EVERY man who believes that his honour depends upon that of his wife is a fool, who torments himself, and drives her to despair; but he who, being naturally jealous, has the additional misfortune of loving his wife, and who expects that she should only live for him, is a perfect madman, whom the torments of hell have actually taken hold of in this world, and whom nobody pities. All reasoning and observation on these unfortunate circumstances attending wedlock concur in this, that precaution is vain and useless before the evil, and revenge odious afterwards. The Spaniards, who tyrannize over their wives, more by custom than from jealousy, content themselves with preserving the niceness of their honour by duennas, grates, and locks. The Italians, who are wary in their suspicions, and vindictive in their resentments, pursue a different line of conduct; some satisfy themselves with keeping their wives under locks which they think secure; others by ingenious precautions exceed whatever the Spaniards can invent for confining the fair sex; but the generality are of opinion, that in either unavoidable danger, or in manifest transgression, the surest way is to assassinate. But, ye courteous and indulgent nations, who, far from admitting these savage and barbarous customs, give full liberty to your dear ribs, and commit the care of their virtue to their own discretion, you pass without alarms or strife your peaceful days, in all the enjoyments of domestic indolence! It was certainly some evil genius that induced Lord Ches ured countrymen, and ridiculously to afford the world an opportunity of examining into the particulars of an adventure, which would perhaps never have been known without the verge of the court, and which would everywhere have been orgotten in less than a month; but now, as soon as ever he had urned his back, in order to march away with his prisoner, and he ornaments she was supposed to have bestowed upon him, God only knows what a terrible attack there was made upon is rear. Rochester, 109 Middlesex,110 Sydley,111 Etheredge, 112 and all the whole band of wits, exposed him in numberless pallads, and diverted the public at his expense. The Chevalier de Grammont was highly pleased with these ively and humorous compositions; and wherever this subject vas mentioned, never failed to produce his supplement upon -he occasion: "It is strange," said he, "that the country, which is little better than a gallows or a grave for young peoole, is allotted in this land only for the unfortunate, and not for the guilty! Poor Lady Chesterfield, for some unguarded ooks, is immediately seized upon by an angry husband, who will oblige her to spend her Christmas at a country-house, a undred and fifty miles from London; while here, there are thousand ladies who are left at liberty to do whatever they lease, and who indulge in that liberty, and whose conduct, in hort, deserves a daily bastinado. I name no person, God orbid I should; but Lady Middleton, Lady Denham, the queen's and the duchess's maids of honour, and a hundred >thers, bestow their favours to the right and to the left, and not the least notice is taken of their conduct. As for Lady Shrewsbury, she is conspicuous. I would take a wager she night have a man killed for her every day, and she would nly hold her head the higher for it: one would suppose she mported from Rome plenary indulgences for her conduct: : hair made into bracelets, and no person finds any fault; and yet shall such a cross-grained fool as Chesterfield be permitted to exercise an act of tyranny, altogether unknown in this country, upon the prettiest woman in England, and all for a mere trifle but I am his humble servant; his precautions will avail him nothing; on the contrary, very often a woman, who had no bad intentions when she was suffered to remain in tranquillity, is prompted to such conduct by revenge, or reduced to it by necessity: this is as true as the gospel: hear now what Francisco's saraband says on the subject: "Tell me, jealous-pated swain, To divide united hearts? Will, where it listeth, blow; So, prithee, peace, for all thy cares are vain. "When you are by, Nor wishful look, be sure, nor eloquent sigh, Which burn in either lover: Yet Argus' self, if Argus were thy spy, "Some joys forbidden, Transports hidden, Which love, through dark and secret ways, The Chevalier de Grammont passed for the author of this sonnet neither the justness of the sentiment, nor turn of it, are surprisingly beautiful; but as it contained some truths that flattered the genius of the nation, and pleased those who interested themselves for the fair sex, the ladies were all desirous of having it to teach their children. way of seeing Lady Chesterfield, easily forgot her: her absence, however, had some circumstances attending it, which could not but sensibly affect the person who had occasioned her confinement; but there are certain fortunate tempers to which every situation is easy; they feel neither disappointment with bitterness, nor pleasure with acuteness. In the mean time, as the duke could not remain idle, he had no sooner orgotten Lady Chesterfield, but he began to think of her vhom he had been in love with before, and was upon the point of relapsing into his old passion for Miss Hamilton. There was in London a celebrated portrait painter, called Lely,113 who had greatly improved himself by studying the amous Vandyke's pictures, which were dispersed all over England in abundance. Lely imitated Vandyke's manner, nd approached the nearest to him of all the moderns. The Duchess of York being desirous of having the portraits of the andsomest persons at court, Lely painted them, and employed ll his skill in the performance; nor could he ever exert himelf upon more beautiful subjects. Every picture appeared a aster-piece; and that of Miss Hamilton appeared the highest nished: Lely himself acknowledged that he had drawn it with a particular pleasure. The Duke of York took a delight 1 looking at it, and began again to ogle the original: he had ery little reason to hope for success; and at the same time at his hopeless passion alarmed the Chevalier de Grammont, ady Denham thought proper to renew the negotiation which ad so unluckily been interrupted: it was soon brought to a ɔnclusion; for where both parties are sincere in a negotiation, o time is lost in cavilling. Every thing succeeded prosperusly on one side; yet, I know not what fatality obstructed e pretensions of the other. The duke was very urgent with le duchess to put Lady Denham in possession of the place rantee for the performance of the secret articles of the treaty, though till this time she had borne with patience the inconstancy of the duke, and yielded submissively to his desires, yet, in the present instance, it appeared hard and dishonourable to her, to entertain near her person a rival, who would expose her to the danger of acting but a second part in the midst of her own court. However, she saw herself upon the point of being forced to it by authority, when a far more unfortunate obstacle for ever bereft poor Lady Denham of the hopes of possessing that fatal place, which she had solicited with such eagerness. Old Denham, naturally jealous, became more and more suspicious, and found that he had sufficient ground for such conduct his wife was young and handsome, he old and disagreeable: what reason, then, had he to flatter himself that heaven would exempt him from the fate of husbands in the like circumstances? This he was continually saying to himself; but, when compliments were poured in upon him from all sides, upon the place his lady was going to have near the duchess's person, he formed ideas of what was sufficient to have made him hang himself, if he had possessed the resolution. The traitor chose rather to exercise his courage against another. He wanted precedents for putting in practice his resentments in a privileged country: that of Lord Chesterfield was not sufficiently bitter for the revenge he meditated: besides, he had no country-house to which he could carry his unfortunate wife. This being the case, the old villain made her travel a much longer journey without stirring out of London. Merciless fate robbed her of life, and of her dearest hopes, in the bloom of youth.114 As no person entertained any doubt of his having poisoned her, the populace of his neighbourhood had a design of tear |