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LETTER XXII.

YOU will find me more troublesome than ever Brutus did his evil Genius; I fhall meet you in more places than one, and often refresh your memory before you arrive at your Philippi. These fhadows of me (my letters) will be haunting you from time to time, and putting you in mind of the man who has really fuffer'd very much from you, and whom you have robb'd of the most valuable of his enjoyments, your converfation. The advantage of hearing your fentiments by discovering mine, was what I always thought a great one, and even worth the rifque I generally run of manifefting my own indifcretion. You then rewarded my truft in you the moment it was given, for you pleas'd or inform'd me the minute you anfwer'd. I must now be contented with more flow returns. However 'tis fome pleasure, that your thoughts upon paper will be a more lafting poffeffion to me, and that I shall no longer have caufe to complain of a lofs I have fo often regretted, that of any thing you faid, which I happen'd to forget. In earnest, Madam, if I were to write to you as often as I think of you, it must be every day of my life. I attend you in fpirit thro' all your ways, I follow you through every stage in books of travels, and fear for you thro' whole folio's ; you make me fhrink at the paft dangers of dead travellers; and if I read of a delightful profpect, or agreeable place, I hope it yet fubfifts to please you. I enquire the roads, the amufements, the company, of every town and country thro' which you pafs, with as much diligence, as if I were to fet out next week

you

to overtake you. In a word, no one can have more conftantly in mind, not even your Guardian-angel (if you have one) and I am willing to indulge fo much Popery as to fancy fome Being takes care of you, who knows your value better than you do your felf: I am willing to think that heaven never gave fo much felfneglect and refolution to a woman, to occafion her calamity, but am pious enough to believe thofe qualities must be intended to conduce to her benefit and her glory.

Your firft fhort letter only ferves to show me you are alive it puts me in mind of the first dove that return'd to Noah, and just made him know it had found no reft abroad.

There is nothing in it that pleases me, but when you tell me you had no fea-sickness. I beg your next may give me all the pleasure it can, that is, tell me any that you receive. You can make no difcoveries that will be half fo valuable to me as thofe of your own mind. Nothing that regards the states or kingdoms you pass thro', will engage fo much of my curiofity or concern, as what relates to your felf: Your welfare, to lay truth, is more at my heart than that of Chriftendom.

I am fure I may defend the truth, tho' perhaps not the virtue, of this declaration. One is ignorant, or doubtful at beft, of the merits of differing religions and governments but private virtues one can be fure of. I therefore know what particular Perfon has defert enough to merit being happier than others, but not what Nation deferves to conquer or opprefs another. You will fay, I am not publick spirited; let it be fo, may have too many tenderneffes, particular regards, or narrow views; but at the fame time I am certain hat whoever wants thefe, can never have a Publickfpirit;

fpirit; for (as a friend of mine fays) how is it poffible for that man to love twenty thousand people, who never loved one?

I communicated your letter to Mr. C-, he thinks of you and talks of you as he ought, I mean as I do, and one always thinks that to be just as it ought. His health and mine are now fo good, that we wish with all our fouls you were a witnefs of it. We never meet but we lament over you: we pay a kind of weekly rites to your memory, where we ftrow flowers of rhetorick, and offer fuch libations to your name as it would be profane to call Toafting. The Duke of Bm is fometimes the High Prieft of your praises; and upon the whole, I believe there are as few men that are not sorry at your departure, as women that are; for you know most of your fex want good fenfe, and therefore muft want generofity: You have fo much of both, that I am fure you pardon them; for one cannot but forgive whatever one defpifes. For my part I hate a great many women for your fake, and undervalue all the reft. 'Tis you are to blame, and may God revenge it upon you, with all those bleffings and earthly profperities which the Divines tell us are the cause of our perdition; for if he makes you happy in this world, I dare truft your own virtue to do it in the other. I am,

Your, &c.

LETTER

LETTER XXIII.

To Mrs. Arabella Fermor on her Marriage.

YOU

OU are by this time fatisfy'd how much the tenderness of one man of merit is to be preferr'd to the addreffes of a thousand. And by this time the Gentleman you have made choice of is fenfible, how great is the joy of having all those charms and good qualities which have pleas'd fo many, now apply'd to please one only. It was but juft, that the fame Virtues which gave you reputation, should give you happiness ; and I can wish you no greater, than that you may receive it in as high a degree yourself, as fo much good humour mult infallibly give it to your hufband.

It may be expected perhaps, that one who has the title of Poet fhould fay fomething more polite on this occafion: But I am really more a well-wifher to your felicity, than a celebrater of your beauty. Befides, you are now a married woman, and in a way to be a great many better things than a fine lady; fuch as an excellent wife, a faithful friend, a tender parent, and at laft as the confequence of them all, a faint in heaYou ought now to hear nothing but that, which was all you ever defired to hear (whatever others may have spoken to you) I mean Truth: and it is with the utmost that I affure you, no friend you have can is you, more rejoice in any good that befalls fincerely delighted with the profpect of your future happiness, or more unfeignedly desires a long conti

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nuance of it.

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I hope you will think it but juft, that a man who will certainly be spoken of as your admirer, after he is dead, may have the happiness to be efteem'd while he is living

Your, &c.

Befides thefe Letters to Ladies, the furreptitious Editions of Mr. Pope's Literary Correspondence have four in his name to Mifs Blount, which he never writ, nor fbe faw. The Imposture has been fince difcover'd to be a literal Tranflation of four Letters of Voiture, taken verbatim from an old English Verfion.

LETTER

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