of his treatment of the lady. His trial, as he calls it.-After many altercations, they obtain his consent, that his two cousins should endeavour to engage Miss Howe to prevail upon Clarissa to accept of him, on his unfeigned repen- tance. It is some pleasure to him, he however rakishly re- flects, to observe how placable the ladies of his family would have been, had they met with a Lovelace.-MARRIAGE, says he, with these women is an atonement for the worst we can do them: a true dramatic recompense. He makes several other whimsical, but characteristic observations, some of which may serve as cautions and warnings to the sex.
LIX. Miss Howe to Clarissa. Has had a visit from the two Miss Montagues. Their errand. Advises her to marry Lovelace. Reasons for her advice.
LX. From the same. Chides her with friendly impatience for not answering her letter. Re-urges her to marry Lovelace, and instantly to put herself under Lady Betty's protection. LXI. Miss Howe to Miss Montague. In the phrensy of her soul, writes to her to demand news of her beloved friend, spirited away, as she apprehends, by the base arts of the blackest of men.
LXII. Lovelace to Belford. The suffering innocent arrested and confined, by the execrable woman, in a sham action. He curses himself, and all his plots and contrivances. Con- jures him to fly to her, and clear him of this low, this dirty villany; to set her free without conditions; and assure her, that he will never molest her more. Horribly exe- crates the diabolical women, who thought to make them- selves a merit with him by this abominable insult. LXIII. LXIV. Miss Montague to Miss Howe, with the par- ticulars of all that has happened to the lady.-Mr. Love- lace the most miserable of men. Reflections on libertines. She, her sister, Lady Betty, Lady Sarah, Lord M. and Lovelace himself, all sign letters to Miss Howe, asserting his innocence of this horrid insult, and imploring her con- tinued interest in his and their favour with Clarissa. LXV. Belford to Lovelace. Particulars of the vile arrest. Insolent visits of the wicked women to her. Her unex- ampled meekness and patience. Her fortitude. He ad- mires it, and prefers it to the false courage of men of their class.
LXVI. From the sume. Goes to the officer's house. A de- scription of the horrid prison-room, and of the suffering lady on her knees in one corner of it. Her great and mov-
ing behaviour. Breaks off, and sends away his letter, on purpose to harass him by suspense.
LXVII. Lovelace to Belford. Curses him for his tormenting abruption. Clarissa never suffered half what he suffers. That sex made to bear pain. Conjures him to hasten to him the rest of his soul-harrowing intelligence. LXVIII. Belford to Lovelace. His further proceedings. The lady returns to her lodgings at Smith's. Distinction between revenge and resentment in her character. Sends her from the vile women, all her apparel, as Love- lace had desired.
LXIX. From the same. Rejoices to find he can feel. Will endeavour from time to time to add to his remorse. sists upon his promise not to molest the lady. LXX. From the same. Describes her lodgings, and gives a character of the people, and of the good widow Lovick. She is so ill, that they provide her an honest nurse, and send for Mr. Goddard, a worthy apothecary. Substance of a letter to Miss Howe, dictated by the lady. LXXI. From the same. Admitted to the lady's presence. What passed on the occasion. Really believes, that she still loves him. Has a reverence, and even a holy love for her. Astonished that Lovelace could hold his pur- poses against such an angel of a woman. Condemns himself for not timely exerting himself to save her. LXXII. From the same. Dr. H. called in. Not having a single guinea to give him, she accepts of three from Mrs. Lovick on a diamond ring. Her dutiful reasons for ad- mitting the doctor's visit. His engaging and gentlemanly behaviour. She resolves to part with some of her rich- est apparel. Her reasons.
LXXIII. Lovelace to Belford. Raves at him. For what. Rallies him, with his usual gaiety, on several passages in his letters. Reasons why Clarissa's heart cannot be bro- ken by what she has suffered. Passionate girls easily subdued. Sedate ones hardly ever pardon. He has some retrograde motions: yet is in earnest to marry Clarissa. Gravely concludes, that a person intending to marry should never be a rake. His gay resolutions. Renews, however, his promises not to molest her. A charming encouragement for a man of intrigue, when a woman is known not to love her husband. Advantages which men have over women, when disappointed in love. He knows she will permit him to make her amends, after she has plagued him heartily.
LXXIV. Miss Howe to Clarissa. Is shocked at receiving a letter from her written by another hand. Tenderly con- soles her, and inveighs against Lovelace. Re-urges her, however, to marry him. Her mother absolutely of her opinion. Praises Mr. Hickman's sister, who, with her lord, had paid her a visit.
LXXV. Clarissa to Miss Howe. Her condition greatly mend- ed. In what particulars. Her mind begins to strength- en; and she finds herself at times superior to her cala- mities. In what light she wishes her to think of her. Desires her to love her still, but with a weaning love. She is not now what she was when they were inseparable lovers. Their views must now be different. LXXVI. Belford to Lovelace. A consuming malady, and a consuming mistress, as in Belton's case, dreadful things to struggle with. Further reflections on the life of keeping. The poor man afraid to enter into his own house. Bel- ford undertakes his cause. Instinct in brutes equivalent to natural affection in men. Story of the ancient Sarma- tians, and their slaves. Reflects on the lives of rakes, and free-livers; and how ready they are in sickness to run away from one another. Picture of a rake on a sick bed. Will marry, and desert them all.
LXXVII. From the same. The lady parts with some of her laces. Instances of the worthiness of Dr. H. and Mr. Goddard. He severely reflects upon Lovelace!
LXXVIII. Lovelace to Belford. Has an interview with Mr. Hickman. On what occasion. He endeavours to dis- concert him, by assurance and ridicule; but finds him to behave with spirit.
LXXIX. From the same. Rallies him on his intentional re- formation. Ascribes the lady's ill health entirely to the arrest (in which, he says, he had no hand) and to her re- lations' cruelty. Makes light of her selling her clothes and laces. Touches upon Belton's case. Distinguishes between companionship and friendship. How he purposes to rid Belton of his Thomasine and her cubs.
LXXX. Belford to Lovelace. The lady has written to her sister, to obtain a revocation of her father's malediction. Defends her parents. He pleads with the utmost earnest- ness to her for his friend. Her noble answer and great deportment.
LXXXI. From the same. Can hardly forbear prostration to her. Tenders himself as her banker. Conversation on this subject. Admires her magnanimity. No wonder that
a virtue so solidly based could baffle all his arts. Other ins stances of her greatness of mind. Mr. Smith and his wife invite him, and beg of her to dine with them, it being their wedding-day. Her affecting behaviour on the occasion. She briefly, and with her usual noble simplicity, relates to them the particulars of her life and misfortunes. LXXXII. Lovelace to Belford. Ridicules him on his address to the lady as her banker, and on his aspirations and prostrations. Wants to come at letters she has written. Puts him upon engaging Mrs. Lovick to bring this about. Weight that proselytes have with the good people that convert them. Reasons for it. He has hopes still of the lady's favour. And why. Never adored her so much as now. Is about to go to a ball at Colonel Ambrose's. Who to be there. Censures affectation and finery in the dress of men; and particularly with view to exalt him- self, ridicules Belford on this subject.
LXXXIII. LXXXIV. LXXXV. LXXXVI. LXXXVII. Sharp letters that pass between Miss Howe and Arabel- la Harlowe.
LXXXVIII. Mrs. Harlowe to Mrs. Howe. Sent with copies of the five foregoing letters.
LXXXIX. Mrs. Howe to Mrs. Harlowe. In answer. XC. Miss Howe to Clarissa. Desires an answer to her former letters for her to communicate to Miss Montague. Fur- ther enforces her own and her mother's opinion, that she should marry Lovelace. Is obliged by her mother to go to a ball at Colonel Ambrose's. Fervent profes- sions of her friendly love.
XCI. Clarissa to Miss Howe. Her noble reasons for re- fusing Lovelace. Desires her to communicate extracts from this letter to the ladies of his family.
XCII. From the same. Begs, for her sake, that she will for- bear treating her relations with freedom and asperity. Endeavours, in her usual dutiful manner, to defend their conduct towards her. Presses her to make Mr. Hick- man happy.
XCIII. Mrs. Norton to Clarissa. Excuses her long silence. Her family, who were intending to favour her, incensed against her by means of Miss Howe's warm letter to her sister.
MR. LOVELACE TO JOHN BELFORD, ESQ.
Tuesday morn. June 20. WELL, Jack, now are we upon another foot together. This dear creature will not let me be good. She is now authorizing all my plots by her own example.
Thou must be partial in the highest degree, if now thou blamest me for resuming my former schemes, since in that case I shall but follow her clue. No forced construction of her actions do I make on this occasion, in order to justify a bad cause or a worse intention. A slight pretence indeed, served the wolf, when he had a mind to quarrel with the lamb; but this is not now my
For here [wouldst thou have thought it?] taking advantage of Dorcas's compassionate temper, and of some warm expressions, which the tender-hearted
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