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Το our CORRESPONDENTS.

Mr. Hamilton Reid has all along been led into a mistake about his Lifewhat we mean by announcing his life was the life be fent us of a Fair Mik-maid, and which appeared fome time ago.

Pettit's Female Characters, No. I. in our next, certain,

W. R.'s Poetical Solutions.

Lines addreffed to Mifs P. Lancashire, and fuch Poetry as was received before the 20th of May, and is not here noticed, will appear in our next, Bertha's Poetical favour is defective.

The following Profe communications are intended for infertion as foon as poffible :

The Female Rumpus-a Tale.

Letter on Matrimonial Defamation.
Queftion by Maria.

Lucinda's Letter.

C. On Waffe of Time.

B. C. On Friendflip.

Ditto-on Mr. Pope's Affertion.

A Letter on the fame fubject by C. J. P. M.

The Cenfor, No. 7. N. B. This author will understand us when we hint, that a difint manufcript is an antidote to typographical errors.

On the Pleasures arifing from the Contemplation of Nature, communi cated by W. H. Reid.

The Index is, this month, unavoidably poftponed.

THE

Lady's Magazine;

For

MAY,

1790.

OCCASIONAL PAPERS. I make these few remarks upon it from

Addrefed to the LADIES.

No. XV.

having the following paper lately given me for publication-and which I chearfully promifed to publifh the first opportunity, as it fays more than is in my power to urge. It was a letter written from a feducer of the kind mentioned above, and who, to do him justice, feems to entertain proper fenfe of his crime.

Sir, if penitence can lay claim to parden, and to confefs our crimes is any kind of atonement for them, the following true narrative may plead in my behalf to an injured woman, reconcile me to myfelf, and reftore that tranquillity of mind which I have fo lately forfeited by my own folly and indifcretion.

MONG the bafe practices which licentious minds indulge in, I known of none that creates a greater portion of guilt, or is followed by a greater portion of misery, than trifling with the fufceptible heart of a female. To profefs an attachment merely to obtain a return, and gratify one's vanity, is the certain mark of an unfeeling and bafe mind. It is the more blameable, as a man of addrefs may, by looks, little polite attentions, and affiduity, create an attachment "You muit know, fir, that I am withous being under the neceffity of the fon of an honest tradefman, was abfolutely declaring a paffion; and by him brought up at a public this filent courtship leaves an open- fchool, and from that fent to the ing for him to escape, fhould he be univerfity. Soon after my arrival accused of bafenefs. He has only there, a gentleman came down with to plead that he meant nothing, that his family to enter his fon, who had all he did and faid was common gal-been my school-fellow, at one of the lantry, and that he is furprised any one could conftrue it otherwife. By this abominable fubterfuge, he may efcape the chaitifement of the law, but he certainly cannot evade remorfe of mind, nor the reproaches of the prudent and virtuous. This fpecies of gallantry is, I am afraid, but too common, and I was led to

colleges. Toey lent for me, and defired I would fhow them the uni verfity, a request which I readily complied with, as it gratified my. vanity in being feen with his daughter, a young lady of great Beauty, and fortune, advantages which often fupply the want of every other res good, but fe ved in her only to Ggz

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the lady attributed to a different cause. I fetched a deep figh at parting, and retired from her with a filent forrow which I afterwards found had left a ftronger impreffion on her heart than all the fine things I had faid, and confirmed her in the opinion he had conceived of my inviolable attachment to her. I returned to the univerfity, where my attention was foon called off to other views, and my thoughts fixed on objects of a very different nature; nor fhould I, perhaps, from that hour, have called to mind the now forgotten fair one, had not a letter, which I received from her about

furprifed and difturbed me." She would not," the there informed me,

adorn the fuperior qualities of her mind, and fer off the charms of virtue. I frove to make their time as agreeable as poffible, by that affiduity which never fails to plafe, and all thofe little fervice, which are fure 10 conciite affection. I waited on my fair vifitor, as you may imagine, with more than ordinary diligence, gratified her curiofity by the fight of every thing that I thought worthy of her attention, and endeavoured by being ufeful, to make myfelf agreeable. I fucceeded fo well, in fhort, with the whole family, that when they left the piace, I received a preffing invitation from the father to fpend a week with them in Lon-three months afterwards, greatly don. Accordingly I waited on them, and was received with great politenefs; the morning we chiefl; fpent in diverfions within doors, and in the evening went to the play. This gave me an opportunity of frequent interviews with the young lady, in which I could not help paying that tribute of applaufe to her accomplishments which I knew the deferved, and which I imagined the expected. I spoke the language of love, without feeling the power of it, and infenfibly railed a p affion in her breaft, which was as yet a ftranger to my own. Little did I indeed at that time imagine, that with an intention merely to amufe, I was laying fnares to deceive, and that whilst I tho ght myfelf only playing the innocent part of a fine gentleman, I was und rmining the pece of an amiable woman, and deBroving the future happinefs of á hole innocent family.

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When I took my leave, my friend told me they would not confent to part with me fo foon, unless I would promife, on the first leifure I had, to return; with which propofal I readily acquiefced. As I had no great defire to change a fccne of gety and pleafure for the gloom of a college, the reflection of it threw a melancholy on my features, which

have broke through the prescribed forms of her sex, but that, as she well knew my defigns were honourable, and nothing but my own diffidence had concealed them, the looked on her felf as bound in honour to let me know that they would be acceptable to her that it would appear like affe&tation in her to fup. pofe I had meant merely to flatter and amufe her; and as fe fpared me the confufion of first mentioning this, he hoped I would foon come to a more clear explanation." In a pofticript fhe added, "that her father was a man, who bad, what we call, feen the world, was determined to marry her, at all events, up to her rank; and chofe rather to see her fplendidly miferable than obfcurely happy; that unless I faved her fhe was ruined; and that a fhort time must determine her fate."

I need not tell you how I was confounded to find myfelf involved in an intrigue, before I had fo much as once thought seriously upon ir. I therefore aniwered her in the most fubmiffive manner I could; reprefented to her, that it would be the highest ingratitude in me to marry the daughter of a man who had fhown me fuch uncommon civilities,

without

Occafional Papers. Addressed to the Ladies.

without his consent; befides that the difparity of our fortunes must be an unfurmountable obftacle to a thicking perfon; that the might one day brother reproach me with breach of trust herself, or infult me on account of that very inequality which fhe now feemed to difregard; that in fuch a cafe, the defire of pleating muft fink into the fear of offending, and thus put an end to all her vili. onary schemes of lafting happiness: that was forry he had fo much mistook my behaviour as to attribute that to love, which was but the effect of gallantry; I then talked to her of a priest and marriage in the language of Lothario; and concluded by adviting her, for both our fakes, to think no more of it.

"This you may imagine was an anfwer, which, whilst my hand wrote it, my heart very feverely reproached me for. I could not but tacitly blame myfelf for that parti. cular regard and attachment to her which I had formerly expreffed, and was not determined whether I should not make a little ferious love to her the very next opportunity, when, in the midft of thefe reflexions, I received the following letter, which can best tell the flory of her misfortune, and expose the Weakness of my paft conduci.

"'Tis over, and I am a fave! Yet the only hour that I can call my own, I give to you; the only one that a husband's authority has not a right to interrupt. To fam up all my miferics in a word, know, my father has this morning given me up to forrow and Mr.

Alas! what delufive vtions of fe. licity did not your flattering tongue once give me leave to form! fuch as no turn of fortune can again recall. I tremble to think what a husband's rage may not inflict, when he finds, inflead of the happiness he expected, fo poor an entertainment as love compelled will afford him. It is impotlible for two different maf

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ters to fhare one poor heart. With me he might enjoy as much as the unwilling victim to brutal violence, and have as warm a return of foadnefs from the stilled dead. But what am I faying, and to whom? To him who has robbed me of my peace! Can he now dry up thofe tears which he himfeit alone could bid to flow? Or can he heal those wounds which himfelf has made? But the worst is paft; all the paffions that have racked me fince I received your laft

are

hushed; and what Fatle Spirit remains will foon give way to the filent eating forrow that must follow this. Think that you have robbed me of what not all my fortune can purchase for me, nor the world befide hath power to beftow. Even fince I was taught to form a wish, it was that of being a happy mother and a tender wife. I may now have a child whom his father's vices will exclude from that excess of fondness which I should otherwise have poured over it; and you know too well his character to hope any alteration in him; and yet this man my religion henceforward binds me to be true to, and obey. Farewell! and know, however I condemn your conduct, that would my brother, jealous of his honour as he is, this moment revenge me, I had rather forgive than refent it. Live then, and be happy; and may that happiness never be fufpended a moment by the rememberance of her whom your falfehood has made for ever miferable."

"If your heart has not already informed you what I felt on this, it will be needlefs to tell you how feverely I new accufe my own weak conduct; nor can I foon forgive my felf the wanton facrifice of youth, innocence, beauty, and virtue to fashionable levity, and polite perfidiousness. 'Tis I that have given the wound inflisted by her father a deeper smart, though it is himself who has made that mifery latting. But it would

be

be an ufeful leffon to warn all young gentlemen, my fellow-profligates, never to exprefs a particular regard where they have not terious thoughts of love; and to teach parents whom heaven has bleft with dutiful children, rather to make them happy than great, nor viol te thofe hearts which they have only a right to guide."

VIELLUS,

A CHARACTE R.

V

IELLUS was a youth of thirty in the time of the rebellion 1745 he lately purchased a pleafant feat in Effex, with park, grounds, &c. on which he now refides. When I last pad him a vilit, he led me (ar rather I led him) through his extensive promises, point. ed out a pond which he had dragged and contracted, with a view to make it a pond only for gold fill. Thefe beautiful animals,” said he, “ are not now many in number, but they will fpawn loon, and I fhall have plenty. In a year or two I fhall be able to fupply my neighbour Mrs. Tafy, who is curious in the fe things. But now look you here, what do you take this to be? This I intend for a maze, in imitar on of that at Hampton Court. There is nothing yet to be feen above ground, but in Five or fix years I hope to fe you puzzled to find your way through it. You are now looking at thole plants: 1 had them of Malcom last year, and you fee how they thrive. I propofe to tranfplant them foon for hedging; they will be as rall as myfelf in about ten years, and I pieter a hedge of trees.”

Viellas treated me with a bottle of wine which he had kept in his cellar fifteen years, and I could readily believe him. He added that he had juft laid in two pipes of ex

cellent port of the last year's vintage. "But that, my dear boy, thall not be touched these five years, and then I hope you will come and help me off with a bottle or two."

It was impofiible not to be pleafed with the good humour and youthful ideas of Viellus; but at the fame time, one would expect that the projects of youth fhould have no 100m in the decrepitude of old age, and that when we perceive the lamp of life burn dim, fhe fhould no longer be dazzled with its brightnefs.— Viellus talks, writes, thinks, and contrives like a young man-and, indeed, is young in every refpe&t but that of years!

ADOLESCENS,

On VISITING THE GREAT.

F the laying before the public a I folly I have been fome years guilty of, will fave any one from running into the fame error, I fhall think myself a buoy to prevent others from fplitting on the fame rock.

You are to be informed that I am one of thofe (or rather was one) who have spent the last four years in vifiting thofe who thought (as I have fince experienced) that they did me an honour in feruing me a their table, which by the bye was a very ex penfive honour, for you cannot vifit fuch dignised people without being as profufe in dreis, &c. as your finances will admit, and fometimes a great deal more, which I fall endeavour to explain ere I lofe this narrative. I know a friend of mine, whom I thall call Mrs. Hamdrum, who is fo bufy for four or five days previous to fuch a vifit, in preparing elegant things for the fruition of his miraculous condefcenfion, and each millener's fhop is ranfacked for a fmart cap, apron, clo..k, . &c. to honour, or rather not to difgrace the table of lord and lady B

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