Pretty Simpleton has the weakness to confide in Dorcas, whom till now fhe difliked.

But I forgot to tell thee one part of my Dream; and that was, That, the next morning, the Lady gave way to fuch tranfports of grief and refentment, that fhe was with difficulty diverted from making an attempt upon her own life. But however at laft was prevailed upon to refolve to live, and to make the beft of the matter: A Letter, methought, from Capt. Tomlinfon helping to pacify her, written to apprise me, that her Uncle Harlowe would certainly be at Kentish-town on Wednesday night June 28, the following day (the 29th) being his birth-day; and be doubly defirous, on that account, that our Nuptials fhould be then privately folemnized in his presence.

But is Thursday the 29th her Uncle's anniversary, methinks thou afkeft?-It is; or else the day of Celebration fhould have been earlier ftill. Three weeks

ago

I heard her fay it was; and I have down the Birth-day of every one of her family, and the Wedding-day of her Father and Mother. The minutest circumstances are often of great fervice, in matters of the laft importance.

And what fayeft thou now to my Dream?

Who fays, that, fleeping and waking, I have not fine helps from fome body, fome fpirit rather, as thou'lt be apt to fay? But no wonder that a Beelzebub has his devilkins to attend his call.

I can have no manner of doubt of fucceeding in Mother H.'s part of the fcheme; for will the Lady (who refolves to throw herself into the firft houfe fhe can enter, or to befpeak the protection of the first perfon fhe. meets, and who thinks there can be no danger out of this houfe, equal to what the apprehends from Me in it) fcruple to accept of the chariot of a dowager, acci-. dentally offering? And the Lady's protection engaged by her faithful Dorcas, fo highly bribed to promote her efcape?And then Mrs. H. has the air and ap-. pearance of a venerable matron, and is not such a forbidding devil as Mrs. Sinclair.

The

The pretty Simpleton knows nothing in the world; nor that people who have money, never want aflistants in their views, be they what they will. How elfe could the Princes of the earth be fo implicitly ferved as they are, change they hands ever so often, and be their purposes ever fo wicked?

If I can but get her to go on with me till Wednesday next week, we fhall be fettled together pretty quietly by that time. And indeed if he has any gratitude, and has in her the leaft of her Sex's foibles, fhe muft think I deferve her favour, by the pains the has cost me. For dearly do they all love that men should take pains about them and for them.

And here, for the prefent, I will lay down my pen, and congratulate myfelf upon my happy invention (fince her obftinacy puts me once more upon exerci fing it)-But with this refolution, I think, That, if the prefent contrivance fail me, I will exert all the faculties of my mind, all my talents, to procure for myfelf a Legal Right to her favour, and that in defiance of all my antipathies to the Married State; and of the fuggeftions of the great devil out of the houfe, and of his fecret agents in it.-Since, if now the is not to be prevailed upon, or drawn in, it will be in vain to attempt her further.

LETTER IV.

Mr. LOVELACE, TO JOHN BELFORD, Esq. Tuesday Night, June 20. NO admittance yet to my Charmer! She is very

ill-in a violent fever, Dorcas thinks. Yet will

have no advice.

Dorcas tells her how much I am concerned at it.

But again let me afk, Does this Lady do right to make herself ill, when she is not ill? For my own part, Libertine as people think me, when I had occafion to be fick, I took a dofe of Ipecacuanha, that I might not be guilty of a falfhood; and moft heartily fick was I ; as

fhe,

fhe, who then pitied me, full well knew. But here to pretend to be very ill, only to get an opportunity to run away, in order to avoid forgiving a man who has offended her, how unchristian !If good folks allow themselves in these breaches of a known duty, and in these presumptuous contrivances to deceive, who, Belford, fhall blame us?

I have a strange notion, that the matronly Lady will be certainly at the Grocer's fhop at the hour of Nine to-morrow morning: For Dorcas heard me tell Mrs. Sinclair, that I fhould go out at Eight precifely; and then the is to try for a coach: And if the dowager's chariot fhould happen to be there, how lucky will it be for my Charmer! How ftrangely will my dream be made out !

IHAVE juft received a Letter from Captain Tomlinfon. Is it not wonderful? For that was part of my dream.

I fhall always have a prodigious regard to dreams henceforward. I know not but I may write a book upon that subject; for my own experience will furnish out a great part of it. Glanville of Witches, Baxter's Hiflory of Spirits and Apparitions, and the Royal Pedant's Demonology, will be nothing at all to Lovelace's Refveries.

The Letter is juft what I dreamed to be. I am only concerned that Uncle John's Anniverfary did not happen three or four days fooner; for fhould any new misfortune betal my Charmer, the may not be able to support her fpirits fo long as till Thursday in the next week. Yet it will give me the more time for new expedients, fhould my prefent contrivance fail; which I cannot however fuppofe.

To ROBERT LOVELACE, Efq. Dear Sir, Monday, June 19. Can now return you joy, for the joy you have given me, as well as my dear friend Mr. Harlowe, in the news of his beloved Niece's happy recovery; for he is

I

deter

determined to comply with her wifhes and yours, and to give her to you with his own hand.

As the Ceremony has been neceffarily delayed by reason of her illness, and as Mr. Harlowe's Birth-day is on Thursday the 29th of this inftant June, when he enters into the Seventy-fourth year of his age; and as time may be wanted to complete the dear Lady's recovery; he is very defirous that the Marriage fhall be folemnized upon it; that he may afterwards have double joy on that day to the end of his life.

For this purpofe he intends to fet out privately, fo as to be at Kentish-town on Wednesday fe'nnight in the evening.

All the family ufed, he fays, to meet to celebrate it with him; but as they are at prefent in too unhappy a fituation for that, he will give out, that, not being able to bear the day at home, he has refolved to be abfent for two or three days.

He will fet out on horfeback, attended only with one trufty fervant, for the greater privacy. He will be at the most creditable-looking public houfe there, expecting you both next morning, if he hear nothing from me to prevent him. And he will go to town with you after the Ceremony is performed, in the coach he fuppofes you will come in.

He is very defirous, that I fhould be prefent on the occafion. But this I have promised him, at his request, that I will be up before the day, in order to fee the Settlements executed, and every think properly prepared. He is very glad you have the Licence ready.

He speaks very kindly of you, Mr. Lovelace; and fays, that, if any of the family ftand out after he has feen the Ceremony performed, he will feparate from them, and unite himself to his dear Niece and her interests.

I owned to you, when in town laft, that I took flight notice to my dear friend of the misunderstanding between You and his Niece; and that I did this, for fear the

Lady

Lady fhould have fhewn any little discontent in his prefence, had I been able to prevail upon him to go up in perfon, as then was doubtful. But I hope nothing of that difcontent remains now.

My abfence, when your meffenger came, muft excufe me for not writing by him.

Be pleafed to make my most respectful compliments acceptable to the admirable Lady, and believe me to me Your most faithful and obedient Servant,

ANTONY TOMLINSON.

This Letter I fealed, and broke open. It was brought, thou mayft fuppofe, by a particular meffenger; the Seal fuch a one as the writer need not be ashamed of. I took care to enquire after the Captain's health, in my Beloved's hearing; and it is now ready to be produ ced as a pacifier, according as the shall take on, or refent, if the two metamorphofes happen pursuant to my wonderful dream; as, having great faith in dreams, I dare fay they will.-I think it will not be amifs, in changing my Cloaths, to have this Letter of the worthy Captain lie in my Beloved's way.

·

LETTER V.

Mr.LOVELACE, TO JOHN BELFORD, Esq.

Wedn. Noon, June 21.

WE HAT fhall I fay now!-I, who but a few hours. ago had fuch faith in dreams, and had propofed out of hand to begin my treatife of Dreams fleeping and Dreams waking, and was pleafing myfelf with the dialogues between the old matronly Lady, and the young Lady; and with the two metamorphofes (abfolutely affured that every thing would happen as my dream chalked it out ;) fhall never more depend upon thofe flying follies, thofe illufions of a fancy depraved,

and run mad.

Thus confoundedly have matters happened.

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