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pardon for your prefumptuous profeffion of a paffion I could almost despise myself for inspiring. If it be true that you love me, go and find your punishment in that abfence to which I doom you; and never hope I will foffer a person in my prefence. who has affronted me in the manner you have done. Saying this, the went away, making a fign to him not to follow her. Mr. Glanville, who was at first difpofed to laugh at the ftrange manner in which the received his expreffions of efteem for her, found fomething fo extremely haughty and contemptuous in the fpeech fhe had made, that he was almoft mad with vexation. As he had no notion of his coufin's heroic fentiments, and had never read romances, he was quite ignorant of the nature of his offence; and, fuppofing the fcorn fhe had expreffed for him was founded upon the difference of their rank and fortune, his pride was fo fenfibly mortified at that thought, and at her fo infolently forbidding him her prefence, that he was once inclined to fhew his refentment of fuch ungenteel ufage. In the mean time, while he is fluctuating with a thousand different refolutions, Lucy came to him with a billet from her lady, which the delivered, without flaying for an anfwer. It was fuperfcribed in this manner :

Arabella, to the most presumptuous man in the world.

YOU feem to acknowledge fo little refpect and deference for the commands of a lady, that I am afraid it will be but too neceffary to reiterate that, which, at parting, I laid upon you. Know then, that I abfolutely infit upon your repairing, in the only manner you are able, the affront you have put upon me; which is, by never appearing before me again. If you think proper to confine me to my chamber, by continuing here any longer, you will add difobedience to the crime by which you have already mortally offended

ARABELLA.

• The fuperfcription of this letter, and the uncommon file of it, perfuaded Mr. Glanville, that he had been foolish enough to refent as an affront, what was defigned as a jest, and meant to divert him as well as herself: he examined her behaviour again, and wondered at his ftupidity in not discovering it before. His refentment vanishing immediately, he returned to the house, and went without ceremony to Arabella's apartment, which he entered before the per

ceived him, being in a profound mufing at one of the windows: the noife he made in approaching her obliged her at laft to look up; when, ftarting, as if he had feen a bafilifk, fhe flew to her clofet, and, fhutting the door with great violence, commanded him to leave her chamber immediately. Mr. Glanville, ftill fuppofing her in jeft, intreated her to open the door; but, finding fhe continued obftinate, Well, faid he, going away, I fhall be revenged on you fome time hence, and make you repent the tricks you play me now.

• Arabella not being able to imagine any thing, by these words he spoke in raillery, but that he really, in the spite and anguish of his heart, threatened her with fome terrible enterprize; fhe did not doubt, but he intended to carry her away: for, in fine, faid fhe to Lucy, to whom he communicated all her thoughts, have I not every thing to apprehend from a man, who knows fo little how to treat my fex with the refpect which is our due? Had Mr. Glanville been prefent, and heard the terrible misfortunes which the prefaged from the few words he had jeftingly spoke, he would certainly have made her quite furious, by the diverfion her mistake would have afforded him. But the more fhe reflected on his words, the more fhe was perfuaded of the terrible purpose of them. Arabella had fpent fome hours, revolving a thousand different ftratagems to escape from this misfortune; when meeting with Glanville, he prefented her his hand to lead her up ftairs: which the scornfully refufing; fure, coufin, faid he, a little piqued, you are not difpofed to carry on your ill-natured jeft any farther? If you imagined I jefted with you, faid Arabella, I am rather to accufe the flownefs of your understanding, for your perfifting in treating me thus freely, than the infolence I first imputed it to: but, whatever is the caufe of it, I now tell you again, that you have extremely offended me. Since you would have me to believe you are ferious, replied Glanville, be pleafed to let me know what offence it is you complain of; for I proteft I am quite at a lofs to underftand you. Was it not enough, refumed Arabella, to affront me with an infolent declaration of your paffion, but you must also, in contempt of my commands to the contrary, appear before me again, purfue me to my chamber, and ufe the most brutal menaces to me? Hold, pray, Madam, interrupted Glanville, and fuffer me to afk you, If it is my prefumption, in declaring myfelf your admirer, that you ate fo extremely offended at? Doubtless it is, Sir, answered

I

anfwered Arabella; and fuch a prefumption, as, without the aggravating circumftances you have fince added to it, is fufficient to make me always your enemy. I beg pardon, returned Mr. Glanville gravely, for that offence; and alfo, for ftaying any longer in a houfe, which you have, fo genteelly, turned me out of. My pardon, Mr. Glanville, refumed fhe, is not fo eafily gained: time, and your repentance may, indeed, do much towards obtaining it. Saying this, fhe made a fign for him to retire; for he had walked up with her to her chamber: but finding he did not obey her, (for really he was quite unacquainted with these fort of dumb commands), fhe haftily retired to her closet, left he should attempt to move her pity, by any expreffions of defpair for the cruel banishment fhe had doomed him to.'

This may fuffice to give the reader a tolerable idea of Arabella's romantic notions of gallantry; at least, fo far as it regards the profound respect the expected to be treated with by her admirers. But this is not all: for, as Don Quixote every where found exploits worthy his knightly valour, fo Arabella is never at a lofs for opportunities to dif play her truly heroic fpirit, in the punishment of prefumptuous lovers. Mr. Harvey, a gentleman whom the occafionally faw at church, is the first victim of her juft refentment, on that account. Poor Edward, fuppofed to be a nobleman in difguife, tho', in truth, no more than a common labourer employed by her father's gardener, is the next who fuffers for a crime he never imagined. We have already taken notice of her feverity to Mr. Glanville, her true knight-errant, who, on every occafion, after recovering her favour, is doomed to fight her battles, and purfue his numerous rivals to death.

We fhall therefore only felect two inftances more for the amusement of our readers: the one of the gay Sir George Bellmour, who, having difcovered our heroine's foible, makes his addreffes to her in a truly heroic ftile; and the other of the fage Mr. Selvin, a man of profound learning, who admires Arabella s wit and great reading: in both which, the character of our heroine, as well as that of her maid Lucy, will be difplayed in their proper colours; for it must be obferved, that, as Arabella correfponds to Don Quixotes fo Lucy's character is an imitation of that of the famous Sancho Pancha. To begin, then, with the adventure of Sir George Bellmour.

• Arabella

• Arabella being informed by Lucy, who was eager to let her know it, that a meffenger had brought a letter from Sir George, and, late as it was at night, waited for an answer, debated with herself, whether she should open this billet, or not: fhe had a ftrong inclination to fee what it contained; but, fearful of tranfgreffing the laws of romance, by indulging a curiofity not justifiable by example, fhe refolved to return the letter unopened. Here, faid the to Lucy, give this letter to the meffenger that brought it, and tell him, I was exceffively offended at you, for receiving it from his hands. Lucy, taking the letter, was going to obey her orders; when, recollecting herfelf, the bid her ftay. Since Sir George, faid fhe to herself, is no declared lover of mine, I may, without any offence to decorum, fee what this letter contains. To refufe receiving it, will be to acknowledge, that his fentiments are not unknown to me; and, by confequence, to lay myfelf under a neceffity of banishing him nor is it fit, that I fhould allow him to believe, I am fo ready to apprehend the meaning of every gallant fpeech, which is ufed to me; and to conftrue fuch infinuations, as he took the liberty to make me, into declarations of love. Allowing, therefore, the justice of these reasons, fhe took the letter out of Lucy's hand; and, being upon the point of opening it, a fudden thought controuled her defigns: fhe threw it fuddenly upon her toilet; and, looking very earnestly upon it, Prefumptuous paper, faid fhe, speaking with great emotion to the letter! bold repofitory of thy master's daring thoughts! fhall I not be blamed by all, who hereafter will hear, or read my hiftory, if, contrary to the apprehenfions I have, that thou containeft a confeffion that will difplease me, I open thy feal, and become acceffory to thy writer's guilt, by deigning to make myself acquainted with it? And thou, too indifcreet and unwary friend, whofe folds contain the acknowlegement of his crime ! what will it advantage thee or him, if, torn by my refenting hand, I make thee fuffer, for the part thou beareft in thy mafter's fault; and teach him, by thy fate, how little kindness he has to expect from me? Yet, to fpare myself the trouble of reading what will, queftionless, greatly dif please me, I will return thee, uninjured, into thy master's hands; and, by that moderation, make him repent the prefumption he has been guilty of!

Our fair heroine, having ended the foregoing foliloquy, took up the letter, and gave it to Lucy, who had, all the time fhe was speaking, obferved a profound filence, mixed

with

with a most eager attention. Here, purfued fhe, carry it to the person who brought it, and bid him tell his master, that, left I fhould find any thing in it which may offend me, I have chofen not to read it: and, if he is wife, he will profit by my concern for him, and take care how he hazards difpleafing me a fecond time, by an importunity of this kind, which I shall not so easily pardon him. Lucy, who had taken particular notice of this fpeech, in order to remember every word of it when the repeated it again, went conning her leffon to the place where fhe had defired the fervant to wait her coming: but, he was gone, fuch being his master's orders; for he was apprehenfive, that, following the cuftom of ladies in romances, Arabella would return his letter: and therefore, to deprive her of an opportunity of fending it back that night, he order'd his man to fay, he waited for an answer; but, as foon as he conveniently could, to come away without one. Lucy, in a great furprize at the fervant's going away, return'd to her lady with the letter in her hand, telling her, the muft needs read it now, fince the perfon, who brought it, was gone. It must be confefled, faid Arabella, taking the letter from her with a file, he has fallen upon an ingenious device, to make me keep it for this night; and fince, haply, I may be mistaken in the contents, I have a mind to open it. Lucy did not fail to confirm her lady in this defign: and Arabella, making as if the yielded to the importunities of her confidant, opened the letter; which was as follows: The unfortunate and despairing Bellmour, to the divine Arabella.

Madam,

Ince it is, doubtless, not only with your permiffion, but even by your commands, that your uncle Sir Charles Glanville comes to pronounce the fentence of my death, in the denunciation of your anger, I fubmit, Madam, without repining, at the rigour of that doom you have inflicted on me. Yes, Madam, this criminal, who has dared to adore you, with the moft fublime and perfect paffion that ever was, acknowledges the juftice of his punishment; and, fince it is impoffible to ceafe loving you, or to live without telling you he does fo, he is going, voluntarily, to run upon that death your severity makes him with for, and the greatnefs of his crime demands. Let my death then, O divine Arabella, expiate the offence I have been guilty of! And let me hope thofe fair eyes, that have beheld me with fcorn : VOL. VI.

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