A SERIES OF

LETTERS

BETWEEN

HENRY and FRANCES,

I

LETTER CLXIX.

FLATTER myfelf that, by this time, my deareft life is intirely cured of all apprehenfions arifing from my filence. You could not fure fufpect me of neglect; and had I been fo ill, as to prevent my writing, Kitty would certainly have acquainted you. There remains but one hope of my letters not being intercepted, that my dear, giddy Harry forgot his defiring me to addrefs them to Gowran. This, I hope, is the occafion of your complaint, and that you have, fince your laft, received four letters from me.

Now let me unburthen my heart, and lament the lofs of that moft amiable of women, and best . of friends, my Lady O. It is too true, that fhe quits Ireland next month, with a refolution not to return, for fome years. What a scheme of elegant

VOL. II.

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elegant happiness is now deftroyed! How have I pleafed myself with thinking that, on knowing, you would love and esteem her, as much as I do! Where, when feparate from you, fhall I find a friend, whofe converfation can, at once, delight, and improve! whose sprightlinefs can chear the present hour, and point the way, to make the fature happy! indeed, my dearest Harry, I figh for your lofs too, when I confider myself as the object of your affection. I admired, and would have endeavoured to copy her; that nobleness of fentiment, uniformity of manners, and that calm, chearful refolution, which fhone through all her conduct, would have been stronger leffons to your Fanny, than all the volumes of Philosophy that were ever wrote; for her actions illuftrated their arguments, and proved to demonftration, that what they prescribed, was practicable. But, to fhew that fuch a bright example has not been wholly thrown away on me, I will endeavour to imitate even the hardest part of her character; that of chearfully refigning the person we love, when we hope, and believe it for their happiness. I will now no longer murmur at lofing, what I efteemed the second bleffing of my life; fhe goes to her lord; may fhe find in him a due reward of all her merits! my utmost wish for her, is thatno more-for more were vain.

All I can tell you of Kitty's affair is, that she has run directly counter to your's, mine, and Nancy's advice; and is now under the tuition of, and her grandmother. Though I have been in the house near three weeks, fh has never mentioned the matter to me, nor I to her. I fincerely rejoice at her filence on this fubject, for it is indeed a nice affair to advise in.

As often as your leifure will admit, I fhall be pleased with your obfervations on Pliny; for,

though

though I have not the books by me, at present, they will afford me a double delight, when I have.

I expect a letter from Lady O-, by to-morrow poft, which will, I believe, either fix the time for, or entirely put off our journey to C. If the latter fhould happen, tell me, my heart's dear Harry, may I not hope to see you here? I am forbidden to go near you; will you not foften that cruel interdiction, by coming to her, who is, and ever will be, fincerely and affectionately

Your's,

FRANCES.

I

LETTER CLXX.

My deareft FANNY,

RECEIVED all your letters fafe from Gowran, which, with two from Kilkenny, I have now before me, to answer. I do not remember to have ever had fo much pleasure, at once, in your ab. fence, as at prefent; fuch" a feaft of reafon, "fuch a flow of foul!" Confider the pleasure of your correfpondence, which would have been portioned out to a month's time, by a mistake of the pofts, as it were, dammed up for a while, to rush upon me, in one inftant, with a torrent of joy.

I declare to you unfeignedly, for indeed I never flattered you, that I never read any thing fo infinitely more than pretty, fo extremely fine and elegant, as your letters are; which I am the more remarkably fenfible of at prefent; for as I have a collected body of them before me, they give ftrength and beauty to each other: the only inhanced value, they are capable of receiving, being owing to themselves. Upon my honour, when I read fome paffages, where the fineness of the fentiment, the beauty of the ftile, or the poetical, or

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epigram

epigrammatical turn of the expreffion is remarkable, I feel my heart move within me; and indeed, my Fanny, I fhould not know I have an heart, but from the pleafure, or pain, I receive from you. Now this fenfation is not barely fuch a one, as men of letters or tafte perceive, upon reading fine writing of any kind: For this, perhaps, I may be too phlegmatick: but I perceive fuch an exultation, made up of joy, and pride, in my heart, as if (I fpeak but by guefs) I had faid fuch things myself. But, upon this occafion, all the vanity, I have to flatter myself with, is, that, next to the art of writing well, is that tafte, which is capable to judge of fine writing.

'

I never was fenfible of any pain from receiving favours; but that want of power to exprefs my gratitude, I have a good notion of; and it proceeds from a fullnefs of heart, which, like a croud of ideas, or, in fhort, like any other croud, prevents its own utterance. Glofter fays of Cordelia, "her full heart reverberates no hollow found of emptiness," in me there is a little matter of pride, upon fuch an occafion, left, by too fervile an acceptance of the favour, I fhould appear unworthy of it; for I think too much expreffion about the matter would make me look upon a perfon as an object fit for alms, rather than a fubject proper for my friendship. There is a kind of honefly too in my turdinefs, left I should feem to mean the repaying a kindnefs, meerly with words."

I did recollect, at firft, that you had not a Pliny by you, and therefore could not understand my letters: But I concluded that you would have fent to for his, which I beg you will do immediately, and read thofe particular paffages, which my letters relate to, by themfelves; and you can go regularly through the books, when I return you your's. I fhall not mention one word

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