 13 
 
 the tender common mother of them all. Al- 
 ways averfe to the common arbitrary praftice 
 of cndaving children to the authority of pre- 
 judices, (he was efpecially careful to put them 
 into the train of an early exercife of their 
 reafoning faculty, without the conviction 
 of which fhe precautioned them againfl: 
 receiving implicitly any opinion ; ac- 
 cudoming them to inquire into the caufes 
 of their judgments of things, and lead- 
 ing them to the truth by the way of exa- 
 mination : Thus accufloming them to 
 think for themfelves, and not to let their 
 reafon lie idle, or carry it about them, as 
 fo many in a more advanced age, like a 
 lame arm in a fling, as if it would hurt 
 them to ufe it. 
 
 Among many other improvements of 
 their underftanding, fhe had by early 
 inftilling into them, a contempt for finery, 
 
 done 
 
14 T?rom Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 done the real ftrvice to their beauty of de- 
 fending it againft the injuries it is fure to 
 receive from being over-drefied. Every 
 thing, efpecially with children, depends on 
 the light in which it is prefented to them ; 
 the fimplicity of that age being fufceptible 
 of any imprefTions, and from the in- 
 ftindlive redlitude of nature, moftly fo of 
 good ones •, they are as much and more to 
 be inflamed by real great objedls than by 
 little ones. Among the punifhments, by 
 fhame, which fhe had contrived for vanity 
 or pride, was that of ordering the party 
 under that charge to be dreffed in her bed 
 cloaths, with all the trinkets that the fond- 
 nefs of parents or relations might have 
 beftowed on her, and obliged to walk or 
 fit, for a certain fpace of time, alone, 
 as being much too good for the company 
 of her fchool-fellows, who, to humor the 
 joke, kept ironically their diftance > or, if 
 
 her 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 15 
 
 her offence was very flagrant indeed, they 
 compelled her to fit on a ftool, and danced 
 round her, as milk maids before a May 
 garland. But to turn this act of derifion 
 to the general improvement, independently 
 of the example, Mrs. Mercier entreated 
 her pupils, upon their own judgment, to 
 which fhe fairly appealed, to fatisfy 
 themfelv^es that drefs, carried beyond 
 an elegant neatnefs, could be of no fort 
 of advantage in the eyes of pcrfons of 
 true tafte ; and as to fuperficial judges or 
 to underftandings no better than thofe of 
 fops in one fex or triflers in the other, the 
 preferable point would be not to pleafe 
 them. Without countenancing or allow- 
 ing any malignant criticifm or reflexion 
 on the perfon of the party under this fen- 
 tence of finery, fhe made them every one, 
 and even the delinquent thus expofed, fen- 
 fible of the folly and efpecially of the fal- 
 
 fity 
 
1 6 From Mr, Mellefont, 
 
 fity of a reliance on the foreign ornaments 
 of drefs, tbofe treacherous auxiliaries, 
 which, if a woman is pretty, divide the at- 
 tention to her perfonal charms, and, in 
 the eye cf taile, are no more an im- 
 provement of them, than gilding to a fine 
 (tatue. But if flie is homely, the damage 
 is ftill greater : fine cloaths and jewels not 
 only draw on thofe who are under that 
 difinheritance from nature more atten- 
 tion, by making their misfortune more 
 confpicuous, but robs them cf the com- 
 palTion due to them for that injury, by 
 the indignation which finery fo murdered 
 mufl excite. It is only for ideots not to 
 abftrad the perfon from the trappings. 
 With men of tafle beauty will be beauty 
 in a fluff gown and colored handkerchief, 
 and uglinefs uglinefs though caparifoned 
 all over like the Mogul's elephant, with 
 rubies and diamonds. In fhort, the idea 
 
 of 
 
io Mrs, Buckley. ij 
 
 of a gorgeous drefs remained on the rnind^ 
 of the young ladies, as much afiociated 
 with that of fhame and contempt, as the fear 
 of a flreight vvaiilcoat with a dread of pain 
 in the wounded imagination of thofe liable 
 to it for infanity. And as the rage of over- 
 drefiing is a kind of madnefs, a fine gown 
 was reprefented to them as the ftreighc 
 waillcoat of it. 
 
 There was another particularity in Mrs. 
 Mercier's fchool which was of great fervice 
 to the pupils. The back part of her houfe 
 communicated with a very fpacious inclo- 
 fure, which was partly a garJen, partly a wil- 
 dernefs, with a large room on one fide, to 
 ferve for a fhelter in bad weather •, it was 
 here that the amiable troop were regularly 
 conduced to their diverfion for two 
 hours before dinner, and encouraged to 
 ufe as much motion and exercife as their 
 
 vivacity 
 
1 8 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 vivacity or inclination ihould fuggeft 
 to them. They were efpecially, and 
 without any the lead air of compulfion, 
 imperceptibly guided to make their choice 
 of thofe kind of amufements that required 
 the greateft adlivity. Rehearfals of the 
 lefTons of their dancing- mafters, digging 
 appropriate fpots in the garden, the 
 country fpt)rts of fwinging, and even of 
 flinging coits, bowling, riding, no diver- 
 fion, in fhort, was judged too violent 
 that was confident with the modefty of the 
 fex. There were even prizes inflituted for 
 excellence in feats of dexterity : all which 
 were controuled and managed with fo 
 much delicacy, that while they exclud- 
 ed every idea of too mafculine an air, 
 they manifefbly preferved the fhape from 
 the coarfenefs of a corpulence contraded 
 by idlenefs and inadion, they gave a 
 glow of frelhnefs to the complexion, and 
 
 laid 
 
fo Mrs. Buckley. 19 
 
 laid the folid foundations of a healthy 
 conftitution. Nor was this end a little 
 promoted by Mrs. Mercier's taking care 
 to keep their palate to that fimplicity of 
 diet, a relifli for which is originally the 
 precious gift of nature, too often deftroyed 
 by being infenfibly betrayed into an habi- 
 tual tafte for made-difhes, and for all 
 thofe poifons of modern cookery, to which 
 beauty, health, and life are fo often the 
 facrifice. Knowing human nature too well 
 to give an inclination to them by prohibi- 
 tions, and being fenfible that at the tables 
 of their relations they would be fure to 
 meet with thofe pernicious dainties under 
 the recommendation of rarity and expen- 
 fivenefs, fhe imiagined it beft to guard 
 againft their feduflion by anticipation. 
 Her own table, then, was never without 
 one or two of thofe articles, which were 
 left to the difcretion of her pupils ^ but 
 
 they 
 
20 From Mr. M f: l l e f a n T, 
 
 they appeared conftantly under fuch marks 
 of reprobation and difguft, that none of 
 them were tempted to touch them ; forne 
 would, when purpofely defired to make 
 trial of them, fputter at them, like the 
 favages when they firft tafte fait ; fo that 
 when they faw the like at the tables of 
 their friends, they were prepared and prodf 
 againfl: any temptation from them. Add 
 to all this precautionary management, 
 that there was a note of fhame, upon any 
 appearance of a lickeriihnefs, of which 
 their underftandings had been convinced 
 of the danger even to their beauty. 
 
 It was in this fchool that Clara re- 
 ceived her education, and by the readi- 
 nefs of her proficiency in every branch of 
 it, was the darling and pride of the go- 
 vernefs's heart, to whom it did fo much 
 honor; v/hile the natural fweetnefs of her 
 
 temper 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 21 
 
 temper was great enough to fubdue the 
 envy of her fchool-fellows, and at hngth 
 to make them forgive her faperiority even 
 m points the leaft apt to be forgiven. 
 
 Do not imagine that any partiality of a 
 relation could bias me to exagerate her 
 merit, I but repeat Mrs. Mercier's tefli* 
 mony of her, and in her own words, 
 
 I fhall only here flate one incident that 
 will ferve to charadlerize at once Clara's 
 fentiments, and the difcretion of her go- 
 yernefs. 
 
 Among the ornaments with which her 
 uncle Mr. Glaflmore's fondnefs had ena- 
 bled her todiftinguifh her apartment, there 
 was a fuperb Chinefe temple of mother- 
 of-pearl, of an uncommonly curious and 
 toftly workmanfliip, the prefent of a Chi- 
 na* 
 
22 From Mr, Mellefont, 
 
 na-fupercargo. This was not only very 
 much valued by Clara, on account of its 
 beauty, but as (he had defigned it for 
 one of the marks of her gratitude to Mrs. 
 Mercier, upon that worthy woman's birth- 
 day, of which the fcholars having ob- 
 tained the fpecification by difcovering thd 
 regider of it on a family bible, had con- 
 ftantly fince made a law among them- 
 felves to celebrate it, out of pure affedlion 
 to her, and forced her not only to confent 
 to this compliment, but to accept any 
 prefents they thought would be the moft 
 agreeable, and of which any refufal from 
 her would have been a real mortification 
 to them. This day was then nea at 
 hand, when Clara, upon fome occafion 
 happening to enter her apartment, found 
 in it one of the half-boarders, all in tears, 
 and in the utmofl: confternation for hav- 
 ing rather carelefsly, in moving a chair, 
 
 thrown 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 23 
 
 thrown down the ftand on which the 
 Chinefe temple had been placed, and 
 which now lay on the floor in a thoufand 
 glittering fragments. As heartily chagrined 
 as Clara was, efpecially at the difappoint- 
 ment of her defign, which however fhc 
 had never mentioned to any one, the un- 
 affecled concern and grief in which fhe 
 faw the poor girl, who was the caufe of 
 this accident, turned all her thoughts to 
 comfort her, and to relieve her from the 
 diftrefs of lier fears, not only from her 
 refentment, but of Mrs. Mercier's. After 
 then taking fome pain to excufe the girl's 
 carelefTnefs even to her own felf, fhe re- 
 moved her apprehenfion of the governefs's 
 anger, by taking the accident upon herfelf. 
 This for fome little time pafTed current. 
 Mrs. Mercier condoled with her on 
 her lofs, and the girl who had really- 
 broken the temple would have efcaped fo 
 
 much 
 
24 From Mr. M e l l e F o N T, 
 
 much as fiifpicion, but for her own im- 
 patience of the fecret in the fulnefs of her 
 gratitude. She could not help, under the 
 feal of fecrecy, communicating to one of 
 the young ladies, the obligation fhe thought 
 hcrfelf under to Clara for her procedure 
 on this occafion. This young lady, rather 
 edified by it than from any ill intention, 
 thought it a pity that Clara, who was 
 univerfally beloved, fliould lofe the merit 
 of fuch an act of good nature, and, in 
 that fpirit, divulged it through the fchooL 
 By this means it came to Mrs. Mercier's 
 ears. There were not two opinions about 
 it, except only that the governefs faw 
 caufe in it to give a lefibn to all her pupils. 
 On the firil occafion, then, of their being 
 all affembled, fhe fingled out Clara, and 
 after preparing her to receive, without re- 
 ludance, her remonftrance, by a prelimi- 
 nary approbation of the good natured mo- 
 tive 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 25 
 
 tive on which fhe had aded, fhe obferv- 
 ed to her, that it was to that motive her 
 error ao-ainft truth was oblio^ed for a 
 pardon, which was enough to fatisfy 
 her that it was an error, fince if it were 
 not one, what occafion could there be 
 for forgivenefs ; that truth was too great 
 a facrifice to make to almoft any good ; 
 that in this fingle falfity fhe had not 
 only been herfelf guilty, but the caufe 
 of guilt in another, and that the mif- 
 chief had gone farther, by its being the 
 occafion of a young lady's betraying 
 the fecret confided in her, though moft 
 probably with a good intention ; that, 
 in fhort, nobody could tell where the 
 moral evil proceeding from a falfity 
 would flop; whereas truth was, at 
 Vol. L C leaft. 
 
26 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 lead, eternally, by its nature, defended 
 from any fear of fhame or reproach. 
 
 Clara, whofe docility could only be 
 equalled by her candor, and whofe de- 
 teftation of falfity had, on this occa- 
 fion, only been momentarily blinded by 
 an invincible emotion of compaflion, 
 touched to the heart at this reprefen^ 
 fation from Mrs. Mercier, of the pro- 
 priety of which (he was intimately con- 
 vinced, took hold of the hand which 
 her governefs extended to her, as a 
 fign of perfect cordiality, and moiften- 
 ing it with tears of gratitude, thanked 
 her for her inftrudion, the fincerity of 
 her regard for which, fhe faid, fliould 
 be proved by an inviolable obfervance 
 <9f it in future* 
 
 Mr. 
 
to Mrs, Buckley. 27 
 
 Mr. Glaflmore, on being informed 
 of this lofs of Clara's, and of her be- 
 haviour on it, was fo charmed, that he 
 immediately repaired the damage by the 
 prefent of a magnificent fet of dreQing 
 boxes, of the old Japan, for her toilet, 
 accompanied with a large filver coffee- 
 pot, which ferved Clara to acquit her- 
 felf of the engagement fhe had fecretly 
 contrafled with herfelf, to make Mrs* 
 Mercier a prefent on the anniverfary 
 commemoration I have already men- 
 tioned. 
 
 I Ihall pafs over the reft of her pro- 
 ceedings, at that fchool, except juft 
 one circumftance, of which, before the 
 conclufion of this letter, you will fee 
 the necefTity. 
 
 C 2 Among 
 
2? From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 Among other the focial virtues which 
 Mrs. Mercier had ftudioufly inculcated 
 to her pupils, as the great fources of 
 happinefs, (he had not omitted that of 
 friendfhip. She had obferved to them, 
 that men, with very little pretention to 
 the thing, had contented themfelves 
 with the name, which in general, they 
 proftituted, by giving it to a commerce 
 of interefl -, or to an alTociation in fol- 
 lies or vices ; but that as to the women, 
 the other fex, who laid claim to it as 
 purely a manly virtue, honored them 
 with a fuppofuion of their being abfo- 
 lutely incapable pf it, and excluded them 
 from it as formally as Mahomet \sfaid to 
 do from his Paradife. Female friendfhip 
 was, according to them, a chimera, a non- 
 entity, 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 29 
 
 entity, the men grudging them even 
 the name, which is all that they their- 
 felves retain of it. It was not then as a 
 point only of honor, but of happrnefs, 
 that llie recommended the cultivation of 
 that virtue ; fhe convinced their under- 
 itanding of hovN' great utility a well- 
 chofen friend might be, on many occa- 
 fions, and that there was not a fmgle 
 good argument to be offered why fuch 
 connexions were not as defirable, as 
 worthy among women, as among men ; 
 nay, that the weaker the female fex was, 
 the more expedient it was to multiply 
 its props, and that friendfliip was {\^v&^ 
 not one of the lead \ that, after all, a 
 jeft was not a reafon : and that if de- 
 licacy was one of the chief ingredients 
 of that virtue, the women were incon- 
 C 3 teftablv. 
 
30 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 teftably, in that point, as much quali- 
 fied as the men. 
 
 Reafons lefs powerful than thefe would 
 have rufficed to perfuade a heart fo dif- 
 pcfcd to every fentiment of worth, as 
 Clara's naturally was. Befides then, 
 the perfe6t harmony in which fhe lived 
 Vv'ith all her companions, Hie had met 
 above half way the advances made to 
 her by one of the young ladies of the 
 fchool, a daughter of Earl Lovell, 
 her name Lady Harriet, and about one 
 year older than herfelf. A certain fim- 
 pathy of temper, and conformity of 
 ta(te, in their favorite objeds of im- 
 provem^ent, in fhort, in every thing, 
 had firfl: begun their intimacy, which 
 habit afterwards flrengthened and lafl- 
 
 ingly 
 
to Mrs. Buckley, %i 
 
 jngly cemented. Without any fuch af- 
 fedation of the name of friends, as 
 might be difagreeable to the reft of that 
 amiable fociety^ who were all competi- 
 tors for Clara's preference, they con- 
 tented themfelves with the pleafure they 
 found in the reality of the fentiment, 
 of which they omitted no opportunity 
 of convincing one another. 
 
 In this tenor of life, in the bofom of 
 improvement, and in all the fatisfaflion 
 of innocent amufements, Clara had at- 
 tained to her fourteenth year, when her 
 uncle, impatient of having fuch a trea- 
 fure nearer him, took her home, to the 
 great grief of Mrs. Mercicr and of the 
 whole fchool, but efpecially of Lady 
 Harriet, who not enduring to flay there 
 C 4 after 
 
32 Trom Mr. Mellefo^^T, 
 
 after her, prevailed likewife on her mo- 
 ther to take her away. 
 
 Mr. GlafTmore, who had long been 
 fenfible of his niece's fuperior merit of 
 perfon and accomplifhments, not con- 
 tent with a profufion on her of every 
 thing he imagined would pleafe her, 
 fet her at the head of his houfe, of 
 which he confidered her, and not v/ith- 
 ouc reafon, as the greatefl: ornament. 
 In fliort, he idolifed her to fuch a dc- 
 [;ree, as was very capable of fpoiling 
 one Icfs fortified by nature and educa- 
 tion. 
 
 And here it would be ingratitude 
 for me to omit, that fhe had conftantly 
 given us the mod tender m.arks of her 
 
 remem- 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 33 
 
 remembrance of us, not only in fre- 
 quent letters to her fider, which breath- 
 ed nothing but the fpirit of goodnefs 
 and afFeclion, but by fending us, on 
 every occafion, prefents of fuch value, 
 that we were obliged very ferioufly to 
 remonftrate to her againfl the excefs. 
 Nor did fhe flop at this, but as her 
 influence over her uncle grew to fuch 
 a point, that he followed all the ini- 
 prefTions fhe was pleafed to fuggefl to 
 him, he gave us proof, in many efTen- 
 tials, of his natural regard for Efther, 
 being greatly increafed by her quality 
 of fifter to Clara. In fhort, it is but 
 fair to confefs, that much of the pre- 
 fent eafe of our circumflances we owe 
 to her good offices with Mr. Glalf- 
 more. 
 
 C 5 But 
 
34 From Mr. Mellefont^ 
 
 But alas! that lb good an Intention, 
 as that of this fond uncle, Ihould be,, 
 by his draining it beyond the bounds 
 of difcretion, pernicious to himfelf. 
 It was but juft, but natural, for him to 
 think, that the greater was his niece's 
 merit, perfonal and acquired, the lefs 
 fhe would need a fortune, to which 
 that merit was fo rich a fupplementr 
 But as nothing, in this world, is eafier 
 or more common, than to ruinoufly 
 confound a true good with a falfe one, 
 Mr, GlafTmore, who had never been co- 
 vetous of money for himfelf, began to 
 confider it as the fupreme good, in the 
 pafTion of his heart, for the adding to 
 thofe advantages of Nature and Art, of 
 which Clara was already fo eminently 
 
 poITefled, 
 
to Mrs, B u c K L E V. 35 
 
 poflefled, that of a fortune equal to 
 them. In this fpirit, he, who had been 
 before noted for rather a flow, cautious, 
 circumfpedl dealer, fuddenly went over 
 to the other e:^treme, and launched out 
 into trade, in a manner that furprifed 
 every one that knew him. Then it 
 was that, for the firft time, he was ken 
 to prefer the chance of fudden great 
 gains, to the repetition of flow, mo- 
 derate, and more fecure ones. Some 
 fuccefl*es, at firfl:, fo elated and encou- 
 raged him to proceed, that, big with 
 the hopes they infpired, he ufed to 
 talk of nothing lefs than giving Clara 
 fourfcore or a hundred thoufand pounds 
 to her fortune; and, in all probabi- 
 lity, very fincerely meant as he faid. 
 Unluckily, in the very year that he 
 C 6 had 
 
^6 Frdm Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 had taken her home, no lefs than four 
 capital adventures, in which he had 
 rifked by much the greateft part of his 
 fubftance, failed, fo that in aiming to 
 raife her a fortune, he funk his own. 
 His conflitution, originally never a very 
 good one, had been for fome time 
 fenfibly declining, the confcioufnefs of 
 which had, perhaps, contributed to that 
 precipitancy with which he proceeded 
 in his endeavours to accumulate the 
 fortune he was projecfting for Clara, 
 This blow then going to his heart, 
 in its difappointment of his darling 
 fcheme, was, no doubt, of fatal confe- 
 quence to his health, and the more fo, 
 for that he could not prevail on him- 
 felf to procure the relief of unbofom- 
 ing himfelf to the fole objed of his 
 
 confi' 
 
to Mrs, Buckley. 37 
 
 confidence, of his affecbion, of his care. 
 He could not, indeed, quite conceal 
 his melancholy from Clara, though he 
 endeavoured it as much as pofTible, 
 which only made his grief prey the 
 more fiercely on him inwards, but the 
 caufe of it flie could not even guefs, 
 having never heard him mention a 
 word of his lofTes, a referve which 
 very likely proceeded from his fear of 
 giving her any uneafinefs. Not to 
 dwell then difagreeably to you on this 
 fubjed of afflidion, and without par- 
 ticularifing the hiftory of his illnefs, 
 I haften to the fatal conclufion of it. 
 A few minutes before his death, of 
 the approaches of which he was kn- 
 fenfible, he intimated a defire to fpeak 
 to Clara alone, who was fo weak with 
 
 her 
 
38 From Mr. Mel l e f o n r^ 
 
 her conftant attendance, and watching 
 him, as well as with her fears and 
 grief for his condition, that fhe was 
 fcarce more alive than himfelf. The 
 attendants being all withdrawn, fhe 
 had jufl fpirits and fenfe enough to= 
 obferve, that he was in that fort of 
 confufion for uttering what he had to 
 fay, which attends a repugnance to- 
 give vent to a fmothered fecret. He 
 began twice or thrice to articulate a 
 few fcarce intelligible words, that 
 feemed exprelTions of a tender concern 
 and compafTion, when he was flopped 
 fhort by the force of his difeafe : it 
 is probable the inward confiid he wa& 
 induring haftened his agony, for thence- 
 forwards he remained fpeechlefs till the 
 laft inftant of his breath, which was 
 
 about 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 
 
 39 
 
 about a quarter of an hour afterwards. 
 Clara frightened, and fkreaming for 
 help, was carried out of the room. 
 
 We were prefently apprifed of this 
 cataftrophe, and immediately fet out 
 for town, where our prefence was on 
 many accounts indifpenfably necefTary. 
 You being at that time in Cornwall 
 with your late hufband, we could no£ 
 have the benefit of your counfels. 
 
 Nothing could be more moving than 
 the deep diftrefs in which we found 
 Clara \ pale, extenuated, and finking 
 under her grief. I fmcerely believe 
 that our arrival faved her life, or at 
 lead retrieved her from the gates of 
 death, which feemed already opening 
 
 for 
 
40 From Mr, M e l l e f o N t, 
 
 for her. But the fight of her fifter, 
 from whom fhe had been fo long ab- 
 fenr, and whom fhe had always exprelTed 
 a padionate defire to fee, fomevvhat re- 
 vived her, and gave her the firfl: gteam 
 of confolation, fmce the death of Mr. 
 GlafTmore. She had from that time 
 remained in fuch a (late of ftupefadion 
 and unconcern for any thing, that flie 
 had never once thought of any point of 
 interefl, or of what fhe had to expe6l 
 from the ftate of his affairs ; and the 
 compaiTion with which (he had infpired 
 all who faw her, had kept them from 
 mentioning it to her. 
 
 When his will was opened, it ap- 
 peared to be of a very recent date, and 
 conformable to his latter circumflances. 
 
 He 
 
to Mrs. BncKLEY. 41 
 
 He had left my wife two hundred 
 pounds, with fome other bequeathments 
 to fervants, and Clara refiduary legatee. 
 But by a very fair calculation, from the 
 very clear accounts he had kept to the 
 lafl, it was prefently difcovered, that, 
 all due dedudtions made, the wliole of 
 what was left would not exceed from 
 between fifteen hundred to two thoufand 
 pounds.. This, with Milbury-farm in 
 SomerfetHiire, which in his life-time 
 he had irrevocably fecured to her, and 
 may bring in fomething above a hun- 
 dred a year, conftitute the whole of her 
 fortune, inftead of that princely one 
 with which his fond afTurances had often 
 flattered her. Out of his conftant libe- 
 ral fupplies fhe had made fome little 
 refervc of money and jewels, which 
 
 might 
 
42 From Mr. M e l L e f o ^i t, 
 
 might have been much greater, but 
 for her own difpofition and genera- 
 fity. 
 
 However, fuch was her unafFe(5led 
 difintereflednefs, that on any mention 
 to her of condolance, relative to her 
 difappointment of fortune, fhe could 
 hardly conceive what they meant by it v 
 fhe was fo thoroughly fatisfied with the 
 comparatively fmall matter that was lef?,. 
 and efleemed it a competency for any 
 wants fhe could figure to herfelf, in her 
 aflual moderation of defires, and pro- 
 pofed fimplicity of life. But the me- 
 mory of her uncle was only the dearer 
 to her for the caufe of that diminution 
 of her intended fortune, which never' 
 gave her a moment's uneafinefs. 
 
 As 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 43 
 
 As foon as flie had paid her laft fad 
 duties to his remains, her earned in:- 
 treaty to us was to take her down for 
 a while into the country with us, there, 
 in the bofom of our family, to reflore 
 her wounded fpirits. There was no- 
 thing fhe could have propofed more 
 agreeable to our own wifhes. 
 
 I ought not to omit mentioning here, 
 that no fooner had Clara been taken 
 home by her uncle, whofe declarations 
 of his intentions to make her fo great 
 a fortune had been currently received 
 and believed, that even in that tender 
 age of hcr*s there had prefcnted them- 
 felves a number of fuitors, fome of 
 them in very opulent circumftances, 
 
 but 
 
44 Frofti Mr. Melle^k^ont, 
 
 but whom Mr. GlafTmore had not en- 
 couraged, in Ins idea of procuring one 
 of the firft matches in the kingdom 
 for her. After his death, when it was 
 difcovered that her fortune was no- 
 thing equal to what had been given out^ 
 there was not one af thofe who had 
 propofed their pretentions that deferted 
 her. As ever fince her uncle's demife Hie 
 had fhut herfelf up, and remained inac- 
 ceflible to any vifitors, it was to my 
 wjfe that all of them made their appli- 
 cations, and intreated her good offices. 
 But as that was not the time to touch 
 fuch a firing, there could be no anfwer 
 returned to their propofals, but a civilly 
 elufive one, referring them to herfelf, 
 when her affliclion fbould be mode- 
 rated enough for an application of 
 
 that 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 45 
 
 that kiad to be more confident with 
 decency. Some of her fuitors acqui- 
 efced in the reafonablenefs of this delay ; 
 others, in letters (which were conflantly 
 with great politenefs returned to them,) 
 ic the gente.eleft manner they could 
 imagine, covertly infinuated the merit 
 of their perfeverance, even after the 
 difcovery of the difparity of her fortune 
 to theirs. At that time, Clara v/as too 
 much engrolTed by her afilidion to take 
 notice of any thing of that kind, but 
 when ihe became reflored to a little 
 more tranquillity of mind, fhe faid, 
 on their being mentioned to her, that 
 fhe could fee but very little difference, 
 in point of delicacy, between fuch as 
 fhould drop their fuit, on finding the 
 inferiority of her fortune, and thofc 
 
 who 
 
46 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 made a merit to her of their perfift- 
 ance, notwithftanding the fuperiority 
 of theirs, the very mention of which 
 betrayed their taking into the account 
 a circumflance according to her ideas 
 of things, of a nature very foreign to a 
 pafTion of which fhe knew nothing, nor 
 defired to know, except that fhe be- 
 lieved it flood very little upon refpedls 
 of fortune, and was only the better for 
 that contempt, however the world might 
 be in general of another opinion. 
 
 Upon the whole, there appeared in 
 Clara fo great an indifference, or ra- 
 ther averfion for this fubjed, that we 
 never ventured to renew the offence of 
 it to her. 
 
 All 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 47 
 
 AH difpofitions being made for re- 
 turning to our parfonage-houfe, Clara 
 left a letter for Lady Harriet, who 
 was then at the family feat, with her 
 mother, at Moultray •, and, after taking 
 a mod tender leave of Mrs. Mercier, 
 who, in her vifits, had been of great 
 fervice in joining her confolatory ef- 
 forts to ours, we fet out for my par- 
 fonage-houfe, where we arrived with- 
 out any accident or inconvenience by 
 the way. 
 
 Here It was that the gloom of 
 Clara's melancholy firft gave figns of 
 diflipating, with the removal and change 
 of objeds, while her natural chear- 
 fulnefs began to regain its afcendant, 
 
 and 
 
48 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 and ILew itfelf in gleams of fmiles, 
 which were drawn from her by the 
 little carefles and playfulnefs of our 
 children. But furely nothing could be 
 more engaging, nor more edifying, than 
 her behaviour. The country ladies 
 round us, who had been prepared for 
 all the infolence and affectation of a 
 fine lady's airs, were agreeably fur- 
 prifed to find in their (lead fo fweet a 
 fimplicity of manners, and an unaf- 
 fumingnefs, which was the refult of 
 the mofl perfect modefly in every fenfe 
 of that word. Nothing was more 
 eafy to fee, than that fhe had a great 
 deal of true wit, and, at the fame time, 
 that file did not herfelf fufpefl it, by 
 her neither affedling to fliow or to 
 conceal it. 
 
 But 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 45 
 
 But even we, who had many reafons 
 to anticipate every thing that was ami- 
 able, from what we had precedently 
 experienced of her condud, or had rea- 
 fon to infer from the fpirit of her letters, 
 could not help being ftruck with the 
 eafe and grace with which fhe entered 
 into our domeftic occupations, and Hid 
 into all the female fundlions of rural 
 ceconomy. 
 
 Thefe exercifes, together with the 
 country air, foon had their ufual ef- 
 fect; Ihe prefently recovered the florid 
 bloom of her complexion, and flood 
 reflored in beauty. It is without any 
 the leaft exageration, I can aflfure 
 you, that few of our neighbouring 
 Gentlemen have feen her with impu- 
 
 VoL. I. D nity. 
 
50 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 nity, or are proof againft her numerous 
 attractions -, many of them have al- 
 ready declared themfelves -, and even 
 Mr. Collins, our fquire, who, in hi* 
 life, was never heard to praife any thing 
 but dogs and horfes, does her the ho- 
 nor of preferring her to them. But 
 tvithout any airs of infolent beauty, 
 of prudery, or coquetry, Clara has 
 hitherto eluded all their addrefles, by 
 the art of keeping them at a dif- 
 tance, without offence. Her fhun- 
 ning them appears to proceed lefs 
 from her diQike of them, than from 
 her natural love of retirement. 
 
 She was extremely pleafed with a 
 very large clofet adjoining to her 
 chamber, which I have added to the 
 
 par- 
 
to Mrs, Buckley. 51 
 
 parfonage houfe fince you faw ir. With- 
 out any the lead romantic turn of 
 head, the melanchoHc mood in which 
 fhe arrived here was pleafingly Tooth- 
 ed by the fituation of it, fweetly 
 fhaded by the trees of a neighbouring 
 grove, where the filence of its folitude 
 is only broken by the warbling of 
 birds, and by a rill of the clearefl: 
 water, forming a natural cafcade with 
 almoft a mufical murmur. Here, on 
 a harpfichord of my wife's, fhe fpent 
 fome of her time, in the cultivation 
 of her accomplifliment in mufic, which 
 fhe would difdain to pofTefs in any 
 deg:ree inferior to that of a miflrefs of 
 the art. Here, accompanying that in- 
 flrument with a very fine foprano voice, 
 and with thofe graces which are fo great 
 D 2 an 
 
52 JFr^;;/ Mr. Mellefont> 
 
 jin addition to vocal execution, fhe 
 would, on the lead intimation of its 
 affording Vo pleafure, and without any 
 of the grimace to none fo com- 
 mon as to the vvorft players, without 
 their thinking themfelves fo, give us 
 one of the higheft entertainments of 
 which the human refinement of nature 
 by art is fufceptible. You know my 
 pafTion for mufic, and have often 
 blamed me for the excefs of it -, you 
 will then think that this renders me 
 partial -, but lady Proffer, who is uni.- 
 verfally allowed to be a great and real 
 judge, loudly confirms my opinion of 
 the fuperiority of Clara's both voice and 
 performance. In neither did I ever 
 hear any of the Italian fingers excel her, 
 no, not even in the graces of fong, which 
 
 the 
 
U Mrs. Buckley. 53 
 
 the more natural they feem, are but 
 the more difficult to learn. 
 
 She has given us too an excellent mi- 
 niature piflure of her own painting, of 
 Flora, our fecond child, in an attitude 
 of fleeping, which is another proof of 
 her determination never to remain con* 
 tented with m.ediocrity in any improve- 
 ment ihe attempts. In that fpirit, flie 
 made herfelf perfect miftrefs of the 
 Italian, which fhe at firfl began only 
 for its ufe in her fludy of muHc. 
 
 You will then eafily guefs how 
 happy the (lay with us, of fo ac- 
 complifhed, fo amiable a filler, was 
 likely to make us, while, from the 
 return of her gaiety, and the fatif- 
 D 3 facllofk 
 
54 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 fadion fhe expreffcd at her condition 
 with us, we were in hopes that hap- 
 pinefs would have been more lafting. 
 An incident, none of us expedled, 
 has, at leaft, interrupted it. 
 
 Clara had often mentioned Lady 
 Harriet to us, always with the utmoft 
 tendernefs, and latterly with fome lit- 
 tie regret and furprize at not having 
 heard from her. It was not full two 
 days from her making this remark, 
 that an exprefs came down from that 
 young Lady, and brought Clara a 
 letter, of Vv-hich, as it relates to the 
 occafion of this to you, 1 inclofe you 
 the copy. 
 
 LET- 
 
to Mrs, Buckle v. 55 
 
 LETTER 
 
 From Lady Ylx-r.-.".- Lev- l ;; ;:/;; 
 Cl a r a M .^. ■/ : ; v.- a ?. : n" g . 
 
 Lcnd'on^ Augujl, 
 " Mj ever dear friend^ 
 
 "YOU ca-o: cc'Ccive hcT 
 •'vexed I have b^tn a: r-.v r :-::.. -- 
 
 ing fo late your 
 
 
 " the negligence cf our porter, v,aj 
 " kept it till I came lad night to town. 
 *' I fhould certainly nave had him turned 
 *' away, but that I am clear his fault 
 " proceeded rather from ftupidity than 
 " ill- intention j and as his innocent wife 
 " and children would be involved in his 
 *' punifhment, 1 ani perfuaded that I 
 *' fhould not make my court to you by 
 D 4 "aa 
 
56 From Mr, Mellefont, 
 
 '* an adl of feverity, whatever the juftice 
 *' of it might be. It is, then, to the 
 *' implied interceflion of your goodneis 
 '' that he owes his not lofing his place. 
 
 " So far in juft excufe for the delay of 
 ** my anfwer. 
 
 *' I do not mean to pefter you with a 
 " condoleance of mere ceremony, and 
 " lefs yet with common-place confola- 
 '* tion j but I fincerely fimpathife with 
 ** you-, I know your fenfibiiity, and^ 
 *' will not, therefore, dwell upon a ful> 
 " jed fo fit to refrelh the fmart of its 
 ** wounds. 
 
 ** I Hiy nothing to you either of the 
 ** new-difcovered inferiority of your for- 
 
to Mrs, B u c K L E y. 57 
 
 ** nine to the expe6lation which had 
 *' been raifed of it : why fnould I. know- 
 *' ing your way of thinking as I do, 
 *' offer you any arguments to extenuate 
 " your lofs of an advantage which you 
 *' would certainly defpife if you had it? 
 *' You are but too rich in endo'vvments, 
 ** infinitely fuperior to thofe of fortune : 
 *' a head lefs good than yours would be 
 " turned with the high-ground on which 
 *' you (land, fo much above the greateft 
 *' part of our fex, in the points of ex- 
 " cellence we moil covet. 
 
 " How dare you, then, talk to me 
 *' of the difparity of our conditions ? 
 " In what have I deferved this of you ? 
 *' I do you more juflice. If it is the 
 " part of inferiority to afl<: favors i fee 
 D 5 *' a con- 
 
58 From Mr. Mellefont, 
 
 •' a confeflion of it in the fiiit I have to 
 *' make to you in this letter •, and let 
 '' me tell you, that it would be great 
 *^ injuftice in you to deny it me, fince 
 '* you are the caufe of my necelTity for 
 " it j you, who have made almoft the 
 ** v;hole world indifferent to me by com- 
 *' parifon of it to you. [In that word 
 *' rJmoJl there lies a miftery, which when 
 " I fee you fhall ceafe to be one.] Yes, 
 *' Clara, you alone have made nie fsn- 
 " fible of the effential diftindlion be- 
 " tween a recourfe to acquaintance from 
 " an impatience of folitude, and the joys 
 *' of friendship founded on virtue and 
 " mutual improvement. Is it not to 
 *' your example, to my emulation of 
 " your dignity of fentiments and man- 
 *' ners, that 1 am more indebted for the 
 
 " little 
 
to Mrs, Buckley. 59 
 
 <« little I am worth, than to all Mrs. 
 " Mercier's leflbns? All the company 
 *' I fee only reminds mt of you, and 
 *' nothing fupplies the place of you. 
 ** Society at bed appears to me a 
 •' dreary defert, in which here and there, 
 *' at great diftances, in charaflers like 
 *' yours, one meets with a fcv/ fpots 
 •' of verdure, that are of fonie relief to 
 " the tired traveller. But now you are 
 *' more necelTary to me than ever-, for 
 *' fince I had the happinefs of feeing 
 *' you laft, an occurrence, of the greatefl: 
 *' importance to the reft of my life, 
 *' has taken place, about which I need 
 *' fuch a friend as you, in whofe bofcm 
 *' I may depofite my fears, my anxie- 
 *' ties, my alarms. 
 
 D 6 '* If, 
 
6o From Mr, Me l l e f o n T, 
 
 " If, then, your regard for me is not 
 *' a vain profefTion, of which, however, 
 '* far be it from me to fufped you v 
 *' if, in our tender years, our Tingling 
 *' one another out, in diflindlion from 
 ** the reft of the world, was not rather a 
 " childifh playing at friendfliip, than 
 *' laying a folid foundation for the per- 
 *' feverance of fo noble, fo delicious, fo 
 " virtuous a fentiment ; come and 
 *' blefs me with your company for as 
 " long as you can afford your abfence 
 " from your fifter, or fhe will fparc 
 '* you. She will lay me under an 
 " immortal obligation, if fhe gives her 
 *' confent. Inclofed with this you will 
 '•* receive my mother's invitation, which 
 " is as civil a one as Ihe would write to 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 6i 
 
 " any one under a Princefs. You 
 •' know her idea, which, with all due 
 " refpedl to her, is, I afllire you, not 
 *' mine, of rank, and how apt flie is 
 " to proportion her flile : bur, with 
 *' regard to you, her fondnefs for me 
 " makes you an exception. 
 
 " I ihould tell you, too, that I ima- 
 " gine a country-recefs is of too folitary 
 *' a nature to anfwer the piirpofe of 
 " compleating the diffipation of your 
 " melancholy, and that a little of the 
 " whirl of amufements in a town life, may 
 *' ferve to make a not unneceflary di- 
 *' verfion to your grief: but that I wifli 
 " your yielding to my prefling inflances 
 J' for your accepting my invitation may 
 
 *'be 
 
Cz From Mr, Mellefont, 
 
 *' be purely owing to your own good- 
 *' nefs, to your own friendfhip for me. 
 
 ''Come, then, my fweet girl, come as 
 *' foon as you polTibly can j come and 
 *' enliven me with your prefence : there 
 " is but one fun, there is but one 
 " Clara, and I fhall hail your ap- 
 " pearance with more joy, than the long 
 *' benighted Greenlander does the re- 
 " turn of the folar orb to gild his ho- 
 *' rizon, after a fix months abfence, 
 
 " Once more, in this requefl remem- 
 *' ber, that I am recommending to you 
 " one of the points I have the mofb at 
 " my heart : confult yours, and deny 
 ** me if you dare or can. 
 
 '^ Yours, &c. 
 
 *' Harriet Lovell.** 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 6^ 
 
 The foregoing letter Clara directly 
 put into our hands, and as the exprefs 
 waited for the anfwer, we could not 
 well avoid coming to an immediate de- 
 termination. 
 
 It was with the moft tender regard, 
 with the gentlefl fubmiffivenefs to an 
 authority we certainly had not over 
 her, any farther than her own choice 
 gave it us, that flie left us to pronounce 
 whether fhe fhould or not accept this 
 invitation. At the fame time fhe did 
 not difiemble to us her own inclination 
 to comply with it, though unfeignedly 
 ready to facrifice her defires to ours. 
 She was fenfible, fhe faid, of the danger 
 to one of her years and inexperience, 
 
 in 
 
64 Fro?n Mr, M e l l e f o n t, 
 
 in going into fo gay and mixed a fphere 
 of life, as that in which her companion- 
 fliip to Lady Harriet would introduce 
 her^ and that none were more likely 
 to fail in that career, than fuch as pre- 
 fume the mofl on their own forces ^ 
 but that on one great principle (he durft 
 venture to rely, which was, that flie 
 would always herfelf mean the befl, 
 though without any prefumption on 
 her own infalHbility ; that, on the con- 
 trary, fhe depended on nothing fo much 
 as on the precautions fhe propofed to 
 take againft herfelf, judging, that licr 
 greateft fafeguard againft her being de- 
 ceived by others, would be, to take par- 
 ticular care not to be deceived by her- 
 felf j concluding with a repetition of 
 fending an excufe to Lady Harriet, if 
 
 v/e 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 65 
 
 Vr'e fhould difapprove of her giving her 
 that mark of her friendfliip flie fairly 
 owned fhe wilhed to do* 
 
 Upon this reprefentatlon, though we 
 had many objedions to oppofe to her 
 going, independent of our own ardent 
 defire to have her longer with us, we 
 not only cordially returned her the com- 
 pliment of leaving the point entirely to 
 her own decifion, but I took upon me, 
 dear aunt, to offer her, in you, a fin- 
 cere friend and ufefui council, fure, at" 
 once, of your not protefting this draught 
 upon a goodnefs, which, I am perfuad- 
 ed, is inexhauftible, and of its being 
 hardly pofilble to find for you a more 
 worthy opportunity for the exertion of 
 it. Had not I been very clear, then, 
 
 that 
 
66 From Mr. M e l l e f o n T, 
 
 that both you and Clara would do 
 honor to my recommendation, I would 
 not have taken the liberty to trouble 
 you with it. Richmond being at fa 
 eafy a diftance from the town, will oc- 
 cafionally afford her a ready recourfe 
 to you \ and furely you would have 
 been edified at the tranfports of grati- 
 tude with which fhe received our con- 
 currence to her wifhes, and this addrefs 
 of her to you, of whom flie has, with 
 reafon, the higheft opinion, from the 
 juftice I have done to your charafier 
 of untainted honor, and of perfedl know- 
 ledge of the world, and all this yet 
 more exalted by your great good-na- 
 ture. 
 
 Agreeably, 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 67 
 
 Agreeably, then, to this determina- 
 tion the exprefs was fent off with a mofl 
 refpeclful anfwer from Clara to Lady 
 Lovell, and a mcfl tender one to Lady 
 Harriet, in which fhe excufed herfelf 
 for her fuccinclnefs, on her unvvilling- 
 nefs to detain the meflenger, 
 
 Juft at this time, luckily for Clara's 
 defign. Lady ProiTer was on the point 
 of returning to London, from a vific 
 to her filler ; and, on hearing of 
 this intention, offered Clara a place 
 in her poft-chaife, which flie faid fhe 
 would not afford her gratis, that fhe 
 would not ; for fhe would be paid with 
 a fbng. You know her oddity, which 
 is very far from difagreeable, fince there 
 is always good-nature at the bottom of 
 
 it : 
 
68 Fro?n Mr. M e l l e f o n t, 
 
 it : All we are in pain for, is, left the 
 carriage iliould break down with her 
 weight of corpulence, to the enormous 
 preponderance of which, on one fide, 
 Clara, with her flimnefs of make, 
 mufl be fo deficient a ballance. How- 
 ever, as one may fay, the horfes are to, 
 and go the journey Ihe will, not with- 
 out leaving many an aching heart behind 
 her, ours included. 
 
 You will now naturally fay, that I 
 have been writing you not a letter, but 
 a hiftoryj nay, worfe than a hiftory, a 
 long panegyric -, but this is impoffible to 
 avoid, while writing of Clara : Nor am 
 I at all afraid of doing, her an ill office 
 by over-raifing your expcdation about 
 her. I judged it neceffary, becaufe re- 
 
 fpedlfui 
 
to Mrs, Buckley, 69 
 
 fpedlful to you, to give you fome idea of 
 the perfon I was taking the liberty to 
 put, in fome meafure, under your pro- 
 teclion. 
 
 Yours, &rc. 
 
 Edwarp Mellefont, 
 
 LET- 
 
70 Clara Maynwaring 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Clara Maynwaring, to Mrs, 
 Esther Mellefont. 
 
 Dear Sister, London. 
 
 AS you would doubtlefs take it ill 
 that fuch as ai-e fo admirably well 
 united, I fhould attempt to feparate, by 
 my writing apart to Mr. Mellefont, 
 this, then, and every future letter, is 
 ever to be underflood jointly and in 
 common to you both. So that is ad- 
 jufted. I arrived very fafe, and not in 
 the lead fatigued, at Lady Proffer's, 
 
 who. 
 
to Mrs. Mellepont. 71 
 
 who, with a friendly violence, means 
 to detain me two days at her houfe in 
 the city, having fent her coach immedi- 
 ately to Mrs. Buckley, with your letter 
 and a note of apology from me, for 
 my not delivering it with my own hands. 
 But Lady Proffer tells me, Mrs. Buck- 
 ley knows her too well to take any thing 
 amifs from her, for flie will have her 
 way. In my hurry to fee Lady Harriet, 
 I could ill brook this retardment ; but 
 I do not know what it is to refift the 
 prelfure of a good-natured civility which 
 one may feel comes from the heart -, I 
 would at any time rather fuffer an in- 
 conveniency than give a pain. 
 
 A croud of vifitants coming in, to 
 whom Mrs. Proffer, in continuance of 
 
 that 
 
72 To Mrs. Mellefont. 
 
 kind tyranny of her's, infifls, I fliould 
 imagine abfurdly enough, on my doing 
 the honors of her houfe, giving for rea- 
 fon that I am abfolutely the miftrefs of 
 it, I find I can, at prefent, have no 
 time to beftow on this letter the exten- 
 fion I could wifh, for the effufions of 
 my heart to you. No matter ; I know 
 your goodnefs, and that you will give 
 me, implicitly, credit for what 1 am 
 thus hindered from faying ; and fure I 
 am, all that I do not fay, could not 
 contain all that I feel of affedlion, gra- 
 titude, and refped for you. Embrace 
 your little ones for me, and believe me 
 
 ever. 
 
 Your obliged and 
 
 tenderly loving filler and fervant, 
 
 Clara Maynwaring, 
 
21? Mr. Mellefont. 73 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 Mrs. Buckley tc the Reverend Mr, 
 Mellefont. 
 
 Bear Nephew^ Richjnond. 
 
 T Write myfelf ^ I think myfelf ex- 
 ^ tremely obliged to you for procuring 
 mt the knowledge of ycur excellent 
 filler-, by what I can already difcern of 
 her, I had rather be her acquaintance 
 than only her relation, but hold it a 
 greater happinefs dill to be both. 
 
 Cn receipt of your letter, with Clara's 
 
 note and Lady Proffer's invitation to 
 
 Vol. L E town, 
 
74 
 
 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 town, 1 immediately let off, and own 
 to you, that all that you had faid to me 
 in your filler's favor, I found, at fight 
 of her, inferior to the reality. A more 
 finking figure I never beheld, nor cer- 
 tainly a more graceful one. With all 
 the charm.s of innocence and fweetnefs, 
 you fee her heart breathing in her every 
 gefture, every motion, every word. 
 Her reception captivated me. 
 
 You may be fure I thanked Lady 
 Proffer for the kind care fhe had taken 
 of her in the journey, and for all her 
 more than civilities. The groffnefs of 
 that woman's fat good-humor has to 
 me ten thoufand times the merit of 
 the delicacy of fome of the quality's 
 meager politenefs, 
 
 I could 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. 75 
 
 I could not get away till the evening, 
 when Clara fent a card to Lady Harrier, 
 to acquaint her of her arrival, and of 
 her being at Richmond with me, where 
 I brought her to the apartment which 
 I have dedicated entirely to her ufe, 
 and fliall keep fo, that it may occa- 
 fionally afford her a convenient recefs -, 
 and I may add, a pleafant one ; as no- 
 thing can be imagined more agreeable 
 than its fituation, commanding, from 
 the top of Richmond-hill, fuch a prof- 
 peel as I fancy may vie with any that 
 Greece or Italy can produce, the vales 
 of Tempe and Arno not excluded. As 
 there would be a kind of egorifm in 
 dwelling to you on all the fatisfadlion 
 Clara expreffed at taking pofTrfTion of 
 the premifTes, I fhall lightly pafs over 
 E 2 that 
 
76 Mrs. B u c K L E V 
 
 that circumftance, pleafing as it was to 
 me •, but ilill furely lefs fo than that 
 of finding, by the eafe and freedom 
 of her behaviour to me, that fhe had 
 penetrated the difpofitions of my heart 
 towards her, and repaid me with all 
 the overture of hers, in the fpirit of 
 congenial confidence and unreferve. 
 
 The next morning, we had not done 
 breakfaft, before Lady Harriet arrived 
 in a coach and fix, to fetch away Clara, 
 Their interview afforded a fcene of 
 great tendernefs, and mutual regard, 
 while Lady Harriet overwhelmed her 
 with thanks for her obliging compli- 
 ance with her invitation. Not having 
 fo much as llaid to take her breakfaft 
 in town, fhe fat down to it with us. 
 
 As 
 
to Mr. MeIlefont. 77 
 
 As foon as it was over, confidering me 
 as Clara's aunt, flie begged it as the 
 greatefl: favor, and with fo good a 
 grace that I could not well have refufed 
 her, that I would go to tov/n with 
 them, not only to fee Clara indalled 
 in the apartment CnQ had prepared for 
 her, but to do her the honor of a com- 
 mencement of acquaintance. In this 
 particular, Clara's prefTingly joining 
 her inflances determined me, and ac- 
 cordingly we proceeded to town toge- 
 ther. 
 
 But before I mention to you odr 
 reception, the concern you will na- 
 turally have to know the more effen- 
 tial particulars of the Lovell-family will 
 give propriety to my prefixing fum- 
 E 3 marily 
 
78 Mrs^ Buckley 
 
 marily fome account of what may, 
 perhaps, have efcaped Clara's know- 
 ledge. 
 
 I had no acquaintance with the fa- 
 mily i but Mrs. Villaret, a worthy neigh- 
 bour of mine, and a very fenfible 
 woman, is very intimate in it, and 
 might have been more To, if her ill 
 Hate of health had not greatly broke 
 ofFtheintercourfe. She had often men- 
 tioned Lady Lovell to me, but never 
 laid any ftrefs on her knowledge of 
 her, till I lately drew what informa- 
 tion I wanted from her. 
 
 Earl Lovell dying about fix years 
 ago, left Lady Lovell with two 
 children, a fon, now Earl Lovell, 
 
 who 
 
io Mr. Mellefont. 79 
 
 who is about five and twenty, and 
 Lady Harriet, who is many years 
 younger. 
 
 The father was not, that I could 
 learn, ever eminent in any thing, but 
 was contented with being one of thofe 
 immemorables, or cyphers of high life, 
 who, having no opinion of their own, 
 go conftantly with their party, right 
 or wrong-, whofe names you fee, in- 
 deed, in the hfl of the Peerage, but 
 which are the difdain of hiflory, and 
 the neglect of their own times ; being 
 hardly ever known cut of an obscure 
 narrow circle of menial fcrvants, de- 
 pendents, or of the party in which 
 they are liiled, made tools of, and 
 defpifed : upon the whole, perfonages 
 E 4 rather 
 
8o Mrs. Buckley 
 
 rather negatively good than pofitively 
 bad, and irreproachable enough for 
 any thing but infignificance, or nothing- 
 nefs of charadler. 
 
 The mother, Lady LoVell, Is princi- 
 pally remarkable for two paHions, which 
 fhe carries to the greateft extremity, a 
 pride of quality, an arrogance of (late, 
 which difhonors her underflanding, c- 
 tliervvife not a bad one-, and a boundlefs 
 fondnefs for her children, whom fhe 
 idolifes to that degree, as to have 
 brought herfelf at length to believe 
 that they are of a fuperior clay to the 
 reft of mortals ; m.ere earthen ware thele, 
 \vhile her ifilie are the porcelain. 
 
 As to the fon. Earl Lovell, whom 
 by the by I have occafionally fecn, 
 
 he 
 
io Mr. Mellefont. 8i 
 
 he is rather handfome, not ill-natured, 
 unlefs in his wit, but withall the 
 moll confummate coxcomb that ever 
 exifted, and, to the fhame of our fex, 
 only the more dangerous to it for 
 the being fo. He is now actually in 
 Ireland, fettling fome interefts in his 
 cflate there, but is hourly expeded. 
 
 Lady Harriet, as to her complexion, 
 is to the full as fair as Clara ; her 
 features not quite fo regular, though, 
 in their aflemblage, extremely grace- 
 ful and engaging : fhe has that fort 
 of beauty that for its not making the 
 violentefl imprelTion at the firfl: glance, 
 furely revenges itfelf at the fecond, 
 by producing a felf-reproach for the 
 injullice done it, and, upon examina- 
 E 5 tion, 
 
§2 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 tion, grows forcibly upon you. There 
 is an exquifite fenfibility in her looks, 
 which, joined to her great vivacity, 
 tempts one to conclude that there is 
 for her no mediocrity of happinefs, 
 or of diftrefs. She feems born for 
 nothing but great pleafures, or great 
 pains. As to her heart, there is but 
 one report about it, that it is an 
 excellent one : nor furely is it a lit- 
 tle prejudice in her favor, that all 
 her mother's indulgences and blind 
 fondnefs have not been able to fpoil 
 her. But the fecret alluded to in 
 Harriet's letter, is the fecret of the 
 comedy, for nothing can be more 
 public than her engagement with the 
 Marquefs of Soberton, a young noble- 
 man of great expe(^ation, and who 
 
 has 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. ^^ 
 
 has a very good character, even though 
 a nobleman. Notwithftanding this is 
 a match entirely the refult of fam.ily- 
 intereft and connexions, in which Httle 
 or no courtfhip has pafTed, Lady Har- 
 riet adores him. His father being ill 
 at the Spaw, he is gone over to him, 
 and, on his return, the marriage is to 
 take effecl. In the mean while, if I 
 am not much miiflaken, the ccm.pany 
 of Clara is, as Lady Harriet herfelf 
 fays, a recourfe to which fhe flies from 
 the ufual anxieties of a tender love, 
 feeking the relief of confidence in the 
 bofom of friendfhip. 
 
 Such is the a£lual fituation, as near as 
 
 is necelTary to be known, of the Lovell- 
 
 family, from which I leave you to draw 
 
 E 6 what 
 
84 Mrs. B u c K L £ y 
 
 what inferences you pleafe, and come 
 now to cur arrival at Lady Lovell's. 
 
 Prepared as I was by the knowledge 
 of her characler, it was with much 
 ado I fmothered a fmile at the flateli- 
 nefs this Lady Dowager threw into her 
 reception of us. There was fomething 
 fo quaint, fo formal, and fo bridhng 
 in her manner, that I really could not 
 help pitying an otherwife good woman 
 enough, for being fo excefTive ridicu- 
 lous. But Clara a Parfon's daughter, 
 and I the widow of a country- Attorney, 
 did not appear charadlers in life, with 
 vvhich a Countefs was obliged to keep 
 much meafures ; accordingly fhe treated 
 us with a fine air of fupercilious civi- 
 lity, every now and then checking her- 
 
 felf. 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 85 
 
 felf, as if flie had been afraid of letting 
 down her dignity by too great a con- 
 defcenfion, and as if ihe aimed at giving 
 us to underfland, that we owed the 
 fupreme honor fhe was doing us, to 
 her over-fondnefs in humoring her 
 daughter's fancies •, much in the fame 
 jftile, as that of letting her have a doll, 
 or any plaything fhe might cry for, in 
 her infancy. And yet, amidft all the 
 blindnefs of this abfurd aflumingnefs, 
 I could not help thinking that our be- 
 haviour rather difconcerted her. On my 
 fide there was a coldly polite referve, 
 with which 1 received all fhe faid, that 
 could not but partake uf my inward 
 contempt. But as to Clara, indepen- 
 dently of the flriking imprelTion of fo 
 uncommon a beauty as her's, fhe had 
 
 withal 
 
86 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 withal fo truly noble an air, a coun- 
 tenance fo fweetly awful, that I could 
 oblerve it was not, at length, without 
 its efFedl on her. Lady Harriet, to her 
 great joy, as fiie told me afterwards, 
 remarked it too. Upon the whole, 
 however, v/e had no great caufe to 
 comiplain. 
 
 Our audience of introduction to the 
 auguft Lady Lovell being over, Lady 
 Harriet carried us firft to her own 
 apartment, which was extremely near, 
 and afterwards to that allotted for Clara, 
 which fhe had fome rcafon to obje(5t 
 againft, for being too magnificent for 
 that fimplicity of friend fnip with which 
 fhe wifhed to be treated. 
 
 After 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 87 
 
 After dining together, in family, 
 when Lady Lovell moft gracioufly 
 vouchfafed to defcend a little more 
 from her fubUme rank, I left Clara 
 with her friend, and returned to my 
 own houfe at Richmond, where 1 in- 
 flantly fat down to write you this, and 
 to airure you of my being ever. 
 
 Dear nephew. 
 
 Your afFccftionate aunt, 
 
 Lucy Buckley. 
 
 LET. 
 
88 Clara MAYNwARmG 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Clara Maynwaring, to Mrs, 
 Mellefont. 
 
 Vear Sifter^ London, Sept. 
 
 AFTER feeing Mrs. Buckley's let- 
 ter to yon, 1 have very little ma- 
 terial to add, except that I have all the 
 reafon in the world to be fatisfied v/ith 
 Lady Harriet's noble and conftant pro- 
 cedure towards me. Even Lady Lo- 
 vell gives me all the marks I could rea- 
 fonably defire, or expefi:, of her being 
 pleafed with her daughter's choice of a 
 companion. There is, however, in me 
 
 one 
 
tn Mrs. Mellefont. 89 
 
 one great unfitnefs for Lady Harrier's 
 confidence •, fhe is perpetually talking to 
 me of lier paflion for Lord Sober ton, 
 and is amazed to find I do not enter 
 into it with the fpirit fhe vvi{]ic-s. But 
 this does not proceed from any objeflion 
 I have to her tafbe, for I never faw the 
 Marquefs, and have, from unprejudiced 
 perfons, heard an excellent charadler of 
 him •, but, from my total unacquaint- 
 ance with the fubjedt of love, confulting 
 me upon it, is like talking to a blind 
 man of colors. I have not any the 
 leaft idea of that paflion, nor defire to 
 have it. It is not that I defpife it, that 
 I brave it, or give myfelf airs of defi- 
 ance to it, but I heartily wifli to preferve 
 my freedom, becaufe I find it fufHcient 
 to my happinefs. The adtual good 
 
 Vv'hich 
 
90 Clara Maynvvaring 
 
 which I now enjoy, In a flate of liberty, 
 may be, for aught I know, inconnpara- 
 bly lefs than that which there is a cb.ance 
 of finding in a flate of love \ but I 
 fliould imagine a certainty of content 
 rather preferable to a contingency of 
 happinefs : And, in the mean while, I 
 have the fame averfion for any difcourfe 
 of it being addrefTed to me, as upon 
 any other fubject of which I am totally 
 ignorant, and wilh to remain fo. Lady 
 Harriet, in her pitying me, reminds me 
 of What I have read, in travels, of the 
 inhabitants of the Alps, who look down 
 with great contempt upon fuch as have 
 not their throats beautiQed v;ith a wen. 
 No matter-, our oifputes upon this 
 point anfwer her purpofe of diverting 
 herfelf, as much, and perhaps more, than 
 
 the 
 
to Mrs. Mellefont. 91 
 
 the monotony of my agreeing with her : 
 They ferve to advance the clock, which 
 fhe tedioufly counts till the return of the 
 Marquefs. There is, however, one point 
 in which I am forced to be infincere 
 with her, and that is, in fupprefTing a 
 remark of Mrs. Buckley's on his Lord- 
 fliip's letters •, a remark which, I aflbre 
 you, would have efcaped my inexperi- 
 ence, or rather ignorance of the matter. 
 She fays, that in point of flile, wit, po- 
 litenefs, they are admirably well writ- 
 ten, but that there is not the fhadow 
 of fentiment, nor a fpark of love in 
 tliem. 1 heartily hope flie refines too 
 much •, for, after all, why fhould not he 
 love one of the moft amiable women in 
 the world, and by whom he is fo ardent- 
 ly beloved, that I really believe the bare 
 
 fufpi- 
 
92 Clara Maynwaring 
 
 fufpicion of its being unreturncd 
 would go near to kill her. Tiiere is 
 nothing furely I wifh lefs, than for her 
 example to afford me a triumph in that 
 caufe of liberty v;hich I am defending 
 againft her. Bur, not to take up forrow 
 at intcren:, let us wait events where no- 
 thing in our power can prevent them. 
 
 Yeflerday Lady Harriet's brother, 
 Lord Lovell, of whom I had often 
 hear her fpeak with much affe(51:ion, ar- 
 rived in town, from Ireland. Mrs. 
 Buckley was with us at tea in Lady 
 Harriet's apartment, when he came in, 
 and flaid a good v;hile with us. He 
 is, I hope, worthy of fo good a filler. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
to Mrs. Mellefont 
 
 93 
 
 Mrs. Buckley fays fhe will v^rite to 
 you by this pofl:, vvhich encourages me 
 to abridge this trouble to you. 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 Clara Maynwaring, 
 
 LET- 
 
94 ^I^'^' Buckley 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 Mrs, Buckley, to Mr, Mellefont. 
 
 Tiear nephew^ Richmond, 
 
 EITHER my judgment plays me 
 falfe, or the fcenes to which your 
 recommendation of Clara has intro- 
 duced me, threaten to grow every in- 
 flant more interefting. The regard 
 Lady Harriet has for Clara, has led her 
 into the moft unreferved confidence in 
 me. She takes to m.e the more for 
 that difpofition to fimpathife v/ith her, 
 which (lie does not find in your fifter, 
 
 who. 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 95 
 
 who, not having fcen the enemy, as I 
 have done, can give her no account 
 of his marches, and manner of pro- 
 cedure. I fhall with great pleafure 
 give up all the honor of fagacity of 
 conjecture, if her Lord fhould prove 
 as much in love as Hie believes him, 
 and is undoubtedly herfelf. I make 
 not the leafl: doubt of h/is marrying 
 her ; that, it feemjS, is Hxed ; but to 
 me every thing on his fide has more 
 the air of one of your common inttreft 
 matches, in v/hich Love, either on one 
 fide or the other, but ofceneft on both, 
 takes his revenge for the not having 
 been confulted, by refufing his fancftion 
 to the ceremony. Thefe forebodings 
 f mine, you may be fure, I keep 
 Tom Lady Harriet. Why fliould I, 
 
 on 
 
96 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 on doubts perhaps falfe and injnrions, 
 plant daggers in one of the vvorthieft 
 hearts that ever anim::ted a human 
 bi-eaft ? Let that then fland over. 
 
 Yeflerday I was by chance witnefs 
 to a not uncurious fcene. We were 
 drinking tea at Lady Harriet's, when 
 one of the fervants came in and told us 
 Lord Lcvell was coming •, his mother 
 happening to be out of the way on a 
 vifit at Kenfington. We expeded to fee 
 him in a travelling undrefs, being but 
 a few hours arrived in town from Holy- 
 head. But no-, he was fuIl-drefTed 
 for an afiem.bly that evening at Lady 
 Evergreen's, by an invitation that had 
 met him tv/enry miles out of Lon- 
 don. His fifier fprung round his 
 
 neck 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. 97 
 
 neck to welcome him, and prefented 
 him to Clara and me. 1 dare fvvear he 
 took me, by my appearance, for fomc 
 odd body, whom his fifter had picked 
 up he could not conceive where, and 
 put the full equivalent of that opinion 
 into the looks with which he accom- 
 panied his compliment to me. No 
 wonder. I heartily foi-give him \ for, 
 between you and me, in my figure and 
 drefs, I had not amifs the air of an old 
 mantua-maker fuing for cudom, or of 
 a candidate for the place of houfe- 
 keeper to a city-alderman, on the re- 
 commendation of a nevv receipt for 
 dreOing turtle. 
 
 But when he caft his eyes on Clara, 
 
 who did not, I afllire you, caft her's 
 
 Vol. I. F on 
 
98 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 jon him, but waited, with the utmofl 
 modefty and the Icrenefl unconcern, to 
 receive his comphment, the cavalier 
 manner in which he had finilhed his 
 addrefs to me, and was beginning it to 
 her, gave place to the hefitation of 
 afLonirhment, and to the refpedlfullnefs 
 of admiration. Prefently he recovers 
 himfelf, and, as if he had meant to 
 make himfelf amends for the awe with 
 which flie had infpired him, he threw 
 himfelf into one of the arm-chairs with 
 which the room was fet, and, fpreading 
 himfelf out with the moft eafy familia- 
 riiy, began to play offfuch a battery of 
 airs and graces, as, I dare fwear, he ex- 
 pedtcd would do great execution on 
 the objed, againfl; which he direc^bed 
 tliem, H-id you then feen Clara, you 
 
 could 
 
to Mr, Mellefont, 
 
 99 
 
 could not but have been edified with her 
 behaviour. Inflinclively guarded by 
 her natural good fenfe againft all the 
 falfe brilliants of coxcombry, fhe baulk- 
 ed all his barbarous attempts at fhining^ 
 with a moft provoking and a mofl un- 
 affected inattention and negled:. Yet 
 nothing could be more intelligibly at 
 once exprefied, than her profound re- 
 fpefl for the brother of Lady Harriet, 
 and her perfed careleflhefs about the 
 very fine gentleman who was fluttering 
 before her. At his firft coming, he had 
 fpoken of his great hurry to go to Lady 
 Evergreen •, and yet he (laid above three 
 hours with us, without he himfclf, I 
 believe, obferving this inconfiftency. 
 Lady Harriet, however, feemed to erjoy 
 it exultingly \ though, in my opinion, 
 F 2 there 
 
loo Mrs, Buckley 
 
 there was cne circumflance greatly 
 againfl; her brother : fhe had often 
 fpoken of him to me, but always with 
 infinitely more of affedtion than of 
 cfleem. So much is certain, that Clara, 
 during the whole time of his vifit, took 
 fo little notice of him, that I queflion 
 much whether fhe cculd have told the 
 color of his cloaths, v»hich were, to do 
 him juuice, very magnificent, and not 
 abfolutely v;ithout tafle. When it fo ftU 
 in her way to fpeak, that filence would 
 have appeared ill-breeding, or afl^edla- 
 tion, fhe acquitted herfelf of her part of 
 the converfation with the utmoft delica- 
 cy, and with fo much liberty of fpirit, 
 that he had not any the leaii reafon to 
 flatter himfclf with his having added her 
 to the lift of his captives at firft fight. I 
 
 fhould 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. ioi 
 
 fliould be loth to rifle the v/agcr of his 
 not being himfelf her's, without himfclf 
 knovvins: it. At leaft: there was fome- 
 thing fo modeft, fo difconcerted, fo 
 crelt-fallen in his air, at leaving us, than 
 might authorife fuch a prefumption. 
 
 No fooner was he out of the room, 
 than Lady Harriet, v/ich great good- 
 nature, and, I believe, great fmceriry, 
 complimented Clara on a conqueft the 
 infallibility of which flie had anticipated : 
 to this Clara returned no anfwer but a 
 vague elufive one, full indeed of refpeifl, 
 but withall fo deeped in the cold of in- 
 difference, as if the obje6l had been of 
 no more account than catching a fly. 
 
 F 3 In 
 
102 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 In iliorr, Clara appears to me (o 
 much mere likely to be the fcourge 
 than the prey of a coxcomb, that I 
 would, for a very fmall premium, infure 
 her from the whole tribe of them. 
 
 I-ady Lovcl receives a great deal of 
 company, and fome of them perfons 
 of real worth. Lady Harriet, entirely 
 taken up with the thoughts of her 
 future Lord, fees, not only withoiit 
 envy, but even with pleafure, as a juf- 
 tification of her choice, the diftinguifh- 
 cd court paid to Clara, whom nothing 
 but complaifance for her could induce 
 to accompany her to their drawing- 
 room, being naturally averfe to mixed 
 company. A multitude of lovers have 
 
 offered 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. 103 
 
 offered themftlves upon the mod ho- 
 norable terms, but Clara, vvho makes 
 no violent declaration againfl; a married 
 life, and vvlio, whenever the topic is 
 brought up in a way that fne cannot 
 avoid faying forhething, always fpeaks 
 refpeflfully of love, though as of a 
 foreign power, of which fhe never wiilies 
 to be the fubjeiSl •, appears fo utterly 
 averfe to any engagement, and throws 
 fo repulfive a coklnefs into her air, as 
 nips in the bud any attempt at a pro- 
 posal of that nature to her. Yet I 
 do not think her infenfible. On the 
 contrary, v.'henever fhe does love, I be- 
 lieve it will be v.'ith fuch a fervor of 
 pafTion, that the confcioufhefs of her 
 being liable to that excefs, and her 
 apprehenfions of her dangers from it, 
 F 4 make 
 
J04 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 make her keep Co fevere a guard ovci* 
 her heart. 
 
 It is with great difficulty we can 
 get her to public places, where flie 
 nev^er appears without drawing a croud 
 after her. But this inconvenience (lie 
 is too modeil to give for a rsafon ; 
 ncr do I believe ir, even at bottom, 
 the only one. She pleads a want of 
 relifh for them, efpecially for their be- 
 ing ftaled to her by repetition -, the 
 bed, fhe fays, will hardly bear above 
 once feeing, as there are fev/ books 
 that will bear above once reading. The 
 feeing the company is no amufement 
 to her, and the being feen by it no 
 temptation to a vanity which fhe has 
 not. Plays rnQ likes for the fake of 
 
 their 
 
to Mr. Mel LE FONT. 105 
 
 their fenfe, and operas for the fake of 
 their found, being very fond of mufic, 
 both in quality of judge and performer. 
 As to cards, the reafon flie gives for 
 not having learned to play any game, 
 is, that Ihe had no tafte for them ; by 
 which fhe did not in the leait mean 
 to im.peach the tafle of others, but 
 that having never wanted for fbme- 
 thing, in her idea, better to do or to 
 fay, fhe had never, for a recourfe 
 againft fuch a heavinefs of time hanging 
 on the hands, as fhe had never experi- 
 enced, been driven to adiverlion, which, 
 abftracled from the taint of avarice in 
 it, feemed to her only a refuge from 
 idle dulnefs into bu fy infjpidity. She 
 leaves, then, cards very contentedly to 
 thofe who like them, without blam'ng, 
 F 5 and 
 
1 06 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 and certainly without envying them. 
 And in thefe opinions fhe is fo far from 
 giving herfclf a wife fententious air, 
 that they come from her in the flile 
 of an apology for her fingularity, and 
 with greatly the more effed, for her 
 fo clearly pofTefling the rare merit of 
 a total exemption from affedlation, that 
 tormentor of nature, that poifoner of 
 beauty, that murtherer of the graces. 
 Plaving formed both her tafte and her 
 heart upon the beft models, fhe has 
 nothinor to do but to abandon her 
 words and geftures to the freedom of 
 their courfe. Thence every thing fhe 
 fays or does breathes the fweets of 
 native fimplicity, and (Irikes with all 
 the pathos of fentimental energy. In 
 
 fiiort, the more I ftudy Clara, the more 
 
 1 am 
 
to Mr, Mel L E F ONT. 107 
 
 I am convinced of her beino: herfelf 
 a fortune, and fuperior to a title, 
 though I am very clear of two points \ 
 firfl:, that Lady Lovell would fooner 
 fee her fon married to a witch oi 
 quality, than to an angel i,i her rank 
 in life \ and next, that Earl Lovell 
 is not capable of judging, or, at leaf:, 
 cf being captivated by her virtues. 
 She may, and I do not doubt but fne 
 already has, raifcd his defires, but I 
 much quefiion his being fufceptible of 
 love, a defect v;hich v,-ill eternally de- 
 fend Clara againft any danger from 
 him. I have entered into thefe par- 
 ticulars to fatisfy ycu of the motives 
 of my fecurity about her^ for had I 
 any the lead apprehenfions about her, I 
 would immediately prevail on her to 
 F 6 remove 
 
1 o8 Mrs. Buckley, &c. 
 
 remove from Lady Lovell's •, but with- 
 out fuch a rcafon, it would be cruel to 
 give Lady Harriet fo great a pain, ef- 
 pecially as the proximity of the Mar- 
 quefs of Soberton's arrival v/ill natu- 
 rally bring on a feparation, without any 
 violence to either. 
 
 I am yours, &c. 
 
 L E T- 
 
To HlNKY GOLDING, E/c[; IO9 
 
 LETTER VJ. 
 
 Lcrd LovELL to PIenry Golding, 
 Ef^'f at Chefter. 
 
 London, 
 Bear Hal, 
 
 IHave not been above two or three 
 days in town. But before I come 
 to the point, which I have, at prelent, 
 mod at heart, let me difpatch two 
 fools whom you laid in my way. 
 
 Fird, then, pray acquaint that mir- 
 ror of knighthood, Sir Marmaduke 
 Wormly, of my having, according to 
 
 promife. 
 
I 10 Lord L O V E L L 
 
 promifc, tried the market, as to his 
 chance of fucceeding in his offer to the 
 miniftry, of fo great a bargain as 
 himfclf •, and that the refuk of my in- 
 quiry is, that whether he is inchned to 
 put himfelf up at public audlion, or to 
 fell himfelf by private contracl, he may 
 find a purchafer to treat v.ith him. 
 But this cannot be fo well done with- 
 out a little previous perfonal attendance 
 at the minifterial levee, or Statute-hall 
 kept for hiring fervants of all Vv'ork ; 
 when you may tell him for his comfort, 
 that nothing miore will be required of 
 him, than his having no character, and 
 being qualltied for no fervice. 
 
 By going a little out of the road, I 
 ir.anaged fo as to call at your coufin 
 
 Prim- 
 
to Henry Golding, Efj\ 1 1 1 
 
 Prlmrofe's, who, I hope in the Lord, 
 is only your relation. I had alighted 
 at an inn in his neighbourhood, and 
 fent to know if he would receive my 
 vint \ upon which, after making me 
 wait fome little time, he came himfelf, 
 dred at all points in form like Garter 
 King at Arms, on a day of ceremony, 
 and received me with fuch convulfions 
 of civility, that I could hardly keep 
 from laughing out in his pretious face, 
 that little yellow fhrivelled face of his, 
 that looked like a dried muihroon. 
 To his houfe then he infifled I fhould 
 go, of which, in our way to it, he gave 
 me as magnificent a defcription, as if 
 it had been the palace of a Fairy Queen, 
 with ten thoufand bed chamibers, fix 
 thoufand faloons, three hundred and 
 
 fixty- 
 
1 I 2 Lord L O V E L L 
 
 fixty-five court yards, befides garrets, 
 cellars, clofets, and cupboards. I could 
 not imagine where this ftupendous fa- 
 bric could have modeftly withdrawn 
 from view, for it never entered into 
 my head, that he was fpeaking of a 
 huddle of fpit-over hovels, clapped to- 
 gether to form what he termed the f.at 
 of his illuflrious progenitors, which 
 flood, or rather was falling juft before 
 us. When I found my error, I bit my 
 jips, to keep from laughing out, as I 
 entered this manfion of the Primrofes. 
 He carried me to his beu room, where, 
 in honor to his tafte, hung half-a-dozen 
 villainous paintings, beneath the difplay 
 of figns in Harp-alley, and which he 
 currently fliewed me for fo m.any Ra- 
 phael's, Correggio's, and Dominichino's. 
 
 In 
 
/(? Henry GoLDiNG, E/j'; 113 
 
 In fliort, I never faw a higher original 
 except his old maiJ.en fiiler, who keeps 
 his houfe. I do not know whether 
 fhe had any tender defigns upon me, 
 but furely a more ridiculous caricature 
 of ughnefs and aftlclation was never 
 exhibited than this Caliban in petti- 
 coats. It was about breakfail time 
 when I arrived, and after being m^ade 
 to wait a great while for one perilling 
 of hunger, madam made her appearance 
 in all her powers of drefs : but what 
 with that winter-piece, her head, hoary 
 with , age, and frofled with powder, 
 her v/ainfcoat-face, and a v;hite tabby 
 go.vn with green fleeves and breafl- 
 knots, (he reminded me of an old fafhion- 
 ed hall (luck with Chriftmas. But 
 the infantine airs fhe gave herfelf, with 
 
 a voice 
 
1 1 4 Lord L V E L L 
 
 a voice as hoarfe as a boat-fwain's, coiti- 
 ing from an enormous mouth, (luck 
 with teeth, fct at didances, like mile- 
 flones, almoft took away my flomach. 
 After break fail, he carried me to fee 
 his damned cabbage-garden, with his 
 fuperb menagery, in which, by way of 
 exotic curioHties, there was a mangy 
 Irifh wolf-dog, a {linking pole-cat, a 
 fick- monkey, a lame mule, a dumb 
 parrot, a Friezland hen dying of the 
 pip, and tv/o Mufcovy-ducks mud- 
 fucking in a dirty puddle, which he 
 dig;ni5ed with the name of a canal. 
 You may eafily guefs how thefe ab- 
 furdities delighted me : I verily think 
 I fliould have flaid to enjoy them 
 longer, if I had not been in fuch a 
 hurry to get to town. I came away, 
 
 however. 
 
;f«? Henry GoLDiNG, E/5'5 115 
 
 however, without doing yonr bufinefs -, 
 which, after all his afTurances to you 
 of getting it eafily done, I foon found 
 is no m'jre in his power, than the 
 crown of Poland is in mine, 
 
 I had another litde affair of nny own 
 to fettle at St. Alban's, where I (laid 
 about four days, and- received an invi- 
 tation from that eternal hag, Lady Ever- 
 green, to her alTembly, with a flirewd 
 hint of Mrs. Marigold being to be there, 
 the once fo much admired Mifs Bazin ; 
 who, in her lull for money, facrificed 
 the charms of an angel to age, cifeafes, 
 and imipotency. She is now looking 
 out, it feems, for a fupplement to her 
 dearee's deficiencies •, but I am not her 
 man. To me Ihc ftinks of her hufband. 
 
 As 
 
1 1 6 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 As who the devil would not have his 
 ftomach turned, at the thought of 
 making a meal of v;hat lies cold and 
 maimed on fuch a fellow's trencher ? 
 Yet I was determined to go, by the 
 hopes of feeing that little flirt Jenny 
 Perks there, to whom I had done the 
 honor of having fome thoughts of her, 
 before I was fuddenly called to Ireland, 
 and fo was forced to leave the redudlion 
 of the place unfinifned, though, I may 
 venture to fay, there were broad figns 
 of a capitulation, which, I believe, will 
 now come to nothing-, for the reafon 
 you fhall hear. 
 
 On coming to town, I immediately 
 went to my own houfe, to drefs for the 
 aficmbly. I knew my mother was not 
 
 at 
 
/^ Henry GoLDiNG, E/j'; 117 
 
 at home, but I propofed a vifit to my 
 fingular filler, who, you know, is fo far 
 gone in the fentimental way : And 
 whom do you think I found with her ? 
 An old good looking fort of a decent 
 Joan Douce, and a girl in mourning, 
 of about fifteen. Ay ! that girl ! Hal ! 
 that girl is, at this moment, the lady of 
 my afcendant ; in fhort, I was planet- 
 ftruck. But, as inflammable as I bc- 
 fpeak your pronouncing me, let me, at 
 the fame time, remind you of a juftice 
 due to me, that I am at lead too nice 
 of tafte to be caught by a vulgar form. 
 But this angelic creature it was impofii- 
 ble to fee widiout a tranfport of admira- 
 tion. A complexion dazzlingly fair, en- 
 livened by the rofeate color of her cheeks. 
 Then her eyes ! — but I will not go on, 
 
 I fhould 
 
1 1 8 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 I fhoLild lofe inyfelf in a defcription that 
 mull faint under the reality *, yet, let me 
 add, that all the exquifite beauty of her 
 features and fhape, were nothing to the 
 air of delicacy and of dignity which ani- 
 mated the whole. I gazed on her with 
 fuch intenfe rapture, as mud have put 
 her to pain, had fhe minded me, but I 
 never could once catch her eyes on me, 
 though I did and faid all I could to at- 
 trad her notice. As fhe kept, for fome 
 time, an unbroken fi lence, I was in good 
 hopes fne was dumb, or an ideot, that 
 fhe might have fewer arms againfl: me. 
 But my precious fifter, with mifchief, I 
 believe, in her heart, was determined not 
 to leave me that refource, by direding 
 difcourfe to her, which could not but 
 produce anfwers, and by turning thofe 
 
 anfwers 
 
/5 Henry GoLDiNG, £y^; 119 
 
 anfvvers into matter of farther queftion, 
 flie fucceeded fo far to draw her out of 
 covert, as made me very clear that ihe 
 had a great fhareof wit and underlland- 
 ing ; nor a more melodious voice did I 
 ever hear, than that which graced her 
 utterance, and fent every word to the 
 heart. In the mean while, in honor to 
 trurh, I mud fay, that I did not, on 
 this occafion, make the moft brilliant 
 figure. By all I could gather from her 
 behaviour to me, fhe remained rather 
 more heart-whole than myfelf. I could 
 obferve in her nothing towards me but 
 the moft eafy unconcern, and the niofh 
 chilling indifference. Patience ! My 
 day of revenge will come. Have her 
 I will, coft what it v/ill. For, after 
 all, what do you think this prodigy 
 
 fhould 
 
1 20 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 fhould be ? A poor parfon's daughter, 
 wkh a fortune, I fuppofe, of tv;enty 
 pounds, from the feafl, at St. Paul's, 
 for the children of the clergy. My 
 filler dear picked her up, I am told, at 
 a boarding-fchool, and, 1 fhould ima- 
 gine rather unadvifedly, keeps her for a 
 companion : But this will be very com- 
 modious for mt. Yes, yes, I fancy a 
 fmall matter of courtfhip and a brace 
 of thoufands will do the bufmefs. 
 
 However, one facrifice I immediately 
 made, for on my leaving them, my 
 propofed going to Lady Evergreen's af- 
 fembly v^as as much out of the queftion 
 with me, as the throwing myfelf into 
 the river. I came home diredly, and 
 fpent the remainder of the evening, and 
 
 a good 
 
/<? Henry GoLDiNG, £/^; 121 
 
 a good part of the night, in reflexions 
 on the new conqueft I was meditating, 
 and in digefting my plan of operations 
 againfl: this fair enemy of my quiet. 
 As to the iflue, I do not greatly defpair 
 of it. Remember that I attack in a 
 coronet, at the head of a good rent-roll, 
 to fay nothing of my having the autlio- 
 rity of more than one lady, to write 
 myfelf a pretty fellow. Yet, hang it, 
 I do not know how it is, but I cannot 
 jeft with fo good a grace as I wifh, on 
 this matter : I feel I am m.ore in earneil 
 than ever 1 was in my life -, and, 'sdeath ! 
 why not ? I never faw fo fine a creature 
 before. By all the powers of Love and 
 Fortune, flie fnall be m.ine. 
 
 Vol. I. G Mean 
 
122 Lord Love l l 
 
 Mean while, Hal, I am terribly at 
 a lofs for you. I have fifty acquaint- 
 ances that are equivalent to the tovm- 
 trumpets, for joining with me to pub- 
 liQi the fuccefs of an intrigue, but not 
 one I can trull to for afuuing me in the 
 conducing it, in its infancy'. In fuch 
 matters, you are my whole privy-coun- 
 cil : and now you are unluckily out of 
 ■the way, upon a wild-goofe-chafe after 
 a damned lawfuit, which I am afraid will 
 never come to good, for your lawyer 
 here, that was, and whcjn you have 
 Jefc for one, who flatters your inclination 
 without regard to your interefl, infills 
 .on it that you have not the Ihadow of 
 right on your fide. You may not per- 
 Jiaps, indeed, defpair the more of your 
 ,-caufc for tluit. 
 
 - My 
 
/5 Henry Golping, £/^; 123 
 
 My next ^vi!l, I hope, bxing you ad- 
 vice of my having made fome promifing 
 advances. Since I cannot have the he- 
 neat of your aid in perfon, I find at 
 lead fome rehef in this epidolar confi- 
 dence, on a fubjedl which is at prefent 
 the fole bufinefs of n^.y fife. Can I five 
 without having her in rny arms whOxTi I 
 have eternally in my head ? 
 
 Yours, c-jc. 
 
 L o V i: L L, 
 
 G 2 L E T 
 
 It 
 
124 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 Lord LovELL to Henry Golding, 
 
 London, 
 
 YOUR lad, dear Hal, treats 
 my prefent enterprize with fuch 
 an air of compliment on the facility 
 cf it, as I would willingly take for 
 a good omen, if unhappily my own 
 experience, and, by this time, a bet- 
 ter knowledge of the enemy, had 
 not reduced the fanguinenefs of my 
 hopes, to term.s of greater modera- 
 tion. Yet were you even here at 
 
 hand 
 
to Henry Golding, Efi'y ii^ 
 
 hand to make your obfcrvations, I 
 could forgive your bsing deceived by 
 all the appearances of things in nny 
 favor, while I have an unaufpicious 
 prefentiment that the bottom is clirarly 
 and defperately againd me. 
 
 It is now near a month fince I 
 have had as free an adrrjictance to 
 Clara as her (lay with my fifler may 
 be fuppofed to admit: and, to my 
 eternal fliame, I do not find myfelf 
 one jot more advanced than at the 
 firft indanc that my paflion com- 
 menced. And yet, half this time, 
 you well know, has heretofore fufnced 
 for me to bring down a countefs, 
 tvy'o baronets ladies, and the daugiuer 
 of a country 'fquire. Ic would be 
 G 3 pleafant 
 
T26 Lord L O V E L L 
 
 plcafant enough if I Ihould lofe alt 
 the honors of my generah^iip before 
 a place, which one would imagine, 
 at the firfl: view, very fiightly forti- 
 iicd: no dragons of relations, no jealous 
 guardians of a great fortune, to take 
 alarm at the approaches of an invader. 
 Lady Harriet, who would not, fo niuch 
 I knov;of her, for worlds, contribute to 
 the promotion of any deHgns, which 
 would not be ftriclly agreeable to her 
 principles of prudery, and who, I be- 
 lieve, rather entertains, with regard to 
 Clara, the moft abfurd and chimerical 
 of all hopes, that of my having defigns 
 cf a more ferious nature en her ^ a 
 thought for which Lady Lovcll would 
 not very readily forgive her, if flie but 
 fufpedled it •, Lady Harriet, I fay, pro- 
 vokes 
 
to Henry Golding, Ej\\ 127 
 
 vokes me horridly with that pcrfccl fc- 
 curity and infolcnt unconcern, with- 
 which file abandons her friend, as fli^ 
 cali's \\z\\ to the woiTc of niy dcfigns, 
 Bi:t, wiiSt is yet more unaufpicious for 
 me, Clara's conduct: towards me juui- 
 fies but too much this confidence. Slie 
 does not feem to do me the honor of 
 fearing me. ^\\t neither fiiuns mc, nor 
 throws herfelf in my way • and with- 
 out ever feeking occaGons to fpeak to 
 me, when fpeak to me flie does, it is 
 always with fuch an air of unconflrainr, 
 fuch an intrepid affability, as difconcerts 
 me a thoufand times more than ilfinefs, 
 or referve. In fhorc, flie leaves to the 
 mod frozen, and the mofl; ccnflant in- 
 difference, the care to tell me on what 
 term.s I ftand with her. It is true, iTie 
 G 4 Hiowu 
 
128 I^ord L o V E L L 
 
 fhovvs me abundance of refpe^l, if that 
 would fatisfy me ; but the vexation of it 
 is, that this refpefl is much of the nature 
 of that which flie pays to Lady I.ovell \ 
 that leads to no other confequence, than 
 if I was her grandmother. You may 
 guefs h^w encouraging this is for me to 
 enter on a declaration of love. I have 
 tried ofien Vv'ith her the old trick of 
 taking circuits in converfation, to make 
 it land at length on that fubjecl, with a 
 view to fome overture of my pafTion. 
 But of this flie has condantly difap- 
 pointed me, without any affeflation of 
 eluding my defign, only by fuch a 
 filf^nc^ as it might be fuppofed fhe v^^ould 
 keep on a queftion of geometry or 
 algebra being ftarted before her, Slie 
 is at no pains to fliift the difcourfe, for 
 
 Hie 
 
/^ Henry GoLDiNG, E^/j-; 129 
 
 fhe rakes no part in it ; and lets it fall 
 to the ground, without fo much as a 
 motion to take it up. 
 
 I happened one day, jad as my fif- 
 rer was gone out of the room, and (he 
 was following her, to defire her, with a 
 befeeching look, to (lay, as if I had 
 fomething very extraordinary to com- 
 municate to her, which, by the way, 
 was the cafe ^ for I had really armed 
 myfelf with refolution to break the ice, 
 fo far as a declaration may be called 
 breakin? it. On this intimation, Cr.z 
 turned fnort upon me, with a look of 
 emphatic feverity •, and, making a lovv 
 curtef/, afl:ed me if I had any com- 
 mands for her •, and without wailing for 
 my anf>^;cr, v/hich fhe left flicking in 
 G 5 m.y 
 
1 jo Lord L o V E L i 
 
 my throat, went out abruptly after Har- 
 riet. Nothing in the world could be 
 fo contrary to her ufual politenefs, and 
 therefore I have fome realbn to think 
 fl:ie had penetrated my defign, and, pre- 
 ventively of it, did hcrfelf this vio- 
 lence. 
 
 % 
 
 An-ong my difpofuions to attack, 
 
 it will be cafy for you to think that I 
 did not omit the old and fo often {v^c- 
 cefsful one, of prefents ; but as I had 
 rcafon to think fhe would not accept 
 any that were crudely oftered to herfelf, 
 I contrived, without affeclation, an op- 
 portunity of prefenting Lady Harriet 
 with fome very rich jewels ; of which, 
 at the fame time, 1 made it rather 
 a point of breeding, than of gal- 
 lantry, 
 
{Q Henry Golding, Effy 131 
 
 lantry, to intreat of Clara her accept- 
 ance of duplicates of therr;, which I 
 had prepared for tb.at purpofe. But 
 even that fchenne would not take ♦, flie 
 refufed them wiih the mod polite and 
 the mod cold thankfulnefs-, ar.d with 
 no other excufe, than that wanting 
 nothing, fhe would receive nothing. 
 Lady Harriet only iliook her head, and 
 faid, *' Poor brother 1" and vzr] cur- 
 rently took her fhare of t;ie intended 
 prefents, but fent them back to nr.e the 
 next morning, with an ironical ii\f:^:r^ 
 that die cciild not in confcience keep 
 them, as my defign in my generofi ty 
 had fo lamentably mifcarried. I made, 
 however, fo ferioudy a point of her re- 
 ceiving them again, that, though with 
 great relu-flance, and for fear of an ab- 
 G 6 folute 
 
132 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 folute quarrel with me, Hie confented ; 
 but, in revenge, flie mifchievcuQy 
 thanked Clara for them, as it was to 
 her, Hie faid, Hie owed them. 
 
 Such an incident v;ould, with moft 
 women, have at lead done me no dif- 
 fervice, but Clara breaks all my rules 
 of judgment of the fex. I could, fince 
 that time, ht\^ in her behaviour to 
 me, rather an increafe of a coldnefs, 
 which was, in all confcience, great 
 enough before. 
 
 You know the impetuofity of my 
 temper, and that to me, who am ac- 
 cudom.cd to fummary proceedings, and 
 to furrenders at the firft fummons, even 
 a delay m.uft appear a denial of juflice 
 
 to 
 
/^ Henry GoLDiNG, E/j'^ 133 
 
 to me. My impatience then is put to 
 a terrible trial, by fo new and unac- 
 countable a fituation, that in all this 
 time I have not been able to get fo far 
 as the initial flep of a declaration. At 
 this rate, a man fhould have a patri- 
 archal length of life, to undertake an 
 amour. By the time it would take me 
 to reduce the place, I fhould be too 
 old to enjoy my viclory. 
 
 I fuppofe I might come to my 
 point inftantly, if I could but pre- 
 vail on myfelf to m.ake honorable 
 propofals, but that I am not yet fo 
 far gone as to think of doing, even 
 if Lady Lovell v/ould give her con- 
 fent, to which, I am very certain, no 
 earthly confideration could bring her. 
 
 As 
 
134 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 As much as. ftie ^oats on me, and' 
 as ready as.-fne would be to facriiice 
 any point of incerefl to m>e, fhe Is 
 fo ilark quality-mad, that my mar- 
 rying any woman not of a titled family 
 would go near to kill her. In this, 
 her preRimable oppofition to my play- 
 ing, the fool, and marrying, forfboth,- 
 fbr love, turns upon a very dilTerent 
 objedlion from m/ine. I am not tlie 
 bubble of any fuch nonfenfe. Between' 
 you and me, and not to let it go 
 any farther, I would at any time- 
 prefer the four quarters of pure Eefa 
 and- "blood, of the humbled cottager, 
 if flie was but handfome, to the fif- 
 teen quarters of defcent of a Princefs 
 that was not fo. Even intereft or 
 fortune do not move me much. But 
 
 the 
 
/i? Henry GoLDiNG, J5/^; 1^5 
 
 the truth is, that with the iitmoft 
 pafiion for the fex, I have an in- 
 vincible averfion againd matrimony ; 
 not from any great dread of an a- 
 bridgment of liberty •, for, I promife 
 you, I fhould make the yoke fit as 
 eafy on me as an old flipper. And, 
 indeed, to do juftice to our times, the 
 nuptial ceremony often feparates more 
 than it unites many a woeful pair, 
 by driving them more than ever in- 
 to fociety, as a refuge from one an- 
 other. 
 
 To me the great plague of a 
 wedded life is, that it fets fuch a 
 damned flieep-mark upon a mjan, as 
 is very unfavorable to my darling 
 pafiion for variety. Every vvom.an 
 
 almoft 
 
136 Lord L O V E L L 
 
 almofl to whom you make your ad- 
 drefllrs, froni the fine lady to the pert 
 chambermaid, fends you, with a fmarc 
 rebuff, back to your wife, or flaps 
 you in the face with the wrong you 
 are doing to your fweet lady, your 
 good lady, fo that in pity to her, 
 they pique themfelves on being cruel 
 to you. Not that there are not to 
 be found fuch as will make no ob- 
 jection to you on that account, but 
 then they mufl: be either downright 
 mean mercenary creatures, or fome 
 frightful fcale women of quality, with 
 whom one would not wifh to avail 
 onefelf of their noble fuperioriry to a 
 vulgar prejudice. 
 
 The married men too, theirfelves, 
 have, in general, among the women, 
 
 a fort 
 
to Henry Golding, Ufq-y 137 
 
 a fort of foolifh inHpid air, as if con- 
 fcious of having forfeited that title 
 to the univerfal joy, which is cur- 
 rently allowed to fuch honed fellows as 
 we that have grace enough to preferveour 
 liberty. Even the women of honor 
 receive us more cordially, and look 
 with a better eye on us, the pandours 
 and hufiars of gallantry, than on the 
 regulars of wedlock, to whom they 
 fuppofe themfelves more indifferent 
 than to us, who are known to be 
 prowling about for plunder. For tho' 
 a woman may be determined enough 
 againfl making a flip, fhe may ne- 
 verthelefs prefer thofe, as affording 
 her the greater matter of merit, with 
 whom fhe would be the freed to 
 make the flip. 
 
 In 
 
^38 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 In flurr, dear Hal, I cannot fur- 
 nioiinc my antipathy for the connubial 
 flare J br.c could I even be fo aban- 
 doned by n^.y better genius, as, in a 
 rut:ing-f]t to rufli upon matrimony, 
 like Lord Pepperall, reeking from the 
 ftews, I do not know one in the 
 world with whom I could focner 
 commit fuch a folly than with Clara, 
 
 Yet how to get her on my own 
 terms, " aye, that is the queftion P " 
 Her uniform fimplicity of principle 
 confounds all the turnings and wind- 
 ings of art ; and the word of it is, 
 I fee no glimpfe of hope of her de- 
 parture from that refolute evennefs, 
 that calm fleddinefs, which one may 
 
 plainly 
 
to Henry Golding, Ffj; i 39 
 
 plainly fee in her, has even more found- 
 aiion in characfrer than in education. 
 
 Wlih your nobis way of thinking 
 you will probably v/onder that 1 have 
 not reccurfe to hiViZ flratagenn, or 
 even violence, to g(tx. her perlbn into 
 my pofTcITion, and fo take the fnorceil: 
 way ^ith my fair diifenter. But thofe 
 fchemea of rapes, or running away with 
 women, are, in the firil place, whac 
 I have always detefted and defpifed : 
 befides, they rarely or ever anfv/er the 
 end, and, in this country efpecially,. 
 are next to impracticable. But as to 
 Clara, for many reafons that I could 
 give you, the probability of fucceed* 
 ing in fuch an attempt would hardly 
 be lefs than that of a Sallee rover's 
 
 cruizing 
 
140 Lord L o V ell 
 
 cruizing above bridge, and making 
 prize of a Thames-wherry carrying a 
 company to Vauxhall. 
 
 I could, however, as foon think of 
 parting Vv'ith Jife, as of giving over 
 my pnrfuit : it is not even in my 
 power, fhe fo engrofles my whole foul. 
 She is the center of all my wiflies. 
 In fhort, I propofe to leave nothing 
 unattempted that can give me a chance 
 of fucceeding with her (take me right) 
 in my own way. 
 
 There is a certain Mrs. Buckley wlio 
 appears to me a devilifli fhrewd, fenfiblc 
 woman, and not in very afRuent circum- 
 flances. She is a kind of aunt or rela- 
 tion, by marriage, to Clara, and pof- 
 
 felTes, 
 
To Henry Golding, Efq; 141 
 
 fefles, as I have reafon to think, her 
 confidence, without referve. Now it is 
 not impoffible but fhe may be the weak 
 fide of this apparently inexpugnable 
 place i at lead, it is worth trying : 
 When, if I do not carry my point with 
 her, 1 have one grand battery in re- 
 ferve, that I think can hardly fail •, but 
 that is a thought I hoard up like old 
 gold, not to be brought out but as my 
 laft (lake. In the mean while, I almolr 
 envy the happinefs of thofe humdrums 
 who are proof againd the charms of 
 variety : If they have fewer pleafures, 
 they have alfo fewer pains. You fee 
 how I am ferved by my tafte for it : 
 After having dragged me from change 
 to change, it has brought me, at length, 
 to my prefent diftra(5led (late -, between 
 
 a vio- 
 
1 42 Lord L O V E L L 
 
 a violent pafTion for enjoyment, and a 
 refoUuion not to obtain it on the only 
 terms I am afraid it is be obtained, and 
 which, to encreafe my perplexity, I fee 
 others ready to ofier, whofe pretenOons 
 ,to title and fortune are very little in- 
 ferior to mine. Hitherto I have only 
 this comfort, that to my rivals flie 
 keeps unalteredly the fam.e tenor of 
 coolnefs, referve, and dlfcouragement, 
 as to me. But then I tremble to think 
 of the advantage their honorable de- 
 f]gns, forfooth ! give them ever me, 
 efpecially with a giil of fo moderate a 
 fortune. 
 
 That pale, bloodlcfs fribble. Lord 
 Phillimore, with a very good efcatc, 
 has not only to herfjf made propofals 
 
 of 
 
to Henry Golding, Efq\ 143 
 
 of marriage, wiih a jointure at her own 
 difcretion, but has got Lady Loveil to 
 intercfc herfelf in his behalf, who was 
 furprifed enough at the offer, but flood 
 petrified with aftcniniment at Clara's 
 rnodefl: but firm rejection of it. Nor is 
 this the only one, whom that matchlefs 
 girl has treated fo, without giving them 
 any caufe of offence in the manner of her 
 refufal, and efpecially without Ixrfelf 
 appearing the vainer. 
 
 Mean while all thefe diPtinftions 
 Hiown to Clara, begin to give Lady 
 Loveil fome uneafiijefs for me, by lef- 
 fening to her ideas that impoffibility Ihe 
 had always prefumed of my demeaning 
 myfelf, as fhe would certainly call it, 
 in having any ferious thouglus of one fo- 
 
 much 
 
144 Lord L o v e l l, &c. 
 
 much below me, as a poor parfon's 
 daughter. This, however, is a folly 
 which I forgive in my good lady- 
 mother, in favor of the double ufe I 
 may poITibly make of it, towards ac- 
 complifhing my ends on Clara, and my- 
 fclf at the fame time efcaping the hor- 
 rors of the nuptial chains. Good luck 
 to the fifh who runs away with the bait 
 without being itfelf caught by the hook !* 
 
 Adieu ! dear Hal, wifli me death or 
 fpeedy victory. 
 
 Yours, ^x. 
 
 Lowell. 
 
 L E T- 
 
To Mr. Mellefont. 145 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 Mrs, Buckley to Mr, Mellefont.' 
 
 Dear Nephew, Richmond, 
 
 YOUR letters* gave me great plea- 
 fure in the fatisfadion they expreis 
 at Clara's condudl, and at the conflant 
 eye I have to every thing that concerns 
 her. I faw the lad letter flie wrote you, 
 as indeed fhe has no referves for me, 
 •«and could not help remarking, that fhe 
 
 * Some letters, the receipt of whieJi is men- 
 tioned in the courfe of thefe Memoirs, and which 
 »e immaterial to the llory, are omitted. ^^ 
 
 Vol. I. H defraud- 
 
1 46 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 defrauded you of a great deal of the 
 pleafure to find her fo worthy of your 
 good opinion, by that indifference with 
 which (he flips over, without infiflence 
 on points that mod of our fex would 
 treat as the greateft matter of boail, 
 the number and quality of the lovers 
 who have prefented themfelves, and 
 whofe fuit fhe has eluded, without giv- 
 Lng herfelf the air of eluding them. 
 
 She has not, I find, fo much a$ 
 mentioned to you Lord Lovell among 
 her admirers, and that for a reafon 
 which I fancy would rather gall his 
 lordfjiip, if he knew it ; but, on this 
 occafion, his vanity remains, like a 
 blinded hufband, unhurt by offences of 
 
 which he is ignorant. 
 
 For 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 147 
 
 For thofe of her fuitors, who have 
 accompanied their declarations of love 
 with fuch honorable propofals as took 
 away from her all right of complaining, 
 jfhe has, I am periuaded, all that regard, 
 and even gratitude, that they could 
 defire, confillent with her firm refolu- 
 tion not to give her hand without her 
 heart, which I am pretty fure is hither- 
 to totally free. But as to Lord Lovell, 
 I could almoft fvvear fhe nev^er threw 
 away a thought upon him. In quality 
 of brother to Lady Harriet, for whom 
 fhe has a boundlefs regard, he com- 
 mands and obtains her utmoft refpecl : 
 But for any thing farther, I am very 
 perfectly clear, there is not that man 
 H 2 on 
 
148 Mrs. B u c ic L E V 
 
 on earth that is more indifferent to 
 her. 
 
 Nor can I fay I much condemn her. 
 He is one of Fortune's fpoilt children, 
 bis education having been hke that of 
 too many of our nobility, principally 
 committed to a tutor, who, not having 
 in himfelf a fpark of elevation of fen- 
 timent, could hardly communicate it 
 to his pupil. 
 
 • 
 
 His travels, which, in the old rote, 
 
 were merely matter of fafhion, had been 
 little better than a filly, unmeaning fcam- 
 per over Europe, in the courfe of which 
 he had expofed fomc of the follies of 
 his own country, and brought back with 
 him many of thofe of foreign ones. 
 
 Super- 
 
to Mr. MELLtFONT. 149 
 
 Superficial obfervations on things them- 
 felves beneath attention, the fopperies 
 of courts, the childifh play at fol- 
 diers, in military raree-fhews, or thea- 
 trical camps, with a lift of the names 
 of the moft celebrated fingers and 
 Bddlers of Italy, and a vile jargon of 
 the techtiical terrtis of painting ill-un- 
 'derftood, and confequently for ever 
 'inif-applied, compofed the whole ftock 
 of improvement, which, at his refurn, 
 made him appear to his lady-mother 
 ■iuch a prodigy as princelTes might kneel 
 to, and kneel in vain. 
 
 To finifh him, he fell into the rank 
 
 with the reft of his fellow-lordlings, 
 
 and went foufe into all the miferies 
 
 which they have the impudence, or the 
 
 H 3 tafte- 
 
1 50 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 tafteleflhefs, to call high- life; the noble 
 Iphere of which confifts in felling them- 
 felves and their country, like negroes, 
 to fome minifter as worthlefs as them- 
 felves i in cheating, or being cheated, 
 at the gaming-table, or on the turf i in 
 being lived on by their flatterers, poi^ 
 foned by their cooks, and cullied by 
 drabs whom their footmen might dif- 
 dain. Not that, at bottom, Lord Lo- 
 velf had not, with fome wit, more 
 hopeful difpofitions, but he was weak 
 enough to be fubdued by the inftindt 
 of imitation, fo as to be drawn into 
 the whirl of the current follies, and 
 became good for nothing by the force 
 of example. Nothing, however, more 
 common than that flimfy pliancy, tha-t 
 imbecillity of charafler, which renders 
 
 fo 
 
to Mr. Mel LE FONT. 151 
 
 'k> many the viclims of a falfe fhame. 
 They dare not break herd, afraid of ths 
 ridicule of idiots for not refembling 
 them, a refemblance which one would 
 imagine no great temptation. Is not 
 this much fuch an abfurdity, as ic 
 would be for a man in healrh, thrown 
 by chance into a lazaretto of lepers, 
 to dread their derifion for not catch- 
 ing the infection, and for not having 
 the honor to be covered like them 
 with livid fpots and loathfome ulcers ? 
 
 Thence it is, in a great meafure, 
 that in conformity to the epidemical 
 rottennefs of the times, Lord Lovell, 
 Vv'ithout the fpirit to raife himfelf 
 above them, without regard for the 
 welfare of his country, which might 
 H 4 go 
 
152 Mrs. B c CK L E y 
 
 go to the devil for what he cares, 
 without any pafTion for true honor, 
 without fo much as an idea of that 
 heroic ardor which charadterizes great 
 men, is filly enough to forgive himfelf 
 the wretched ufe he makes of fuch 
 great advantages, as birth, title, and for- 
 tune, and withal 1 humble enough to fiC 
 down, like fo many others, ignobly itt 
 -contented worthlefTnefs, and under the 
 juft reproach of having neceffarily re- 
 courfe to trifles from a want of relifh 
 or capacity for great affairs. Alas I 
 take from them their follies, their fri- 
 volous amufements, what would you 
 leave them ? how would you fill up the 
 terrible gap you would have made ? 
 Nature is faid to abhor a vacuum : 
 
 if their minds are over- run with the 
 
 vilelt 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 153 
 
 vilefl: weeds, is it not becaufe their 
 minds are not a foil for great fenti« 
 ments to grow or take root in ? It 
 is not that all, or even many of 
 them, are ignorant of their duty, bnc 
 they have a want of manly enough 
 firmnefs in their charadler to purfue it : 
 they know, perhaps, the value of all 
 the virtues, without its being in their 
 power to pradlice them ; as a man 
 may know well enough the value of 
 a thoufand guineas, who cannot com- 
 mand a ihilling. 
 
 Lord Lovell, it is true, fometimes 
 pays to vanity the tribute of at- 
 tempting to gain importance, by rifing 
 up to fpeak in the houfej but how 
 he mull acquit himfelf you vvill 
 H 5 eafiiy 
 
J 54 -^^^•^- Buckley 
 
 eafily conclude, from the following 
 reflexion, obvious to common fenfc, 
 and applicable to numbers of his rank. 
 
 Let the frivolous objedl of purfuit, 
 or fancy, of the generality of our 
 lords or men of fortune, be what it 
 will, horfe-racing let me fpecify, for 
 example, you will find, that after 
 making it the bufmefs of their little 
 lives, to pals for great men in it, 
 when they come to take it for their 
 topic of converfation, all confummately 
 familiar as one would imagine it to 
 them, they fpeak upon it in bad 
 language, and with worfe judgment, 
 even pitifully enough to be laughed 
 at by their teachers, the horfe-jockeys, 
 riding- grooms, helpers, and boot- 
 
 catckers. 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. 155 
 
 catchers. Now if thefe great- men 
 make fo miferable a figiire on thofe 
 frivolous and favorite points, Vvhich 
 they have ftudied for years, and which 
 are hardly above the lowed capacity, 
 v.hat can be expected from them en 
 thofe great objeds, the aiTairs of the 
 of the nation, foreign and domeP:ic, 
 which they never fludied at all, and 
 which, if they did, would more than 
 probably be above their comiprehen- 
 fion ? 
 
 In the m.ean while, even their hercf- 
 ino; inftincl is owino; to their bcins: 
 neceffary to one another. Uneafy in 
 company v/here they could not help 
 feeling difagrecably their inferiority, 
 they feck for the mean defpicable eafe 
 H 6 and 
 
1,5^ Mrs» Be c K L E y 
 
 and relief to their vanity, in aflbciatiitg 
 with ftich as they cannot fufpedl of 
 giving them that pain. They live to- 
 'gether, as women vifit, without a fpark 
 of friendfhip ; they meet without efteem, 
 and part v^ithout regret. Pleafure they 
 worfliip as their idol, without onejuft 
 idea of what it is, and rninoufly facri- 
 ficing to it health, fortune, and fair 
 fame, fall theirfelves the victims of an 
 unknov;n God. Tafte, you will fay, is 
 arbitrary, and that the pleafure of the 
 plough boy, who v/ifhed to be a king, 
 that he might ride upon a gate all day 
 long, was as eflentialiy pleafure to him, 
 ss carrying a point againft the country 
 might be to a monarch, filly enough 
 to have a feparate intereft from it. 
 True. But then the boy has not the 
 
 abfurd 
 
T!o Mr. MellSfont. 157 
 
 abfurd impudence of demanding re- 
 
 fpecl for his choice. I have no ob- 
 
 jedlion to a man's rolHng himfelf in a 
 
 kennel 5 but I fhould wifli he would 
 
 not recommend it to me for a delicious 
 
 bath. Then the mifchief thefe men of 
 
 power and flifhion do by difFufing 
 
 their falfe tade, and making it the 
 
 common nonfenfe of a nation, is really 
 
 no laughing matter, nor indeed a very 
 
 triumphable fuccefs even for them- 
 
 felves. In extirpating all the virtues 
 
 which make fociety happy, fuch as 
 
 friendfliip, moral-love, generofity, and 
 
 love of country, to make way for all 
 
 the mean deftruflive vices, fclfiflmefs, 
 
 debauchery, avarice, corruption, thefe 
 
 leaders of the multitude appear to me 
 
 to adl juft as wifely as the pofTefTor of 
 
 a garden, 
 
li 
 
 8 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 a garden, flored with falutary delicious 
 fruit, would do, who fhould pull up 
 all the trees that bore it, and fill his 
 ground in their flead with a fhrubbery 
 of dangerous plants and noxious weeds, 
 poppies, bang, hemlock, night-fhade, 
 and the poilbns of Marmol. 
 
 The times then had, no doubr, their 
 fhare in forming Lord Lovell's cha- 
 ra6ler. Among other choice inftances 
 of the humor and pleafantry in vogue, 
 that of bantering is in high favor with 
 Lord Lovell, who thinks it great wit 
 to make a common pradlice of it. It 
 is fomething in the low ftile of your 
 old college- W'it of bamboozzling, which 
 being at length exploded at the Uni- 
 verfity, is come to make its fortune 
 
 in 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 159 
 
 In town. The great joke is for one 
 of thefe wits to deceive, and laugh at 
 you for your not thinking him a knave 
 or a liar. Somewhat in this way. Lord 
 Lovcll will take hold of the hand of 
 any man, efpecially of talents or of 
 worth, who has been unfortunate 
 enough to addrefs himfelf to him for 
 a favor, and tell him, with a tone 
 of the greateft fervor and finceritv, 
 that " he wonders fuch eminent parts 
 *' can be flighted — that the Hate fuf- 
 *' fers by not feeking out for fuch men, 
 "and employing them — that for his 
 " part, he is forry for nothing fo much 
 *' as its not being in his power to do 
 '' the juftice he wifhed to fuch tranf- 
 " cendent merit." — The poor man, 
 who is the butt of this barbarous at- 
 tempt 
 
i6o Mrs. B uc KL E Y 
 
 "tempt at wit and humor, greedily de- 
 vours this mockery, and does not fee 
 that my lord is enjoying his miflake, 
 and expofing him to by-ftanders, by 
 winking with one eye, and tonguing 
 out his cheek. Among others, he 
 ferved your friend Dr. Morell fo, who 
 obferved it, and told me, he was hor- 
 ridly tempted to fpit in his face. 
 
 He gives himfelf another air, which 
 I own pleafes me extremely, and that 
 is, the declaration of an outrageous 
 averfion againll matiimony. For this 
 I would even greatly honor him, if 
 it proceeded from a principle of juftice 
 to himfelf, and of kindnefs to our fex, 
 •in an unwillingnefs to make any woman 
 of merit fo miferable, as a match with 
 
 him 
 
Ito Mr. Mel LE FONT. 161 
 
 him could hardly fail of doing. But, 
 no! the reafon, according to him, of 
 his deteftation of the nuptial tie, is, thafe 
 the name of a wife would be a dread- 
 full Humbling- block to him in his ca- 
 reer of gallantry: and yet, if all his 
 conquefls are as untriumphable ones 
 as thofe I have heard of, I fhould 
 think he gives matrimony its full re- 
 venge for his railing againft it. Thefe 
 I mean arc the dale battered Countefs 
 of Flauntantribus, of whom half the 
 town had been fick thefe ten years j 
 two baronets ladies, the one parted 
 from her hufband for being caught 
 a-bed with his footman ; the other, far 
 from handfome, and a born ideot 5 and 
 a country-fquire's daughter, who had 
 fome time before come up to town 
 
 to 
 
1 62 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 to lie in of a baftard flie had by a 
 ftrolling player, with whom fhc fell in 
 love on feeing him maffacre the part 
 of Tamerlane in a barn. 
 
 Peace be to his Lordfhip, with all 
 ,his equipage of conquefts at his heels ; 
 but, without fee or reward, I could let 
 him into the fecret of the true reafon, 
 at bottom, of his indifpofition to ma- 
 trimony J a reafon which, probably, be 
 neither knows nor fufpedls ; and that is, 
 his moral incapacity for love. That 
 paffion, without being a ridiculous Pla- 
 tonifmj which never exifted but in tl-^e 
 fancy- ridden head of fome phiiofopher, 
 who having more imagination than 
 judgment, left Nature out of the que- 
 llion, in her favorite objed of atten- 
 tion : 
 
to Mr, M E L L E F O N T. I 63 
 
 tion : that paflion, I fay, for ever, tacit- 
 ly or exprefsly, includes a propoHil of 
 ks duration and conftancy to the object 
 of it, and thus combines defire with the 
 fentiment that fandtifies it. And this is 
 {q far from being an over-ftrained or 
 metaphifical notion, that it flands in- 
 flindively the common fenfe of man- 
 kind, where undepraved by falfe re- 
 finements, or fuperior to the being 
 driven, like mere brutes, by the {tn- 
 fual goad. To go no farther than our 
 own country ; you fee not only in tlie 
 rural fphere of life, where innocence 
 of manners mod florifhes, but even 
 amidft all the difTolutenefs of towns, 
 the honed mechanic, the induftrious 
 tradefman, the generality, in fhort, of 
 the people, hold it for a principle, to 
 
 found 
 
"164 Mrs. B u e k L E Y 
 
 found their profpedl of domeflic happi- 
 nefs on this very combination of a paf- 
 fion for the enjoyment of the woman 
 •they like, with a wifh of its fettled per* 
 manency in a legal union. And this 
 fimplicity of view, which is, in fadb^ 
 an inftindl of Nature, may, in all ranks 
 Tof rtiankind, from the King to the 
 Shepherd, with perhaps different de- 
 grees of warmth and of delicacy, 
 juftly be called Love : A name, of 
 '^hich it is a proftitution to give it tb 
 inatches of mfere convenience of fami". 
 lies, of fordid intereft, or of a brutal 
 appetite that looks no farther than a 
 momentary gratification. In this, dear 
 nephew, you are very fenfibie that I am 
 launching out into no vifionary ideas ; 
 you are, happily, yourfelf an inflance 
 
 of 
 
to Mr. Mellepont. 165 
 
 of their being pradically true. You, 
 who furnifh, in your own procedure^ 
 an edifying example of the permanent 
 blifs to be found in moral love, a lovq 
 approved by God and Man. But, to 
 be qualified for fuch happinefs, it is in- 
 difpenfably requifite to have a heart ; 
 now that is what Nature has refufed to 
 too many human creatures. And fure- 
 ly a man without a heart, is abfolutely, 
 and in the worfl fenfe, as difqualified 
 for the greateft and moil exquifite plea- 
 fures of love, as the guardians of a 
 feraglio. Is not, to a true tafte, impo- 
 tency of fpirit lefs eligible than impo- 
 tency of body ? Or does enjoyment, 
 without love, deferve the name of en- 
 joyment? In this light, which I defy 
 any one juflly to call a falfe one, how 
 
 much 
 
1 66 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 much would fo many of our miferable 
 men of wit and pleafure, about town, 
 have to difcount of their boafls of hav- 
 ing had a number of women as worth- 
 iefs-as themfelves ? In this light, I do 
 not at all wonder at Lord Lovelies dif- 
 i-nclination to a fiate, for which he wants 
 the mod eflential qualification, that of 
 the heart: an incurable defedl, for 
 which I fhould think it as great cruelty 
 to blame, or rather not to pity him, 
 as it would be to laugh at or refufe 
 compafTion to a man born blind, for 
 his want of fight. Beauty may give 
 Lord Lovell defires, becaufe he has 
 eyes •, but never love, becaufe he has 
 no heart : he may pofilbly know the 
 grofs pleafures of fenfation ; but never 
 the voluptuous raptures of fentiment : 
 
 by 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 167 
 
 by nature difinherited of the mod ex- 
 alted blifs that it is in her power to 
 confer, he (lands for ever condemned 
 to a volubility of defire, like Sifyphus, 
 from the bottom of a hill to roll a 
 ftone, that never reaching or remaining 
 on the fummit, but perpetually recoil- 
 ing upon him, fubjeds him to an eter- 
 nal fatigue in vain. He is bound never 
 to rife beyond the animal gratification 
 of an appetite, as diftincl from the no- 
 ble paiTion of love as vice is from 
 virtue : an appetite that has no con- 
 fidence : while inconftancy, produced 
 by difguft, and by the weaknefs of a 
 foul incapable of attaching itfelf to a 
 worthy object, makes him the bubble 
 of a fickly fancy roving from miflrefs 
 to midrefs, always courfing pleafure, 
 
 and 
 
i68 Mrs. Bu c KLB V 
 
 and never catching it, or at beft A 
 phantom in its (lead. 
 
 Carried away by the fubjed, I was, 
 going on, when a cafual caft of my 
 eye, on the tremendous length of the 
 preceding fcrawl, admonifhed me to 
 conclude for the prefent ; with referve 
 to give you, by the next poft, the 
 remainder of what I have to fay, where 
 you will abundantly fee the reafon of 
 this preamble relative to Lord Lovell. 
 In the meanwhile, I am ever yours, &c. 
 
 Lucy Buckley. 
 
 LET- 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. i6^ 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Mrs, BacKLEv to Mr. Mellefoxt. 
 
 T)car Nephew^ Richmond. 
 
 RESUMING the fubjea of my 
 laft, I proceed in the account I 
 have to give you of Lord Lovellj 
 by v/ay of necelTary introiuclion. 
 
 As if every thing haJ confpircd to 
 mve his head a cail more wrono- tha-n 
 perhaps nature meant it fliould h.ave, his 
 evil genius betrayed him into tlie ac- 
 
 Vo L. I. I quauit- 
 
\jo Mrs, Buckley 
 
 quaintance of one Golding, whom he 
 picked up on the turf a^ Newmarket, 
 and whom he took afterwards for his 
 companion and confident ; one who is 
 infinitely worfe than a Icoundrel erected 
 into a gentleman, being a gentleman 
 funk into a fcoundrel. Nor will you 
 think the term too harfn, after the fadl 
 I have to relate to you, which charac- 
 ter ifes flrongly this honorable friend 
 and aflbciate of the right honorable 
 Lord Lovell. 
 
 A little before I went to Cornwall, 
 1 had employed as a milliner one Mrs, 
 Mabberley, a decent, fober, induftrious 
 woman. She had often fent home to 
 me the little articles of her bufinefs by 
 Qnt of her journey- women, a girl of 
 
 about 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. 171 
 
 about feventeen, but one of the pret- 
 tiefl creatures you can imagine, breath- 
 ing the fweets of innocence and youth, 
 and withall fo well-behaved, fo fcnfible, 
 that I could net help taking particular 
 notice of her. Some years afrerwards, 
 when I returned to town, I let INIrs. 
 Mabberley have my cudom again, and 
 took occafion to inquire what was be- 
 come of her pretty journey-woman. 
 Her anfwer was, that flie vvas a good- 
 for-nothing hufiy, who had been drawn 
 afide by a vile fellow, one Golding, 
 who had debauched and left her. This, 
 I have fincc found, was the identical 
 Golding, in fuch high favor v/ith Lord 
 Lovell. At that time I thought no 
 more of the girl, and was only forry 
 that one, v.ho had appeared to me to 
 I 2 deferve 
 
172 
 
 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 dcferve a better fiite, had not efcaped 
 a fnipwreck only too common to afford 
 much furprize. A fev/ days after- 
 ^vards, in a retired part of Hyde-park, 
 who fiiOLild I meet with there but this 
 young woman, dreff^d with great neat- 
 ncfs and fimphcity, with her child by 
 that felJow, to whom fhe was procuring 
 the benefit of a walk and the air ? At 
 feeing me fo unexpedledly, fhe would 
 have modeftly declined any notice from 
 me, and, for that purpofe, turned her 
 head afide, and was pafling on. I made 
 up to her with all the encouragment 
 I could throw into my looks and ad- 
 drefs, ,and with really more of tender 
 concern, than of an impertinent curiofity, 
 drew her (lory from her, which, on 
 farther enquiry, I found to be exadly 
 
 true* 
 
to My\ M E L L E F O N T. I 73 
 
 true, except that, in her diffidence and 
 modefty, llie had done herfclf lef^ than 
 juftice in certain particulars* 
 
 Golding had, it feems, taken the 
 advantage of her youth and inexperi- 
 ence to feduce her to his ends, by all 
 the iifual artifices employed on thofe 
 occafions. By this means fhe foon lofl 
 her bread and fcrvice at Mrs. Mabber- 
 jey's, and being with child by him, 
 underwent fuch a feries of bafe, cruel 
 treatment, as ended, at lafl, in a total 
 defertion of her and of her infant, whom 
 he abandoned to all the miferies of in- 
 digence, and to worfe yet, to all the 
 temptations, with her youth and figure, 
 to refcue herfelf from the oppreflions 
 CI adual want) by tiie horrors of prof- 
 I 3 titution. 
 
1 74- ^^''^* 'Buckley 
 
 titiuion. Theje temptations fhe had 
 the virtue to v/ithlland •, and after a 
 train of fufferings, and fevere trials of 
 her conftancy to her plan of a condu(5l 
 tliat fhewed how httle (he had deferved 
 lier firft fall, efpecially v;ith fuch a 
 nionfter, fhe arrived, by induftry at 
 lier needle, and by frugality of living, 
 at a fituation jufl: eafy enough for the 
 maintenance of hcrfelf and daughter, 
 to whom fhe behaved with excefllve 
 tendernefs, as if Cn^ thought it incum- 
 bent on her to make her amends for 
 the negledb of the unnatural father. 
 Straight as her circumftances were, fhe 
 denied herfelf almofl: necclTaries of life 
 to give her child the bell education fhe 
 could. But what greatly charmed me 
 in her was, the gentlenefs, the freedom 
 
 from 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. ij^ 
 
 from all acrimony, with which fhe 
 mentioned the wretch to whom fiie 
 owed her ruin, and for whom flie had 
 fuPrcred fo many hardfliips, imbittered 
 too by the reflexion, that it was through 
 his bafen^fs that fhe fui^fered them. All 
 her refentment was levelled againil her- 
 felf, whom fhe allows to have been 
 juOily punhhed for her fault, though 
 fiie migiit think it hard, that her chaf- 
 tifement fliould come from him, with 
 fuch atrocious circumftances. I have 
 reafon to believe flie fincerely deteiis 
 any thought of renewing Vv'lth him, and 
 happily now fhe owes to her good 
 {Qwky and to the merit of a long tried 
 conduifl, a condition that fees her above 
 any excufe of bad circumftances, to 
 wifh the refumprion of any connexion 
 1 4 wiik 
 
J 76 M?'S, B U C K L E V 
 
 y/iih a wretch for whom her love miift 
 have been long obhterated by the jufleft 
 contempt. 
 
 This, however, is the pretious wight 
 on v»hom Lord Lovell has fo judiciouQy 
 pitched for his confidential hanger-cn, 
 and of whofe mcannefs in playing that 
 part, it is not a little aggravation that 
 he is not driven to it by want. Ke 
 has fome fortune, though perhaps in- 
 fufiicient to his extravagances, to which 
 his lordfhip's rewards for his fervice to 
 him in his vices and follies, may be no 
 unwelcome fupply. I never faw him, 
 but your acquaintance Mr. Sutton, v;ho, 
 by the bye, carries on his bufinefs with 
 great fuccefs and reputation of probity, 
 had a law-fuit under his management, 
 
 certain 
 
io Mr, Me L Le F ON*T. 177 
 
 Certain incidents in the courfe of wliichi 
 gave him a thorough infight into his 
 charafler. You may, perhaps, imagine^ 
 that Golding mud have at lead feme 
 talent, fome accomplifiiment, fome fa- 
 vorable diftindlion, to recommend him 
 to his lordiliip's countenance and inu- 
 fnacy. No:hing can be lefs the cafe. 
 From a concern for a perfon fo nearly 
 related to Lady Harrier, whom I fo- 
 vereignly love and efteem, I fuffered 
 myfclf to be told the charader of one 
 who has fuch an influence over her 
 brother. With a foul of an ti\\^r, 
 coarfe enough to have been made out 
 of the damps of a coal-mine, his whole 
 flow of wit, hum.or, and pleafantry, 
 fprings out of the kennels and Hnks cf 
 Covent- garden, in a courfe through 
 I 5 brothels. 
 
178 Mrs. Bu C K L E V 
 
 brothels, taverns, and night- houfes, of 
 which it has gathered all the loathfom 
 filch and offenfivenefs. Vulgar and il- 
 literate to the laft degree, there would 
 be no conceiving how he could have 
 gained the confidence of Lord Lovell, 
 \vho is, himfelf, not abfolutely without 
 wit, but for his eternal applaufe and 
 aflent to every thing he fays or does 5 
 for the wretch is fo determinate a flat- 
 terer, that he would reprove the ar- 
 ranteft mifer for being too extravagant, 
 and the mofl abandoned fpendthrift 
 for being too flrid: an economift -, add 
 to this, a conftant readinefs without 
 referve, to perform any dirty offices on 
 which his patron may put him. In 
 return for which, his lordfhip mod 
 heartily defpifes him, and is governed 
 
 by 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 179 
 
 by him, without fo much as fufpecling- 
 that it is he himfelf who is that low 
 fellow's led-captain, and not that lovr 
 fellow his. 
 
 Nor are you to think this flrange. 
 Nothing is at prefent fo common. Ic 
 is even the general rule, for men of 
 fortune and rank, to give their confi- 
 dence to fuch as they neither love nor 
 efteem, nay ofteneft, to fuch as they 
 contemn, who generally return them 
 the compliment, and, //; petto^ repay 
 them in kind. In proof of this little- 
 nefs in our precious Great, take a lid 
 of them, I mean of thofe in the 
 higheft clafs of hfe, for title, opulence, 
 and power, and, on the faired exami- 
 nation, you will find that by much the 
 "~ 16 greatcfl 
 
1 80 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 greatcft part of them, are refpe^lively 
 governed by fame little obfcure wretch, 
 who creeps about them, fawns upon, 
 and flatters them in all their Jittlenefles, 
 follies, and vices : moft commonly too 
 iie is the moll palpably worthlefs of the 
 whole herd of dependents, who are but 
 the lefs jealous of him for his being fo, 
 nothing alarming the whole camp of 
 them more, than the rare cafe of their 
 mafter's fhewing any favor or diftindion 
 to a man with whofe me; it their want 
 of it muft fland in the light of a dif- 
 advantageous comparifon. There is 
 nothing they dread fo much, as the 
 danger to them of their patron's favor 
 getting into a channel different from 
 that to which they owe that counte- 
 nance to them, which is fo much to 
 
 his 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. i8r 
 
 his difhonor and to his prejudice. For 
 you need fcarce look any further, fot 
 the caufe of that ignoble, trifling, un- 
 eflcntial figure, the generality of our 
 great people make, than their meannefs 
 of tade and fpirit in not difdaining 
 to be the centers each of a little dirty 
 fphere of fervile dependents, and nau- 
 feous flatterers, who mud be fo far 
 from making great a man intrinfically 
 little, that they mud make a real great 
 man appear little, if it could be fup- 
 pofed that fuch a charader could make 
 fuch a choice. 
 
 I have known too fome half-wits 
 as fond of having a led-dunce as fome 
 ordinary women conftantly take fom.e 
 
 fright 
 
1 82 Mrs, B u c K L E r 
 
 fright abroad v/lth them, as a foil for 
 the benefit of the comparifon. 
 
 I have dwelt the longer on this 
 reflexion, rather digreilive, I confefs, 
 firfl becaufe this epidemical weaknefs of 
 the men, who have the lead in this coun- 
 try, mufl naturally influence the con- 
 dud of public affairs, and then becaufe 
 I really wifh to extenuate Lord Lovell's 
 folly, by ihewing it to be partly the 
 fault of his times, from the contagion 
 of example. A candor in me, to which 
 you will think him lefs intitled from my 
 juftice than from my contempt j when 
 1 fhail have acquainted you with an in- 
 cident, which alone might defend this 
 long preamble about him from a charge 
 
 of intpertinence. 
 
 The 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. 183 
 
 The other day, about noon, who 
 fliould come to my door in a pofl-chaife, 
 and alone, but Lord Lovell ? This was 
 an honor I had no room to expedl, from 
 the refpedlful and cold diftance I had 
 always kept him at, notwithflanding 
 plain enough advances occafionally made 
 me on his fide towards nearer acquaint- 
 ance : advances, of which I had no rea- 
 fon to be extremely vain, confidering their 
 motive. 
 
 You may remember that I had very 
 early obferved his Lordfhip's being fmit- 
 ten with Clara, about which I was un- 
 der no fort of apprehenfion. I knew 
 him fufceptible only of that kind of 
 palTion again ft which ?nQ was more 
 
 llrongly 
 
1S4 Mrs. B u c K L 1^ V 
 
 ftrongly guarded by principle, than even 
 by the fear of a danger which was not 
 a whit the greater to her, for her tho- 
 rough contempt of it. Lord Lovell, 
 finding in her condu6l towards him 
 fomething fo repulfive and difcourag- 
 ing as to give very little overture for 
 any hope of fucceeding eafily in any de- 
 fjgns of the nature of thofe he was en- 
 tertaining thoughts of upon her, did 
 me, I fuppofe, the honor of cafting 
 his eyes on me, as a relation that might 
 be of fome convenience to him, in the 
 purfuit of his ends, from the influence 
 he judged I had on her, by the great 
 refped and confidence with which that 
 amiable girl has conftantly treated me. 
 Of my fituation in life, my figure was 
 not at all calculated to give him a very 
 
 brilliant 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. 185 
 
 brilliant idea. My being always in one 
 gown, and that a fluff one, with every 
 other article of drefs uniformly in that 
 liile, would at moft, to a man of fadiion, 
 that is to fay, to a man governed by 
 appearances, fufilsr me to pafs for a 
 decayed gentlewoman on the charitable 
 lift. 
 
 Lady Harriet, fo far from undeceiv- 
 ing him, ufed to enjoy his miflake. He 
 had precluded himfeif from any partici- 
 pation of her's to him, eVen of the com- 
 monefl occurrences of life, by conftant- 
 ]y looking down upon her from the (tu- 
 pendous height of his own excellence, 
 and fupercilioufly treating her as an odd, 
 infignificant girl, though fnc has tea 
 times his fenfe, without one of his de- 
 feds. 
 
i86 Mrs. B u c K L E V 
 
 fedls. She had often, with a fmo- 
 thered fmile, heard him tell me to 
 my face, with a fine emphatic tone, as 
 if he was overwhelming me with ho- 
 nor, that he really took me for a mighty 
 decent good fort of a woman. 
 
 Heaven help his head ! It was not for 
 one of his turn to difcovcr in that 
 *' good fort of a woman," one who at 
 one time, and before fhe was led to a 
 juft eftimate of things by a hufband, 
 fortunately for her, a man of fenfe, had 
 lived not lower than on a fine with per- 
 fons of the firft diftindion of the kin«y- 
 
 o 
 
 dom ', to which I can fafely add, that 
 it was the very dulled part of my life ; 
 nothing being more certain, than that 
 among thofe of his rank I obferved the 
 
 lead 
 
to Mr\ M E L L E F O N t. llj 
 
 lead room for improvement, the falfcfl 
 and moft futile prejudices, the greatetl 
 vacuity of tafte; a fifcem, in fnort, 
 only fit to fct the head wrong, and ta 
 contrad: the heart. The only acquifi- 
 tion I have to boaft of among them, 
 was that of a moft meritorious contempt 
 for them, on a thorough knowledge of 
 them. Judge then, dear nephew, v/he- 
 ther I made a facrifice that cod me 
 much reludlance, when entering, on 
 the convidion of my own experience, 
 into Mr. Buckley's ideas, I efcaped 
 from thofe fcenes of taftelefs enjoyment 
 and ridiculous vanity, into the fnug of 
 life, where, in the bofom of eafe, tran- 
 quillity, and improvement, under the 
 diredion of one of the bed of hufbands, 
 
 I pafled 
 
l88 Mrs. Eu C K L E V 
 
 I paflcd the mod delicious moments cf 
 my exigence. 
 
 But I z^i. pardon while I dwell on 
 this preliminary, I leave his mod ferene 
 LordQiip too long at my door : Let me 
 introduce him into my parlour, where 
 I was fitting mobbed up, with a flannel 
 pinned under my chin, for a violent tooth- 
 ach, which did not, I fuppofe, extrem.ely 
 add to the awfulnefs of my figure, which 
 v;as, at bed, that of an old Fortune- 
 teller. Neither could the appearance of 
 my houfe, very fmall, though neat, and 
 chofen by me purely for its fituation, 
 combined with the furniture of the room 
 in which I received him, the whole of 
 which could not, at a fair appraifement, 
 amount to much above fifty Ihillings, 
 
 help 
 
to Mr, Mkllefont. 1S9 
 
 help to give him other ideas than thofe 
 he had brought with him, of that me- 
 diocrity of my circumftances which he 
 was come mod nobly prepared to in- 
 fult, and to turn to the account of his 
 villainous purpofes. 
 
 After the ufual falutations, and fome 
 filly enough humming and hawing, he 
 began : 
 
 *' Why, you have got here a good 
 '' pretty kind of a habitation — Let 
 " me fee \ the rent cannot, I fhould 
 " think, be very high. Indeed, the 
 " fituation is fomething. Upon my 
 *' word, Mrs. Buckley, a woman of 
 *' your merit ought to have greater 
 
 '•' matters 
 
jgo 
 
 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 ** matters done for her. I have always 
 *' thought you a very valuable perfon." 
 
 To this, and much of the like, no 
 snfNvef from m.e, except, now-and-then, 
 " I thank your Lordfhip — You are 
 " very good — To be fure the times are 
 " rather hard" — And all this with fuch 
 a profound air of, yes and pleafe you, 
 to every thing he faid, as helped to 
 draw him finely out to the point at 
 which I wanted him, an explanation of 
 the m.otive of this vifit. This was 
 flri6lly poetical juflice -, a banter of him 
 in his own way. 
 
 Not to wafle paper and time, I Hiall 
 only give you a fummary view of his 
 bufinefs with me. 
 
 He 
 
tQ Mr, Mellefont. 191 
 
 He had long entertained very ferlous 
 thoughts of my niece, (as he called her, 
 from his having heard her give me the 
 appellation of aunt,) and had nothing 
 but honorable intentions towards hei*. 
 (In which I have pregnant reafon to 
 think he lied.) That his mother's od- 
 dity of temper could not be unknown 
 to me, the m.eafures he was obliged to 
 keep with which were the only caufe 
 that he did not make his declaration 
 more public — That being but too fare 
 that he could never obtain her confent 
 to a match, in her v/ay of thinking, 
 fo difproportionate, he could not well 
 venture to difoblige her, as fhe had 
 flill a great deal in her power. (This 
 is true.) That, in the mean while, he 
 
 was 
 
192 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 was dying of ardor and impatience for 
 obtaining the pofrefTion of Clara, whom 
 he would in all refpedls confider and 
 treat as his lawful wife j and as an 
 earneft of his honorable intentions, would 
 immediately fettle fix hundred a year 
 upon her for life : that he was afraid 
 it would not be eafy, indeed, for him 
 to bring her to acquiefce in fuch an 
 arrangement, which he propofed fhould 
 jafl: no longer than till the benefit of 
 time and events fliould put it into his 
 power to prove the legitimacy of his 
 paffion : that, for my part, he fliould 
 nor, as an acknowledgment for any 
 good offices I might do him on this 
 occafion, fcruple a thoufand pounds, 
 which were ready at my fervice as barely 
 a retaining fee. 
 
 Obfcrve, 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 195 
 
 Obferve, that I abftrad to you the 
 fubftance of his propofal, but fparc 
 you the preambles and circuit of words 
 which he employed to gild the pill to me. 
 
 The truth is, that, at firft, I did not 
 conceive his drift. I imagined he was 
 aiming at fomewhat in the nature of 
 a clandefline marriage, which, how- 
 ever undoubtedly unacceptable, would 
 not, at lead, have been fo grofs an 
 affront. It was then, without defign, 
 on m^y part, and purely in a fpirit of 
 explanation, that, by dint of doubts 
 and leading queftions, into which I 
 took fpecial care to throw no difcou- 
 ragement that might have Ihut him up 
 to me, I came at length, to an af- 
 
 VoL. I. K certain- 
 
194 ^'^^' BUC KL EY 
 
 certainment of his meaning, which was, 
 that all his honorable propofals were 
 reducible to the terms of Clara's being 
 liis miftrefs, upon honor, and I his 
 procurefs, for hire. 
 
 You cannot conceive how much the 
 impudence and abfurdity of this over- 
 ture diverted me. My fenfe of it was 
 abfolutely nearer to pity than to refent- 
 ment. But I took care not to die in 
 his lordfhip's debt. 
 
 Compofing then my countenance to 
 the higheft exprefTion I could throw 
 into it, of mock-gratitude and ironical 
 fubmiiTion, I made his lordfhip a 
 curtefy down to the ground, and told 
 him, that I confidered myfelf as under 
 
 an 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 195 
 
 an immortal obligation to him for his 
 charitable intentions, in fingling me out 
 for his fervice on fo delicate a commif- 
 fion— That I fhould immediately enter 
 upon it by acquainting I.ady Harriet, 
 and efpecially Clara and her friends, 
 with the generofity of his flame, and 
 the purity of his defigns : that I made 
 no doubt of Clara's jumping at the 
 offer, and of her imipatience to qualify 
 herfelf for touching the firft quarter of 
 her honorable penfion; but that as 
 he was fo pretty a man, I fhould think 
 her unconfcionable if ihe did not take 
 that into the account, and afford him 
 a cheaper bargain : that for my part, 
 I would fo far fet her a good example, 
 that I would give up the brokerage 
 he was pleafed to offer me , nay, that 
 K2 if 
 
1 96 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 if his lordlliip wanted a couple of 
 thoufand pounds, if he would fend his 
 fteward to treat with me, I was ready 
 to lend it him at three and a half per 
 cent. 
 
 You are fenfible, dear nephew, there 
 was no gafconade in this proffer. I 
 have a much larger fum by me, which 
 I hardly know where to place out. 
 My paffion for that fimplicity which 
 I confider as the ftandard of tafle, and 
 the true fublime of life, brings with it 
 a faving, for which I fliould have the 
 greareft contempt, was the oeconomy I 
 cbferve to fpring from any thing fo 
 fordid as avarice. As it is, I do not 
 fpend a third of my income, which ena- 
 bles me to make refer ves that may ferve 
 
 others. 
 
to Mr. MELLtFONT* I97 
 
 Others, without occafioning me any felf- 
 denial, or lelf- reproach for meannefs of 
 fpirit. 
 
 However, before I had well done fpeak* 
 ing, and I had furely coolnefs enough 
 not to lofe any of the degrees of impref- 
 f]on that what I faid was fuccefTively 
 making on him, I could diftindly ob- 
 ferve the progrefTive growth of his con- 
 fufion, rage, and fhame to their utmoft 
 pitch. Confounded at the turn againft 
 him his application to me had taken, 
 enraged at the cool contemptuoufnefs of 
 the irony with which I was treating him, 
 and afhamed of the wretched figure he 
 was making in the eyes of one he had 
 begun with addrefling himfelf to, as to 
 an object of charity, he funk under the 
 K 3 fuperi- 
 
198 Mrs, Buckley 
 
 fiiperiority which his ridiculous miftake 
 of me had given me over him. 
 
 The point with him now was to re- 
 cover fo terrible a flumble with the 
 beft grace he could. For fome minutes 
 he continued ftunned, and incapable of 
 uttering a fyllable. At length, getting 
 ^ little the better of his oppreflion, he 
 told me, with a faultering voice, and a 
 tone of humiliation, that he faw he had 
 taken a very foolifh ftep ♦, that he fin- 
 cerely afl^ed my pardon, and entreated 
 me to confider that his puniOiment was 
 in my hands, and that as he lay entirely 
 at my mercy, he hoped my generofity, 
 and his unfeigned forrow for his offence, 
 would induce me to fpare him ; that as 
 to Lady Harriet, my threat of acquaint- 
 ing 
 
 i 
 
to Mr. MellefonT- 199 
 
 ing her of hi3 folly, affedled him incom- 
 parably lefs, than Clara's receiving any 
 ill imprelTions of him ; that he was but 
 too fenfible that much of his fate de- 
 pended on my not doing him with her 
 all the difkindnefs he had deferved, 
 cfpecially from me : but as to herfelf, 
 he was refolved to repair the injury in 
 a manner that fhould convince me, that 
 the bottom of his intentions was purer 
 than what that ftep he had juft taken 
 gave them leave to appear ; a ftep into 
 which he had been betraid rather by the 
 blindnefs and impetuofity of his paffion, 
 which had hid the irregularity of it 
 from him, than by a diihonorable de- 
 fign. 
 
 K f This 
 
zoo Mrs. Buckley 
 
 This was the fum of his apology, 
 of all which I had to believe as much 
 or as little as I pleafed. I knew too 
 well the nature and tendency of the in- 
 finuation of his intention to repair the 
 affront to Clara, to give him any the 
 lead credit for it. 
 
 I replied to him then in an extreme 
 polite flrain, but as vague, and death- 
 cold an one, as the holloweft, fmooth^ft 
 courtier could have employed, to elude 
 an explicit declaration. I fuffered him 
 to go away, under a perfedt uncertainty 
 of what my procedure would be upon 
 this curious piece of condud of his. 
 
 As foon as he was gone, the firfl: 
 idea that naturally prefented itfelf, was 
 
 to 
 
to Mr. Mellefont. 201 
 
 to write immediately to Clara a fuccinft 
 account of what had pafled ; the wea- 
 ther being too bad for me to go in per- 
 fon, under the pain I was in. About 
 this there was no difficulty : but I much 
 wiflied to fpare Lady Harriet the cruel 
 uneafinefs I was fure that her brother's 
 procedure would give her. I was afraid 
 too, that Clara herfelf might, in the firfl 
 emotions of her wounded delicacy, 
 think it incumbent on her to remove di- 
 rectly from Lady Harriet's, to whom the 
 abruptnefs of the ftep, combined with 
 the caufe of it, could not fail of giving 
 a great deal of pain. As I was then 
 perfe6lly clear that there was no danger 
 to Clara, with her way of thinking, from 
 her continuing a little while longer with 
 Lady Harriet, and that her coming 
 K 5 away 
 
202 Mrs. Buckley 
 
 away might imply to him fuch a fear of 
 his defigns, as ihe was much above 
 having -, I had, to her flaying at Lady 
 Loveli's, till the Marquefs of Sober- 
 ton's imminent arrival, but one ob- 
 jeclion, which was the pofiibility of 
 Lord Loveirs imagining that fuch her 
 continuance after fo great an indignity, 
 which he would naturally judge I could 
 not well anfwer fupprefling to her, was 
 a kind of laying wait for his effectuating 
 that reparation which he had infinuated 
 to me, by a declaration in form of more 
 honorable intentions. However, this 
 obje6lion I foon folved to myfelf, by a 
 reflexion on the groundleflhefs of fuch 
 a prefumption in Lord Lovell from 
 what I knew of my own ideas, and had 
 the ftrongefl reafon to believe of Clara's. 
 
 I con- 
 
to Mr, Mellefont. 203 
 
 I confidered, that it would be great in- 
 juftice to give the worthy, the amiable 
 Lady Harriet unnecelTarily great pain, 
 for fear of any vain and falfe notion of 
 her brother's. There is not, perhaps, 
 a more pernicious, nor a more common 
 error, than the doing or not doing a 
 thing, out of regard to the opinion of 
 fools, which by the by is doing them 
 rather too much honor. 
 
 In thefe ideas, I fat down to give 
 Clara the neceifary and very candid 
 information of Lord LovelTs proce- 
 dure, and withall my opinion for her 
 not coming away immediately, and my 
 reafons for that opinion, which, how- 
 ever, it was abfolutely at her option to 
 follow or not, as I was ever ready to 
 K 6 receive 
 
204 To Mr. Mellefont. 
 
 receive her with open arms. This let- 
 ter I fent by a fpecial meflenger, my 
 own maid, fo as not to be delivered 
 in Lady Harriet's prefence, to prevent 
 any referve which the novelty of it be- 
 tween them would render very auk- 
 ward, and againft which I eafily guard- 
 ed my fervant by equipping her with 
 a collateral pretext. 
 
 In the afternoon I received by the 
 return of the meflenger Clara's anfwer, 
 of which I enclofe you the copy. 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 \ Lucy Buckley. 
 
 LET- 
 
To Mrs. Buckley. 205 
 
 LETTER. 
 
 Clara Maynwaring, to Mrs* 
 Buckley. 
 
 " London. 
 *' My ever refpe5fahle Aunt^ 
 *' AFTER exprelTing to you my 
 *' pain for the indignity you have met 
 *' with on my account, a pain much 
 *' lefTened to me by my reflexion on 
 " your fuperiority to it, fuffer me to 
 *^ give to a very fincere friendfhip the 
 " firft place in my expreflions of grati- 
 " tude to you, for your tender concern 
 " for Lady Harriet on this occafion. 
 ** Nothing can be more juft than your 
 *^ apprehenfions for her: nothing more 
 ^ merited than your unwillingnefs to 
 
 " give 
 
fi»o6 Clara Maynwarino 
 
 *' give her unnecefTarily caufe of paln.^ 
 " In honor to truth, I muft confefs, that 
 " I fhould mod probably on the firft 
 *' fenfe of the infult done to you, (for 
 " as to myfelf, my Lord Lovell can- 
 *' not oftend me,) I fhould have en- 
 *' deavoured to make Lady Harriet 
 " fenfible of the propriety of my leav- 
 " ing her, without any thing in my 
 '' heart towards her, but fentiments of 
 *' the utmofl afFedion and efteem. I 
 *' am, I hope, incapable of fuch an 
 " injuftice as that of imputing to her, 
 " as any demerit, thofe follies or indifcre- 
 *' tions of a brother, which fhe would 
 " be the firfl to deteft and deplore. 
 *' Be it then as you have better judged. 
 ** Lord Soberton will certainly foon be 
 *' here, by his father's orders, who is 
 
 "in 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 207 
 
 ' In a fair way of recovery. The 
 ' celebration of his nuptials with Lady 
 ' Harriet will naturally bring on a fe- 
 ' paration without any violence. The 
 ' reft: of the time, till my return to my 
 ' brother Mellefont's, in the country, 
 ' as I originally propofed before the 
 ' fummer comes on, I fhall, with your 
 ' leave, fpend with you, to my great 
 ' improvement, I am very fure. In 
 ' the mean while, I fhall conceal from 
 ' Lady Harriet an incident that would 
 ' give her fo great an uneafinefs : it 
 ' is the only kind of perfidy of which 
 ' my friendOiip for her is capable. 
 
 *' Yours, &c. 
 
 *' Clara Maynwarjng/' 
 
2o8 Mr, Mellefont 
 
 L E T T E R X. 
 
 Mr, Mellefont to Mrs, Buckley. 
 
 Lancajhire^ Nov, 
 
 My ever honored Aunt^ 
 
 YO U cannot conceive what plea- 
 fure your letters have given my 
 wife and me, except juft in that part 
 where we felt for the indignity of your 
 treatment •, which, however, you are fo 
 right to treat with the fcorn and deri- 
 fion it deferves. As we unfeignedly 
 join in our full fatisfadion at Clara's 
 having the happinefs of your counfels 
 at hand, and the good fenfc to refpect 
 
 them : 
 
t6 Mrs. Buckley. 209 
 
 them : we are not in any the lead pain 
 about the ilTue of Lord Lovell's de- 
 figns, whatever they may be : with fuch 
 a pilot as you, there is no fear of a 
 ihipwreck. 
 
 But if I fincerely picy Lord Lovell 
 for his not being above the worthlefT- 
 nefs of his times, I hope I may have 
 leave to pity my country much more, 
 for the danger of ruin to. which it 
 {lands expofed, in having it's fate de- 
 pend on no better heads and hearts, 
 than thofe of the generaHty of the peo- 
 ple of power in all parties. Nor do I 
 fee any likelihood of an amendment, 
 unlefs a few men of good fenfe, and 
 real well-meaning, with the requifites 
 of rank and fortune to give their ope- 
 rations 
 
210 A/r. Me L L E FON T 
 
 rations due weight, fhould rife to the 
 refcLie of the nation from the preva- 
 lence of all the futility and corruption 
 under which it is evidently finking. But 
 if it is too much, or too chimerical to 
 fuppofe, that there are a few ftill re- 
 maining capable of fuch an effort of 
 virtue, I hope no one will fay that fuch 
 a country does not deferve its perdition, 
 and that the chimera would be not to 
 befpeak it. 
 
 And here fuffer me to offer you a 
 few remarks on our titled nobility, 
 which, as I principally derive them 
 from the information of Mr. Buckley, 
 who, I am fenfible, thought no fub- 
 jed of this kind above your compre- 
 
 henfion, 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 211 
 
 henfion, will be rather reminding than 
 prefuming to inftrucl you. 
 
 The great authority, then, of our 
 nobles was unqueftionably owing to 
 their official duty, confidered in two 
 lights, that of Judges, Guardians of the 
 Law, and Counfellors to the Throne \ and 
 that of Defenders of their country againfl 
 enemies foreign and domeflic. 
 
 In their judiciary capacity they con- 
 flitute the upper houfe, where they fit 
 merely in th^ civil charafter of Judges, 
 under the titles of Lords or Barons, 
 both which have no relation to any 
 thing but the Law : the word Lord 
 importing a Magiftrate, and Baron a 
 Judge i Barony a diftridl of civil go- 
 
 vernment^ 
 
2 1 2 Mr, Mellefon r 
 
 vcrnment, in former times feudally 
 liable to furnifh its contingent to the 
 national fervice. In their military pro- 
 vince they have other titles, which are 
 an ingraftment on thofe of Lord or Ba- 
 ron ; fuch as Duke, Marcjuefs, Earl, &:c. 
 which are defignations of martial rank, 
 thofe diRinguifhed by them being origi- 
 nally bound to perfonal fervice, receiv- 
 ing for their pay certain allotments of 
 lands, which they poiTefTcd by feudal 
 tenure. 
 
 You have here their ofHce in one 
 plain, fuccindl view. They were the 
 firfl in the land for law and arms. Are 
 they, in reality, the firft in either now } 
 Or is it not a moot-point, whether they 
 are better lawyers in the houfe, or better 
 
 foldiers 
 
to Mrs, B u c K LEY. 213 
 
 foldlers in the field ? Perfonal fervlce 
 in war they have long, in general, re- 
 nounced, and left to younger brothers, 
 and to any military adventurers, for a 
 livelihood j content, for themfelves, to 
 carry arms no where but on their feals, 
 plate, or coach-doors, lefs as enfigns 
 of honor, than matter of a taflelefs pa- 
 rade. But then, you will fay, they have 
 lluck the clofer to their civil character of 
 Judges, of Comptrollers of Minifters, 
 and Counfellors of the State. May be fo. 
 
 As to their being Judges ; it Is their 
 efifential prerogative to be fuch ; and they, 
 no doubt, qualify themfelves duly for the 
 difcharge of that great and refpeclable 
 office. 
 
 In their political charaflerof Dlre6lors 
 of' Minifters, I am afraid that, in former 
 times, Minillers may have too ofren 
 
 Vol. L K m found 
 
2 1 4 Mr. Mellefont 
 
 found them readier to pay a court ta 
 them, than to correal them. 
 
 As Advifers of Kings, it is, perhaps, 
 to be wiflied, that, inftead of concurring 
 with them, topKinge the nation unnecef- 
 larily into debt, they had lefs refpecled 
 thofe pafiions and weaknefles of theirs,. 
 which were the caufes of that debt, of' 
 which fo great a part has been incurred' 
 in a direct oppofition to the national 
 intereft ; fo that the word was not the- 
 adt itfelf of increafing the debt. 
 
 And here there occurs a not uncurious 
 remark, which I do not care whether- 
 •.my one has made before me or not, io' 
 it is but a true and a juS: one* 
 
 In the cailieft ages of Britain and of 
 Gau], long before Juhus Cefar adtua^ly 
 deftroyed Llie liberty of one, and laid. 
 the foundation of dcRroying the liberty 
 
 of 
 
to^ Mrs. Buckley. 215 
 
 of the other, as he too fatally did thaf 
 of his own country, the power of the 
 Law was predominant over that of the 
 Sword, which was nothing more than 
 executively its minifter. But the guar- 
 dianfhlp of the laws made in the po- 
 pular aflemblies, was trufted to the 
 Peace-officers *, a deflgnatlon I prefer 
 to the word Clergy, (which, in thofe 
 times, long prior to Chriftianity, bore 
 quite another conftrudlion than it now. 
 does ; . that I may not appear partial to 
 my own order.) However, by various 
 revolutions, the Sword at length pre- 
 vailed. The power was wrelled out of 
 the hands of the Law, and put into thofe 
 of the military, who to trial by Courts 
 and Juries fubflituted that of judiciary 
 Duels, on the abfurd barbarifm of which 
 ix is fuperfiuous to infifl. In the an- 
 tient fiftem, the Man of Learning and 
 K I z. tha 
 
21 6 Mr. M E L L E F O N T 
 
 the Judge were united ; in the fubfe- 
 quent one, the Soldier and the Judge. 
 But how far our Nobles maintain either 
 the judiciary or the military charadler,. 
 let thofe who know them beft determine. 
 
 To me our Lords in general appear 
 fomewhat like the French Abbes^ who^ 
 having renounced the graver fundions 
 annexed to their primordial inftitution, 
 conftitute a kind of body, of which the 
 g-reateft privilege feems to be that of 
 doing nothing, and of circulating, in fo- 
 ciety, their fad inutility. By this means 
 thofe Abbes have loft much of their 
 dignity, nothing being more conform- 
 able to the principles of equity, than 
 that whoever withdraws fi'om the per- 
 formance of thofe duties, for which 
 they are allowed a confideration, lucra^ 
 
 tive,. 
 
to Mrs, Buckley. 217 
 
 tlve, or honorary, or both, fhould in- 
 conteftably forfeit fuch confideration. 
 Where then any clafs of men falls un- 
 der that defcription, if they are not dead 
 in law, are not they manifedly fo in 
 equity ? Who is not fenfible, that a 
 body from which the fpirit is departed, 
 does not prefent an idea of great fweet- 
 neS ? 
 
 Nothing is more demonftrable, than 
 that originally mod of the lands of the 
 nobility were as purely military benefices 
 as bifliopricks were ecclefiaftical ones, 
 both fubjedt to a difcharge of their re- 
 fpeclive duties, and neither of them he- 
 reditary. 
 
 Vol. I. L At 
 
2 1 8 Mf\ Mellefont 
 
 At length, indeed, tlie French fee 
 us the example, which it was natu- 
 ral enough for the Barons, (who in their 
 double quality of Judges and Generals 
 had both the Law and the Power in their 
 own hands,) to follow, of changing the 
 nature of the military benefices and 
 titles, and of making them like allodial 
 cftates, tranfmiflible by inheritance. But 
 even then it was not underflood, that 
 fuch a right of defcent Ihould abfolve 
 them from the difcharge of thofe duties, , 
 for which the revenues of their eftates 
 Y/ere conndered by the whole nation as 
 Handing falaries. A Duke, even on this 
 new footing, was a born Leader of an 
 ^rmy *, an Earl or Count a General, a 
 yice-count a Lieutenant-General, and fo 
 
 on> 
 
to Mrs. B U C K L E Y^. 219 
 
 on •, but every one of thefe titles implied 
 a duty of adual military fervice to the 
 public. Nor indeed could any'difpen- 
 fation from it take place, with more 
 propriety, with more juftice, than if 
 our lords the Bilhops were very gravely 
 to bring in a bill into the houfe, for 
 leave to entail their titles and temporali- 
 ties in their families, without any 
 incumbence on them to difcharge the 
 epifcopal duties. 
 
 So that, in ftrid fad, our Nobles 
 hold their advantages of fortune and 
 honor lefs by the fpirit of the law, 
 than by its prefcriptive connivence at 
 fach a fine-cure tenure, as is very dif- 
 ferent from the original inftitution, and 
 even from the firft alteration of that 
 L 2 inftitu- 
 
2^0 Mr. Mellefont 
 
 iiiftitutlon. Nor could the nation, in 
 its grant of land for adlual fervice, or 
 even for reward of pad fervice, ever 
 be imagined to include, in the idea of 
 reward, a birth-right to the defcendants, 
 from thofe fo paid or rewarded, of 
 lying an ufelefs indgniiicant load on 
 it J or intend, as matter of claim for 
 them, the privilege of worth leflhefs, 
 and the mockery of empty titles of a 
 military fervice, which they never per- 
 form, and which they leave to others 
 under the modern denominations of 
 General, Lieutenant-general, Brigadier, 
 &c. who have juft as clear a right to 
 expect that their pay, fubjedt to no 
 difcharge of duty, (hall be made heredi- 
 tary in their families, as the merely 
 titular officers of the nobility ever had 
 
 to 
 
to MtH, B U C K L fi Y. 221 
 
 fo procure, as they aflually did pro- 
 cure their feodal tenures to- be; the 
 fervice for which they have fo prudently 
 commuted for only paying their fliare of 
 the general taxation. 
 
 Of this our Nobility could not be too 
 much reminded, even for their own 
 fakes, as it might tend to excite in them 
 a fpirit of gratitude to a country, by 
 •whofe curtefy they are allowed the uti 
 foffidetis of fo many gratuitous advan- 
 tages. It might kindle a defire in them 
 to merit, by fome degree of utility to the 
 public, that refpefl which they cannot 
 Gtherwife claim with the bed grace ima- 
 ginable, efpecially while it is hardly 
 pofTible for others to pay lefs of it to 
 them than they do to themfelves : it 
 L 3 might 
 
222 Mr. M£LL£P6nT 
 
 might rouze in them a noble difdain of 
 any honor but what is intrinfically honor 
 in itfelf, in a jiift diftindlion of it from 
 that contemptible fpurious honor, which 
 has no better foundation than a prefcrip- 
 tive error of opinion and vulgar pre- 
 judice. 
 
 As it is, how very few of them are 
 there, that do not acquiefce in the mod 
 ignoble obfcurity ! poor im memorable 
 infignificants, content with never being 
 named among thofe who defend their 
 country with their arms, or profper it 
 with their counfels ! Does their auguft 
 body, in fa6V, form, now-a-days, many 
 very great Generals to command armies, 
 many Speakers of real eloquence in the 
 houfe, or many Statefmen of abilities to 
 
 take 
 
to Mrs. B u c K L E Y. 223 
 
 take charge of the national power, ' or 
 care of the pubHc intereft ? Is not there 
 .rather a deplorable fcarcity of all thefc ? 
 You cannot but fee, efpecially as to the 
 offices of government, the diftrefs to 
 which this country is reduced for fupply- 
 ing proper perfonages to fill them. Ma- 
 ny have been called Miniflers, but how 
 few of them were chofen ! fome havins: 
 born that -name, who were no more of the 
 'ftandard of capacity requifite for tlie 
 -condudl of affairs, than the obfidionai 
 coins of copper are of a metal anfwera- 
 ble to the value flamped upon them, 
 by authority, both, for want of better^ 
 owing their temporary currency to the 
 urgency of neccflicy. 
 
 Nor is It a wonder that places fliouU 
 
 be fo contemptibly not filled, while 
 
 rank avarice, without a fpark of h.onor 
 
 ToL. I. L 4 ctr 
 
224 -^^^** Mellefont 
 
 or of patriotlfm, is the principal mo- 
 tive of courting, or of accepting em- 
 ployments : Avarice, that execrable 
 pafnon, allied to every miCannefs, and 
 which gives a rage for power to none 
 more than to thofe who are the lead 
 capable of doing ju dice to it. 
 
 But if fome of our Great would 
 but calculate the worth of what they 
 lofe of real good and folid fatisfac- 
 tion, by fufiering themfelves to be 
 blinded by a fordid ftjlfifliners, which 
 not only undignifies them, but endan- 
 gers their much fuperior intereft in the 
 public welfare, they would fpurn the 
 :d',^a of any complaifance to a Court, at 
 theexpence of their duty •, nobly juft to 
 which, they would, in facl, do much 
 
 greater 
 
to Mrs, Buckley. 
 
 225 
 
 greater fervice to their country, to their 
 King, and even to themfclves. 
 
 As things are, the corruption of the 
 men of power is arrived at fuch an incre- 
 dible pitch of profligacy, that there are 
 fome of them, who make it a point of 
 their importance to be paid not only for 
 the good they do not hinder, but for the 
 mifchief they do not do to their country. 
 Figure to yourfelf the meannefs of 
 fuch as can hug themfelves not only 
 on what they fave by not doing a 
 good aclion, but on what they get by 
 a bad one. 
 
 Thefe reflexions, however, are ex- 
 torted from me by my finccre regard 
 for that part of our confl:itution, againfl: 
 which it can furely be no ofl-ence, to 
 L 5 wida 
 
22-6 Mr. Mellefont 
 
 wifil it more eflential, more eftlmable ; 
 their political life and dignity capitally 
 depending on their degree of confidera- 
 tion with tlie public, which always 
 meafures its efleem of men and things 
 •by their utility to it. 
 
 You may alfo fee by this, dear 
 aunt, that I am not likely to be daz- 
 zled by any offers, however honorable, 
 that may come from the Earl Lo- 
 vell, merely in his quality of Lord, 
 for which, fingly confidered, 1 neither 
 efteem nor defpife him. It is not in 
 his title, it is not in opulence, but in 
 his charadier that Clara is to find her 
 ■happinefs: and I am much miilaken, 
 -•if fhe is ever, Atalanta-Iike, lured out 
 
 of 
 
to Mrs. Buckley. 227 
 
 of her career of honor and prudence, 
 by the glitter, though it were of the 
 whole globe in gold. 
 
 What I fliould apprehend for her 
 mod, and of which yet, I am afraid 
 not only to wound her delicacy with the 
 mention, but in the very mention, to 
 incline her the more to what 1 appre- 
 hend, is, her giving to refpecls of fa- 
 mily-interefl a weight in her determina- 
 tion that might unfavorably afre6l her 
 future condition. Knowing how much 
 eafier it is to keep egotifm out of one's 
 words, than out of one's thoughts and 
 a6tions, it is not to a fine verbofe form 
 of protellation that I truft your doing 
 juftice to the clearnefs of my fpirit, but 
 to that inftinclive worthinefs of your 
 L 6 own 
 
228 To Mrs, B U C K L E V. 
 
 own heart, which cannot fail of doing 
 jultice to the reality of my fentiments. 
 It is then, on this unaffeded principle, 
 that I entreat of you to make Clara 
 fenfrble that fhe could not, on this oc- 
 cafion, offer to me, or to her fifter, a 
 greater indignity, than that of not fol- 
 lowing the directions of her own heart, 
 in fo facred a point of perfonal import- 
 ance to her, as the difpofal of herfelf 
 for^life. 
 
 Hoping and believing every thing for 
 the beft> I am ever, dear Aunt, 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 Edward MellefontI 
 
7*^ HENRV GOLDING, E/^; 22^ 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 Lord LovELL to Henry Goldixg^ 
 
 Efr, 
 
 London, 
 
 AL L is loft, dear Hal, or fo very 
 near it, that I have birf one 
 chance \di^ and if that fhould fail me, 
 why then, heigh for the lover's leap, 
 for I will be curfed if ever I take the 
 matrimonial one. That is a ftate of 
 puni(hment to which, I hope, I am not 
 predeftinated. 
 
 Yoi: 
 
230 Lord L V E L L 
 
 You mud know, there is no ftrata- 
 gem, no art, that I could think of, 
 but what I have been trying, toeftablifli 
 my point with this ftrange, perverfe, 
 what fhall 1 call her, Angel, for that 
 word is at the end of my pen, and 
 places itfelf on the paper, almoft with- 
 out my leave. 
 
 I had often feen a woman caught by 
 the difcontinuance of a lover's chace, 
 which as foon as fhe perceived, Ihc 
 wheeled about infenfibly, in a doubling 
 maze, and chopped into his mouth. 
 Upon this plan, I had, for fome days, 
 left off that conftancy of vifits with 
 which I had befieged her at my fifter's •, 
 or if I went there, I not only took 
 no notice of Clara, beyond that kind 
 
 of 
 
/'^ HSNRY GOLDING, £^; 23I 
 
 of common civility, which is half an 
 infult, when it has been for fome time 
 preceded by more particular diftinc* 
 tions, but I occafionally Tingled out 
 Lady Arabella Cadres, a very pretty 
 young lady, who is often with them, 
 and began to pay her fuch a court, as I 
 flattered myfelf would be obferved by 
 Clara, and pique, at lead, her vanity, 
 or alarm that fear, fo natural to women, 
 the fear of lofing a conqueft. But I 
 might juft as well have fpared myfelf 
 the pains of playing a part that coft me 
 fo much repugnance, for Clara never 
 OBce gave the kafl: fign of paying any 
 more attention to my airs of defertion, 
 or change, than fhe had done to my 
 tendcreft affiduities. In fhort, 1 found 
 myfelf not a whit the forwarder for this 
 
 often 
 
232 
 
 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 often fiiccefsful ftale flratagem of love* 
 militant. I foon then came back to my 
 colors, without her taking any more 
 notice of my return to her, than flte 
 had done of my leaving her. But what 
 yet hurt me word of all, was that in- 
 trepid eafe, gaiety, and franknefs, with 
 which fhe never failed of ufing me, in 
 common with every one elfe, except 
 when I ventured to be particular to her, 
 when, without any fimptom of emo- 
 tion, fhe behaved to me with fuch a 
 frozen referve, fo chilling an indiffer- 
 ence, that her anger would have been 
 a thoufand times more preferable, and 
 lefs difcouraging. This is the more 
 galling, Hal, for that you well know I 
 am not ufcd to fuch treatment. 
 
 « Give 
 
/i? Henry Golding, £/y; 233 
 
 " Give her over," you will fay. 
 i\y, that I would if I cculd ; but a 
 hatchet flruck into my head could not 
 give me greater pain than but the 
 thought of it. I am even obliged to 
 perfevere» in my own defence ; for v/hlfe 
 [liQ remains unpoHelTed, (hQ fo tho- 
 roughly engrofies my whole faculties of 
 defire, that fhe not only hinders me from 
 being happy with herfelf, but with the 
 whole fex befides. Ker incomparable 
 image rifes to mc in bar of every ap- 
 plication to another woman. My con- 
 ftancy is not fo much a merit as a ne- 
 cefTity. In fhort, I could with pleafure 
 facrifice half my edate to the getting 
 her upon my own terms. Nay, I 
 would gladly fay to her, Spare my li- 
 berty, 
 
234 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 berty, and take my fortune. Nay, 
 in fome moments, the devil of defirc 
 tempts me fo violently, torments me fo 
 fiercely, that I could almoft marry her 
 in a pafilon, if it were but to get rid 
 of my damned love. 
 
 I had, however, a glimmering of 
 hope left, and that was to come at her 
 through a kind of aunt, one Mrs. 
 Buckley, whom I mentioned to you ia 
 my laft, and who, I had reafon to think, 
 knew the world, and underftood prac- 
 tice. To her, then, I made my appli- 
 cation, with fuch offers as would have 
 engaged many a lord that I could name 
 to fell himfelf, and throw his country, 
 like paper and packthread, into the bar- 
 gain. But I happened to be devilifhly 
 
 out 
 
to liE^tiRY GoLVINGy Efq; 23^ 
 
 out in my conjedlurcs about her •, I ^Aec 
 with fuch a let-down, Hal, fuch a let- 
 down ! I am not yet above half reco- 
 vered of the curfed cut I then received 
 over my creft. In fliort, that firing is 
 intirely fnapped •, and againfl touching 
 the matrimonial one, even though v/ith 
 no other intention than to make it fub- 
 fervient to my purpofe of avoiding ma- 
 trimony, I have an averfion that equals 
 the horror of water in one bitten by a 
 mad dog. And yet, I find I mull have 
 recourfe to that detefted expedient, and 
 flrike my referve-blow. 
 
 I had fortunately thrown into my 
 apology to Mrs. Buckley, the hint of 
 my defign to repair the injury (he was 
 pleafed to think done to Clara's honor, 
 
 in 
 
236 Lord L o V E L I 
 
 in my application to her for her good' 
 offices. Now this hint lays a plaufible 
 enough foundation for my intended plan 
 of procedure. 
 
 I propofe, then, to make a falfe- 
 confidenceto Lady Lovell, of my hav- 
 ing entertained ferious thoughts of ho- 
 norable addrefies to Clara. There is 
 not the lead reafon to fear her taking 
 me at my word. It is, perhaps, the 
 only point I could pitch on, which I 
 would not be fure of carrying with her 
 fondnefs. But in this I am as far 
 from expeding to find her tradable^ 
 as, indeed, I am from wifhing it. No. 
 The old Lady, at the bare mention 
 of it, will take fire finely ; and the 
 leaft fhe will do will be to lay me 
 
io Henry Golding, Efq, 237 
 
 under the whole weight of her dif- 
 grace. So much the better. The 
 more noife flie will make, and I dare 
 (wear fhe will not make a little, the 
 more fervice fhe will do me. In afking 
 what I foreknow will not be granted, 
 I fhall, to borrow an expeflion of Lord 
 Haverfham*s, have " afked a denial,'* 
 and that is the very thing I want. In 
 the mean while, the devil Vv^ill be in 
 it if this motion of mine will not ac 
 lead look well. Such a proof of my 
 fincerity mufl: reconcile me to Mrs, 
 Buckley, and to Clara give me fuch 
 a merit of fuffering for her fake, as 
 may not improbably place me on a 
 better footing with her than I have 
 hitherto been. The ground will be 
 the lefs hard for my approaches. Not 
 
 to 
 
238 Lord L o V E L L 
 
 to mention, that, by this flep, I fhall 
 get Lady Harriet greatly in my interefl, 
 who would not, for the world, promote 
 it in any other way, and will zealoufly 
 do it in this, from the joy it would 
 give her at once to make her friend's 
 fortune, to contribute to what (he fin- 
 cerely believes would render me happy, 
 and draw clofer the ties of friendfhip 
 between her and Clara, of whom Ihe 
 is exceflively fond \ nor, every thing 
 confidered, faith, do I wonder at it. 
 
 Of fuch a fituation, then, it will be 
 hard, indeed, if I do not make my 
 advantage, without the danger of be- 
 ing drawn into an engagement, which 
 all this art is meant to elude. 
 
 But 
 
lO HeKRY GOLDING, E/j; 239 
 
 But to put things at the worll, and 
 
 to fuppofe an impofTibility, was Lady 
 
 Level I to deprive me of the plea of 
 
 her refufal of confent, my game would 
 
 be indeed more difficult, but far from 
 
 I, 
 
 defperate. I Ihould, by the time it 
 
 would take to bring her to that point, 
 
 have, in all human probability, fo far 
 
 familiarifed and ingratiated myfelf with 
 
 Clara, as to fland fair for the benefit 
 
 of that chapter of accidents, which fo 
 
 often favors the bold and artful lover. 
 
 You underfland me, HaL 
 
 And now dare, after this, to think 
 
 •yourfelf fo neceffary to my fchemes of 
 
 gallantry, that I could not take a ftep 
 
 out of your leading-firings. However, 
 
 « I really 
 
240 Lord L o V E L L, &c. 
 
 I really wiQi you was with me, though, 
 from your lad, I have not much room 
 to expect it. 
 
 Yours, 
 
 L V E L L,' 
 
 LET. 
 
To Lord L o V E L L. 241 
 
 LETTER XIL 
 Henry G o l d i n g, £/^j to Lord 
 
 LOV ELL. 
 
 My Lord, Chefier, 
 
 UPON my honor, your Lord- 
 fhip is a noble engineer. What 
 a train have you laid to blow up the 
 fort of that little fpitfire ? Is it for me 
 to prefume to be " neceffary to your 
 " fcheams of gallantry ? " No, no, you 
 beat me hollow. Till I knew your lord- 
 fhip, I thought I wasTomebody at that 
 fport, but I find now I am nobody. If 
 I mean to get on, I mud go to fchool 
 Vol. I. M to 
 
242 Henry Golding, Efq\ 
 
 to your Lordfliip-, you are a perfcd 
 Matchawell at intreagues. All I have 
 to fay, is, and you muft ghve me leave 
 to be fi-ee with you, your LordPnip knows 
 I am apt to be too fmccar \ I mud tell 
 you, I think you give yourfelf a damned 
 deal of trouble, when you might have 
 readier meals than running hares. May 
 I be the capital figure of the firll collar- 
 day at Tyburn, if I think any of the 
 pufles worth the pains of hunting them 
 tender. Zounds ! give m.e the thing at 
 hand, a good willing tit, even though 
 (he flood at livery in one of the flails at 
 Covent-garden, before any of your fhy 
 ones, with all their damned vartue at 
 their tails. I know your Lordfliip wijl 
 immediately twit me in the teeth with 
 the riflv I run of being had before Dr. 
 
 Rock, 
 
to Lord L o V E L L. 243 
 
 Rock, for mifJenieanours of tl^it kind. 
 All that is true, my Lord, bur a little 
 difcretion is a fine thin^. Merry and 
 wife, fay I. With good care, and pick- 
 ing of one's bits, there may be found 
 fiCili as fweec and as little Hy-blov.'n in ^ 
 baud's larder, as in the fife of a nun- 
 nery. Indeed, it requires fome perfon 
 that knows the market well to be the ca- 
 terer, and grant clean bilis of health ; 
 otherwife there is no in fu ranee againfi: 
 confequences. Take things as they run 
 in common, there is no venturing on 
 mufcles, mufhrooms, and women of 
 the town •, the danger fells the plea- 
 fure. 
 
 You are, I Hnd, for keeping, but that 
 
 is a devilifh expenfive lay. If your 
 
 M 2 miftrefs 
 
244 Henry Golding, Efq\ 
 
 miflrefs fliould not even play you jades 
 tricks, and keep true to you, as it is 
 not to be fuppofed fhe could do other- 
 wife to fuch a fine gentleman as your 
 Lordfhip, why then there's brats and 
 chriftenings, till at lall you come as 
 much into family-order as if you was 
 lawfully tethered \ unlefs your Lordfhip 
 would do as I do, who always leave the 
 cow and the calf to fhift for their own 
 fodder. 
 
 But as to bidding matrimony defi- 
 ance, there we agree to a charm \ with 
 this difference, that your Lordfhip, be- 
 ing much wifer than I, has taken upon 
 truft the torments of that hell of a flate ; 
 v.hereas nothing would ferve me but I 
 muft be puppy enough to make per- 
 
 fonally 
 
to Lord L o V E L L. 245 
 
 fonally the experiment, and it turned 
 out as I dclerved ; for by Jove I was 
 finely fped. I married for a fortune, 
 whicli did not, however, turn out near 
 what I had imagined, a woman rather 
 ftricken in years, who caught me, by 
 looking as if fne would die. Bur, 
 what do you think ? My preticus had 
 the impudence to be jealous of me, and 
 gave herfelf the airs of expecting I 
 fhould be conflant to her frale charms. 
 Conftant, too ! v/ith a vengeance [ But 
 I was even widi her : I prefently broke 
 the beldam of vv'earing ye]k)w ftockinr^s, 
 and cured her fufpicicns for ever, by 
 certainty : for I brought home too trap- 
 ping drabs, kept them for feme iinrt 
 under her nofe, by way of excrcife for 
 her paticnt-Grizzlen-iip, and then turned 
 M 3 her 
 
246 Henry Golding, £/^; 
 
 her a-drift upon board-wages. How- 
 ever, the dear creature is dead, at laft, 
 though, by the way, her heart was fo 
 tough, it took a damned deal of break- 
 ing. I found it a great deal eafier to 
 get rid of her fortune than of her! — 
 But if ever I am caught again in that 
 noofe, may my wife turn the tables 
 upon me, and fend me to the wrong 
 fide of the turf. 
 
 I love women well enough, when I 
 want them, but who the deuce would 
 chufe to live in a cook's fhop, where 
 the meat is for ever under his nofe, Vvhe- 
 ther he has any flomach to it or not ? 
 Wives, too, are fuch unconfcionable crea- 
 tures, they are for ever either picking a 
 quarrel with you for the fake of the 
 
 fwects 
 
to Lord L O V E L L 
 
 247 
 
 fvveets of recorK:iliation, or extorting 
 more fondnels from you than you can 
 well afford, when the poor devil of a 
 hufband is like a debtor in a fpunging- 
 houfe, fqueezed for expence, without 
 his being either in cafh or in cue for it. 
 In fhort, my Lord, matrimony is the 
 the devil, and all the joys of it as much 
 againft the grain as fbatute-labor, or as 
 dull as playing at cards for nothing. 
 Talk of happy marriages ! one may as 
 well talk of foft thunder, flow lightning, 
 a jolly famine, a fweet plague, lively 
 funerals, plump fkeletons, and pretty 
 death's heads. 
 
 From my foul, then, I worfhip your 
 better genus, for infpiring you with fuch 
 a fcorn of the trap. 
 
 As 
 
248 Henry Golding, Efq-, 
 
 As for that vixon to whom you are 
 now, it feems, doing the honor of a 
 chace, hang me, if I do not believe your 
 Lordfhip is taking the advantage of my 
 abfence to hum me. It is a very hkely 
 ftory, indeed, that any girl of her degree 
 in life, with flefh and blood about her, 
 could hold out four-and-twenty hours 
 againft fuch proffers as yours, with fo 
 handfome a young nobleman tacked to 
 them. Who does not know, my Lord, 
 that you are the crack of the field, with 
 gold to filverodds in your favor. But I 
 fee what it is, you are fo generous a 
 fportfman, that you mean to give her 
 law ', you have not yet put forth half 
 your ftrength j whenever it comes to that, 
 
 my 
 
to Lord L o V E L L. 249 
 
 my life to an old fhoe, that flie will lay 
 fubdued and breathlefs before you. 
 
 In the mean while, it is but too true 
 that I am detained here fore againft my 
 will, but I hope it will not be fo long 
 as your Lordfhip fecms to think ; and, 
 to fay the truth, in the method of fap 
 that you are conducing your fiege, I 
 do not apprehend that I could be of 
 much ufe to you, as you are fo much a 
 better engineer than myfelf. Storming 
 is more in my way. Say but the word, 
 and I will, at all events, come poft to 
 town, and provide four barrels of gun- 
 powder to blow up the beldam at Rich- 
 mond, and half-a-dozen mirmidons, that 
 in the face of day Ihall carry off your 
 
 Princefs 
 
250 To Lord L o V E L L# 
 
 Princefs in triumph, and plump her into 
 your arms. 
 
 . Your Lordfhip is, I hope, perfuaded, 
 that no Cormantine Negroe could be 
 more abfolucely devoted to your com- 
 mands, than, 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 Your Lord (hip's mofl humble 
 and mod obedient fervant, 
 Henry Goldino. 
 
 End of the First V l u m.e. 
 
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