which those who were wallowing in comforts could not taste; yet, when I returned from such excursions, I could, for a time, relish their comforts as much as and more than those who thought of nothing but pampering and living snugly did; that I was so unluckily framed, that persisting long in a continual jog-trot of comforts tired me, even although a plentiful table, an easy carriage, and a soft bed, were of the number; that I knew very well that he could give me instances of prudenter people, who thought very differently, who, for the sake of those very comforts, had bound themselves to insipid com panions, and disagreeable bed-fellows, for life; and would drawl on until they were cut short by an apoplexy, or suffocated by fat, and decently interred in a church-yard; but that, for my own part, I could not help preferring the free life of a bachelor, for some time longer at least, to all those comforts."

My brother laughed the more willingly at this sketch, because he saw it was partly taken from an unhappy kinsman of our own, who, being in easy circumstances, had married a widow of great wealth and corpulency; and though the woman was of so quiet a disposition, that her voice was hardly ever heard in the family, except when she was in labour, he became so ashamed of what little she spoke, that he carried her to the country, sunk into low spirits, and has as little relish for the comforts she brought him, as, from the beginning, he had had for herself:-there the poor man remains, waiting impatiently for one or other of the catastrophes above mentioned.

Resuming a serious air, my brother said, in an earnest and most affectionate manner, You cannot imagine, my dear Jack, that I am so unreasonable and selfish as to expect that you shall make a sacrifice of your happiness to my whim or vanity. I acknowledge, that it would be a very great satisfaction to me to see you happily married: in your children I should behold the future inheritors of my fortune and title; but I willingly give up every idea of that enjoyment until you meet with a woman entirely to your taste.'

It is the easiest thing in the world,' replied I, to find a woman to my taste: the difficulty or hardship lies in my being bound to her for life.'

• Without that circumstance, you know, my dear brother, that, by the laws of our country, what I have in view cannot be accomplished.' He then expressed astonishment at the singular aversion I seemed to have against marriage, enumerated the number of marriages among people of rank of late.-By the way, matrimony was never in my time so very much the ton. Though, in many particulars, the young fellows of the present age imitate the manners of the age of Charles II; yet, in this, they follow the example of Henry VIII, who, when he took a fancy for a woman, thought of no other expedient but marrying her. It is fortunate for the wives of some of those gentlemen, however, that they have not the power of that tyrant, who, whenever he tired of a wife, thought of no other resource but cutting off her head.

Among the list of marriages, my brother did not omit yours, my dear Sommers; and enlarged on the account that had been given him of your happiness, and the admirable qualities of your Juliet.

6

To all this I answered, (for I wished to give the whole discussion an air of jocularity), that although I had always endeavoured to be in the fashion, yet it was more dangerous to indulge my inclination in this present point than in any other; because fashions were apt to change, and, if once I adopted this, it might not be in my power to conform to the new mode, however much it might be my inclination, when the taste for a single life should prevail.'

• You will have your friend Sommers, at least, to keep you in countenance,' said he; and, I am sure, you would be better pleased to be classed with him, than with those idle young fellows of fashion who attempt to turn the married state into ridicule.'

I am not sure of being classed with Sommers, my lord. The rare qualities which you have just enumerated, as belonging to Mrs. Sommers, and of which I have

had the same account from others, render it highly improbable that such another woman is to be met with, and still more that she would condescend to marry me.'

But in case a woman shall be met with who possesses equal accomplishments with Mrs. Sommers, and who is also humble enough to be willing to marry you, do you, in that case, promise to pay your court to her ?

'Who is to be the judge of the respective merits of the two ladies ?'

• You yourself.'

In that case I agree.'

To make any comparison of this invidious kind,' resumed my brother, would be improper; but I will make our agreement still more favourable for you; because, were I even to find a woman whom you could not, in your conscience, think inferior in beauty and accomplishments to Mrs. Sommers, still she might not hit so capricious a fancy as yours: in that case I should not insist on your proposing marriage to her. It is only in the event that the woman, I shall at some future period mention, does please you, that I shall claim the performance of your agreement."

Why, in that event,' said I, ' do not you imagine that I should act as you wish without any agreement ?'

I question it very much,' replied he. I imagine your prejudice against matrimony is so strong, that it would keep you from proposing marriage even to the woman you love and esteem, lest you should not continue to love and esteem her. And it is this whimsical notion alone I wish to guard against by our agreement. If I do not point out a woman, whom, on acquaintance, you̟ shall love and esteem above all others, I shall willingly sacrifice my favourite wish to see you married: but, if I do find such a woman, I expect that you will sacrifice your whim, dread, caprice, (call it what you please), to my fa❤ vourite wish.'

So very friendly and candid a proposal could not be resisted. I promised to abide conscientiously by the con ditions.

This agreement, however, would give me more uneasiness, if I thought it at all probable that he could find a woman with the requisites conditioned for Sommers.

Adieu ! dear

J. MORDAUNT.

LETTER LXVIII,

The Same to the Same.

Rose-Mount,

THOUGH I have been long convinced that my brother had some particular lady in view for me, yet I was not able, till very lately, to form a probable conjecture who the unfortunate woman could be: I say unfortunate, because there is but too much reason to think that a woman

of delicacy would run a great risk of being unhappy as my wife, however attentively I might continue to behave to her after passion was gone. My brother avoids all explanation on that head. He expects, I suppose, that his plan is more likely to succeed by my meeting the lady, as if it were accidentally,

From an expression that fell from him unawares, and from some other circumstances, I am almost convinced that Lady Amelia Melton is the woman my brother wishes me united to. She is a young lady of distinguished beauty, accomplished, and, in point of birth and fortune, superior to what I have a right to expect.

Immediately before I went last abroad, I met her at Bath; and, during the time I remained there, was a good deal in her company.-I was then struck both with her beauty and accomplishments. You, I believe, have never seen her. Were I to describe her face to you, feature by feature, you would have the idea of as handsome a woman as could be conceived: yet, when you came to see her, you would recollect having seen still more beautiful women. Lady Amelia's features are all regular, and, separately considered, seem perfect; but the union of the whole is somewhat deficient in animation. Her conversa

tion is always sensible, without being lively or very entertaining. Though she never knew any difficulty herself, yet she is ready to assist those who are in distressed circumstances: and, what in the eyes of some may appear more meritorious, though in mine it is less amiable, she seems to perform acts of benevolence more from a sense of duty than from any very warm sympathy with the distress of the persons she relieves. While in Lady Amelia's company, you cannot fail being pleased with her appearance, and approving of what she says: when out of her company, she is apt to be out of your memory. Her real presence is necessary to keep up the fervour of her adorers.

She lost both her parents when she was only eleven years of age; a misfortune great in itself, because they were both of excellent characters, but rendered still greater from the circumstance of her being put, from that time, under the care of her aunt, Lady Aspic, who, at one period of her life, was pretty generally thought one of the handsomest and proudest women in England, It is now several years since she lost one-half of that reputation— the other she retains in full force, and evidently borrows all the aid that paint can lend her to retain both.

The high value she puts on her opinions appears in the slow decided tone in which she pronounces them Her health was at one time a little injured by dissipation and fashionable hours. Instead of remedying this, by removing the cause, she applied to medicine to remove the ef fect while the cause was continued. Her health is now more broken than ever. Her discourse, which formerly consisted of slanderous anecdotes, is now interlarded with the nauseous jargon of tremors, bile, nerves, &c.

Nothing, therefore, could be more unfortunate for La dy Amelia than to be obliged to live with a woman of this cast. Whoever is early accustomed to that kind of discourse is apt to make it a prevailing topic of discourse through life, and to become needlessly and whimsically solicitous about the state of their health. All persons of this disposition are as certain to be governed by physici