vocations are much greater than either of these, so if my indignation were answerable to 'em, you could not expect to be forgiven by me, even in the article of death: for. after all people can fay of hereticks and cowards, they will allow 'em to be men; but by your reflections upon me, you would degrade me from that rank, without allowing me any place among the inferior creatures. Had you call'd me brute, or beaft, I had not been fo zealous in my own juftification: daily experience convinces us, that men who have no more understanding than horfes, or mules, provided they have all the other qualifications of those noble animals, may be acceptable enough to fome or other of the fair fex; but want of virility is an imputation that will cut a man off from all fort of communication with 'em. Had the husbands or old women had this opinion of me, I fhou'd not have been fo violent in my own defence. Scandals, as well as oaths, ought to be taken in the fenfe of thofe that impose 'em: I fhou'd not be angry at a Turk, or a Jew, for thinking me of their religion; because whatever I thought, it was what made them like me the better; but this wou'd be no reason to make me forgive a christian for calling me fo. In like manner, madam, though I cou'd have pardon'd the hufbands and old women for saying such a thing of me, yet I can very hardly pardon you for it. It were in vain to call witneffes in this cafe, or turn you over to another hand for fatisfaction in that point, which can only properly be refolv'd by my self; and it were as vain, to think to clear my felf by words from an imputation that ought to be done by actions; I fhall therefore only challenge you to meet me at your own place and time where I doubt not to give you full fatisfaction in this point, and convince you that I am not the man, or rather indeed the no man, that you take me to be. In the mean time I fhall remain your most humble, a

curfe

curfe on that humble, but I mean,

Madam,

Your most affectionate and paffionate lover and fervant.

I

LETTER VI.

Have been waiting these three months to tell you

a thing that may be faid in three words; it is, I love you. I will grant you, madam, that this is no neceffary reafon why you fhou'd love me again; but you must grant me in recompence, that it is a very fufficient reason why I fhou'd tell you of it. I do not expect you shou'd write me a letter in return to this, and therefore venture it without a name it is from your eyes alone I fhall attend my anfwer. But, madam, that we may not mistake one another in this point, and that I may not take for an encouragement of my paffion, what you intend for a difcouragement of it; I muft tell you, that if you do not look upon me after this, I shall believe you are in love, and that makes you bashful; if you look angrily, I fhall think it is to give me occafion to come and juftifie my felf; and if you look negligently, I fhall conclude 'tis management to dif guife the amour from the world: in fine, madam, I shall take nothing for a refufal of my heart, but looking very kindly upon me. But that you may not be miftaken in the perfon who fends this, and imagine it to come from fome lord with a blue garter, or white ftaff, that comes from a commoner without either: I will describe my self fo, as you may know me well enough to

encourage my paffion, if you like it, but not fo as to make a trophy of me, if you do not. My ftature is fomewhat above the ordinary; my body neither very big, nor very small; my hair light; my eyes dark; and love has not as yet made me either very lean, or very pale: my humour is the most commodious for a lover in the world, not fo much inclin'd to hanging or drowning perhaps, as fome others, but for paffion and conftancy no man goes beyond me. If you will accept of a heart with all these qualifications, I offer you mine; if not, fend it me back by the penny-poft, if you know me by any other title than that of

Your moft humble fervant.

I

Grant you, madam, there are others who will love

you as much as I; but are there any who will love you as little? yes, madam, I understand very well what I fay, will they love you as little? for that is the only difficulty you have to apprehend. There is no queftion but a man who is poffefs'd of the most charming creature in the universe, will be conftant to her as long as fhe pleases; but it is a great queftion, if he will part with her as foon as the pleases. This is the rock upon which thofe ladies fplit, who will admit of none but constant lovers; not confidering that the women are as changeable as the men can be for the lives of them; and confider, pray, into what pretty circumstances a lady brings herself, who is plagu'd with an obftinate old lover, when the is

paf

paffionately in love with a new one. I know not what thofe crimes are the lady you tell me lays to my charge, but I fancy an importunate perfeverance in love of the fame woman, is not one of the number: and whenever you please to make the experiment, as the leaft fign in the world is fufficient after these preliminaries, to make me a moft paffionate lover; fo the leaft fign you give me afterwards of any new amour, shall make me lay afide that title, for the less ambitious one of

Your most humble fervant.

LETTER

VIII.

To a lady who had spoken against him.

THERE may have been other men, perhaps, be

fides myself, who have fallen in love with a woman they did not know; but for a man to do it for no other reason than her declaring against him, is, I believe, an honour that has been reserved for your humble fervant. They tell me, madam, you are fo far from liking me your feif, that you will not believe any body elfe can: that you find nothing agreeable in my perfon, from the crown of my head, to the foal of my foot: that for my wit, for every body, madam, carries fomewhat about them which they call wit, it is all affectation: that I am an abstract of vanity: that I am so much in love with my felf, that it is impoffible for me to be so with any body else. These things, madam, that might have put fome people into anger, have put me into love: for as those who are naturally peevish, will be angry at people, let them endeavour never so much to please 'em; fo we who are

na

naturally amorous, cannot avoid being in love with a lady, let her take never fo much pains to anger us. And indeed, madam, did people ground' their paffions upon reafon, you have given me one of the most reasonable caufes to love you in the world: for as there is no man of wit but knows himself to be a fool, fo he ought to have an opinion of their judgments, who find it out as well as himself. It is reported as an inftance of the bravery of the Amazons, that they wou'd never marry a man, 'till they had fought with him firft; and if he beat 'em very much, he might expect to be loved very much by them. Now I, madam, who profefs as great a veneration for wit, as the Amazons had for courage, cannot have fo good a reafon for love, as your having exercis'd your wit upon me: tho' it is poffible you may attribute my paffion to another caufe, and as you think I love nothing befides my felf, may have fome kindness for you, because you are never like to be my rival: however, affure your self, madam, it is no fuch thing, but knowing the worst that you can fay of me to be true, and having a natural affection for truth, wit, and women (you will think a inan a very general lover that can love truth, wit, and women at the fame time) I must needs be infinitely in love with you, in whom I find 'em all together. Be not however deluded into a better opinion of me, by what any body can fay; for as it is only your hating me that makes me love you, as foon as that ceases, I am afraid my love will do fo 100. As you therefore value my kindness, take heed of having any for me; and fatisfy your felf, that as long as you continue to think me a filly, idle, conceited fop, I fhall continue to be, with all the paffion imaginable,

Madam,

Yours, &c.

LET