LETTER XXXV
MR. BELFORD, TO ROBERT LOVELACE, ESQ.WEDNESDAY, MAY 17.
I cannot conceal from you any thing that relates to yourself so much asthe enclosed does. You will see what the noble writer apprehends fromyou, and wishes of you, with regard to Miss Harlowe, and how much atheart all your relations have it that you do honourably by her. Theycompliment me with an influence over you, which I wish with all my soulyou would let me have in this article.
Let me once more entreat thee, Lovelace, to reflect, before it be toolate (before the mortal offence be given) upon the graces and merits ofthis lady. Let thy frequent remorses at last end in one effectualremorse. Let not pride and wantonness of heart ruin the fairerprospects. By my faith, Lovelace, there is nothing but vanity, conceit,and nonsense, in our wild schemes. As we grow older, we shall be wiser,and looking back upon our foolish notions of the present hour, (our youthdissipated,) shall certainly despise ourselves when we think of thehonourable engagements we might have made: thou, more especially, if thoulettest such a matchless creature slide through thy fingers. A creaturepure from her cradle. In all her actions and sentiments uniformly noble.Strict in the performance of all her even unrewarded duties to the mostunreasonable of fathers; what a wife will she make the man who shall havethe honour to call her his!
What apprehensions wouldst thou have had reason for, had she beenprevailed upon by giddy or frail motives, for which one man, byimportunity, might prevail, as well as another?
We all know what an inventive genius thou art master of: we are allsensible, that thou hast a head to contrive, and a heart to execute.Have I not called thine the plotting'st heart in the universe? I calledit so upon knowledge. What woulds't thou more? Why should it be themost villainous, as well as the most able?--Marry the lady; and, whenmarried, let her know what a number of contrivances thou hadst inreadiness to play off. Beg of her not to hate thee for thecommunication; and assure her, that thou gavest them up for remorse, andin justice to her extraordinary merit: and let her have the opportunityof congratulating herself for subduing a heart so capable of what thoucallest glorious mischief. This will give her room for triumph; and eventhee no less: she, for hers over thee; thou, for thine over thyself.
Reflect likewise upon her sufferings for thee. Actually at the time thouart forming schemes to ruin her, (at least in her sense of the word,) isshe not labouring under a father's curse laid upon her by thy means, andfor thy sake? and wouldst thou give operation and completion to thatcurse, which otherwise cannot have effect?
And what, Lovelace, all the time is thy pride?--Thou that vainlyimaginest that the whole family of the Harlowes, and that of the Howestoo, are but thy machines, unknown to themselves, to bring about thypurposes, and thy revenge, what art thou more, or better, than theinstrument even of her implacable brother, and envious sister, toperpetuate the disgrace of the most excellent of sisters, to which theyare moved by vilely low and sordid motives?--Canst thou bear, Lovelace,to be thought the machine of thy inveterate enemy James Harlowe?--Nay,art thou not the cully of that still viler Joseph Leman, who serveshimself as much by thy money, as he does thee by the double part he actsby thy direction?--And further still, art thou not the devil's agent, whoonly can, and who certainly will, suitably reward thee, if thouproceedest, and if thou effectest thy wicked purpose?
Could any man but thee put together upon paper the following questionswith so much unconcern as thou seemest to have written them?--give thema reperusal, O heart of adamant! 'Whither can she fly to avoid me? Herparents will not receive her. Her uncles will not entertain her. Herbeloved Norton is in their direction, and cannot. Miss Howe dare not.She has not one friend in town but ME--is entirely a stranger to thetown.'*--What must that heart be that can triumph in a distress so deep,into which she has been plunged by thy elaborate arts and contrivances?And what a sweet, yet sad reflection was that, which had like to have hadits due effect upon thee, arising from thy naming Lord M. for her nuptialfather? her tender years inclining her to wish for a father, and to hopea friend.--O my dear Lovelace, canst thou resolve to be, instead of thefather thou hast robbed her of, a devil?
* See Letter XXI. of this volume.
Thou knowest, that I have no interest, that I can have no view, inwishing thee to do justice to this admirable creature. For thy own sake,once more I conjure thee, for thy family's sake, and for the sake of ourcommon humanity, let me beseech thee to be just to Miss Clarissa Harlowe.
No matter whether these expostulations are in character from me, or not.I have been and am bad enough. If thou takest my advice, which is (asthe enclosed will shew thee) the advice of all thy family, thou wiltperhaps have it to reproach me (and but perhaps neither) that thou artnot a worse man than myself. But if thou dost not, and if thou ruinestsuch a virtue, all the complicated wickedness of ten devils, let looseamong the innocent with full power over them, will not do so much vileand base mischief as thou wilt be guilty of.
It is said that the prince on his throne is not safe, if a mind sodesperate can be found, as values not its own life. So may it be said,that the most immaculate virtue is not safe, if a man can be met with whohas no regard to his own honour, and makes a jest of the most solemn vowsand protestations.
Thou mayest by trick, chicane, and false colours, thou who art worse thana pickeroon in love, overcome a poor lady so entangled as thou hastentangled her; so unprotected as thou hast made her: but consider, howmuch more generous and just to her, and noble to thyself, it is, toovercome thyself.
Once more, it is no matter whether my past or future actions countenancemy preachment, as perhaps thou'lt call what I have written: but this Ipromise thee, that whenever I meet with a woman of but one half of MissHarlowe's perfections, who will favour me with her acceptance, I willtake the advice I give, and marry. Nor will I offer to try her honourat the hazard of my own.
In other words, I will not degrade an excellent creature in her own eyes,by trials, when I have no cause for suspicion. And let me add, withrespect to thy eagleship's manifestation, of which thou boastest, in thyattempts upon the innocent and uncorrupted, rather than upon those whomthou humourously comparest to wrens, wagtails, and phyl-tits, as thoucallest them,* that I hope I have it not once to reproach myself, that Iruined the morals of any one creature, who otherwise would have beenuncorrupted. Guilt enough in contributing to the continued guilt of otherpoor wretches, if I am one of those who take care she shall never riseagain, when she has once fallen.
* See Letter XVII. of this volume.
Whatever the capital devil, under whose banner thou hast listed, will letthee do, with regard to this incomparable woman, I hope thou wilt actwith honour in relation to the enclosed, between Lord M. and me; sincehis Lordship, as thou wilt see, desires, that thou mayest not know hewrote on the subject; for reasons, I think, very far from beingcreditable to thyself: and that thou wilt take as meant, the honest zealfor thy service, of
Thy real friend,J. BELFORD.