THE HISTORY O F Mifs PITTBOROUGH. In a SERIES of LETTERS. By a LAD Y. IN TWO VOLUME S. VOL. I. LONDON: Printed for A. MILLAR, and T. CADELL, in MDCCLXVII. 249. S. 494. THE HISTORY O F MISS PITTBOROUGH. LETTER I. Mifs PITTBOROUGH to Mifs NANCY W PITTBOROUGH. HY, my Nancy, do you alone delay your congrátulations on my entrance into a new untried world; efpecially as it is fuch a world, my dear, if we may truft report, as is most aptly calculated to give your friend the highest delight. I confefs, indeed, VOL. I. B I am I am at present a ftranger to all thofe gay flattering fcenes my foolish heart has fo long panted after. But is not the hour of my introduction at hand? I have pre-determined to remit you whole volumes in their praise, provided they answer my high-raised expectations. I will acknowledge to you, that the town in itself is far from making the most agreeable appearance, unless one was capable of admiring things for being merely prepofterous: the height of the houses, the dirt of the streets, and extent of the buildings, feverally coming under that denomination. But, giddy creature that I am, why do I thus fuffer my vivacity to transport me beyond myself? and neglect telling you in its due, confequently the first place, what unspeakable regret I feel at being feparated at fo unmerciful a distance from my beloved fifter and moft engaging companion: yet why may not fober truths be expreffed in lively language? — gravity is by no means a proof of fincerity; for we are taught by every day's experience, that hypocrify bears no peculiar characteristic. Never did honeft dame Nature produce greater contrafts than you and I light and fhade, earth and air, are but weak emblems: we have our oppofite views, our oppofite arts of pleafing, our oppofite difpofitioned admirers. Yet notwithstanding all these oppofite articles, including at the fame time our taftes and inclinations, we are most indiffolubly attached to each other by affection's tye, infinitely ftronger than that twig confanguinity. By the way, it appears to me, from the little obfervation I have hitherto been capable of making with respect to the conduct and converfation of our numerous vifitants, that the nearest and deareft relationships are confidered as a mere farce in this polite part of the globe. |