Eliza Haywood

“ Then, cry'd he, you would equally hate any other should address you on the same score? I think so, answer'd I; but, Sir, I beseech you question me no farther. --I know my Heart at present, but know not what it may be hereafter. --I have heard of Women, that have an hundred Times my Understanding, and yet made a false Step, as they call it. --'Tis Heaven alone must keep me, and by depending on that only Guard, I hope to be secure. Well, but there is no harm, said he, in indulging a Tenderness, for a generous faithful Lover. No, Sir, replied I, not when his Designs are virtuous and honourable. ”

“ How pleasing are the Thoughts of being belov'd by one who seems worthy of being lov'd! Mr. P-- thought himself the happiest of all created Beings; blest in the purest and tenderest Affections of the most beautiful, most engaging, and most virtuous of her Sex; and one who had also a handsome Competency at least, to make smooth the rugged Road of Life. Tho' he was by Nature a Man of very warm Inclinations, and had been the Destruction of many fine Women's Virtue and Reputation; so great was the Respect he bore Syrena ”

“ He vow'd no more to shock my Modesty-- said a thousand tender Things, and, I believe, was truly concern'd to see me in that Condition --by little, and little, I seem'd to recover my Spirits, and when I had; how shamefully, said I, have I betray'd myself. -- How dare I encounter the Artifices of Mankind, with my plain simple Innocence:-- How could I flatter myself such a Gentleman as you, could have any Inclinations for such a Creature as myself; but such as would demean me more: O! infinitely more, than Fortune has done. You wrong yourself and me, reply'd he ”

“ I would only have you first attain, that which alone can give them a true Relish; for Love in Rags Syrena, is a most despicable Thing. Therefore, I once more lay my Commands upon you, to speak no more to this paltry Vardine; and to endeavour with all your Might, to conquer whatever Sentiments you may be possest of in his Favour, which is all that can restore Peace of Mind to her, who is at present,
Your most discontented Mother, Ann Tricksy. ”

“ As for the young Gentleman in Custody, Rage, Shame, and Amazement took up all his Mind, and left no room for any Thought how to disintangle himself from the Snare his Love for an unworthy Object had brought him into --He never could conceive there was so much Villany in Womankind, much less in one so young; and was ready to curse the whole Sex, for the Sake of the perfidious Syrena: So unjustly do our Passions often make us blend the worthy with the unworthy! ”

“ He, for his part, had seem'd to center all his Hopes and his Desires in her, had never given her Cause for one uneasy Moment on his Score, nor did she even know what Jealousy meant; till that fatal Letter from the wicked Mrs. Tricksy awaken'd in her that poisonous Passion, and forc'd her, all soft and gentle as she was by Nature, to experience those furious Emotions, which Love ill-treated, and Confidence abused, never fail to excite. ”

“ For tho' I live well, want for nothing, and am treated with the greatest Respect; yet you must be sensible, my Youth and Inclinations are not to be satisfy'd with such a sort of Life; besides I should be glad to be at some certainty--I shall not fail to acquaint you with every thing that happens, but in the mean time think of my Request, and believe me,
Dear Mother, Your dutiful Daughter, Syrena Tricksy. ”

“ Smith, but all Mankind beside were perfectly my Avesiron--He seemed overjoyed to hear me speak in this manner-- kiss'd me, and embraced me a Hundred Times I believe, before he was able to make me any Answer; at last, well but, my dear Love, cried he, there yet remains one Proof of your preferring my Society above all others of my Sex, and if you deny to give me that, you must give me leave to disbelieve all others?--in fine, you must consent to put it out of either of our Powers to part--you must be my Wife. ”

“ I love to rise early, the Sweetness of the Morning tempted me abroad, and the few Acquaintance I have here, are all too lazy to partake of it. Then, rejoined he, you will give me leave to be your Companion? provided, answered she gayly, your Complaisance is no Violence on your Inclination; for as you have owned yourself a Lover, it may very well be supposed you come here to indulge those Ideas, you just now accused me of. ”

“ An Offer, such as this, from a Woman of her supposed Modesty, could not but surprize him--he took it however as a Proof of the most exalted and disinterested Passion that ever was--but when he reflected, that to support her as a Mistress, would be little less inconvenient than maintaining her as a Wife, it very much puzzled him--but he loved her, and that overcame all other Considerations; she staid with him at his Lodgings-- shared the same Bed, and they lived together in every Respect, as if they had been married. ”

“ Never had Syrena given a greater Proof, how perfect a Mistress she was in the Art of Dissimulation, than by the Amazement she put on at hearing him talk to her in the Language of a Lover--a half Resentment, and a half Compliance were blended with it, so as not to dash his Hopes too much, nor lessen herself with him by approving too easily of his Addresses. In fine, she behaved in such a Fashion, as made him think her an Angel of Virtue, and at the same Time, a Woman not a little attach'd to him by a secret liking of his Person. ”

“ Sir, said she, what I have to tell you will be a certain test of the Sincerity of that Affection you profess. --I do assure you, Syrena has at present no Fortune; but lives dependant on me who have a tolerable good Jointure, and is all that is preserved out of a large Estate her Father once enjoy'd; but which, at my Decease goes also to an eldest Son --Not that she will always be a Beggar --she is set down six thousand Pounds in the Will of a rich Cousin, who by the Course of Nature cannot live many Years, being now more than Ninety. ”

“ So full an Enjoyment did not in the least abate his Tenderness; and tho' after she had been with him some few Days, he was told by Persons who happened to see her at his Window, that she was a Woman of an infamous Character, and made up of Deceit, he looked upon it all as Malice or Envy, and even quarrelled with the dearest Friend he had on Earth, for but seeming to doubt of her Sincerity. --Have I not Proofs both of her Love and Honour, cry'd he, such Proofs as never Woman but herself ever gave, nor never Man but me was ever bless'd with? --O! she is all Charms, both Mind and Body! ”

“ Your most Dutiful Daughter, Syrena Tricksy.
WEDNESDAY. Dear Mamma, I am not half so easy as when I wrote to you last--I am afraid, I have made a Conquest in the wrong Place. --I find what Mrs. Mary told me is true. --Sir Thomas can't be content with his own Lady, tho' she is allow'd to be one of the finest Women in the Kingdom, and is not old now; for they say, she was a perfect Girl when Mr. L-- was born: Well, if I were a Woman of Fortune, I'd marry none of them. --But I'll tell you, Mamma ”

“ Yes, answered he, it does inspire what is commonly called Generosity, we are ready enough to give every thing, and do every thing for the Person we love; but then that Passion that makes us so liberal, makes us also desire something in return--we cannot content ourselves with rendring happy the Object of our Affections, but languish for something more than Gratitude. --Indeed, pretty Mrs. Tricksy, continued he, taking my Hand and pressing it, these are all Romantick Notions; and as charming as you are, you will never find a Man who loves you for your own sake alone. ”

“ The World, cry'd he, is not well agreed about the true Signification of those Words, Virtuous and Honourable; but for my Part, I think that what tends to make the Happiness of the beloved Object is both Virtuous and Honourable. --But, we'll leave the Definition to the Casuists: I have one Thing more, my charming Syrena, to be inform'd of, and then I have done. --Suppose, continued he, I loved you, and loved you with a Passion, which it was utterly impossible for me to subdue, must I for that Reason, be the Object of your Aversion? ”

“ Your Loving Mother, Ann Tricksy.
No Man that has not loved, entrusted, and been jilted, and betray'd, like Mr. D--, can have a true Notion of what he felt at this Scene of Villany, so wonderfully laid open to him--he shudder'd to think there could be so much Wickedness in the World; but when he reflected that it had been practis'd on himself, by a Person he had so much confided in, he was all Rage and Madness. Had he follow'd the first Dictates of his Fury, he would have staid till the false Syrena had come home, and torn out her beguiling Eyes, and soft dissembling Tongue ”

“ Now Mother to what can this Inconsistency of Behaviour be imputed, but to an excess of Love and to some Obstacle within himself that makes him fearful of indulging it--'tis strange he conceals it in this manner, but there is no getting it out of him, till he pleases himself --something sure extraordinary will be the Event, but what I know not; when I do, you shall not be a Moment in ignorance. I am
Your Dutiful Daughter, Syrena Tricksy. ”

“ I said nothing to all this, but kept on weeping and sobbing, as if my Heart would burst; but tho' he said all he could to comfort me, I could not perceive that he receded at all from the Declaration he had made. --Nay did not even pretend, that when his Father died, he would marry me-- all he talk'd on was the Violence, and Constancy of his Affection, for me; that when he came to his Estate, I should vie with the greatest Ladies in the Town, in fine Cloaths and Equipage; and that if Duty or Convenience ever oblig'd him to marry, I should still be the sole Mistress of his Heart ”

“ Every Look she gave him, and every Word she spoke, was new Fuel to the unhappy Flame she before had kindled in his Heart;-- he thought there never was so perfect, so beautiful a Creature born, and wish'd himself unmarry'd, that he might have endeavoured to gain her Affection, which he now durst not presume to attempt. ”

“ What Compassion is due to a Mother, who having no Portion to give her Daughter, shall fill her Head with Notions of Quality; give Half a Crown for the cutting her Hair, when perhaps half the Money must serve the whole Family for a Dinner; make her wear Gloves, Night and Day, and scarce suffer her to wash a Tea-Cup for fear of spoiling her Hands; when such one, I say, shall cry out Daughter is undone, and exclaim against the cruel Man that has robb'd her of her Child ”

“ But you know, Syrena, that while he lives, I have no Estate, and am a meer Dependant on his pleasure, for my present Expences; indeed my Allowance is not so scanty, but that out of it I could support you in a Fashion, that, with a little Love on your side, would make you easy;--what Answer, cry'd he, perceiving I was silent, does my dear Syrena make? Alas, Sir! said I what Answer can I make, that will not be displeasing to you? I have already told you I prefer my Honesty to every thing, and I hope shall always be of the same Mind. ”

“ I wish there were no greater Danger of your Inadvertency on another Score; and that the Inclination you have for the young Lover, may not be fatal to our Designs on the old One. --However, if any Letter or Message comes from him, Sarah shall bring it directly. --I neither blame, nor wonder at your liking a pretty Fellow; I would only have you keep it ever in your Thoughts, that you never were in so fair a Way of making your Fortune as at present, and not do any thing that might even give a Possibility of reversing it. --Remember the Mercer who was so good a Friend to you ”

“ How moving are the Griefs of those we love; had she ask'd him for his Soul he would have given it, and tho' at that time he could very ill spare it, being going to pay a Bill drawn on him by one of his Weavers, yet he immediately took out of his Pocket-Book two fifty Pound Bank Notes and gave her, bidding her dry her Tears, and go instantly to remedy the cause; with these Words, accompany'd with a thousand Kisses, he took his leave, and she order'd a Hackney Coach to carry her to the Place where her Lover was confined. ”

“ They past the Time till Morning in mutual Endearments, and indeed mutual Dissimulation -- Syrena artfully mingling with her pretended Fondness certain modest Shocks to heighten his good Opinion of her, and he affecting to be possest of a more than ordinary Passion, for the more emboldning her to meet his amorous Desires with equal Warmth. The Night being past, and his Lordship fully gratify'd, he made her a Present of ten Guineas, which she at first refused with an Air of Disdain, telling him that he injured her greatly if he imagin'd she had yielded from any motive but Love. ”

“ I believe we shall find the Miseries these poor Creatures undergo, and frequently involve others in, less owing to their own Inclinations, than to the too great Indulgence and false Tenderness of their Parents; who flattering themselves that by breeding them like Gentlewomen, and setting them forth to the utmost of their Abilities, and often beyond, they shall be able to make their Fortune by Marriage; give them Ideas no way to their Advantage. ”

“ One would imagine she should, in so terrible an Exigence, have look'd back with Shame and Confusion on her past Conduct, but she appeared rather harden'd than abashed, when her Mother, who soon discovered the Truth, remonstrated to her the Folly and Madness of her late Behaviour--'tis possible the old Woman now began to repent the having train'd up a Child in that manner; but if she did, it was of no Service, since the other was too opinionated and too obstinate to take any Advice, but such as was agreeable to her own Inclinations. ”

“ If we pay any Regard to History or Tradition, said the Gentleman, whatever happens out of the common Course of Nature, as your Disorder, Madam, seems to have been, has ever been look'd upon as a Presage of some unexpected Change in Fortune. ”