Though you are in general reluctant in doing justice, yet you must allow, that when the unhappy union had taken place, I fhowed nothing but the strongest marks of averfion towards you. And had I not been partial to another, it was impoffible for a girl of delicacy to be fenfible of any degree of tenderness for a being like yourself. For I have often been ready to believe the Pythagorean fyftem, and fuppofe you poffeffed more of the brute than of a rational creature. Two fuch oppofite beings furely never met. To be happy, minds fhould be congenial.

It is impoffible that tranquillity, much less happiness, should exift where the fentiments difagree. It will be in vain to expect an union to be perfect, unless both have one purfuit, one hope, and one defire.

When I reproached you with your duplicity, in not accepting Mr. Ganfel's invitation, you told me you was anxious for my mother to be of the party; and as fhe was not acquainted at Donnalan Park, had you ftaid there, you could not have been completely happy, as she would not then have been witnefs to your unbounded felicity. Fine words! I wonder where you fole them! The apathy which had taken poffeffion of my mind, and which bordered upon ftupidity, prevented

prevented me from investigating your behaviour at that time. And as I really believed you to be a man of integrity, and imagined my lot caft for life, I did not dare to examine the fenfations of my heart upon the occafion.

When we came to town, you entreated me not to receive the vifits of Lord Robert Sutton; as it was from the confidence he placed in you, by making you the furtherer of his affection, and from poor Metham's madnefs, you both founded your hopes. This Nobleman was your intimate, and had engaged you to plead his cause. But the man who can defcend to be a pander, will gladly betray, as you did, his employer.

During my abfence from town, I found you had been very lavish in bribing thofe about me to depreciate Metham, who, whilft he was vilified, was happily infenfible. Every ray of reafon had deserted him, and he was in fuch a state of diftraction, that he would have put an end to his existence, but for the unremitting care and tender friendship of Major Burton.

The morning after our coming to town, you called upon Mifs St. Leger, afterwards the Major's lady, to anticipate the joyful news of your being the happieft of men, by having fecu

VOL. Y.

I

red

red me for life. This was truly a Machiavelian ftep, as it totally prevented her from mentioning her lover's friend, whofe character you was, at the very time, taking every method to blacken. In the fame manner you introduced yourself to Lady Dowager Dillon, and Lady Tyrawley, though you had never been in company with either of them, but once in my house. This you did, because you were well affured, two ladies of fuch unfullied virtue would not have continued to vifit, had they not fuppofed me to be really married; which indeed, both of them imagined to be the cafe, during my refidence with Metham.

I was for fome time after we came together lulled into a stupid languor, by the many falfhoods told of the man, you had fo grofsly deceived; and fuppofing my fituation permanent, I endeavoured to make neceffity a virtue; and if I could not love you, which I found to be impoffible, I refolved to atone in fome degree for it, by the moft unremitting attention to your interest.

In confequence of this refolution, I introduced you to General Braddock; well affured that his partiality to me, would foon prevail upon Lord Tyrawley to vifit and befriend you. The re

fult

fult turned out to my wifh, and you was foon made Agent to both. But I shall not dwell longer upon this subject, as I mean, though a bad arithmetician, before I conclude my Letter, to ftate a fair account of debtor and creditor between us. And that it is a true ftatement, many, very many living witneffes, will be able to vouch.

The April following, you earnestly entreated me to give up the annuity granted me by Metham, alledging that it was highly improper for a woman, who in appearance was, and would foon actually be, your wife, to retain any fecurity, or receive any emolument from another man. I felt the truth of your argument, and wrote immediately to Mr. Moor, who was then in Ireland, to whom I entrusted the writings, but by fome accident or other they were not re

turned.

. Upon this you gave me a fettlement of one hundred and twenty pounds a year, which you had come into the poffeffion of by the demife of your grandmother, who was really a gentlewoman, and the first in your noble family. I do not mean in this obfervation, to degrade you in your own good opinion, for you cannot be leffened in mine. We all would be great, beautiful and I 2

rich,

rich, had we the power. And you have ambition enough to wifh, that the noble blood of the Howards ran through your veins. But was even that the cafe, it would only be the means of rendering you more confpicuously contemptible. For it is only goodness in the extreme, joined to fhining talents, and tenacious honour, that constitutes true nobility. Mr. Pope, with great judgment, fays,

"Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow; "And all befides, is leather or prunella."

Your great qualifications lead another way. Paffion, avarice, and luxury, mark you so strongly, that Comus's court feems to me your ultimatum; for neither religion, friendship, nor any focial virtue, deigns to inhabit your capacious bofom.

When you presented me with the annuity, which was for my natural life, and for that of the child I was then pregnant with, I neither read, nor ever heard read, the writings, till I borrowed money upon it; and then I found that you, or the attorney, had made the penalty three thousand pounds inftead of thirty thousand. But as the contract was antecedent, it was a mean, useless piece of chicanery, correfponding with all your actions.

Upon