Leonidas; or, the unfortunate Lover. 39 fate." A thousand times did I thank and they arrived at our house; my her for her goodnefs, and by an im- heart bounded with joy on seeing her, pulfe irrefiftible, I feized her dear and when I gave her my hand as the hand, and impreffed on her cheek, forgot out of the carriage, I was agitated the first time, the kifs of real love. 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. 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 fpend 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 apprehenfion flower than ufual: 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 at 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 pleasure. To thofe who really love, every trifle is of importance, and the mind is relieved, or hurt, by the most inconfiderable circumstances. 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 he would throw off all referve, and place an unbounded confidence in me. At Jaft the day came, fally acknowledged, by all who know her. fng fummer, when I flattered myfelf US. We accordingly spent 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 diffolve. 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 had no other reason to fear ob me. 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 houfe. Affuredly I embraced every opportu nity of being alone with her, and many fuch opportunities occurred: the fealon of the year, the finenels 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 We exchanged vows of mutual love, and of conftancy which nothing could shake; 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 with Maria, but his exceffive love of can I abuse the confidence the placed money, which led him often to tell me in me, nor fhall fhe ever have reafon I fhould look out for a woman of large to repent of her goodness! The time fortune, and that what were called foon-too foon came, that was again love matches, were generally attended to feparate us; my feelings on this with all the inconveniencies that the account may be eafier conceived than marriage ftate fubjected perfons to, defcribed: the left me a prey to grief, without any valuable confideration to and it called for all my care and refo- counterbalance them. lution to conceal from my father the diftrefs of my mind; but I exerted myfelf to the utmost, to appear as chearful before him, as if I had no particular caufe of uneasiness. 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 fimilarity 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 the 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 You 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 pleased to obferve that my father (who feldom fpeaks highly of any perfon) appeared fenfible of the merit of this gentleman and his daughter. The whole winter pafied away with out my feeing or hearing from her. 1 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, Leonidas, or the Unhappy Lover. 41 confufion, when I tell you, that this You may judge of my furprize and I had before faid to me I told him As he appeared to hear me calmly, 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 object of my affections, that I had vain; he treated my profeffions of ove for Maria as and ridicu lous, and folemnly protested he would G t 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 fubject, 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 accultomed to difpute his will, nor have any altercations with him, but I now forefaw that there would be an end of that harmony which had fubfifted between us this, and more particu larly the occafion of it, gave me no inconfiderable degree of uneafinefs. It was not long before he again in-in 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 requeft ;" 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 band. 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 interest 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 happiness, 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 paft the enfuing night reftlefs and uneafy, my mind was difcompofed, and my fpirits agitated to the greateft 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 disobey me in this refpe&t, you fhall never be benefited by my fortune, as I would fooner leave it to a Aranger, 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 rest the preceding night, that I was fearce able to give him an anfwer; I only S 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 folemn 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 occasion 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 settlement; 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 voted 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 But like in fickness did I loath this food; This will preferve the allufion which is otherwise destroyed. Indeed, it is little better than nonfense 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 J. Clarke. 2. Block. 3. Rey4. Griffinhoofe. Bailey. Camper. 7. Oliver. 8. Gower. 9. 10. Sweeting. 11. Ward. 12. Jones. LOUISA ANN. Anfwered likewife by Sufanah Elders, Matilda Enigmatical Lift of Towns Names in Berkshire. Paffage in SHAKESPEARE corrected. "The object, and the pleasure of mine eye, "Is only Helena. To her, my lord, "Was I betrothed ere I Hermia law; "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.” Midsummer Night's Dream, A&. IV. Sc. 2. of this The emblem Demetrius, in the beginningly de- vowel, and three l of intercence, a furname of a very eminent justice of the peace. 4. Another name for a virgin, a Latin adverb of fhewing, and the reverfe to tail. 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 himself to the Ifraelites by his fervant Mofes. 5. Air agitated, a ferpentine 1 ter, and the gold colour in heraldr |