Defigning lovers in the decline of life are ever moft dangerous. Skilled in all the weakneffes of the fex, they feize each favourable opportunity, and by having lefs paffion than youthful admirers, have lefs real respect, and therefore less timidity. This infidious wretch ufed a thoufand arts to fucceed in his bafe defigns, all which I faw, but imputed to different views, because I thought it abfurd to believe the real motives.

As he continued to frequent my father's, the friendship between them became every day greater; and at laft from the intimacy with which he was received, I was taught to look upon him as a guardian and a friend. Though I never loved, yet I efteemed him; and this was enough to make me with for a union, for which he feemed defirous, but to which he feigned feveral delays; while in the mean time, from a falfe report of our being married, every other admirer forfook me.

I was at laft however awakened from the delufion, by an account of his being juft married to another young lady with a confiderable fortune. This was no great mortification to me, as I had always regarded him merely from prudential motives; but it had a very different effect upon my father, who, rafh and paffionate by Nature, and befides ftimulated by a mistaken notion of military honour, upbraided his friend in fuch terms, that a challenge was foon given and accepted.

It was about midnight when I was awakened by a meffage from my father, who defired to fee me that moment. I rose with fome furprize, and following the meffenger, attended only by another fervant, came to a field not far from the house, where I found him, the affertor of my honour, my only friend and fupporter, the tutor and companion of my youth, lying on one fide covered over with

blood.

blood, and juft expiring. No tears ftreamed down my cheeks, nor figh escaped from my breast, at an object of fuch terror. I fat down, and fupported his aged head in my lap, gazed upon the ghaftly vifage with an agony more poignant even than defpairing madnefs. The fervants were gone for more afliftance. In this gloomy ftillness of the night no founds were heard but his agonizing refpirations; no object was prefented but his wounds, which still continued to ftream. With filent anguish I hung over his dear face, and with my hands ftrove to ftop the blood as it flowed from his wounds; he seemed at firft infenfible, but at laft turning his dying eyes upon me," My dear, dear child, cried he, dear, though you have forgotten your own honour and flained mine, I will yet forgive you; by abandoning virtue you have undone me and yourself, yet take my forgiveness with the fame compaffion I wish Heaven may pity me." He expired. All my fucceeding happinefs fled with him. Reflecting that I was the caufe of his death. whom only I loved upon earth; accused of betraying the honour of his family with his latest breath; confcious of my own innocence, yet without even a poffibility of vindicating it; without fortune or friends to relieve or pity me; abandoned to infamy and the wide cenfuring world, I called out upon the dead body that lay ftretched before me, and in the agony of my heart afked why he could have left me thus! Why, my dear, my only pappa, why could you ruin me thus and yourfelf for ever! Ó pity, and return, fince there is none but you to comfort me.

I foon found that I had real caufe for forrow; that I was to expect no compaffion from my own fex, nor affiftance from the other; and that reputation was much more ufeful in our commerce with mankind than really to deferve it. Wherever I

5

came,

came, I perceived myself received either with contempt or deteftation; or whenever I was civilly treated, it was from the moft base and ungenerous motives.

Thus driven from the fociety of the virtuous, I was at laft, in order to difpel the anxieties of infupportable folitude, obliged to take up with the company of those whofe characters were blafted like my own; but who perhaps deferved their infamy. Among this number was a lady of the first diftinction, whose character the public thought proper to brand even with greater infamy than mine. A fimilitude of diftrefs foon united us; I knew that general reproach had made her miserable; and I had learned to regard mifery as an excufe for guilt. Though this lady had not virtue enough to avoid reproach, yet fhe had too much delicate fenfibility not to feel it. She therefore propofed our leaving the country where we were born, and going to live in Italy, where our characters and misfortunes would be unknown. With this I eagerly complied, and we foon found ourfelves in one of the most charming retreats in the most beautiful province of that inchanting country.

Had my companion chofen this as a retreat for injured virtue, an harbour where we might look with tranquillity on the diftant angry world, I fhould have been happy; but very different was her defign; he had pitched upon this fituation only to enjoy those pleasures in private, which the had not fufficient effrontery to fatisfy in a more open manner. A nearer acquaintance foon fhewed me the vicious part of her character; her mind as well as her body feemed formed only for pleafure; fhe was fentimental only as it ferved to protract the immediate enjoyment. Formed for fociety alone, fhe fpoke infinitely better than fhe wrote, and wrote infinitely

infinitely better than fhe lived. A perfon devoted to pleasure often leads the moft miferable life imaginable; fuch was her cafe; fhe confidered the natural moments of languor as infupportable, paffed all her hours between rapture and anxiety; ever in an extreme of agony or of blifs. She felt a pain as fincere for want of appetite, as the ftarving wretch who wants a meal. In those intervals fhe ufually kept her bed, and rofe only when in expectation of fome new enjoyment. The luxuriant air of the country, the romantic fituation of her palace, and the genius of a people whofe only happiness lies in fenfual refinement, all contributed to banish the remembrance of her native country.

But though fuch a life gave her pleasure, it had a very different effect upon me; I grew every day more penfive, and my melancholy was regarded as an infult upon her good humour: I now perceived myself entirely unfit for all fociety; difcarded from the good, and detefting the infamous, I feemed in a ftate of war with every rank of people; that virtue wich fhould have been my protection in the world, was here my crime: in thort, detefting, life, I was determined to become a reclufe, to leave a world where I found no pleasure that could allure me to ftay. Thus determined, I embarked in order to go by fea to Rome, where I intended to take the veil; but even in fo fhort a paffage my hard fortune ftill attended me; our fhip was taken by a Barbary corfair; the whole crew, and I among the number, being made flaves. It carries too much the air of romance to inform you of my diftreffes or obftinacy in this miferable ftate; it is enough to obferve that I have been bought by feveral mafters, each of whom perceiving my reluctance, rather than ufe violence, fold me to another, till it was my happinefs to be at laft rescued by you.

Thus

Thus ended her relation, which I have abridged, but as foon as we are arrived at Mofcow, for which we intend to fet out fhortly, you fhall be informed of all more particularly. In the mean time, the greatest addition to my happinefs will be to hear of Adieu.

yours.

LETTER LX.

From Lien Chi Altangi to Hingpo.

THE news of your freedom lifts the load of former anxiety from my mind; I can now think of my fon without regret, applaud his refignation under calamities, and his conduct in extricating himfelf from them.

You are now free, just let loofe from the bondage of an hard mafter: this is the crifis of your fate; and as you now manage fortune, fucceeding life will be marked with happiness or mifery; a few years perfeverance in prudence, which at your age is but another name for virtue, will enfure comfort, pleafure, tranquillity, efteem; too eager an enjoyment of every good that now offers, will reverfe the medal, and prefent you with poverty, anxiety, remorse,

contempt.

As it has been obferved that none are better qualified to give others advice, than thofe who have taken the leaft of it themselves; fo in this refpect I find myself perfectly authorized to offer mine, even though I fhould wave my paternal authority upon

this occafion.

The