fate." A thoufand times did I thank her for her goodnefs, and by an impulfe irreliftible, I feized her dear hand, and impreffed on her cheek, for the first time, the kifs of real love. Prudence pointed out to us the neceffity of returning to the company, left a fufpicion might be entertained of our motive for quitting it. It was with great reluctance that the next day I was compelled to leave her, without any farther opportunity of a private converfation: my looks told her what I fuffered, and my eyes affured her of the tenderness of my heart. My father was pleafed with his vifit; in return he infifted on feeing them foon at his houfe, and obtained a promife that they would spend a few days with him before the approach of winter. The expectation of this vifit fupported my spirits: I counted the days, and the hours; they paffed away in my apprehension flower than usual: I anxiously waited, and longed to be again bleffed with the company and converfation of my favourite maid. I received no pleasure in other company, and loft my relish for reading, and all kinds of amufement and diverfions. At length, about the latter end of Auguft, the poitman delivered me a letter, the fuperfcription of which was. in the well-known writing of my dear Maria. The very idea that I held a paper which had lately received the impreffion of her dear hand, afforded me an inexpreffible pleafure. To thofe who really love, every trifle is of importance, and the mind is relieved, or hurt, by the most inconfiderable circumftances. The letter informed us, that they propofed, the beginning of next week, to wait on my father for a few days, according to their promife. I now became more chéarful and lively than I had been for fome months: I anticipated the pleasure I fhould receive from my dear Maria's company, and Battered myfelf that in our next converfation the would throw off all referve, and place an unbounded confidence in me. At Jat the day came, and they arrived at our house; my heart bounded with joy on seeing her, and when I gave her my hand as the got out of the carriage, I was agitated to the greatest degree: fhe appeared lovelier in my eyes than ever, and it was with much difficulty I concealed my emotions. This was the first day I ever attempted to write any thing for her perufal: when the family were retired to reft, I wrote the following character, which the next day I flipt into her hand. Her perfon is charming, Her countenance chearful, mild and engaging; Her fmiles are bewitching, Her voice enchanting, Her manners gentle, Her behaviour pleafing. Her mind is well cultivated, and Her judgment ftrong, and well informed. Her conduct is difcreet, A fine genius, and but not mean; without conceit. Though this character will, Mr. Editor, by many be thought too highly finished, and the production of a partial hand, yet I am perfuaded, if you knew the perfon it was defigned for, you would agree that there is a striking likeness; her merit is indeed univer fally fally acknowledged, by all who know her. fng fummer, when I flattered myfelf my father would not object to paying them another vifit. I obtained his confent to write to the father of my dear Maria, and foon received an account that he would be happy to fee US. We accordingly fpent a week at his houfe, and Maria and I again enjoyed the pleafure of each other's company; our hearts, our very fouls were, and I verily believe ever will be, united by a tie which death alone can dif folve. Before we this time parted, we contrived a mode by which we could correfpond without the knowledge of our parents; and many hours have I fince spent in writing to her, and reading her dear letters; it is of all others my favourite employment. I should too much inlarge my narration, was I to relate our converfations in the many happy hours I enjoyed whilst the remained at our house. Affuredly I embraced every opportu nity of being alone with her, and many fuch opportunities occurred: the fealon of the year, the fineness of the weather, and the advanced age of our parents, gave us frequent occafions of walking out unfufpected, and leaving them at home. It is fufficient to fay, I was charmed with her good fenfe as much as I was delighted with her engaging manners and kind behaviour to me. We exchanged vows of mutual love, and of conftancy which nothing could fhake; and our affection to each other has not, I am perfuaded, hither-taining my father's confent to a union to fuffered the leaft abatement. Never can I abuse the confidence fhe placed in me, nor fhall fhe ever have reafon to repent of her goodnefs! The time foon-too foon came, that was again to feparate us; my feelings on this account may be eafier conceived than described: the left me a prey to grief, and it called for all my care and refolution to conceal from my father the diftrels of my mind; but I exerted myfelf to the utmost, to appear as chearful before him, as if I had no particular cause of uneafinefs. It was fome confolation to me to reflect on the promise Maria had made me, that nothing should tempt her to give her hand to another, and that her heart was wholly mine. And I was pleafed to obferve that my father (who | feldom fpeaks highly of any perfon) appeared fenfible of the merit of this gentleman and his daughter. I had no other reason to fear ob with Maria, but his exceffive love of money, which led him often to tell me I fhould look out for a woman of large fortune, and that what were called love matches, were generally attended with all the inconveniencies that the marriage ftate fubjected perfons to, without any valuable confideration to counterbalance them. There is, Mr. Editor, a few miles from our house, a wealthy farmer and grazier, who by every poffible meannefs, and a frugality which has made him deny himself and his family almoft the neceffaries of life, has amaffed a very large fum of money, which will come to his two daughters, one of whom is about eighteen years of age, and the other much younger. From a similarity of fentiments in my father and him, they have for feveral years kept up an intimate acquaintance, and are as much friends as perfons of their difpofition can be. It is now about fix months ago fince my father told me that he defigned the eldeft daughter for my wife; that he and her father had determined upon the matter;, that he was to have a very handsome fum of money down, and be fecured of a much more confiderable fum at her father's decease; and therefore he hoped I fhould have no objec The whole winter pafied away with out my feeing or hearing from her. I would have wrote, but had no means of conveying a letter to her without her father's knowledge; this was a fenfible mortification to me, and made our feparation more painful and diftreffing. It was with a degree of anxiety that thofe only can conceive who have experienced a fimilar fituation, that I looked forward to the approach-tion to the match, You You may judge of my furprize and I had before faid to me? I told him confufion, when I tell you, that this "how unwilling I fhould be to offend girl (whole name is Ifabella) is in eve- him, how much I had ever made it ry respect the reverfe of my dear Ma- my ftudy to pleafe him, and the earn ria; not only her perfon is difagree- eft defire I had to prefevere in the able, but he has had no education, is fame line of conduct; but that my hap totally unpolished, and has ever been pinefs would depend much on the per accuftomed to the meanest and moft fon I married; that I could not efteem, fervile employments. I told him, "I much lefs love her whom he had pro had very little knowledge of the per- pofed to me, and that it was ungener fon he propofed for me; that, from what ous to marry a woman merely for her I could judge from her behaviour and money, and difhonourable in any man converfation when 1 was in her com- to give his hand where he knew he pany, the was, in every view, an impro- could not give his heart.". per match for me, and had nothing to As he appeared to hear me calmly, recommend her to a man of any fenfe I gathered fresh courage, and informor delicacy, and therefore I hoped heed him," that Maria was alone the would not think of her being related to him, as it was impoffible for me to enter into any connection with her." I obferved a ftorm gathering in his countenance, and perceived that the manner in which I fpoke of her, had raifed his refentment. He replied angrily, "That what I faid was nothing to the purpofe; he did not know where I could do fo well; that a fortune like her's was not to be met with every day; and that he was refolved I fhould have her, or lose his favour." I endeavoured to foften the matter, finding it to no purpose, at that time, to urge any arguments on the subject, and determined to wait a more favourable opportunity, when he was cool, and in better temper, to tell him of my paffion for Maria, and my pofitive refolution to marry no other woman. A chain of unealy reflection filled my breaft when I left him; I lamented that the only parent I had living, fhould discover fuch an unbounded attachment to money, as to wish to facrifice every other confideration to get it in his family. I had not been accustomed to dispute his will, nor have any altercations with him, but I now forefaw that there would be an end of that harmony which had fubfiited between us this, and more particularly the occafion of it, gave me no inconfiderable degree of uneafinefs. . It was not long before he again introduced the fubject, and afked me, **if I had well confidered what he VOL. XII. object of my affections, that I had G never acknowledge me as his fon, but I faid, "that I was exceedingly forry our fentiments fhould differ fo widely, and that I found it out of my power to comply with his laft request ;" and then begged permiffion to retire. totally difcard me, if I did not comply with his injunction, immediately to vifit Ifabella, and offer her my hand. He reprefented that he had given his word to her father, and that his honour would be forfeited if I refufed to comply at the fame time he declared, that what he had done was to promote my intereft and advantage. as the fortune fhe would have was very confiderable, and with what he fhould leave me, would enable me to make a very refpectable figure in life, and give me confiderable weight and influence in the county. I thanked him for his intention, but Could not avoid replying with fome de gree of warmth, "that I would never facrifice my happinefs, and peace of mind, for any pecuniary confideration, let the confequence be what it would." Then, in an agony of grief, I abruptly left the room, without waiting to hear the answer he would make to this declaration. I past the enfuing night reftlefs and uneafy, my mind was difcompofed, and my fpirits agitated to the greatest degree. In the morning I delayed coming down ftairs, but received a meffage to attend my father in the parlour; with a heavy heart I entered the room, when he addreffed me in the following manner : "Son! I am much hurt by your undutiful behaviour, which from your former obedience I did not expect. I lay my command on you, never more to think of Maria, or to keep up any Correfpondence or acquaintance with ker or her father; and if ever I difcover that you difobey me in this refpect, you fhall never be benefited by my fortune, as I would fooner leave it to a franger, or any pablic charity, than you fhall have it; and if you perfift in refufing her I have provided for you, you will have reafon to repent it." I felt fo much from the ftrong impreffion my father's declaration made on my mind, and the want of reft the preceding night, that I was fearce able to give him an aufwer; I only 1 foon wrote my dear Maria an account of every thing that had happened, and "intreated her not to be disheartened, but to rely on my solemn engagement, never to marry any other woman, whilft fhe was living ;" at the fame time telling her, "I placed an implicit confidence in her conftancy; that though the profpect before us was gloomy, I hoped it would not long remain fo." I had an anfwer from her, tender and kind as I could defire, and received confolation from the arguments fhe used to furnish it. From that time to the prefent, nothing has paffed between my father and me on the fubject; there is an apparent coolness on his part, and as vifible a dejection of fpirits on mine, which he well knows the occafion of; and yet fuch is his unfeeling difpofition and obftinacy of temper, that my fufferings make no impreffion on his mind, and he appears to have no in clination to relieve me. Independent of my father, I have in poffeffion a fmall fortune, which lately came to me by my mother's marriage fettlement; but this is not fufficient to fupport a family, or to enable me to live as an independent gentleman. I am debarred the fight of my dear Maria, as my father never fuffers me to be out for more than one day, without having an old fervant with me in whom he places great confidence. My health is impaired by vexation and conftant fretting, and I have little profpect of being better, but by my father's death. Sometimes I have almoft wifhed for this event, yet my foul recoiled at the idea, and was fhocked at the thought-At the fame time I have my apprehenfions for my dear girl, as I know the fuffers much both on her own account and mine, and fhould any advantageous offer be made her, the must incur her her father's difpleafure, if the refufes it, or make me for ever miferable if The accepts it. Surely mankind eftimate the value of riches too highly, when (though poffeffed of a competency) they facrifice their peace of mind, and the beft pleasures of domestic life to obtain them! I fometimes think of writing to Maria's father, and telling him my fituation, and the reason I cannot wait on him; and to intreat him to exert his influence with my father, to obtain his confent to our union: but we are both afraid to take fuch a step, left, from the warmth of his temper, he fhould refent my father's behaviour, and oblige her to break off all intercourse with me. Perhaps, rather than lofe an only fon, who in every other refpect has yielded him an unlimited obedience, father may be induced to relent, my and grant my request, or fome other event may procure us the gratification of our wishes. Otherwife I am confident I fhall fall a facrifice to that deep distress which preys on my conLitution. I am, Mr. Editor, Your unfortunate, Paffage in SHAKESPEARE corrected. "The object, and the plea'ure of mine eye, Is only Helena. To her, my lord, "Was I betrothed ere I Hermia faw; "But like a fickness did I loath this food; "Yet as in health came to my natural rafte, "Now do I with it, love it, long for it." Midfummer Night's Dream, A&t. IV. Sc. 2. play is reprefented as entirely devoted to Helena; but by the charms of fairies he is made to flight his former love, and to be as much enamoured of Hermia. These charms being removed, he returns to his former mif trefs, as we learn by his declaration in the above-quoted fpeech. But the latter part is certainly corrupt; the allufion is plainly to a fick man's appetite being depraved, and therefore loathing that very food which in health he was fond of. We muft, therefore, undoubtedly read, But like in fickness did I loath this food; loath, &c. This will preferve the allufion which is otherwife deftroyed. Indeed, it is little better than nonsense to make Demetrius fay, "that he loathed the food as he loathed a ficknefs;" nor can any other conftruction be put on the paffage as it now ftands; but what will be forced and unnatural. Solution to the enigmatical Lift of Young LADIES of CHELMSFORD, ESSEX, Vol. XI. p. 604. 1. Clarke. 2. Block. 3. Rey4. Griffinhoofe. Bailey. Camper. 7. Oliver. 8. Gower. 9. 10. Sweeting. 11. Ward. 12. Jones. LOUISA ANN. ...Anfwered likewife by Sufanab Elders, Matilda Brown, Arrabella Pt, &c. &c. Enigmatical Lift of Towns Names in Berkshire. 1. The reverfe to near, the mark of a bride, and the Spaniard's proud title. 2. The covering of an houfe, and part of the name by which God dif covered himfelf to the Ifraelites by his fervant Mofes. 3. The emblem of innocence, a vowel, and three laft letters of the furname of a very eminent justice of the peace. 4. Another name for a virgin, a Latin adverb of shewing, and the reverfe to tail. 5. Air agitated, a ferpentine letter, and the gold colour in heraldry. G 2 6. Th |