LETTER XLVII
TO ROBERT LOVELACE, ESQ. HIS HONNER SAT. APRIL 15.
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONNER,
This is to let you Honner kno', as how I have been emploied in a bisnessI would have been excused from, if so be I could, for it is to gittevidense from a young man, who has of late com'd out to be my cuzzenby my grandmother's side; and but lately come to live in these partes,about a very vile thing, as younge master calls it, relating to yourHonner. God forbid I should call it so without your leafe. It is not forso plane a man as I be, to tacks my betters. It is consarning one MissBatirton, of Notingam; a very pretty crature, belike.
Your Honner got her away, it seems, by a false letter to her, mackingbelieve as how her she-cuzzen, that she derely loved, was coming to seeher; and was tacken ill upon the rode: and so Miss Batirton set out ina shase, and one sarvant, to fet her cuzzen from the inne where she laidsick, as she thote: and the sarvant was tricked, and braute back theshase; but Miss Batirton was not harde of for a month, or so. Andwhen it came to passe, that her frends founde her out and would haveprossekutid your Honner, your Honner was gone abroad: and so she wasbroute to bed, as one may say, before your Honner's return: and she gotcolde in her lyin-inn, and lanquitched, and soon died: and the child isliving; but your Honner never troubles your Honner's hedd about itin the least. And this, and some other matters, of verry bad reporte,'Squier Solmes was to tell my young lady of, if so be she would haveharde him speke, before we lost her sweet company, as I may say, fromheere.*
* See Vol.II. Letters XV. and XVI.
Your Honner helped me to many ugly stories to tell against you Honner tomy younge master, and younge mistriss; but did not tell me about this.
I most humbelly beseche your Honner to be good and kinde and fethful tomy deerest younge lady, now you have her; or I shall brake my harte forhaving done some dedes that have helped to bringe things to this passe.Pray youre dere, good Honner, be just! Prayey do!--As God shall love ye!prayey do!--I cannot write no more for this pressent, for verry fear andgrief--
But now I am cumm'd to my writing agen, will your Honner be pleased totell me, if as how there be any danger to your Honner's life from thisbisness; for my cuzzen is actile hier'd to go down to Miss Batirton'sfrendes to see if they will stir in it: for you must kno' your Honner,as how he lived in the Batirton family at the time, and could be a goodevidense, and all that.
I hope it was not so verry bad as Titus says it was; for he ses ashow there was a rape in the case betwixt you at furste, and plese yourHonner; and my cuzzen Titus is a very honist younge man as ever brockebred. This is his carackter; and this made me willinger to owne him formy relation, when we came to talck.
If there should be danger of your Honner's life, I hope your Honner willnot be hanged like as one of us common men; only have your hedd cut off,or so: and yet it is pit such a hedd should be lossed: but if as howit should be prossekutid to that furr, which God forbid, be plesednatheless to thinck of youre fethful Joseph Leman, before your hedd becondemned; for after condemnation, as I have been told, all will be theking's or the shreeve's.
I thote as how it was best to acquent you Honner of this; and for youto let me kno' if I could do any think to sarve your Honner, and preventmischief with my cuzzen Titus, on his coming back from Nottingam, beforehe mackes his reporte.
I have gin him a hint already: for what, as I sed to him, cuzzen Titus,signifies stirring up the coles and macking of strife, to make richgentilfolkes live at varience, and to be cutting of throtes, andsuch-like?
Very trewe, sed little Titus. And this, and plese your Honner, gisme hopes of him, if so be your Honner gis me direction; sen', as Godkno'es, I have a poor, a verry poor invenshon; only a willing mind toprevent mischief, that is the chief of my aim, and always was, I blessmy God!--Els I could have made much mischief in my time; as indeedany sarvant may. Your Honner nathaless praises my invenshon everynow-and-then: Alas! and plese your Honner, what invenshon should such aplane man as I have?--But when your Honner sets me agoing by your fineinvenshon, I can do well enuff. And I am sure I have a hearty good willto deserve your Honner's faver, if I mought.
Two days, as I may say, off and on, have I been writing this longletter. And yet I have not sed all I would say. For, be it knone untoyour Honner, as how I do not like that Captain Singleton, which I toldyou of in my last two letters. He is always laying his hedd and my youngmaster's hedd together; and I suspect much if so be some mischief is notgoing on between them: and still the more, as because my eldest youngelady seemes to be joined to them sometimes.
Last week my younge master sed before my fase, My harte's blood boilsover, Capten Singleton, for revenge upon this--and he called your Honnerby a name it is not for such a won as me to say what.--Capten Singletonwhispred my younge master, being I was by. So young master sed, You maysay any thing before Joseph; for, althoff he looks so seelie, he has asgood a harte, and as good a hedd, as any sarvante in the world need tohave. My conscience touched me just then. But why shoulde it? when all Ido is to prevent mischeff; and seeing your Honner has so much patience,which younge master has not; so am not affeard of telling your Honnerany thing whatsomever.
And furthermore, I have such a desire to desarve your Honner's bountyto me, as mackes me let nothing pass I can tell you of, to prevent harm:and too, besides, your Honner's goodness about the Blew Bore; which Ihave so good an accounte of!--I am sure I shall be bounden to bless yourHonner the longest day I have to live.
And then the Blew Bore is not all neither: sen', and please your Honner,the pretty Sowe (God forgive me for gesting in so serus a matter) runsin my hedd likewise. I believe I shall love her mayhap more than yourHonner would have me; for she begins to be kind and good-humered, andlistens, and plese your Honour, licke as if she was among beans, when Italke about the Blew Bore, and all that.
Prayey, your Honner, forgive the gesting of a poor plane man. We commonfokes have our joys, and plese your Honner, lick as our betters have;and if we be sometimes snubbed, we can find our underlings to snub themagen; and if not, we can get a wife mayhap, and snub her: so are masterssome how or other oursells.
But how I try your Honner's patience!--Sarvants will shew their joyfulhartes, tho' off but in partinens, when encourag'd.
Be plesed from the prems's to let me kno' if as how I can be put uponany sarvice to sarve your Honner, and to sarve my deerest younge lady;which God grant! for I begin to be affearde for her, hearing what pepletalck--to be sure your Honner will not do her no harme, as a man maysay. But I kno' your Honner must be good to so wonderous a younge lady.How can you help it?--But here my conscience smites me, that, but forsome of my stories, which your Honner taute me, my old master, and myold lady, and the two old 'squires, would not have been able to be halfso hardhearted as they be, for all my younge master and younge mistresssayes.
And here is the sad thing; they cannot come to clere up matters with mydeerest young lady, because, as your Honner has ordered it, they havethese stories as if bribed by me out of your Honner's sarvant; whichmust not be known for fere you should kill'n and me too, and blacken thebriber!--Ah! your Honner! I doubte as tha I am a very vild fellow, (Lordbless my soil, I pray God!) and did not intend it.
But if my deerest younge lady should come to harm, and plese yourHonner, the horsepond at the Blew Bore--but Lord preserve us all fromall bad mischeff, and all bad endes, I pray the Lord!--For tho'ff youHonner is kinde to me in worldly pelf, yet what shall a man get to looshis soul, as holy Skrittuer says, and plese your Honner?
But natheless I am in hope of reppentence hereafter, being but a youngeman, if I do wrong thro' ignorens: your Honner being a grate man, and agrave wit; and I a poor crature, not worthy notice; and your Honner ableto answer for all. But, howsomever, I am
Your Honner's fetheful sarvant in all dewtie, JOSEPH LEMAN.
APRIL 15 AND 16.