This was bringing the matter home to her. Mifs Partlet coloured up to the eyes, though fhe did not care, by any means, to give up the point. She replied, "I cannot have fo bad an opinion of mankind, in general, Madam, as to fuppofe they are ali mer

the bride was a very elegant figure,
and looked perfectly fatisfied with
what had been doing. I told her that
every woman, no doubt, who threw
herself away upon the most worthlefs
fellow in the univerfe, was mighty well
fatisfied at the time of her committing
fuch a piece of indiferetion, howevercenary wretches."
fhe might repent of it afterwards.

66

"I am afraid, my dear Pen," anPoor Pen, little thinking of the un-fwered I, you have a better opinion eafineffes with which many a bride is of mankind, at large, than they de attended from the hour the gave her ferve; but I hope you will allow, that hand at the altar, and who firmly be-as all men are not angels, and as there lieves no woman can be unhappy who is a poffibility of meeting with a man is married, exclaimed-" Dear, Ma- who has not any caleial qualifica dam, how fevere you are upon my tions, that it is far more eligible to poor coufin Charles !-He may have have no husband at all, than to be been a little wild, perhaps, but I really joined for life to a bad one." think he will make a very good huf- Mifs Partlet, though he does not, band." I am fure, want understanding fuffi"People have fuch different ideas,cient to make her fenfible of the truth Pen," replied I, "with regard to the of this affertion, is not to be moved by qualities which conftitute a good bujany thing which revolts against her inband, that it is no eafy matter to anfwer for Charles, or for any other man, on fo difputable a point. I do not mean, by faying fo, to infer that Charles is worfe than many-than the majority of the young men of the age, who adopt modes of thinking, by mixing with the world, which ftep leads them into unbecoming actions, and who trouble themselves very little whether the woman who has placed her felicity in their power, is really fatisfied with them or not, provided they can keep up the fame appearance, and follow the fame purfuits, the fame pleafures, they did before with their diffipated companions."

"Well, I don't know, I declare," faid Pen, "what fort of men you hint at, for I know none with whom their wives are not quite contented. This I am fure of," continued fhe; "were I united to any of the men you mean, I fhould be the moft fatisfied creature upon earth."

Poor Pen! what a pity it is (thought I) that thou art not married! How ever, as I wished to make her fee things in a right light, I asked her if the really believed the could be thoroughly fatisfied with a man who marvied her only for her money?

clination. With all my partiality to my own fex, I am very apt to imagine that upon certain occafions a woman is not to be convinced that he is wrong by the united endeavours of the moll able logicians to prove her fo.

Pen was certainly not convinced by all I had faid to her: fhe looked unbelief: and I fincerely think would be very willing to try her chance in the matrimonial wheel, from which fo few of either fex can rationally hope to draw a prize, especially in the prefent critical fituation of public affairs, when there are fo many reafons to expect blanks in the marriage itate, even with the mofl flattering appearances of profperity. Yet I would not be understood to imagine that I deliver my fentiments in this ftrong man. ner, because I am confiderably older than I was when I ventured myself to marry. I was, it is true, made, by matrimony, one of the happiest of wives; but the motives by which Mr. Grey and I were prompted to join our hearts and fortunes were fo different from thofe by which modern couples are induced to come together, and our plan of life was fo oppofite to the prefent mode of living, that if my husband had not been almost without a parallel, I fhould

Numary Diflrefs.

would not be countenanced, even in MILITARY DISTRESS;

was delivered of a boy. "Here is, said the, another facrifice to the shrine of diftrefs. I have experienced the pangs of a wife; I fhall be torn in pieces by thofe of a mother! fhall we not fill up the cup of bitterness !"— Daminville's heart was penetrated with paternal affections; inftead of sharing the plaints of his wife, he looked upon the child as a gift from heaven, to compenfate for their misfortunes: "May he, cried Daminville, be happier than his father or mother! this is the only prayer that I dare address to heaven fhall it be rejected? May it at least grant me this confolati

on."

"I have forefeen that obftacle-but Sir, continued Robert in a pathetic train, though I am but a poor fervant, I have a heart-a heart as good as another's; but if I fhould not have had fuch a one, my honoured mafter would have infpired me with fentiment. Thanks to his goodness, I have a small fum in my poffeffion-if you Sir, and madam, would do me the honour-I dare not beg you to accept of it-it is all that I am worth-but I fhall be fo rejoiced, fo happy at being of any fervice to you -my mafter loved you fo dearly-you are fo much to be pitied-as for me, I know how to get my living, thank God-I fhall have nothing in my con

Life has been compared to a boif-dition to blush at, and I can fubmit to terous fea, in which the billows fuc- any thing, without tarnishing my hoceed to each other; the misfortunes neity." of the greater part of mankind, are the waves which chafe and furmount cach other. Daminville had not yet exhaufted the quiver of diftrefs: he was defined to fall from one precipice to another. The good Robert who vifited them frequently, and even did them fome little kindneffes on the mott difinteretted motives, ran one evening to Daminville's retirement: his external appearance announced fome lamentable news.

"Heavens cried Daminville and his wife, have you gained any intelligence of the fate of our friend, and are we ever to fee him any more?"

"Alas! replied Robert, I have not been able to learn any thing of my poor matter; but I have found, by the bye, that M. Monforin has difcovered your afylum, and you will foon be arrested!""

Daminville would not permit him to proceed-he ran to embrace him"My friend, my friend, you richly deferve that title, I will do myfelf the honour to accept of your proffer; do not doubt it; your foul renders you equal to us; I would rather die than be a burthen to any one, but — Į I am a husband!-a father-I fuffer for thofe two victims more than for myfelf-and-we are in want of every thing. I would not have you ignorant, that we have loft every thing in the generous Beranger. I therefore accept of your kindness; I need not add that I will repay it as foon as ever my fortune fhall permit-(he ran to the table) I am going to give you a joint bond from both of us.

"A bond cried Robert, fhedding tears, you do not then think me worthy of obliging you? I am certain Immediately the unfortunate pair that you will pay me again, when you joined in a terrible outcry. "Will mis- are able; but I beg you will not defortune never be tired of perfecuting prive me entirely of the pleasure of dous! We then shall be very bad indeed, ing you fome fervice. Do you imaas heaven has punished us with, fogine, continued the honeft fellow, that much perfeverance." none but gentlemen ought to enjoy that fatisfaction?

"You have no time, refumed Robert, to make reflections upon your fufferings we must do all that we can to remedy them, and must abfolutely quit this city."

"But, my friend, how can we do that, poverty.

The unfortunate pair, by means of Robert's generous action, were in a condition to fteal themselves from the difafter with which they were threatened. What a leffon is this for thofe who wallow in opulence, and frequent

Memoirs of Mrs. Leapor.

ly through the long courfe of fourfcore years, haye not wiped away the tears of a fingle perfon in diftrefs! How many are there of thofe obdurate wretches, who fhall fix their eyes on this melting feene, but will not haften to the comfort of an unfortunate family, finking under their wants, whose cries pierce their ears, and whofe life might be supported by one morfel of bread! Ye human monsters read not this narrative, if my feeble pen does not tear from you fome emotion of humanity, if the example of a poor domeftic does not recall nature to your petrified hearts-and what ought to make one fhudder is, that my addrefs is made to the polite, the fenfual, the gay, the captivating.

639

ary, 1722, at which time her father was gardener to the late judge Blencowe, and continued five years in the family. He then removed, with his wife and this only daughter, to Brackley, where the spent the remaining part of her life.

She was bred up under the care of a pious and fenfible mother, who died about four years before her.

She was always fond of reading every thing that came in her way, as foon as fhe was capable of it. When she had learned to write tolerably, which was at about ten or eleven years old, fhe would often be fcribling, and fometimes in rhyme. Her mother was at first pleafed with her literary employments; but as fhe found that the fcrib

grew up, and thought her capable of fpending her time in a more profitable manner, fhe endeavoured to break her of it. Mr. Leapor too, having no tafte for poetry, and imagining that it could never be of any fervice to her, joined in the fame defign: finding it impoffible, however, to alter her natural inclination, he left her more at liberty.

After having teftified an inexpref-ling humour increafed in her as the fible obligation to Robert, and engaged him to let them hear from him, and to give them fome news concerning his mafter, if he should pick up any, Daminville and his wife quitted the capi. tal, and retired to fome maritime town. Felicia cherished her fon, whom the named Eugene. Her husband and her child were all that could attach her to life; over the latter fhe frequently fhed thofe tears which fhe retained in the prefence of her husband for fear of increafing his chagrin.

(To be continued.)

Mrs. Leapor had but one intimate companion, an agreeable young woman, in Brackley, whom fhe mentions in a poem upon Friendship, by the name of Fidelia: and always chofe to

To the EDITOR of the LADY'S MA- fpend her leifure hours in writing and

GAZINE.

reading, rather than in thofe diverfions SIR, to which young people are generally Having read with much pleasure the addicted.-So much indeed did the Temple of Love, in your last Ma-read, and fo much did the write, that gazine, written by Mrs. Leapor, fome of the neighbours obferving her I fend you a few particulars relat-left the girl fhould overstudy herself, and writing paffion expreffed their concern ing to her, which will, I dare fay, be mep But their concern was needbe acceptable to many of the female readers of your popular Magazine, lefs, for the was commonly rather of a as the was, perhaps, one of the moft gay than of a melancholy turn. extraordinary women that ever appeared in the poetic world.

Your's, &c.

Mrs. Leapar's whole library sonfifted of about fixteen or seventeen fingle volumes, among which were part of Mr. Pope's works, Dryden's Fables, fome volumes of plays, &c. She died in November 1746, in confequence of the mealles.

Her poems, in two volumes octavo,, were published in the year 1751, by

fub

fubfcription to the fecond volume a letter is prefixed, written by a lady who interested herfelf very much in the pofthumous publication of her works-from that letter the following paffages are extracted

66

Though I never was extremely fond of poetry, and do not pretend to be a judge of it, there was fomething fo peculiarly pleafing to my tafte in almost every thing fhe wrote, that could not but be infinitely pleased with fuch a correfpondent.

have

you need not fear faying too much; and I must infift upon it.' She really feemed fhocked, and faid, "But, dear madam, could you, in good earneft, approve of my fitting down to write au encomium upon a perfon I know nothing of, only be caufe I might hope to get fomething by it?-No, Myra !"

She always called it being idle, and indulging her whimfical humour, when fhe was employed in writing the hu mourous parts of her poems; and no"Nor did I admire her in her poeti-thing could pique her more than peocal capacity only the more I was ac-ple's imagining fhe took a great deal of quainted with her, the more I faw rea-pains, or fpent a great deal of time in fon to efteem her for thofe virtuous fuch compofures, or that fhe fet much principles, and that goodness of heart value upon them. and temper which fo vifibly appeared in her; and I was fo far from thinking it a condefcenfion to cultivate an acquaintance with a perfon in her ftation, that I rather esteemed it an honour to be called a friend to one in whom there appeared a true greatness

The TREACHEROUS HUSBAND.

(Continued from Page 595.)

of foul, which with me far outweighed Bit otherwife. The storm, the Balas fate had decreed

all the advantages of brth and fortune Nor do I think it poffible for any body that was as well acquainted with her as myself, to confider her as a mean perfon.

"Deceit and infincerity of all kinds she abhorred and I really believe what he wrote upon ferious and divine fubjects, proceeded from the in

molt fentiments of her heart.

"As an inftance of hier uncommon. manner of thinking, give me leave to acquaint you with the difcourfe that paffed between us, when the propofal for a fubfcription was fet on foot. very gravely told her, I thought wemuft endeavour to find out some great Jady to be her patronefs, and defired her to prepare a handfome dedication." "But pray, what am I to fay in this fame dedication?"

"Oh! a great many fine things, certainly."

"But, Madam, I am not acquainted with any great lady, nor like to be."

"No matter for that; 'tis but your fuppofing your patronefs to have as many virtues as other people alway's

6

dreadful ftorm was gathering, which eclipfed the funfhine of profperity, and poured itself with refiftlefs fury on the innocent fair one's head; which plucked her from an exalted sphere of happiness unparalleled domeftic happi nefs to a ftate of unexampled mifery and diftrefs too fhocking to relate. Fortune fmiled no more. The fweets

of connubial blifs are enjoyed no more. Pleafure's roses fade. Even

hope's reviving ray was unable to
ftruggle through the clouds of despair,
which hovered over her tortured foul.
How true are the words of the poet!

"All pleafures are imperfect here below;
Our sweetest joys are mix'd with bitter woe>
The draught of blifs, when in our goblet cast,
Is dash'd with grief, or spilt before we carte *.”

What misfortunes on misfortunes were here! One trouble treads on the

heels of another! Surely one would. think the virtuous fair one was born under fome baleful, fome malignant planet! Doomed fhe was to tread

• Duck's Poems, p. 19.

affliction's