Sarah Fielding

“ Camilla, whose virtue was not of that outrageous kind which breaks out in a noise like thunder on such occasions, very calmly answered him as follows—"My lord, notwithstanding what you have heard of me, I am as innocent now as when you first knew me; and though malice has contrived to make me infamous, it never shall make me guilty; nor is it in the power of all your fortune to bribe me to do a criminal or mean action: and if your lordship has no other business with me, I must beg leave to desire my brother, and the man on earth I most esteem, to walk in again." ”

“ The conversation between him and Camilla was of the delicatest, tenderest kind; and he told her with the greatest joy that she had delivered him from the utmost despair of ever meeting with any happiness in this world; for that, when he had the good fortune to meet with her, his condition was so unhappy that he began seriously to think of getting into some corner of the earth where he might never see the face of a human creature; for to be always in the midst of people who, by their behaviour, forced him to despise them, was to him the greatest of all curses. ”

“ Camilla was not ignorant what subject he wanted to talk on, and immediately began a discourse on Cynthia. At last she brought him to say, "Oh! Camilla, how happy must that man be who can touch the heart of Cynthia! There is no hope for your unfortunate brother; for even if she could condescend to look on me, my circumstances are such, I dare not own my love to her. Mr. Simple's generosity and goodness to us makes it utterly impossible I should ever think of loading him with more burdens: no; I must for ever banish from my thoughts the only woman who is capable of raising my love and esteem. ”

“ At last David broke silence, and embracing Daniel, said, "I hope my dear brother will not impute my amazement to any concern I have, that he has so much the largest share of my father's fortune. No, I do assure you, the only cause of my uneasiness is fearing I have done anything to disoblige my father, who always behaved with so much good nature to me, and made us both so equal in his care and love, that I think he must have had some reason for this last action of leaving me so small a matter, especially as I am the eldest." ”

“ The good-nature of the Chevalier Dumont, with his friendship for the Marquis de Stainville, led him to use his utmost endeavours to amuse and divert her; besides, there is always a higher respect paid by every man to such beauty as Dorimene's than what other women meet with. This, with the melancholy which then possessed him on my account, sometimes inclined her to flatter herself that their passion was reciprocal; but then, in a moment, the utmost horror succeeded, and she resolved rather to die than sacrifice her virtue, or be guilty of the least treachery to such a husband. ”

“ For surely nothing but the greatest folly could make a creature, who must every day, nay, every hour in the day, be conscious of a thousand failings, and feel a thousand infirmities, fancy himself a deity, and contemplate his own perfections!" "As to that," says the gentleman, "when you have seen more of the world, you will find that what is generally called sense, has very little to do with what a man thinks; where self is at all concerned, inclination steps in, and will not give the judgment fair play, but forces it to wrest and torture the meaning of everything to its own purposes. ”

“ The genius of Corneille, like a fiery courser, is hard to be restrained; while Racine goes on in a majestick pace, and never turns out of the way, either to the right or the left. The smoothness of Waller's verse resembles a gentle cooling stream, which gives pleasure, and yet keeps the mind in calmness and serenity; while Dryden's genius is like a rapid river, ready to overleap its bounds; which we view with admiration, and find, while we are reading him, our fancy heightened to rove through all the various labyrinths of the human mind. ”

“ In short, love, gratitude, honour, friendship, and everything that is most valuable in the human mind, contended which should have the greatest power over him, and by turns exerted themselves in his generous breast. But he was involved in such a perplexing labyrinth, that, whichever way he turned his thoughts, he met with fresh difficulties and new torments. He found it was impossible for him ever to pretend another excuse to delay our marriage; and yet, when he considered Dorimene's furious menaces, his fears for my safety would not suffer him to think of it. ”

“ Thus was I condemned to spend my youth, the time when our imagination is at the highest, and we are capable of most pleasure, without being indulged in any one thing I liked, and obliged to employ myself in what was fancied by my mistaken parents to be for my improvement, although in reality it was nothing more than what any person, a degree above a natural fool, might learn as well in a very small time, as in a thousand ages. And what yet aggravated my misfortunes was, my having a brother who hated reading to such a degree, that he had a perfect aversion to the very sight of a book ”

“ David led this life for about a week, in the morning at toilettes, the evening at cards, and at night with Mr. Spatter, who constantly pulled to pieces, ridiculed and abused all the people they had been with the day before. He told him stories of ladies who were married to men infinitely their superiors, who raised their fortunes, indulged them in everything they could wish, were wholly taken up in contemplating their charms, and yet were neglected and slighted by them, who would abandon everything that can be thought most valuable rather than lose one evening playing at their darling whist. ”

“ When I disclosed to my mother the present situation of our affairs, instead of burdening me with complaints and lamentations, she at first showed a perfect indifference, and said, as she had lost her only comfort in losing my father, she cared very little what became of her; but then looking at me with an air of the greatest tenderness, she sighed, and said, "Why did I bring into the world a creature with your generous sentiments? who, after being educated like a gentleman, must be thrown on the wide world without any means of supporting that station in life!" ”

“ David could contain himself no longer; but looking at Camilla with an air of the greatest compassion, cried out, "Good God ! madam, what have you suffered! and how were you able to bear up in the midst of all these afflictions? I would rather go and live in some cave, where I may never see anything in human shape again, than hear of another Livia. And how could aunt be so barbarous as not to give you leave to justify yourselves?" ”

“ David, who had trembled from the time he had mentioned my Lord ———, now thought he had an opportunity to speak; and immediately replied, "If, sir, you think you have any obligations to me, which I assure you I do not, as I am fully paid by having served persons of such worth as Valentine and Camilla, it is in your power to give me all my soul holds dear. Consent to my having a title to call you father, by being joined for ever to Camilla, and the world cannot produce a man so happy as myself." ”

“ I cannot say I ever enjoyed any real happiness in my life; for the anxiety about the success of my schemes, the fear of being found out, and the disappointment which always attended me in the end, joined to the envy which continually preyed on my heart at the good fortune of others, has made me, ever since I came into the world, the most wretched of all mortals. ”

“ Had not I seen your affection placed on another, you had never known my love; for, till that misery was added to the rest, I struggled with my passion, and was resolved to conceal it for ever within my own bosom; but now you know it; and I would advise you to dread the rage of a woman whose passions have got so much the better of her as to enable her to break through all the strongest ties imaginable, and sacrifice everything that is most dear to her to the impossibility she finds of resisting her inclinations. ”

“ I had besides a dawn of comfort in the company of my brother, who, notwithstanding his youth and being a Frenchman, was of so grave and philosophical a temper, that he, having now finished his studies, like me, preferred the enjoying his own thoughts in ease and quiet to all the gay amusements and noisy pomp which were to be met with in Paris. Though we had never been bred together, yet the present sympathy of our tempers (for I was become as grave, from the late accident which had befallen me, as he was from nature) led us to contract the strictest friendship for each other. ”

“ You, of all womankind, should be most careful how you enter into any engagements of love; for that softness of disposition, and all that tenderness you are possessed of, will expose you to the utmost misery; and, unless you meet with a man whose temper is like your own, which will be no easy matter for you to do, you will be as unwise to throw away all the goodness you are mistress of on him, as a man would be who had a great stock-in-trade, to join it with another who not only was worth nothing of his own, but was a spend-thrift, and insensible of the great good he was doing him. ”

“ She spoke but seldom, but what she said was always a proof of her good understanding. Her manner was grave and reserved, and her behaviour had something of that kind of quietness and stillness in it which is often imputed by the injudicious to a want of spirit. In short, notwithstanding her beauty and good sense, she wanted those little ways of setting off her charms to the best advantage which Corinna had to the greatest perfection; and, quite contrary to her sister, from her great modesty and fear of displeasing, often lost opportunities of gaining lovers which she otherwise might have had. ”

“ David, who, from his own goodness of heart, required the strongest proofs to convince him of any ill in another, from the same goodness easily perceived all the emotions which arise in the mind from tenderness; and consequently was not long in suspense at Valentine's extraordinary behaviour on this occasion.
Camilla had acted with great honour; for although she had told David, as her benefactor and friend, the whole history of her own life, she had said no more of her brother than what was necessary; thinking she had no right, on any account, to discover his secrets, unless by his permission. ”

“ Imagine the joys of an ambitious man who has just supplanted his enemy, and is got into his place; imagine what a young lawyer feels the first cause he has gained, or a young officer the first time he mounts guard. But imagine what you will, unless you have experienced what it is to be both a sincere and successful lover, you never can imagine anything equal to what David felt. ”

“ My brother begged him to hear him out; and then said—'My dear Dumont, I am so far from accusing you, that had not your honour been fixed in my opinion as steadfastly as possible before, your behaviour on this occasion would have been the most convincing proof imaginable that although our friendship commenced in our youth, yet nothing can ever shake or remove it. And, by my own experience, I am so certain there cannot be any enjoyment equal to that of living with a person one loves, that I bless my good fortune which has put it in my power to bestow that happiness on my sister and on my friend. ”

“ A good many Ladies speak at one time. Oh, intolerable I cry for an odious apprentice-boy, who murdered his uncle at the instigation too of a common woman, and yet be unmoved, when even Cato bled for his country.
Old Lady. That is no wonder, I assure you, ladies; for I once heard my Lady Know-all positively affirm George Barnwell to be one of the best things that ever was wrote: for that nature is nature in whatever station it is placed; and that she could be as much affected with the distress of a man in low life, as if he was a lord or a duke. ”

“ As to David, the thoughts of Camilla's having ever liked another quite overcame him; he knew not whether he was awake or in a dream. But notwithstanding all the raging passions which warred in his mind, he could not but reflect that he had nothing to accuse Camilla of, for that she was under no sort of engagement to him, and at full liberty to like whom she pleased; yet, when he fancied any other man was the object of her love, he could not help thinking she had not half those virtues he before thought her possessed of. ”

“ He saw I had no great fondness for money, and was willing to share what I had with my friends; this put it into his head to try if he could make a quarrel between Dumont and me, that he might possess me wholly himself; and you must know, Isabelle, notwithstanding the present calmness that appears in my temper, I am naturally excessively passionate, and I have such a warmth in my disposition that the least suspicion of being ill-used by my friends sets my whole soul in a flame and enrages me to madness. ”

“ In one house there are three sisters so much in love with him, that from being very good friends, and leading the most amicable life together, they are become such inveterate enemies, that they cannot refrain, even in company, from throwing out sly invectives and spiteful reproaches at one another. I know one lady of fashion, who has no fault but an unconquerable passion for this gentleman, and having too much honour to give her person to one man while another has her affections, has refused several good matches, pines herself away, and falls a perfect sacrifice to his vanity. ”

“ I have heard of a gentleman, who would never go to another's house, if he had ever so many coaches and six to carry him in, without horses of his own; saying the only way to be treated well, was to show people he had it in his power to leave them whenever he pleased. And I think he was perfectly in the right; for melancholy experience has taught me how miserable it is to abandon one's self to another's power. ”