fome warm expreffions, which the tender-hearted wench let fall against the cruelty of men; and wishing to have it in her power to ferve her; has the given her the following Note, figned by her maiden name: For fhe has thought fit, in pofitive and plain words, to own. to the pitying Dorcas, that he is not married.

Monday, June 19.....

The underwritten do hereby promife, that, on my coming into poffeffion of my own eftate, I will provide for Dorcas Martindale in a gentlewoman-like manner, in my own houfe: Or, if I do not foon obtain that poffeffion, or fhould firft die, I do hereby bind myself, my executors, and adminiftrators, to pay to her, ar her order, during the term of her natural life, the fum of five pounds on each of the four ufual quarterly days in the year; that is to fay, twenty pounds by the year; on condition that she faithfully affift me in my escape from an illegal confinement, under which I now labour. The first quarterly payment to commence and be payable at the end of three months immediately following the day of my deliverance. And I do alfo promife to give ber, as a teftimony of my honour in the reft, adiamond ring, which I have fhewed her. Witness my hand, this nineteenth day of June, in the year alovewritten.

CLARISSA HARLOWE.

Now, Jack, what terms wouldst thou have me to keep with such a sweet corruptrefs? Seeft thou not how fhe hates me? Seest thou not, that he is refolved never to forgive me? Seeft thou not, however, that she must difgrace herself in the eye of the world, if the actually fhould efcape?-That he must be fubjected to infinite diftress and hazard? For whom has the to receive and protect her? Yet to determine to rifque all thefe evils! And furthermore to stoop to artifice, to be guilty of the reigning vice of the times, of Bribery and Corruption! Jack, Jack! Jay not, write not, another word in her favour!

Thou

Thou haft blamed me for bringing her to this houfe: But had I carried her to any other in England, where there would have been one servant or inmate capable either of compaffion or corruption, what must have been the confequence?

But feeft thou not, however, that, in this flimfy contrivance, the dear implacable, like a drowning man, catches at a ftraw to fave herself!-A ftraw fhalt fhe find to be the refuge fhe has reforted to.

LETTER II.

Mr. LOVELACE, TO JOHN BELFORD, Esq.
Tuesday Morn. 10 o'clock.

ERY ill-Exceeding ill-as Dorcas tells me, in order to avoid feeing me-And yet the dear foul may be fo in her mind. But is not that equivocation? Some one paffion predominating, in every human breaft, breaks thro' principle, and controuls us all. Mine is Love and Revenge taking turns. Hers is Hatred-But this is my confolation, that Hatred appeafed, is Love begun; or Love renewed, I may rather fay, If Love ever had footing here.

But reflectioning apart, thou fceft, Jack, that her plot is beginning to work. To morrow it is to break out. I have been abroad, to set on foot a plot of circumvention. All fair now, Belford !

I infifted upon visiting my indisposed Fair-one. Dorcas made officious excufes for her. I curfed the wench in her hearing for her impertinence; and stamp'd, and made a clutter; which was improved into an apprehenfion to the Lady that I would have flung her faithful confidante from the top of the ftairs to the bottom.

He is a violent wretch!-But, Dorcas, [Dear Dorcas, now it is] thou fhalt have a friend in me to the last day of my life.

And what now, Jack, dost think the name of her good angel is !—Why Dorcas Martindale, Christian

B 3

and

and Super (no more Wykes) as in the promifory note in my former-And the dear creature has bound her to her by the most folemn obligations, befides the tie of interest. Whither, Madam, do you defign to go when you get out of this houfe?

I will throw myfelf into the first open houfe I can find; and beg protection till I can get a coach, or a lodging in fome honeft family.

What will you do for Cloaths, Madam? I doubt you'll not be able to take any away with you, but what you'll have on.

O, no matter for cloaths, If I can but get out of this house.

What will you do for Money, Madam? I have heard his honour exprefs his concern, that he could not prevail upon you to be obliged to him, tho' he apprehended that you must be fhort of money.

O, I have rings, and other valuables. Indeed I have but four guineas, and two of them I found lately wrapt up in a bit of Lace, defigned for a charitable ufe: But now, alas! Charity begins at home!-But I have one dear friend left, if the be living, as I hope in God fhe is! to whom I can be obliged, if I want. O Dorcas! Imuft ere now have heard from her, if I had had fair play. Well, Madam, yours is a hard lot. I pity you at my heart!

Thank you, Dorcas !-I am unhappy, that I did not think before, that I might have confided in thy Pity, and in thy Sex!

I pitied you, Madam, often and often: But you were always, as I thought, diffident of me. And then' I doubted not but you were married; and I thought his Honour was unkindly ufed by you. So that I thought it my duty to wish well to his Honour, rather than to what I thought to be your humours, Madam. Would to Heaven, that I had known before that you were not married!-Such a Lady! Such a Fortune! To be fo fadly betrayed!

Ah,

Ah, Dorcas! I was bafely drawn in! My youth— My ignorance of the world-And I have fome things to reproach myself with, when I look back.

Lord, Madam, what deceitful creatures are these men!-Neither oaths, nor vows-I am fure-Iam fure ! [and then with her apron fhe gave her eyes half a dozen hearty rubs] I may curfe the time that I came into this houfe!

Here was accounting for her bold eyes! And was it not better for Dorcas to give up a house which her Lady could not think worfe of than she did, in order to gain the reputation of fincerity, than by offering to vindicate it, to make her proffered fervices fufpected.

Poor Dorcas !-Blefs me! how little do we, who have lived all our time in the country, know of this wicked town!

Had I been able to write, cried the veteran wench, I fhould certainly have given fome other near relations. I have in Wales a little inkling of matters; and they would have faved me from -from-from

Her fobs were enough. The apprehenfions of women on fuch fubjects are ever aforehand with speech. And then, fobbing on, the lifted her apron to her face again. She fhewed me how,

Poor Dorcas !-Again wiping her own charming eyes.

All Love, all Compaffion, is this dear creature to every one in affliction, but me.

And would not an Aunt protect her kinfwoman?Abominable wretch !

I can't I can't-I can't-fay, my Aunt was privy to it. She gave me good advice. She knew not for a great while that I was-that I was-that I was ugh!-ugh!-ugh!

No more, no more, good Dorcas-What a world do we live in!-What a house am I in !—But come, don't weep (tho' fhe herself could not forbear:) My be

ing betrayed into it, tho' to my own ruin, may be a happy event for thee: And if I live, it fhall.

I thank you, my good Lady, blubbering. I am forry, very forry, you have had fo hard a lot. But it may be the faving of my foul, if I can get to your Ladyfhip's houfe. Had I but known that your Lady. fhip was not married, I would have eat my own flesh, before, before, before

Dorcas fobbed and wept. The Lady fighed and wept alfo.

But now, Jack, for a ferious reflection upon the premises.

How will the good folks account for it, that Satan has fuch faithful inftruments, and that the bond of wickednefs is a ftronger bond than the ties of virtue; as if it were the nature of the human mind to be villainous? For here, had Dorcas been good, and been tempted as fhe was tempted to any-thing evil, I make no doubt but the would have yielded to the temptation.

And cannot our fraternity in an hundred inftances give proof of the like predominance of Vice over Virtue? And that we have rifqued more to ferve and promote the interests of the former, than ever a good man did to ferve a good man or a good caufe? For have we not been prodigal of life and fortune? Have we not defied the Civil Magiftrate upon occafion? And have we not attempted Refcues, and dared all things, only to extricate a pounded profligate ?

Whence, Jack, can this be? O! I have it, I believe. The vicious are as bad as they can be; and do the devil's work without looking after; while he is continually fpreading fnares for the others; and, like a fkilful angler, fuiting his baits to the fish he angles for.

Nor let even honeft people, fo called, blame poor Dorcas for her fidelity in a bad cause. For does not the General, who implicity ferves an ambitious Prince in his unjust designs upon his neigbours, or upon his own

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