UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES
 
 
 
 

 
 Troiitifpiece. 
 
 Ycl.2, 
 
 THE PRINCESS or 
 
 PuM/hut fy G.Kear/lyir?46.Flee Street Atyf 7.7777.
 
 COLLECTION 
 N O V F E L S, 
 
 SELECTED AND REVISED BY 
 
 MRS. GRIFFITH. 
 
 V O L. II. 
 
 S P A R SA C E G L 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Priuied forG. KEARSLY, at N. 46, in Flee>Streett 
 and the other Proprietors* 
 
 MDCCLXXVU. /
 
 PR 
 
 THE 
 
 PRINCESS OF CLEVES,
 
 CHARACTER 
 
 O F T H 
 
 PRINCESS OF CLEVESj 
 
 BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 JH E fto'ry of the Princefs of Cleves *, which 
 we now prefent to our readers, has been long 
 aniverfally allowed to ftand foremoft in that 
 peculiar fpecies of writing, where hiftorical fata 
 are intermixed with the anecdotes and adventures 
 of private perfonages. The (cene is laid in the court 
 of France, at an era when galantry had rifen to its 
 greateft height in that polite nation ; though th& 
 romantic notions of ancient chivalry had begun 
 to grow obfolete, but were not yet intirely exploded ; : 
 for we here meet with a tournament, appointed in 
 honour of the princefs Elizabeth's marriage with 
 
 * The original of this Novel is in French. The author 
 has not put any name to the piece, and gives this modefl 
 reafon for it ; " That he would wait 'till he found how it 
 \vas received by the public, before he \vuuldventure to de- 
 clare himfelf." The fecret has never fincetranfpired. 
 
 In this uncertainty, every one is left at liberty to frame 
 a co njedture about the Author ; and, in my opinion, this 
 work feems to have been written by fome ingenious woman 
 of the age in which it appeared; as the delicacy of fenti- 
 ment, and peculiar nicety of manners, with which the 
 princefs of Cleves conducted hedelf in the moft difficult 
 lituations, could only have ariien in the female breaft. Men 
 are not apt to imagine fuch refinements j and even, per- 
 !iaps,l els Co tg impute them tc the Acs. 
 
 4 the
 
 CHARACTER, &V. 
 
 the king of Spain ; which, however, was the laft 
 fhat ever was exhibited in France. 
 
 From this particular circumftance, the reader 
 may form an idea, that the manners and fentiments 
 of thofe times difrofed widely from thofe of the 
 prefent ; and of courfe, the delicacy with which, 
 the princefs of Cleves and the duke of Nemours 
 conducted trjemfelyes, though under the influence 
 of an unjuftifiable paflion, ought not to be deemed 
 unnatural, though, perhaps, in thefe more licentious 
 days it may be fuppofed improbable, 
 
 There are ibme fituations in the following Novel, 
 Hiore refined and elegant than any we ever re- 
 member to have met with before ; particularly, 
 lhat of our heroine's flying for fan&uary, as it 
 were, from herfelf, into the bofom of her huf- 
 band, by revealing to him her paflion for another. 
 What a confidant for a modern dame ! The line 
 which the princefs of Cleves purfues through the 
 whole ftory, is doubtlefs worthy of emulation to 
 thofe who may be fo unhappy as to ftand in the 
 fame predicament j but her conduct, after the death 
 of her hufband, will, we fear, rather be confidered 
 as a iubjecl for admiration, than imitation.
 
 THE 
 
 PRINCESS 
 
 OF 
 
 C L EVE S. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 GRANDEUR and gallantry never appeared with 
 mere lufire in France, than in the laft years of 
 Henry the Second's reign. This prince was 
 amorous and handfome, and though his paffion for 
 Diana of Poicliers, duchefs of Valeutinois, was of 
 above twenty years {landing, it was not the lefs violent, 
 nor did he give leis diflinguifhing proofs of it. 
 
 As he was happily turned to excel in bodily exercifes, 
 he took a particular delight in them, fuch as hunting, 
 tennis, running at the ring, and the like diversions. 
 Madam de Valendncis gave fpirit to all entertainments 
 of this fort, and appeared at them with grace and beauty 
 equal to that of her grand -daughter, madam de la 
 Marke, who was then unmarried ; the queen's prefence 
 feemed to authorife her's. 
 
 The queen was handfome, though not young j (he 
 loved grandeur, magnificence and pleafure; ihs was 
 
 VOL. II. B married
 
 fi THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 married to the king while he was duke of Orleans, dur- 
 ing the life of his elder brother, the dauphin, a prince 
 \vhofe great qualities promifed in him a worthy fucceffor 
 of his father Francis the firft. 
 
 The queen's ambitious temper made her tafte the fweets 
 cf reigning, and (he feemed to bear with perfect eafe 
 the king's pafiion for the duchefs of Valentionis, nor 
 did fhe exprefs the leaft jeahmfy of it ; but me was fo 
 fkilful a diflembler, that it was hard to judge of her real 
 fentiments, and policy obliged her to keep the duchefs 
 about her perfcn, that me might draw the king to her 
 at the fame time. This prince took great delight in 
 the converfadon of women, even of fuch as he had no 
 paffion for ; for he was every day at the queen's court, 
 when me held her afiembly, which was a concourfe of 
 all that was beautiful and excellent in either fex. 
 
 Never were finer women or more accomplimed men 
 feen in any court ; and nature feemed to have taken 
 pleafure in lavifhing her greateft graces on the greateft 
 perfons. The princefs Elizabeth, fince queen of Spain, 
 began now to manifeft an uncommon wit, and to dif- 
 play thofe beauties which proved afterwards fo fatal to 
 her. Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland, who had juft 
 married the dauphin, and was called the queen-dau- 
 phin, had all the perfections of mind and body ; flic had 
 fceen educated in the court of France, and had imbibed 
 all the politenefs of it j fhe was by nature fo well formed 
 to fhine in every thing that was polite, that notwith- 
 flanding her youth, none furpafied her in the moft re- 
 fned accotnplimments. The queen, her mother-in- 
 'law, and the king's filter, were alfo extreme lovers 
 of mufic, plays, and poetry ; for the tafte which Francis 
 the Firit had for the Belles Lettres was not yet ex- 
 tin guifhed in France; and as his fon was addicted to 
 exercnes, no kind of pkafure was wanting at court. 
 But what rendered this court fo fplendid, was the pre- 
 tence of fo many great princes, and perfons of the higheit 
 ouality and merit: thofs I fliall name, in their different 
 
 chara&eri,
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 3 
 
 characters, were the admiration and ornament of their 
 age. 
 
 The king of Navarre drew to himfelf the refpecl; of all 
 the world, both by the greatnefs of his birth, and by 
 the dignity that appeared in his perfon ; he was re- 
 markable for his flcill and courage in war. The duke 
 of Guife had alfo given proofs of extraordinary valour, 
 and had been fo fuccefsful, that there was not a general 
 who did not look upon him with envy j to his valour 
 ke added a moil exquifite genius and underftanding, 
 grandeur of mind, and a capacity equally turned for 
 military or civil affairs. His brother, the cardinal of 
 Loraine, was a man of boundlefs ambition, and of ex- 
 traordinary wit and eloquence, and had bendes ac- 
 quired a vaft variety of learning, which enabled him 
 to make himfelf very confiderable by defending the 
 Catholic religion, which began to be attacked at that 
 time. The chevalier de Guife, afterwards called 
 Grand Prior, was a prince beloved by all the wcrld, of 
 a. comely perfon, full of wit and addrefs, and dif- 
 tinguimed through all Europe for his valour. The 
 prince of Conde, though little indebted to nature in his 
 perfon, had a noble foul, and the livelinefs of his wit 
 made him amiable even in the eyes of the fineft women. 
 The duke of Nevers, diftinguiihed by the high employ- 
 ments he had poflefled, and by the glory he had gained 
 in war, though in an advanced age, was yet the delight 
 of the court : he had three fons very accomplifhed j the 
 fecond, called the prince of Cleves, was worthy to fup- 
 port the honour of his houfe ; he was brave and gene- 
 rous, and (hewed a prudence above his years. The 
 vifcount de Chartres, defcended of the illuftrious family 
 of Vendome, whofe name the princes of the blood have 
 thought it no dishonour to wear, was equally dif- 
 tinguiihed for gallantry; he was genteel, of a fine 
 mien, valiant, generous, and all thefe qualities he pof- 
 feiTed in a very uncommon degree ; in fcort, if any one 
 cowld be compared to the duke de Nemours, it was he. 
 B a Th
 
 4 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 The duke de Nemours was a mailer-piece of nature ; 
 the beauty of his pcrfon, inimitable as it was, was his 
 leaft perfection ; what placed him above other men, 
 was a certain agreeablenefs in his difcourfe, his aclion<, 
 his looks, which was obfervable in none befidehimfelf : 
 He had in his behaviour a gaiety that was equally plea- 
 fing to men and women'; in his exercifes he was very 
 expert; and in drefs he had a peculiar manner, which 
 -was followed by all the world, but could never be imi- 
 tated : in fine, fuch was the air of his whole perfon, 
 that it was impoflible to fix one's eye on any thing elle, 
 wherever he was. There WES not a Ir.dy at court 
 whole vanity would not have been grati5ed by his ad- 
 dreffes ; few of thofe whom he addrefled, could boail of 
 having refifted him ; and even thofe for whom he ex- 
 prefledno paffion, could not forbear expreffing one for 
 him : his natural gaiety and difpofition to gallantry was 
 fo great, that he could not refufe fome part of his cares 
 and vtention to thofe who made it their endeavour to 
 pleale him ; and accordingly he had fever.il mifireftes, 
 but it was hard to gucfs which of them was in pofTellion 
 of his heart. He made frequent vifits to the queen- 
 dauphin; the beaut)- of this princefs, the fweetnefsof her 
 temper, the care me took to oblige every bod;, , and the 
 particular efteem fi;e exprefled for the duke de Nemours, 
 gave ground to believe, that he had raifed his \ ie\v 
 even to her. Meffieurs de Guife, whofe niece me was, 
 had fo far encreafed their authority and reputation by 
 this match, that their ambition prompted them to afpire 
 at an equality with the princes of the blood, and to mnre 
 in power with the conllable Montmorency. The king 
 entrufted the conflable with the chief fhare in the admi- 
 niilration of the government, and treated the duke of 
 Guife and the marefchal de St. Andre as his favourites; 
 but whether favour or bufinefs admitted men to his 
 prefence, they could not preferve that privilege without 
 the good-liking of the duchefs of Valentinois ; for though 
 fbe was no longer in pofieffion either of youth or beaury . 
 
 fee
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 5 
 
 fhe yet reigned fo abfolutely in his heart, that his perfon 
 and ftate feemed entirely at her difpoui!. 
 
 The king had fuch an affedtioa for the conftable, 
 that he-was no {boner poflefied of the government, bat 
 he recalled him from the banifnmeat he had been fent 
 into by Francis the t irlt : Uus was the court divided be- 
 tween mefiieurs de Guife, and the cor.loibie, whi was 
 fupported by the princes of the blood ; and both parties 
 made it their care to gain the duchefs of Vaientinois. 
 The duke d' Aumale, the duke of Guife's brother, had 
 married one of her daughters, and the conftable afpired 
 to the fame alliance ; he was not contented with having 
 married his el deft fon with madam Diana, the king's 
 daughter by a Picmontefe lady, who tvirned nun as foon 
 as fhe was brought to bed. This marriage had met with 
 a great many obstacles from the promifes which rnonfieur 
 Montmorency had made to madam de Piennes, one of 
 the maids of honour to the queen ; and though the king 
 had furmounted them with extreme patience and goca- 
 nefs, the conftable did not think himfelf fufficiently 
 eftablifhed, unlefs he fecured madam de Vaientinois in 
 his intereft, and feparated her from meffieurs de G uife, 
 whofe greatnefs began to give her uneafinefs. The 
 duchefs had obftructed as much as fhe could the marriage 
 of the dauphin with the queen of Scotland ; the beauty 
 and forward wit of that young queen, and the credit 
 which her marriage gave to meffieurs de Guife, were in- 
 fupportable to her ; fhe in particular hatad the cardinal of 
 Loraine, who had fpoke to her with feverity, and even 
 with contempt ; fhe was fenfible he took the party of 
 the queen, fo that the conftable found her very well dif- 
 pofed to unite her interefis with his, and to enter into 
 alliance with him, by marrying her grand-daughter, 
 madam de la Marke, with monfieurd'Anville, his fecond 
 fon, who fucceeded him in his employment undeivthe 
 reign of Charles the Ninth. The conftable did not ex- 
 peft to find the fame difinciin.ition to marriage in his 
 fecond fon, which he had found in his eldeft ; but he 
 B 3
 
 6 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 proved uiiftaken. The duke d'Anville was defperately 
 in love with the dauphin-queen, and how little hope 
 foever he might have of fucceeding in his paffion, ho 
 could not prevail with himfelf to enter into an engage- 
 ment that would divide his cares. The marefchal de 
 St. Andre was the only perfon in the court, that had not 
 lilted in either party : he was a particular favourite, and 
 the king had a perfonal affection for him ; he had taken, 
 a liking to him ever fince he was dauphin, and created 
 him a marefchal of France at an age in which others 
 rarely obtain the leal!: dignities : his favour with the 
 king gave him a luftre which he fupported by his merit 
 and the agreeablenefs of his perfon, by a fplendor in his 
 table and furniture, and by the moft profufe magnifi- 
 cence that ever was known in a private perfon, the king's 
 liberality enabling him to bear fuch an expence. This 
 prince was bounteous even to prodigality to thofe he 
 favoured, and though he had not all the great qualities, 
 he had very many ; particularly he took delight, and had 
 great {kill in military affairs ; he was alfo fuccefsful, and 
 excepting the battle of St. Quintin, his reign had been 
 a continued feries of vidlory ; he won in perfon the battle 
 of Rend, Piemont was conquer'd, the Englilh were 
 driven out of France, and the emperor Charles V. found 
 his good fortune decline before the walls of Metz, which 
 he befieged in vain, with all the forces of the empire znd 
 of Spain : but the difgrace received at St. Quintin 
 lefTened the hopes we had of extending our conquefts; 
 and as Fortune feemed to divide herfelf between two 
 kings, they both found themfelves infenfibly difpoied 
 to peace. 
 
 At this time, the king received the news of the death 
 of queen Mary of England ; his majefty difpatched 
 forthwith the count de Randan to queen Elizabeth, to 
 congratulate heron her acceffion to the crown, and they 
 received. him with great diftinclion ; for her affairs were 
 fo precarious at that time, that nothing could be more 
 advantageous to her, than to fee her title acknowledged
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 7 
 
 by the king. The count found fhe had a thorough 
 knowledge of the interefts of the French const, and of 
 the characters of thofe who compofed it ; but in parti- 
 cular, Ihe had a great idea of the duke of Nemours : 
 fhe fpoke to him fo often, and with fo much earneft- 
 nefs concerning him, that the embaflador upon his re- 
 turn declared to the king, that there was nothing which 
 the duke of Nemours might not expect from that prin- 
 cefs, and that he made no queftion fhe might even bs 
 brought to marry him. The king communicated it to 
 the duke the fame evening, and caufed the count de 
 Randan to relate to him all the converfations he had had 
 with queen Elizabeth, and in conclufion advis'd him to 
 pufh his fortune : the duke of Nemours imagined at firft 
 that the king was not in earnelt; but when he found to 
 the contrary, If, by your advice, Sir, faid he, I engage 
 in this chimerical undertaking for your majelly's fervice, 
 I muft entreat your majeity to keep the affair fecret, till 
 the fuccefs of it mall juftify me to the public; I would 
 not be thought guilty of the intolerable vanity, to think 
 that a queen, who has never feen me, would marry mo 
 for love. The king promifed to let nobody into the de- 
 fign but the conftable, fecrecy being necefiary, he knew, 
 to the fuccefs of it. The count de Randan advifed the 
 duke to go to England under pretence of travelling ; 
 but the duke, difapproving this propofal, fent Mr. Lig- 
 nerol, a fprightly young gentleman his favourite, to 
 found the queen's inclinations, and to endeavour to 
 make fome fteps towards advancing that affair: In the 
 mean time, he paid a vifit to the duke of Savoy, who 
 was then at Bruffels with the king of Spain. 
 
 There appeared at this time a lady at court, who drew 
 the eyes of the whole world ; and one may imagine fhe 
 was a perfect beauty, to gain admiration in a place where 
 there were fo many fine women ; fhe was of the fame 
 family with the vifcount of Chartres, and one of the 
 greateft heirefles of France ; her father died young, and 
 left her to the guardianfhip of madam de Chartres, his 
 B 4 wife,
 
 f. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 wife, whofe wealth, virtue, and merit were uncommon. 
 After the lofs of her hufband fhe retired from court, and 
 live 1 many years in the country ; during this retreat, her 
 chief care was beftowed on the education of her daugh- 
 ter ; but Ihe did net make it her bufmefs to cultivate her 
 wit ;r id beauty only, (he took care alfo to inculcate vir- 
 tue into her tender mind, and to make it amiable to her. 
 The generality of mothers imagine, that it is ft indent 
 to forbear talking t>f gallantries before young people, to 
 prevent their engaging in them ; b;rt madam de 
 Chartres was of a different opinion : ffte often enter- 
 tained her daughter with defcriptions of love ; me mewed 
 her what there was agreeuble in it, that fhe might the 
 more eafily perfuade her wherein it was dangerous ; fh* 
 related to her theinfinceriry, the faithleflhefs, and want 
 of candour in men, r.nd the domeltic misfortunes that 
 flow from engagements with them ; on the other hand, 
 flie made her fenfible, what tranquillity attends the lif* 
 of a virtuous woman, and what luirre modefty gives to 
 a perfon who pofTefies birth and beauty ; at the fame 
 time ihe informed her, how difficult it was to preferv* 
 this virtue, except by an extreme difbruil of one's felf, 
 and by a conftant attachment to the only thing which 
 conftitutes a woman's happinefs, to love and to be love<l 
 bv her hufband. 
 
 This heirefs was, at that time, one of the greatcft 
 matches in France; and though fhe was very young, fe- 
 veral marriages had been propofed to her mother; but 
 madam de Chartres being ambitious, hardly thought 
 any thing worthy of her daughter ; and when fhe wa* 
 fixteen years of age fhe brought her to court. The vif- 
 count of Chartres, who went to meet her, was with rea- 
 ibn furprifed at the beauty of the young lady; her fine 
 hair and lovely complexion gave her a luftre that was 
 peculiar to'})rfelf ; all her features were regular, and 
 her whole'perfon was full of grace. 
 
 The day after her arrival, flic went to chufe fome 
 jewels at a famous Italian's ; this man came from Flo- 
 rence
 
 PART IT. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 9 
 
 rence with the queen, and had acquired fuch immenfe 
 riches by his trade, that his houfe feemed rather fit for 
 a prince than a merchant; while fhe was there, the 
 prince of Cleves carae in, andAvas fo touched with her 
 beauty, that he could net difTemble his furprize, nor 
 could Mademoiklle de Chartres forbear blufhing upon 
 obferving the ailoniihment he was in ; neverchelefs fhe 
 recollected herfelf, without taking any further notice of 
 him, than (lie was obliged to do in civility toaperfon of 
 his learning rank. The prince of Cleves viewed her with 
 admiration, and could not comprehend who that fine 
 lady was, whom he did not know. He found by her 
 air, and her retinue, that fhe was of the firil quality ; by 
 her youth he fhcuV; have taken her to be a maid; but 
 not feeing her mother, and hearing the Italian call her 
 M.idam, he did not know what to think; and all the 
 while he kept his eyes fixed upon her, he found that his 
 'behaviour emoan ailed her, unlike to moft young ladies-, 
 '-.ho alv. avs behoki with pleafure the effect of their 
 beauty; he found too, that he had made her impatient 
 .to be gone; and in tnuh fhe went away immediately: 
 the prince of Cicves v,as notuncr.fy at himfelf on having 
 loll the view of her, in hopes of being informed who 
 fhe was; but when he found fhe was. not known, he was 
 under the utrr;o;t far-prize; her beauty, ana the mo- 
 deft air he -had obkrved in her actions, affected 
 him fo, that from that moment he entertained a. 
 paiTien for her. Jn the evening he waited on his 
 majefty's filler. 
 
 The prince of Cleves went there according to his cuf- 
 tom ; he was fo touched with the wit and beauty of 
 Ma..lemoifel!e de Chartres, that he could talk of nothing 
 elfe; he related in adventure alcud, and was never tired 
 with the praifes of this lady, whom he had feen, b^t did 
 not kr.i. -:e told him, thr.t . . : >.ob:>d/' 
 
 like her he defcriocd, and that if there were, fhe would 
 be known by the whole world. MaSa.m de Dainpierr, 
 one of the princcVs todies of Lor. our, and a friend .of 
 B c madam.
 
 10 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 madam de Chartres, overhearing the converfation, 
 came up to her highnefs, and whifpered her in the ear, 
 that it was certainly Mademoifelle de Chartres whom 
 the prince had feen. Madame, returning to her dif- 
 courfe with the prince, told him, if he would give her 
 his company again the next morning, he mould fee the 
 beauty he was fo much touched with. Accordingly 
 Mademcifelle de Chartres came the next day to court, 
 and was received by both queens in the moil obliging 
 manner that can be imagined, and with fuch admiration 
 by every body elfe, that nothing was to be heard at court 
 but her praifes ; which me received with fo agreeable a 
 modefty, that (he feemed not to have heard them, or at 
 leaft not to be moved with them. She afterwards went 
 to wait upon Madame ; that princefs, after having com- 
 mended her beauty, informed her of the furprize fhehad 
 given the prince of Cleves ; the prince came in imme- 
 diately after : Come hither, faid Ihe to him, fee, if I 
 have not kept my word with you ; and if, at the fame 
 time that I mew you Mademoifelle de Chartres, 1 do not 
 Jfhaw you the lady you are in fearch of. You ought to 
 thank me, at leaft, for having acquainted her how much, 
 you are her admirer. 
 
 The prince of Cleves was overjoyed to find, that the 
 lady he admired was of quality equal to her beauty ; he 
 addrefled her, and entreated her to remember that he 
 was her firft lover, and had conceived the higheft honour 
 and refpect for her, before he knew her. 
 
 The chevalier de Guife, and the prince, who were 
 two bofom friends, took their leave of Madame together. 
 They were no fooner gone, but they began to launch out 
 into the praifes of Mademoifelle de Chartres without 
 bounds; they were fenfible at length that they had run 
 into excefs in her commendation, and fo both gave over 
 for that time ; but they were obliged the next day to 
 renew the iubjeft, fcr this new-rifen beauty long con- 
 tinued to fupply ftifcourfe to the whole court; the queen 
 herielf was laviih in her p raife, and ihewed her particu- 
 lar
 
 PART!. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. u 
 
 lar marks of favour; the queen-dauphin made her one 
 of her favourites, and begged her mother to bring her 
 often to her court ; the princeffes, the king's daughters, 
 made her a party in all their diverfions ; in fhort, me 
 had the love and admiration of the whole court, except 
 that of the duchefs ofValentinois : not that this young 
 beauty gave her umbrage ; long experience convinced 
 her fhe had nothing to fear on the part of the king, but 
 fhe had fo great a hatred for the vifcount of Chartres,. 
 whom me had endeavoured to bring into her intereft by 
 marrying him with one of her daughters, and who had 
 joined himfelf to the queen's party, that me could not 
 have the leafl favourable thought of a perfbn who bore 
 his name, and was a great object of his friendfhip. 
 
 The prince of Cleves became paffionately in love 
 with Mademoifelle de Chartres, and ardently vvifhed to> 
 marry her ; but he was afraid the haughtinefs of her mo~ 
 ther would not ftoop to match her with one who was not 
 the head of his family : neverthelefs, his birth was illuf- 
 trious, and his elder brother, the covmt d'En, had jufl 
 married a lady fo nearly related to the royal family, that 
 this appreheniion was rather the effeft of his love, than 
 grounded on any fubltantial reafon. He had a great 
 number of rivals ; the molt formidable among them, for 
 his birth, his merit, and the luftre which royal favour 
 caft upon his houfe, was the chevalier de Guife ; this 
 gentleman fell in love with Mademoifelle de Chartres 
 the firft day he faw her, and he difcovered the prince of 
 Cleves's paflion, as the prince of Cleves difcovered his. 
 Though they were intimate friends, their having the 
 fame pretenfions gradually created a coolneis between 
 them, and their friend fhip grew into an indifference, 
 without their being able to come to an explanation on 
 the matter. The prince pf Cleves's good fortune in 
 having feen Mademoifelle de Chartres firft- feemed to be 
 a happy prefage, and gave him fome advantage over his 
 rivals ; but he forefaw great obilruclions on the parr of 
 the duke of Nevers, his father : the duke was ibiftly at- 
 B 6 ta'ehed
 
 2 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 tachcd to the duchefs of Valentinois, and the vifcount 
 de Chartres was her enemy, which was a fufficient rea- 
 fon to hinder the duke from conferring to the marriage 
 of his foil with a niece of the vifcount's. 
 
 Madam de Chartres, who had taken fo much care to 
 infpire virtue into her daughter, did not fail to continue 
 the fame care in a place where it was fo necefTary, and 
 where there were fo many dangerous examples. Am- 
 bition and gallantry were the foul of the court, and em- 
 ployed both fexes equally; there were fo many different 
 interefts and fo many cabals, and the ladies had fo great 
 a mare in them, that love was always mixed with buii- 
 nefs, and bufmefs with love. 
 
 The chevalier de Guife was fo open and unguarded, 
 with refpeftto his paffion for Mademcifclle de Chartres, 
 that nobody was ignorant of it ; ' neverthelefs he faw 
 nothing but impoffibilities in what he defired: he was 
 fenfible that he was not a proper match for her, by rea- 
 fon of the narrownefs of his fortune, which was not fuf- 
 ficient to fupport his dignity ; and he was fenfible be/- 
 fides, that his brothers would not approve of his marry- 
 ing, the marriages of younger brothers being looked 
 upon as what tends to the leffening great families. 
 
 The prince of Cleves had not given lefs public proofs 
 of his love, than the* chevalier de Guife had done, which 
 made the duke of Nevers very uneafy ; however, he 
 thought that he needed only to fpeak to his fon to 
 make him change his conduct; but he was very much 
 furprifed to find in him a fettled defign of marrying 
 Mademoifelle de Chartres, and flc\v out into fuch ex- 
 cefles of paffion on that fubjeft, that the occafion of it 
 was foon known to the whole court, and among others 
 to madam de Chartres : fhe never imagined that the 
 duke of Nevers would not think her daughter a very ad- 
 vantageous match for his fon, nor was fhe a little afto- 
 nilhed to find, that the houfcs both of Cleves and Guife 
 avoided her alliance, inftead of courting it. Her re- 
 fcntrnent on this account put her upon finding out a 
 
 match
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 13 
 
 match for Tier daughter, which would. raife her abovij 
 thofe that imagined themfelves above her : after having 
 looked about, me fixed upon the prince dauphin, fon 
 of the duke de Montpenfier, one of the moll confider- 
 able perfons then at court. As madam de Chartres 
 abounded in wit, and was affifted by the vifcount, who 
 was in great consideration, and as her daughter hcrfelf 
 was a very conliderable. match, Gie managed the mat- 
 ter \vhh To much dexterity and fuccefs, that Monfieur 
 de Montpenfier appeared to defixe the marriage, aiui 
 there was no appearance of any difficulties in it. 
 
 But the duchefs of Valentinois being warned of the 
 defign in view, had traverfed it with fo much care, and 
 prepofiefTed the king fo much againit it, that when 
 Monfieur d'Anville came to fpeak to his majefty about 
 it, he plainly fhewed he did not approve of it, and 
 commanded him to fignify as much to the prince de 
 Montpeniier. One may eafily judge what the fenti- 
 men-ts of madam de Chartres we re, upon 'the breaking 
 off of an affair which me had fet her mind fo much 
 upon, and the ill fuccefs of which gave fuch an advan- 
 tage to her enemies, and was fo great a prejudice to her 
 daughter. 
 
 No one now entertained any further thoughts of 
 Mademoifelle de Chartres, either fearing to incur the 
 king's difpleafure, or defpairir.g to fucceed with a lady, 
 who afpired to an alliance with a prince of the blood. 
 The prince of Cleves alone was not difheartened at 
 either of thefe confederations ; the death of the duke 
 of Nevers his father, which happened at that time, fet 
 him at entire liberty to follow his inclination; and no 
 fooner was the time of mourning expired, but he 
 wholly applied himfelf to the gaining of Mademoifelle 
 de Chartres. It was lucky for him that he addrefled her 
 at a time when what had happened had difcouragcd the 
 approaches of others. What allayed his joy, was his 
 fear of not being the moft agreeable to her ; and he 
 
 would
 
 14 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 would have preferred the happinefs of pleafmg, to the 
 certainty of marrying her without being beloved. 
 
 The chevalier de Guife had given him fome jealoufy j 
 but as it was rather grounded on the merit of that prince, 
 than on any aftion of Mademoifelle de Chartres, h. 
 made it his whole endeavour to difcover, if he was fo 
 happy as to have his addreiTes admitted and approved : 
 he had no opportunity of feeing her but at court or 
 public aflemblies, fo that it was very difficult for him to 
 get a private converfation with her ; at lafl he found 
 means to do it, and informed her of his intention and 
 of his love, with all the refpel imaginable. 
 
 As Mademoifelle de Chartres had a noble and generous 
 heart, flie was fincerely touched with gratitude for the 
 prince of Cleves's behaviour ; this gratitude gave a 
 certain fweetnefs to her wcrds and anfwers, fufficient 
 to furnifh hopes to a man fo defperately enamoured as 
 the pruice was ; fo that he flattered himfelf, in fome 
 meafure, that he IhouW fucceed in what he fo much 
 wifhed for. 
 
 She gave her mother an account of this converfation ; 
 and madam de Chartres told her, that the prince of 
 Cleves had fo many good qualities, and difcovered a 
 discretion fo much above his years, that if her inclina- 
 tion led her to marry him, me would con fen t to it with 
 plcafure. Mademoifelle de Chartres made anfwer, that 
 flie obferyed in him the fame good qualities ; that me 
 Ihould have lefs reluctance in marrying him than any 
 other man, but that me had no particular affeftion to 
 his perfon. 
 
 The next day the prince caufed his thoughts to be 
 communicated to madam de- Chartres, who gave her 
 confent to what was propofed to her ; nor had me the 
 leaft diflruit but that, in the prince of Cleves, flie pro- 
 vided her daughter a huiband capable of fecuring her 
 afTcftions. The articles were concluded ; the king was 
 acquaiuted with it, and the marriage made public. 
 
 The
 
 PART 1. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. ij 
 
 The prince of Cleves found himfelf happy, but yet 
 not entirely contented : he faw with a great deal of 
 regret, that the fentiments of Mademoifelle de Chartres 
 did not exceed thofe of efteem and refpeft ; and he could 
 not flatter himfelf that me concealed more obliging 
 thqughts of him, fince the fituation they were in per- 
 mitted her to difcover them without the lead violence 
 done to modefty. It was not long before he expoftu- 
 lated with her on this fubject : Is it poffible, fays he, 
 that I fliould not be happy in marrying you ? and yet 
 it is certain, I am not. You only {hew me a fort of 
 civility which is far from giving me fatisfaftion ; you 
 exprefs none of thofe pretty inquietudes, the concern, 
 and impatience, which are the foul of love ; you are no 
 further affected with my paffion, than you would be 
 with one v.'hich fiowed only from the advantage of your 
 fortune, and not from the beauty of your perfon. It 
 is anjuft in you to complain, replied the princefs, I 
 do not know what you can defire of me more ; I think 
 decency will not allow me to go further than I do. It 
 is rnae, replied he, you mew fome appearances I mould 
 be fatisfted with, were there any thing beyond ; but 
 inftead of being reftmined by decency, it is that only 
 which makes you act as you do ; I am not in your heart 
 and inclinations, and my prefence neither gives you 
 pain nor pleafure. -You cinnot doubt, replied me, but 
 it -is a fenfible pleafure to me to fee you; and when I do 
 fee you, I blufh fo often, that you cannot doubt, but 
 the feeing you gives me pain alfo. Your blufhes, 
 madam, repliejd he, cannot deceive me ; they are fign 
 of mtidelty, but do not prove the heart to be affected, 
 and I Ihall conclude nothing more from hence than what 
 I -ought. 
 
 - MaJemoifellede Chartres did not know what to anfwer; 
 thefe diitinftions were above her comprehenfion. The 
 prince of Cleves plainly faw me was far from having 
 that tendeniefs of affection for him, which was requifite 
 
 to
 
 15 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 to his happinefs ; it was manifelt fhe could not feel a 
 paffion which (he did not underftand. 
 
 The chevalier de Guife returned from a journey a 
 few days before the marriage. He was extremely 
 affiifted to fee her become the wife of another : his 
 grief, however, did not extinguifli his paffion ; and his 
 love was as great as ever. Mademoifelle de Chartres 
 \\YIS not ignorant of it ; and he made her fenfible at 
 his return, that fhe was the caufe of that deep melan- 
 choly which appeared in his countenance. He had fo 
 much merit, and fo much agreeablenefs, that it was al- 
 moft impoflible to make him unhappy without pitying 
 him, nor could fhe forbear pitying him ; but her pity 
 did not lead to love. She acquainted her mother with 
 the uneafmefs which the chevalier's paffion gave her. 
 
 Madam de Chartres admired the honour of her 
 daughter, and flic admired it with reafon, for never was 
 any ore more naturally fincere ; but (he was furprifed, 
 at % the fame time, at the infenfibility of her heart, and 
 the more fo, when me found that the prince of Clevts 
 had not been able to affed her any more than others : 
 for this reafon, {he took great p.iins to endear her 
 hufbar.d to- her, and to make her fenfible how much fhe 
 o-.ved to the affeftion he had for her, and to the tender- 
 ncib he exprefled for her, by preferring her to ail other 
 matches, at a time when no one elfe dui ft entertain the 
 ieaft thoughts of her. 
 
 The marriage was-fotemnized at the Louvre ; and in 
 the evening the king and the two queens, with the whole 
 court, flipped at madam de Chartres 's houfe, where 
 they were entertained with the utmoft magnificence. 
 The chevalier de Guife durft not diftinguifh himfelf by 
 being abfent from the ceremony ; but he was fo little 
 mafler of himfelf, that it was eafy to obferve his con- 
 cern. 
 
 The prince of Cleves did not find that Mademoifelle 
 de Chartres had changed her mind by changing her 
 name ; his quality of a hufband entitled him to the 
 
 Isigdl
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 17 
 
 largeft privileges, but gave him no greater mare in the 
 affections of his wife : hence it was, that though he 
 was her hufband, he did not ceafe to be her lover, becaufe 
 he had always fomething to \viih beyon d v- hat he poileffed ; 
 and though me lived perfectly eafy with him, yet he was 
 not perfcftly happy. He preferved for her a paflion full 
 of violence and inquietude, but without jealoufy, which 
 had no ihare in his grief;.. Never was hufband lefs in- 
 clined to it, and never was wife farther from giving the 
 leaf! occrfion for it. She was neverthelefs conilantly in 
 view of the court ; {he frequented the courts of the two 
 queens, and of Madame : all the people of galantry faw 
 her bcth there and at her brother-in-law the cuke of Ne- 
 vers's, whofe houfe was open to the whole world ; but 
 fhe had an air which infpired fo gr-^at refpet, and had 
 in it fomething fo diftant from galantry, that the" 
 marefchal de St. Andre, a bold man, and fupported by 
 the king's favour, became her lover, without daring to 
 let her know it any otherwife than by his cares and 
 affiduities. A great many others were in the fame con- 
 dition : and madam de Chartres had added to her 
 daughter's difcretion fo exaft a conduct with regard to 
 decorum, that every body was fatisfied fhe was not to 
 be come at. 
 
 A marriage was now agreed upon, between the duke 
 of Loraine and Madam Claude of France, the king's 
 fecond daughter ; and the month of February was ap- 
 pointed for the nuptials. 
 
 In the mean time the duke of Nemours continued at 
 BrufTels, his thoughts being whollyemployed on his de- 
 fign in England ; he was continually fending or re- 
 ceiving couriers from thence ; his hopes encreafed every 
 day, and at laft Lignerol fent him word, that it was 
 time to fmifh by his prefence what was fo well begun. 
 He received this news with all the joy a young, ambitious 
 man is capable of, who fees himfelf advanced to a 
 throne merely by the force of his perfonal merit ; his 
 mind infenribly accuflomed itfelf to the grandeur of a 
 
 royal
 
 ,8 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART L 
 
 royal ftate ; and whereas he had at firfl rejefled this un- 
 dertaking as an impracticable thing, the difficulties of 
 it were now worn out of his imagination, and he no 
 longer faw any thing to obftrudl his way. 
 
 He fent away in hafte to Paris to give the neceffary 
 orders for providing a magnificent equipage, that he 
 might make his appearance in England with a fplendor 
 fuitable to the defign he was to condudt ; and foon after 
 he followed himfelf, to affift at the marriage of the 
 duke of Loraine. 
 
 He arrived the evening before the efpoufals, and that 
 very evening waited on the king to give him an account 
 of his affair, and to receive his orders and advice how 
 to govern himfelf in it. Afterwards he waited on the 
 queens ; but the princefs of Cleves was not there ; fo 
 that fhe did not fee him, nor fo much as know of his 
 arrival. She had heard every body fpeak of this cele- 
 brated prince, as of the handfomeft and moft agreeable 
 man at court ; and the queen-dauphin had defcribed 
 him in fuch a manner, and {poke of him to her fo often, 
 that fhe had raifed in her a curiofity and even impatience 
 to fee him. 
 
 The princefs of Cleves employed the day of wedding 
 in dreffing herfelf, that fhe might appear with the 
 greater advantage at the ball and royal banquet that 
 were to be at the Louvre. When fhe came, every one 
 admired' both her beauty and her drefs. The ball 
 began, and while fhe was dancing with the duke of 
 Guife, a noife was heard at the dcor of the hall, as if 
 way was making for fome perfon of uncommon diflinc~ 
 tion. She had finifhed her dance, and as fhe was catting 
 her eyes round to fingle out fome other perfon, the king 
 defired her to take him who came in laft ; fhe turned 
 about, and viewing him as he was patting over the feats 
 to come to the place where they danced, fhe imme- 
 diately concluded he was the duke of Nemours. The 
 duke's perfon was turned in fo delicate a manner, that 
 it was unpoiBblc not to exprefs furprize at the full fight 
 
 of
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 19 
 
 of him, particularly that evening, when the care h* 
 had taken to adorn himfelf added much to the fine air 
 of his carriage. It was as impoffible to behold the 
 princefs of Cleves without equal admiration. 
 
 The duke de Nemours was {truck with fuch furprize 
 at her beauty, that when they approached and paid 
 their refpefts to each other, he could not forbear 
 fhewing fome tokens of his admiration. When they 
 begun to dance, a foft murmur of piaife ran through 
 the whole company. The king and the two queens 
 remembering, that the duke and princefs had never 
 feen one another before, found fomething very parti- 
 cular in feeing them dance together without knowing 
 each other ; they called them, as foon as they had ended 
 their dance, without giving them time to fpeak to any 
 body ; aflced them if they had not a defire to know each 
 other, and if they were not at fome lofs about it. As 
 for me, madam, faid the duke to the queen, I am un- 
 der no uncertainty in this matter ; but as the princefs 
 of Cleves has not the fame reafons to lead her to guefs 
 who I am, as I have to direft me to know her, I mould 
 be glad if your majefty would be pleafed to let her 
 know my name. I believe, faid the queen-dauphin, 
 that (he knows your name as well as you know her's. 
 I afTure you, madam, replied the princefs a little em- 
 barrafied, that I am not fo good a gueffer as you ima- 
 gine. Yes, you guefs very well, anfwered the queen- 
 dauphin ; and your unwillingnefs to acknowledge that 
 you know the duke of Nemours, without having feen 
 him before, carries in it fomething very obliging to 
 him. The queen interrupted them, that the ball might 
 go on ; and the dyke de Nemours took out the queen* 
 dauphin. This princefs was a perfedl beauty, and fuch 
 fhe appeared in the eyes of the duke de Nemours be- 
 fore he went to Flanders ; but all this evening he could 
 admire nothing but madam de Cleves. 
 
 The chevalier de Guife, whofe idol me ftill was, fat 
 at her feet, and what had parted filled him with the 
 
 utmoft
 
 20 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 utmoft grief; he looked upon it as ominous for him, 
 that Fortune had deftined the duke of Nemours to be 
 in love with the princefs of Cleves. And whether there 
 appeared in reality any concern in the princefs's face, 
 or whether the chevalier's jealoufy only led him to 
 fufpeft itj he believed that me was touched with the 
 fight of the duke ; and could not forbear telling her, 
 that monfieur de Nemours was very happy to commence 
 an acquaintance with her, by an incident which had 
 fcmething very galant and extraordinary in it. 
 
 Pvladam de Cleves returned home with her thoughts 
 full of what had paffed at the ball ; and though it was. 
 very late, (he went into her mother's room to give her a 
 relation of it ; in doing which ihe praifed the duke of 
 Nemours with a certain air, that gave madam de 
 Chartres the fame fufpicion the chevalier dc Guife had 
 entertained before. 
 
 The day following, the ceremony of the duke of 
 Loraine's marriage was performed ; and there the prin- 
 cefs of Cleves obferved fo inimitable a grace, and fo 
 fine a mien in the duke of Nemours, that ine was yet 
 jnore furprifed. 
 
 She afterwards faw him at the court of the queen- 
 dauphin ; me faw him play at tennis with the king ; 
 {he faw him run the ring ; fhe heard him clifccurfe ; 
 Hill fhe found he far excelled every body elfc, and drew 
 the attention of the compar.v to him where-ever lie was ; 
 in fhort, the gracefulnefs of his perfon, and die agr- 
 ablenefs of his wit loon made a confmerable imprefiio 
 en her heart. 
 
 The duke de Nemours had an inclination no left 
 violent for her ; and hence flowed all that gaiety and 
 fvveetnefs of behaviour, which the firft defires of plea- 
 fmg ordinarily infpire a man with : henc he btcame 
 mere amiable than ever he was before ; fo that by often 
 feeing one another, and by feeing in each other what- 
 ever was moil accomplished at court, it could not be, 
 
 but
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 21 
 
 but that they muft mutually receive the greateft plea- 
 fure from fach a commerce. 
 
 The duchefs of Valentinois made one in all par- 
 ties of pleafure ; and the king was (till as paffionatelv 
 fond of her as in the beginning of his love. The 
 princefs of Cleves being at thofe years, wherein 
 people think a woman is incapable of inciting love 
 after the age of twenty-five, beheld with the utmoft 
 aftonifhment the king's paffion for the duchefs, who 
 was a grandmother, and had lately married her grand- 
 daughter : fhe often fpoke on this fubjecl to madam de 
 C'hartres. Is it poffible, madam, faid me, that the 
 king fhould ftill continue to love r How could he take a 
 fancy to one, who was fo much older than himfelf, 
 who had been his father's miilrefs, and who, as I have 
 heard, is ftill fuch to many others ? 'Tis certain, an- 
 fwcred madam de Chartres, it was neither the merit 
 nor the fidelity of the duchefs of Valentinois which 
 gave birth to the king's paffion, or preferred it ; and 
 this is what he cannot be juftified in ; for if this lady 
 had had beauty and youth fuitable to her birth, an-J 
 the merit of having had no other lover ; if (he had 
 been exactly true and faithful to the king; if fhe had 
 loved him with refpeft only to his perfon, without the 
 interefted views of greatnefs and fortune, and without 
 ufing her power but for honourable purpofes and for his 
 m^jeity's intereft ; in this cafe, it muft be confeffed, one 
 could have hardly forbore praifing his paffion for Her. If I 
 was not afraid, continued madam de Chartres, that you 
 would fay of me what is faid of moft women of my 
 years, that they love to recount the hiftory of their own 
 times, I -would inform you how the king's pcffion for 
 this lady began, r.nd of fevcrai particulars of the court 
 of the late king, which have a great relation to tilings 
 that are afted at prefent. -Far f r om blaming VOM, re- 
 plied the princefs of Cleves, for repeating the hiitories 
 of part times, 1 lament, madam, that you have not 
 inftruded me in thofe of the preient, nor informed me 
 
 as
 
 zi THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 as to the different interefts and parties of the court. I 
 am fo entirely ignorant of them, that I thought a few 
 days ago, the conftable was very well with the queen. 
 You was extremely miftaken, anfwered madam de 
 Chartres ; the queen hates the conftable, and if ever 
 fhe has power, he will be but too fenfible of it ; me 
 knows he has often told the king, that of all his 
 children none refembled him but his natural ones. I 
 fliould never have fufpefted this hatred, faid the princefs 
 of Cleves, after having feen her affiduity in writing to 
 the conftable during his imprifonment, the joy fhe ex- 
 preffed at his return, and how me always calls him 
 Compere, as well as the king If you judge from ap- 
 pearances in a court, replied madam de Chartres, you 
 will often be deceived ; truth and appearances feldom 
 go together. 
 
 But to return to the duchefs of Valentinois ; you 
 know her name is Diana de Poitiers, her family is very 
 illuftrious, fhe is defcended from the ancient dukes of 
 Aquitaine, her grandmother was a natural daughter of 
 Lewis the Xlth, and in fhort fhe pofTefTes every thing 
 that is great in refpedl to birth. St. Valier, her fa- 
 ' ther, had the unhappinefs to be involved in the affair 
 of the conftable of Bourbon, which you have heard of; 
 he was condemned to lofe his head, and accordingly 
 was conducted to the fcaffold : his daughter, who was ex- 
 tremely beautiful, and who had already charmed die late 
 king, .managed fo well, I do not know by what means, 
 that fhe obtained her father's life. The pardon was 
 brought him at the moment he was expe&ing the fatal 
 blow ; but the pardon availed little, for fear had feized 
 him fo deeply, that it bereft him of his fenfes, and he 
 died a few days after. His daughter appeared at court 
 as the king's miftrefs ; but the Italian expedition, and 
 the imprifonment of the prefent prince, were inter- 
 ruptions to his love-affair. When the late king returned 
 from Spain, and Madame the regent went to meet him 
 at ttayonne, fhe broup-ht all her maids of honour with 
 
 her,
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 2j 
 
 her, among whom was Mademoifelle de Piflelen, who 
 was fince duchefs d'Etampes; the king fell in love 
 with her, though me was inferior in birth, wit and 
 beauty to the duchefs of Valentinois, and had no ad- 
 vantage above her but that of being very young. I 
 have heard her fay feveral times, that fhe was born the 
 fame day Diana de Poitiers was married; but fhe fpoke 
 this in the malice of her heart, and not as what fhe 
 knew to be true ; for I am much miftaken, if the 
 duchefs of Valentinois did not marry monfieur de 
 Breze, at the fame time that the king fell in love with 
 madam d'Etampes. Never was a greater hatred than 
 that between thefe two ladies ; the duchefs could not 
 pardon madam d'Etampes for having taken from her 
 the title of the king's miftrefs ; and madam d'Etampes 
 was violently jealous of the duchefs, becaufe the king flill 
 kept a correfpondence with her. That prince was by no 
 means conftant to his miftrefles ; there was always one 
 among them that had the title and honours of miftrefs, but 
 the ladies of the fmall band, as they were ftiled, fhared his 
 favour by turns. The lofs of the dauphin, his fon, who 
 died at Tournon, and was thought to be poifoned, ex- 
 tremely afflicled him ; he had not the fame affection and 
 tendernefs for his fecond fon, the prefent king ; he ima- 
 gined he did not fee in him fpirit and vivacity enough, 
 and complained of it one day to the duchefs of Valenti- 
 nois, who told him, fhe would endeavour to raife a paffion 
 in him for her, in order to make him more fprightly 
 and agreeable. She fucceeded in it, as you fee, and 
 this paffion is now of above twenty years duration, 
 without being changed either by time or incidents. 
 
 The late king at firft oppofed it ; and whether he 
 had ftill love enough left for the duchefs of Valentinois 
 to be jealous, or whether he was urged on by the duchefs 
 d'Etampes, who was in defpair upon feeing the dau- 
 phin fo much attached to her enemy ; 'tis certain he 
 beheld this paffion with an indignation and refentment, 
 that fhewed itfelf every day by fomething or other. 
 The dauphin neither valued his anger or his hatred,
 
 24. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 nor could any thing oblige him either to abate or con- 
 ceal his flame ; fo that the king was forced to accuftom 
 himfelf to bear it with patience. This oppcfition of 
 his to his father's will, withdrew his affections from him 
 more and more, and transferred them to his third fon, 
 the duke of Orleans, who was a prince of a fine perfon, 
 full of fire and ambition, and of a youthful heat which 
 wanted to be moderated ; however, he would have 
 made a very great prince, had he arrived to a more 
 ripened age. * 
 
 The rank of eldeft, which the dauphin heli, and the 
 king's favour which the duke of Orleans was pofielTed 
 of, created between them a fort of emulation, that 
 grew by degrees to hatred. This emulation began from 
 their infancy, and was ftill kept up in its height. 
 
 The c'ifcord between the two brothers put madam 
 d'Etampes upon the thought of ftrengthening herfelf 
 with the duke of Oriels, in order to fupport her 
 power with the king againft the duchefs of Valentinois ; 
 accordingly (he fucceeded in it; and that young prince, 
 though he felt no emotions of love for her, entered no 
 lefs into her intereft, than the dauphin into that of 
 madam de Valentinois. Hence rofe two faftions at 
 court, of fuch a nature as you may imagine ; but the 
 intrigues of them were not confined to the quarrels of 
 women. 
 
 Some, time after, the duke of Orleans died at Far- 
 mcntiers of a kind of contagious diftemper : he was 
 in love with one of the fincft women of the court, and 
 was beloved by her. I will not mention her name, 
 becaufe fiie has fmce lived with fo much difcretion, 
 and has fo carefully concealed the pafiion me had for 
 that prince, that one ought to be tender of her reputa- 
 tion. Tt happenra Jhe received the news of her huf- 
 tand's death, at the fame time as me heard of the duke's, 
 fo that me had :.iut pretext to enable her to conceal her 
 real forrow, without being at the trouble of putting any 
 conftraint upon herfelf. 
 
 Tke
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 25 
 
 The king did not long furvive the prince his fon ; he 
 died two years after ; he recommended to the dauphin 
 to make ufe of the cardinal de Tournon and the admiral 
 de Annebault, but faid nothing at all of the conftable, 
 who was then in banishment at Chantilli. Neverthe- 
 lefs, the firft thing the king his fon did was to recal him, 
 and make him his prime minifter. 
 
 Madam d'Eiampes was difcarded, and received all 
 the ill treatment {he could poflibly expeft from an enem'y 
 fo very powerful; the duchefs of Valentinois amply 
 revenged herfelf both of that lady, and all thofe who 
 Had difobliged her ; fhe feemed to reign more abfolute 
 in the king's heart, than (he did even when he was 
 dauphin. During the twelve years reign of this prince 
 flie has been abfolute in every thing ; me difpofes of all 
 governments and oiEces of truft and power ; me has 
 difgraced the cardinal de Tournon, the chancellor, 
 and Villeroy ; thofe who have endeavoured to open th 
 king's mind with refpeft to her conduft, have been un- 
 done in the attempt ; the count de Taix, great maflct 
 of the ordnance, who had no kindnefs for her, could, 
 not forbear fpcaking of her galantries, and particularly 
 of that with the count de BriiTac, of whom the king 
 was already very jealous. Neverthelefs flie contrived 
 things fo well, that the count de Taix was difgraced, 
 and his employment taken from him ; and what is al- 
 moft incredible, me procured it to be given to the count 
 de BrifFac, and afterwards made him a marefchal of 
 France. Notwithftanding, the king's jealoufy enreafed 
 to fuch a height, that he could no longer fuffer him to 
 continue at court : this paffion of jealoufy, which is 
 fierce and violent in other men, is gentle and moderate 
 in him through the great refpeft he has for his mif- 
 trefs, and therefore lie did not go about to remove his 
 rival, but under the pretext of giving him the govern- 
 ment of Piemont. He has lived there feveral years ; 
 !aft winter he returned to Paris, under pretence of de- 
 manding troops and other neceffaries for the army he 
 commands ; the defue of feeing the duchefs of Valen- 
 
 VOL. IJ, C tinois
 
 26 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 tinois again, and the fear of being forgotten by 
 her, was perhaps the principal motive of this journey. 
 The king received him very coldly ; meflieurs de Guife, 
 who have no kindnefs for him, but dare not fhevv it on 
 account of the duchefs, made ufe of monfieur the vif- 
 count, her decl?red enemy, to prevent his obtaining 
 \vhat he came to demand. It was no difficult matter 
 to do him hurt. The king-hated him, and was uneafy 
 at his prefence ; fo that he was obliged to return to 
 Piemont without any benefit from his journey, except, 
 perhaps, that of rekindling in the heart -of the duchef* 
 the flame which abfence began to extinguish. The 
 king has had a great many other fubjei.s of jealoufy, 
 but either he has not been informed of them, or has 
 not dared to complain of them, 
 
 I do not know, daughter, added madam deChartres, 
 af I have not already told you more of thefe things 
 than you defired to know. I am far, madam, from 
 complaining of that, replied the princefs of Cleves, 
 and if it was not for fear of being importunate, I fhould 
 yet deiire to be informed of feveral circumftances I am 
 ignorant of. 
 
 The duke de Nemours's pafilon for madam de Cleves 
 was at firft fo violent, that he had no relifh left for any 
 cf the ladies he paid his addrefles to before, and with 
 whom he kept a correfpondence during his abfence ; 
 fie even loft all remembrance of his engagements with 
 them, and not only made it his bufmefs to find excufes 
 to break with them, but had not the patience to hear 
 their complaints, or make any anfwer to the reproaches 
 they laid upon him. The queen-dauphin herfelf, for 
 whom his regards had been very tender, could no 
 longer preferve a place in that heart which was now 
 <levoted to the princefs of Clever His impatience of 
 making a tour to England began to abate, and he 
 {hewed no earneftnefs in haftcning his equipage. He 
 frequently went to the queen-dauphin's court, becaufe 
 tii'-i yrincefs cf Cleves was often there, and he was very 
 eafy in leaving people in the opinion they had of his 
 
 pafiloa
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES* 27 
 
 paffion for that queen ; he put fo great a value on 
 madam de Cleves, that he refolved to be rather wanting 
 in giving proofs of his love, than to hazard its being 
 publickly known ; he did not fo much as fpeak of it 
 to the vifcount de Chartres, who was his intimate 
 friend, and from whom he concealed nothing ; the 
 truth is, he conducted this affair with fo much difcre- 
 tion, that nobody fufpefted he was in love with madam 
 de Cleves, except the chevalier de Guife ; and me 
 would fcarcely have perceived it herfelf, if the incli- 
 nation me had for him had not led her into -a particu- 
 lar attention to all his aclions, by which me was con- 
 vinced of it. 
 
 She no longer continued to have the fame difpofition, 
 to communicate to her mother what me thought con- 
 cerning the duke de Nemours, as me had to talk to 
 her about her other lovers ; though me had no fettled 
 deiign of concealing it from her, yet me did not fpeak 
 of it. Madam de Chartres, however, plainly per- 
 ceived the duke's attachment to her daughter, as well 
 as her daughter's inclination for him : the knowledge 
 of this could not but fenfibly afflidl her, nor could me 
 be ignorant of the danger this young lady was in, in 
 being beloved by, and loving fo accomplilhed a perfon. 
 as the duke de Nemours : (he was entirely confirmed 
 In the fufpicion me had of this bufmefs, by an inci- 
 dent which fell out a few days after. 
 
 The marefchal de St. Andre", who took all oppor- 
 tunities to mew his magnificence, defired the king, 
 under pretence of mewing him his houfe which was 
 jufl finimed, to do him the honour to fup there with 
 the two queens. The marefchal was aifo very glad to 
 diiplay, in the fight of the princefs of Cleves, that 
 fplendid and expeniive manner of life, which he car- 
 ried to fo great a profuiion. 
 
 . Some days before that appointed for the entertain- 
 ment, the dauphin, who had an ill flate of health, 
 found himfelf indifpofed, and faw nobody ; the queen- 
 diuphin had fpent nil that day with him; and in the 
 C z evening.
 
 z8 THE PRINCESS OP CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 evening, upon his growing better, all the perfons 
 of quality that were in the anti-chamber were admitted ; 
 the queen-dauphin returned to her own apartment, 
 where me found madam de Cleves and fome other 
 ladles, with whom me lived in familiarity. 
 
 It being already very late, and not being drefTed, 
 fhe did not wait upon the queen, but gave out that ihe 
 was not to be feen, and ordered her jewels to be brought, 
 in order to chufe out fome for the marefchal de St. 
 Andre's ball, and prefent the princefs of Cleves with 
 fome, as fhe had promifed her. While they were thus 
 employed, the prince of Conde entered ; his great 
 quality gave him free accefs every where. Doubtlefs, 
 faid the queen-dauphin, you come from my hufband's 
 apartment : What are they doing there ? Madam, faid 
 he, they are maintaining a difpute againft the duke of 
 Nemours, and he defends the argument he undertook 
 with Co much warmth, thathemuft needs be very much 
 interefted in it ; I believe he has fome miftrefs that 
 gives him uneafinefs by going to balls, as he declares 
 that it is a vexatious thing to a lover to fee the per- 
 fon he loves in thofe places. 
 
 How, replied the queen-dauphin, would not the 
 duke de Nemours have his miftrefs go to a ball ? I 
 thought that hufbands might wifh their wives would not 
 go there ; but as for lovers, I never imagined they were 
 of that opinion. The duke de Nemours finds, an- 
 fwered the prince of Conde, that nothing is fo in- 
 fupportable to lovers as balls, whether they are beloved 
 again, or whether they are or not. He fays, if they 
 are beloved, they have the chagrin to be loved the lefs 
 t>n this account for feveral days ; that there is no wo- 
 man, whom her anxiety for drefs- dees not divert from 
 thinking on her lover ; that they are entirely taken up 
 with that one circumftance ; that this care to adorn 
 ttoemfelves is for the whole world, as well as for the 
 man they favour ; that when they are at a ball, they 
 are defirous to pleafe all who look at them j and that 
 when they triumph in their beauty, they experience a
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 29 
 
 joy to which their lovers very little contribute. , He 
 argues further, that if one is not beloved, 'tis a yet 
 greater torment to fee one's miilrefs at an aflembly ; 
 that the more me is admired by the public, the more 
 unhappy one is not to be beloved ; and that the lover is 
 in continual fear left her beauty mould raife a morefuc- 
 cefsful paffion than his own ; laitly, he finds, there is no 
 torment equal to that of feeing one's miftrefs at a ball, 
 unlefs it be to know that fhe is there, and not to be 
 there one's felf. 
 
 Madam de Cleves pretended not to hear what the 
 prince of Conde faid, though fhe Hftened very atten- 
 tively ; fhe eafily faw what part fhe had in the duke of 
 Nemours 's opinion, and particularly as to what he faid 
 of the uneafinefs of ^ot being at a ball where his 
 miilrefs was, becaufe he was not to be at that of the 
 marefchal de St. Andre, the king having fent him to 
 meet the duke of Ferrara. 
 
 The queen-c!auphin and the prince of Conde not 
 going into the duke's opinion, were very merry upon 
 the fubjedl. There is but one occafion, madam, faid 
 the prince to her, in which the duke will conferit his 
 rniftrefs fhould go to a ball, and that is when he himfelf 
 gives it. He fays, that when he gave your rcajefty one 
 lafl year, his miftrefs was fo kind as to come to it, 
 though feerningly only to attend you; that it is always 
 a favour done to a lover, to partake of an entertainment 
 which he gives ; that it is an agreeable circumftance 
 for him to have his -miflrefs fee him prefide in a place 
 where the whole court is, and fee him acquit himfelf 
 well in doing the honours of it. The duke de Nemours 
 was in the right, faid the queen-dauphin fmiling, to ap- 
 prove of his miitrefs's being at his own ball ; there was 
 then fo great :i number of ladies, whom he honoured 
 with the diiHn&ion of that name, that if they had not 
 come, the afiembly would have been very thin. 
 
 The prince of Conde had no fooner begun to relate 
 
 the duke de Nemour's fentiments concerning afTemblies, 
 
 but madam de Cleves felt in herfelf a ftrong averfion 
 
 C a to
 
 30 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART!. 
 
 to go to that of the marefchal de St. Andre; : fhe eafily 
 came into the opinion, that a woman ought not to be at 
 an entertainment given by one that prefeffed love to her, 
 and (he was very glad to find out a reafon of refervednefs, 
 for doing a thing which would, oblige the duke of 
 Nemours. However, fhe carried away with her the 
 ornaments which the queen-dauphin had given her; 
 but when fhe mewed them her mother, fhe told her that 
 (he did not defign to make ufe of them ; that the mare- 
 ichal de St. Andre took a great deal of pains to mew 
 his attachment to her, and fhe did not doubt he would 
 -be glad to have it believed that a compliment was de- 
 figned her in the entertainment he gave the king ; and 
 that under the pretence of doing the honours of his 
 houfe, he would Ihew her civilities which would be 
 uneafy to her. 
 
 Madam de Chartres for forhe time oppofed her 
 daughter's opinion, as thinking it very fingular; but 
 when fhe favv fhe was obftinate in it, fhe gave way, 
 and told her, that in that cafe fhe ought to pretend an 
 indifpofition as an excufe for not going to the ball, be- 
 caufe the real reafons which hindred her would not be 
 approved of j and care ought to be taken that they 
 (hould not be fufpefted. Madam de Cleves voluntarily 
 confented to pafs fome days at her mother's, in order 
 not to go to any place where the duke of Nemours was 
 not to be. However, the duke fet out, without the 
 pleafure of knowing fhe would not be at the ball. 
 
 The day after the ball he returned, and was inform- 
 ed that fhe was not there ; but as he did not know the 
 converfation he had at the dauphin's court had been 
 repeated to her, he was far from thinking himfelf happy 
 enough to have been the reafon of her not going. 
 
 The day after, while he was at the queen's apart- 
 ments, and talking to the queen-dauphin, madam de 
 Chartres and madam de Cleves came in. Madam de 
 Cleves %vas drelTed a little negligently, as a perfbr. \vh;> 
 had been indifpofed, but her countenance did not at all 
 correfpond with her drefs. You look fo pretty, fays 
 
 She
 
 PART I. TH PRINCESS OF CLEVES. ?r 
 
 the queen-dauphin to her, that I can't believe you have 
 been ill ; I think the prince of Conde, when he told us 
 the duke de Nemours's opinion of the ball, perfuaded 
 you, that to go there would be doing a favour to the 
 marefchal de St. Andre, and that is the reafon which 
 hindered you from going, Madam de Cleves blufhed, 
 both becaufe the queen-dauphin had conjectured right, 
 and becaufe fhe fpoke her conjedlure in the prefence of 
 the duke de Nemours. 
 
 Madam de Chartres immediately perceived the true 
 reafon why her daughter refufed to go to the ball ; 
 and to prevent the duke de Nemours's difcovering it, 
 as well as herfelf,- me took up the difcourfe after a 
 manner that gave what (he faid an air of truth. I affure 
 you, madam, faid fhe to the queen-dauphin, that your 
 majefty has done my daughter more honour than fhe de- 
 ferves; fhe was really indifpofed, but I believe, if I 
 had not hindred her, fhe would net have failed to wait 
 on you, and to fhew herfelf under any difadvant/ige:-., 
 fcr the pleafure of feeing whr.t there was extraordinary 
 at yeilerday's e itertainment. The queen-dauphin g.iv 
 credit to what madam de Chartres faid ; but the dukt 
 de Nemours was forry to find fo much probability in it : 
 neverth-lefs, the blufhes of the princefs of Cleves made 
 him fufpecl:, that what the queen-dauphin had faid 
 was not altogether falfe. The princefs of Cleves at firlt 
 was concerned the duke had any rcom to believe it was 
 ha who had hindred her from going to the marefchal de 
 St. Andre ; but afterwards, fhe was a little chagrined 
 that her mother had entirely taken off the fafpicion of it. 
 Madam de Chartres was not willing to let her 
 daughter fee that fhe know her fentiments for the 
 duke, for fear of making herfelf fufpected in fome 
 things which fhe was very deJirous to tell her. One 
 day fhe fet herfelf to talk about him, and a great deal 
 of good fhe faid of him ; but mixed with it abundance 
 of fham. praifes, as the prudence he fhewed in never 
 falling in love, and how wife he was to make the affair 
 of womep and love an amufemeat, inftead of a ferious 
 C 4 bufuiefc.
 
 $2 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 bufmefs. It is not, added fhe, that he is not fufpefled 
 to have a very ancommon paffion for the queen-dau- 
 phin; I obferve he viiits her very often; and I advife 
 you to avoid, as much as poffible, fpeaking to him, and 
 efpecially in private" ; becaufe, fince the queen-dauphin 
 treats you as me does, it would be faid, that you are 
 their confidante ; and you know how difagreeable that 
 fort of reputation is: I am of opinion, if this report 
 continues, that you mould not vifit the queen-dauphin 
 fo often, in order to avoid involving yourfelf in ad- 
 ventures of gallantry. 
 
 The princefs of Cleves had never heard before of th 
 amour between the duke de Nemours and the -queen- 
 dauphin ; me was fo much furprifed at what her mother 
 had told her, and feemed to fee fo plainly how fhe had 
 been rniftaken in her thoughts about the duke, that fhe 
 changed countenance. Madam de Chartres perceived 
 it. Visitors came in that moment ; and the princefs of 
 C'ltves retired to her ov/n apartment, and fhut herfelf 
 up in her clofet. 
 
 One can't exprefs the grief fhe felt, to difcover r by 
 what her mother had been juft faying, the interefl her 
 Jieart had in the duke de Nemour3 ; fhe had not dared 
 as yet to acknowledge it to her fecret thoughts ; me 
 then found, that the fentiments fhe had for him were 
 fuch as the prince of Cleves had required of her; (hz 
 perceived how fhameful it was to entertain them for 
 another, and not for a hufband that deferred them ; 
 Ihe found herfelf under the utmoft embarrafTment, ?r.cl 
 was dref.dfully afraid left the duke fhculd make ufe c r" 
 her only as a means to come at the queen-dauphin ; :.:',(! 
 it was this thought determined her to impart to her 
 mother Something fhe had not yet told her. 
 
 The ne;<t morning fhe went into her mother's ch 
 to put her r^folves in execution, but Ihe found ir.:;<!::: i 
 de Chartres had fome touches of a fever, ar.cl therefore 
 did not think proper to fpeak to her : thi r indifpofition, 
 however, appeared fo p\gni&cant .. ::m de:
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 33 
 
 Clevcs made no fcruple after dinner to vifit the queen- 
 dauphin ; me v/as in her clofet with two or three ladies 
 of her moil familiar acquaintance. We were fpeak- 
 ing, faid file to her, as foon as fhe faw her, of the 
 duke de Nemours, and were admiring how much he is 
 changed ijnce his return from Brufiels ; before he went 
 there, he had an infinite number of miftrefTes ; and it 
 v/as his own fault, for he mewed an equal regard to 
 thofe who had merit, and to thofe who had none ; fince 
 his return, he neither knows the one nor the other ; 
 there never was To great a change ; I find his humour is 
 changed too, and that he is lefs gay than he ufed to be. 
 The princefs of Cleves made no anfwer; and it 
 mocked her to think fhe mould have taken all that they 
 faid of the change in the duke for proofs of his paffion 
 for her, had flie not been undeceived ; me felt in her- 
 felf fome little refentment againft the queen-dauphin, 
 for endeavouring to find out reafons, and teeming fur- 
 prifed at a thing, which fhe probably knew more of 
 than any one elfe : fhe could not forbear mewing fome- 
 thing of it ; and when the other ladies withdrew, fhe 
 came up and told her in a low voi-ce- And is it I, 
 madam, you have been pointing at? and have you. a 
 mind to conceal, that you are fhe who has made fuch 
 an alteration in the conduct of the duke of Nemours ? 
 You do me injuftice, anfwered the queen-dauphin ; 
 vou know I conceal nothing from you; it is true, the' 
 duke of Nemours, before he went to BrufTels, had, 1 
 believe, an intention to let me know he did not hate 
 me ; but fince his return, it has not fo much as ap^- 
 peared that he remembers any thing of what he has 
 done ; and I acknowledge I have a curioiity to know 
 what it is has changed him fo. It would not be very 
 difficult for me to unravel this affair, added fhe ; the 
 vifcount de Chartres, his intimate friend,, is in love 
 with a lady with whom I have feme power, and I will 
 know by that means the occafion of this alteration. 
 The queen-dauphin fpoke with an air of linccrity, which 
 C 5 convinced.
 
 34 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 convinced the princefs of Cleves, and in fpite of her- 
 felf fhe found her mind in a more calm and pleafmg 
 fituation than it had been in before. 
 
 When fhe returned to her mother, flie heard fhe was 
 a great deal worfe than fhe had left her ; her fever was 
 redoubled, and the days following it increafcd to fo 
 great a degree, that fhe was thought to be in danger. 
 Madam de Cleves was in extreme grief on this occafion, 
 and never flirred out of her mother's chamber. The 
 prince of Cleves was there too almoft every day, and all 
 day long, partly out of affection to madam de Chartres, 
 and partly to hinder his lady from abandoning herfelf 
 to forrow ; but chiefly that he might have the pleafure 
 of feeing her, his paffion not being at all diminifhed. 
 
 The duke de Nemours, who had always had a great 
 friendihip for the prince of Cleves, had not failed to 
 fhew it fmce his return from BrufTels ; during the illnefs 
 of madam de Chartres he frequently found means to 
 fee the princefs of Cleves, pretending to want her 
 hufband, or to come to take him out to walk ; he en- 
 quired for him at fuch hours as he knew very well he 
 was not at home, and under pretence of waiting for 
 him ftay'd in madam de Clcves's antichamber, where 
 there were always a great many people of quality: 
 madam de Cleves often came there, and her grief did 
 not make her feem lefs handfome in the eyes of the duke 
 de Nemcurs ; he made her fenfible what intereft he had 
 in her affliction, and fpoke to her with fo fubmiffive an 
 air, that he eafily convinced her, that the queen-dau-* 
 phin wa* not the perfon he was in love with. 
 
 The feeing him at once gave her grief and pleafure ; 
 but when fhe no longer faw him, and reflected that the 
 charm he carried about him when prefent was an in- 
 troduction to love, fhe was very near imagining fhe 
 hated him, out of the exce&ve grief which that thought 
 gave her. 
 
 Madam de Chartres flill grew worfe and worfe, fo 
 that they began to defpair of her life ; fhe heard wrUt 
 
 the
 
 PART!. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 35 
 
 the phyficians told her concerning the danger me wai 
 in, with a courage worthy her virtue and her piety. 
 After they were gone, fhe caufed every body to retire, 
 and fent for madam de Cleves. 
 
 We mult part, my dear daughter, faid {he, ftretch- 
 ing out her hand to her ; the danger I leave you in, and 
 the occafion you have for me, adds to the regret I have 
 to leave you. You have a paflion for the duke de Ne- 
 mours ; I do not defire you to confefs it ; I am no longer 
 in a condition to make ufe of that fmcerity for your 
 good. I have perceived this inclination a great while, 
 but was not willing to fpeak to you of it at firft, for fear 
 of making you difcover it yourfelf; you know it at pre- 
 fent but too well ; you are upon the brink of a preci- 
 pice ; great efforts muft be ufed, and you muit do great 
 violence to your heart to fave yourfelf: refledl what you 
 o.ve to your hulband; reflect what you owe to yourfelf; 
 and think that you are going to lofe that reputation 
 which you have gained, and which I have fo much at 
 heart ; call up, my dear daughter, all your courage and 
 conftancy; retire from court; oblige ycur hufband, 
 to carry you away ; do not be afraid of taking fuch 
 refolutions, as being too harfh and difficult ; however 
 frightful they may appear at firft, they will become 
 more pleafant in time than the misfort ~.ies that follow 
 galantry. If any other motives than thofe of duty and 
 virtue could have weight with you, I ihould tell you,, 
 that if any thing were capable of difturbing the happi- 
 nefs I hope for in the next world, it would be to fee you 
 fall like other women ; but if this calamity muft ne- 
 cefiarily happen, I fhall meet death with joy, as it will 
 hinder me from being a witnefs of it. 
 
 Madam de Cleves bathed with tears her mother's 
 hand, which fhe held faft locked in her own ; nor 
 was madam de Chartres lefs movsd. Adieu 1 dear 
 daughter, faid fhe, let us put an end to a coaverforioa 
 which melts us both ; and remember, if you are .blej 
 all that I have been faying to you. 
 
 C d Vt'hea
 
 36 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART I. 
 
 When fiie had fpoke this, fhe turned herfelf on the 
 other fide, and ordered her daughter to call her women * 
 being unwilling either to hear her reply, or to fpeak 
 any more. Madajn de Cleves went out of her prefence 
 in a condition one need not defcribe ; and madam de 
 Chartres thought of nothing but preparing herfelf for 
 death. She lived two days longer, during which (he 
 would not fee herdaughter again ; her daughter was the 
 only thing fhe had reluctance to part with. 
 
 Madam de Cleves was in the ntmoft affliction ; her 
 hufband did not leave her ; and no fconer was her mother 
 expired, but he carried her into the country, that fhe 
 might not have in her eye a place which could ferve only 
 to fnarpen her forrow, which was fcarce to be equalled. 
 Though tendernefs and gratitude had the greateft mare 
 in her griefs, yet the need which fhe found fhe had of 
 her mother to guard her againft the duke of Nemours, 
 jidded no fmall weight to them ; fhe found fne was un- 
 happy in being left to herfelf, at a time when fhe was 
 To little miftrefs of her own affections, and when fhe fo 
 much wifhed for fomebody to pity and encourage her. 
 The prince of Cleves's behaviour to her on thisoccafion, 
 made her wifh more ardently than ever, never to fail in 
 her duty to him ; fhe alfo exprcffed more friendfhip and 
 affection for him than fhe had done before ; fhe would 
 not fufier him to leave her, and fhe feemed to think that 
 his being conffontly with her could defend her againft 
 the duke cf Nemours. 
 
 The duke came to fee the prince of Cleves in the 
 country ; he did what he coukl to pay a vifit alfo to 
 madam de Cleves, but fhe refufed to receive him ; and 
 being periuaded fhe could not help finding fomething 
 dangerously lovely in him, fhe made a flrongre folution 
 to forbear feeing him, and to avoid all occafions of it 
 that were in her power. 
 
 The prince of Cleves went to Paris to make his court, 
 and promifed his lady to return the next day ; but how- 
 ever, he did not return till the day after. I expected
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 37 
 
 you yefterday, faid madam de Cleves to him on his 
 arrival, and I ought to chide you for not having come 
 as you promifed ; you know, if I was capable of feeling 
 a new affliftion in the condition I am in, it would be 
 the death of madam de Tournon, and I have heard of 
 it this morning ; I mould have been concerned, though 
 I had not known her ; 'tis a melancholy confideration 
 to think that a lady, fo young and handfome as me, 
 mould be dead in two days ; but befides, me was the 
 perfon in the world that pleafed me moft, and who ap- 
 peared to have difcretion equal to her beauty. 
 
 'I'/atn forry I could not return yefterday, reph'ed the 
 prince of Cieves, but my prefence was fo necefiary to 
 the confolation of an unhappy man, that it was im- 
 poflible for me to leave him. As for madam de Tour- 
 non, I advife you not to be concerned fcr her, if you 
 lament her as a woman full of difcretion, and worthy 
 of your efteem. You furpriiie me, anfwered madam 
 de Cleves ; I have heard you fay feveral times, that 
 there was not a lady at court you had a greater refpeft 
 for. It is true, replied, he ; but women are incom- 
 prehenfible ; and when I have feen them all, I think 
 myfelf fo happy in having you, that I cannot enough 
 admire my good fortune. You efteem me more than 
 I deferve, anfwered madam de Cleves : you have not 
 had experience enough, yet to pronounce me worthy of 
 you ; but tell me, I befeech you, what it is has un- 
 deceived you with refpeft to madam de Tournon. 
 I have been undeceived a great while, replied he ; I 
 know that me was in love with the count de San- 
 cerre, and that me gave him room to hope me would 
 marry him. I can't believe, faid madam de Cleves, 
 that madam de Tournon, after fo extrsordinary an 
 averiion as me has fhewn to marriage from the time 
 ihe became a widow, and after the public declarations 
 ihe has made that fhe would never marry again, ihould 
 gives hopes to Sancerre. -If Ihe had given hopes to 
 
 him
 
 3 8 THE PRINCESS<OF CLEVES. PART If. 
 
 him only, replied the prince of Cleves, the wonder had 
 not been fo great ; but what is furpriilng i?, that fhe 
 gave hopes likewife to Etouteville at the fame time : 
 I'll let you know the whole hiftory of this matter. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 YOU know the friendship there is betwixt San- 
 cerre and me. Neverthelefs, about two years 
 ago, he fell in love with madam de Tournon, 
 and concealed it from me with as much care as from 
 the reft of the world ; I had not the leafl fufpicion of it. 
 Madam de Tournon as yet appeared inconfolable for 
 the death of her hufband, and lived in retirement with 
 great aufterity. Sancerre's fifter was in a manner the 
 only perfcn fhe faw, and it was at her lodgings he be- 
 came in love with her. 
 
 One evening there was to be a play at the Louvre, 
 and the a.ftors only waited for the coming of the king 
 and madam de Valentinois ; when word was brought 
 that me was indifpofed, and that the king would not 
 come. It was eafy to fee that the dnchefs's indifpo- 
 fition was nothing but fome quarrel with the king ; 
 every one knew the jealoufy he had had of the marefchal 
 de Brifac during his continuance at court ; but he had 
 been fet out fome days on his return to Piemont, and 
 one could not imagine what was the occafion of this 
 falling out. 
 
 While I was fpeaking of this to Sanceire, monfieur 
 d' Anville came into the room, and told me in a whifpcr, 
 that the king \vas fo exafperated, and fo afRifted at the 
 fame time, that oae would pity him j that upon a late 
 reconciliation between him and the cluchefs, after thae 
 
 cpir.rrel
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 39 
 
 quarrel they had had about the marefchal de Brifac, he 
 had given her a ring, and defired her to wear it ; and 
 that as me was drefling herfelf to come to the play, he 
 had miffed it off her finger, and afked what was become 
 of it ; upon which fhe feemed in furprize that me had 
 it not, and called to ~hr woman for it ; who unfortu- 
 nately, or for want of being better inftrucled, made 
 anfwer, they had not feen it four or five days. 
 
 It was, continued monfieur d'Anville, precifely fo 
 long fince the Marefchal de Brifac left the court, and 
 the king made no doubt but me gave him the ring when 
 fhe took her leave of him. The thought of this awaked, 
 in fo lively a manner, that jealoufy which was not yet 
 extinguiihed, that he fell into uncommon tranfports, 
 and loaded her with a thoufand reproaches ; heisjuft 
 gon6 into her apartment again in a great concern ; but 
 whether the reafon is a more confirmed opinion that the 
 duchefs had made a facrifice of the ring, or for fear of 
 having difobliged her by his anger, I can't tell. 
 
 As foon zs monfienr d'Anville had told me this news, 
 I acquainted Sancerre with it; I told it him as a fecret 
 newly entrufted with me, and charged him to fay 
 nothing of it. 
 
 The next day I went early in the morning to my 
 fifter-in-law's, and found madam de Tournon at her 
 bed-fide, who had no great kindnefs for the duchefs of 
 Valentinoi^, and knew very well that my fifter-in-law 
 had no reafon to be fatisfied with her. Sancerre had 
 been with her, after he went from the play, and had 
 acquainted her with the quarrel between the king and 
 the duchefs ; and madam de Tournon was come to tell 
 it to my fifter-in-law, without knowing or fufpefting 
 that it was I from whom her lover had it. 
 
 As tbon as I advanced towards my fifter-in-law, fhe 
 told madam de Tournon, that they might truft me with 
 what (he had been telling her ; and without waiting 
 madam de Tournoa's leave, fhe related tome, word by 
 all I had told Sancerre the night before. You 
 
 may
 
 .o THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 may judge what furprize .1 was in; I looked hard at 
 madam de Tournon, and ihe feemed difordered ; her 
 difordcr gave me a fufpicion. I had told the thing to 
 r,obcdy but Sancerre ; he left me when the comedy was 
 done, without giving- any reafon for it ; I remember to 
 have heard him fpeak much in praife of madam de 
 Tournon; all thefe things opened my eyes, andleafily 
 difccrned there was an intrigue between them, and that 
 he had feen her fince he left me. 
 
 I was fq ftung to find he had concealed this adventure 
 from me, that I faid fevcral things which made madam 
 de Tournon fenfible of the imprudence fhe had been 
 guilty of. I led her back to her coach, nndaffured her, 
 I envied the happinefs of him who informed Jier of the 
 king's quarrel with the duchefs of Valcntinois. 
 
 I went immediately in fearch of Sancerre, and fe- 
 verely reproached him ; I told him I knew of his paffio* 
 for madam de Tournon, without faying how I came by 
 the difcovery ; he was forced to acknowledge it. I 
 afterwards informed him what led me into the know- 
 ledge of it; and he acquainted me with the detail of 
 the whole affair. He told me, that though he was a 
 younger brother, and far from being able to pretend 
 to fo gcod a match, ne\ erthelefs Ihe was determined to 
 marry him. I can't exprefs the furprife I was in ; I 
 told Sancerre he would do well to haften the conclufion 
 of the marriage, and that there was nothing he had 
 not to fear from a woman, who had the artifice to fup- 
 port, in the eye of the public, appearances fo diftant 
 from truth. He gave me in anfv.cr, that flie was really 
 concerned for the lofs of her hufband, but that the in^ 
 clination fhe had for him had furmounted that affliction, 
 .and that fne could not help difcovering all on a fudden 
 fo great a change. He mentioned befules fevefal other 
 reafons in her excufe, which convinced me how much 
 he was in love ; he aflured me, he would bring her to 
 confent.that I fhould know his paflion for her, efpccially 
 iince it. was Ihe herfelf who had made me fufpeft it ; 
 
 ic.
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 41 
 
 in a word, he did oblige her to it, though with a great 
 deal of difficulty, and I grew afterwards very deep in 
 their confidence, 
 
 I never knew a lady behave herfelf in fo agreeable a 
 manner to her lover, but yet I was always fhocked at 
 the affectation fhe fhewed in appearing fo concern- 
 ed for the lofs of her hufoand. Sancerre was fo much 
 in love, and fo well pleafed with the treatment he re- 
 ceived from her, that he fcarce durft prefs her to con- 
 clude the marriage, for fear me mould think he defired 
 it rather out of intereft than love ; however, he fpokc 
 to her of it, and fhe feemed fully bent on marrying 
 him ; fhe began alfo to abandon her referved numner 
 of life, and to appear again in public ; fhe vifited my 
 filter-in-law at hours when fome of the court were ufu- 
 ally there ; Sancerre came there but feldom, but thofe 
 who came every night, and frequently faw her there, 
 thought her extremely beautiful. 
 
 She had not long quitted her folitude, when Sancerre 
 imagined that her paffion for him was cooled ; hs 
 fpoke of it feveral times to me ; but I laid no great ftrefs 
 on the matter: but at laft, when he told me, that in- 
 Aead of forwarding the marriage, fhe feemed to put it 
 off, I began to think he was not to blame for being un- 
 eafy : I remonftrated to him, that if madam de Tour- 
 non's paffion was abated after having continued two 
 years, he ought not to be furpriied at it ; and that everj 
 fuppofing it was not abated, poffibly it might not be 
 ftrong enough to induce her to marry him ; that he 
 ought not to complain of it ; that fuch a marriage in 
 the judgment of the public would draw cenfures upon 
 her, not only becaufe he was not a fuitable match for 
 her, but alfo on account of the prejudice it would do 
 her reputation ; that therefore all he could defire was, 
 'that fhe might not deceive him, nor lead him into falle 
 tions. I told him further, that if ihe had not 
 resolution enough to marry him, or if fhe confefTed fhe 
 iikedforoe ether perfon batter, he ought not to refent
 
 42 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART!!. 
 
 or be angry at it, but itill continue liis efteem and re- 
 gard for her. 
 
 I give you, faid I, the advice which I would take 
 myfelf; for fmcerityhas fuch charms to me, that I be- 
 lieve if my miftrefs, or even my wife, ingenuoufiy con- 
 fefled me had a greater affedtion for another than for 
 me, I might be troubled, but not exafperated ; I would 
 lay afide the character of a lover or a hufband, to beftow 
 my advice and my pity. 
 
 This difcourfe made madam de Cleves blufh ; and m 
 found in it a certain fimilitucle of her own condition, 
 which very much furprized her, and gave her a con- 
 cern, from which me could not recover in a great while. 
 
 Sancerre fpoke to madam de Tournon, continued 
 monfieur de Cleves, and told her all I had advifed him ; 
 but me encouraged him with fo many frefh affurances, 
 and feemed fo difpleafed at his fufpicions, that fhe 
 entirely removed them ; neverthelefs, me deferred the 
 marriage until after a pretty long journey he was to 
 make ; but me behaved herfelf fo well until his de- 
 parture, and appeared fo concerned at it, that I believ- 
 ed as well as he, that fhe fmcerely loved him. He fet 
 out about three months ago ; during his abfence I have 
 feldom feen madam de Tournon ; you have entirely 
 taken me up, and I only knew that he was fpeedily ex- 
 
 The day before yefterday, on my arrival at Paris, I 
 heard Hie was dead ; I fent to his lodgings to enquire if 
 they had any news of him, and word was brought me, 
 he came to town the night before, which was precifely 
 the day that madam de Tournon died; I immediately 
 went to fee him, concluding in what condition I mould 
 find him ; but his afHiftion far furpaiTed what I had 
 imagined. 
 
 Never did I fee a forrow fo deep and fo tender ; the 
 moment he faw me he embraced me with tears ; I mall 
 never fee her more, faid he, I mall never fee her more ; 
 /he is dead, I was not worthy of her ; but I fhall foon 
 follow her. 
 
 After
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. .43 
 
 After this he was filent ; and then, from time to 
 time, continually repeating, She is dead, I ihall never 
 fee her more, he returned to lamentations and tears, and 
 continued as a man bereft ofreafon. He told me, he 
 had not often received letters from her during his ab- 
 fence, but that he knew her too well to be furprized at it, 
 and was fenfible how ihy and timorous me was of 
 writing ; he made no doubt but me would have married 
 him upon his return ; he considered her as the mofl 
 amiable and conftant of her fex ; he thdught himfelf 
 tenderly beloved by her; he loft her the moment he 
 expected to be united to her for ever ; all thefe thoughts 
 threw him into fo violent an affliction, that I own! was 
 deeply touched with it. 
 
 Nevertheless I was obliged to leave him to go to the 
 King, but promifed to return immediately ; accordingly 
 I did, and I was never fo furprized as I was to find him 
 entirely changed from what I had left him ; he was 
 (landing in his chamber, his face full of fury, fome- 
 times walking, fometimes flopping fhort, as if he had 
 been diftra&ed. Come, fays he, and fee the moft for- 
 lorn wretch in the world; I am a thoufand times more 
 unhappy than I was a while ago, and what I have jufl 
 heard of madam de Tournon is worfe than her death. 
 
 I took what he faid to be wholly the effect of grief, 
 and could not imagine that there could be any thing 
 worfe than the death of a miftrefs one loves, and is be- 
 loved by; I told him, that fo far as he kept his grief 
 within bounds, I approved of it, and bore a part in it ; 
 but that I mould no longer pity him, if he abandoned 
 himfelf to defpair, and flew from reafon. 1 mould be 
 too happy if I had loft both my reafon and my life, 
 cried he; madam de Tournon was falfe to me, and I 
 am informed of her unfaithfulnefs and treachery the 
 very day after I was informed of her death ; I am in- 
 form-} 1 of it at a time when my foul is filled with tha 
 moft tender love, and pierced with the Iharpeft grief 
 that evex was; at a time, when the idea of her in my 
 
 heart
 
 44 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 heart is that of the moft perfefl woman who ever lived, 
 and the moft perfeft with refpeft to me ; I find I am 
 miftaken, and that me does not deferve to be lamented 
 by me ; neverthelefs, I have the fame concern for her 
 death, as if (he had been true to me ; and I have the 
 ame fenfibility of her falfhood, as if fhe were yet living ; 
 tad I heard of her faifhood before her death, jealoufy, 
 anger, and rage would have poflefTed me, and in fome 
 meafure hardened me againft the grief for her lofs ; but 
 r.ow my condition is fuch, that I am incapable of r- 
 ceiving comfort, and yet know not how to hate her. 
 
 You may judge of the furprize I was in at what San- 
 cerre told Kie ; I afked him how he came by the know- 
 ledge of it ; and he told me, that the minute I went 
 away from him, Etouteville, who is his intimate friend, 
 but who neverthelefs knew nothing of his love for ma- 
 dam de Tournon, came to fee him ; that as foon as he 
 was fat down, he fell a-weeping, and afked his pardon 
 for having concealed from him what he was going to 
 tell him ; that he begged him to have companion of 
 him, that he was come to open his heart to him, and 
 that he was the pcrfon in the world the moft afflicted 
 for the death of madam de Tournon. 
 
 That name, frad Sancerre, fo altonifhed me, that 
 though my firft intention was to tell him I was more 
 afflicted than he, I had not the power to fpeak : he 
 continued to inform me, that he had been in love with 
 her fix months, that he was always defirous to let me 
 know it, but fhe had exprefly forbid hini ; and in fo 
 authoritative a manner, "that he durft not difobey her; 
 that he gained her in a manner as foon as he courted 
 her j that they concealed their mutual paflion for each 
 other from the whole world ; that he never viiited her 
 publicly ; that he had the pleafure to remove her fonow 
 for her hufband's death; and that lallly, he was to hnve 
 marnVd her at the very juncture in which fhe died : but 
 that this marriage, which was an effect of love, would 
 have appeared in her an eiiect of duty and obedience, flie 
 
 having
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 4; 
 
 having prevailedupon her father to lay his commands 
 on her to marry him, in order to avoid the appearance 
 f too great an alteration in her condud, which had 
 feemed fo averfe to a fecond marriage. 
 
 While Etouteville was fpeaking to me, faid San- 
 cerre, I believed all he faid, becaufe I found fo muck 
 probability in it, and becaufe the time when he told 
 me his paffion for madam de Tournon commenced, is 
 precifely the fame with that when me appeared changed 
 towards me; but the next moment I thought him a 
 liar, or at leaft an enthufiaft, and was upon the point 
 of telling him fo. Afterwards I came into an incli- 
 nation of clearing up the matter, and propofed feveral 
 queftions, and laid my doubts before him ; in a word, 
 I proceeded fo far to convince myfelf of my misfortune, 
 that he afked me if I knew madam de Tournon's hand- 
 writing, and with that threw upon my bed four letters 
 of her's and her pidlure; my brother came in that mi- 
 nute; Etouteville's face was fo full of tears, that he 
 was forced to withdraw to avoid being obferved, and 
 faid, he would come again in the evening to fetch what 
 he left with me ; and as for me, I fent my brother away 
 under pretence of being indifpofed, fo impatient was I 
 to fee the letters he had left, and fo full of hopes to 
 find fomething there that might make me diibclieve 
 what Etouteville had been telling me; but alas! what 
 did I not find there ? What tendernefs ! what oathi ! 
 what affurances of marriage ! what letters ! . She never 
 wrote the like to me. Thus, continued he, am I at 
 once pierced with anguifh for her death and for her 
 falfliood, two evils which have been often compared, 
 but never felt before by the fame perfon at the fame 
 time; I confefs, to my (hame, that ftill I am more 
 grieved for her lofs than for her change; I cannot 
 think her guilty enough, to confent to her death: were 
 fhe living, I mould have the fatisfadlion to re- 
 proach her, and to revenge myfelf on her by 
 making her fenfible of her injuftice; but I mail 
 fee her nd more; J fhall fee her no ijioie! This
 
 46 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 is the greateft misfortune of all others ; would I could 
 reftore her to life, though with the lofs of my own ! 
 Yet what do I wilh ? If me were reftored to life, (he 
 would live for Etouteville. How happy was I yefter- 
 day, cried he, how happy ! I was the moft afflifted 
 man in the world ; but my afflidlion was reafonable, 
 and there was fomething pleafmg in the very thought 
 that I was inconfolable. To-day all my fentiments are 
 unjuft; I pay to a feigned paflion the tribute of my 
 grief, which I thought I owed to a real one; lean 
 neither hate nor love her memory ; I am incapable of 
 confolation, and yet do not know how to grieve for her ; 
 take care, I conjure you, that I never fee Etouteville; 
 his very name raifes horror in me ; I know very well I 
 have no reafon of complaint againft him ; I was to 
 blame in concealing from him my love for madam de 
 Tournon ; if he had known it, pejhaps he would not 
 have purfued her ; perhaps fhe would not have been 
 falfe to rne; he came to me to impart his forrows, and 
 I cannot but pity him; alas! he had reafon to love 
 madam de Tournon, he was beloved by her, and will 
 never fee her more : notwithftanding, I perceive I can- 
 not help hating him ; once more I conjure you take 
 care I may not fee him. 
 
 Sancerre burft afterwards into tears, began again to 
 regret madam de Tournon, and to fpeak to her, as if 
 fhe were prefent, and fay the fofteft things in the world ; 
 from thefe tranfports he pafled to hatred, to complaints, 
 to reproaches and imprecations againft her. When I faw 
 him in fo defperate a condition, I found I mould want 
 fomebody to afiift me in appeafmg his mind ; accordingly 
 1 fent for his brother, whom I had left with the king ; 
 I met him in the anti-chamber, and acquainted him with 
 Sancerre's condition : we gave the necefTary orders to 
 prevent his feeing Etouteville, and employed part of 
 the night in endeavouring to make him capable of rea- 
 fon ; this morning I found him yet more afflicted; his 
 brother continued with him, and I returned to you. 
 
 It
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLE'VES. 47 
 
 It is impoffible to be more furprifed than I am, faid 
 madam de Cleves; I thought madam de Tournoft 
 equally incapable of love and falfhood. Addrefs and 
 diffimulation, replied monfieur de Cleves, cannot go 
 further than {he carried them ; obferve, that when San- 
 cerre thought her love to him was abated, it really was, 
 and (he began to love Etouteville ; (he told the laft, that he 
 removed her forrow for her hufband's death, and that 
 he was the caufe of her quitting her retirement. San- 
 cerre believed the caufe was nothing but a refolution 
 flie had taken not to feem any longer to be in fuch deep 
 affliction ; me made a merit to Etouteville of concealing 
 her correfpondence with him, and of feeming forced to 
 marry him by her father's command, as if it was an ef- 
 fedl of the care me had of her reputation; whereas it 
 was only an artifice toiforfake Sancerre, without his 
 having reafon to refent it. I muft return, continued 
 Mr. de Cleves, to fee this unhappy man, and I believe 
 you would do well to go to Paris too ; it is time for you 
 to appear in the world again, and receive the numerous 
 vifits which you cannot well difpenfe with. 
 
 Madam de Cleves agreed to the propofal, and returned 
 to Paris the next day ; fhe found herfelf much more 
 eafy with refpect to the duke de Nemours than fhe had 
 been; what her mother had told her on her death-bed, 
 and her grief for her death, created a fort of fufpenfion 
 in her mind as to her paffion for the duke, which made 
 her believe it was quite effaced. 
 
 The evening of her arrival the queen-dauphin made 
 her a vifit ; and after having condoled with her, told 
 her, that in order to divert her from melancholy thoughts, 
 fhe would let her know all that had pafTed at court in 
 her abfence ; upon which fhe related to her a great many 
 extraordinary things ; bat what I have the greateft de- 
 fire to inform you of, added fhe, is, that it is certain the 
 duke de Nemours is pafiionately in love; and that his 
 moil intimate friends are not only not entrufted in it, 
 iut cannot fo much as gu-cfs who the perfon is he is in 
 I lov
 
 4 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART If. 
 
 love with; neverthelefs, this paffion of his is fo ftrong, as 
 to make him negletEl, or to fpeak more properly, aban- 
 don the hopes of a crown. 
 
 What poifon did this difcourfe of the queen-dauphin 
 carry in it for madam de Cleves ! How could me but 
 know herfelf to be the perfon whofe name was not 
 known ; and how could me help being filled with ten- 
 dernefs and gratitude, when me learned, by a way not 
 in the leall liable to fufpicion, that the duke, \viio had 
 already touched her heart, concealed his paffion from 
 the whole world, and neglefted for her fake the hopes 
 of a crown? It is impoflible to exprefs what fhe felt, 
 or to defcribe the tumult that was raifed in her foul. 
 Had the queen-dauphin obferved her clofely, me might 
 eafily have difcerned, that what fhe had been faying was 
 not indifferent to her; but as fhe had not the leaft fuf- 
 picion of the truth, (he continued her difcourfe without 
 minding her: Monfieur d'Anville, added ihe, from 
 whom, as I ju ft told you, I had all this, believes I 
 know more of it than himfelf; and he has fo great an 
 opinion of my beauty, that he is fatisfied J am the only 
 perfon capable of creating fo great a change in the duke 
 of Nemours. 
 
 Thefe laft words of the queen-dauphin gave madam 
 de Cleves a fort of uneafmefs very different from that 
 which fhe had a few minutes before. I can eafily come 
 into monfieur d'Anville's opinion, anfwered fhe ; and 
 it is very probable, madam, that nothing lefs than a 
 princefs of your merit could make him dcfpife the queen 
 of England. I would own it to you, if I knew it, re- 
 plied the queen-dauphin, and I mould know it if it 
 were true ; fuch pafTions as thefe never efcape the fight 
 of thofe who occafion them ; they are the firft to difcero 
 them ; the duke of Nemours has never mewed me any 
 thing but flight com plaifances; and yet I find fo great a 
 difference betwixt his prefent and former behaviour to 
 me, that I can affaire you, I am not the caufe of the 
 indifference he expreflcs for tke crown of England. 
 
 But
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 49 
 
 But I forget myfelf in your company, added the 
 queen-dauphin, and do not remember that I am to w :lt 
 upon Madame. Having faid this, fhe took her leave 
 of madam de Cleves, and the next day the king and 
 the queens went to vifit her. The duke de Nemours, 
 who had expe&ed her return with the utmoft impatience, 
 and languifhed for an opportunity of fpeaking to her in 
 private, contrived to wait upon her at an hour when 
 the company would probably be withdrawing, and no- 
 body elfe come in; he fucceeded in his defign, and 
 came in when the laft visitors were going away. 
 
 The princefs was fitting on her bed, and the hot 
 weather, together with the fight of the duke de Ne- 
 mours, gave her a blufh that added to her beauty ; he 
 fit over againft her with a certain timorous refpect that 
 flows from a real love; he continued fome minutes 
 without fpeaking ; nor was fhe lefs at a lofs, fo that they 
 were both filent a good while : at laft, the duke condoled 
 with her for her mother's death. Madam de Cleves was 
 glad to give the converfation that turn, fpokea conuder- 
 able time of the great lofs me had had, and at laft faid, 
 that though time had taken eft" from the violence of her 
 grief, yet the impreftion would alwrtys remain fo ftrong, 
 that it would entirely change her humour. -Great 
 troubles and exceffive paflions, replied the duke, make 
 great alterations in the mind ; as for me, I am quite 
 another man fmce my return from Flanders; abundance 
 of people have taken notice of tins change, and the 
 queen-dauphin fpoke to me of it yefterday. It is true, 
 replied the princefs, fhe has obfervcd it, and I think L 
 remember to have heard her fay fomething about it. . 
 I am not forry, madam, replied the duke, that me has 
 difcerned it ; but 1 could wifh fome others in particular 
 had difcerned it too. Ther,e are perfons to whom we dare 
 give no other evidences of the pafTion we have for them, 
 tut by things which do not concern them ; and when 
 we dare not let them know we love them, we mould be 
 glad, at leaft, to have them fee we are not dcfirous of being 
 VOL, II, D Uved
 
 5 o THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 loved by any other ; we fhould be glad to convince 
 them, that no other beauty, though of the higheft rank, 
 has any charms for us; and that a crown would be too 
 dear, if purchafed with no lefs a price than abfence 
 from her we adore. Women ordinarily, continued he, 
 judge of the paffion one hr.s for them, by the care one 
 takes to oblige, and to be affiduous about their, - } but it 
 is no hard matter to do this, though they be 
 little amiable ; not to give one's felf up to the l - 
 of purfuing them, to fhun them through fear of diicc- 
 x'ering to the public, and in a manner to themfelves, 
 the fentiments one has for them, here lies the difficulty ; 
 and what Hill more demonftrates the truth of one's paf- 
 fion is, the becoming entirely changed from what one 
 was ; and the having no longer a guft either for ambi- 
 tion or pleafure, after one has employed one's whole life 
 in purfuit of both. 
 
 The princefs of Cleves readily apprehended how far 
 fhe was concerned in this difcourfe ; one while Ihe 
 feemed of opinion*, that Ihe ought not to fuffer fuch an 
 addrefs ; another, fhe thought fhe ought not to feem to 
 nnderfland it, or fhew fhe fuppofed herfelf meant by it; 
 fhe thought fhe ought to fpeak, and fhe thought fhe 
 ought to fee filent; the duke of Nemours's difcourfe 
 equally pleafed and offended her; fhe was convinced by 
 it of the truth of all the queen-dauphin had led her to 
 think; fhe found in it fomewhat galant and refpeftful, 
 but alfo fomewhat bold and too intelligible; the incli- 
 nation fhe had for the duke gave her an anxiety which it 
 was not in her power to controul ; the raoft obfcure ex- 
 preflions of a man that pleafes, move more I'han the moll 
 open declaration of one we have no liking for ; fhe 
 made no anfwer : the duke de Nemours took notice ef 
 Jier f'lence, which perhaps would have proved no ill 
 prefage, if the coming in of the prince of Cleves had 
 not ended at once the converfation and the viiit. 
 
 The prince was coming to give his wife a further ac- 
 count of Sancerre, but fhe was not over curious to learn 
 
 the
 
 PART I. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 5, 
 
 thefecjuelof that adventure* She was fo much taken up 
 with what had juft patted, that fhe could hardly con- 
 ceal the embarralfrnent fhe was in. When fhe was at 
 liberty to mufe upon it, fhe plainly faw fhe was miftaken, 
 when fhe thought fhe was indifferent as to the duke de 
 Nemours ; what he had faid to her had made all the 
 impreffion he could defire, and had entirely convinced 
 her of his paflion; beiides, the duke's actions agreed tco 
 well with his words, to leave her the leaft doubt about it; 
 fhe no longer flattered herfelf that fhe did not love him ; 
 all her care was not to let him difcover it, a talk of which 
 flie had already experienced the difficulty. She knew the 
 only way to fucceed in it was to avoid feeing him ; and 
 as her mourning gave her an excufe for being more re- 
 tired than ufual, fhe made ufe of that pretence not to 
 go to places where he might fee her. She was full of me- 
 lancholy ; her mother's death was the feeming caufe of 
 it, and no fufpicion \vas had of any other. 
 
 The duke de Nemours, not feeing htr any more, fell 
 into defperation ; and knowing he mould not meet with 
 her in any public afTembly, or at any diverfions the court 
 joined in, he could not prevail upon himfelf to appear 
 there ; and therefore he pretended a great love for hunt- 
 ing, and made matches for that fport on the days when 
 the queens kept their aflemblies; a flight indifpofition 
 had ferved him a good while as an excufe for flaying at 
 home, and declining to go to places where he knew very 
 well that madam de Cleves would not be. 
 
 The prince of Cleves was ill almoft at the fame time, 
 and the princefs never ftirred out of his room during his 
 illnefs j but when he grew better, and received com- 
 pany, and among others the duke de Nemours, who 
 itaid with him the greateft part of the day, fhe found 
 fhe could not continue any longer there; and yet in the 
 firft viiits he made fhe had not the refolution to go- out; 
 fhe had been too long without feeing him, to be able to 
 refolve to fee him no more ; the duke had the addrefs, 
 by difccurfes that appeared altogether general, but which 
 Dz (he
 
 52 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART H. 
 
 fhe underftoad very well by the relation they had to 
 what he had faid privately to her, to let her know that 
 he went a-hunting only to be more at liberty to think 
 of her, and that the reafon of his not going to the 
 afTeinblies was her not being there. 
 
 At laft fhe executed the refolution fhe had taken 
 to go out of her hufband's room whenever he was 
 there, though this was doing the utmoft violence to 
 herfelf: the duke perceived fhe avoided him, and the 
 thought of it touched him to the heart. 
 
 The prince of Cleves did not immediately take no- 
 tice of his wife's conduct in this particular ; but at laft 
 he perceived fhe went out of the room when there was 
 company there. He fpoke to her of it, and fhe told 
 him, that fhe did not think it confident with decency to 
 he every evening among the gay -young courtiers ; that 
 ihe hoped he would allow her to live in a more referred 
 manner than fhe had done hitherto ; that the virtue and 
 prefenceof her mother authorifed her in many liberties, 
 which could not otherwife be juftified in a woman of 
 her age. 
 
 Monfieur de Cleves, who had a great deal of facility 
 and complaifance for his wife, did not mew it on this 
 occafion, but told her he would by no means confent to 
 her altering her conduft. She was upon the point of 
 telling him, it was reported that the duke de Nemours 
 was in. love with her ; but fhe had not the power to name 
 him : befides, fhe thought it difingenuous todifguife the 
 truth, and make ufe of pretences to a man who had fo 
 good an opinion of her. 
 
 Some days after the king was with the queen at the 
 afTembly-hour, and the difcourfe turned upon nativities 
 and predictions ; the company were divided in their 
 opinion as to what credit ought to be given to them ; 
 the queen profefied to have great faith in them, and 
 maintained, that after fo many things had come to pafs 
 as they had been foretold, one could not doubt but 
 Uiere was fomething of certainty in that fcience ; others 
 
 affirmed,
 
 FART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 53 
 
 affirmed, that of an infinite number of predictions fo 
 very few proved true, that the truth of thofe few ought 
 to be looked upon as an effect of chance. 
 
 I have formerly been very curious and inquifitive as 
 ro futurity, faid the king ; but I have feen fo many 
 falfe and improbable things, that I am fatisfied there 
 is no truth in that pretended art.. Not many years fmce 
 there came hither, a man of great reputation in attro-- 
 logy; every body went to fee him; I went amonrj 
 others, but without faying who I was, and I carried with 
 me the duke of Guife and Defcars, and made them go 
 in firft ; neverthe'efs the aftrologer addrefied himfeif 
 firft to me, as if he had concluded me to be their 
 mailer ; perhaps he knew. me, and yet he told me one 
 thing that was very unfuitabe to my character, if he 
 had known me ; his prediclon was, that I mould be 
 killed in a duel ; he told the duke of Guife, that he 
 fhould die of a wound received behind ; and he told 
 Defcars, he mould be knocked of the head by the kick 
 of a horfe. The duke of G uife was a little angry at the 
 prediction, as if it imported he mould run away ; 
 nor was Defcars better pleafed, to find he was to make 
 his exit by fo unfortunate an accident; in a word, we 
 went nv/ay all three of us very much out of humour 
 with the aftrologer. I do not know what will happen 
 to the duke of Guife and Defcars, but there is not 
 much probability of my being killed in a duel ; the 
 king of Spain and I have juft made peace ; and if we 
 had not, I queltion whether we mould have fought, 
 or if I mould have challenged him, as the king my 
 father did Charles V. 
 
 After the king had related the misfortune that was 
 foretold him, thofe who had defended aftrology aban- 
 doned the argument, and agreed there was no credit to 
 be given to it. For my part, faid the duke de Nemours 
 aloud, I have the leaft reafon of any man in the world 
 to credit it ; and then turning himfeif to madam de 
 Cleves, near whom he flood, It has been foretold me, 
 D 3 fays
 
 54 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IT. 
 
 fays he very foftly, that I mould be happy in a perfcm 
 for whom I mould have the moft violent and refp'edful 
 paflion; you may judge, madam, if I ought to believe 
 in. predictions. 
 
 The queen-dauphin, who believed, from what the 
 cuke had fpoke aloud, that what he whifpered was 
 fome falfe predi&ion that had been told him, afked him 
 \vhat it was he faid to madam de Cleves ; had he had a 
 lefs ready wit, he would have been furprized at this 
 queftion ; but without any hefitation, What I faid to 
 her, madam, anfwered he, was, that it had been pre- 
 dicled. to me, that I mould be railed to a higher fortune 
 thr.n my moft fangaine hopes coul<J lead me to expeft. 
 If nothing has been foretold you bat this, replied the 
 queen-dauphin, fmiling, and thinkisg of the affair of 
 England, I would not advife you to decry aftrology j 
 you may have reafbns hereafter to offer in defence of it. 
 Madam de Cleves apprehended the queen-dauphin's 
 iuea::i^.|j; but knew withs!, that the fortune the dnk^ 
 cf Nemours fpoke of was not that of being king of 
 England. 
 
 The time of her mourning being expired, the prln- 
 cefs of Cleves was oblige j to make her appearance agab, 
 and go to court as ufual ; ";e faw the duke de Nemours 
 at the queea-dauphiu's apartment ; ihe faw him at 
 the prince of Cleves's, where he oficn came in company 
 cf other young noblemen, to avoid being remarked ; 
 yet fiie never once faw him, but it gave her a pain 
 that could not efcape his cbfervation. 
 
 However induftrious ihe was to avoid being looked, 
 at by him, and to fpeak lefs to him than to any other, 
 feme things efcaped her in an unguarded moment, 
 which convinced him he was not indifferent to her ; a' 
 man of lefs difcernment than he would not have per- 
 ceived it ; but he had already fo often been the object 
 of love, that it was eafy for him to know when he was 
 loved. He found the chevalier dc Guife was his rival; 
 and the chevalier knew that the duke de Nemours was 
 
 his;
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 5; 
 
 his ; monfieur de Guife was the only, man in the ccurt 
 that had unravelled this affair, his in'tereft having made 
 him more ciear-fighted thanothcrs ; the knowbdgf they 
 had of each other's fentiments, created an opposition 
 between them in every thing, which, however, did not 
 break out into an open quarrel ; they were always of 
 different p2rti3.s at the running at the ring, ;:t tourna- 
 ments, and all diver/ions the king delighted in ; and 
 their emulation was fo great, it could not be concealed. 
 Madam de Cleves frequently revolved in her mind 
 the affair of England ; me believed the duke de Ne- 
 mours could not refift the advice of the king, and the 
 inffonces of Lignerolles ; me was very much concerned 
 to find that Lignerolles was not yet returned, and me 
 impatiently expefted him ; her inclinations ftrongly 
 fwayed her to inform herfelf exaftly of the Hate of this 
 affair; but the fame reafons, which raifed in her that 
 curiofity, obliged her to conceal it; and me only en- 
 quired of the beauty, the wit, and the temper of 
 queen Elizabeth. A picture of that princefs had been 
 brought the king, which madam de Cleves found much 
 handfciner than fhe could have wifhed for; and fhe could 
 not forbear faying, the pifture flattered. I do not 
 think fo, replied the queen-dauphin ; that princefs has 
 the reputation of being very handfome, and of having 
 a very exalted genius, and I know me has always beea 
 propofed to me as a model worthy my imitation ; fhe 
 cannot bu: be very handfome, if fhe refembles her 
 mother, Anne Bullen ; never had \yoman fo many 
 charms and allurements, both in her perfon and her 
 humour ; I have heard fay me had fomething remark- 
 ably lively in her countenance, very different from 
 what is ufually found in other Englifh beauties. I 
 think, replied madam de Cleves, 'tis faid fhe was 
 born in France.- Thofe who imagine fo are miflaken, 
 replied the queen-dauphin ; I will give you her hiflory 
 in a few words. 
 
 D 4. She
 
 S 6 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 She was of a good family in England ;, Henry Vlllth 
 was in love with her fifler and her mother, and it has 
 been even fufpecled by fome, that fhe was his daughter ; 
 ihc came to France with Henry VII. *s filler, who mar- 
 ried Lewis XJIth ; that princefs, who was full of 
 youth and galantry, left the court of France with 
 groat reluctance after her hufband's death ; but Anne 
 Bullen, who had the fame inclinations as her miflrefs, 
 could not prevail with herfelf to go away ; the late 
 king was in love with her, and fhe continued maid of 
 honour to queen Claude ; that queen died, and Mar- 
 garetta, the king's fifter, duchefs of Alenfon, and 
 fince queen of Navarre, whofe ftory you know, took 
 her into her fervice, where fhe imbibed the principles 
 of the new religion ; fhe returned afterwards to .Eng- 
 l.ind, and there charmed all the world. She had the 
 manners of France, which pleafe in all countries ; fhe 
 fung well, fhe danced finely ; fhe was a maid of ho- 
 nour to queen Catherine, and Henry Vlllth fell defpe- 
 rr.rely in love with her. 
 
 Cardinal V/olfey, his favourite and firft minifter, 
 iijig diffatisfied with the emperor for not ha\ing 
 favoured his pretenfions to the Papacy, in order to 
 revenge himfelf of him, contrived an alliance between 
 France and the king his mafler ; he put it into the 
 head of Henry Vlllth, that his marriage with the 
 frmperor s aunt was null, and advifed him to marry 
 the duchefs of Alenfon, \vhofc hufband was juil dead ; 
 Anne Bullen, who was not without ambition, con- 
 iulered queen Catherine's divorce as a means that would 
 bring her to the crown ; fhe began to give the king of 
 England impreffions of the Lutheran religion, and 
 engaged the late king to favour at Rome Henry 
 VJIIth's divorce, in hopes of his marrying the duchefs 
 of Alenfon ; cardinal Wolfey, that he might have an 
 opportunity of treating this affair, procured himfelf 
 to be fent to France upon other pretences ; but his 
 mafler was fo far from permitting him to propofe this 
 
 marriage,
 
 PART If. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 57 
 
 marriage, that he fent him exprefs orders to Calais not 
 to fpeak of it. 
 
 Cardinal Wolfey, at his return from France, was 
 received with as great honours as could have been paid 
 to the king himfelf ; never did any favourite carry his 
 pride and vanity to fo great a height ; he managed an 
 interview between the two kings at Bologne, when 
 Francis I. would have given the upper-hand%to Henry 
 Vlllth ; but he refufed to accept it. They treated one 
 another by turns with the utmoft magnificence, and 
 .prefented to each habits of the fame iort with chofe they 
 wore themfelves. I remember to have heard lay, that 
 thofe the late king fent to the king of England, were of 
 crimfon- fattin befet all over with pearls and diamonds, 
 and a robe of white velvet embroidered with gold. 
 After having ftaid fome time at Bologne, they went to 
 Calais. Anne B alien was lodged in Henry Vlllth's 
 court with the train of a queen ; and Francis I. 
 made her the fame preients, and paid her the fame 
 honours as if me had been really fo. In a word, after a 
 paffion of nine years continuance king Henry married 
 her, without waiting for the diflblving of his firft mar- 
 riage. The Pope precipitately thundered out excom- 
 munications againlt him ; which fo provoked king- 
 Henry, that he declared himfelf head of the church, 
 and drew after him all England into the unhappy 
 change in which you fee it. 
 
 . Anne Bullen did not long enjoy her greatnefs ; for 
 when me thought herfelf moft fecure of it by the death 
 of queen Catherine, one day as me was feeing a match 
 f running at the ring made by the vifcount Rochefort 
 her brother, the king was {truck with ftich a jealo.;iy, 
 that he abruptly left the mow, went away to London, 
 and gave orders for arrefting the queen, the vifcount 
 Rochefort, and levers 1 others whom he believed to be 
 ihe lovers or confidants of that princefs. Though this 
 jealoufy in appearance had its birtii that moment, the 
 king had been long pofle fled with it by the vifcountefs 
 D 5 Rovhefort,
 
 j8 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 Rochefort, who not being able to bear the drift inti- 
 macy between her hufband and the queen, reprefented 
 it to the king as a criminal commerce ; fo that that 
 prince, who was befides in love with Jane Seymour, 
 thcught of nothing but ridding himfelf of Anne 
 Bullen ; and in lefs than three weeks he caufed the 
 queen and her brother to be tried, had them both be- 
 headed, and married Jane Seymour. He had after- 
 wards feveral wives, whom he divorced or put to death ; 
 and among others Catherine Howard, whofe confidant 
 the vifccunt Rochefort was, and who was beheaded 
 with her. Thus was me puniihed for having falfly ac- 
 culed Anne Bullen. And Henry Vlllth died, being 
 ^become exceflive fat. 
 
 All the ladies that were prefent when the queerr- 
 dauphin made this relation, thanked her for having 
 given them fo good an account of the court of Eng- 
 land; and among the reil madam de Cleves, who could 
 not forbear afking feveral queftions concerning queen 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 The queen-dauphin caufed pictures in miniature to 
 be drawn of all the beauties of the court, in order to 
 fend them to the queen J#r mother. One day, when 
 that of madam de Cleves was finimed, the queen- 
 dauphin came to fpend the afternoon with her ; the 
 duke de Nemours did not fail to be there ; he let flip 
 no opportunities of feeing madam de Cleves, yet with- 
 out appearing to contrive them. She looked fo pretty 
 that day, that he would have fell in love with her, 
 though he had not been fo before : however, he durft 
 not keep his eyes fixed upon her, while flie was fitting 
 for her picture, for fear of fhewing too much the plea'- 
 fure'he took in looking at her, 
 
 The queen-daaphin aflced monfieur de Cleves for a 
 fitt-le pi&ure he had of his wife's, to compare it with 
 that which was j-irft drawn ; every body gave their 
 judgment of the one and tire other ; and madam de 
 Cleves ordered the painter "to mend fomcthing in the 
 
 head-
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 59 
 
 head-drefs of that which had been jufl brought in ; 
 the painter, in obedience to her, took the picture out of 
 the cafe in which it was, and having mended it, laid it 
 again on the table. 
 
 The duke de Nemours had long wifhed to have a 
 picture of madam de Cieves ; when he faw that which 
 monfieur de Cieves had, he could not refill the tempta- 
 tion of Healing it from a hufband, who, he believed, 
 was tenderly loved; and he thought, that among fo 
 many perfons as were in the fame room, he mould be 
 no more liable to fufpicion than another. 
 
 The queen-dauphin was fitting on the bed, and 
 whifpering to raniam de Cieves, who was ftanding be- 
 fore her. Madam Je Cieves, through one of the cur- 
 tains that was but half-drawn, fpied the duke de 
 Nemours with His back to the table, that flood at the 
 bed's feet, a;ul perceived, that without turning his 
 face he took femething very dextroufly from off the 
 table ; me prefeady guefled it was her picture ; and wa-v 
 in fuch" concern about it, that the queen-dauphin 
 obfervcd (he did net attend to what me faid, and afked 
 her aloud what it was fhe looked at. At thofe words, 
 the duke de Nemours turned about, and met full the 
 eyes of mauam de Cieves that were {till fixed upon 
 him ; he thought it. not impoliible but ihe might have 
 ken what he had done. 
 
 Madam de Cieves was not .a little perplexed ; it was 
 reafonable to demand her picture of him ; but to de- 
 mand it publicly, was to difcover to the whole world the 
 fend men tj which the duke had for her; and -to demand 
 it m private, would be to engage him to fpeak of h-is 
 love : fliejudge.l, after all, it was better to let him keep 
 it ; and fhe was glad to grant him a favour v/hich fhe 
 coaiJ do without his knowing that fhe granted it. 
 The duke de Nemours, who obferved -her perpi-.'xitv, 
 and parti-/ gucfled the came of it, came up, and told 
 her foftiy, if you have feen what I have ventured. to 
 <lo, be fo go->d, mau.un, a* to let me believe you are 
 B 6 igncraiij
 
 60 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 ignorant of it ; I dare aflc no more. Having faid this 
 he withdrew, without waiting for her anfwer. 
 
 The queen-dauphin went to take a walk, attended 
 with the reft of the ladies ; and the duke de Nemour* 
 went home to fhut Limfelf up in his clofet, not being 
 able to fupport in public the ecflafy he was in on having 
 a pifture cf madam de Cleves ; he tailed every thing 
 that was fweet in love ; he was in love with the hneit 
 woman of the court ; he found {he loved him againft her 
 will ; and faw in ail her adtions, that fort of care and 
 erabarraflment which love produces in young and inno- 
 cent hearts. 
 
 At night great fearch was made for the pifture ; and 
 having found the cafe it ufed to be kept in, they never 
 fufpedled it had been ftolen, but thought it might have 
 fallen out by chance. The prince of Cleves was very 
 much concerned for the lofs cf it ; and after having 
 fearched for it a great while to no purpofe, he told his 
 wife, but with an air that fhewed he did not think fo, 
 that without doubt me had fome fecret lover, to whom 
 me had given the pifture, or who had ftole it ; and that 
 none but a lover would have bsen contented with the 
 pilure without the cafe. 
 
 Thefe words, though fpoke in jeft, made a lively im- 
 p-efllon in the mind of madam de Cleves ; they gave her 
 yemorfe, and me reflected on the violence of her incli- 
 nation, which hurried her on to love the duke cf Ne- 
 mowrs ; me found ihe was no longer miftrefs of her 
 words or ccuntenance ; (he imagined that Lignerolles 
 was returned ; that fiie hnd. nothing to fear from the 
 affair of England, nor any caufe to fufpeft the queen- 
 dauphin ; in a word, that Ihe had no refuge or defence 
 sgainft the duke de Nemours but byretiring ; but as Ihe 
 was not at her liberty to retire, me found herfelf in a 
 Very great extremity, and ready to fall into the laft mif- 
 fortune, that of difcovering to the duke the inclination 
 ftie had for him. She remembered all that her mother 
 had faid to her on her deathbed, and the advice which 
 flic gave her, to enter on any resolution?, however 
 
 difficult
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 61 
 
 difficult they might be, rather than engage in ga- 
 lantry : fhe remembred alfo what monfieur de Cleves 
 had told her, when he gave an account of madam de 
 Tournon. She thought fhe ought to acknowledge to him 
 the inclination fhe had for the duke de Nemours, and 
 in that thought fhe continued a long time ; afterwards, 
 flie was altonifhed to have entertained fo ridiculous a 
 defign, and fell back again into her former perplexity 
 of not knowing what to chufe. 
 
 The peace was figned ; and the lady Elizabeth, after 
 a great deal of reluctance, refolved to obey the king 
 her father. The duke of Alva was appointed to marry 
 her in the name of the Catholic king, and was very 
 foon expe&ed. The duke of Savoy too, who was to 
 marry the king's fifter, and whofe nuptials were to be 
 folemnized at the fame time, was expefted every day. 
 The king thought of nothing but how to grace thefe 
 marriages with fuch diverfions as might difplay the 
 politenefs and magnificence of his court. Interludes 
 and comedies of the beft kind were propofed ; but the 
 king thought thofe entertainments too private, and de- 
 fired to have fomewhat of a more fplendid nature : he re- 
 folved to make a folemn tournament, to which flrangers 
 might be invited, and of which the people might 
 be fpeftators. Theprincefs and young lords very much 
 approved the king's defign, efpecially the duke of 
 Ferrara, monfieur de Guife, and the duke de Ne- 
 mours, who furpafTed the reft in thefe forts of exercifes. 
 The king made choice of them to be, together with 
 himfelf, the four champions of the tournament. 
 
 Proclamation was made throughout the kingdom, 
 that on the i5th of June, in the city of Paris, his moft 
 Chriftian majefty, and the princes Alphonfo d'Ete 
 duke of Ferrara, Francis of Loraine duke of Guife, 
 and James of Savoy duke of Nemours, would hold an 
 open tournament againft all comers. The firft combat 
 to be on horfe-back in the lifts, with double armour, 
 to break four lances, and one for the ladies ; the fecond 
 combat with fwords, one to one, or two l two, as the 
 
 fudges
 
 62 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 j-ndges of the field mould direct ; the third combat on 
 foot, three puihes of pikes, and fix hits with the fvvord. 
 The champions to furnim lances, fwords, and pikes, 
 at the choice of the combatants. , Whoever did not 
 manage his horfe in the career to be put out of the 
 lifts ; four judges of the field to give orders. The com- 
 batants, who mould break moil lances and perform belt, 
 to carry the prize, the value whereof to be at the dif- 
 cretion of the judges : all the combatants, as well French 
 as ftrangers, to be obliged to touch one or more, at 
 their choice, of the Ihields that mould hang on the pillar 
 at the end of the lifts, where a herald at arms fliould 
 be ready to receive them, ami enrol them according to 
 their quality, and the fhields they had touched : the 
 combatants to be obliged to caufe their mields and arms 
 to be brought by a gentleman, and hung up at the pillar 
 three days before the tournament, otherwife not to be 
 admitted without leave of the champions. 
 
 A fpacicus lift was made near the Baftille, which be- 
 gun from the Chateau dcs Tournelles, and croffed the 
 ilrect of St. Anthony, and extended as far as the king's 
 ftables ; on both fides were builr \fcaffolds and amphi- 
 theatres, which formed a fort of galleries that made a 
 very fine fight, and were capable of containing an in- 
 finite number of people. The princes and lords were 
 wholly taken up in providing what was neceffar-y for a 
 fplendid appearance, and in mingling in their cyphers 
 and devices fomewhat of galantry, that had relation to 
 the ladies they were in love with. 
 
 A few days before the duke of Alva's arrival, the- 
 king made a matth at tennis with Uie duk-e de Nemours, 
 the chevalier de Guife, and the vifcount de Chartros, 
 Th; queens came to fee them play, attended with the 
 ladies of the court, and among others madam de Cleves. 
 After the game was er.deJ, as they went out of the 
 tennis-court, Chatelart carnc up to the queen-dauphin,, 
 and told her, Fortune had put into his hands a letter of 
 galantiy, that, dropped out of the 'duke de Ncmours's 
 
 pocket,.
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 63 
 
 pocket. This queen, who was always very curious in 
 what related to the duke, bid Chatelart give her the 
 letter ; he did fo, and fhe followed the queen her 
 mother-in-law, who was going with the king to fee 
 them work at the lifts. After they had been there fome 
 time, the king caufed fome horfes to be brought that had 
 been lately taken in ; and though they were not as yet 
 thoroughly managed, he was for mounting one of them, 
 and ordered his attendants to mount others. The king 
 and the duke de Nemours hit upon the moft fiery and 
 high-mettled of them. The horfes were ready to fall 
 foul on one another, when the duke of Nemours, for 
 fear of hurting the king, retreated abruptly, and ran 
 back his horfe againft a pillar with fo much violence, 
 that the mock of it made him fhgger. The company 
 ran up to him, and he was thought considerably hurt ; 
 but the princefs of Cleves thought the hurt much greater 
 than any one elfe. The intereil fhe had in it gave her 
 an apprehenfion and concern which fhe took no care to 
 conceal ; fhe came up to him with the queens, and 
 with a countenance fo changed, that one lefr, concerned 
 than the chevalier de Guile might have perceived it. 
 Perceive it he immediately diJ, and was much more 
 intent upon the condition madam de Cleves was in, 
 than upon that of the duke de Nemours. The blow 
 the duke had given himfelf had fo ftunned him, that 
 he continued fome time leaning his head on thcfe who 
 fupported him ; when he raifed himfelf up, he imme- 
 diately viewed madam de Cleves, and fa\v in her face 
 the concern fhe was in for him, and he locked upon 
 her in a manner which made her fenfible how much he 
 v/as touched w'.th it : afterwards he thanked the queens 
 for the goodnefs they had e.xprefTed to him, and made 
 apologies for the condition he had been ia before them 5 
 and then the king ordered him to go to reft. 
 
 Madam de Cleves, after fhe was recovered from the 
 fright fhe had been in, prefently reflected on the tokens 
 %e had given of it. The chevalier de Guife did not 
 
 fufier
 
 64 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 fuffer her to continue long in the hope that nobody had 
 perceived it, but giving her his hand to lead her out 
 of the lifts, I have more caufe to complain, madam, 
 faid he, than the duke de Nemours ; pardon me, if I 
 forget for a moment that profound refpeft I have always 
 had for you, and fhew you how much my heart is griev- 
 ed for what my eyes have juft feen ; this is the firft time 
 I have ever been fo bold as to fpeak to you, and it will 
 be the laft. Death, cr at leaft eternal abfence, will re- 
 move me from a place where I can live no longer, fmce 
 I have now loft the melancholy comfort I had of be- 
 lieving that all who behold you with love are as un- 
 happy as myfelf. 
 
 Madam de Cleves made only a confufed anfwer, as 
 if me had not underftood what the chevaliers words 
 meant : at another time fhe would have been offended, 
 if he had mentioned the paflion he had for her ; but at 
 this moment fhe felt nothing but the affli&ion to know, 
 that he had obferved the paffion fhe had for the duke 
 de Nemours. 
 
 Madam de Cleves, when fhe came oat of the lifts, 
 went to the queen's apartment, with her thoughts 
 wholly taken up with what had pafTed. The duke de 
 Nemours came there foon after, richly drefied, and like 
 one wholly infenfible of the accident that had befallen 
 him ; he appeared even more gay than ufual ; and the 
 joy he was in for what he had difcovered, gave him an 
 air that very much encreafed his natural agree.iblenefs. 
 The whole court was furprifed when he came in; and 
 there was nobody but afked him how he did, except 
 madam de Cleves, who ftaid near the chimney, pretend- 
 ing not to fee him. The king coming out of his clofet, 
 and feeing him among others, called him to talk to him. 
 about his late accident. The duke parted by madam 
 de Cleves, and faid foftly to her, Madam, I hare re- 
 ceived this day fome marks of your pity, bat they were 
 not fuch as I am moft worthy of. Madam de Cleves 
 fufpe&ed that he had taken notice of the concern fhe 
 
 bad
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 65 
 
 had been in for him, and what he now faid convinced 
 her fhe was not miftaken ; it gave her a great deal of 
 concern, to find file was fo little miftrefs of herfelf, as not 
 to have been able to conceal her inclinations from the 
 chevalier de Guife ; nor was fhe lefs concerned to fee 
 that the duke de Nemours was acquainted with them ; 
 yet this lail grief was not fo entire, but there was a cer- 
 tain mixture of pleafure in it. 
 
 The queen-dauphin, who was extremely impatient 
 to know what there was in the letter which Chatelart 
 had given her, came up to madam de Cleves. Go read 
 this letter, fays fhe ; it is addreffed to the duke of Ne- 
 mours, and was probably fcnt him by the miftrefs for 
 whom he has forfaken all others : if you cannot read it 
 now, keep it, and bring it me about bed-time, and in- 
 form me if you know the hand. Having faid this, the 
 queen-dauphin went away from madam de Cleves, and 
 left her in fuch aftonimment, that (he was not able for 
 fome time to ftir out of the place. The impatience and 
 grief fhe was in not permitting her to ftay at court, fhe 
 went home before her ufual hour of retirement; fhe 
 trembled with the letter in her hand, her thoughts were 
 full of confufion, and fhe experienced I know not what 
 of infupportable grief that fhe had never felt before. 
 No fooner was fhe in her clofet, but fhe opened the let- 
 ter, and found it as follows : 
 
 ' I Have loved you too well, to leave you in a belief 
 that the change you obferve in me is an effect of light- 
 nefs; I maft inform you, that your falfhood is the 
 caufe of it. You will be furprifed to hear me fpeak of 
 your falfhood ; you have difTembled it with fo much 
 fkill, and I have taken fo much care to conceal my 
 knowledge of it from you, that you have reafon to be 
 furprifed at the difcovery ; I am myfelf in wonder, 
 that I have difcovered nothing of it to you before ; 
 never was grief equal to mine ; I thought you bad the 
 molt violent paflion for me ; I did not conceal that 
 which I had for you, and at the time that I acknow- 
 
 ' ledged
 
 66 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II, 
 
 * ledged it to you without referve, I found that you de- 
 ' ceived me, that you loved another, and that, in all 
 ' probability, I was made a facrifice to this new miftrefs. 
 ' I knew it the day you run at the ring, and this was 
 
 * the reafon I \vas not there. At firft I pretended an in- 
 ' difpofition in order to conceal my forrow; but after- 
 ' Wards I really fell into one, nor could a conftitution, 
 ' delicate like mine, fupport fo violent a fliock. When 
 ' I began to be better, I Hill counterfeited ficknefs, 
 ' that I might have an excufe for not feeing and for not 
 
 * writing to you ; betides, I was willing to have time to 
 ' come to a refolution in what manner to deal with yout; 
 ' I took and quitted the fame refolution twenty times ; 
 ' but at laft I concluded you deferved not to fee my 
 
 * grief, and I refolved not to mew you the leaft mark of 
 ' it. I had a delire to bring down your pride, by letting 
 ' you fee, that my paffion for you declined of itfelf : I 
 ' thought I mould by this leflen the value of the facrifice 
 
 * you had made of me, and was loth you mould 
 1 have the pleafure- of appearing more amiable in the 
 
 * eyes of another, by mewing her how much I loved 
 ' you ; I refolved to write to you in a cold and lan- 
 ' gui (hing manner, that me, to whom you gave my 
 
 * letters, might perceive my love was at an end: I waj 
 ' unwilling ftie mould have the fatisfaftion of knowing 
 ' I was fenfible that fne triumphed over me, or that me 
 
 fhould encreafe her triumph by my defpair and com- 
 plaints. I thought I mould puniili you too little by 
 merely breaking with you, and that my*ceaimg to love 
 you would give you but a flight concern, after you 
 had firft forfaken me ; I found it was necefTary you 
 fhould love me, to feel the fmart of not being loved, 
 which I fo feverely experienced myfelf ; I ^'as of opi- 
 nion, that if any thing could rekindle that flame, it 
 would be to let you fee that mine was extinguished ; 
 but to let you fee it through an endeavour to conceal 
 it from you, as if I wanted the power to acknowledge 
 it to you. This refolution I adhered to, I found it 
 
 * difficult
 
 P.iRT II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 67 
 
 It to take ; and when I faw you again I thought 
 ' i: impoHIbie to execute. I was ready a hundred time > 
 ' to break out into tears and complaints ; my ill ftatc of 
 
 * health, which iiill continued, ferved as a dtfguife to 
 ' hide from you the affliction and trouble I was in ; after- 
 
 * ward I was 1'upported by th pleafure of difTemb!i.':> 
 ' wirh you, as you had done wuh me ; however, it v/:is 
 ' (Icing & apparent a violence toinyfelf to tell you, or :Q 
 ' write to you that I loved you, that you immediately 
 ' perceived I had. no mind to let yoa fee my affection 
 ' was altered. You was touched with this, you com- 
 
 * plained of it. I endeavoured to remove your fears ; 
 ' but it was done in fo forced a manner, that you was 
 ' ftill more convinced by it I no longer loved you : in 
 ' fhcrt, I did all I intended to do. The factaflicalGefs 
 
 * of your heart was fuch, that you advanced towards 
 
 * me in proportion as you faw I retreated from you. I 
 ' have enjoyed all the pleafure which can arife from r- 
 
 * verge. I plainly faw, that you loved me mere than 
 
 * you had ever done ; and I mewed you I had no longer 
 ' any love for yon. I had even reafon to believe that 
 ' you had entirely abandoned her, for whom you had 
 
 * fcrfaken me; I had ground too to be farisfied you had 
 ' never fpoken to her concerning me : but neither your 
 ' difcreiicn in that particular, nor the return of yonr 
 ' affection, can make amends for your inconftancy; your 
 ' heart has been divided between me and another, and 
 ' you have deceived inej this is fuiacierit wholly to take 
 4 from me the pleafure I found in being Joved by you, 
 ' as I thought I deferved to be ; and to confirm me iu 
 ' the refolution I have taken, never to fee you rcore, 
 
 * which you are fo much furprifed at.' 
 
 Madam de Cleves read this letter, and read it over 
 again fcveral time;-, without knowing, at the fame time, 
 what me had read ; flie faw only that the duke de Ne- 
 mours did not love her as {he imagined, and that he 
 loved others who were no lefs deceived by him than fhe. 
 difcovery was this for a perion in her condition, 
 
 who
 
 68 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART If. 
 
 who had a violent paffion, who had juft given marks of 
 it to a man whom me judged unworthy of it, and to 
 another whom me ufed ill for his fake ! Never was af- 
 fliftion fo cutting as hers ; fhe imputed the piercingnefs 
 efit to what had happened that day; and believed, that 
 if the duke de Nemours had not had ground to believe 
 fhe loved him, fhe mould not have cared whether he loved 
 'another or not : but fhe deceived herfelf ; and this evil 
 which fhe found fo infupportable was jealoufy, with all 
 the horrors it can be accompanied with. This letter 
 difcovered to her a piece of galantry the duke de Ne- 
 mours had been long engaged in. She? faw the lady who 
 writ it was a perfon of wit and merit, and deferved to 
 be loved. She found fhe had more courage than herfelf, 
 and envied her the power fhe had had of concealing her 
 fentiments from the duke de Nemours. By the clofe of 
 the letter, fhe faw this lady thought herfelf beloved, and 
 prefently fufpefted, that the difcretion the duke had 
 fhewed in his addreiles to her, and which fhe had been 
 fo much taken with, was only an efFeft of his paffion for 
 this other miftrefs, whom he was afraid of difobliging. 
 In fhort, flie thought of every thing that could add to 
 her grief and delpair. What reflections did me not 
 make on herfelf, and on the advices her mother had 
 given her ! How did ihe repent, that ihe had not per- 
 fifted in her refolurion of retiring, though againit the 
 will of monfieur de Cleves; or that (lie had not purfued 
 her intentions of- acknowledging to him the inclination 
 fhe had for the duke of Nemours ! She was convinced, 
 fhe would have done better to difcover it to a hufband, 
 whofe goodnefs fhe was fenfible of, and whofe intereft it 
 would have been to conceal it, than to let it appear to 
 a man who was unworthy of it, who deceived her, who 
 perhaps made afacrifice of her, and who had no view in 
 being loved by her but to gratify his pride and vanity : in 
 a word, fhe found, that all the calamities that could befal 
 her, and all the extremities fhe could be reduced to, were 
 lefs than that fmgle one of having difcovered to the duke 
 
 de
 
 TART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 69 
 
 de Nemours that fhe loved him, and of knowing that h e 
 loved another : all her comfort was to think, that after 
 the knowledge of this Ihe had nothing more to fear f/om 
 herfelf, and that fhe mould be entirely eafed of the in- 
 clination fhe had for the duke. 
 
 She never thought of the orders the queen-dauphin 
 had given her, to come to her when fhe went to reih 
 fhe went to bed herfelf, and pretended to be ill ; fo that 
 when monfieur de Cleves came home from the king, 
 they told him fhe was afleep. But fhe was far from that 
 tranquility which inclines to fleep ; all the night fhe did 
 nothing but torment herfelf, and read over and over the 
 letter in her hand. 
 
 Madam de Cleves was not the only perfon whom this 
 letter difturbed. The vifcount de Chartres, who had 
 loft it, and not the duke de Nemours, was in the utmofl 
 inquietude about it. He had been that evening with 
 the duke of Guife, who had given a great entertainment 
 to the duke of Ferrara his brother-in-law, and to all the 
 young people of the court : it happened that the dif- 
 courfe turned upon ingenious letters ; and the vifcount 
 <le Chartres faid he had one about him the fineft that 
 ever was writ : they urged him to fhevv it ; and on his 
 excufing himfelf, the duke de Nemours infifted he had 
 no fuch letter, and that what he faid was only out of 
 vanity; the vifcount made him anfwer, that he urged 
 his difcretion to the utmoft, that neverthelefs he would 
 not Ihew the letter; but he would read fome parts of it, 
 which would make it appear few men received the like. 
 Having faid this, he would have taken out the letter, 
 but could not find it ; he fearched for it to no purpofe. 
 The company rallied him about it; but he feem- 
 ed fo difturbed, that they forbore to fpeak further of 
 it : he withdrew fooner than the others, and went home 
 with great impatience, to fee if he had not left the let- 
 ter there. While he was looking for it, one of the 
 queen's pages came to tell him, that the vifcountefs 
 d'Ufez had thought it ftecefTary to give him fpeedy 
 
 advice,
 
 7 o THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 advice, that it was laid at the queen's court, that he 
 had dropped a letter of galantry out of his pocket while 
 he was playing at tennis; that great part of what 
 the letter contained had been related ; that the queen had 
 exprefTed a great curiofity to fee it, and had fent to one 
 of her gentlemen for it ; but that he anfwered, he had 
 given it to Chatelart. 
 
 The page added many other particulars which 
 heightened the vifcount's concern; he went out that 
 minute to go to a gentleman who was an intimate friend 
 of Chateiart's; and though it was a very unfeafonable 
 tour, made him get out cf bed to go and fetch the let- 
 ter, without letting him know who it was had fent for 
 it, or who had loft it. Chatelart, who was prepoflefTed 
 with an opinion that it belonged to the duke de Nemours, 
 and that the duke was in love with the queen-dauphin, 
 did no; doubt but it was he who had fent to redemand 
 it; and fo anfwered, with a malicious fort of joy, that he 
 had put the letter into the queen-dauphin's hands. The 
 genrfeman brought this anfwer back to the vifcount de 
 Chartres, which encieafed the uneaiinefs he was under 
 already, and adekd new vexations to it : after having con- 
 tinued fome time in an irrefolution what to do, he found 
 that the duke de Nemours was the only perfon whofe 
 afliftance could draw him out of this intricate affair. 
 
 Accordingly he went to the duke's houfe, and en- 
 tered his room about break of day. What the duke had 
 difcovered the day before with refpect to the princefs of 
 Cieves had given*him fuch agreeable ideas, that he ilept 
 very fweetly; he was very much furpriled to find hini- 
 felf waked by the vifcount dt Chartres, and aiked him, 
 if he came to difturb his reft fo early, to be revenged of 
 him for what he had laid latt night at fupper. The vif- 
 count'b looks foon convinced him, that he came upon a 
 ferious bufmefs ; I am come, faid he, to entruil you 
 with the moil important affair of my life; I know very 
 well, you are not obliged to me for the confidence I 
 place in you, becaufe'I do it at a time when I ftand in 
 
 need
 
 PS*T II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 71 
 
 need of your afliftance; but I know likewife, that I 
 mould have loft your efteem, if I had acquainted you 
 with all I am now gsing to tell you, without having 
 been forced to it by abfolute neceility : I have dropped 
 the letter I fpoke of laft night; it is of the greatest con- 
 fequence to me, that nobody mould know it is ad- 
 drefied to me ; it has been feen by abundance of people, 
 who were at the tennis-court yefterday when I dropped 
 it; you was there too, and the favour I have to afk you, 
 is, to fay it was you who loft it. Sure you think, re- 
 plied the duke de Nemours fmiling, that I have no 
 miftrefs, by making fuch a propofal, and that I have no 
 quarrels or inconveniences to apprehend by leaving it to 
 be believed that I receive fuch letters. I beg you, faid 
 the vifcount, to hear me ferioufly ; if you have a 
 miftrefs, as I doubt not you have, though I do not know 
 v/ho ilie is, it will be eafy for you to juftify yourfelf ; and 
 I will put you into an infallible way of doing it. As 
 for you, though you mould fail in juftifying yourielf, it 
 can coft you nothing but a ftiort falling out ; but for my 
 part, this accident affects me in a very different manner ; 
 1 mall dishonour a perfon who has paflionately loved me, 
 and is one of the moil deferving women in the world ; 
 on the other fide, I fliall draw upon myfelf an impla- 
 cable hatred that will ruin my fortune, and perhaps pro- 
 ceed ibmewhat further. I do not comprehend what you 
 fay, replied the duke de Nemours ; but I begin to fee 
 that the reports we have had of your in'tcreft in a great 
 princefs are not wholly without ground. -They are not, 
 replied the vifcount; but I would to God they were : 
 you would not fee me in the perplexity I am in ; but I 
 muft relate the whole affair to you, to convince you how 
 much I have to fear. 
 
 " Ever fmce I came to court, the queen has treated me 
 with a great deal of favour and diltin&ion, and I had 
 grounds to believe that (he was very kindly diipofed 
 towards me : there was nothing, however, particular in 
 ail this, and I never prefumed to entertain any thoughts 
 
 of
 
 7 2 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IT. 
 
 of her but what were full of refpeft ; fo far from it, 
 that I was deeply in love with madam de Themines ; any 
 one that fees her may eafily judge, 'tis very poffible for 
 one to be greatly in love with her, when one is be- 
 loved by her ; and fo I was. About two years ago, the 
 court being at Fontainbleau, I was two or three times 
 in converfation with the queen, at hours when there 
 were very few people in her apartment : It appeared to 
 me, that my turn of wit was agreeable to her, and I 
 obferved me always approved what I faid. One day, 
 among others, me fell into a difcourfe concerning con- 
 fidence. I faid there was nobody in whom I entirely 
 confided ; that I found people always repented of having 
 done fo ; and that I knew a great many things of which 
 I had never fpoke. The queen told me, me efteemed 
 me the more for it ; that me had not found in France 
 any one that could keep a fecret, and that this was what 
 had embarrafled her more than any thing elfe, becaufe 
 it had deprived her of the pleafure of having a confi- 
 dant ; that nothing was fo neceffary in life as to have 
 fomebody one could open one's mind to with fafety, 
 efpecially for people of her rank. Afterwards me fre- 
 quently refumed the fame difcourfe, and acquainted me 
 with very particular circumftances ; at laft, I imagined 
 fhe was defirous to learn my fecrets, and to entruft me 
 with her own ; this thought engaged me ftriclly to her. 
 I was fo pleafed with this diftinclion, that I made my 
 court to her with greater affiduity than ufual. One 
 evening the king and the ladies of the court rode out 
 to take the air in the fbreft, but the queen being a little 
 indifpofed did not go; I ftaid to wait upon her, and 
 me walked down to the pond-fide, and difmiffed her 
 gentlemen-ufhers, that me might be more at liberty. 
 After me had taken a few turns, me came up to me, 
 and bid me follow her ; I would fpeak with you, fays /he, 
 and by what I {hall fay, you will fee I am your friend. 
 She flopped here, and looking earneftly at me, You 
 are in love, continued fhe ; and becaufe, perhaps, you 
 5 have
 
 FART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 73 
 
 have made nobody your confidant, you think that your 
 love is not known ; but it is known, and even by per- 
 fons who are interefted in it : you are obferved, the 
 place where you fee your miflrefs is difcovered, and 
 there is a defign to furprize you ; I don't know who me 
 is, nor do I afk you to tell me ; I would -only fecure you 
 from the misfortunes into which you may fall. See, I 
 befeech you, what afnare the queen laid for me, and 
 how difficult it was for me not to fall into it; me had a 
 mind to know if I was in love ; and as fhe did not afk 
 me who I was in love with, but let me fee her intention 
 was only to ferve me, I had no fufpicion that (he fpoke 
 either out of curiofity or by defign. 
 
 Neverthelefs, contrary to all probability, I faw into 
 the bottom of trie matter ; I was in love with madam 
 de Themines ; but though me loved me again, I was 
 not happy enough to have private places to fee her in 
 without danger of being difcovered there, and fo I was 
 fatisfied fhe could not be the perfon the queen meant ; 
 I knew alfo, that I had an intrigue with another woman, 
 lefs handfome and lefs referred than madam de The- 
 mines, and that it was not impoflible but the place 
 where I' faw her might be difcovered ; but as this was 
 a bufmefs I little cared for, it was ealy forme to guard 
 againft all forts of danger by forbearing to fee her. I 
 refolved, therefore, to acknowledge nothing of it to the 
 queen, but to affure her, on the contrary, that I had a 
 long time laid afide the defire of gaining women's affec- 
 tions, even where I might hope for fuccefs, becaufe I 
 found them all, in fome meafure, unworthy of engaging 
 the heart of an honourable man, and that it mult be 
 fomething very much above them which could touch 
 me. You do not anfwer me ingenuoufly, replied the 
 
 queen ; I am fatisficd of the contrary ; the free manner 
 in which I fpeak to you, ought to oblige you to conceal 
 
 nothing from me ; I would have you, continued me, b- 
 of the number of my friends ; but I would not, after 
 
 having admitted you into that rank, be ignorant cf 
 
 your engagement:^ connder, whether ycu think my 
 Vol.. II. E friwdfliip-
 
 74 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART II. 
 
 friendfhip will be too dear at the price of making me 
 your confidante ; I give you two days to think on it; 
 but then, coniider well of the nnfwcr you fhall make 
 me; and remember, that if" ever I find hereafter you have 
 deceived me, I fhall never forgive you as long as I live. 
 
 Having faid this, the queen left me without waiting 
 for my anlwer. You may imagine how full my thoughts 
 were of what me had faid to me ; the two days fhe had 
 given me to coniider of it I did not think too long a 
 time to come to a refolution ; I found me had a mind 
 to know if I was in love, and that her defire was I 
 Jhould not be fo ; I forefaw the ccnfequences of what I 
 was going to do ; my vanity was flattered with the 
 thought of having a particular intereft with the queen, 
 and a queen whofe perfon is ftill extremely amiable : 
 on the other hand, I was in love with madam de The- 
 jnines ; and though I had committed a petty treafbn 
 againft her by my engagement with the other woman I 
 told you of, I could not find in my heart to break with 
 her ; I forefaw alfo the danger I mould expofe myfelf 
 to, if I deceived the queen, and how hard it would be 
 to do it : neverthelefs I could not refolve to refufe what 
 Portune offered me, and was willing to run the hazard 
 of any thing my ill-condufl might draw upon me; I 
 broke with her with whom I kept a correfpondence that 
 might be difcovered.^and was in hopes of concealing 
 that I had with madam de Themines. 
 
 At the two days end, as I entered the room where 
 the queen was \vith all the ladies sbout her, (he faid 
 aloud to me, and with a grave air that was furprifing 
 enough, Have ycu thought of the bufinefs I charged 
 you with, and do you know the truth of it ?--- Yes, 
 madam, anfwered I, and it is as I told vour majefty. 
 -Come in the evening, when I am writing, replied 
 ihe, and you fhall have further orders. I made a re- 
 jpeftful bow without anfwering ary thing, and did not 
 fail to attend at the hour me had appointed me. I 
 fomd her in the gallery, with her fecretary and one of 
 
 her
 
 PART II. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. ' 75 
 
 her women. As foon as me faw me (he came to me, 
 and took me to the other end of the gallery ; Well, 
 fays fhe, after having confidered thoroughly of this 
 matter, have you nothing to fay to me ? and as to my man- 
 ner of treating you, does not it deferve that you mould 
 deal fincerely with me? It is, madam, anAvered I, 
 becaufe I deal fincerely, that I have nothing more to 
 fay ; and I fwear to your majefty, with all the refpecT: I 
 owe you, that I have no engagement with any woman 
 of the court. I will believe it, replied the queen, be- 
 caufe 1 wifh it ; and I wifli it, becaufe I defire to have 
 you entirely mine, and becaufe it would be impofiible 
 for me to be fatisfied with your friendfliip, if you were 
 in love ; one cannot confide in thofe who are; one can- 
 not be fecure of their fecrecy ; they are too much di- 
 vided, and their miftreffes have always the firft place in 
 their thoughts, which does not fuit at all with the 
 manner in which I would have you live with me : 
 remember then, it is upon your giving me your word 
 that you have no engagement, that I chufe you for my 
 confidant ; remember, I infift on having you entirely 
 to myfelf, and that you mall have no friend of either 
 fex but fuch as I mall approve, and that you abandon 
 jevery care but that of pleafing me; I'll not defire you 
 to neglect any opportunity for advancing your fortune ; 
 I'll conduct your interefts with mdre application than 
 you can yourfelf ; and whatever I do for you, I mail 
 think myfelf more than recompenfed, if you anfwer my 
 expectations ; I nu.ke choice of yoK, to open my heart's 
 griefs to you, and to have your affiftance in foftening 
 them ; you may imagine they are not fmall : I bear, in 
 appearance without much concern, the king's engage- 
 ment with the duchefs of Valentinois, but it is infup- 
 portable to me ; me governs the king, fhe inipcfes ypon 
 him ; fhe flights me, all my people are at her beck. 
 The queen, my daughter-in-law, proud of her beauty, 
 and the authority of her uncles, pays me no refpe&. 
 The cooftable Montmorency is matter of the king and 
 E a kingdom ;
 
 7 S THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. FART IIL 
 
 kingdom ; he hats me, and has given proofs of his 
 hatred, which I ihall never forget. The marefchal de 
 St. Andre is a bold young favourite, who ufes me no 
 better than the others. The detail of my misfortunes 
 -would move your pity ; hitherto I have not dared to 
 confide in any body ; I confide in you ; take care that I 
 never repent it, and be my only confolation. The 
 <jueen blumed when me had ended this difcourfe, and 
 I was fo truly touched with the goodnefs me 'had ex- 
 preffed to me, that I was going to throw myfelf at her 
 feet : from that day me has placed an entire confidence 
 in me; (he has done nothing without advifing with me; 
 and the intimacy and union between us ftill fubfift. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 N the mean time, however bufy and full I was of 
 my new engagement with the queen, I ftill kept 
 fair with madam de Themines, by a natural inclina- 
 tion which it was not in my power to conquer ; I 
 thought :&e cooled in her love to me ; and whereas, had 
 I been prudent, I mould have made ufe of the change 
 I obferved in hex for my cure, my love redoubled upon 
 it, and I managed fo ill,, that the queen got feme know- 
 ledge of this : intrigae. Jealoufy is natural to perfons 
 of her nation, and perhaps Ihe had a greater affeclion 
 fcr me than me even imagined herfelf ; at leaft, the re- 
 port cf my being in love gave her fo much uneafinefs, 
 that I thought m/felf -entirely ruined with her; how- 
 fver, I came into favour again by virtue of fubmifi-ons, 
 fjfe oaths, and affickiity ; but I fiiould not have been 
 able to have deceived her long, .had not madam de 
 Themincs's change dilengaged.me from her againft my 
 Vvi-1. She convinced me fiie no longer loved me ; and !
 
 PA-RT III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 77 
 
 was fo thoroughly fatisfied of it, that I was obliged to 
 give her no further uneafmefs, but to let her be quiet. 
 Some time after ihe wrote me this letter which I have 
 loft ; 1 learned from it, me had heard of trrs corre- 
 ipondence I had with the other woman I told you of, and 
 that that was the reafon of her change. As I had then 
 nothing further left to divide me, the queen was well 
 e.ioiigh fatisfied with me ; but the fentiments I have for 
 her not being of a nature to render me incapable of 
 other engagements, and love not being a thing th?.t de- 
 pends on our will, I fell in love with madam de Mar- 
 ti^ues, of whom I was formerly a great admirer while 
 ihe was with Villemontais, maid of honour to the queen- 
 dauphin. I have reafon to believe me does not hate me ; 
 the difcretien I obferve towards her, and which Ihe does 
 not wholly know the reafons of, is very agreeable to 
 her; the queen has not the leaJl fufpicion on her ac- 
 count ; but me has another jealcufy which is not lei's 
 troublefome : as madam dc Martigues is conitanly wit:* 
 the queen-dauphin, I go there much oftener than ufua! ; 
 the queen imagines that it is this princefs I am in Jove 
 with ; the queen-dauphin's rank, which is eqral to her 
 own, and the fuperiority of her youth and beauty, create 
 a jealoufy that rifes even to fury, and fills her with a 
 hatred againft her daughter-in-law that cannot be con- 
 cealed. The cardinal of Loraine, who, I believe, hns 
 been long afpiring to the queen's favour, and would be 
 glad to fill the place I polTefs, is, under pretence of re- 
 conciling the two queens, become m after of the dif- 
 ferences between them ; I doubt not bat he has difcover- 
 ed the true caufe of the queen's anger, and I believe lie 
 does me all manner of ill offices, without letting her fee 
 that he de/igns it. This is the con-.iiuon my affairs are 
 in at prefent ; judge what effccl; m:v be produced by the 
 letter which I have loft,, and which: I unfortunately put 
 in my pocket, with defign to reiiore it to madam do 
 Themi-nes : if the queen fees tins-letter, me will kno.v 
 I have deceived her ; and that almoit at the very fuinr. 
 E 5 time
 
 7 8 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III, 
 
 timt that I deceived her fcr madam de Themines, 1 
 deceived madam de Themines for another; judge what 
 an idea this will give her of me, and whether flie will 
 ever truft me again. If (he does not fee the letter, 
 what (hall 1 fay to her ? She knows it has been given to 
 the queen-dauphin ; me will think Chatelart knew that 
 queen's hand, and that the letter is from her ; me will 
 fancy the perfon of whom the letter expreiTes a jealoufy, 
 is perhaps herfelf ; in fliort, there is nothing which me 
 may not think, and there is nothing which I ought 
 not to fear frcm her thoughts : add to this, that I am 
 defperately in love with madam deMartigues, and that 
 the queen-dauphin will certainly (hew her this letter, 
 which me will conclude to have been lately writ. Thus 
 fhall I be equallyembroiled, both with the perfon I love 
 moil, and with the perfon I have moft caufe to fear. 
 Judge, after this, if I have not reafon to conjure you 
 to fay the letter is yours, and to beg of you to get it 
 cat of the queen-dr.uphin's hands. 
 
 I am very well fatisfied, anfwered the duke de Ne- 
 mc-jrs, that one cannot be in a greater embarraffment 
 than that you are in, and it muft be confeftyou deferve 
 it. I have been accufed of being inconftant in my 
 amours, and of having had fcveral intrigues at the fame 
 time; but you out-go me fo far, that I mould not fa 
 much as have dared to imagine what you have under- 
 taken ; could you pretend to keep madam de Themines, 
 and be at the fame time engaged with the queen ? Did 
 ycu hope to have an engagement with the qeeen, and be 
 able to deceive her ? She is both an Italian and a queen, 
 and by confequence full of jealoufy, fufpicion, and 
 pride. As foon as your good fortune, rather than your 
 good conduft, had fet you at' liberty from an engage- 
 ment you were entangled in, you involved yourfclf in 
 new ones ; and you fancied, that in the midft cf the 
 court you could be in love with madam de Martigues 
 without the queen's perceiving it. You could not have 
 been too careful to take from her the liiame cf having 
 
 made
 
 FART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 79 
 
 made the firft advances ; me has a violent paffion for 
 you ; you have more discretion than to tell it rue, and 
 1 than to aflc you to tell it ; it is certain me is jealous of 
 you, and has truth on her fide. -And does it belong to 
 you, interrupted the vifcount, to load me with repri- 
 mands, and ought not your own experience to make 
 you indulgent to my faults ? However, I grant I am to 
 blame ; but think, I conjure you, how to draw m.2 
 out of this difficulty ; I think you muft go to the queen- 
 dauphin as foon as (he is awake, and a.'k her for the 
 letter, as if you had loit it. -I have told you already, 
 replied the duke de. Nemours, that what you propofe 
 is fomewhat extraordinary, and that there are difficulties 
 in it which may afFeft my own particular intereft; but 
 befides, if this letter has been feen to drop out of your 
 pocket, I mould think it would be hard to psrfuade 
 people that it dropt out of mine. I thought I had tola 
 you, replied the vifcount, that the queen- dauphin had 
 been informed that you dropped it. How, faid the duke 
 de Nemours haftily, apprehending the ill conference 
 this miitake might be of to him with maJaui de Cleves, 
 has the queen-dauphin been told I dropped the letter ? 
 Yes, replied the vifcount, me h".s been told fo ; and 
 what occafioned the miftake was, that there were feveral 
 gentlemen of the two queens in a room belonging to 
 the tennis-court, where our cloaths were put up, \v>n 
 your fcrvauts and mine went together to fetch them ; 
 then jt was the letter fell out of the pocket ; thofe 
 gentlemen took it up, and read it aloud ; fome believed 
 ii: belonged to you, and others to me ; Chatelart, who 
 took it, and to whom I have juft lent for it, fays, he 
 gave it to the queen-dauphin as a letter of yours ; and 
 thofe who have fpoken of it to the queen, have un- 
 fortunately told her it was mine ; fo that you may 
 eafily do what I defire of you, and free me from this 
 perplexity. 
 
 The duke de Nemours had alwr.ys had a great friend- 
 
 ihip for the vifcount de Chartres, r.-id the relation he 
 
 E 4. bore
 
 *o THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 bore to madam de Cleves ftill made him more dear to 
 him ; neverthelei?, he could not prevail with himfelf 
 to run the rifle of her having heard of this letter, as of 
 a thing in which he \vas concerned ; he fell into a deep 
 uiufing, and the vifcount gueffed pretty near what was 
 the fubjeft of his meditations, I plainly fee, faid he, 
 that you are afraid of embroiling yourfelf with your 
 miftrefs ; and I fhould almoft fancy the queen-dauphin 
 was me, if the little jealoufy you feem to have cf mon- 
 fieur d'Anville did not take me off from thart thought ; 
 but be that as it will, it is not rcafonable you mould 
 facrificc your repofe to mine ; and I will put you in a 
 way of convincing her you love, that this letter is 
 direfted to me, and not to you : here is a billet from 
 madam d'Atnboife, who is a friend of madam de The- 
 mines, and was her confidante in the amour between 
 her and me ; in this me deiires me to fend her madam 
 de Themincs's letter, which I have toft ; my name is 
 en the fuperfcription, and the contents of the billet 
 prove, without queftion, that the letter me deiires is 
 the fame with that which has been found ; I will leave 
 this billet in your hands, and agree that you may ihew 
 it to your miftrefs in your j unification ; I conjure you 
 not to lofe a moment, but to go this morning to the 
 quern -dauphin. 
 
 The duke de Nemours premifed the vifcount he 
 would, and took madam d' A mboife's billet ; neverlhe- 
 lefs, his defign was not to fee the queen-dauphin ; he 
 thought more preffing bufmefs requiied his care ; lie 
 made ho queftion, but me had already fpoke of the 
 letter to madam de Cleves, and could not bear that a 
 perfon he loved fo defperately, mould have ground to 
 believe he had engagements with any other. 
 ' He went to the princefs of Cleves as foon as he 
 thought fhe might be awake ; and ordered her to be 
 told, that, if he had not oufinefs of the laitconfequc-nce, 
 he would not have defired the honour to fee her at fo 
 extraordinary an hour. Madam de Cleves \va? in bod, 
 
 and
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CIVES. 81 
 
 snd her mind was toft to and fro by a thoufand melan- 
 choly thoughts that fhe had had during the night; me was 
 extremely furprifed to hear the duke de Nemours afked 
 for her ; the anxiety me was in made- her prefentiy an- 
 fwer, that fhe was ill, and could not fpeak with him. 
 
 The duke was not at all mocked at this rcfufal ; he 
 thought it prefaged him no ill, that fhe exprcfied a 
 little coldnefs at a time when fhe might be touched with 
 jealoufy. He went to the prince of Clcves's apart- 
 ment, and told him he came from that of his lady, 
 and that he was veryforryhe could not fee her, becaufe 
 he had an affair to communicate to her of gree.t con- 
 fequence to the vifcount de Chartres ; he explained in 
 few words to ihe prince the importance of this buiinci?, 
 and the prince immediately introduced him into his 
 lady's chamber. Had fhe not been in the dark, fh(r 
 would have found it hard to have concealed the trouble 
 and aftoniihment fhe was in to fee the duke 3e Ncnsours 
 introdaced by her huiband. Monfieur de Cleves told 
 her the bufinefs was about a letter, wherein her afnitance 
 was wanting for the i-ntereft of the vifcount ; that ihe 
 was to confult with monfieur de Nemours what was to 
 be done ; and that as for him r he was going to the king,, 
 who had juft fent for him. 
 
 The duke de Nemours had his heart's defire, in be- 
 ing alone with madam de Cleves. I am come to a tit 
 you, madam, faid he, if the queen-dauphin- hr.s nut 
 fpoke to you of a letter which Chatelart gave-hc;- 
 day. ---She faid fomething to me of it, replied madam 
 de Cleves ; but I do not fee what relation this letter ha.; 
 to the interefts of my uncle, and I can aiTure you that 
 lie is not named in it. It is true, mada:r>, replied the 
 duke de Nemours, he is not named in it ; .but yet it is 
 addreffed to him, and it very much imports him th~t 
 you fnould get it out of the ruees-dauphin's hands. 
 -I cannot comprehend, replied the princefc, how i^ 
 fhould be of any confequeiKe to him if this letter 
 fhould be feen, nor what reafon there is to rc-denar.:u: i: 
 E 5 ia
 
 Sz THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 in his name. If you plcafe to be at leifure to hear 
 me, madam, faid monfieur de Nemours, I will prefently 
 make you acquainted with the true ftate of the thing ; 
 and inform you of matters of fo great importance to 
 the vifcount, that I would not even have trofted the 
 
 -prince of Cleves with them, had I not flood in need of 
 
 his affiftance to have the honour to fee you 1 believe, 
 
 faid madam de CL'ves in a very unconcerned manner,- 
 that any thing you may give ycurfelf the trouble of 
 telling me, will be to little purpofe ; you had better go 
 to the queen-dauphin, and plainly tell her, without 
 ufing thefe round-about ways, the intereft you have in 
 that letter, fmce fhe has been told, as well as I, that it 
 belongs to you. 
 
 The uneafmefs of mind which monfieur de Nemours 
 obferved in madam de Cleves gave him the moft fenfi- 
 
 . ble pleafure he ever knew, and leflened his impatience 
 tojuflify himfelf : I do not know, madam, replied he, 
 what the queen-dauphin may have been told ; but I am 
 not at all concerned in that letter ; it is addrefTcd to the 
 vifcount. I believe fo, replied madam de Cleves ; but 
 the queen-dauphin has heard to the contrary, and (he 
 would not think it very probable that the vifcount's 
 letter fhou'd fall out of your pocket ; you muft there- 
 fore have fome reafon, that I do not know of, for con- 
 cealing the truth of this matter from the queen- 
 dauphin ; I advife you to confefs it to her. I have 
 nothing to ccnfefs to her ; fays he, the letter is not 
 directed to me ; and if there be any one that I would 
 have fatisfied of it, it is not the queen-dauphin ; but, 
 madam, fin-ce tke vifcount's intereit is nearly concerned 
 in this, be pleafed to let me acquaint you with fome 
 matters that are worthy of your curiofity. Madam de 
 Cleves by her filence fliewed her readinefs to hear him, 
 and he as fuccin<ftly as poffible related to her all he had ' 
 juft heard from the vifcount. Though the circumftanccs 
 were naturally furprifing, and proper to create atten- 
 tion, yet madam de Cleves heard them with fuch ccld-
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 83 
 
 jiefs, that fhe feemed either not to believe them true, 
 or to think them indifferent to her. She continued in 
 this temper until the duke de Nemours {poke of madam 
 d'Amboife's billet, which was directed to the vifcount, 
 and was a proof of all he had been faying; as madam 
 de Cieves knew that this lady was a friend of madam. 
 de Themines, fhe found fome probability in what the 
 duke de Nemours had faid, which made her think, 
 that the letter perhaps was not addrefied to him ; this 
 thought fuddenly, and in fpite of herfclf, drew her out 
 of the coldnefs and indifterency fhe had until then 
 been in. The duke havin-gread the billet, which fully 
 juftified him, prefented it to her to read, and told her 
 ihe might poflibly know the hand. She could not for- 
 bear taking it, and examining the fuperfcription, to fee . 
 if it was addrefled to the vifcount de Chartres ; and 
 reading it all over, that fhe might the better judge, if 
 the letter which was re-demanded wa^ the fame with 
 that fhe had in her hand. The duke de Nemours added 
 whatever he thought proper to peduade her of it ; and 
 as one is eafily perfuaded of the truth of what one 
 wifhes, he foon convinced madam de Cieves that he 
 had no concern in the letter. 
 
 She began now to reafon with him concerning the 
 .embs.rraflment and. danger the vifcount was in, to 
 blame his ill conduct, and to think of means to help 
 him. She was aftonilhed at the queen's proceedings, 
 and" confefTed to the duke that me had the letter ; in 
 fhort, fhe no fooner believed him innocent, but fhe 
 difcourfed with him with greater cafe and freedom con- 
 cerning what fhe would fcarce before voachfafe to hear.. 
 They agreed thrt the letter ihould not be reftored to the 
 queen-dauphin, for fear fhe fhould fhew it to madam 
 de Martigues, who knew madam deThemines's hand', 
 and would eafily guefs, by the intereft fhe had in the 
 vifcount, that it was addrellbd to him : they agreed 
 alfo, that they ought not to entruil the queen-dauphin 
 with all that concerned the queen her mother-in-law. 
 E 6* Iviadam
 
 8 4 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 Madam de Cleves, under pretence of ferving her un- 
 cle, was pleafed to be the duke de Nemours's confidante 
 in the fecrets he had imparted to her. 
 
 The duke would not have confined his difcourfe to 
 the vifcount's concerns ; but from the liberty he had of 
 free converfation with her, would have a/Turned a bold- 
 nefs he had never yet done, had not a mefiage been 
 brought in to madam de Cleves, that the queen-dauphin 
 had fent for her. The duke was forced to withdraw ; 
 he went to the vifcount to inform him, that after he 
 had left him, he thought it proper to apply to madam 
 de Cleves, his niece, than to go directly to the queen- 
 dauphin; he did not want reafons to make him approve 
 what he had done, and to give him hopes of good 
 fuccefs. 
 
 In the mean time madam de Cleves are/Fed herfelf 
 in all hafte to go to the queen-dauphin ; fhe was no 
 fooner entered her chamber, but Hie called her to her, 
 and whifpered her, I have been waiting for you thefe 
 t\vo hours, and was never fo perplexed abo-ut difguifing 
 a truth as I have been this morning : the queen has 
 heard of the letter I gave you yefterday, and believes it 
 v/as the vifcount de Chartres that dropped it ; yoa 
 know fhe has fom intereil to be fatisfied in it ; (he 
 has been in fearch for the letter, and has caufcd Chate- 
 lai t to be aiked for it ; who faid he had given it to me ; 
 they have been to afk me fox it, under pretence U was 
 an ingenious letter which the queen had a curiofity to 
 fee. I durft not fay that you had it, for fear fhe fliould 
 think I had given it you on your uncl the vifcount's 
 account, and that there was a correfpondence between 
 him and me. I was already fatisfied, that his feeing, 
 me fb often gave her uneafmefs ; fo that I faid the letter 
 was in the cloaths I had on yellerday, and that thofe 
 who had them in keeping were gone abroad : Give me 
 the letter immediately, added ihe, that I may fend it 
 her, afid that I may read it before I fend it, to fee if 
 I know the hand. 
 
 Madam
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 5 
 
 Madam de Cleves was harder put to it than fhe 
 expefted ; I do not know, madam, what you will do, 
 anfwered fhe ; for monfieur de Cleves, to whom I gave 
 it to read, returned it to the duke of Nemours, who 
 came early this morning to beg him to get it of you. 
 Monfieur de C'leves had the imprudence to'tell him he 
 had it, and the vveaknefs to yield to the entreaties the 
 duke de Nemours made, that he would reftore it him. 
 You throw me into the greatell embarrafTment I 
 can poffibly be in, replied the queen-dauphin ; and 
 you have given this letter to the duke de Nemours. 
 Since it was I that gave it you, you ought not to have 
 reftored it without my leave ; what would you have me 
 fay to the queen, and what can (he imagine ? She will 
 think, and not without reafon, that this letter concerns 
 myfelf, and that there is fomething between the vif- 
 count and me ; me will never be perfuaded the letter 
 belonged to the duke de Nemours. -I am very much 
 concerned, replied madam de Cleves, for the misfor- 
 tune I have occafioned, and I believe the difficulty I 
 have brought you into is very great ; but it was mon- 
 fieur de Cleves's fault, and not mine. You are in 
 fault, replied the queen-dauphin, for having given 
 him the letter ; and I believe you are the only woman 
 in the world that acquaints her hufband with all ihe 
 knows. -I acknowledge myfelf in fault, madam, re- 
 plied the prvncefs of Cleves ; but let us rather think of 
 preventing the confequences of what I have done, than 
 infill on the fault itfelf. Do you remember, pretty 
 near, what the letter contains ? fays the queen-dauphin. 
 Yes, madam, I do, replied me, for I have read it over 
 more than once. If fo, faid the queen-dauphin, you 
 mult immediately get it written out in an unknown 
 hand, and I will fend it to the queen ; {he will not 
 {hew it thofe who have feen it already ; and though me 
 .mould, I will ftand in it, that it is the feme Chatelart 
 gave me ; and he will not dare to fay othenvife. 
 
 Madam
 
 86 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 Madam de Cleves approved of this expedient ; and 
 the more, becaufe it gave her an opportunity of fending 
 for the duke de Nemours, to have the letter itfelf 
 again, in order to have it copied word for word, imita- 
 ting as near as may be the hand it was written in ; and 
 ihe thought this would effectually deceive the queen. As 
 foon as fhe was got home, me informed her hufband 
 of what had pafied between her and the queen-dauphin, 
 and begged him to fend for the duke de Nemours. The 
 duke was fentibr, and came immediately; madam de 
 .Cleves told him all fhe had told her huiband, and afked 
 for the letter ; but the duke anfwered, that he had al- 
 ready returned it to the viicount de Chartres ; who was 
 fo overjoyed upon having it again, and being freed from 
 the danger he was in, that he fcnt it immediately 
 to madam de Themines's friend. Madam de Cleves 
 was in a new embarrafTment on this occafion : in ihort,. 
 after having confulted together, they refolved to form 
 the letter by memory;- and, in order to go about it, 
 they locked themfelves up, and left orders that nobody 
 mould be admitted, and that all the duke de Nemours's 
 attendants mould be fent away. Such an appearance 
 of fecret confidence was no fmall charm to monfieur de 
 Nemours, and even to madam de Cleves ; her hufband's 
 prefence, and the interefts of her uncle the viicount de 
 Chartres, were confiderations which in great meafure 
 removed her fcruples, and made this opportunity of 
 feeing and being with the duke de Nemours fo agreeable 
 to her, that me never before experienced a joy fo pure 
 and free from allay ; this threw her into a freedom and 
 gaiety of fpirit, which the duke had never obferved in 
 her till now, and which made him ftill more paflionately 
 in love w^th her : As he had never known fuch agree- 
 a61e moments, his vivacity was much heightened ; and 
 whenever madam de Cleves was beginning to recoiled 
 ar.J write the letter, inftead of affifting her ferioufly, 
 did nothing but interrupt her with wit and pleafantry. 
 Madam de Cleves was as gay as he ; fo that they had 
 
 been
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 87 
 
 been locked up a confiderable time, and two meflages 
 had come from the queen-dauphin to haften madam de 
 Gleves, before they had half nnilhed the letter. 
 
 The duke de Nemours was glad to prolong the time 
 that was fo agreeable to him, and neglected the con- 
 cerns of his friend ; madam de Cleves was not at all 
 tired, and neglected alfo the concerns of her uncle : 
 at Lift, with much ado, about four o'clock the letter- 
 was nnifhed, and was fo ill done, and the copy fo un- 
 like the original, as to the hand- writing, that the 
 queen muft have taken very little care to come at the 
 truth of the matter, if fhe had been impofed on by fo 
 ill a counterfeit. Accordingly fhe was not deceived ; 
 and however induftrious they were to perfuade her 
 that this letter was addreffcd to the duke de Nemours, 
 fhe remained fatisfied not only that it was addreffed to 
 the vifcount de Chartr.es', but that the queen-dauphin 
 was concerned in it, and that there was a correfpondence 
 between them ; this heightened her hatred againfl that 
 princefs to fuch a degree, that fhe never forgave her, 
 and never ceafed perfecuting her till fhe had driven her 
 out of France. 
 
 As. for the vifcount de Chartres, his credit was en- 
 tirely ruined with her ; and whether the cardinal of 
 Lorain had already inilnuated himfelf fo far into her 
 eitcem as to govern her ; or whether the accident of 
 this letter, which made it appear that the vifcount had 
 deceived her, enabled her to difcover the other tricks 
 he had played her, 'tis certain he could never after en- 
 tirely reconcile himfelf to her ; their correfpondence 
 was broke off, and at length fhe ruined him by means 
 of the confpiracy of Amboife, m which he was in- 
 volved. . . . 
 
 After the letter was fent to the queen-dauphin, mon- 
 fieur de Cleves and monfieur de Nemours went away ; 
 madam de Cleves continued alone, and being no longer 
 fupportcd by the joy which the prefence of what one 
 loves gives one, fhe feemed like one newly waked from 
 
 a dream ;
 
 $8 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES- PART III. 
 
 a dream; fhe beheld, with aftonifhrnent, the difference 
 between the condition fhe was in the night before, and 
 that fhe was in at this time : fhe called to mind, how- 
 cold and fallen (he was to the duke de Nemours while 
 fhe thought madam de Themines's letter was addrefled 
 to him, and how calm and fweet a fituation of mind 
 fucceeded that uneafinefs, as foon as fhe was fatisfied he 
 was not concerned in that letter; when fhe reflected, 
 that fhe reproached herfelf as guilty for having given 
 him the foregoing day only fome marks of fenfibility, 
 which mere companion might have produced, and that 
 by her peevifh humour this morning fhe had exprefTed 
 fuch a jealoufy as was. a certain proof of paffion, fhe 
 thought fhe was not herfelf; when (he reflected further, 
 that the duke de Nemours faw plainly, that fhe knew 
 he was in love with her, and that, notwithstanding her 
 knowing it, fhe did not ufe him the worfe for it, even 
 in her hufband's prefence; but th,st, on the contrary, 
 fhe had never behaved Jk> favourably to him; when fhe 
 conficfered, (he was the caufe of monfieur de Cleves's 
 fending for him, and that fhe had juit pafTed an after- 
 noon in private with him ; when fhe confidered all this,, 
 fiie found there was fomething within her that held in- 
 telligence with the duke de Nemours, and that fhe de- 
 ceived a hufband who leaft deferved it; and ihe was 
 afliamed to appear fo Kttle worthy of efteem, even in 
 the eyes of her lover ; but what (he was able to fupportr 
 lefs than all the reft was, the remembrance of the con- 
 dition in which fhe fpent the laft night, and the griefs 
 fhe felt from a fufpicion that the duke dc Nemours was 
 in love with another, and that fhe was deceived by him. 
 Never till then was fhe acquainted with the dreadful 
 inquietudes that flow from jealoufy and diftruft; fhe had: 
 applied all her cares to prevent herfelf from falling in 
 love with the duke de Nemours, and had not before had 
 any fear of his being in love with another. Though the 
 fufpicicns which this letter had given her were effaced, 
 yet they left her feniible of the hazard there was of being 
 
 deceived >
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 89 
 
 deceived, and gave her impreffions of diftruft and jea- 
 loufy which fhe had never felt till that time ; me was 
 furprifed, that fhe had never yet refle&ed, how impro- 
 bable it was, that a man of the duke de Nemours's turn, 
 who had (hewed fb much inconftancy towards women, 
 fhould be capable of a lafting and fmcere paffion; me 
 thought it next to irftpoffible for her to be convinced of 
 the truth of his love : But though I could be convinced 
 of it, fays fhe, mall I permit it? Shall I make a re- 
 turn? Shall I engage in galantry, be falfe to mon- 
 fieur de Cleves, and be falfe to myfelf? In a word, 
 mall I go to expofe myfelf to the cruel remorfes and 
 deadly griefs that rife from love ? I am fubdued and 
 vanquished by a pasfion, which hurries me away in 
 fpite of myfelf; all my refolutions are vain ; I had 
 the fame thoughts yefterday that I have to-day, and I 
 afl to-day contrary to what I relblved yefterday ; I muft 
 convey myfelf out of the fight of the duke de Nemours ; 
 I muft go into the country, however fantaftical my jour- 
 ney appear ; and if monfieur de Cleves is obstinately 
 bent to hinder me, or to know my reafons for it, per- 
 haps I mall do him and myfelf the injury to acquaint 
 him with them She continued in this refolution, and 
 fpent the whole evening at home, without going to the 
 queen-dauphin to enquire what had happened with re- 
 fpel to the counterfeited letter. 
 
 Wken the prince of Cleves returned home, me told 
 him fhe was refolved to go into the country; that fhe 
 was not very well, and had occafion to take the air. 
 Monfieur de Cleves, to whom fhe appeared fo beautiful 
 that he could not think her indifpofition very confi- 
 tlerable, at firfl: made a jefl of her deftgn, and anfwered, 
 that fhe had forgot that the nuptials of the princefles 
 and the tournament were very near, and-that fhe had 
 not too much time to prepare matters fo as to appear 
 there as magnificently as other ladies. What her huf- 
 band faid did not make her change her refolution ; and 
 fhe begged he would agree, that while he was at Com- 
 
 piegne
 
 90 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVKS. FAKT II/. 
 
 piegne with the kin?, (lie might go to Colomiers, a 
 pretty houfe then building, within a day's journey of 
 Paris. Monfieur de Cleves confented to it ; fhe \vent 
 thither with a de/ign cf not returning fo Toon, and the 
 king fct out for Conipiegae, where he was to Hay but 
 .a few days. 
 
 The duke de Nemours was mightily concerned he had 
 ,not feen madam de Cleves fince that afternoon, which 
 .he had fpent fo agreeably with her, and which had en- 
 creafed his hopes ; he was fo impatient to fee her again, 
 that he could not reft ;. fo that when the king returned 
 to Paris, the duke refolved to go to fee his filler the 
 duchefs de Mercosur, who was at a country-feat of her'?, 
 very near Colomiers ; he afked the vifcount to go with 
 him, who readily confented to it. The duke de Ne- 
 mours did this in hopes of vifiting Madam de Cleves, in 
 company of the vifcount. 
 
 Madam de Mercosur received them with a great deal 
 .of joy, and thought of nothing but giving them all the 
 pleafures and diverfions of the country. One day, as 
 .they were hunting a flag, the duke de Nemours loft 
 himfelf in the foreft, and upon enquiring his way was 
 told he was near Colomiers; at that word, without 
 further reflection, or fo much as knowing what deiign 
 ,he was upon, he galloped on full fpeed the way that had 
 been ihewed him; as he rode along became by chance 
 to the made-ways and walks, which he judged led to 
 the caftle : at the end of thefe he found an arbcur, 
 behind which was a pavilion with two clofets, the 
 one opening into a flower-garden, and the other 
 .looking into a fpacious walk in the park. He 
 entered the pavilion, and would have flopped to ob- 
 ferve the beauty of it, if he had not feen in the walk 
 the prince and princefs of Cleves, attended with a nu- 
 merous train of their domeliics. As he did net cxpcft 
 to meet monfieur de Cleves there, whom he had left with 
 the king, he thought at firfl of hiding himfelf; he en- 
 tered the clofet which looked into the flower-garden, 
 
 with
 
 FART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 91 
 
 with uefign to go out that way by a door which opened 
 to the foreft ; but obferving madam de Cleves and her 
 hufband were fat down in the arbour, and that 
 their attendants ft.iid in the park, and could not come 
 to him without pafiing by the place where monlieur and 
 madam de Cleves were, he could not deny himfelf the 
 pleafure of feeing this princefs, nor refiit the curiofity 
 he had to hear her converfation with a hufband, who 
 gave htm more jealoufy than any of his rivals. He heard 
 ir.onfieur de Cleves fay to his wife, But why will you 
 not return to Paris? \Vhatcan keep you here in the 
 country? You have of late talcen a fancy for folitude, 
 at which I am both furprifed and concerned, becaufe it 
 deprives me of your company : I find, too, you are more 
 melancholy than uiual, and I am afraid you have foine 
 caufe of grief. I have nothing to trouble my mind, 
 .anf.vered fhj with an air of confufion ; but there is 
 fuch a buftle at court, and fuch a multitude of people 
 always at your houfe, that it is impoflible but both body 
 and mindfhould be fatigued, an-i one cannot but dcfire 
 repofe. Repofo, anfwered he, is not very proper for 
 one of your age ; you are at home, and at court, in 
 fuch a manner as cannot occafion wearinefs, and I am 
 rather afraid you delire to live apart from me. You 
 would do me great wrong to think fo, replied fhe with 
 yet more confufion, but I beg you to leave me here ; if 
 you could ftay here, and without company, I fhouldbe 
 very glad of it ; nothing would be more agreeable to me 
 than your converfation in this retirement, provided you 
 would approve not to have about you that infinite num- 
 ber of people, who in a manner never leave you. Ah I 
 madam, cries monfieur de Cleves, both your looks and 
 words convince me, that you have reafons to defire to 
 be alone which I do not know; I conjure you to tdl 
 them me. He urged her a great while to inform him, 
 without being able to bring her to it ; and after fhe had 
 excufed herieif in a manner which {till encreafed her 
 hulband's curioilty, (he continued in a deep iilence, with 
 
 her
 
 92 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 her eyes caft down ; then, taking up the difcourfe on a 
 fudden, and looking upon him, Force me not, faid flie, 
 to confefs a thing to you which I have not the power to- 
 own, though I have often defigned it; remember onl\v 
 that it is not prudent a woman of my years, and 
 miftrefs of her own conduct, mould remain e.xpoied in 
 the midil of a court. What is it, madam, cried mon- 
 fieur de Cleves, that you lead me to imagine ? I dare 
 not fpeak it, for fear of offending you. Madam de 
 Cleves making no anfwer, her ftlence conftrmed her 
 hulband in what he thought: You. fay nothing to me, 
 fays he, and that tells me clearly, that I am not mif- 
 taken. Alas ! fir, anfwered me, falling on her knees, 
 I am going to make aconfeflion to you, fuch as no wo- 
 man ever yet made to her hulband; but the innocence 
 of my intentions, and of my conduct, gives me power to- 
 do it; it is true, I have realbns to abfent myfelf from 
 the court, and I would avoid the dangers perfons of my 
 age are fometimes liable to ; I have never mewn any 
 mark of weaknefs, and I cannot apprehend I ever ihall^ 
 if you will permit me to retire from court, fmce. now 1 
 have not madam de Chartres to affift me in my conduct ; 
 however dangerous a ftep I am taking, I take it with 
 pleafure, to preferve myfelf worthy of you; I a& you a 
 thoufand pardons, if I have fenuments which difplcafe 
 you, at leail, I will never do fo by my actions; confider, 
 that to do what I do, requires more friendfhip and 
 elteem for a hufcand than ever wife had; direct my 
 conduct, have pity on me, and, if you can, fiill love inc. 
 Mcnfieur de Cleves, all the while me fpoke, conti- 
 nued leaning his head on his hand, almoil befide Jiim- 
 feh, and never thought o/ railing her up. When Ihe 
 had done ipeaking, r.nd he caft his eyes upon her, and 
 faw her on her kr.ees with her face drowned in tears, in- 
 imitably beautiiu!, It? was reauy to clie for grief, and 
 taking her up in : arms, Have you pity on me, ma- 
 dam, fays he, for I deferve it, and pardon me, if in 
 the rii: moments oi'au dr.icuon fo violent as mine, I do
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 93 
 
 not anfwer as I ought to fo generous a proceeding as 
 yours ; I think you more worthy of efteem and admira- 
 tion than any woman that ever was, but I find myfeif 
 alfo the moil unfortunate of men: you infpired me 
 withpaflion the firft moment I faw you, and that paf- 
 /io.n has never decayed ; not your coldnefs, nor even en- 
 joyment itfelf, has been able to extinguifli it ; it ftill 
 continues in its firft force ; ahdyet it has not been in my 
 power to kindle in your breaft any fpark of love for me, 
 and now I find you fear you have an inclination for ano- 
 ther ; and who is he, madam, this happy man that gives 
 you fuch apprehenfions ? How long has he charmed 
 you ? What has he done to charm you ? What method 
 has he taken to get into your heart ? When I could not 
 gain your affeftions myfeif, it was fome comfort to me 
 to think, that no other could ; in the mean time, ano- 
 ther has effefted what I could not ; and I have, at once, 
 the jealoufy of a hulband and a lover. But it is impof- 
 fible for me to retain that of a hulband after fuch a pro- 
 ceeding on your part, which is too noble and ingenuous 
 not to give me an entire fecurity; it even comforts me 
 as a lover ; the fincerity you have exprefled, and the 
 confidence you have placed in me, are of infinite value : 
 you have efteem enough for me to believe I mall not 
 abufe the confeffion you have made to me : you are in 
 the right, madam, I will not abufe it, or love you the 
 lefs for it ; you make me uivhappy by the greatell mark 
 of fidelity ever woman gave her hufbandj but go on, 
 madam, and inform me who he is whom you would 
 avoid. I beg you not to aflc me, replied me; I am rc- 
 folved not to tell you, nor do I think it prudent to name 
 him. -Fear not, madam, replied monfieur de Cleves? 
 I know the world too well to be ignorant that a woman's 
 having a hufoand does not hinder people from being in 
 love with her; fuch lovers may be the objects of one's 
 hatred, but we are not to complain of it ; once again, 
 madam, I conjure you to teli me what I fo much defire 
 to know. It is in vain to preft me, replied fhe ; I have 
 
 the
 
 94 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 the power to be filent in what I think I ought not to 
 tell ; the confefiion I made to you, was not owing to 
 any weaknefs, and it required more courage to declare 
 fuch a truth, than it would have done to conceal it. 
 
 The duke de Nemours did not lofe a word of this con- 
 verfation, and what madam de Cleves had faid gave 
 him no lefs jealoufy than her hufband; he was fo def- 
 perately in love with her, that he believed all the world 
 was fo too; it is true, he had many rivals, yet he fan- 
 cied them ftill more, and his thoughts wandered to 
 find out who it was madam de Cleves meant : he had 
 often thought he was not difagreeable to her ; but the 
 grounds of his judgment on this occafton appeared fo 
 flight, that he could not imagine he had raifed in her 
 heart a paifion violent enough to oblige her to have re- 
 courfe to fo extraordinary a remedy ; he was fo tranf- 
 ported, that he fcarce knew what he faw, and he could 
 not pardon monfienr de Cleves for not having prefled 
 his wife enough to tell him the name of the perfon (he 
 concealed from him. 
 
 Monfieur de Cleves, neverthelefs, ufed his utmoft en- 
 deavours to know it ; and having urged her very much 
 on the fubjeft I think, anfwered (he, that you ought 
 to be fatisfied with my finceriry ; alk me no more about 
 it, and do not give me caufe to repent of what I have 
 done ; content yourfelf with the afiurance which I once 
 more give you, that my fentiments have never appeared 
 by any of my aftions, and that no addrefs hath been 
 made to me that could give me offence. -Ah ! madam, 
 replied monfieur de Cieves on a fudden, I cannot be- 
 lieve it ; I remember the confufion you was in when 
 your pi&nre was loft ; you have given away, madam, 
 you have given away that picture, which was fo dear to 
 me, and which I had fo juft a right to; you have not 
 been able to conceal your inclinations ; you are in love ; 
 it is known ; your virtue has hitherto faved you from 
 the reih Is it poffible, cried madam de Cleves, you 
 can imagine there was any refervc or difguife in a con- 
 
 fefiioH
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 95 
 
 feflion like mine, which I was no way obliged to ? Take 
 my word, I purchafe dearly the confidence I defire of 
 you ; I conjure you to believe I have not given away my 
 pifture ; it is true, I faw it taken ; but I would not feern 
 to fee it, for fear of fubje&ing myfelf to hear fuch things 
 as no one has yet dared to mention to me.- How do you 
 know then that you are loved ? faid monfieur de Cleves. 
 What mark, what proof of it has been given you ? 
 Spare me the pain, replied (he, of repeating to you 
 circumftances which I am afhamed to have obferved, 
 and which have convinced me but too much of my own 
 
 weaknefs.- You are in the right, madam, anfwered 
 
 he, I am unjuft ; always refufe me when I afk you firch 
 things, and yet do cot be angry with me for afking 
 them. 
 
 Juft then feveral of the fervants, who had ftaid in the 
 walks, came to acquaint monfieur de Cfeves, that a 
 gentleman was arrived from the king, with orders for 
 him to be at Paris that evening. Monfieur de Cleves 
 was obliged to go, and had only time to tell his wife, 
 that he defired her to come to Paris the next day ; and 
 that he conjured her to believe, that however afflifted 
 he was, he had a tendernefs and efteem for her with, 
 which me ought to be fatisfied. 
 
 When he was gone, and madam de Cleves being alone, 
 confidered what me had done, fhe was fo frightened at 
 the thought of it, fhe could hardly believe it to be true. 
 She found fhe had deprived herfelf of the heart and 
 efteem of her hufband, and was involved in a labyrinth 
 fhe mould never get out of; fhe afked herfelf, why fhe 
 had ventured on fo dangerous a ftep, and perceived fhe 
 was engaged in it almoit without having defigned it ; 
 the fingularity of fuch a confeffion, for which fhe faw 
 no precedent, made her fully fenfible of her danger. 
 
 But, on the other hand, when fhe came to think that 
 this remedy, however violent it was, was the only 
 effe&ual one fhe could make ufe of againft monfieur de 
 Nemours, fhe found the had no caufe to repent, or to 
 
 believe
 
 96 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 believe me had ventured too far ; me pa/Ted the whole 
 night full of doubts, anxiety and fear ; but at laft her 
 fpirits grew calm again ; {he even felt a pleafure arife 
 in her mind, from a fenfe of having given fuch a proof 
 of fidelity to a hulband who deferved it fo well, who 
 had fo great a friendmip and eiteem for her, and had fo 
 lately manifefted it by the manner in which he received 
 the confeffion fhe had made him. 
 
 In the mean time monfieur de Nemours was gone 
 away from the place in which he had overheard a con- 
 verfation which fo fenfibly affected him, and was got 
 deep into the foreft ; what madam de Ckves faid of her 
 piclure had revived him, flnce it was certain from thence 
 that he was the perfen me had an inclination for : at 
 firft he gave a loofe to joy; but his raptures were at an 
 end as foon as he began to reflect, that the fame thing 
 that convinced him he had touched the heart of madam 
 de Cleves, ought to convince him alfo that he mould never 
 receive any marks of it, and that it would be impoflible 
 to engage a lady who had recourfe to fo extraordinary a 
 remedy ; and yet he could not but be fenlibly pleated, 
 to have reduced her to that extremity; he thought it 
 glorious for him to have gained the affections of a 
 woman fo different from the reft of her fex ; in a word, 
 he thought himfelf very happy, and very unhappy at the 
 fame time. He was benighted in the foreft, and was 
 very much put to it to find his way again to his filler's, 
 the duchefs of Mercceur ; he arrived there at break of 
 day, and was extremely at a lofs what account to give 
 of his abfence ; but he made out the matter as well as 
 he could, and returned that very day to Paris with the 
 vifcount. 
 
 The duke was fo taken up with his paffion, and fo 
 furprized at the converfation he had heard, that he fell 
 into an indifcretion very common, which is, to fpeak 
 one's own particular fentiments in general terms, and to 
 relate one's proper adventures under borrowed names. 
 As they were travelling, he began to talk of love, and 
 
 exag-
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES, 97 
 
 exaggerated the pleafure of being in love with a perfon 
 that deferred, it ; he fpoke of the fantallical efredts of 
 this paffion ; and at laft, not being able to contain within, 
 himfelf the admiration he was in at the aftion of madam 
 de Cieves, he related it to the vifcount without naming 
 the perfon, or owning he had any mare in it ; but he 
 told it with fo much warmth and furprife, that the 
 vifcount eafiV fufpecled the ftory concerned himfelf. 
 Thevifconnt urg^d him very much to confefs it, and 
 told him he had kncwn a great while that he was vi- 
 olently in love, and that it was unjuft in him to mew a 
 dulrultof a man, who had committed to him a fecret 
 on which hi* life depended. The duke de Nemours 
 was too much in love to own it, and had always con- 
 cealed it from the vifcount, though he valued him the 
 moil of any man at court ; he anfv/ered, That one of his 
 friends had told him this adventure, and made him 
 promife net to fpcakofit; and he alfo conjured the 
 vifcount to keep the fecret : the vifcount affured him hz 
 would fay nothing of it ; but notwithstanding, mcnfieur 
 de Ncn ours ier.e-Ued. that he had told him fo much. 
 
 In the mean time monfieur de Cieves was gone to ihe 
 king, with a heart full of affliction. Never had huf- 
 band fo violent a paffion for his wife, or fo great an 
 effrem ; what fhe had told him did net take away his 
 efteemof her, but made it of a different nature from that 
 he had had before ; what chitfiy employ'd his thoughts, 
 was a defire to guefs who it was that had found out the 
 fecret to win her heart. The duke de Nemours was the 
 firft perfon he thought of on this occajion, as being the 
 handfomeit man at court ; and the chevalier de Guife 
 and the marefchal de St. Andre occurred next, as two 
 perfons who had made it their endeavour to get her 
 love,, and who were ftill very afH iucus in courting her ; 
 fo that he was fully perfuaded it mufl be one of the 
 three. He arrived at tne Louvre ; and the ki'ng carried 
 him into his clofrt to inform him, he had made choice 
 f him to condud Madame into Spain j ana thut he be- 
 VOL. 11. F lieved
 
 , 9 g THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 lieved nobody could acquit himfelf better of that charge, 
 nor that any lady would do France greater honour than 
 madam de Cleves. Monfieur de Clevcs received the 
 honour the king had done him by this choice with the 
 refpeft he ought, and he confidcred it alfo as what 
 would take his wife from court, without leaving room 
 to fufpecl any change in her conducl ; but the cmbar- 
 lafTment he was under required a fpeedier remedy than 
 that journey, which was to be deferred a great v. l.ile, 
 could afford ; he immediately writ to madam de Cleves 
 to acquaint her with what the king had told him ; and 
 gave her to underftand, he abfolutely expeled me fhould 
 return to Paris. She returned according to his orders, 
 and when they met, they found one another over- 
 whelmed with melancholy. 
 
 Monfieur de Cleves fpoke to her, as a man of the 
 ^reatefl honour in the world, and the bell deferving the 
 confidence Pae had repofed in him : I am not alarmed 
 as to your conduct, faid he, you have more ftrength 
 and virtue than you imagine j I am not alarmed with 
 fears of what may happen hereafter ; what troubles me 
 is, that I fee you have thofe fentiments for another 
 which you want for me. I do not know what to anfwer 
 you, faid the, I die with lhame when I fpeak of thrs 
 fubjeft; fpare me, I conjure you, fuch cruel conver- 
 Jfations j regulate my conduft, and never let me fee any 
 body ; this is all I defire of you ; but take it not ill of 
 me, if I fpeak no more of a thing which makes me ap- 
 pear fo little worthy of you, and which I think fo un- 
 becoming me. ---You are in the right, madam, replied 
 he, I abufe your goodnefs and your confidence in me ; 
 tut have fome compaffion alfo on the condition you have 
 brought me to ; and think, that whatever you have 
 told me, you conceal from me a name, which creates 
 in me a curiofity I cannot live without fatisfying ; and 
 yet I alk you not to fatisfy it ; I cannot, however, for- 
 bear telling you, that I believe the man I am to envy 
 is the jnarefchal de St. Andre, the duke de Nemours,
 
 l, THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 99 
 
 or the chevalier de Guife. I (hall make you no anfwer, 
 fays {he blufhing, nor give you any ground, from wha,t 
 I fay, either to leflen or ftrengthen your fufpicions ; 
 but if you endeavour to inform yourfelf by obferving 
 me, you will throw me info a confufion all the world 
 will take notice of; for God's f tke, continued me, 
 allow me, under pretence of an ir.tlfpofition, to fee no- 
 body. No, madam, fiid he, it will quickly be dif- 
 covered to be a -feigned bufmefs ; and beiides, I am 
 unwilling to truft you to .n/ thing out yourfelf j my 
 heart tells me this is the ee.t \v?.y I can take, and my 
 reafon tells me fo alio; considering the temper of mind 
 you are in, I cannot, put a greater reftraint upon you, 
 than by leaving you to your liberty. 
 
 Monfieur de Cleves was not miftaken ; the confidence 
 lie Ihewed he had in his wife, fortified her the more 
 againfl monfieur de Nemours, and made her take more 
 fevere refclution. than any reitraint could have brought 
 her to. She went to wait on the queeii-dauphm at the 
 Louvre, as ih" ufed to do ; but avoided the prefence and 
 eyes of moaiieur de Nemours with fo much care, that 
 fhe deprived him of alrholl all the joy he had in think- 
 ing {he loved him ; he faw nothing in her actions but 
 what feemed to mew the contrary ; he fcarctly knew if 
 what he had heard was not a dream, fo very impro- 
 bable it feemed to him. The only thing which affured 
 him that he was not miftaken, was madam de Cleves's 
 extreme melancholy, which appeared, whatever pains 
 fhe took to hide it j and perhaps kind words and looks 
 >/ould not have increafed the duke of Nemours's love 
 fo much as this fevere conduit did. 
 
 One evening, as rnonfieur and madam de Cleves 
 were at the queen's apartment, it \va.- f.ii;l there was a 
 report that the king would name anolher great lord to 
 wait on Madame into Spain. Monfieur de Cleves had 
 his eye fixed on his wife, when it w-s further faid, the 
 chevalier de Guife, or the marefchal de St. Andre, 
 was the perfon j he obferved me was not at all moved 
 f 2 at
 
 ico THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IK, 
 
 at either of thofe names, nor the difcourfe of their go- 
 ing alcng with her ; this made him believe, it was net 
 either of them whcfe prefence fhe feared : in order to 
 clear up his fufpicions, he went into the queen's clofet> 
 where the king then was, and after having ftaid there 
 feme time, came back to his wife, and whifpered her, 
 that he had jnft heard the duke de Nemours was the per- 
 fon defigned to go along with them to Spain. 
 
 The name of the duke de Nemours, and the thought 
 of being expofed to fee him every dr.y, during; a very 
 long journey, in her hufband's prefence, fo affecled ma- 
 dam de Cleves, that fhe could not conceal her trouble : 
 and being willing to give other reafons for it, No 
 choice, fays fhe, could have been made more difagree- 
 able fcr ycu ; he will (hare all honours with you, and I 
 thirk you ought to endeavour to get fome other chofen. 
 It is not honour, madam, reply'drr.onfieur de Cleves, 
 that makes you apprehenfive of the duke de Nemours's 
 going with me, the uncafincfs you are in proceeds from 
 another caufe j and fiom this uneafinefs of yours I learn, 
 that which I fhould have difcovered in another woman 
 by the joy fhe would have exprefied on fuch an occafion ; 
 but be not afraid ; what I have told you is not true, it 
 was an invention of mine to affure myfelf cf a thing 
 which I a^eady believed but too much. Having faid 
 this, he went out, being unwilling to incfeafe, by his 
 prefence, the concern he faw his wife in. 
 
 The duke de Nemours came in thatinflant, and pre- 
 fently obferved madam de Clevcs's condition ; Ke came 
 up to her, and told her fcftly, he hsd that refped for 
 her, he durfl not afk whet it was made her more pe.nfive 
 than ufual. The voice cf the duke de Nemourr, brought 
 her to herfelf tgain, and looking at him, without hav- 
 ing heard what he had {aid to her, full of her own 
 thoughts, and afraid left her hufbrnd fhould fee him with 
 her, Fcr God's fake, fays {he, leave me to myfelf in 
 quiet. Alas! madam, aniwered he, l^iflurb you too 
 little ; what is it you can complain of? I dare not fpeuk
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 101 
 
 to you, I dare not look upon you, I tremble whenever 
 I approach you. How have I drawn upon myfelf what 
 you have faid to me ? and why do you (hew me, that I 
 am in part the caufc of the trouble I lee you in ? M,' lam 
 de Cleves was very forry to have given the duke an op- 
 portunity of explaining himfelf more clearly than ever 
 he had done before ; ihe left him without making any 
 anfwer, and went home with her mind moie -agitated 
 than ever. Her hufband perceived her COP. :ern was 
 increafed, and that me was afraid he would fpeak to 
 her of what had part, and followed her into her clofet : 
 Do not fhun me, madam, fays he, I will fay nothing 
 to you that {hall difpleafe you ; I afk pardon for the fur- 
 prize I gave you a while ago; I am fufficientlv puni (li- 
 ed by what I have learnt from it ; the duke de Nemours 
 was of all men he whom I mod feared ; I fee the danger 
 you are in; command yourfelf for your ownf ike, and, 
 if it is poffible, for mine ; I do not aik this of you as a 
 hufband, but as a nun whole happinefs wholly depends 
 on yon, and who loves you more violently and more 
 tenderly than he whom your heart prefers to me. 
 Monfieur de Cleves was melted upon ipeaking thefe 
 words, and could fcarce make an end of them ; his 
 wife was fo moved, {he burft into tears, and embraced 
 him with a tendernefs and forrow that put him into a 
 condition not very different from her own. They 
 continued filent a while, and parted without having the 
 power to fpeak to one another. 
 
 All things were ready for the marriage of Madame, 
 and the duke of Alva was arrived to efpoufe her ; he 
 was received with all the ceremony and magnificence 
 that could be difplay'd on fuch an occalion ; the king 
 fent to meet him the prince of Conde, the cardinals of 
 Lorain and Guife, the dukes of Lorain and Ferrara, 
 d'Aumale, de Bouillon, de Guife, and de Nemours; 
 they had a great number of gentlemen, and a great 
 many pages in livery ; the king himfelf, attended with 
 F 3 two
 
 102 . THE PRINCESS OF C'LEVES. PART III. 
 
 two hundred gentlemen, and the conSable at their 
 head, received 'the duke of Alva at the firft gate of the 
 Louvre ; the duke would have kneeled down, but the 
 king refufed it, and made him walk by his fide to the 
 queen's apartment, and to Madame's, to whom the 
 duke cf Alva had brought a magnificent prefent from 
 his mailer ; he went thence to the apartment of madam 
 Margaret, the king's fifter, to compliment her on the 
 part-of the duke of Savoy, and to afTure her he- would 
 arrive in a few days. There were great affemblies at the 
 Louvre, to mew the duke of Alva, and the prince of 
 Orange who accompanied him, the beauties of the court. 
 
 IvIaJam de Cleves could not difpenfe with going to 
 thefe affemblies, however defirous me was to be abfent, 
 for fear of difobliging her hulband, who abfolutely 
 commanded her to be there ; and, what yet more in- 
 <irced her to it, \vac- the abfence cf the duke de Ne- 
 nicui ; ; he was gone to meet the duke cf Savoy ; and after 
 the arrival of that prince, he was obliged to be almoft 
 always with him, to affifi him in every thing relating to 
 the ceremonies of the nuptials ; for this reafon madam 
 de Cleves did not meet him fo often as me ufed to do, 
 which gave her fome fort of cafe. 
 
 The vifcount de Chartres had not forgot the conver- 
 fation he had had with the duke de Nemours : it ftill 
 -ran in his mind, that the adventure the duke had re- 
 lated to him was his own ; and he obferved him fo 
 carefully, that it is probable he would have unravelled 
 the bufmefs, if the arrival of the duke of Alva and 
 of the dake of Savoy had not made fuch an alteration in 
 the court, and filled it with fo much bufinefs, as left 
 no opportunities for a difcovery of that nature j the 
 defire he had to get fome information about it, or 
 rather the natural difpofition one has to relate all one 
 knows to thole one loves, made him acquaint madam 
 de Martigues with the extraordinary aftion of that 
 perfon, who had confefTed to her hufband the paffion me 
 had for another. He allured her, the duke de Nemours
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 103 
 
 was the man who had infpired fo violent a love, and 
 begged her affiilance in observing him. Madam de 
 Martigues was glad to hear what thevifcount told her; 
 and the curiofity ihe had always obferved in the queen- 
 dauphin for what concerned the duke de Nemours, 
 made her yet more def;rous to fearch into the bottom 
 of the affair. 
 
 A few davs before that which wns fixed for the cere- 
 mony of the marriage, the queen-dauphin entertained 
 at fupper the king her father-in-law, and the duchefs 
 of Valentinois. Madam de Cleves, who had been bufy 
 in dreffing herfelf, went to the Louvre later than ordi- 
 nary ; as me was going, me met a gentleman, that was 
 coming from the queen-dauphin to fetch her ; as foon 
 as me entered the room, that prince^, who was fitting 
 upon her bed, told her aloud, that me had expected 
 her with great impatience. I believe, madam, an- 
 fwered me, that I am net obliged to you for it, and 
 that your impatience was caufed by fomething elfe, 
 and not your defire to fee me. You are in the right, 
 anf.vered the queen-dauphin ; but, neverthelefs, you 
 are obliged to me ; for I will tell you an adventure, 
 which I am fure you will be glad to know. 
 
 Madam de Cleves kneeled at her bed-fide, and, very 
 luckily for her, with her face from the light : You 
 know, faid the queen, how defirous we have been to 
 find out what had caufed fo great a change in the duke 
 of Nemours ; I believe I know it, and it is what will 
 furprife you ; he is defperately in love with, and as 
 much beloved by, one of the fineft ladies of the court. 
 It is eafy to imagine the grief madam de Cleves felt 
 upon hearing thefe words, which fhe could not apply t 
 herfelf, fmce fhe thought nobody knew any thing of 
 her paflion for the duke ; I fee nothing extraordinary 
 in that, replied fhe, confidering how young and hand- 
 fame a man the duke de Nemours is. No, replied the 
 queen-dauphin, there is nothing extraordinary in it ; 
 but what will furprife you is, that this lady, who is in ! 
 V 4. love-
 
 104 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 love with the duke de Nemours, has never given him 
 any mark of it, and that the fear me was in left me 
 mould not always be miftrefs of her paflion, has made 
 her confcfs it to her hufband, that he may take her 
 away from court; and it is the duke de Nemours him- 
 feif who has related what 1 tell you. 
 
 If madam de Cleves was grieved at firft through the 
 thought that ihe had no concern in this adventure, 
 the queen-dear ;;iiin's lafl words threw her into an 
 agony, by making it certain fhe had too much in it ; 
 ilie could not ufwer, but continued leaning her head 
 en the bed. Meanwhile the queen went on, and 
 was fo intent en v. hat fhe was faying, that fhe took ne 
 notice of her emborrafitnent. When madam de Cleves 
 was a little come to acifc'f, This ilcry, madam, fays 
 Ihe, does not feem vfry piob.ible to me, and I mould 
 be glad to know who toid it you. It was madam de 
 Martigues, replied the queen-dauphin, and (he heard 
 it from the vifcount de Char:res ; you know the vif- 
 count is in Icvc with Lcr ; he en trailed this matter to 
 her as a fecret, and he was told it by the duke de Ne- 
 mours himfelf ; it is true, the cuke did not tell the 
 lady's name, ncr acknowledge that he was the perfon 
 ihe was in love with, but the vifcourt mokes no man- 
 ner cf queftion of it. When the queen-dauphin had 
 i 1 one (peaking, fomeboay came up to the bed ; madam 
 de Cleves was fo placed that (he could not fee who it 
 was, but fhe was prefently convinced, when the queen- 
 dauphin cried out, with an air cf gaiety and furpriz?, 
 Here 'he is himfelf, I will afc him what there is in it. 
 Madam de Cleves knew very \veil it was the duke de 
 Nemours, without turning herfelf, rs it really wrv: ; 
 upon which Ihe went up hailily to the queen-dauphin, 
 and told her foftly, that fhe ought to be cautious of 
 fpeaking to him of this adventure, which he had en- 
 trufted to the vifcount de Chartres as a fecret, and that 
 it was a thing which might create a quarrel between 
 them. You are too wife, fold the queen-dauphin 
 
 fmiling.
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 105 
 
 fmiling, and turned to the duke de Nemours : he was 
 drefled for the evening-aflembly, and taking up the 
 difcourfe with that grace which was natural to him, 
 I believe, madam, fays he, I may venture to think 
 you were (peaking of me as I came in, that you had 
 a defign to afk me fomething, and that madam de 
 Cleves is againft it It is true, replied the queen- 
 dauphin, bul I mall not be fo complaifant toiler on 
 this occafion as I was ufed to be ; I would know of 
 you, whether a ftory I have been told is true, and whe- 
 ther you are not the perfon who is in love with, and 
 beloved by a lady of the court, who endeavours to con- 
 ceal her paflion from you, and has confcfled it to her 
 hufband ? 
 
 The concern and aor.fufion madam de Cleves was in 
 was above all that can be imagined ; and if death itfelf 
 could have drawn her out of this condition, fhe wcuid 
 Ivsve gladly embraced it ; but the duke de Nemours 
 was yet more ernbarrafTed, if poffible: the difcourfe of 
 the queen-dauphin, by whom he had reafon to beiieve 
 he was not hated, in theprefe;\ce of madam fie Cleves, 
 w'lo was confided in by her irore than any body of the 
 court, and who confided mure in her, threw him into 
 fuch confufion and extravagance of thought, that it 
 wa.5 impoflible for him to be mafler of his countenance : 
 the concern he faw madam de Cleves in through lii-j 
 fault, and the thought of having given her juit caufe to 
 hate him, fo (hocked him, he could not fpeak a word. 
 The queen-dauphin, feeing how thunder.' ruck fhe was, 
 Lock upon him, lock upon him! faid fhe to madam de 
 Cleves, and judge if this adventure be not his own. 
 
 In the mean time the duke de Nemours, finding of 
 what importance it was to him to extricate himfelf out 
 of fo dangerous a difficulty, recovered hirnfeif from his 
 ferft furprize, End became at once mafler of his wit and 
 looks. I acknowledge, madam, faid he, it is irnpof- 
 fjble to be more furprifed and concerned than I \va> ut 
 the treachery of the vifccunt dc Chartres, in relating 
 F 5 an
 
 io6 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 an adventure of a friend of mine, \vhich I had in con- 
 fidence imparted to him. I know how to be revenged 
 of him, continued he, fmiHng with a calm air ; which 
 removed the fufpicions the queen-dauphin had enter- 
 tained of him : he has entrusted me with things of no 
 very fnlall importance; but I do not know, madam, 
 why you do me: the honour to make me a party in this 
 affair. The vifcount cannot fay I am concerned in it, 
 for I told him the contrary ; I may very weJI be taken 
 to be a man in love, but 1 1 cannot believe, madam,' 
 you will think me of the number of thofe who are loved 
 again. The duke was glad to fay any thing to the 
 queen- dauphin, which alluded to the inclination he 
 had exprefied for her formerly," in order to divert her 
 thoughts from the fubjedt in que^ion. She imagined 
 {he underllood well enough the drift of what he faid ; 
 but without making any anfwer to it, fhe continued to 
 rally him upon the embarrafl'ment he was in. I was 
 concerned, madam, faid he, for the intereft of my 
 friend, and on account of the juft reproaches he might 
 make me for having told a fecret which is dearer to him 
 than life. He has, neverthelefs, entruiled me but with 
 one half of it, and has net told me the name of the 
 perfon he loves ; all I know i?, that he is the moll 
 deeply in love of any man in the world, and has the 
 moil reafon to complain. -Do you thinkjie has reafon. 
 to complain, replied the queen-dauphin^ when he is 
 loved again ?- Do you believe he is, madam, replied 
 he, and that a perfon who had a real paffion could dif- 
 cover it to her hufband ? That lady, doubtlefs, is not 
 acquainted with love, and lias miftaken for it a flight 
 acknowledgment of the fondrefs her lover had for her. 
 My friend cannot flatter himfelf with the leaft hopes ; 
 but, unfortunate as he is, he thinks himfelf happy, at 
 leafl, in having made her afraid of failing in love with 
 him, and he would not change his condition for that of 
 the happieft lover in the world. ---Your friend hr-s a 
 paffioa very eafy to be fatisfied, fold the queen-dauphin*. 
 
 and
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 107- 
 
 and I begin to believe it is not yourfelf you are fpeaking 
 of; I am almoft., continued fhe, of the opinion of 
 madam de Cleves, who maintains that this ftory can- 
 not be true.- I do not really believe it can be true, 
 anfwered madam de Cleves, who had been filent ; 
 hitherto ; and though it were poflible to be true, how 
 mould it have been known ? It is very unlikely that a 
 woman, capable of fo extraordinary a refolution, 
 would have the weaknefs to publifh it j and furely her 
 hufband would 'not have told it neither, or he mufl be 
 a hufband very unworthy to have been dealt with in fo - 
 generous a manner. The duke de Nemours, who per- 
 ceived . the fufpicicns madam de Cleves had of her 
 hufband, was glad to confirm her in them, knowing 
 he was the moll formidable rival he had to overcome. 
 Jealoufy, faid he, and a curiofity perhaps of knowing 
 more than a wife has thought fit to difcover, may make 
 a hufband do a great many imprudent things. 
 
 Madam de Cleves was put to the laft proof of h?r 
 power and courage ; and not being able to endure the 
 converfation any longer, fhe was going to fay fhe was 
 not well, when, by good fortune for her, the duchefs of 
 Valentinois came in, and told the. queen-dauphin thai; 
 the king \vas juft coming ; the queen-dauphin went into 
 the clofet to c!refs herfelf, and the duke de Nemours 
 came up to madarn de Clever as fhe was following her. 
 I- would give my life, madam, faid he, to have a mo- 
 ment's converfation with you ; but though I have a 
 world of important things to fay to you, I think no- - 
 thing s more fo, than to, entreat you to believe, that 
 if I have faid any thing in which the queen-dauphin may 
 feem concerned, I did it for reafons which do not re- 
 late to her. Madam de Cleves pretended not to hear 
 1dm, and left him without a look, and went towards 
 the king, \vho was juft come in. As there were 
 abundance cf people there, flic trod upon her gown, 
 and made a falfe ftep, which ferved her as an excuie to 
 go out cf a place fhe had uot the. power to llay in ; .and 
 F.6 fa-
 
 io8 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 fo pretending to have received feme hurt, fhe went 
 home. 
 
 Monfieur de Cleves came to the Louvre, and was fur- 
 prifed not to find his wife there ; they told him of the 
 accident that had befallen her, and he went immedi- 
 ately home to enquire after her ; he found her in bed, 
 and perceived her hurt was not confiderable. When 
 he had been fome time with her, he found her fo ex- 
 ceffive melancholy that he was furpriied at it : What 
 ails you, madara ? fays he , you feem to have fome 
 other grief than that which you complain of. I feel 
 the molt fennble grief I can ever experience, anfwered 
 fhe ; what ufe have you made of that extraordinary, 
 cr rather foolifh confidence which I placed in you ? Did 
 not I deferve to have my fecret kept ? and though I had 
 not deferved it, did net your own interelt engage you to 
 it ? Should your curio/ity to know a name it was not 
 reafonable for me to tell you, have obliged you to make 
 a confidante to aflifc you in the difcovery, nothing but 
 that curiofity could have made you guilty of fo cruel 
 an indifcretion ; the confequences of it are as bad as 
 they poflibly can be. This adventure is known, and I 
 have been told it by thofe who are not aware that I am 
 principally concerned in it, What do you fay, ma- 
 dam ? anfwered he ; you accufe me of having told 
 what paused between you and me, and you inform me 
 that the thing is known ; I do not go about to clear 
 myfelf from this charge, you cannot think me guilty 
 of it ; without doubt you have applied to yourfelf 
 what was told you of fome other. Ah ! fir, replied 
 ihe, the world has not an adventure like mine, there 
 is not another woman capable of fuch a thing : the 
 ilory I have heard could not have been invented by 
 chance ; nobody could imagine any like it ; an aftion 
 of this nature never entered any thoughts hut mine. 
 The queen-dauphin has juit told me the ftcry ; ihe had 
 it from the vifcount de Chartres, and the vifcount from 
 the duke de Nemours. The duke de Nemours ! crre.d 
 
 monfieui;
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 109 
 
 monfieur de Cleves, like a man tranfported and defpe- 
 rate : How ! does the duke de Nemours know that you 
 are in love with him, and that I am acquainted with it } 
 -You are always for ilngling out the duke de Nemours 
 rather than any other, replied (he ; I have told you I will 
 never anfwer you concerning your fufpicions : I am 
 ignorant whether the duke de Nemours knows the part 
 I have in this adventure, and that which you have 
 afcribed to him ; but he told it to the vifcount de 
 Chartres, and faid he had it from one of his friends, 
 who did not name the lady : this friend of the duke de 
 Nemours muft needs be one of yours, whom you en- 
 trufted the fecret to, in order to clear up your fufpicions. 
 Can one have a friend in the world, in whom one 
 would repofe fuch a confidence, replied monfieur de 
 Cleves ; and would a man clear his fupicions at the 
 price of informing another with what one would wifa 
 to conceal from one's fe If ? Think rather, madam, to 
 whom you have fpoken ; it is more probable this fecret 
 fhould have efcaped you than me ; you was not able 
 alone to fupport the trouble you found yourfelf in, and 
 you endeavoured to comfort yourfelf by complaining 
 to fome confidante, who has betrayed you. Do not 
 wholly deilroy me, cried me, and be not fo hard- 
 hearted as to accufe me of a fault you have committed 
 yourfelf: can you fufped me of it ? and do you think, 
 becaufe I was capable of informing you of this matter, 
 I was therefore capable of informing another ? 
 
 The confeffion which madam de Cleves had made to 
 her hufband was fo great a mark or her Sincerity, and 
 me fo firongly denied that me had intrufted it to any 
 other, that monfieur de Cleves did not know what to 
 think. On the other hand, he was fure he had never 
 faid any thing of it ; it was a thing that could not have 
 been gueffed, and yet ir was known ; it muft therefore 
 come from one of them two ; but what grieved him 
 moft was, to know that this fecret was in the hands of 
 
 fomebody
 
 no THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 fbmebody elfe, and that, in all probability, it would be 
 foon divuleed. 
 
 Madam de Cfeves thought much after the fnme man- 
 ner ; ihe found it equally impoflible that her hufband 
 ihould, or mould not have fpoken of it. What the 
 duke de Nemours had faid to her, that curiofity might 
 make a hufband do indifcreet things, feemed fo juftly 
 applicable to monfiear de Cleves's condition, t: 
 cculd not think he faid it ty chance ; and they're ba- 
 bility of this made her conclude, that monfieur de 
 Clevcs had abufed the confidence fne had placed in 
 him. They were fo taken up, the on? and the other, 
 with their refpective thoughts, that they continued 
 fjlent a great while ; and- when they broke from this 
 f.lencc, they only repeated the fame things they had 
 already faid very often ; their hearts and affections 
 grew mtfre and more eftranged from each other. . 
 
 eaiy to imagine how they patted the night ; . 
 mcnf;e*ilr de Cleves could no longer fufiain the misfor- 
 'tur.e of feeing a woman, whom he adored, in love 
 with another: he grew quite heartlefs, and thought 
 he hadreafon to be fo in an affair where his honour arid 
 reputation were fo deeply wounded : he knew not 
 what to think of his wife, and was at a lofs \vhr.t 
 conduit he mould prefcribe to her, or what he mould 
 follow himfelf ; he faw nothing on all fides but preci- 
 pices and rocks : at laft, after having been long toiTed 
 to and fro in fufpenfe, he confidered he was foon tofet 
 out for Spain, and refolved to do nothing which 
 might encreafe the iufpicion or knowledge of his un- 
 fortunate condition. He went to his v-ifc, and told 
 her, that what they hsd to do was not to debate between, 
 themfelvea who had difcovered the fecret ; but to make 
 it appec.v, that the ivory which was got abroad, was a 
 bufinefs in which ihe had no concern ; that it depended 
 upon her to convince the duke of Nemours and others 
 of it ; that me had nothing to do but to behave herfelf 
 to him with that coldnefs and referve which fhe ought to 
 
 haver
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. m 
 
 have for a man who profeffed" love to her; tnat by this 
 proceeding fhe would e'afily remove the opinion he en~ 
 tcrtained of her being in love with him ; and therefore 
 fhc needed not to trouble herfelf as to what he might 
 hitherto have thought, nnce, if for the future (he dif- 
 ccvered no wenknefs, his former thoughts would vanifh. 
 of themfelves ; and that efpecially fhe ought to frequent 
 the Louvre and the affemblies as ufual. 
 
 Having faid this, monfieur de Cleves left his wife 
 without waiting her ar.fwer; .me thought what he faid 
 very reafonable, and the refentment fhe had againft the 
 duke de Nemours, made her believe fhe mould be able to 
 ccuiplv with it with a great deal of eafe ; but it feemed a 
 hard tafk to her to appear at the marriage with that free- 
 dom and tranquillity of ipirit which the occafion required. 
 Nevertheiefs, as fhe was to carry the queen-dauphin's 
 train, and had been diftinguifhed with that honour in 
 preference to a great many other princeffes, it w^s im- 
 poffible to excufe herfelf from it, without making a. great 
 deal of noife, and putting people upon enquiring into 
 the resfons of it. She refolved therefore to do her ut- 
 moft, and employed the reft of the day in preparing 
 herfelf for it, and in endeavouring to forget the thoughts 
 that gave her fo much uneafmefs ; and to this parpcfe 
 fhe locked herfelf up in her clcfet : of all her griefs the 
 moft violent was, that flie had reafon to complain of the 
 duke de Nemours, and could find no excufe to urge in 
 his favour ; fhe could not doubt but he had related this 
 adventure to the vifcount de Chartres ; he had owned it 
 himfelf; nor could fhe ary mere doubt, from his manner 
 of fpeaking of it, but that he knew the adventure re- 
 lated to her ; how could fhe excafe fo great an impru- 
 dence ? and what was become of that extreme difcre- 
 tion which fhe had fo much admired in this prince? He 
 was diforeet, faid fhe, while he was unhappy ; but the 
 thought of being happy, though on uncertaia grounds, 
 has put an end to his difcretion ; he could not confider 
 that he was belovedj without defiring to have it known ;
 
 H2 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 he faid every thing he could fay ; I never acknowledged 
 it was he I was in love with ; he fufpedled it, and has 
 declared his fufpicions ; if he had been fure of it, he 
 might have acted as he has ; I was to blame for thinking 
 him a man capable of concealing what flattered his va- 
 ^ity ; and yet it is for this man, whom I thought fo dif- 
 ferent from other men, that I am become like other 
 women, who was fo unlike them before. I have loft 
 the heart and eileem of a hufband \vho ought^b have 
 been my happinefs ; I (hall foon be looked upon by all 
 the world as a perfon led away by an idle and violent 
 paflion. Hefjrwhom I entertain thispaffion is no longer 
 ignorant of it; and it wi:s to avoid thefe misfortunes 
 rKat I hazarded my quiet, and even^my life. Thefe 
 fcd reflections were folio* ed by a torrent of tears ; but 
 however great her grief was, fhe plainly perceived fhe 
 mocld be able to fupport it, were me but fatisfied in the 
 duke de Nemours. 
 
 The duke was no lefs uneafy than me; the indifcre- 
 tion he had been guilty of in te'ling what he did to the 
 vifcount de Chmres, and duuai/chievooi confequences 
 cf it, vexed him to the heart ; he could not reprefent to 
 himfelf the asHiftion and forrow he had feen madam de 
 Cleves in, without being pierced with^anguifh; he was 
 inconfolable for having laid things to her about this ad- 
 venture, which, though galant enough in themfelves, 
 fecmed on this occaficn toe grois and unpolite, fmce they 
 gave madam de .Clcvcs to underitand, he was not igno- 
 rant that fhe was the woni.in a ho hnd that violent paf- 
 fion, and that he was the OBJ etc of it. It was before the- 
 utmoit of his wimes to have a converfation with her ; but 
 now he found he ought rather to fear than deiire it. 
 What (hould I fav to her ? fays he ; mould I go to dil- 
 cover further to her what I have made her too fenfible or 
 already ? Shall I tell her I know fhe loves me ? I, who 
 have never dared to fay I loved her ? Shall I begin with 
 {peaking openly of my prulion, that fhe may fee my 
 ho^es have infpired me with boldnefs? Can I even 
 
 think
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 113 
 
 think of approaching her, and of giving her the trouble 
 to endure my fight ? Which way could I juflify myfelf ? 
 I have no excufe; I am unworthy of the leaft regard from 
 madam de Cleves, and I even defpair of her ever looking 
 upon me: I have given her, by my own fault, better 
 means of defending herfelf againft me than any (he was 
 fearching for, and perhaps fearching for to no pur^-ofe. 
 I lofe by my imprudence the glory and happinefi of 
 being loved by the moft beautiful and deferving ladv in 
 the world; bat if I had loft this happinefs, without in- 
 volving her in the mbfl extrem? grief and fuiFerings at the 
 fame time, I mould have had fome comfort ; for at this 
 moment 1 am more fenfible of the harm I have done her, 
 than of that I have done myfelf in forfeiting her favour. 
 
 The duke de Nemours continued turning the fam3 
 thoughts over and over, and tormenting himfelf a great 
 while: the defire he had to fpeak to madam de Clrves 
 came conilantly into his mind; he thought of the means 
 to do it; he thought of writing to her; but at lail he 
 found, confidering the fault he had committed, and the 
 temper me was in, his beft way was to mew her a pro- 
 found refpeft by his affiiclion and his filence, to let her 
 fee he dunl not prefent himfelf before her, and to wait 
 fcr what time, chance, and the inclination me had for 
 him, might produce to his advantage: he refolved alfo 
 not to reproach thevifcount de Chartres for his unfaith- 
 fulnefs. for fear of confirming his fufpicions. 
 
 The preparations for the efpoufals and marriage of 
 Madame on the next day, fo entirely took up the thoughts 
 of the court, that madam de Cleves and the duke of 
 Nemours eafily concealed from the public their grief 
 and nneafmefs. The queen-dauphin ipoke but {lightly 
 to madr.m de Cleves of the converfation they had had 
 with the duke de Nemours ; and monfieur de Cleve? in- 
 duftrioufly fhunned fpeaking to his wife of what was paft ; 
 fo that ihe did not find herfelf under fo much embarraff- 
 ment as ilie had imagined. 
 
 The
 
 ii 4 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 The efpoufals were folemnized at the Louvre ; and 
 after the feaft and ball all the royal family went to lie at 
 the bifhcp's palace, according to cuftcm. In the morn- 
 ing, the duke of Alva, who always had appeared very 
 plainly dreit, put on a habit of cloth of gold, in;.-:d 
 with flame-colour, yellow and -black, all covered o\er 
 with jewels, and wore a clofe crown on his head. The 
 prince of Orange very richly drefied alfo, with his li- 
 veries, and all the Spaniards with theirs, csrac to attend 
 the duke of Alva from the Hotel ce Viileroy wheiv h? 
 lodged, and fet out, marching four by four, till they 
 came to the bifhop's palace. As foon as he was arrived, 
 they went in order to the church ; the king led Madame, 
 who wore alfo a clofe crown, her train being borne by 
 jaademcifelles de Montpenfier and Longuevillc ; the 
 queen came next, but without a crown ; after her fol- 
 lowed the queen-dauphin, Madame, the king's fifter, 
 the duchcfs of Loraine, and the queen of Navarre, 
 .their trains being borne by the princeffes ; the queens and 
 the princefles were all of them attended with their maids 
 of honour, who were richly dreft in the fame colour 
 which they were themfelves; fo that it was known by 
 the colour of their habits whpfe maids they were : they 
 mounted the place that was prepared in the church , : ; a 
 there the marriage-ceremonies were performed; iLcy 
 returned afterwards to dine at the biihop's, and went 
 from thence about five a-clock to the palace where the 
 feaft was, and where the pnrliament, the foverekn 
 courts, and the corporation of the city were ceiu ed to 
 affift. The king, the queens, the princes and prin- 
 cefTes fat at the marble table in the great hall of the pa- 
 lace ; the duke of Alva fat near the new queen of 
 Spain, below the fteps of the marble table ; and at the 
 king's right hand was a table for the ambaffadors, the 
 archbiihops, and the knights of the order, and on the 
 other fide one for the parliament. 
 
 The duke of Guife, dreil in a robe of cloth of gold 
 friezed, ferved the king as great chamberlain ; the
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. M5 
 
 prince of Conde as fteward of -the houfhold, and the 
 duke de Nemours as cup-bearer. After the tables 
 were removed the ball began, and was interrupted by 
 interludes and a great deal of cx'raordinary machi- 
 nery; then the ball was relumed, and after midnight 
 the king and the whole court returned to the Louvre. 
 However full of griff madam de Cleves was, me ap- 
 peared in the eyes of aii beholders, and particularly in 
 thofe of the duke de Nemours, incomparably beautiful. 
 He dur.l not fpeak to her, though the hurry of the cere- 
 mony gave him frequent opportunities; but he ex- 
 p re fled fo much forrow, and fo refpeclful a fear of ap- 
 proaching her, that me no longer thought him to blame, 
 though he had faid nothing in his juftification; his con- 
 duct was the fame the following days, and wrought the 
 fame effect on the heart of madam de Cleves. 
 
 At lafl, the day of the tournament came; the queens 
 xvere placed in the galleries that were prepared for them ; 
 the four champions appeared at the end of the lifts with 
 a number of horfes and liveries, the moil magnificent 
 fight that ever was feen in France. 
 
 The king's colours were white and black, which he 
 always wore in honour of the duchefs of Valentinois, 
 who was a widow. The duke of Ferrara and his re- 
 tinue ha.d yellow and red ; monfieur de Guife's carna- 
 tion and white. It was not known at firll for what rea- 
 fon he v/cre thofe colours; but it was foon remembered 
 that they were the colours of a beautiful young lady 
 whom he had been in love with while me was a maid, 
 and whcm he yet loved, though he durft not fhewit. 
 The duke de Nemours had yellow and black; why he 
 had them could not be found out: madam de Cleves 
 only knew the reafon of it; me remembered to have faid 
 before him me loved yellow, and that me was ferry her 
 complexion did not fuit that colour. As for-the duke, 
 he thought he might take that colour without any in- 
 difcretion, fmce, not being worn by madam de Cleves, 
 it could not be fufpedted to be her's. 
 
 The
 
 h6 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART III. 
 
 The four champions fhewed the greateft addrefs that 
 can be imagined ; though the king was the beft horfe- 
 man in his kingdom, it w^s hard to fay which of them 
 moft excelled. The duke de Nemours had a grace in ail 
 his aftions which might have inclined to his favour p?r- 
 fous lefs intereited than madam de Cleves. She n 
 fooner faw him appear at the end of the lilts, but her 
 heart felt uncommon emotions, and every courfe he 
 made flie could fcarce hide her joy, when he had fuc- 
 cefsfully finifhed his career. 
 
 In the evening, when all was almoft over, and the 
 company ready to break up, fo it was for the misfortune 
 of the ftate, that the king would needs break another 
 lance; he fent orders to the count de Montgomery, who 
 was a very dexterous combatant, to appear in the lifts. 
 The count begged the king to excufe him, and alledged 
 a 1 ! the reafons for it he could think cf; but the king, 
 slmoft angry, fent him word he abfolutely commanded 
 him to do it. The queen conjured the king not to run 
 any more, told him he had performed fo well that he 
 ought to be fatisfied, and defired him to go with her to 
 her apartments. He made anfvver, It was for her fake 
 that he would run again ; and entered the barrier. She 
 fent the duke of Savoy to him to entreat him a fecond 
 time to return, but to no purpofe. He ran; the lances 
 were broke, and a fplinter of the count de Montgo- 
 mery's lance^hit the king's eye, and ituck there. The 
 king fell ; his gentlemen and monfieur de Montmorency, 
 who was one of the marefchals of the field, ran to him ; 
 they wera aftonifhed to fee him wounded ; but the king 
 was not at all cliiheartened; he faid, that it was but a 
 flight hurt, and that he forgave the count de Montgo- 
 mery. One may imagine what forrow and affli&ion fo 
 fatal an accident occaiioned on a day fet apart to mirth 
 and joy. The king was carried to bed, and the fur- 
 geons having examined his wound found it very ccnil- 
 derab'e. The comlable immediately called to mind the 
 prediction which had been told the king, that he mould 
 
 be
 
 PART III. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 1 1? 
 
 be killed in fingle fight ; and he made no doubt but the 
 predi&ion would be now accompli fhed. 
 
 The king of Spain, who was then at BrufTeb, being 
 advertifed of this accident, fent his phyfician, who was 
 a man of great reputation; but that phyfician judged the 
 king paft hope. 
 
 A court fo divided, and filled with fo many oppofite 
 interefts, could not but be in great agitation on ths 
 breaking out of fo grand an event; neverthelefs, all 
 things were kept quiet, and nothing was feen but a ge- 
 neral anxiety for the king's health:, the queens, the 
 princes and princeffes hardly ever went out of his anti- 
 chamber. 
 
 Madam de Cloves knowing that (he was obliged to be 
 there, that me fhould fee there the duke de Nemours, 
 and that me could not conceal from her hufband the uif 
 order fhe mould be in upon feeing him ; and being fen- 
 fihle alfo, that the mere prefence of that prince would 
 juitify him in her eyes, and deilroy all her refciutions, 
 thought proper to feign herfeif ill. The court was too 
 uafy to give attention to her conduct, or to enquire whe- 
 ther her illnefs was real or counterfeit ; her hufband alone 
 was able to come at the truth of the matter ; but me was 
 not at all averfe to his knowing it. Thus fhe continued 
 at home, altogether heedlefs of the great change that 
 was foon expected, and full of her own thoughts, which 
 {he was at full liberty to give herfeif up to. Every 
 one went to court to enquire after the king's health, and 
 inonfieur d^e Cleves came home at certain times to give 
 lier an account of it; he behaved himfelf to her in the 
 fame manner he uied to do, except when they were 
 alone; and then there appeared fomething of coldnefs 
 and referve: he had not fpoke to her again concerning 
 what had part, nor had (he power, ncr did fhe think it 
 convenient, to refume the oifcourfe. , 
 
 The duke de Nemours, who had waited for an oppor- 
 tunity of fpeaking to nsa./.ym de Cleves, was furpn?^d 
 and affiitted not to have had fo much as the pleufure to 
 
 fee
 
 lig THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 fee her. The king's iilnefs encreafed fo much, that the 
 feventh day he was given over by the phyficians ; he 
 received the news of the certainty of his death with an 
 uncommon firmnefs of mii:J ; which was the more to be 
 admired, confidcring that he loft his life by fo unfor- 
 tunate an accident, that he died in the flower of his age, 
 happy, adored by his people, and beloved by a miftrefs 
 fce was defperately in love with. The evening before 
 his death he caufed Madame, his fifter, to be married to 
 the duke of Savoy without ceremony : one may judge 
 what condition the duchefs of Valentinois was in; the 
 queen would not permit her to fee the king, but fent to 
 demand of her the king's fignefcs, and the jewels of the 
 crown which fhe had in her cuftody. The durhefs en- 
 quired if the king was dead ; and being anfwered, No ; 
 1 have then as yet no other matter, faid fhe, and no- 
 body can oblige me to reitore what he has milled in 
 my hands. As foon as the king expired at Chateau de 
 Tournelles, the duke of Ferrara, the dake of Guife, 
 and the duke de Nemours conduced the queen -mother, 
 the new king and the queen-con fort to the Louvre. The 
 dukede Nemours led the queen-mother. As they be- 
 gan to march, ih'e ftepped back a little, and told the 
 queen, her daughter-in-law, it washer place to go firft ; 
 but it was eafy to fee, that there was more of fpleen 
 than decorum in this Compliment. 
 
 PAR T IV. 
 
 ^PHE Queen-mother was now wholly governed by the 
 * cardinal of Loraine; the vifcount de Chartres had 
 no interell with her, and the pafiiyn he had for madam 
 de Martigues and for liberfy, -hindered him from feeling 
 this lofs as it deferved 10 be felt. The cardinal, during 
 
 the
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCFS3 OF CLEVIS. 119 
 
 the ten days illnefs of the ki".g, was at leifure to form 
 his defigns, and lead th? queen into refutations agree- 
 able to what he had projedtd; fo that the king was 
 no ft. 'icr dead, but the queen ordered the conftable to 
 itay .. Tourne!!:s, with the corpfe of the deceafcd king, 
 in order to perform the ufual c remonies. This com- 
 mi {Son kept him at a diftance, and out of the fcene of 
 action : for this reafon the cor.ft<:ble difpatched a cou- 
 rier to the king cf Navarre, to haften him to court, 
 that they might join thc-ir intereft to oppofe the great 
 rife of the houfe of Guile. The command of the army 
 was given to the duke of Guife, and the care of the 
 finances to the cardinal of Loraine. The duchefs ofVa- 
 lentinois was driven from court; the cardinal de Tour- 
 non, the conftable's declared enemy, and the chan- 
 cellor Olivier, the declared enemy of the duchefs of 
 Valentino;?, were both recalled. In a word, the com- 
 plexion of the court was entirely changed; the duke of 
 Guife took the fame rank as the princes of the blood, 
 in carrying the king's mantle at the funeral ceremo- 
 nies: he and his brothers carried all before them at 
 court, not cnly by reafon of the cardinal's power with 
 the queen-mother, but becsufe me thought it in her 
 power to remove them, mould they give her umbrage ; 
 whereas ihe could not fo eafily remove the conftable, who 
 was fupported by the princes of the blood. 
 
 Whe/i the ceremonial of the mourning was over, the 
 conftable came to the Louvre, and vvas very coldly re- 
 ceived by the kiiig. He defired to fpeak with him in 
 private; but the king called for mefiieurs ^e Guiie, ai.d 
 told him before them, that he adviled him to live at 
 cafe; that the finances and the command of the army 
 were difpofed of, and that when he had occafion for his 
 advice, he would fend { i r him to court. The queen 
 received him in a yet colder manner than the king, and 
 fhe even reproached him frr having told the late kmr?, 
 that his children by her did not refemble him. The 
 king of Navarre arrived, aud was no better received; 
 
 the
 
 120 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 the prince of Conde, more impatient than his brother, 
 complained aloud, but to no purpofe : he was removed 
 from court, under pretence of being fent to Flar.ders to 
 fign the ratification of the peace. They (hewed the 
 king of Navarre a forged letter from the king cf Spain, 
 v/hich charged him wirh a defign of feizing that king's 
 fortreffes ; they put him in fear for his dominions, and 
 made him take a refolution to go to Beam ; the queen 
 furnilhed him with an opportunity, by appointing him 
 to conduct madam Elizabeth, and obliged him to fet 
 out before her ; fo that there remained no body at court 
 that could balance the power of the houfe of G uife. 
 
 Though it was a mortifying circumftance for mon- 
 fieur de Cleves not to conduct madam Elizabeth ; yet he 
 cculd net complain of it, by reafon of the greatnefs of 
 the perfon preferred before him ; he regretted the lofs 
 of his employment not fo much on account of the 
 honour he mould have received from it, as becaufe it 
 would have given him an opportunity of removing his 
 wife frcm court, without the appearance of defign 
 in it. 
 
 - A few days after the king's death, it was refolved the 
 new king mould go to Rheim- to be crowned. As foon 
 s.t this journey was talked of, madam de Cleves, who 
 had lie id at home all this while under pretence of illnefs, 
 led her hufband to difpenfe with her following 
 the court, and to give her leave to go to take the air at 
 Colrir.-ers for her health : he anfwered, That whether 
 her health was the reafon cr not of her defire, however, 
 he con fen ted to it : nor was it very difficult for him to 
 confent to a thing he had rcfolved upon before : as 
 good an opinion as he had of his life's virtue, he 
 thought it imprudent to expofe her any longer to the 
 fight of a man ihe was in love with. 
 
 The duke de Nemours was fccn ir. formed, that ma- 
 dam de Cleves was not to go along with tue court ; he 
 could not find in his heart to fet out without feeir; JKT, 
 and ihcrcfoi-e, the iJght before his journey, he \\ei.t -o 
 
 her
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 121 
 
 her houfe as late as decency would allow him, in 
 to find her alone. Fortune favoured his intention ; and 
 madam de Nevers and madam de Martigucs, whom h* 
 met in the court as they were coming out, informed 
 him they had -left her alone. He went up in a concern 
 and ferment of mind to be paralleled only by that 
 which madam de Cleves was under, when (he was told 
 the duke de Nemours was come to fee her. The fear 
 left he fhould fpeak to her of his pafiion, and left fhe 
 fhould anf.vcr him too favourably; the uneafmefs this 
 vifit might give her hufband ; the difficulty of giving 
 him an account of it, or of concealing it from him ; 
 all thefe things prefented themfelves to her imagination 
 at once, and threw her into fo great an embarrafljnent, 
 that -he refolved to avoid the thing of the world which 
 perhaps me wifhed for the moil. She fent one of her 
 women to the duke de Nemours, who was in her anti- 
 chamber, to tell him that fhe had lately been very ill, 
 and that ihe was forry me could not receive the honour 
 which he defigned her. What an affli&ion was it to 
 the duke not to fee madam de Cleves, and therefore 
 -not to fee her, becaufe ihe had no mind he mould I 
 He was to go away the next morning, and had nothing 
 further to hope from Fortune. He had faid nothing to 
 her fince that converfation at the queen-dauphin's 
 apartments, and he had reafon to believe that this im- 
 prudence in tei'ing the vifcount his adventure had de- 
 ftroyed all his expectations ; in a word, he went away 
 with every thing that could exafperate his grief. 
 
 No fooner was madam de Cleves recovered from tKe 
 confufion which the thought of receiving a vifit from 
 the duke had given her, but all the reafons which had 
 made her refufe it vanifhed ; fhe was even fatisfied fhe 
 had been to blame ; and had fhe dared, or had it not 
 been too late, fhe would have had him called back. 
 
 Madam de Nevers and madam de Martigues went 
 
 from the princefs of Cleves to the queen-dauphin's, 
 
 where they found monneur de Cleves. The queen- 
 
 VOL. II. G dauphi*
 
 122 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. FART IV. 
 
 dauphin afked them frora whence they came ; they 
 ihid they came from madam de Cleves, where they had 
 fpent part of the afternoon with a great deal of com- 
 pany, and that they had left nobody there but the 
 duke de Nemours. Thefe words, which they thought 
 fo indifferent, were not fuch with monfieur de Cleves : 
 though he might well imagine the duke de Nemours 
 had frequent opportunities of fpcaking to his wife, yet 
 the thought that he was now with her, that he was 
 there alone, and that he might fpeak to her of his 
 love, appeared to him at this time a thing fo new and 
 infupportable, that jealoufy kindled in his heart with 
 greater violence than ever. . It was impoffible for him 
 to ftay at the queen's ; he returned frorm thence, with- 
 out knowing why he returned, or if he defigned to go 
 end interrupt the duke de Nemours. He was no fooner 
 come home, but he looked about him to fee if there 
 was anything by which he could judge if the duke was 
 ftill there ; it was fome comfort to him to find he was gone, 
 and it was a pleafure to refledt that he could net have been 
 long there : he fancied, that, perhaps, it was not the 
 duke de Nemours of whom he had reafon to be jealous j 
 and though he did not doubt of it, yet he endeavoured 
 to doubt of it ; but he was convinced of it by fo many 
 circumftances, that he continued not long in that pl'ea- 
 fmg uncertainty. He immediately went into his wife's 
 room, and after having talked to her for fome time 
 about indifferent matters, he could not forbear afldng 
 her what fhe had done ? and who (he had feen ? And 
 accordingly me gave him an account. When he found 
 ftie did not name the duke de Nemours, he afked her 
 trembling, if thofe were all me had feen, in order to 
 give her an occafion to name the duke-, and that he 
 might not have the grief to fee me made ufe of any 
 cvafion. As me had not feen -him, me did not name 
 him ; when monfieur de Cleves with accents of forrow 
 faid, And have you not feen the duke de Nemours ? 
 or, Have you forgot him ?~r-l have not feen him, indeed, 
 
 anfwVred
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 123 
 
 anfwered flie. I was ill, and fent one of my women t 
 make- my excufes. You was ill then only for him, 
 replied moniieur de Cleves, fince you admitted the 
 vifits of others : Why this diflinftion with refpecl to the 
 duke de Nemours ? Why is not he to you as another 
 man ? Why Pr.oukt you be afraid of feeing him ? Why 
 do you let him perceive that you are fo ? Why do you 
 mew him, that you make ufe of the power which his . 
 paflion gives you over him ? V/ould yon dare refufe to 
 fee him, lout that you know he diliinguithes your rigour 
 from incivility? But \vhy mould you exercife that 
 rigour towards him ? From a perfon like you, all things 
 are favours, except indifference. I did not think, 
 replied madam de Cleves,, whatever fufpicions you have 
 of the duke de Nemours, that you could reproach me 
 for not admitting a vifit from him. ---But I do reproach 
 you, madam, replied he, and I have good ground for 
 fo doing ; why mould you not fee him, if he has faid 
 nothing to you ? But, madam, he has fpoke to you; 
 if his paflion had been expreued only by filence, it 
 would not have made fo great an impreffion upon you ; 
 you have not thought fit to tell me the whole truth ; 
 you have concealed the greateft part from me; you 
 have repented even of the little you have acknowledged; 
 and you have not the refolution to go on ; I am more 
 unhappy than I imagined, more . unhappy than any 
 other man in the world. You are my wife ; I love you 
 as my miftrefs, and fee you at the fame time in love 
 with another, with the moil amiable man of the court ; 
 and he fees you every day, and knows you are in love 
 with him : Alas ! I believed that you would conquer 
 your paffion for him ; but fure I had loft my reafon 
 when I believed it v/as polfible. I do not know, re- 
 plied madam de Cleves very forrowfully, whether you 
 was to blame in judging favourably of fo extraordinary 
 a proceeding as mine ; nor do I know if I was net 
 miltaken, when I thought you would do me juftice. 
 ---Doubt it not, madam, replied monfieur de Cleves, 
 
 G a you
 
 124 .THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 you was miftaken ; you expe&ed from me things as 
 impoffible as thofe I expected from you : How could you 
 hope I mould continue mailer of my reafon ? Had you 
 forgot that I was defperately in love with you, and 
 ' that I was your hufband? Either of thefe two circum- 
 ftances is enough to hurry a man into extremities. What 
 may they not do both together ? Alas ! What do they 
 not do? My thoughts are violent and uncertain, and I 
 am not able to controul them ; I no longer think my- 
 felf worthy' of you, nor do I think you are worthy 
 of me ; I adore you, I hate you ; I offend you, I afk 
 your pardon; I admire you, I blufli for my admiration : 
 in a word, I have nothing of tranquillity or reafon left 
 about me. I wonder how I have been able to live fmce 
 you fpoke to me at Colomiers, and lince you learned, 
 from what the queen-dauphin told you, that your ad- 
 venture was known ; I canr.ot discover how it came to 
 be known, nor what paffed between the duke de Ne- 
 rnours and you upon that fubjecl ; you will never 
 explain it to me, nor do I defire you to do it ; I only 
 defire you to remember, that you have made me the 
 moft unfortunate, the moft wretched of men. 
 
 Having fpoke thefe words, monfieur de Cleves left 
 his v/ife, and fet out the next day without feeing her ; 
 but he writ her a letter full of fojrow, and at the fame 
 time very kind and obliging. She gave an anfwer to it 
 fo moving, and fo full of affurances both as to her part and 
 future conduct, that as thofe affurances were grounded 
 In truth, and were the real effect of her' foitiments, 
 the letter made great imprefllons on monfieur de Cleves, 
 and gave hira fome tranquillity ; add to this, that the 
 duke de Nemours, going to the king as well as hirnfelf, 
 he had the fatisfadtion to know that he would not be-in 
 the fame place with madam de Cleves. Every time 
 that lady fpoke to her hufband, the paffion he expreffed 
 for her, the handfomenefs of his behaviour, the friendfhip . 
 Ihe had for him, and the thought of what me owed 
 hijn> made imprcflions in her heart that weakened the 
 
 idea
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 
 
 125 
 
 .idea of the duke de Nemours : but it did not continue 
 long j that idea foon returned more lively than before. 
 For a few days after the duke was gone, file was 
 hardly fenfible of his abfence; afterwards it tortured 
 her : ever fince (he had been in love with him, there did 
 not pafs a day, but (he either feared or wifiied. to meet 
 him ; and it was a wounding thought to her to conuder, 
 t-uit k was no more in the pov/er of Fortune to coairive 
 their meeting. 
 
 She went to Colomiers, and ordered to be carried 
 thither the large pictures me had caufed to be copied 
 from the originals which the duchefs of Valentinois had 
 procured to be drawn for her fine houfe of Annet. All 
 the remarkable adlions that had part in the late king's 
 reign were reprefented in thefe pieces, and among the 
 reft was the fiege of Metz ; and all thefe who had dif- 
 tinguifhed themfeives at that fiege were painted much to 
 the life. The duke de Nemours was of this number ; 
 and it was that, perhaps, which had made madam de 
 Cleves defirous of having the pictures. 
 
 Madam de Martigues not being able to go along with 
 the court, promifed her to come and pafs fome days at 
 Colorniers. Though they divided the queen's favour, 
 they lived together without envy or coldnefs ; they were 
 friends, but not confidantes: Madam de Cleves knew 
 that madam de Martigues was in love with the vifcount; 
 but madam de Martigues did not know that madam de 
 Cleves was in love with the duke de Nemours, nor that 
 (he was beloved by him. The relation madam de Cleves 
 had to the vifcount, made her more dear to madam de 
 Martigues ; and madam de Cleves was alfo fond of her 
 as a perfon who was in love as well as herfelf, and with 
 an intimate friend of her own lover. 
 
 Madam de Martigues came to Colomiers according 
 to her promife, and found madam de Cleves living in a. 
 very folitary manner : that princefs afFefted a perfect 
 fofitude, and pafied the evenings in her garden, without 
 being accompanied even by her domefticks ; (he fre- 
 G 3 quently
 
 125 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 quently came into the pavilion where the duke de 
 Nemc urs had overheard her converfation with her 
 hufband ; ihe delighted- to be in the bovver that was 
 open to the garden, while her women and attendants 
 waited in the other bovver under the pavillion, and 
 never came to her but when me called them. Madam 
 tie Martigues having never feen Colomiers, was fur- 
 prized at the extraordinary beauty of it, and particular- 
 ly with the pleafantnefs of the pavilion. Madam de 
 Cleves and Ihe ufually pafled the evenings there. The 
 liberty of being alone in the night in fo agreeable a 
 place, would not permit the converfation to end foon 
 beuvern two young ladies, whofe hearts were en flamed 
 with violent pafHons; and they took great pleafure in 
 converging together, though they were not confidantes. 
 Madam de Martigues would have left Colonaiers with 
 great reluctance, had {he not quitted it to go to a place 
 where the viiccmit was : me fet out for Chambort, the 
 court being there. 
 
 * The king had been anointed at Rhcims by the cardi- 
 nal of Loraine, and the defign was to pafs the reft of 
 the fummer at the caflle of Chambort, which was newly 
 built. The queen expreffed a great deal of joy upon 
 feeing madam de Martigues again at court ; and after 
 having given her fev eral proofs cf it, me afked her hew 
 ii^.dam de Cleves did, arid in what manner me patted 
 her time in the country. The duke de Nemours and 
 the prince cf Cleves were with the queen at that time. 
 Madam de Martigues, who had been charmed with 
 Colomiers, related all the beauties of it, and enlarged 
 extremely on the defcription of the pavilion in the 
 foreft, and on the pleafure madam de Cleves took in 
 walking there alone part of the night. The duke de 
 Nemours^ who knew the place we!l enough to under- 
 ftandwhat madam de Martigues faid of it, thought it 
 wa% not impofTible to fee madam de Cleves there, with- 
 out being feen by any body but her. He afked madam 
 de Martigues f&me queftions to get further lights; and 
 
 the
 
 PAR-rlV. THE PRIrTCI-SS OF CLEVES. 127 
 
 the prince of Cleves, who had ey'd him very ftrlclly 
 while madam de Martigues was fpeaking, thought he 
 knew what his defign was. The quelUons the duke a.'ked 
 Hill more confirmed him in that thought, fo thru lie 
 made no doubt but his intention was to go and fee his 
 wife; he was not miitaken in his fufpicions. This de- 
 figu entered fo deeply into the duke de Nemours's mind, 
 that after having fpcnt the night in confidering the 
 proper methods to execute it, he went betimes the next 
 morning to afit the king's leave to go to Paris, on fome 
 pretended occafion. . 
 
 Monfieur de Cleves was in no doubt concerning the 
 occafion of his journey ; and he refolved to inform him- 
 felf as to his wife's conduct, and to continue no longer 
 in ^fo cruel an uncertainty ; he had a defire to fet out 
 the fame time as the duke de Nemours did, and to 
 hide himfelf where he might difcover the fuccefs of the' 
 journey; but fearing his departure might appear extra- 
 ordinary, and left the duke, being advertifed of it, 
 might take other meafures, he refolved to truft this 
 baiinefo to a. gentleman of his, whofe fidelity and wit 
 he was allured of: he related to him the embarraffrnent 
 he was under, and what the virtue of his wife had been 
 till that time ; and ordered him to follow the duke de 
 Nemours, to watch him narrowly, to fee if he did not 
 go to Colomiers, and if he did not enter the garden in 
 the night. 
 
 The gentleman, who was very capable of this com- 
 miifion, acquitted himfelf of it with all the exadtnefs 
 imaginable. He followed the duke to a village within 
 half a league of Coiomiers, where the duke ftopped ; 
 and the gentleman eafily guelTed his meaning was to flay 
 there till night. He did not think it convenient to 
 wait there, but patted on, and placed himfelf in that 
 part of the foreft where he thought the duke would pafs 
 He took his meafures very right ; for it was no fooner 
 night, but he heard fomebody coming that way ; and 
 though it was dark, he eafily knew the duke de Ne- 
 G 4 mours;,
 
 izS THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. FART IV. 
 
 jnours ; he faw him walk round the garden, as with a 
 defign to liften if he could hear any body, and to chufe 
 the moll convenient place to enter : the palifades were 
 very high and double, in order to prevent people from 
 coming in, fo that it was very difficult for the duke to 
 get ever; however, he made a fhift to do it. He was 
 r.o fooner in the garden, but he difcovered where 
 madam de Cleves was ; he faw a great light in the 
 fcower, all the windows of it were open ; upon this, 
 flipping along by the fide of the palifade, he came up 
 clofe to it, and one may eafily judge what were the 
 emotions of his heart at that inftant : he took his ftation 
 behind one of the windows, which ferved "him con- 
 veniently to fee what madam de Cleves was doing. 
 .He faw (he was alone ; he faw her fo inimitably beau- 
 tiful, that he could fcarce govern the tranfports which 
 that fight gave him. The weather was hot, her head 
 and neck were uncovered, and her hair hung carelefly 
 nbout her. She lay on a couch with a table before her, 
 on which were feveral baskets full of ribbands, out of 
 v. hich fiie chofe feme ; and he obferved fne chofe thofc 
 colours which he were at the tournament. He faw her 
 make them up into knots for an Indian cane, which had 
 teen his, and which he had given to his filter ; madam 
 de Cleves took it from her, without feeming to know 
 it had belonged to the duke. After (he had finifhed 
 her work with the fweeteft grace imaginable, the fenti- 
 mentsofher heart mewing themfelves in her counte- 
 nance, fhe took a wax candle, and came to a great table 
 over againft the piclure of the fiege of Metz, in which 
 was the. portrait of the duke de Nemours ; fhe fat down 
 and fet herfelf to look upon that pourtrait, with an at- 
 tention and thoughtfulnefs which love only can give. 
 
 It is impomble to exprefs what monfieur de Nemours 
 felt at this moment ; to fee, at midnight, in the finefl 
 place in the. world, a lady he adored ; to fee her with- 
 out her knowing that he faw her, and to find her wholly 
 taken up with things that related to him, and to the 
 
 pailion,
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 129 
 
 paffion which fhe concealed from him ; this is what was 
 never tafted nor imagined by any other lover. 
 
 The duke was fo tranfported and befide himfelf, that 
 he continued motionlefs, with his eyes fixed on madam 
 de Cleves, without thinking how precious his time was : 
 when he was a little recovered, he thought it beft not 
 to fpeak to her till fhe came into the garden ; and 
 he imagined he might do it there with more fafety, 
 becaufe fhe would be at a greater diftance from hei* 
 women ; but finding fhe flaid in the bower, he rc- 
 folved to go in : when he was upon the point of doing 
 it, what. was his confafion ! How fearful was he of dif- 
 pleafmg her, and of changing that countenance, where 
 fbmuch fweetnefs dwelt, into looks of anger and re- 
 fen tment ! 
 
 To come to fee madam de Cleves, without 1-eing feen 
 by her, had no impudence in it ; but to think of (hew- 
 ing himfelf appeared very unwife ; a thoufand things 
 now came into his mind which he had not thought of 
 before; it carried in it fomewhat extremely bold and 
 extravagant, to furprize in the middle of the night a 
 perfon to whom he had never yet fpoke of his paffion : 
 he thought he had no reafon to expect (he would hear 
 him, but that fhe would juftly refent the danger tq 
 which he expo-fed her by accidents which might rife 
 from this attempt : all his courage left him, nnd he war* 
 fev~riil times upon the point of refolving to go back 
 again without mewing himfelf ; yet urged by the defire 
 cf fpeaking to her, and heartened by die hopes which' 
 every thing he had feen gave him, he advanced fome 
 Heps ; but in fuch drfcrder, that a fcarf he had on en- 
 tangled in the windoWj and made a noife, . Madam de-- 
 Cleves turned about ; 'and whether her fancy was full of 
 him, cr that file flood in a place fo directly to the lio-ht 
 that fhe might know him, ihe thought it was he ; and 
 without the leait hesitation, or turning to.vards the place 
 where he 'was, fhe entered the bower where her women 
 "were. On her eiitsrin:; iae v/:is in fuch diibrdt'i, thV 
 G c
 
 130 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 to conceal it, fhe was forced to fay {he was ill : fhe faid 
 it too in order to employ her people about -her, and to. 
 give the duke time to retire. When fhe had made fome 
 reflection, fhe thought fhe had been deceived, and that 
 her fancying fhe faw monfieur de Nemours was only 
 the effecl of imagination. She knew he was at Cham- 
 bort ; fhe faw no probability of his engaging in fo 
 hazardous an enterprife ; fhe had a deiire feveral times 
 to re-enter the bower, and to fee if there was any body 
 in the garden. She wifhed, perhaps, as much as fhe 
 feared, to find the duke de Nemours there ; but at laft, 
 reafon and prudence prevailed over her other thoughts, 
 and fhe found it better to continue in the doubt fhe was 
 in, than to run the hazard of fatisfying herfelf about 
 it. She was a long time ere fhe could refolve to leave a 
 place to which fhe thought the duke was fo near ; and it- 
 was almoft day-break when fhe returned to the caflle. 
 
 The duke de Nemours ftaid in the garden, as long as 
 there was any light ; he was not without hopes of fee- 
 ing madam de Cleves again, though he was convinced' 
 that ihe knew him, and that fhe went away only to avoid 
 him ; but -when he found the doors were fhut, he knew 
 he had nothing more to hope ; he went to take horfe 
 near the place where monfieur de Cleves's gentleman 
 was watching him. This gentleman followed him to the- 
 fame vijlage where he had left him in the evening.. 
 The duke refclvcd to flay there all the day, in order lo 
 return at night to Colomiers, to fee if madam de Cleves 
 would yet have the cruelty to fhunJhi/n, or not expcfe 
 herfelf to view : though he was very much pleafed to 
 find himfelf fo much in her thoughts, yet v/as he- 
 extremely grieved, at the fame time, to fee her fo na- 
 turally bent to avoid him. 
 
 Never was paiii^n fo tender and fo violent as that of 
 nionficur cle Nemours ; he walked under the willows, 
 along a little brook which ran behind the houfe, where- 
 he lay concealed ; he kept himfelf as much out of the- 
 way as pefEble, that he might not be feen. by any body ;
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 131 
 
 he abandoned himfelf to the transports of his love j and 
 his heart was fo full of tendernefs, that he was forced to 
 let fall fome tears : but thofc tears were fuch as grief 
 alone could not fhed ; they had a mixture of fweetnefs 
 and pleafure in them, which is to be found only in love. 
 He fet himfelf to recal to mind all the actions of 
 .madam de Cieves ever fmce he had been in love with 
 her ; her cruelty and rigour, and that modefty and de- 
 cency of behaviour fhe had always obferved towards 
 him, though ihe loved him : For, after all, fhe loves 
 me, faid he; me loves me ; I cannot doubt of it ; the 
 deepelt engagements and the greateii favours are not 
 more certain proofs than thofe I have had. In the 
 mean time, I am treated with the fame rigour as if I 
 were hated ; I hoped fomething from, time, but I 
 have no reafon to cxpe<5! it any longer ; I fee her 
 always equally on her guard againil me and againfl 
 herfelf j. if I were not loved, I ih o m d make it my 
 bufmefs to pleafe ; but I do pleafe ; fhe loves me, ?.nd 
 tries to hide it from me. What have I then to hope, 
 and what change am I to expeft in my fortune ? Though 
 I am loved by the ir.oil amiable pcrfon in the world, I 
 am under that excefs of paflion which proceeds from the 
 firfl certainty of being loved by. her, only to make me 
 more fenuble of being ill ufed. Let me fee that you love 
 me, fair princefs, cried he, make me acquainted with 
 your fentiments ; provided I know, them once in my 
 life from you, I am content that you refume for ever 
 the cruelties with which you opprefs me ; lock upon 
 me, at Icait, with the fame eyes with which -1 faw you 
 look that night upon .ray picture ; could you behold 
 that with fuch fweet complacency, and yet avoid me 
 with fo much cruelty r What are you afraid of ? Why 
 does my love appear fo terrible to you ? Ycu .love me, 
 and you endeavour in vain to conceal it ; you have even 
 given me involuntary proofs of it ; I know my happi- 
 nefs ; permit me to enjoy it, and ceafe to 1:1 uke me un- 
 happy. Is it pebble I mould be lc\ . rinccfs 
 G 6 ,,f
 
 I 3 2 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 of Cleves, and yet be unhappy ? How beautiful was 
 fhe lait night ! How could I forbear throwing myfelf at 
 her feet? If I had done it, I might perhaps have 
 hindered her from fhunning me ; my refpeftful be- 
 haviour would have removed her fears ; but, perhaps, 
 after all, (he did not know it was I ; I afflid myfelf 
 more than I need ; me was only frighted to fee a man 
 at fo unfeafonable an hour. 
 
 Thefe thoughts employ'cfthe duke de Nemours all the 
 day ; he wifhed impatiently for the night ; and as foon 
 as it came, he returned to Colomiers. Monfieur de 
 Cleves's gentleman, who was difguifed that he might 
 be lefs obferved, followed him to the place to which he 
 had followed him the evening before, and faw him 
 enter the garden again. The duke foon perceiv- 
 ed that madam de Cleves had not run the rifque of 
 Ms making another effort to fee her, the doors being .ill 
 (hut ; he looked about on all fides to fee if he could 
 difcover any light, but he faw none. 
 
 Madam de Cleves, fufpefting he might return, con- 
 tinued in her chamber ; fhe had reafon to apprehend 
 ftie mould not always have the power to avoid him, and 
 {he would not fubmit herfelf to the hazard of fpeaking 
 to him in a manner that would have been unfuitable to 
 the conduft fhe had hitherto obferved. 
 
 Monfieur de Nemours, though he had no hopes of 
 feeing her, could not find in his heart foon to leave a 
 place where fhe fo often was ; he pafTed the whole night 
 in the garden, and found feme pleafure, at leail, in lee- 
 ing the fame objefts which fhe faw every day ; it was 
 near fun-rife before he thought of retiring ; but at laft, 
 the fear of being difcovered obliged him to go away. 
 
 It was impollible for him to return to court without- 
 feeing madam de Cieves ; he made a vifit to his fitter 
 th ; duchefs of Mercceur, at her houfe near Colomiers. 
 She was extremely furprized at her brother's arrival; 
 but he invented fo probable a pretence for his journey, 
 and conducted his plot fofldlfully, that he drew her to 
 
 make
 
 PART VI. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 133 
 
 make the firft propofal herfelf of vifiting madam de 
 Cleves. This propofal was executed that very day, and 
 monfieur de Nemours told his filter, that he would leave 
 her at Coiomiers, in order to go diredlly to the king ; 
 he formed this pretence of leaving her at Coiomiers, in 
 hopes Hie would take her leave before him- and he 
 thought he had found out by that means an Infallible 
 way of fpeaking to madam de Cleves. 
 
 The princefs of Cleves, when they arrived, was 
 walking in her garden ; the .fight of monfieur de Ne- 
 mours gave her no fmall unealinefs, and put her out of 
 doubt that it was he Ihe had feen the foregoing night. 
 The certainty of his having done fo bold and impru- 
 dent a thing, gave her fome little refentment ag;'ir.li 
 him ; and the duke obferved an air of coldnefs in her 
 face, which fennbly grieved him. The converfation 
 turned upon indifferent matters ; and yet he had the 
 fkill all the while to (hew fo much wit, complaifance,. 
 and admiration for, madam de Cleves, that part of the 
 coldnefs me exprefTed towards him at firft, left her in 
 fpite of herfelf. 
 
 When his fears were over, and he began to take heart, 
 he mewed an extreme curiofity to fee the pavilion in 
 the forett ; he fpoke of it as of the moft agreeable place 
 in the world, and gave fo exacl: a defcription of it, that 
 madam de Mercceur faid, he muft needs have been there 
 fcveral times to know all the particular beauties of it fo 
 well. And yet I do not believe, replied madam de 
 Cleves, that the duke de Nemours was ever there ; it 
 has been finimed but a little while. It is not long 
 fince I was there, replied the duke, looking upon her, 
 and I do not know if I ought not to be glad you have 
 forgot you faw me there. Madam de Mercceur, being 
 taken up in obferving the beauties of the gardens, did 
 not attend to what, her brother faid ; madam de Cleves 
 blufhed, and with her eyes call down, without looking 
 on 'monfieur de Nemours, I do not remember, faid 
 file, to have feen you there j and if you have bceri there, 
 % it
 
 rj4 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES* PART IVv 
 
 it was without my knowledge'.-~It is true, madam, 
 replied he, I was there without your orders, and I 
 pailed there the moil fweet and cruel moments of my 
 life. 
 
 Madam de Cleves underftood very well what he faid, 
 but made him no anfwer i her care was to prevent ma- 
 dam de Mercoeur from going into the bower, becaufe 
 the duke dc Nemours's picture was there, and flie had 
 no mind me fliould fee it; me managed the matter ib 
 well, that the time pafled away infenfibly, and madam 
 de Mercceur began to talk of going home : but when 
 madam de Cleves found that the duke and his filler did 
 not go together, me plainly favv to what (he was going 
 to be expofed 5 me found hcrfelf under the fame em- 
 barraflment me was in at Paris, and took alfo the fame 
 refolimon ; her fear, left this vifit mould be a further 
 confirmation of her hufband's fufpicions, did not a little 
 contribute to determine her; and to-the end monfieur 
 de Nemours might not remain alone with her, ihe told 
 madam de Mercoeur Ihe wculd wait upon her to the 
 borders of the foreft, and ordered her chariot to be got 
 ready. The duke was ftruck with fuch a violent grief, 
 to f:nd that madam de Cleves ftill continued to exercife 
 the fame rigour towards him, that he turned pale that ' 
 moment. Madam de Mercoeur aflced him if he was ill ; 
 but he looked upon madam de Cleves without being 
 peixeived by any body elfe, and made her fenfible by 
 his looks, that he had no other illnefs b'cfi.ies defpair. 
 However, there was no remedy, but he mult let them 
 go together, without daring to follow them ; after what 
 he had told his fitter, that he was to go direftly to court, . 
 he could not return with-her, but went to Paris, and 
 fet out from thence the next day. 
 
 Monfieur de Cleves's gentleman had obferved him all 
 the while ; he returned alfo to Paris ; and when he found 
 monfieur de Nemours was fet out for Chambort, he 
 took poft to get thither b_efore him, and to give an ac- 
 count of his. journey. His matter expe&ed his return 
 
 with,;
 
 IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES, i~f 
 
 with impatience, as if the happinefs or unhappinefs of 
 his life depended upon it. 
 
 As foon as he faw him, he judged from his counte- 
 nance and iilence, that the ne\vs he brought was very 
 difagreeable ; he was ftruck with fcrrow, and continu- 
 ed fome time without being able to fpeak ; at laft he 
 made figns with his hand to him to withdraw : Go, 
 fays he, I fee what you have to fay to me, but I have 
 not the power to hear it. I can acquaint you with no- 
 thing, faid the gentleman, upon which one can form 
 any certain judgment ; it is true, the duke de Nemours 
 went two nights fucceflively into the garden in the foreft ; 
 and the day after, he was at Colomiers with the ducht: li- 
 ef Mercceur. It is enough, replied monfieurde Cieves, 
 /till making figns to him to withdraw ; it is enough, I 
 want no farther information. The gentleman, was. 
 forced to leave his matter, abandoned to defpair ; nor 
 ever was defpair more violent. Few men of fo high a 
 fpirit, and fo paffionately in love as the prince of 
 Cieves, have experienced at the fame time the grief 
 arifing from the fallhood of a raiftrefs, and the mame. 
 of being deceived by a wife. 
 
 Monfieur de Cieves could fet no bounds tp his afflic- 
 tion ; he fell ill of a fever that very night, and his dif- 
 temper was accompanied with fuch fymptoms, that it 
 was thought very dangerous. Madam de Cieves was* 
 informed of it, and came in all hafte to him : when me 
 arrived, he was fcill worfe ; befides, me obferved fome- 
 thing in him fo cold and chilling with refpect to her,, 
 that me was equally furprized and grieved at it ; he, 
 even feemed to receive with pain the fervices me did 
 him in his ficknefs ; but at laft, me imagined it was,.. 
 perhaps, only the effeft of his diflemper. 
 
 When me was come to Blois, where the court then, 
 was, the duke de Nemours was overjoy'd to think ilie 
 was at the fame place where he was ; he endeavoured to 
 ies her, and went every day to the prince of Cleves's 
 ander pretence of enquiring how he did} but it v/as to
 
 r 3 6 THE- PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV, 
 
 no purpofe ; fhe did not itir out of her hufband's room, 
 and was grieved at heart for the condition he was in. 
 It vexed monfieur de Nemours to fee her under fuch 
 s^Riftion, an affiiftion which he plainly faw revived 
 the friendship fhe had for monfieur de Cleves, and 
 diverted the paflion that lay kindling in her heart. The 
 thought of this {hocked him feverely for fome time ; 
 but the extremity to which monfieur de Cleves's iick- 
 nefs was grown, opened to him a fcene of new hopes ; 
 he faw it was probable that madam de Cleves would be 
 at liberty to follow her own inclination?, and that he 
 might expeft for the future a feries of happiaefs and 
 lafting pleafures ; he could not fupport the ecftafy of 
 that thought, a thought fo full of tranfport ! he ba- 
 nilhed it out of his mind for fear cf becoming doubly 
 wretched, if he happened to be difappoinjed in hia; 
 hopes. 
 
 In the mean time mcnfieurde Cleves was given over 
 by his phyficians. One of the laft days of his illnefs,. 
 after having had a very bad night, he faid in the morn- 
 ing, he had a'defire to fleep ; but madam de Cleves, 
 who remained alone in his chamber, found that inftead 
 of taking repofe he was extremely reftlcfs j fhe came 
 to him, and fell on her knees by his bed -fide, her face 
 all covered with tear;; and though monfieur de Cleves 
 had taken a refolution not to mew her the violent dif- 
 pleafure he had conceived again ft her, yet the care fhe 
 tock of him, and the forrovv fhe expreffed, which fome- 
 times he thought fmcere, and at other times the effeft. 
 of her diffimulation and perHdioufnefs, diflradlcd him 
 fo violently with oppofite fentiments full of woe, that 
 he could not forbear giving them vent. 
 
 You fhed plenty of tears, madam, faid he, for a 
 death which you are the caufe of, and which cannot 
 give you the trouble you pretend to be in ; I am no. 
 longer in a condition to reproach, you, added he with, 
 a voice weakened by ficknefs and grief; I die through 
 the dreadful grief and diicontent you have given me ; 
 
 ought
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 137 
 
 ought fo extraordinary an aftion, as that of your 
 fpeaking to me at Colorniers, to have had fo little con- 
 fequences ? Why did you inform me of your paffion 
 for the duke de Nemours, if your virtue was no longer 
 able to oppofe it ? I loved you to that extremity, I 
 would have been glad to have been deceived, I confefs 
 it to my fhame ; I have regretted that pleafmg, falie 
 fecurity out of which you drew ine : Why did not you 
 leave me in that blind tranquillity which fo many huf- 
 bands enjoy ? I ihould, perhaps, have been ignorant all 
 my life that you was in love with rnonfieur de Ne- 
 mours. I fhalldie, added he; but know, that you make 
 death pleaiing to me, and that, after you have taken 
 from me the efteem and affedion I had for you, life 
 would be odious to me. What ihould I live for ? To 
 fpend my days with a perfon whom I have loved fo 
 much, and by whom I have been fo cruelly deceived ; 
 cr to live apart from her, and break out openly into 
 violences fo oppofite to my temper, and the love I had 
 for you ? That love, madam, was far greater than it 
 appeared to you ; I concealed the greateft part of it 
 from you, for fear of being importunate, or of lofing 
 fomewhat in your efleem by a behaviour not becoming 
 n "hufband : in a word, I deferred your affeftion; and .1 
 die without regret, fince I have not been able to obtain 
 it, and fince I can no longer defire it. Adieu, madam-] 
 you will one day regret a man who loved you with a 
 fmccre and virtuous paffion ; you will feel the anxiety 
 which reafonable perfons meet with in intrigue and ga- 
 lantry ; and you will know the difference between fucli a 
 love as I had for you, and the love of people who only 
 profefs admiration for you to gratify their vanity in 
 deducing you ; but my death will leave you at liberty, 
 and you may make the duke de Nemours happy without 
 guilt : What flgnifies any thing that can happen when 
 I am no more ; and why mould I have the weaknefs tQ 
 trouble myfelf about it ? 
 
 Madam
 
 i-3 8 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 Madam de Cleves was fo far from imagining that her 
 huiband fufpecled her virtue, that ihe heard all this dif- 
 courfe without comprehending the meaning of it, and 
 without having any other notion about it, except that he 
 reproached her for her inclination for the duke de Ne- 
 mours ; at laft, ftartinq- all cf a fudden out of her 
 blindnefs, I guilty ! cried fhe, I am a ftrangcr to the 
 very thought of guilt ; the fevereft virtue could not have 
 infpired any other conduct than that which I have 
 followed, and I never acled any thing but what I could 
 have wifhed you to have been witnefs to. Could you 
 have wiftied, replied monfieur de Cleves, looking on 
 her with difdain, I had been a witnefs of thofe nights 
 you pa fled with monfieur de Nemours ? Ah ! madam, 
 is it you I fpeak of, when I (peak of a lady that has 
 pafi'ed nights with a man not her hufband ? -No, fir, 
 replied Die, it is not me you fpeak of; I never fpent a 
 night ncr a moment with the duke de Nemours ; he 
 never faw me in private, I never fuffered him to do it, 
 nor would give him a hearing. -Speak no mere of it, 
 iuid he, interrupting her; falfe oaths or a ccnfefllon 
 would perhaps give me equal pain. Madam de Cleves 
 could not anfwer him ; her tears and her grief took 
 civ, ay her fpeech ; at lail, ftruggling for utterance, 
 Look on me at leaft, hear me, faid fhe ; if my intcreft 
 only were concerned I would fuffcr thefe reproaches, 
 but ycur life is at flake ; hear me for your own fake ; 
 I am fo innocent, Truth pleads fo ftrongiy for me, it is 
 impoflible but I mufi convince you.- -Would to God 
 you could ! cried he ; but what can you fay ? The duke 
 de Nemours, has not he been at Colomiers with his filter ? 
 And did not he pafs the two foregoing nights with you 
 in the garden in the forelt ? If that be my crime, re- 
 plied fhe> it is eafy to juftify myfelf; I do not defire 
 you to believe me, believe your fervants and dornefticks ; 
 afk them if I went into the garden the evening he- 
 fore monfieur de Nemours came to Colomiers, and if 
 J did not go out of it the night before two hours fooner 
 
 than
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 139 
 
 than I ufecl to do ? After this, fhe told him,, liow me 
 imagined me had feea fomebody in the garden, and 
 acknowledged that (he believed it to be the duke d 
 Nemours ; fhe fpoke to him with fo much confidence, 
 and truth fo naturally perfuades, even where it is not 
 probable, that iccnficur de Cleves was almofc convinced 
 of her innocence. I do not know, fiid he, whether 
 I ought to believe you ; I am fo near death, that I 
 would not knew any thing that might make me die 
 with reluflance ; you have cleared your innocence too 
 late ; however it will be a comfort to me to depart with 
 the thought that you are worthy of the efteem I have 
 had for you ; I beg you I may be afTured of this fur- 
 ther comfort, that my memory will be dear to you, 
 r.nd that if it had been in your power, you would have 
 had for me the fame pafilon winch you had for another. 
 He would have gone on, but was fo weak that his fpeech 
 failed him. Madam de Cleves fent for the phyficians, 
 who found him almort lifelefs ; yet he languifhed fome 
 days, and died at lafl with admirable conftancy. 
 
 Madrm de Cleves was afHifted to fo violent a degree, 
 ' loil in a manner the ufe of her reafon. The 
 queen was fo kind as to come to fee her, and carried 
 her to a convent without her being fenfible whither 
 ihe was conducted ; her futers-in-law brought her back 
 to Paris, before fhe was in a condition to feel diftinctly 
 even her griefs : when fhe was reilored to her faculty 
 of thinking, and reflected what a hafband fhe had loft, 
 and confidered that me had caufed his death by the 
 paffion which fhe had for another, the horror me had 
 for herfelf and the duke de Nemours was not to be ex- 
 preffed. 
 
 The duke, in the beginning of her mourning, durft 
 pay her no other refpedls but fuch as decency required ; 
 he knew madam de Cleves enough to be fenfible that 
 great importunities and eagernefs would be difagreeable 
 to her ; but what he learned afterwards plainly con-.
 
 140 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 vinced him that he ought to cbferve the fame conduct 
 a great while longer. 
 
 A fervant of the duke's informed him, that monfieur 
 de Cleves's gentleman, who was his intimate friend, 
 liad told him, in the cxcefs of his grief for the lofs of 
 lus mafter, that monileur de Nemours's journey to Colo- 
 fliers was the occafion of his death. The duke was 
 extremely furprifed to hear this ; but after having re- 
 i.pon it, he gue/fed the truth in part, and rightly 
 judged what madam de Cleves's fentiments would be 
 at firil, and what a diftance it would throw him from 
 her, if me thought her hufcanu's illnefs was occafioned 
 by his jealoufy ; he \vas of opinion that lie ought not 
 fo much as to put her in mind of his name very foon ; 
 and he abided by that ccnduft, however fcvere it ap- 
 peared to him. 
 
 He took a journey to Paris, nor could he forbear 
 calling at her houfe^to enquire how me did. He was 
 told, that (he faw nobody, and that fhe had even given 
 ilridl orders that they ihould not trouble her with an 
 account of any that might come to fee her. Tho very 
 firicl orders, perhaps, were given with a view to the 
 duke, and to prevent her hearing him fpoken of; but 
 he was tpo much in love to be able to live fo abfolutely 
 deprived of the iight of madam de Cleves ; he refolved 
 to find the means, let the difficulty be what it would, 
 to get out of a condition which was fo insupportable 
 to him. 
 
 The grief of that princefs exceeded the bounds of 
 resfon ; a hufband dying, and dying on her account, 
 and with fo much tendernefs for her, never went out 
 of her mind : fhe continually revolved in her-thoughts 
 what fi\e owed him, and fhe condemned herfelf for not 
 having had a paffion for him, as if that had been a 
 thing which depended on herfelf j fhe found no confo- 
 lation but in the thought, that fhe lamented him as he 
 de.ferved to be lamented, and that fhe would do nothing 
 
 during
 
 ?ART IV. THE P&INCESS OF CLEVES. 141' 
 
 during the remainder of her life, but what he would 
 have been glad {he fhould have done, had he lived. 
 
 She had often been thinking how he came to knew, 
 that the duke de Nemours had been at Colomiers ; fhe 
 could not fufpeft that the duke himfelf had told it ; 
 though it was indifferent to her whether he had or no, 
 fhe thought herfelf fo perfe&ly cured of the paffion fhe 
 had had for him ; and yet fhe was grieved at the heart 
 to think that he was the caufe of her hufband's death ; 
 and ihe remembered with pain the fear monfieur de 
 Cleves exprefTed, when dying, left fhe fhould marry the 
 duke: but all thefe griefs were fwal'owed up in that 
 for the lofs of her hufband, and fhe thought fhe had no 
 ether but that one. 
 
 After feveral months the violence of her grief abated, 
 and fhs fell into a languifhing kind of melancholy. 
 Madam de Martigues made a journey to Paris, and 
 conftantly viuted her during the time fhe flaid there : 
 fhe entertained her with an account of the court, and 
 what pafTed there ; and though madam de Cleves ap- 
 peared unconcerned, yet ilill fhe continued talking on 
 tha* fubjecl in hopes to divert her. 
 
 She talked to her of the vifcount, of monfieur de 
 Guife, and of all others that were diftinguifhed either 
 in perfon or merit. As for the duke de Nemours, fays 
 fhe, I do not know if ftate-affairs have hot taken pof- 
 feffion of his heart in the room of galantry ; he is 
 abundantly lefs gay than he ufed to be, and feems 
 wholly to decline the company of women ; he often 
 takes journies to Paris, and I believe he is there now. 
 The duke de Nemcurs's name furprifed madam de 
 Cleves, and made her blufh ; fhe changed the difcourfe, 
 nor did 'rn.i-.lam, de Martigues take notice of her con- 
 cern. 
 
 The next day madam de Cleves, who employed her- 
 felf in things fuitable to the condition fhe was in, went 
 to a man's houfe in her neighbourhood, that was famous 
 .for working filk after a particular manner, and fhe 
 
 de/igned
 
 1 4 2 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 designed to befpeak fome pieces for herfelf. Having 
 feen feveral kinds of his work, fhe fpied a chamber- 
 dcor, where (he thought there were more, and defired. 
 it might be opened : the mailer anfwered, he had not 
 the key, and that the room was t;.ken by a man, who 
 came there fometimes in the day-time to draw the plans 
 and profpefts of the fine houfes and gardens that were 
 to be feen from his windows ; he is one of the hand- 
 fomeit men I ever fa\v, added he, and dees not look 
 much like one hat works for his living ; whenever he 
 comes here, I obferve he always looks towards the gar- 
 dens and houfcs, but I never fee him work. 
 
 Madam de Cleves liilened to this fiery very atten- 
 tive iyj and what madam de Mariigues had told her of 
 rnoniieur de Nemcurs': coming ncv. and then to Paris, (he 
 d in her fancy to that hanclfome man, who cam? 
 to a place fo near her hcufe ; and this gave her an idea 
 of moniieur de Nemours endeavouring to fee her ; 
 which raifed a diforder in her, of which fhe did not 
 kr.ow the caufe : fhe went towards the windows to fee 
 where they locked into, and fhe found they overlooked 
 all her gardens, and directly faced her apartment : .and 
 v/hen me was in her own room, fhe could eafily fee 
 that very window where fhe was told the man came to 
 take his profpecb.- The thought that it was the duke 
 de Nemours, entirely changed the fituation of her 
 mind ; fhe no longer found herfelf in that psnfive tran- 
 quillity which fhe had begun to enjoy, her fpirits were 
 ruffid again as with a tempeil : at lait, not being able 
 to flay at home, fhe went abroad to take the air in a 
 garden without the fuburbs, where fhe hoped to be 
 alone; fhe walked about a great while, and found no 
 likelihood of any one's being there. 
 
 Having crolTed a little wildernefs, fhe perceived ?.t 
 fke end of the walk, in the moll remote part of the 
 garden, a kind cf .a bower open on all fides, and 
 went towards it ; when fhe v. r.s near, fhe faw a man 
 lying en the bjeuches, who feemed funk into a deep 
 
 contemplation,
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 143 
 
 contemplation, and fhe difcovered it was the duke de 
 Nemours : upon this fhe flopped ihort; but her attend- 
 ants made fbme noife, which routed the duke cut of 
 his muring : he took no notice who the perfons were 
 that difturbed him, but got up in order to avoid the 
 company that was coming towards him ; and making a 
 low bow, which hindered him from feeing thofe he 
 falu'ted, he turned into another walk. 
 
 If he had known whom he avoided, with what eager- 
 nefs would he have returned !- But he walked dc\vn the 
 alley, and madam de Cieves faw him go out at a back- 
 door, where his coach waited for him. What an efFecl 
 did this tranfient view produce in the heart of madam 
 de Cieves ! What a flame rekindled out of the embers 
 of her love, and with what violence did it burn ! She 
 went and fat down in the fame place from which mon- 
 fieur de Nemours was newly rifen, and feemed per- 
 fectly overwhelmed :, his image immediately pofTerTed 
 her fancy, and fhe coniklered him as the moil amiable 
 perfon in the world, as one who had long loved her with 
 a paflion full of veneration and fincerity, flighting all 
 for her, paying refpefl even to her grief, to his own 
 torture, labouring to fee her without a thought of be- 
 ing feen by her, quitting the court (though the court's 
 delight) to come and look on the walls where fhe was 
 mut up, and to pafs his melancholy hours in places 
 where he could not hope to meet her ; in a word, a 
 man whofe attachment to he_r alone merited returns of 
 love ; and for whom fhe had fo flrong an inclination, 
 that fhe mould have loved him, though fhe had not 
 been beloved by him ; and befides, one whofe quality 
 was fuitable to her's : all the obftacles that could rife 
 from duty and virtue were now removed, and all the 
 trace that remained on her mind of their former condi- 
 tion, was the pafTion the duk? de Nemours had for 
 her, and that which fhe had for him. 
 
 All thefe ideas were new to her ; her affliction for 
 .the death of her hufbar.d had left her no room for 
 
 thoughts
 
 !44. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PA*T JV, 
 
 thoughts of this kind ; but the fight of monfieur de Ne- 
 niours revived them, and they crowded again into her 
 mind ; but when (he had taken her fill of them, and 
 remembered that this very man, whom me confidered 
 as a proper match for her, was the fame me had loved 
 in her huflmnd's life-time, and was the caufe of his 
 death, and that on his death-bed he had expreffed a fear 
 of her marrying him ; her fevere virtue was fo fhocked 
 at the imagination, that fhe thought it wo^ld be as cri- 
 minal in her to marry monfieur de Nemours now, as it 
 was to love Jiim before : in fhort, me abandoned herfelf 
 to thefe refieftions fo pernicious to her happiaefs, and 
 fortified herfelf in them by the inconveniency which fhe 
 forefaw \vouii attend fuch a marriage. After two hours 
 ftay in this place fhe returned home, convinced that it 
 \vr.s indifjpenfably her duty to avoid the light of the 
 mar fhe loved. 
 
 But this convi&ion, which was the effeft of reafon 
 and virtue, did not carry her heart along with it; her 
 heart was fo violently fixed on the dukede Nemours, 
 that fhe became even an objecl of ccmpaffion, and was 
 wholly -deprived of reft. Never did fhe pafs a night in 
 fo uneafy a manner; in the morning, the firft thing fhe 
 did was to fee if there was any body at the window which 
 looked towards her apartment ; fhe faw there monfieur 
 tie Nemours, and was fo furprifed upon it, and with- 
 drew fo haftily, as made him judge ihe knew him ; he 
 h'.id often v/ifaed to be feen by her ; ever fince he had 
 found cut that method of feeing her, and when he had 
 no hopes of obtaining that fatisfaclion, his way was to 
 go to mule in the garden where fhe found him. 
 
 Tired at laft with fo unfortunate and uncertain a con- 
 dition, he refclved to attempt fomething to determine 
 his fate: What mould I wait for ? faid he. I have long 
 known fhe loves me; fhe is free; fhe has no duty now 
 to plead againft me ; why fliould I fubmit myfelf to the 
 hardfhip of feeing her, without being feen by her or 
 fpeaking to her? Is it pofTible for love fo absolutely t 
 
 have
 
 PART 1Y. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 145 
 
 have deprived me of reafon and courage, and to have 
 rendered me fo different front what I have been in all 
 my other amours ? It was fit I mould pay a regard to 
 madam de Cleves's grief; but I do it too long, and I 
 give her leifure to extinguilh the inclination Ihe had 
 for me. 
 
 After thefe reflections, he confidered what meafure* 
 he ought to take to fee her ; he found he had no longer 
 any reafon to conceal his paffion from the vifcount de 
 Chartres ; he refolved to fpeak to him of it, and to com- 
 municate to him his defign with regard to his niece. 
 
 The vifcount was then at Paris, the town being ex- 
 tremely full, and every body bufy in preparing equi- 
 pages and drefles to attend the king of Navarre, who 
 was to conduft the queen of Spain : moniieur de Ne- 
 mours went to the vifcount, and made an ingenuous 
 confeffion to him of all he had concealed hitherto, ex- 
 cept madam de Cleves's fentiments, which he would 
 cot feem to know. 
 
 The vifcount received what he told him with a great 
 deal of pleafure, and affured him, that though he wa 
 not acquainted with his fentiments on that fubjeil, h 
 had often thought, fmce madam de Cleves had been a 
 widow, that (he was the only lady that deferved him, 
 Monfieur de Nemours in treated him to give him an op- 
 portunity of fpeaking to her, and learning what difpo* 
 lition Ihe was in. 
 
 The vifcount propofed to carry him to her houfe ; but 
 the duke was of opinion me would be fhocked at it, be*- 
 caufe as yet me faw nobody ; fo that they agreed, it 
 would be better for the vifcount to afk her to come 
 to him, under fome pretence, and for the duke to como 
 to them by a private Hair-cafe, that he might not be ob- 
 ferved. Accordingly this was executed; madam d 
 Cieves came, the vifcount went to receive her, and led 
 her into a great clofet at the end of his apartment: fome 
 time after monfieur de Nemours came in, as by chance. 
 Madam de Cleves was in great furprize to fee him ; QIC 
 VOL. II. H
 
 146 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 blufhed, and endeavoured to hide it. The vifcount at 
 firlt fpoke of indifferent matters, and then went out, as 
 if he had fome orders to give, telling madam de Cleves 
 he muft defire her to entertain the duke in his ftead, and 
 that he would return immediately. 
 
 It is impoffible to exprefs the fentiments of monfieur 
 de Nemours and madam de Cleves, when they faw 
 themfelves alone, and at liberty to fpeak to one another, 
 as they had never leen before : they continued filent a 
 while; at length, faid monfieur de Nemours, Can you, 
 madam, pardon the vifcount for giving me an oppor- 
 tunity of feeing you, and fpeaking to you, an oppor- 
 tunity which you have always fo cruelly denied me? I 
 ought not to pardon him, replied me, for having forgot 
 the condition I am in, and to what he expofes my repu- 
 tation. Having fpoke thefe -words, me would have 
 gone away; but monfieur de Nemours Hopping her, 
 Fear not, madam, faid he ; you have nothing to appre- 
 hend; nobody knows I am here; hear me, madam,, 
 hear me, if not out of goodnefs, yet, at leaft, for your 
 own fake^, and to free yourfelf from the extravagancies 
 which a paffion I am no longer mailer of will infallibly 
 hurry me into. Madam de Cleves now firrt. yielded to 
 the inclination me had for the duke de Nemours, and 
 beholding him with eyes full of foftnefs and charms, 
 But what can you hope for, fays fhe, from the complai- 
 fance you defire of me ? You will, perhaps, repent that 
 you have obtained it, and I mall certainly repent that 
 J have granted it. You deferve a happier fortune than 
 you have hitherto had, or than you can have for the fu- 
 ture, unlefs you feek it elfewhere. I, madam, faid he,, 
 feek happinefs any where clfc ! Or, is there any happi- 
 nefs for me, but in your love ? Though I never fpoke 
 of it before, I cannot believe, madam, that you are 
 not acquainted with my paffion, or that you do not 
 (know it to be the greateft and molt fincere that ever was : 
 What trials has it fuffered in things you are a flranger 
 $o ! What trials have you put it to by your rigour !
 
 ?ART IY. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVIS. 147 
 
 Since you are defines I mould open myfelf to you, 
 anfwered madam de Cleves, I will comply with your 
 delire, and I will do it with a lincerity that is rarely to 
 be met with in perfons of my fex : I mail not tell you 
 that I have not obferved yourpaffion for me; perhaps 
 you would not believe me if I mould tell you fo; I con- 
 fefs, therefore, to you, not only that I have obferved it, 
 but that I have obferved it in fuch lights as you yourfelf 
 could wifh it might appear to me in.- And if you have 
 feen my paffion, madam, faid he, is it poffible for you 
 not to have been moved by it ? And may I venture to 
 afk, if it has made no imprefiion on your heart? You 
 mould have judged of that from my conduct, replied fhe j 
 but I mould be glad to know what you thought of it. 
 I ought to be in a happier condition, replied he, to ven- 
 ture to inform you ; my fortune would contradict what 
 I mould fay ; all I can tell you, madam, is, that I 
 heartily wifhed you had not acknowledged to moniieur de 
 Cleves what you concealed from me, and that you had 
 concealed from him what you made appear to me. 
 How came you todifcover, replied me, blufhing, that! 
 acknowledged any thing to monfieur de Cleves? I 
 learned it from yourfelf, madam, replied he; but that 
 you may the better pardon the boldnefs I mewed in 
 iiftening to what you 'faid, remember if I have made art 
 ill ufe of what I heard, if my hopes rofe upon it, or if I 
 was the more encouraged to fpeak to you. 
 
 Here he began to rdate how he had overheard her 
 converfation with monfieur de Cleves; but fhe inter- 
 rupted him before he had nn.imed. Say no more of it, 
 faid ilie, I fee how you came to be fo well informed ; I 
 fufpefted you knew the bufmefs but too well at the 
 queen-dauphin's, who learned this adventure from thofe 
 you had imrufted with it. 
 
 Upon this monfieur de Nemours informed her in what 
 
 manner the thing came to pals. No excufes, fays me ; 
 
 1 have long forgiven you, without being informed how 
 
 it was brought about; but fince you have learned from 
 
 "Hz nay
 
 I 4 8 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 my own felf what I defigned to conceal from you all my 
 life, I will acknowledge to you, that you have infpired 
 me with fentiments I was unacqupjnted with before I 
 faw you, and of which I had fo (lender an idea, that 
 they gave me at firft a furprize which (till added to the 
 pain that conftantly attends them : I am the lefs 
 afliamed to make you this confeffion, becaufe I do it at 
 a time when I may do it without a crime, and becaufe 
 you have feen that my conduft has not been governed 
 by my affeftions. 
 
 Can you believe, madam, faid monfieur de Nemours, 
 falling on his knees, but I (hall expire at your feet with 
 joy and tranfpcrt? I have told you nothing, faid (he, 
 fmiling, but what you knew too well before. Ah! 
 madam, faid he, what a difference is there between 
 learning it by chance, and knowing it from yourfelf, 
 and feeing that you are pleafed I know it! It is true, 
 anfwered me, I would have you know it, and I find 
 a pleafure in telling it you; I do not even know 
 if I do not tell it you more for my own fake, 
 than for yours; for, after all, this confeffion will 
 have no confequences, and I (hall follow the auftere 
 rules which my duty impofes upon me. How, ma- 
 dam! you are not of that opinion, replied monfieur de 
 Nemours ; you are no longer under any obligation of 
 duty; you are at liberty; and if I durft, I mould even 
 tell you, that it is in your power to aft fo, that your 
 duty (hall one day oblige you to preferve the fentiments 
 you have for me. ---My duty, replied (he, forbids me to 
 think of any man, but of you the laft in the world, and 
 for reafons which are unknown to you. Thofereafons, 
 perhaps, are not unknown to me, anfwered he; but 
 they are far from being good ones. I believe that mcn- 
 fieur de Cleves thought me happier than I was, and 
 imagined that you approved of thofe extravagancies 
 which my pafiion led me into without your approbation. 
 Let us talk no more of that adventure, faid (he ; I 
 annot bear the thought of it, and the confequences of 
 
 it
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. . 14* 
 
 it have been fuch, that it is too melancholy a fubjeS to 
 be fpoken of; it is but too true, that you were the caufe 
 of monfieur de Cleves's death ; the fufpicions which 
 your inconfiderate conduct gave him coil him his life, 
 as much as if you had taken it away with your own 
 hands : judge what I ought to h?.ve done, had you two 
 fought a duel, and he been killed; I know very well, it 
 is not the fame thing in the eye of the world ; but wirh 
 me there is no difference, fince I know that his death 
 was owing to you, and that it was on my account. Ah ! 
 madam, faid monfieur de Nemours, what phantom of 
 duty do you oppofe to my happinefs? What, madam! 
 lhall a vain and groundlefs fancy hinder you from 
 making a man happy, for whom you have an inclina- 
 tion? What! have I had fome ground to hope I might 
 pafs my life with you ? Has my fate led me to love tha 
 mod deferving lady in the world ? Have lobferved in her 
 all that can make a miftrefs adorable? Has me had no 
 diflike to me? Have I found in h?r conduft every 
 thing which I could wilh for in a wife? For, in fhort, 
 madam, you are perhaps the only perfon in whom thofe 
 two chara&ers have ever concurred to the degree they are 
 in you; thofe who marry miftrefies by whom they are 
 loved, tremble when they marry them, and cannot but 
 fear left they fnould obferve the fame conduft towards 
 others, which they obferved towards them ; but in you, 
 madam, I can fear nothing ; I fee nothing in you but 
 matter of admiration : have I had a profpedl of fo much 
 felicity, for no other end but to fee it obftru&ed by you ? 
 Ah! madam, you forget, that you have diitinguimed 
 me above other men ; or rather, you have not diftin- 
 guiflied me; you have deceived yourfelf, and I have 
 flattered myfelf. 
 
 You have not flattered ycurfelf, replied me; the rea- 
 fons of my duty would not perhaps appear fo ftrong to 
 me, without that dillin&ion of which you doubt; and it 
 is that which makes me apprehend unfortunate confe- 
 quences from your alliance. -I have nothing to anfvver, 
 H 3 madam,
 
 150 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PA&T IV. 
 
 madam, replied he, when you tell me you apprehend un- 
 fortunate confequences ; but I own, that after all you 
 have been pleafed' to fay to me, I did not expeft from 
 you fo cruel a reafon. The reafon you fpeak cf, replied 
 madam de Cleves, is fo little difobliging as to you, that 
 I do not know how to tell it you. Alas! madam, faid 
 he, how can you fear I fhould flatter myfelf too much, 
 after what you have been faying to me ? I mail continue 
 to fpeak to you, fays fhe, with the fame fincerity with 
 which I begun, and I will lay afide that delicacy and 
 rcferve that modelry obliges one to in a nrftconverfation ; 
 but I conjure you to hear me without interruption. 
 
 I think I owe the affeftion you have for me, the poor 
 recompence not to hide from you any of my thoughts, 
 and to let you fee them fuch as they really are; this, in 
 all probability, will be the only time I mail allow my- 
 felf the freedom to difcover them to you ; and I cannot 
 confefs without a blufh, that the certainty of not being 
 loved by you, as I am, appears to me fo d/eadful a mis- 
 fortune, that if I had not invincible reafons grounded 
 on my dirty, I could not refolve to fubjecl; myfelf to it ; 
 I know that you are free, that I am fo too, and that 
 circumftances are fuch, that the public, perhaps, would 
 have no reafon to blame either you or me, mould we 
 unite ourfelves for ever ; H)ut do men continue to love, 
 when under engagements Tor life? Ought I to expecl 
 a miracle in my favour? And mail I place myfelf in a 
 condition of feeing that paffion come to an end, in which 
 I fhould place all my felicity ? Monfieur de Cleves was, 
 perhaps, the only man in the world capable of continuing 
 to love after marriage ; it was my ill fate that I was 
 not able to enjoy that happinefs ; and, perhaps, his paf- 
 fion had not lafled, but that he found none in me; but I 
 fliould not have the fame way of preferving yours; |J 
 even think your conftancy is owing to the obftacles you 
 have met with ; you have met with enough to animate 
 you to conquer them ; and my unguarded aftions, or 
 what you learned by chance, gave you hopes enough 
 
 KOt
 
 ?ART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 151 
 
 not to be difcouraged. Ah ! Madam, replied monfieur 
 de Nemours, I cannot keep the filence you enjoined 
 me ; you do me too much injuftice, and make it appear 
 too clearly that you are far from being prepofTefled in my 
 favour.-! confefs, anfwered me, that my paffionsmay 
 lead me, but they cannot blind me ; nothing can hinder 
 me from knowing that you are born with a difpofition 
 for*~galantry, and have all the qualities proper to give 
 fuccefs ; 'you have already had a great many amours, 
 and you will have more ; I mould no longer be fae you 
 placed your happinefs in ; I mould fee you as warm for 
 another as you had been for me ; this would afHift me, 
 and I am not fure I mould not have the torment of 
 jealoufy : J have faid too much to conceal from you, 
 that you have already made me know what jealoufy is ; 
 and that I fuffered fuch cruel inquietudes the evening 
 the queen gave me madam de Themines's letter, which, 
 it was faid, was addreffed to you, that to this moment 
 I retain an idea of it, which makes me believe it is th 
 worft of all ills. 
 
 There is fcarce a woman but out of vanity or incli- 
 nation deiires to engage you ; there are very few whom 
 you do not pleafe, and my own experience would make 
 me believe, that there are none whom it is not in your 
 power to pleafe : I mould think you always in love and 
 beloved, nor mould I be often miftaken ; and yet in this 
 cafe, I fhould have no remedy but patience j nay, I 
 queftion if I mould dare to complain. A lover may 
 be reproached ; but can a hufband be fo, when one 
 has nothing to urge, but that he loves one no longer } 
 But admit I could accuftom myfelf to bear a misfortune 
 of this nature, yet how could I bear that of imagining 
 I conltantly faw monfieur de Cleves accufkig you of hit 
 death, reproaching me with having loved you, with 
 having married you, and mewing me the difference be- 
 twixt his affe&ion and yours ? It is impoffible to over- 
 rule fuch itrong reafons as thefe ; I muft continue in the 
 condition I am in, and in the refolution I have taker* 
 H 4 never
 
 j 5 z THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 never to alter it. Do you believe you have the power 
 to do it, madam ? cried the duke de Nemours : Do you 
 think your refolution can hold out againft a man who 
 adores, and who has the happinefs to pleafe you ? It is 
 more difficult than you imagine, madam, to refill aper- 
 fon who pleafes and loves one at the fame time ; you 
 have done it by aufterity of virtue, which is almoft 
 without example; but that virtue no longer oppofes 
 your inclinations, and I hope you will follow them in 
 fpite of yourfelf. I know nothing can be more diffi- 
 cult than what I undertake, replied madam de Cleves ; 
 I diftruftmy ftrength in the midft of my reafons ; what I 
 think I owe to the memory of monfieur de Cleves, would 
 be a weak confideration, if not fupported by the intereil 
 of my eafe and repofe ; and the reafons of my repofe have 
 need to be fupported by thofe of my duty; but though 
 I diftruft myfelF, I believe I fhall never overcome my 
 fcruples, nor do I fo much as hope to overcome the in- 
 clination I have for you ; that inclination will make me 
 unhappy, and I will deny myfelf the fight of you, 
 whatever violence it is to me. I conjure you, by all 
 the power I have over you, to feek no occafion of feeing 
 me ; I am in a condition which makes that criminal 
 which might be lawful at another time ; decency for- 
 bids all commerce between us. Monfieur de Nemours 
 threw himfelf at her feet, and gave a loofe to all the 
 violent emotions with which he was agitated ; he ex- 
 prefled both by his words and tears the livelielt and moft 
 tender paffion that ever heart was touched with : nor 
 was the heart of madam de Cleves infenfible ; me look- 
 ed upon him with eyes fwelled with tears. Why was 
 it, cries me, that I can charge you with monfieur de 
 Cleves's death ? Why did not my firft acquaintance with 
 you begin fmce I have been at liberty ? or why did not 
 I know you before I was engaged ? Why does Fate fepa- 
 rate us by fuch invincible obftacles ? There arc no 
 obftacles, madam, replied monfieur de Nemours ; it is 
 you alone oppofe my happinefs ; you impofe on your- 
 
 felf
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 153 - 
 
 felf a b.w which virtue and reafon do not require you 
 to obey. It is true, fays fhe, I facrifice a great deal to 
 a duty which does not fubfift but in my imagination ; 
 have patience, and expeft what time may produce ; 
 monfieur de Cleves is but juft expired, and that mourn- 
 ful objefl is too near to leave me clear and diftindl views ; 
 in the mean time, enjoy the fatisfaftion to know you 
 have gained the heart of a perfon, who would never 
 have loved any one,, had me not feen you. Believe the 
 inclination I have for you will laft for ever, and that it 
 will be uniform and the fame, whatever becomes of me. 
 Adieu ! faid me ; this is a converfation I ought to blufh 
 for; however, give an account of it to the vifcount ; I 
 agree to it, and defire you to do it. 
 
 With thefe words fhe went away, nor could monfieur 
 de Nemours detain her. In the next room fhe met with 
 the vifcount, who feeing her under fo much concern 
 would not fpeak to her, but led her to her coach without 
 faying a word. He returned to monfieur de Nemours, 
 who was fo full of joy, grief, admiration, and of all 
 thofe affeftions that attend a paffion full of hope and 
 fear, that he had not the ufe of his reafon. It was a 
 long time ere the vifcount could get from him an ac- 
 count of the converfation ; at laft the duke related it ta 
 him ; and monfieur de Chartres, without being in love, 
 no lefs admired the virtue, wit, and merit of madam 
 de Cleves, than did monfieur de Nemours himfelf. They 
 began to examine what ifTue could reafonably be hoped 
 for in this affair ; and, however fearful the duke de 
 Nemours was from his love, he agreed with the vifcount, 
 that it was impoflible madam de Cleves mould con- 
 tinue in the refoludon fhe was in ; they were of opinion, 
 neverthelefs, that it was neceffary to follow her orders, 
 for fear, upon the public's perceiving the inclination 
 lie had for her, fhe mould make declarations, and enter 
 into engagements, with refpeft to the world, that fhe 
 would afterwards abide by, left it mould be thought me 
 loved him in her hufband's life-time. 
 
 H 5 Moiifieijr
 
 154 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 Monfieur de Nemours determined to follow the king ; 
 It was a journey he could not well excufe himfelf from, 
 and fo he refolved to go, without endeavouring to fee 
 madam de Cleves again from the window out of which 
 he had fometimes feen her ; he begged the vifcount to 
 fpeak to her : and what did he not defire him to fay in 
 Jus behalf ? What an infinite number of reafons did he 
 furnifh him with, to perfuade her to conquer her Scru- 
 ples ! In fhort, great part of the night was fpent before 
 Jie thought of going away. 
 
 As for madam de Cleves, fhe was in no condition to 
 reft : it was a thing fo new to her to have broke loofe 
 from the reftraints (he had laid on herfelf ; to have en- 
 dured the firft declarations of love that ever were made 
 to her ; and to have confefTed that fhe herfelf was in love 
 with him that made them ; all this was fo new to her, 
 that flie feemed quite another perfon. She was furprized 
 at what fhe had done ; fhe repented of it ; fhe was glad 
 of it ; all her thoughts were full of anxiety and paffion : 
 ihe examined again the reafons of her duty which ob- 
 jlrudted her happinefs ; fhe was grieved to find them fo 
 tfrong, and was forry that fhe had made them out fa 
 clear to monfieur de Nemours. Though fhe had enter- 
 tained thoughts of marrying him, as foon as fhe beheld 
 him in the garden of the fuburbs, yet her late conver- 
 fation with him made a much greater impreffion on her 
 mind; at fome moments fhe could not comprehend 
 how fhe could be unhappy by marrying him, and fhe 
 was ready to fay in her heart, that her fcruples as to 
 what was paft, and her fears for the future, were equally 
 groundlefs : at other times, reafcn and her duty pre- 
 vailed in her thoughts, and violently hurried her into a 
 refolution not to marry again, and never to fee monfieur 
 tie Nemours ; but this was a refolution hard to be efta- 
 blifhed in a heart fo foftened as hers, and fo lately aban- 
 doned to the charms of love. At .'aft, to give herfelf a 
 Jittle eafe, fhe concluded that it was not yet neceffary 
 tc do herfelf the violence of coming to any refolution ; 
 
 and
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 155 
 
 and decency allowed her a confiderable time to de- 
 termine what to do : however, fhe refolved to continue 
 firm in having no commerce with monfieur de Nemours. 
 The vifcount came to fee her, and pleaded his friend's 
 caufe with all the wit and application imaginable ; but 
 could not make her alter her conduft, or recal the 
 fevere orders fhe had given to monfieur de Nemours : 
 fhe told him, her defign was not to change her condi- 
 tion ; that fhe knew how difficult it was to Hand to "that 
 defign, but that fhe hoped fhe mould be able to do it. 
 She made him fo fenfible kow far fhe was affefted with 
 the opinion that monfieur de Nemours was the caufe of 
 her hufband's death, and how much fhe was convinced 
 that it would be contrary to her duty to marry him, 
 that the vifcount was afraid it would be very difficult to 
 take away thofe impreffions ; he did not, however, tell 
 the duke what he thought, when he gave him an ac- 
 count of his converfation with her j but left him as 
 much hope as a man who is loved may reafonably have. 
 They fet out the next day, and went after the king ; 
 the vifcount wrote to madam de Cleves at monfieur de 
 Nemours's requeft, and in a fecond letter, which foon. 
 followed the firft, the duke writ a line or two in his 
 own hand ; but madam de Cleves determined not to 
 depart from the rules fhe had prefcribed herfelf ; and 
 fearing the accidents that might happen from letters, 
 informed the vifcount that fhe would receive his letters 
 no more, if he continued to fpeak of monfieur de Ne- 
 mours ; and did it in fo peremptory a manner, that the 
 duke defired him not to mention him. 
 
 During the abfence of the court, which was gone to 
 conduft the queen of Spain as far as Poitou, madam de 
 Cleves continued at home ; and the more diftant fhe 
 was from monfieur de Nemours, and from every thing, 
 that could put her in mind of him, the more fhe re- 
 called the memory of the prince of Cleves, which fhe 
 made it her glory to preferve ; the reafons jhe had not 
 to marry the duke de Nemours appeared ftrong with 
 refpeft to her duty, but invincible with refpeft to her 
 H6 quiet;
 
 156 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 quiet ; the opinion (he had, that marriage would put 
 an end to his love, and the torments of jealoufy, which 
 ftie thought the infallible confequences of marriage, 
 gave her the profpecl of a certain unhappinefs if fhe 
 confented to his defires ; on the other hand, fhe thought 
 it Jmpoflible, if he were prefent, to refufe the moft 
 amiable man in the world, the man who loved her, and 
 whom fhe loved, and to oppofe him in a thing that 
 was neither inconfiftent with virtue nor decency. She 
 thought that nothing but abfence and diflance could 
 give her the power to do.it ; and fhe found fhe flood in 
 need of them, not only to fupport her refolution not to 
 marry, but even to keep her from feeing monfieur de 
 Nemours ; fhe refolved, therefore, to take a long journey, 
 in order to pafs away the time which decency obliged 
 her to fpehd in retirement j the fine eftate fhe had near 
 the Pyrenees feemed the moft proper place fhe could 
 make choice of; fhe fet out a few days before the court 
 returned, and writ at parting to the vifcount, to con- 
 jure him not to think of once enquiring after her, or 
 of writing to her. 
 
 Monfieur de Nemours was as much troubled at this 
 journey, as another would have been for the death of 
 his miftrefs. The thought of being deprived fo long a 
 time of the fight of madam de Cleves grieved him to the 
 foul, efpecially as it happened at a time when he had 
 lately enjoyed the pleafure of feeing her, and of feeing 
 her moved by his paffion ; however, he could do nothing 
 but afflict himfclf, and his affliction increafed every day. 
 Madam de Cleves, whofe fpirits had been fo much 
 agitated, was no fooner arrived at her country-feat, but 
 Ihe fell deiperately ill ; the news of it was brought to 
 court ; monfieur de Nemours was inconfolable ; his 
 grief proceeded even to defpair and extravagance ; the 
 vifcount had much ado to hinder him from difcover- 
 ing his paflion in public, and as much ado to keep him 
 from going in perfon to know how fhe did ; the relation 
 and friendfhip between her and the vifcount ferved as an 
 excufe for fending frequent meffengers ; at laft they 
 
 heard
 
 PART IV. THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. 157 
 
 heard fhe was out of the extremity of danger fhe had 
 been in ; but continued in a languifliing malady, that 
 left but little hopes of life. 
 
 The nature of her difeafe gave her a profpeft of death, 
 both near and at a diftance, and fhewed her the things 
 of this life in a very different view from that in which 
 they are feen by people in health : the neceffity of dying, 
 to which fhe faw herfelf fo near, taught her to wean 
 herfelf from the world, and the lingeringnefs of her dif- 
 temper brought her to a habit in it ; yet, when me was 
 a little recovered, fhe found that monfieur de Nemours 
 was not effaced from her heart ; but to defend herfelf 
 againft him, ma called to her aid all the reafons which 
 fhe thought fhe had never to marry him ; after a long 
 conflict in herfelf, fhe fubdued the relics of that paffion 
 which had been weakened by the fentiments her illnefai 
 had given her ; the thoughts of death had reproached 
 her with the memory of monfieur de Cleves, and this 
 remembrance was fo agreeable to her duty, that it made 
 deep impreffions in her heart ; the paffions and engage- 
 ments of the world appeared to her in the light, in 
 which they appear to perfons who have more great and 
 more diftant views. The weaknefs of her body, which 
 was brought very low, aided her in preferving thefe 
 fentiments ; but as fhe knew what power opportunities 
 have over the wifeft refolutions, fhe would not hazard 
 the breach of thofe fhe had taken, by returning into 
 any place where fhe might fee him fhe loved ; fhe re- 
 tired, under pretence of change of air, into a convent,- 
 but without declaring a fettled refolution of quitting the 
 court. 
 
 Upon the firft news of it, monfieur de Nemours felt 
 the weight of this retreat, and faw the importance of it ; 
 he prefently thought he had ncihing more to hope, 
 but omitted not any thing that might oblige her to re- 
 turn ; he prevailed with the queen to write ; he made 
 the vifcount not only write, but go to her ; but all to 
 no purpofe. The vifcount faw her, but fhe did not tell 
 him fhe had fixed her refolution j and yet he judged 
 
 flw
 
 15 8 THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES. PART IV. 
 
 fhe would never return to court. At laft monfieur de 
 Nemours himfelf went to her, under pretence of ufmg 
 the waters. She was extremely grieved and furprized 
 to hear he was come, and fent him word by a perfon of 
 merit about her, that me defired him not to take it ill, 
 if fhe did not expofe herfelf to the danger of feeing him, 
 and of destroying, by his prefence, thofe fentiments fhe 
 was obliged to preferve ; that fhe defired he mould know, 
 that having found it both againft her duty and peace 
 of mind to yield to the inclination fhe had to be his, 
 all things elfe were become fo indifferent to her, that 
 Jhe had renounced them for ever ; that fhe thought only 
 of another life, and had no fentiment remaining as to 
 this, but the defire of feeing him in the fame difpofitions 
 Ihe was in. 
 
 Monfieur de Nemours was like to have expired in the 
 prefence of the lady who told him this ; he begged her 
 a thoufand times to return to madam de Cleves, and to 
 get leave for him to fee her ; but fhe told him, the 
 princefs had no^ only forbidden her to come back with 
 any mefl'age from him, but even to report the conver- 
 fation that mould pafs between them. At length, 
 monfieur de Nemours was obliged to go back, oppreffed 
 with the heavieft grief a man is capable of, who has loft 
 all hopes of ever feeing again a perfon whom he loved 
 not only with the moft violent, but moft natural and . 
 fincere paffion that ever was ; yet ftill he was not utterly 
 difcouraged, but ufed all imaginable methods to make 
 her alter her refolution ; at laft, after feveral years, time 
 and abfence abated his grief, and extinguifhed his 
 paflion. Madam de Cleves lived in a manner that left 
 no probability of her ever returning to court ; fhe 
 fpent one part of the year in that religious houfe, and 
 the other at her own, but ftill continued the aufterity 
 of retirement, and conftantly employ 'd herfelf in ex- 
 ercifes more holy than the fevereft convents can pre- 
 tend to ; and her life, though it was fhort, left ex- 
 amples of inimitable virtues. . 
 
 THE END.
 
 THE 
 
 FRUITLESS ENQUIRY: 
 
 WRITTEN BY 
 
 MRS. H A Y W O O D.
 
 CHARACTER OF THE 
 
 FRUITLESS ENQJJIPYj 
 
 AND 
 
 ANECDOTES OF ITS AUTHOR, 
 
 . 
 
 BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 E following pages are felec~led from a Novel* 
 ider the fame title, and from which I have 
 only made extracts j as fome of the ftories it con- 
 tains are inconfiftent with the plan of this work, 
 as being either grofs in the fubj eels, or indelicate in 
 the exprcfiion. 
 
 * By Mrs. Eliza Haywood, a voluminous novelift, born in 
 1696. In the early part of her life flie wrote a number of 
 loofe tales, and dealt a good deal in perfonal (lander. Mrs. 
 Manley's Atalanth gave her a hint, upon which fhe framed 
 The Court of Carimania, and the new Utopia, with other 
 pieces of the fame nature. She attempted dramatic writing,, 
 and acting alfo ; but met with little fuccefs in either. 
 However, fne fhewed herfelf a writer of great ingenuity in 
 the manner of treating her fubjects ; but her latter works, 
 among which this is one, have made proper atonement for 
 the indelicacy and immorality of her former writings, as 
 fhe appears to- be a ftrorjg advocate on the fide of Decency 
 and Virtue. The FfmaleSpeEtator, The Hijlory ofBetfy Thought- 
 lefs, Jemmy mid '"jenny Jeflamy, The In-vlfible Spy, and A 
 Prefentfor a Servant-maid, are among this latter ciafs of her 
 comnofitions. She died in 1759. 
 
 THE
 
 CHARACTER, &c. 
 
 The idea on which this piece is founded, has a, 
 good deal of merit in it; as tending to abate envy, 
 and conciliate content; by fhewing, in a variety of 
 inftances, that appearances are frequently fallacious; 
 that perfect or permanent happinefs is not the lot of 
 mortal life ; and that peace of mind and rational 
 enjoyment are only to be found in bofoms free from 
 guilt, and from intimate connection with the guilty..
 
 THE 
 
 FRUITLESS ENQJJIRY, 
 
 A Certain nobleman of Venice, dying in the prime 
 of his years, left behind him a widow called 
 Miramillia, juftly efteemed one of the moft 
 lovely women of the age, and a little fon not exceed- 
 ing fix years dU ; fo dear to his mother, that though 
 her beauty, wealth, and accomplifhments, attracted 
 the lo/e and admiration of almoit as many as beheld 
 her, and the nobieil youth in the republic defired her 
 in marriage; yet did Ihe decline all the advantages 
 offered her for" this darling of her foul, and refolded to 
 continue the remainder of her days in a {ingle ftate ; 
 fearing, that in bellowing herfelf, me mould aifo be 
 obliged to relinquifti the power fte had of managing 
 the eftate for him, to one who would lefs confult his 
 interelh Never was mother more anxious for the wel- 
 fare of a child, nor never did any child feem more to 
 deferve the affeftions of a parent ; fo greatly did he 
 improve on the education fhe allowed him, that his 
 behaviour was her pride, as well as pleafure : as he 
 encreafed in years, he encreafed alfo in every manly 
 grace. There was no art, no fcience, no exercife, be- 
 fitting
 
 164 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 fitting his quality, of which he was not a perfect matter ; 
 and in many of them he excelled thofe whofe profeflion 
 it was to inftrudl. 
 
 Till he arrived at the age of twenty, did his happy 
 mother glory in maternal fondnefs ; and was fo far 
 from believing (he ever mould have reafon to do other- 
 wife, that me fcarce knew how to pity the misfortunes 
 of thofe who lamented the undutifulnefs or ill manage- 
 ment of their children :. hut, alas ! on how weak a 
 foundation do all human joys depend, and how little 
 ought we to triumph in the tranfient bleffings of fate, 
 which in a moment may vanim, and in their room as 
 poignant ills arife ! In the height of her fatisfaftion-, 
 juft when fhe had feen the promifing bloom of this 
 young man arrive at maturity, and every wifh was to 
 its height completed, then all at once did mifery fall 
 on her, and me became more wretched than ever fh 
 had been bleft. 
 
 Early one morning did this beloved fon go out, as 
 was frequently his cuftom, to indulge meditation in a 
 fine wildernefs adjacent to the caftle ; but night not 
 bringing him home, nor the enfuing day, nor many 
 others affording any tidings of him, the fears and per- 
 plexities of a mother fo tenderly fond as was his, are 
 not to be conceived. Through every part of the city 
 fhe fent in fearch of him, but all her meffengers re- 
 turned without fuccefs ; he could not be heard of, nor 
 could any perfon be found that had feen him : days, 
 weeks, and months paft on in this manner, and quite 
 raving with her griefs, fhe fell into a fort of fuperfti- 
 tious credulity, which before fhe had defpifed ; it was 
 that of applying to fortune-tellers, in a vain expecta- 
 tion of knowing that from man, which Heaven permits 
 not the difcovery of even to the angels themfelves. 
 But her good fenfe not fuffering her to place any great 
 dependance on what they faid, fhe no fooner heard 
 the predictions of one, than fhe went to another, 
 comparing them together, believing that if they agreed,,- 
 
 they
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 165 
 
 they might be worthy of belief; but being different, 
 one telling her he would fpeedily return, another that 
 he was dead, a third that he was married to a woman 
 unworthy of him ; but a fourth, wifer than the reft, 
 would not pretend to give her any direct account, but 
 only told her, that to engage his return, fhe mould 
 procure a fhirt made for him by the hands of a perfon 
 fo completely contented in mind, that there was no 
 wifh but that fhe enjoyed. If you can prevail on fuch 
 a woman to undertake this little piece of work, faid 
 he, before it be finifhed, you will infallibly hear news 
 of your fon ; but you muft be certain, continued he, 
 that the perfon you employ be perfectly at eafe ; if the 
 leaft anxious thought, the moft minute perplexity, 
 difcontent, or care, ruffles her mind, or ever throws a 
 heavinefs upon her fpirits, the work will be of no 
 effeft. Though this afflicled mother had too much 
 good fenfe to imagine fuch a thing could be of any 
 confequence to the obtaining her defires, yet the in- 
 chantment being of fb innocent a nature, Ihe refolved 
 to make the experiment; and to that end, fet herfelf 
 to think which of her acquaintance was the moft qua- 
 lified for this important piece of fempftry. One fhe 
 knew had vaft poiTeffions, all the grandeur which the 
 world idolizes, beauty, wit, health, and a fweetnefs 
 -of difpofition, which rendered her capable of enjoying 
 thofe bleffings ; but then fhe was married to a man of 
 fo perverfe a nature, that it took up her whole ftudy to 
 pleafe him ; and the little fuccefs fhe had in that en- 
 deavour, frequently gave her many bitter perturbations. 
 Another, in all appearance, was poffeft of every thing 
 that can be wifhed, a wealthy and good hufband, many 
 fine children, and the general efteem and good cha- 
 racter of the world ; but fhe had made this lady the 
 confidante of her paflion for a young gentleman ; and in 
 that criminal inclination were all the pleafures of her 
 life overwhelmed and loft. One had an undutiful fon, 
 another an unfortunate daughter, a third an extrava- 
 gant
 
 166 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 gant hufband, a fourth an unloving one, a fifth was 
 diflrafted with a flep-dame's overlooking eye, a fixth 
 had married a man, whofe children by a former ven- 
 ture were an eternal plague upon her fpirits ; one had 
 fo much ready caih, that me was always in care how to 
 bellow it with the leafl hazard, and moft advantage ; 
 another was perplexed for want of it, and the exigencies 
 to which perfons in that misfortune are reduced. Few 
 there were to whom me could apply with any hope of 
 iaccefs, if it were really truth what the prediftor had 
 endeavoured to make her believe : but among the num- 
 ber of thofe was a lady whofe name was Anziana ; me 
 was married to one of the chief of the nobility, a man 
 fcarce to be equalled for his perfonal charms, or the 
 improvements of education ; and one who, both before 
 ajid after his marriage, had given a thoufand teflimo- 
 nies of the moft tender regard for her : never did any 
 .pair appear to live together in a more perfect harmony ; 
 three fine fons and two beautiful daughters were the 
 product of their loves, all lovely, all hopeful, and pro- 
 tmifing a. future age of happinefs to their glad parents. 
 Where could contentment dwell, if not in fuch a 
 family ? Who can be completely bleft, if Anziana was 
 not ? To her therefore it was that me refolved to have 
 recourfe., and doubted not but to receive from her 
 friendfhip that favour which fhe imagined was in her 
 power to grant. 
 
 In purfuance of this defign, me again fet herfelf at 
 her long neglected toilet, and refumed thofe ornaments 
 which till now fhe had not worn fmce the lofs of her 
 dear fon ; and when dreft with all her former exaftnefs, 
 went to the houfe of Anziana, where fhe was received 
 by that lady with all the demon ftrations imaginable of 
 a fincere friendfhip; but when fhe related to her the 
 errand on which fhe came, fhe looked extremely fur- 
 prized, ajtid would fain have perfuaded her from giving 
 any adherence to advice which feemed fo perfeftly chi- 
 merical ; but the other continuing to infill on it, and 
 
 appearing 
 4
 
 E N QJJ I R V. 167 
 
 Appearing fomevvhat refentful that fhe mould refufe fo 
 fmall a trouble, when it would do her fo great a piece 
 of fervice ; at laft (he confented to make the trial, on 
 condition flie would remain in her houfe for the fpace 
 of eight days : at the end of which time, faid {he, if 
 you perceive nothing which may render me incapable 
 of ferving you in the way you mention, I mall willingly 
 undertake it. The forrowful mother could not but 
 comply with fo reafonable a requeft, and in doing fo, 
 .found every thing agreeable to that character of perfect 
 tranquillity, to which the prognofticator had directed. 
 her. She now no longer doubted but me mould be able 
 to make the experiment, if there were any dependance 
 io be placed in the words of thefe foothfayers. Never 
 had me beheld a family better managed ; every thing 
 was done with that eafe, that regularity, and concord, 
 that bufinefs was a pleafure : the fervants feemed to 
 .obey more through love than fear, the miftrefs had not 
 the trouble of commanding; fo ready were they to 
 obferve her very looks and motions, that what me 
 would have done, was fo before her deiire could form 
 itfelf into words : the children obferved the fame deco- 
 rum ; but thefe were petty felicities compared with that 
 which flowed from a conjugal affeftion, fo tender, fo 
 obliging, fo ardent, and unchangeable, as that appeared 
 to be between Anziana and her hufband count Caprera : 
 .never were endearments carried to a higher pitch., nor 
 had more the look of fincerity. In fine, all that can 
 Jae conceived of felicity was theirs, and was thought an 
 exception to that general rule, that perfect happinefs is 
 not to be found on earth. 
 
 The time prefixed by Anziana being elapfed, herdif- 
 treffed vifitor entreated the performance of her promife ; 
 to which the other, in a melancholy accent, thus replied: 
 Alas ! faid fhe, how liable are we to be deceived by 
 appearances ! How little does the outward mow de- 
 monftrate, fometimes, the real difpofition of the heart ! 
 I, who feem the moft fortunate of my fex, am indeed 
 
 the
 
 i6S THE FRUITLESS 
 
 the moft wretched ; nor is it in the power of fate t 
 load me with fuperior ills. But to eafe the amaze- 
 ment in which my words have involved you, follow me, 
 and you (hall be informed in full of the whole difmal 
 caufe. As me fpoke this, fhe turned haftily towards 
 the door of the chamber, and the other going after 
 her as me had deiired, they patted through feveral 
 rooms, till they came to a long gallery, at the end of 
 \vhich was a clofet. There Anziana flopped, and 
 taking a key out of her pocket, opened it, and went 
 in, defiring'the other to do the fame : but with what 
 horror and affright was her foul invaded, when, as foon 
 as fhe entered, the firft objeft that prefented itfelf to 
 her, was the fkeleton of a man, with arms extended 
 wide, as if in aft to feize the adventurous gazer, and 
 on the breait was fixed a label ; which, as foon as fhe 
 was enough recovered from that terror which fo unex- 
 pected and fo fltockiiig a fight had plunged her in, to 
 be able to look upon, Anziana took her by the hand, 
 and bringing her nearer, fhewed it her, containing 
 thefe words, which to make them yet more dreadful, 
 were writ in blood. 
 
 " Remember, Anziana, it is for your crime that I 
 " am thus ; and let a juft contrition take up your en- 
 " fuing days, and peace be ever a flranger to your 
 tf foul, till you become as I am !" 
 
 Let the reader imagine himfelf in this lady's place, 
 and he will then be able to conceive fome part of that 
 aftonifhment fhe was i-n at beholding an object of this 
 dire nature, in a houfe where nothing but mirth and 
 chearfulnefs appeared to reign : to defcribe it, is not 
 in the power of language ; therefore, I mail only fay, 
 that it took from her the power of fpeech ; and though 
 ilie paffionately longed for the explanation of fo ftrange 
 an adventure, yet her tongue refufed to obey the dic- 
 tates of her heart ; and by the wild confuiion of her 
 looks, and eyes half ftarting from their fpheres, alone 
 it was that fhe could m^ke known her wonder, or her 
 
 curiofity : 
 4
 
 E N Q_U I I\ Y. 169 
 
 curiofity ; but Anziana perfectly underfl.indmg what it 
 was llie deiired, made her turn 'from that ungrateful 
 object, and lit down by her on a couch feme cliftance 
 from it, where flie began thus : Had I not been con- 
 vinced of your c'lfcre ion, laid fiie, I fhould not have 
 taken this method to fhew how improper a perfon I am 
 to undertake the talk you came hither to employ me in : 
 I will therefore exacl: no promifes from you of pre? 
 ferving my fecret, nor defire any other fecurity for it 
 than your own honour ; but as I have begun with 
 bringing you into this clofet, which, fince thus fur- 
 nished, has never been entered by any but myfelf, I 
 will proceed to reveal by what ftrange means this dread- 
 ful gueft was harboured here : but becaufe I cannot do 
 it clearly, without going back to fome pailages of the 
 former part of my life, you mult excufe the length of 
 my narration ; which will at leaft be of this ferviee to 
 you, that your own woes will iit more lightly on you, 
 when you mall know how infinitely m:re heavy thoie 
 are under which I labour. Thefe words drew a flood 
 of tears from her to whom they were addrefled, as 
 thinking it impoffible for any misfortune to exceed 
 that which (lie fuftained ; but compofmg herfelf as well 
 as (he could, me prepared to give attention to what the 
 other was about to fay, who immediately began the 
 relation fhe had promifed in thefe terms. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF ANZIANA, SIGNIOR 
 LORENZO, AND COUNT CAPRERA. 
 
 T T is not unknown to you, faid ilie, that I am de- 
 * fcended from one of the belt families in this repub- 
 lic, and that I had a fortune equal to my birth ; I 
 mall therefore pafs over in fiience the years of my 
 VOL. II. I childhood,,
 
 170 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 childhood, nothing happening to me worthy of remark, 
 till my fourteenth year : at which time, many there were 
 who folicited me for marriage ; among the number of 
 whom was Signior Lorenzo, a young gentleman whofe 
 equal yet I never faw, nor can believe the whole world 
 can produce. At firft, the deference I paid him I 
 thought only was ov.'ing to his merit, and that all who 
 knew him treated him with the fame. But, alas ! too 
 foon I found my admiration proceeded from a fofter 
 motive, and that it was love that made me fo quick- 
 fighted to his perfections ; and had fenfe enough to 
 diitinguifh, that though he was infinitely deferring, I 
 faw all his graces through a magnifying glafs, and 
 adored what ethers but approved : the infancy of 
 love, however, affords too much pleafure to a youth- 
 fdl heart for the efforts of reafon to be able to repel 
 it. I fufFcred the fweet inchantnient to grow upon 
 me, till it overwhelmed and funk all other confi der- 
 ations ; arjd never reflecting on the difficulties which 
 might arife to feparate us, indulged the dear delight 
 his fociety afforded j and while I liiteried to his vows, 
 knew neither fear nor grief: yet had I been capable 
 of thought, how eafy had i een to me, to have fere- 
 feen my father would not look en Lorenzo with my 
 eyes, and that ail his accomplishments \voulJ. not hr.ve 
 been fufficient to make up for the disparity of his birih 
 and fortuoe ! All at once, therefore, did my misfortune 
 come upon me ; and when I was arrived at the utmofl 
 extreme of paffion, did I receive a command to check 
 it, from his mouth whence there was no appcd : in 
 fine, jufl as Lorenzo had cbtdned my pcnniOicn to de- 
 mand me of my father, did he order me to fee him no 
 inore ; and feverely reprimanded me for having given 
 any encouragement to his addre/Tcs. I ciurft not but 
 promife to obey, though Heaven knows how liule my 
 heart v/as capable of making good my words : now 
 did 1 begin to find there were bitters enough in love 
 lp empoifon all the fvveets of iv ; but the difeafe had 
 
 fpread
 
 E JN Q^U I R Y. 171 
 
 fpread too far to hope a cure ; nor indeed did I endea- 
 vour at it. I apprized Lorenzo, by letter, of what had 
 happened, and appointed to meet him the next day at 
 the hcmfe of a p:rfon whom I made the confidant 
 of this affair. He failed not to come ; and infc-.id of 
 fulfilling the dictates of my duty in taking an eternal 
 leave of him, I fuffered myfelf to be fwayed wholly by 
 thofe of my love, and entered into the moft folemn obli- 
 gation that vows could form, never to be but his. 1' vit 
 ceremony which is called Marriage, is infinitely lefs 
 binding than the repeated oaths I kneeling mode, 
 and the curfes I imprecated on myfelf if ever I fwervcd 
 f.'om them : death ilfelf was not to diflblve the con- 
 tract ; but the furvivor fwore to pay the- fame regard 
 to the memory of the deceafed as Avhen living, and in a 
 condition to know and to return thofe proofs of fidelity. 
 Not long after this, my father unhappily incurred 
 the difpleafure of the fenate to fo high a degree, that' 
 he flood in need of all the intercft he had, to preferve 
 his eflate from being forfeited, and himfelf fent into 
 banifhment: of all the friends that appeared fof him, 
 count Caprera was the moft ferviceable ; and indeed it 
 was wholly owing to his great power, and Heady adhe- 
 rence to the caufe he had efpoufed, that my father was 
 acquitted. So important a iervice required the moll 
 grateful retributions ; nor was my father deficient in 
 paying them : he offered him the half of th;;t eftate he 
 had preferred ; "but he would accept no other recorn- 
 pence than Anziana : he declared himfelf pcfTett of the 
 moil violent paiTion for me, and that he had been pre- 
 vented from difcovcring it but by the apprehenfions 
 of his unworthinefs, till the lucky opportunity offered 
 of conferring an obligation on my family, which, as he 
 {aid, might give fome presence to hope he fhould net 
 be refufed. Had my fr.ther never experienced his 
 friendfhip, it is highly improbable there would have 
 been any occafion for Arch a fear; the count, I mutl 
 acknowledge, notwithflandingthe little efieft his charms 
 I 2 have
 
 J7 2 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 have been able to work on ir.c, being pofleft of every 
 advantage thai can make marriage piecing. But there 
 is an awe which accompanies true affeclion, and indeed 
 is often fatal to it. It was fo, at leaft, to that the count 
 had fcr, me, fince, had he fooner made an offering of his, 
 heart, perhaps I never mould have difpofed of mine to 
 Lorenzo. Then might we have all been happy, nor 
 would this dreadful fpe&acle have diftrafted ray fight, 
 which brings the fatal paft for ever prefent to my tor- 
 mented mind: butfuch was the decree of all-difpofing 
 Heaven, nor muft I dare to murmur.---With thefe words, 
 the fwelling tears, in fpite of her efforts to the contrary, 
 burft their paflage through her eyes, and me was fome 
 time before fhe could recover herfelf to profecute her 
 ftory; but when fhe did, it was in this manner : 
 
 My father, refumed Ihe, was perfectly tranfported at 
 this offer cf the count's, and without confulting my in- 
 clination in the affair, readily prornifed I fhould be his 
 wife, and that the marriage mould be folemnized in a 
 few days. How terrible a furprize, therefore, was it to 
 me, when fitting one day in my chamber alone, con- 
 templating on the perfections of my dear Lorenzo, my 
 father entered, and informed me what I have been jufl 
 now relating ! I knew him pofitivein all his refoluticns, 
 and he expreffed this on the account of the obligations 
 he had to the count, and the honour our family would 
 receive in an alliance with him, with an unufual 
 warmth, and arbitrary air : I durft not utter the leaft 
 fyllable in oppoiition to what he faid, but he favv enough 
 in my countenance to make him know I was extremely 
 diflatisfied at it. What ! cried he, is it with frowns and 
 .downcaft eyes that you receive the news of fuch a blef- 
 ling? Throw off fo perverfe a fullennefs, and prepare to 
 treat the count, who will be here this night, with that 
 refpeft and gratitude which his fervices demand from 
 my family ; or refolve to be no more a part of it, but an 
 alien for ever from my name and favour. Nothing can 
 b ore certain, had I confeiTed the impoflibiiity 
 
 there
 
 I K Y. 173- 
 
 there was for me' to return the count's affection, and the 
 obligaiionsl had laid myfeif under to Lorenzo, than that 
 the friendihip he had for the former of them would have 
 raifed his indignation to the utrnoic violence ;;g,ii-.iit me ; 
 and fear at that time getting the better of my love, I 
 fell at his feet, entreating his forglvenefs, and afiliriag 
 him of a perfeil obedience; at \vh:ca lie appeared >.- 
 tisfiv-d. But ean'iy perceiving I was far from b.'hig {V, ia 
 reality, he left ir.e to :r;yiHf, believing that die belt way 
 to calm the diforders of my foul, and make it fit to receive 
 the imprefiion hedefired. But Oh ! when at liberty to 
 give a loofe to thought and to reflection, Heaven only 
 knows the agonies I fuftained ; the idea of my dear Lo- 
 renzo, his paffionate afTcftion, the folemn contraclt we 
 had made, the reiterated vows by which it was con- 
 firmed, came frefh into my mind, and made me for 
 fome moments refolve to endure all things, rather than 
 make this double frcrifice of my love and faith: but 
 then my father's po-.vcr, the fear of being turned out a 
 'beggar, and the poffibility that, ii\ fuch a difgraced and 
 diftrefsfal ftate, Lorenzo, for whofe fake I mould be- 
 come fo, might alfo abandon me ; the miferies of po- 
 verty, and the unnitying world's contempt and cenfure, 
 'glared on my terrified imagination, and worked fo far 
 on the timoroufnefs of my nature, as to counterbalance 
 all that the fofter paflion could fuggeft, and even ab- 
 folve my breach of vow. Long did I ftruggle in this 
 painful conflict, and, wholly unable to determine to 
 which of the prevailing dictates I ilioald yield, at la ft 
 a medium prefented itielf, which flattered me with forne 
 hope of evading the wretchednefs I feared, in fuiTerin^ 
 myfeif to be overcome by either ; it was to difi'ernble a 
 contentment in the count's addrefi'e^ ; and, by ieeming 
 not to oppofe my father's will, gain time and opportu- 
 nity to difappoint it totally. When the count came, I 
 treated him with that refpeft which was due to his qua- 
 lity, and the obligations we had received from him; 
 nor did he expect more at his firfl vifit iVom a maid of 
 13 my
 
 174 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 my years; in thofe he afterwards made me, I difcovered 
 him to be mailer of fo many perfections, that though my 
 vcw and inclinatior.s hound me to Lorenzo, I cou'd 
 not hc.'p thinking, that I might have been infinitely 
 hnppy in fiich a hulband. In a word, I had all the 
 euccm and friendfhip for him that one can have for th.e 
 inert nmiable and defervirg brother : but this was not 
 that fort of aiFeftion he uilhed to infpire rne with, and 
 Jie could not forbear complaining of my coldnefs, in 
 terms the moft moving that love and wit could form. 
 A thcufand times have I been abcut to let him into, the 
 fccrct of my foul, and generoufiy confefs, that I had 
 un.wr.rily beilowed my he;.rt and faith before I knew 
 the horour he intended me; had I dene ib, I might have 
 fuved that dreadful fcene which too fcon enfued. But 
 fhr.rnp , and the fear of being cxpofed to the indignation 
 of my father, or rather my ill genius, would not fufFer 
 rr.e to make this declaration, which alone could have 
 been of fervice. For often fince has count Caprera pro- 
 tefVd to ir.e in the moft folemn manner, that had he 
 known the true ftate of my heart, he would have de- 
 filed hip fu't, and chcfe rather to have been unhappy 
 h'mfclf, th;.n have made me fo by an enforced mar- 
 rbg?. But :.e, alas! was fir from gueffing at the 
 tru:h, nor had I power to irfcrm him. But it was not 
 fc \vi h my father. He had intelligence of the private 
 meetings I I'.ill had with Lorenzo, and doubted not but 
 it was the violence of my afFeftion for him, that made 
 m,e receive the adurefles of the count with fo little plea- 
 fure. I had till now prevailed on him to defer our mar- 
 riage, under the pretence that time might make me en- 
 ter into it with lefs reluctance. But he was no longer to 
 be jut off by thefe excuf s; he bitw too well my fecret, 
 and was reiblved to difappoiut whatever intentions I 
 n.ight have in favour of my paluo". Coming one morn.- 
 i ig into my chamber with a flernnefs in his air and 
 countenance, which, before he fpoke, gave me to un- 
 deritand feme part of my mhfor.ane : Anzkna, faid
 
 E N CLU I R Y. 175 
 
 he, ycur tears, and pretended averfibn for marriage, 
 . have hitherto perfuaded me to delay .the performance erf 
 that promife I long fince made to count Caprera ; but I 
 am now too well informed of the reafons which have 
 made you blind to that happinefs Heaven offers you in 
 a hufband of his quality and merit, and am determined 
 that this day fhall be the laft of your continuing in a 
 virgin ftate; or if you refufe to obey me, of being called 
 my daughter. Chufe, therefore, either to be the molt 
 fortunate and envied woman ia Venice by marrying 
 with this nobleman, or quit my houfe, my name, and 
 fight for ever, and become the molt accurll, abandoned, 
 defpifed, and v/retched of your fex. It was to no pur- 
 pofe that I threw myfelf at his feet, entreated, wept, 
 almoit died before him. No rocks were more im move - 
 able than his relentlcfs brcalt ; nor could all my pray- 
 ers, my tears, my fwoonings, obtain even one dr.y 
 more : as foon as he was goac out of the room, I fent 
 my woman, who was privy to my moil fecret thought , 
 in fearch of Lorenzo, to whom I ordered her to relate 
 the whole truth of what had paffed ; refolving, if he 
 gave any encouragement to my elopement, to leave my 
 father's houf?, and dare all the miferies lie had threa- 
 tened me with, rather than become falfe to my love and 
 vows; but, unfortunately for both, he was gone that 
 imrn'nT; to the houfe of a relation, who lived at a good 
 diftance from Venice, and had fent for him on fome extra- 
 ordinary bufinefs. What could I now do? Towhom could 
 I have recourfc ? or what fecurity for protection from the 
 infults of a barbarous world ? Much had I heard of th 
 incouflancy and thanklefsnefs of faithlefs men, and how 
 could I be fure Lorenzo was not one of theft? That 
 peace of mind which I muft forfeit in marrying with the 
 count, I looked on as a trifle, when compared with th* 
 lofs of my reputation, and the want of the neceiTaries of 
 life : and as for the faith I had vowed to Lorenzo, I 
 doubted not but the neceflity I was under would e.v- 
 cufe me from a breach of it. I loved the one indeed 
 I 4 witk
 
 176 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 with nn unquenchable atTecYion, and had but 'a bare 
 c^ceem for the other ; it was therefore the utmoft vio- 
 lence t;o my inclinations, even but to think of comply- 
 ing v/ith my father's commands; but as I could forc- 
 iee nothing but rnifery in refufmg, I was at laft deter- 
 mine^ to do as he would have me ; and to that end 
 fent my woman to him, hearing he was in his clofet, to 
 let him know I was ready to obey him. But, alas ! 
 fhe was no fooner departed with the mefTage, than the 
 idea cf that dear loved youth rofc with its charms in my 
 tormented foul, upbraiding me with perjury and ingra- 
 titude, levity and cowardice of nature ; methought I 
 fr.w him dying with defpair, and crying out to Heaven 
 to revenge his wrongs. Fully ..pofleft with this imagi- 
 nation, 1 was about to call mv woman back, and, true ta 
 Jove, defj.ife all ether ills: as I was riiing from my chair 
 with this intention, n book fell from the fhelf ; fome 
 t hr-pp cure! to {mike it juil upon my head ; which 
 opening, I fav/liud the title of L'l'nconftance d'Amour^ 
 a little French novel, which I remembered to have read 
 fome time before, and that it contained feveral little 
 iiiilories of the ingratitude of mankind, and the little 
 they thought themfelves obliged, even/rom the greateit 
 conclefceniions our fex could make : I looked on this ac- 
 cident as r, kind of warning to me, not to trail too much 
 to their honour, and inflcad of pur'fuing my defign, be- 
 gan to read in it; where the rlrftftory I happened to cafi 
 my eyes on, WAS a kind of parallel with my own ; u 
 being of a young lady who had forfook her father, 
 friends and country, for the .dear fake of love ; yet had 
 no focner reduced herfelf to that extremity which the 
 want of them mull infallibly draw on, than the ungrate- 
 ful wretch, for whom Ine was become thus rnifcruble, 
 told her, he was ferry for what had befallen her, that 
 he would be her friend as far as a few pieces, or rdve 
 her a character to get a fervice if fhe were difpofed to 
 accept cf one; but fhe could not expedl he,would marry 
 a we man. in tier circ.umiUuces,. Jkcivc-us ! cried I, as J
 
 E N Ct U I R Y. 177 
 
 was- reading, fhould Lorenzo be of this humour, what 
 an extravagance of wretchednefs would be rny portion, 
 (and why faould I hope a better fate?) who pretends to 
 love, but favs and Avears as much as heh^s done ? But 
 put the cafe, continued I, after a little reflection, that 
 he fhould excel his f?x as much in honour, as he does in 
 all perfonal perfections; what happinefs could there be 
 in fuch a Mate of obligation and dependance? Would 
 not his friends and kindred be perpetually upbraiding 
 him, that he had married a woman without any other 
 dowry than her. love ? Would not 'my clothes, nay my 
 very meat, be cavilled at, as too extravagant ? lean- 
 net Lear the thf.'.crht, cried I again, and will purfue 
 my refolution. It is roafon bids me, and all the foft- 
 ening follies of my inclinations fly before his force. I 
 v.-.'cS ;!u-.i debating \vitHn myfelf, when my woman re- 
 turned, and told me, my father was infinitely pleafed 
 with iny return to duty, and had fent me, t& grace^the 
 ceremoi.y he was preparing :o folernnize that night, a 
 . firing of diamonds for my neck, of a vaft largencft, 
 and the rcoft glorious luftre I had ever feen. I was all 
 my life a great odrnirer of fine things; and as it was 
 merely the fear of being obliged to live without them, - 
 that had made me yield to marry the count; fo this 
 addition to thofe jny father's indulgence had before 
 bellowed on me, greatly lengthened me in that refo- 
 . IritiCn. To rn::ke it yet more firm, the count fent me ' 
 by hi'; gentleman a bracelet of pearl, which an ancestor 
 of h 13 had t.'.ken from the Turk?,, and was the mcil: 
 orient acd ridv.'.l of any in the republic. To add to all 
 thefc b;ats, fcvcral relatiort, v/hom my father had in- 
 vited to be prei'cnt at the marriage, feemecl, the whole 
 day, each to endeavour to outvie .the other in praifmg 
 coin!: Cape.ra. '.'~'.s rf b"!v.ivlour, 
 
 'racc- 
 
 fl:!ncfi pf* h:. - . . -e;-- 
 
 rol'ty, i is i 
 
 fufllS- Of EttOnC til::...: '...'' I 1 , (if.
 
 i 7 8 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 were the only topicks of converfation ; and all agreed, 
 that I could not but be extremely bleil in fuch a hufband. 
 Betwixt the variety of company and difcourfe, my fpirhs 
 were fo much hurried, that I had no leifure for reflec- 
 tion ; and Lorenzo was either not remembered, or in 
 fuch a manner as to be no hindrance to the complet- 
 ing the wifhes of his rival. We were married about 
 eigLt at night by my father's chaplain, and after a 
 magnificent eolation put to bed. But here, what the 
 noife and bufile of the day repelled, the filence of the 
 night called ba : k; not Cap-era, bur Lorenzo, was now 
 the fubjecl: of my meditations, and it was in vain that 
 that obliging hufband repeated the vow he had given 
 before the prieft in a more foft and endearing manner, 
 thi.n thofe who had the ordering of the ceremony had 
 ever tendernefs enough to form; the abfent lover took 
 up all my thoughts ; and that reluctance with which I 
 fuffered his embraces, was not, as he then imagined, 
 c wing *o a virgin bafhfulnefs, but to the ardency of my 
 wifhes for another. I now found that love had not loft 
 the leaft ground in my heart, and having but by the 
 extremity of my fear, been compelled a while to fcreen 
 its influence, thofe fears removed, blazed out again; 
 wi-.h the fame violence as ever. Never was there a mor? 
 unhafpv bride. The night I paft in tears, and early in, 
 the mcrning I forfook my bed, in fpite of the count's 
 en.'eav, urs to detain mr ; and going into my clcf~iwi.Ji 
 r..y ;..vcttir!te woman, ch.'burtnened fome part of the 
 heavy ^nguiih of my foul in complaints : fain would I 
 have \v itien to Lorenzo, to acquaint him with what, 
 I had be en compelled to do, and entreat his parcon for 
 n y b;e:.ch of vow; but could not venture to do it while 
 he remained nt fo great a tliftance, not thinking it f-ife- 
 to truft a letter of that confequence to the poft. With 
 the litmolj impatience I longed for his return, flattering 
 rr.yfelf that I fhculd be more at eafe, when he fhould let 
 me knew he hrid fore iven rry h voluntary crime. In 
 unbecoming the character of a \vif>, 
 though.
 
 N QJJ i R Y. 179 
 
 though then I thought them innocent, did I linger out 
 the days of his abfence; the count and my father omit- 
 ting nothing which they thought might bring me into 
 a better humour; though the latter of them, whenever 
 he was alone, did not, fail to tell me, that he was not 
 unacquainted with the motive of my difgult, and that 
 if balfams failed to work, corrofives hereafter fhouid be 
 applied. But neither threats nor perfuafions were of 
 any eiTeft to make me alter my manner of behaviour ; 
 and it is moft certain, that had not the count loved me 
 to a very great degree of tendernefs, he muft have hated 
 and defpifed me for my ingratitude, and forge tfuln~s 
 of the itati'on to which he had raifed me. 
 
 At length my fatal wifhes had fucccfs, Lorenzo re- 
 turned to Venice ; which I no fooner was informed of, 
 then I fent my coniidante to him with a letter whicfs 
 contained thefe lines. 
 
 " IT is needlefs to tell yon, that I have put count 
 " Caprera in pofTeffion of that title which ought only to 
 " be yours. 1 doubt not but you are already fulEi- 
 tf ciently infomedof my feeming guilt ; but of my real 
 " innocence you are not, you cannot yet be fenfible. 
 " You know not with what feverities I was threatened 
 " by a barbarous and inexorable father, nor can you 
 " guefs how terrible was the conilifll endured betwixt 
 " love and duty; be allured, you never were dearer 
 ' than at that moment when- 1 gave myfdf for ever 
 " from you, nor can the name of Caprera make any 
 " change in my fentimeuts ; I am Anziana IH'l. Fate, 
 " cruel fate, has difpoied my perfon t& another, but 
 " the better part of me, my foul, is ever yours. Oh! 
 " then forgive what it was impoluble to avoid, with- 
 " out being driven to extremities, fuch as would have 
 " made me defpair of retaining your affections, the 
 *' only thing I ever hoped, the oniy thing I ever feared ; 
 " yes, you mult pardon me, mult pity, and muft love 
 " me too ; no* can 1 think that vvifh a crime again ft; 
 16 " him
 
 iSo THE FRUITLESS 
 
 " him to whom compulsion, not inclination, gave my 
 " hand ; but were it fo, it is here excufed by the ne- 
 " ceflity. I have been fo much accuftomed to proofs of 
 " your affeclion, that they make a part of my life, and 
 " when they ceafe, the other muft infallibly be at an 
 " end: I believe it nutimpoJible to contrive a.meeting 
 " with you ; if fo, I charge you, do not fail to come. 
 ".I am uiitracted till I fee you, and receive that con- 
 " folation in my misfortunes, which it is in your power 
 " to afford to the unhappy, but not inconftant 
 
 " ANZIANA. 
 
 " P. S. Write to "me by the bearer, coniiderop- 
 " portunines of this kind arc now become fcarce ; and 
 " if you can think of any means to fee me, more eafy 
 " to be accomplifhed than I have yet been able to hit 
 " upon, communicate them to this faithful girl, who 
 " knows, as well as I, the reftraint I labour under, not 
 " by the x obfervance of a hufband, but a jealous father.'* 
 
 I ought to blufti, continued Anziana, in repeating 
 to you the contents of this letter, which are indeed of 
 fuch a nature, as might make the lealt cenibrious be- 
 lieve, I had a meaning in them very different from that 
 virtue I profefs ; but I proteil to you, with the fame 
 finccrity as I mall anfwer Heaven, that I was wholly 
 free from any thought of ill ; I longed indeed to fee 
 him ; I paffionately defiredthat he would continue to love 
 me ; and how far I might have been prevailed on by that 
 defire and his entreaty, had I been permitted to in- 
 dulge it in frequent converfations with him, I cannot, 
 dare not to anfwer ; but fate thought it fufficient to 
 make me miferable without rendering me vicious alfo, 
 and contente,! with the facrifice I had made of my peace, 
 fufTcred me not to refign my virtue. 
 
 He received my letter net with the tranfports of rage 
 which lexpecled ; and whatever difcontents the news 
 of my marriage had occafioncdj they were more than 
 
 balanced
 
 E N U I R Y. 
 
 balanced by the pleafure he took in the willingnefs I 
 exprell of continuing a correfpondence with him. The 
 perfon whom I fent to him was a womau of an exceller.r 
 penetration ; and fhe affured me, in terms as plain as 
 the ftation fhe was in would permit her to do to a miflre ; , 
 that Lorenzo was not that diiinterefted lover we had 
 beiieved him to be : fhe forbore, however, to exprcfs 
 what it was {he thought of him, till I had read his letter, 
 the contents whereof are written in my heart, and never 
 can be forgot ; they were in this manner : 
 
 " THOUGH I might juftly enough complain of 
 '* your want of faith in my repeated afiurances, that no 
 " change of circumftances ihould have the power to 
 " alter that indelible affeftion I had vowed ; yet to 
 " prove how much beyond my own I prize your in- 
 " tereft, I wilh you all the happinefs the marriage-bed 
 " can yield : nor do I envy Caprora the pofTelTion of your 
 " perfon, fince^you fo tranfpbrtingly affure me, that 
 " your heart is mine. You have been accuitorned to 
 " utter nothing but facred truth ; if this is fo, I fliould 
 " be the moil unreafonable and ungrateful of my fex, 
 " not to be highly fatisfied with my condition; for 
 " what may not the happy he, who rules the heart, 
 " command ! I have been talking to your obliging 
 " meflenger, and me thinks it not impoffible that I 
 " might be admitted into your own houfe late at 
 '* night, when all the family are in bed; you pre- 
 " tending an indifpoiition, to avoid lying with the 
 " count - . I mention this method as ! he moil 
 " fafe one for your reputation ; for though, doubtltffs, 
 " either of us would be welcome alone at our ufcal 
 " rendezvous; yet as you know they are people of a 
 " fcrupulous virtue, and we ufed to meet on othe/ terms 
 " than now we can bs fuppofed to do, they might think 
 *' the liberty they allowed me with Anziana aTault, if 
 " indulged v/ith the wife cf count Caprera : it will be 
 " juit the fame, if feen together in any other place. I 
 
 " fee
 
 i8z THE FRUITLESS 
 
 " fee no hazard of difcovery at your own houfe ; but 
 " if by any unexpected means fuch a misfortune mould 
 " arrive, be uflunfd of my inviolable integrity, and that 
 " I would fooncr lofe my life than confefs I came thither 
 " with ycur knowledge ; or had any entertainment from 
 " you, but fuch as drove me to defpair. I would have 
 " you confider of it, however ; and if you approve of 
 " this proceeding, let me know the time and hour 
 " when I may hope to feize my Own, and triumph over 
 *' him, who has but by force made himfelf mailer of 
 '* the right of 
 
 " The ever faithful, and 
 
 " pafiionately devoted 
 
 " LORENZO. 
 
 " P. S. Yon mufl extremely wrong the pafiion you 
 " have infpired, if you believe not I ihall attend a 
 " fecond mandate with the extreme!! impatience. Re- 
 " member that it is your part, not mine, to pity ; and 
 " I expesfl you to mow a bright example, hew much 
 " you dare for love and gratitude." 
 
 It is irapofiible to exprefs what it was I felt at read- 
 ing this letter ; never had 1 before experienced fuch an 
 artonifhment ; fuch a ihock. ---What means he, cried I 
 out, as foon as J came to the conclufion, by integrity, 
 feizing his own, and triumphing over him who by 
 force is become mailer of his right ? He talks as if I 
 had invited him to wrong the count, and had no other 
 notion of continuing a converfation with him, than to 
 carry on a fhameful intrigue. Heaven ! how have I 
 been deceived in the difpofition of this man ! 1 thought 
 he loved me with fo pure a flame, that fenfual enjoy- 
 ment never was thought on by him ; but now I find his 
 wimes had no other aim ; and flattered by , the miilaken 
 kindnefs of my letter, he imagines there wants only aa 
 opportunity to gratify them ; and believes I am a praf- 
 titute in my nature, and that the vileit pniiion has 
 
 dominion
 
 E N QJLJ I R r. ifj 
 
 dominion over my foul. I could not, for fome time, 
 enough compofe myfclf, to hear what my woman had 
 to fay ; but when me fpoke, it was as I before informed 
 you ; and intimating, that he expe&ed nothing lefs 
 than to poflefs me with the fame freedom, as he would 
 have been allowed to do, were he in count Caprera's 
 place, I was in the utmoft rageNvith myfelf, for having 
 written in a manner to give room for fuch a thought : 
 but as my defigns- were wholly innocent, and meant no 
 more than to convert the love we had bore e?.ch other 
 into as ardent a friendfliip, 1 was aihamed to think I had 
 fo mujh tenclernefs for a man of fo low aad groveling 
 a foul, and who now appeared to know no more of love 
 than the meanefl part of it, that which the difference of 
 fex excites. I defpifed him fo heartily, that I know not 
 if what I felt for him, for fome moments, might not 
 be called loathing :. my woman, ever faithful to my in- 
 tereit and fame, failed not to fay every thing in her- 
 power to heighten this dilguft ; fain would flic have per- 
 fuaded me to fend to himno more ; or if I did, to write 
 in fuch a manner as mould convince him of the error he 
 had been in, and make him amamedever to fee me more- 
 Bat this advice did not relifh with me, I Hill perfifted 
 in my intention of feeing him ; whatever hazard I ran j 
 1 fancied I could make a profely te of him ; and was 
 pleafed to think, how great a glcry it would be to con- 
 vert this grofs and foocy flane into one all pure and 
 elemental. The love of fouls I aimed io infpire, that 
 fo we might enjoy a noble, diunterefted, and platonrc 
 friendfhip. This, as far as I can be judge of my own 
 heart, was my defign ; how far it would nave fucceed- 
 ed, Heaven only knows, for I was, in a fatal manner, 
 prevented from m.iking the experiment. But to pro- 
 ceed gradually with' my flory, after the confideration of 
 about a week, I writ to him in thcfe terms: 
 
 " That I anf.vered yours no fooner, was owing to the 
 ie uncertainty 1 was ia a . in what manner I fhould do it; 
 
 11 and.
 
 134 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 *' and I know not, if Virtue will not be offended, that 
 " I hold any correfpondence with a man, v/hofe defigns 
 " appear to be fo much the reverfe of thofe infpired by 
 " her. For Heaven's fake, what has emboldened you 
 " to hope, from the wife of count Caprera, what you 
 " never dared to afk from Anziana ? If judging of your 
 " innocence by my own, I defired the continuance of 
 " your friendlhip ; which of my part actions have given 
 " you caufe to make fo vile a contraction of my mean- 
 " ing? How could you dare fufpect me guilty of a 
 " diihonourable thought? I told you, indeed, that I 
 *' wa* ftill your lover, but it was with fuch a kind of 
 '' love that I regarded you, as angels pay to each other 
 " in the realms of blifs ; all pure and intellectual, free 
 " from all grofs defires or earthly appetite. If I look 
 " on the breach of my vow to you as a crime, which, 
 " though enforced, requires my whole life's penitence 
 " to atone ; ho\v can you think I would voluntarily 
 *' violate that I have made to. count Caprera before the 
 " hclyprieit? Such love as a chafte brother may to a 
 " filler give, I (hall rejoice to find from you ; and fuch, 
 " and no other, can I pay to you. If you think this 
 " worthy your acceptance, and that we can converfe to- 
 " gether in fuch a manner as to have nothing to ap- 
 " prehend from bur own confciences, \ve fhall be the 
 " better enabled to contemn what the \vu/ld may fay 
 " of us, mould cur convcrfation be difcovcred; though 
 " not to give occasion for cenfure, I will contrive 
 " to keep it as private as poilible. Send me word, 
 " after you have well examined the nature of your de- 
 " fires, if you can reftrain them within the limits I- 
 " prefcribe, and you fhall fee with v/hat /peed I will 
 " meet the lover of my foul. But endeavour not to 
 <f deceive ycurfelf or me; pretend not to be what you 
 " are not, nor imagine I do fo ; or that I am, cr ever 
 " will be, one Hep beyond v/hat honour will permit, 
 ** Your lover, or your friend, 
 
 " AN 7.1 AN A. 
 
 ' P. S. Burn
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 185 
 
 "P. S. Burn my letters, as I do yours the mo- 
 " mcnt I receive them ; but lay the contents "of this 
 " up in your heart; that if you fwerve in any point 
 r< from the injunction it lays you under, you. may -not 
 " plead forgetfulnefs. Adieu ! As you perfevere in 
 " virtue you iliall continue to be dear to me." 
 
 Fool that I was, and vain of the power of my own 
 porfuaiion, I doubted not but this letter would make a 
 convert of him, and longed for my mefienger's ; 
 which I was perfectly allured in my mind would bring 
 me an aniwer fuch as I wifhed ; nor was I greatly de- 
 ceived : he had too much of the artifice of his fex in 
 him to contradict what I laid, till he had an oppor- 
 tunity to benefit himfelf by it ; at leaft I judge fo by 
 what I have fince been told : the contents of what he 
 wrote ran thus : 
 
 " VIRTUE, fair angel! has many branches, nor 
 " is chaftity always the moit Ihining one it bears 5 
 4< gratitude and companion are allowed to be the prime- 
 " graces of humanity ; and when oppofed to thefe* 
 " the other degenerates to a vice. Is it to be of a 
 " piece with Heaven, to deilroy the man who adores 
 '" you, to inflict curfes where blefiings are implored, 
 " and be cruel to a wretch who throws himfelf upon 
 " your mercy? Oh confider, Anziana ! nor let a too 
 " ftricl adherence to one virtue make you become 
 " guilty of injuring all the others. Even juftice too 
 " you forfeit, fince you were mine before you were 
 '* Caprera's : how often, dear perjured beauty! have 
 "you called Heaven and every faint to witnefs, 
 " that you never would be another's ! and if com- 
 " pelled by arbitrary power to fallify thofe vows, 
 " muft you alfo join in the wrong'?' You might' be 
 " forced into the arms of the count, but by your 
 " own will are .only debarred from mine. I foli- 
 " cit you, therefore, not to an ad of Ihame, but 
 
 " juftice ^
 
 i?6 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 " juftice : I will, however, infift no further on this 
 " theme till I have the bleffing of your prcfence ; if 
 ." what I have then to f.iy proves ineffectual, I will be 
 " dumb ftir ever on it. On this you may depend, 
 " that I lhall never have recourfe to violence ; and if 
 " unable to convince you, that what I aflc is not a 
 " crime to grant, would not receive it on any terms, 
 " which, to reflecl on hereafter, might give you dif- 
 " content, or the leaft (hadow of removfe. Believe 
 " me, that your peace of mind is of infinite more 
 *' value to me than my own ; and that if it can be 
 " preferved by no other means, than relinquishing 
 " thufe hopes to wliich our contraft had given me a 
 " pretence, will make a iacrifice of them, and confine 
 " myfelf hereafter to the bounds you fet, however 
 *' painful or fatal they may prove. You are the 
 " miftrefs of my foul ; ail its faculties are at your de- 
 " votion, and to be directed by you ; difpofe, there- 
 " fore, as you pleafe, of 
 
 " Your ever faithful 
 
 " And moft obedient flave, 
 
 " LORENZO." 
 
 Though the beginning of this letter gave me fome 
 uneannefs, the latter part of it entirely diflipated it ; 
 and I refted aflured, that he would be indeed as con- 
 formable to my will as he had promifed, and refolved 
 to give him a meeting as foon as I could contrive 
 the means. I confidered on what he had propofed, and 
 -I found nothing in it but what was fafe enough ; but 
 the tendernefs the count had for me would not fuffer it 
 to fucceed ; for when I feigned an indifpofirion, and 
 clefired to fieep in my own bed, that indulgent huiband 
 would needs quit his alfo, and watch by me : but a 
 fmall time prefented me with an opportunity more 
 ample than I could have hoped. Some diftarbance 
 happening among the tenants on our Irnd in the coun- 
 try, my father was obliged to go thither in p r&n ; 
 
 he
 
 E N Q^U I R Y. 187 
 
 he defired count Caprera to accompany him, believing 
 his prefence, who in the right of me was to be their 
 future lord, might be of feivice on this occaficn. He 
 would not refufe my father, and thinking the journey 
 might be too great a fatigue to me, being then great 
 with child, they departed, and I was left at full liberty 
 to do as I pleafed. They had no fooner left the houfe, 
 than I to?k pen and paper, and wrote to Lorenzo in 
 thefe terms : 
 
 "THE long-wifhed moment is at lafl arrived ; my 
 *' father and hufoand, thofe diligent obfervers of my 
 " every action, are boih removed ; and before they can 
 " return, I mall have many opportunities to perfect the 
 " work I have begun. This night, about twelve, 
 " the family will be all in bed, all but myfelf and 
 *' faithful maid, who will attend to admit you. Re- 
 " member the conditions on which I grant this liberty, 
 " and give me no caufe, as you fay, hereafter to re- 
 " pent my condefcenfion. Yours, 
 
 " ANZIANA. 
 
 " P. S. A gentle rap againft the window-Pautter 
 " fhall be the iign ; take care that there are no paf- 
 " fengers in the ftreet when you make it. 'Till then, 
 " farewell." 
 
 I difpatched my woman with this, with a hafle 3i>d 
 impatience which was not ufual with me ; and might, 
 therefore, have ferved as an omen of its fatality, had 
 J been capable of reflecting on it. She difcharged her 
 truft with her ordinary fidelity, and was returning to 
 me with an anfwer, when 'my father and the count, 
 having met with fome company in the ftreet, which 
 had delayed their taking horfe, were juft paffing by 
 the houfe of Lorenzo, that ill-ftarred moment /is me 
 c^me out of it. The former of them knowing well who 
 it was that d \velt there, and fired with a jealoufy of the 
 
 honour
 
 i88 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 hcncur of his family, catched hold of her, and bid 
 her make no difturbance, but go along with him. The 
 terror and fhrprize (he was in would not fulTer her to 
 have prefence enough of mind to form any excufe, if 
 there had been a pofiibility of making one for fuch a 
 vint ; and a. houfe being near, over the m :; 
 v/hich my father had an influence, he thruii her in : 
 my hufband follov/ed, but \vas too much overwhelmed 
 with wonder to afk the-meaning of what he faw, 'till 
 iny father eafed him of it, by calling the poor trem- 
 bling wench all the opprobrious names his fury could 
 invent; fuch as the bawd of her miilrefs's fhame, and 
 witnefs of her difhonour ; and not doubting but me 
 had fome letter about her, fearching for it, he im- 
 mediately found one in her bofom, which contained 
 enough to make him imagine himfelf confirmed in the 
 truth of what he feared. 1 have had it too often re- 
 peated to be capable of forgetting it j the words were 
 thefe : 
 
 *' TO go about to inform you of the raptures with 
 " which I received yours, would be as vain anendeavour 
 " as it is to reprefent my impatience for that dear hour, 
 " which is to put me in poffeffion of a blcfung I have fo 
 " long languifned for. To think that I ihall i 
 " ziana again, and be permitted to converfe with her 
 " as I have done when no curit ties made lir ano- 
 " ther's right, is fuch a profufion, fuch an .extrava- 
 " gance of delight, as is alrnoft fatal to rne ; and I 
 " have fcarce breath to fpeak my thank;. But cur kind 
 " confidante, who fees my tranfports, will be el . 
 " able to rmke a defcription of them, than all I cau 
 " fay. Depend on every thing, thou fovereign of my 
 " foul ! that you would wiih to hnd in 
 
 " The moil faithful, and moft 
 
 " obfequious of mankind, 
 
 " LORENZO." 
 
 Thii
 
 E N C^U I R Y. i8 g 
 
 This did my fisher read aloud to the count ; and 
 by what I have told you of his paffion for me, it is cafy 
 for you to guefs into what an excefs of jealous rage it . 
 mult tranfpqrt him. There was all the room in the 
 world fer him 10 believe I was carrying on an intrigue, 
 the moft dimonourable that could he ; he knew not the 
 conditions on which I had confented to admit him ; 
 and 1 cannot, without being guilty of partiality, but 
 confcfs that there was a warmth in this letter, which - 
 had no affinity with platonic love. It is difficult to 
 fay, whether my father or huflband were now moft in-, 
 cenfed againfl me, or which formed the moil cruel 
 flratagems of revenge on him by whom they imagined 
 the.mfelves injured and affronted ; but between them, 
 there v.as one contrived, which I know not if any age 
 can parallel, and I am fure none can exceed : They 
 ordered my woman to be fail bound, and locked in an 
 upper room ; having firft, with their drawn daggers at 
 her throat, compelled her to write a billet to me, con- 
 taining thefe lines : 
 
 " AN accident, fuch as will take up more time 
 " than I can now afford to relate, takes me from the 
 " honour of your fervice. It may be long before I 
 " enjoy the happinefs of returning. I fend this, there - 
 " fore, to let you know, I delivered the letter you 
 " entrufted me with, fafe into the hands of Signior 
 " Lorenzo, who cannot enjoy the bleffing you would 
 " beflow on him ; this night being, as he fays, obliged 
 " to attend the iffue of an affair on which his life de- 
 " pends. I wifh you could be able to forget him 
 " entirely, or think on him but as a man unworthy of 
 " your favour. I am, with all refped and duty, 
 " Your Ladyfhip's 
 
 ff moft devoted and faithful fervant, 
 
 " LAWH.ANA." 
 
 It
 
 >9 o T H E F R U'l T L E S S 
 
 It was to no purpofe that this poor creature attefted 
 my innocence, by all the aflevemtions Ihe was capable 
 of m.iking ; it appeared evident to them, that if I had 
 not already been guilty in faft, I intended to be fo that 
 night; and therefore leaving her in the houfe where 
 they h-i<l firft carried her, they went to the place where 
 their attendants waited with the horfes ; they ordered 
 them to purfue their journey, telling them, they would 
 overtake them the next day. This being done, they 
 concealed themfelves in the fldrts of the town where 
 they were not known, till the approach of night ; when, 
 difguifed and muffled in their cloaks, they returned, 
 and waited at the end of a back lane, through which 
 they knew Lorenzo muft be obliged to pafs ; and as 
 foon as they faw him, without giving him the leaft 
 warning of his fate, plunged both their daggers in his 
 breaft, on which he immediately fell : the place being 
 extremely private, gave them no apprehenfions of any 
 perfbn coming along, and they tarried by the dead 
 body, till fome men, whom they had ordered at that 
 hour, came and joined them, and carried it to the hcufe 
 of a furgeon, who had been brought up in the family 
 of count Caprera, and was entirely at his devotion. 
 Revenge not fatiated even with the death of the fup- 
 pofed offender, this cruel hufband and father purfued 
 it farther yet, denying the rites of burial to the lifelefs 
 b;>nes, which they ordered to be clean fcraped, and 
 difrobed of all their item, and then fet up in the manner 
 you fee. For that, oh Miramillia! continued flie, point- 
 ing to the anatomy, that dreadful fpeftacle was the once 
 gay, admired Lorenzo. 
 
 Here the burfting grief broke in a fecond time on her 
 difcourfe, and (he was compelled to give fome time to 
 it before fhc could proceed ; which at laft Ihe did in 
 thefc words : 
 
 Little was. I capable of guefiing what had happened, 
 yet was 1 feized with a ftrange diforder at the receipt of 
 Lawrana'* billet; and when afterward I was told by 
 
 fbir.e,
 
 E N Q_U I R Y. 191 
 
 foms, who little imagined how nearly I was interefted 
 in the news, that Lorenzo was abfconded none kne\r 
 where, I was not without feeling feme jealous p:mgs : 
 it entered into my head, that my woman had fubverted 
 me in his eftecm ; and the remonl^rances me had daily 
 given me, not to indulge too far the tendrrnefs I had 
 for him, confirmed me in that opinion. The girl was 
 young, well bred, had a great deal of wit, and a more 
 than ordinary ihare of beauty ; and to have them both 
 miffing at the fame time, gave a kind of reafcn for 
 this conje&ure. The letter fhe had wrote to me, 
 took from me all fufpicion of the truth ; and it never 
 once came into my thoughts, that what had pafTed be- 
 tween us, had reached either my father or my hufband ; 
 but if it had, the letters which 1 received from them 
 every poft, would have difpelled fuch an imagination ; 
 both writing to me with a tenderncfs which I could 
 not have expected from them, had I believed they had 
 been fenf:ble of my conduft. It was, it feenis, the 
 advice of count Caprcra, that they mould diiTemble 
 with me in this manner, till the time of my delivery, 
 which now drew near, was arrived. At their return to 
 Venice, nothing could I read in either of their coun- 
 tenances, which could give me caufe to think they were 
 difpleafed with me ; and the indulgence they mewed me, 
 with the fuppofed infidelity of Lorenzo, by degrees 
 abating the paffion I had for him, I grew perfectly tran- 
 quil and eafy in my mind. Oh ! had I never been 
 undeceived, I had been happy; but the hour which 
 was to make me a mother being come, how prodigi- 
 oufly was J alarmed, when I faw my hufband and my 
 father enter the chamber, leading between them a 
 prieft, who had formerly been my confeflbr, but had 
 of late been abfent on a foreign vifitation : the women 
 being defired to withdraw into another room, he began 
 to talk to me of the duties of confeilion, and the little 
 hope there was of finding mercy at the eternal judg- 
 ment-feat, for any perfon who left this world without 
 
 having
 
 i 9 2 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 having firft received abfolution from thcfe whofe bufmefi 
 it was to give it ; which, as iie faid, could not be done 
 without revealing all the remembered tranfgrefTions of 
 our lives. You are now in a condition, continued he, 
 which brings death fo near you, that the eternal dart 
 hangs over your head, waiting -but the Almighty's 
 word to ftrike you to the center. Beware, then, that 
 you have not yet fome undifcovered fin which hangs 
 upon your confcience, nor let fhame, or fear of what 
 any mortal power can do, prevail on you to hide it. 
 Speak, and be forgiven ; or dying in filence, expccl no 
 mercy. He faid much more to the fame purpofe, I 
 being too much difortlered, between pain and wonder, 
 to reply ; but when by repeated abjurations urged to 
 fpeak, I affured him, that I had nothing to reveal, but 
 what 1 had already confeffed to him, who was my fpiri- 
 tual director. But that is not fufficient, cried my father 
 fternly ; a vaft eftate depends on the heir you are about 
 to bring into the world, and muft not be the portion of a 
 fpurious race ; anfwer with the fame truth, as you muft 
 do at that dread Tribunal, where, perhaps, you may in 
 a few moments appear, if it be to your hufccnd, count 
 Caprera, that the production- of this yet unborn ft 
 owing ; and if no other man has ever prevailed on the 
 weakness of your fex, rn prejudice cf your honour 
 and your vow. The furprize I had been in to what 
 this vifit tended, now gave way to an adequate rage, 
 when I found it was occafioned by jealoufy. What ! 
 cried I, am I fufpefted and taxed, in this cruel manner, 
 of a crime my foul abhors r Ungrateful man ! purfued 
 I, turning to the count, fince thoucouldft think mefalfe, 
 believe me ftili fo ; nor can I do lefs than inflift the 
 punifhment of doubt for fuch a wrong. So great was 
 my fury at that time, that I believe, though my father 
 protefted the women mould not come in to myaffiftance 
 till I had made a more pofitive anfwer to the queftion 
 propofed tome, I mould rather have chofen death, than 
 have given the fatisfadion they required, if the interelt 
 
 of
 
 E N QJJ TRY, 195 
 
 F my child, who they both Avore mould be an outcaft 
 as foon as born, had" not prevailed on me ; and I at 
 length gave my oath, that never had I yielded to the 
 rites of love but with the count my hulband. This 
 done, they left me, and the women were permitted to 
 come in ; but I was fo difordered with the late treatment 
 I had received, that it very much increafed the danger 
 of my condition, and my life was defpaired of by every 
 body in the room. I was, however, at lait delivered of 
 the cldeft of thofe fons you fee here : but never mother 
 kfs rejoiced in being fo. Inileadof the congratulations I 
 expected from a father and a hulband, and thofe obliging 
 tenderneffes for which women chearfully go through 
 that dreadful moment, mine regarded me but with 
 frowns, and fullen difcontent, civil to me but when 
 other company was prefent. It is certain, that what- 
 ever people may pretend, grief, without the affiftance of 
 fome other difeafe, will never kill; it may by degrees 
 cor- fume the fpirits, and decay the body, but not de- 
 ilroy it immediately, elfe had not I furvived the treat- 
 ment I then endured ; much lefs that which foon after 
 was my lot. The count, who to that fpirit of revenge, 
 which is natural to the Italians in general, had a more 
 than ordinary (hare of it in his compofition ; and though 
 he was now pretty well convinced I had not wronged 
 him in fact, was certain in his own mind, that I had 
 done fo in intention, and that the other alfo had not 
 been wanting, had it not been prevented by the death 
 of Lorenzo ; it was not in his power to inflift more on 
 him. I muft be the next, therefore, that felt the force 
 of his indignation ; and though the condition I had been 
 in, had till now prevented him from letting it loofe upon 
 me, now was the time to vent the long pent-up paffion 
 of his ftruggling foul, and fhewme, that all the love he 
 had borne me, was not fufficient to combat with the 
 -dictates of his more prevailing refentment. I was fcarce 
 able to go out of my chamber, when he told me, he 
 had a fpeclacle to prefent me with, which had formerly" 
 VOL. JL K afforded
 
 194 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 afforded me much fatisfaftion : and taking me by the 
 hand, led me to this clofet, where he had ordered the 
 bones of the unfortunate Lorenzo to be placed as they 
 ftill remain. Though I had no more than an indiftincl' 
 guefs at the dreadful truth ; yet an objeft fo aflonifhing, 
 ib fhocking, had almoft deprived me of my fenfes, 
 before I knew the caufes I had for grief. But when he 
 related the llory, and with a barbarous pleafure dwelt 
 on the cruel triumph be had gained, my fpirits, weakened 
 with pain and imvarddifcontent, were grown too weak to 
 fultain a difcevcry fo alarming ; and 1 fell motionlefs at 
 the feet of this vindictive hufband. He made ufe of 
 his utmoft endeavours, indeed, to recover me ; but 
 when he had, What exclamations did I not utter ? 
 What did I not fay of upbraiding and reproachful ? 
 How did now all my former tendernefs for Lorenzo re- 
 turn, and with what an extremity of deteftation look 
 upon his murderers ! The names of father and huiband 
 were too little to awe the prefent fury of my foul. A 
 thoufand times I cried out to them to compleat their 
 cruelty, and fend me to my dear Lorenzo ; nay, was 
 but with the greatert care ?.ad diligence prevented from 
 giving myfelf that death which they denied me. The 
 violence of my paiiion, I think, abated that of the 
 count's, and he began to treat- me with more mildnefs ; 
 and at laft to endeavour, by all the ways he could in- 
 vent, to alleviate my difcon tents ; but I refufed to liftcn 
 to any thing he fnid : and one time, when he was more 
 than ordinarily afliduous about me, I flung from him, 
 and throwing myfelf on the floor, made a folemn vow, 
 that fince he had brought Lorenzo to me, though not in 
 a condition to Icno-.v, or reward my conftancy, no day 
 of i'nv cnfaing life mould pafs, %vithout feme part of it 
 being {pent with him. For many months did I re f ufe 
 tirher to ilecp cr eat with the count, whom I never called 
 other title, than that of murderer, ruffian, and 
 1: fc i.iira-Tr.1 ; but paflior?, which rage with that violence 
 fcii.v. did, are feldom of long continuance. The ten- 
 
 dtrnefs
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 195 
 
 iernefs he now refumed for me, the penitence he now 
 cxpreft for what the impatience of his jealoufy had 
 made him aft, at length won me to forgive him, and 
 endeavour to compofe myfelf. It is now ten years fince 
 this affair happened, and time, as it decays all things, 
 has deprived my griefs cf their former poignancy. In 
 compliance with my vow, however, I devote an hour 
 every day to the memory of Lorenzo, in this recefs, 
 which is the repolitory of all that now remains of him. 
 Lawrapa was, fome time after the difcovery, releafed 
 of her confinement, and permitted to attend me as 
 formerly : me is very often my companion in this fad 
 employment, and we join the mournful accents of our 
 fi^hs for poor Lorenzo's fate. The decorum of the 
 world, the love I bear my children, whofe intereft it is 
 I mould live well with their father, oblige me to feign 
 a forgetfulnefs, as much as poffible, of what is paft ; 
 end the real tendernefs which I believe he now again 
 feels for me, makes him omit nothing which may in- 
 duce me to return it. Thus is the fecret of our mis- 
 fortune concealed from all who know us ; you are the 
 only perfon intruded with it, and I depend wholly oa 
 your honour for the preferving it. 
 
 Here Ihe ceaied : and the other, after afluring her 
 that ihe never would reveal one fyllableof what me had 
 faid, told her, fhe was amazed how Ihe could wear a 
 look of fo much ferenity, when it could not be but 
 that her heart mult be all confufion and diforder. 
 Cuitom, replied fne, renders all things ezfy ; even, 
 difiimulation, to which my nature was ever moii averfe, 
 by a long habitude 1 am now grown perfe& in ; befides, 
 it is no inccniidcrable lightening to the weight of my 
 afflictions, that I give a loofe to them in this clofet. 
 My mind, difburthened of the prefling anguifh by tha 
 vent I give it in tears, and in complainings here, hr-.s 
 fomething of an unafreclcd chearfulnefs when 1 I 
 this fcene of horror. You fee, therefore, Mir. 
 that there are woes in the world, of a nature in . 
 K a
 
 jg6 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 iuperior to thofe you labour under, and yet are undif- 
 covered even by the moft prying eyes. 
 
 They had forac farther confidcrations on this head, 
 .after which the forrowful mother took her leave, being 
 well convinced it was not from Anziana that fhe could 
 hope to retrieve her dear fon. At her return to her 
 o.vn habitation, fhe fet herfelf to think whom flie Ihould 
 aiext addrefs : and in a moment, running throogh the 
 .v/hole clafs of her aquaintance, fhe bethought her of 
 a lady, who had been married very young to a gentle- 
 3fnan fhe paflionately loved, and was as much beloved 
 by him ; but his relations being incenfed at the match, 
 had contrived by a ftratagem to fend him beyond feu, 
 Co a place where he could neither write to her, nor re- 
 ceive any letters from her. They were feparated for 
 many years ; but the perfon who occafioned it being 
 called to anfwer in another world for the cruelty and 
 anjuftice he had been guilty of in this, the bridegroom 
 was at lait returned to the longing arms of his faithful 
 wife. The joy of fuch a meeting, joined to an afflu- 
 ence of fortune, feemed to promife Miramillia what 
 me had been difappointed of in Anziana ; and as fhe 
 had been extremely intimate with her, and had com- 
 forted her in her afflictions, fhe doubted not but fhe 
 would be as ready to receive her now in this happy re- 
 rerfe of her fate : fhe, therefore, made all imaginable 
 "halle to her houfe to wifh her joy, and to kt her know 
 the fervicc fhe believed v/as in her power to render 
 her. 
 
 She was not deceived in one part of her conjecture ; 
 Iferia, for that was the name of the lady fhe went to 
 i ifit, embraced her, and feemed infinitely obliged to 
 'her, that fhe added to the number of thofe who came 
 io congratulate her on this fortunate turn in her affairs. 
 ome time was taken up in difccurfes on ordinary mat- 
 ters ; but Miramillia, being full of the buiinefs which 
 hud brought her thither, entreated to fpeak to her in 
 kuvnte, On which, the other taking her by the hand, 
 
 led
 
 E N Q^U I R V. 197. 
 
 led her into a fine garden, at the upper end of which 
 was a grotto; which entering, as foon as they were 
 feated, the forrowful mother began her ftory, and re- 
 peating the words of the fortune-teller, begged me 
 would make a trial of his truth, by undertaking this 
 little piece of work ; for which, fte told her, me could 
 not doubt of her being qualified, fince (lie had, in her 
 dear hufband, all that me had ever wifhed to be pofleired 
 of. She had no fooner concluded thefe words, than 
 rhe other gave fo deep afigh, that thegrieved MiramiSlia, 
 before {he fpoke, was more than half convinced her 
 fearch was not here to end. It is a fault, anfwered lf?ria, 
 to wifh with too much ardency, which Heaven feme- 
 times punifhes with the utmoft feverity. I cannot fay, 
 but that I have found more mercy, and that I cannot 
 call myfelf unhappy, while I enjoy the fociety of my 
 dear Montrano, my ever loved, and ever loving huf- 
 band ; yet is there not a perfon in the world lefs fit to 
 be employed in the talk you mention, than myfelf. Bat 
 left you fhould fufpecl my friendlhip, I will give you a 
 proof of it, which I intended none ever ilioulcl receive 
 from me, that of revealing to you the truth cf my 
 affairs. After which, I mall leave yourfelf to judge., 
 if by my hands the enchantment you defire can pofiibly 
 be wrought. The other, making no other reply to 
 thefe words than a low bow, in token that die would 
 take it as a favour, {he began the narration fne had 
 promifed in this manner. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF MONTRANO AK 
 ISERIA. 
 
 "V" O U know, faid me, that the paffion with which 
 
 Montrano and myfelf were mutually infpired, 
 
 hurried us to a private marriage, without obtaining the 
 
 K 3 coniViU
 
 198 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 confent of Polufino, the uncle of Monrrano, and from 
 whom alone he had any dependance ; his father having 
 wafted the beft part of the eftate which was to defcend 
 to him on a courtezan, of whom he \vas fo fond, that 
 he quitted one of the beft of wives in the world, and 
 lived wholly with her. Polufino, ho\vever, had a very 
 plentiful fortune, and having no children of his own, 
 he declared to everybody, that the young Montrano 
 mould be his heir: I, on the other hand, had but a 
 fmall dowry, and that too in hands whence I could 
 not eafily call it out ; nothing, therefore, could be mere 
 unadvifed, than for two. people in fuch circumftances to 
 join in marriage : but love is deaf to reafon ; the fum 
 of our defires being the enjoyment of each other, we 
 locked on all the misfortunes which might arife from 
 fuch an union, as nothing worthy our regard : we took 
 all imaginable care* however,, to conceal what we had 
 done from the knowledge of Polufino ; but our caution 
 v. as ineffectual, he was informed of it immediately ; and 
 fcarce two hours had we been in bed, before he broke 
 into the houfe where we lay, with a great number of 
 armed men ; who forcing Montrano to rife, tore him 
 from my trembling arms, and bearing him z;vz--, left 
 me in a fwoon, which had like to have been fatal to 
 me ; for the people of the houie, furprifed at what had 
 happened, came not into the chamber for a confider- 
 able time; but when they did, they found ir.e on tht 
 floor, naked, cold, and in all appearance dead : they 
 applied things proper for my recovery, however, in cafe 
 there were any remains of life left in me, which, to- 
 gether with the natural ftrength of my conftitution, at 
 laft brought me to myfelf, contrary to the expectation of 
 all about me. I will not prolong the time by a tedious 
 repetition of the exclamations I made ; you may believe 
 they were exceffive, and proportioned to the greatnefs of 
 my misfortune. But how infinitely more wretched, 
 even than what I feared, did I find myfelf, when the 
 next morning, by break of dav, I fent in fcr.rch of
 
 E N QJJ 1 R Y. ipj 
 
 iuni, and heard, that the next moment to that in which 
 he was raviihed from my embraces, he was fent on 
 board a veflel, which then lay ready to fet (ail, and was 
 bound to fome part of the Indies ; but which, I could 
 not by any perfon be refulvea ! The years of fruitkTs 
 expectation, which I wafted in hope of hit return, or 
 hearing fome news of him, are well known to you, who" 
 fo generouily vifited me in that diftrefs, and omitted no 
 tender, office, of frit'ncLhip to alleviate my forrcw.<:. 
 Seven times had the incrcafing fun chea;vd the <;L 
 huibandtnan and bleft the fields, while ail was ivhiu '. 
 the gloom of night in my fad mind. Polufino in this ' 
 time died, bequeathing his whole fortune to Montrano, 
 if ever he could be heard of; which claufe gave a vait: 
 addition to my griefs, fmce till that time I had believed 
 he had not been ignorant where it was he remained : i 
 now dcubted not but that he was dead; men are in- 
 conftant, variable in their inclinations- as the ever- 
 changing wind, faid I tomyfelf; but though, another 
 object taking pofleilion of his heart, he might forgef 
 his fuffering wife, the coniideratton of his intereft would 
 not permit him to be remifs in his duty to his uncle. 
 No, no, would I cry out, he is not falfe ! eternal truth 
 and ever-grateful foiyjnefs have on earth no being _ 
 but in his mind. But !*'.> is dead, he is dead ! and if 
 is a prophanation of his memory, to harbour even a 
 thought to the difadvantage of his honour or his love. 
 I now looked on myfelf as a widow, wore the habit of 
 one, and enclurecj, perhaps, more real anguiih in my 
 heart, than the moft truly difconfolate one ever had th 
 capacity of feeling or than the moft artful one had 
 diifimulation enough to afiecl. Even time relieved not 
 my afiiiclion, my griefs feemcd ratKbr ftrengthened by 
 age ; and the more I reflected on the merits of Mon- 
 trano, the more I became inconfolable for his lofs. I 
 believe you are not infenfible, that every body believing, 
 as I did, that he was dead, I had many who adclreffed 
 me for marriage : fome of their offers appeared too 
 K 4 advantageowi
 
 200 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 advantsgeous to berefufed, and I was daily preffed by 
 my friends to pitch on one of them ; but all my notions 
 of love were dead, when I thought Montrano fo ; and 
 refolving to devote my future days entirely to his me- 
 mory, as a grief I thought moft juft, I made a folemn 
 vow to continue as I was : but that not being ctfeftual 
 to eafe me of their importunities, it was my defign to 
 retire to a monaftery, and was fettling my little affairs 
 that I might do fo, without having any incumbrance 
 from the world upon me, when Montrano returned. I 
 had a maid, who had lived with me from the time that 
 dear youth had firft made his addreiTes to me ; and as 
 I was fitting one day reading in my clofet, fhe came 
 running to me, with all the marks of the moil ftrong 
 amazement written on her countenance. Two gen- 
 tlemen, faid fhe, with an accent which feemed to hefi- 
 tate with terror, entreat to fpeak with you ; one mull 
 ^ be my Lord Montrano, or his ghoft : he has his eyes, 
 his mouth, his very lhape and air, only more thin and 
 dejected. It is certain, that this poor girl verily be- 
 lieved fhe had feen a fpirit, for never did I behold a 
 creature in fuch difcrder ; but I had no leifure to think 
 on the occaiion of it, when he entered the clofet ; 
 guefiing at the furprize I fhould be in, and having not 
 patience to wait till it fhould permit me to come down 
 Iferia ! my dear Iferia ! cried he, am I again fo bleft 
 to fee you ? And with thefe words fnatching me to his 
 bread, prevented my falling on the floor, as I was 
 ready to do, overcome with an excefs of joy and won- 
 der. This abfence of mind lafled, however, but for 
 a moment, and I again awoke to fenfe, to thought, 
 and rapture. Impoflible would it be, as well as im- 
 pertinent, to repeat to you the welcomes 1 gave him, 
 or the foftnefs of his reiterated endearments ; there are 
 a thoufand little incoherencies in the talk of lovers 
 which delight beyond the expreffion, yet will be ridi- 
 culous when - reported afterwards. The accent, the 
 manner, is infinitely more eloquent than the words ; 
 
 and
 
 E N Q_U I R Y. joi 
 
 and though love is frequently obliged to wit to make 
 himfelf be known ; yet wit more often is glad to have 
 recourfe to the foft follies of love, to make himfelf i' - 
 warded. Our mutual tranfports would not permit ine 
 immediately to pfrceive there was a ftrange gentleman 
 in the room ; but when I did, the confufion I was in 
 for having fo long negle&ed him, made me blufh ex- 
 tremely ; and the more I aimed to apologize for ir, tiie 
 more I found myfelf at a lofs how to do it : but Mon- 
 trano guefling at my thoughts, relieved me ; and with 
 an admirable addrefs excufed rne to his friend, who I 
 foon perceived was a man of excellent good fcnfe and 
 breeding ; he made me, in his turn, a great many fine 
 compliments, with which he artfully mingled fome 
 praiies of Montrano. When Heaven, faicl lie, formed 
 a pair ccmpleat like Montrano and the beautiful Ifcria, 
 it certainly intended them as happy as they are deferring 
 to be fo. It is, therefore, enough to make us call Om- 
 nipotence in queilion, and afcribe too great a power to . 
 the infernal potentate, if any misfortune mould arrive 
 which might deftroy their peace. I mould have taken 
 thefe words as mere galantry, and regarded them no 
 farther, if 1 had not feeii the face of Montrano covered, 
 with a fcarlet blufh, which, wat. in a moment fucceeded 
 by a deadly palci.efi. : and foon a riling tide over- 
 whelmed his down -ca ft eyes, with difficulty reftrained 
 from forcing a paffage hence, and gufhing out in tears, 
 You may believe fo ftrange a change from all the 
 fymptoms of the cxcefs of joy to thofe of grief, which 
 now I obferved in him, filled me v ith the -molt (hocking 
 furprize ; yet refolvir.g to conceal it as much as poffible, 
 The misfortunes which threatened us with lalting woe, 
 replied I, are new, I hope, blown over, and all our 
 days to come are harmony and peace. At leaft, con- 
 tinued I, they muft be fo, if Montrano feels as fincere 
 a fatisfaclion in our re-union as Iferia does. I fixed 
 my eyes on his face intently, as I fpoke thefe words, 
 and found fo much, confufion there, as made me certain 
 K 5 . ia
 
 aoz THE FRUITLESS 
 
 in my mind, fomething extraordinary had happened, 
 which I fhould know too foon ; but what, I could not be 
 allured. A thoufand apprehenfions, all at once, came 
 crofs my thoughts, which, though I was impatient to 
 <lifcover the truth of, I feared to aik ; the diforder in my 
 foul was too vifible in my countenance, for both Mon- 
 trano and his friend not to ^perceive it ; on which the 
 former, affuming an air as much compofed as poffible, 
 confidering the various agitations with which he, doubt- 
 lefs, at that moment was poiTeft, and turning to the 
 ftranger, My dear Alcefcus, faid he, Iferia is yet igno- 
 rant of the reafons which, till now, prevented me from, 
 letting her know fhe had a living hulband: I entreat you, 
 will relate them to her, omitting no occurrence, which 
 .either you have been an eye-witnefs of, or have heard 
 from my repetition. I will, in the mean time, indulge 
 refle&ion in yonder gardens, and pay my thanks to the 
 mighty Difpofer of all things, that I am permitted once 
 more to fee this treafure of my foul ; and that I find her 
 in perfect health, and not forgetful of her ever faithful 
 Montrano. He concluded thefe words with embracing 
 me in fo fender a manner, as entirely diffipated all the 
 imaginations Iliad lately conceived to the prejudice of 
 his conflancyi I entreated him toiiay while his friend- 
 gave me the hiftory of his adventures, or that he would 
 let me know them from his own mouth ; but he fo ear- 
 neftly begged, I would allow him the liberty he defired, 
 that I at lart forbore to prefs him contrary to his incli- 
 nations ; and as foon as he had left the room, Alceftus 
 began to execute his commands in thefe terms, 
 
 A perfon, faid he, who was indebted to my father 
 for a confiderable fum, having removed himfelf and his 
 effects to Ceylon, one of the Aiialic iflands, I was 
 obliged to go there; the governor of the fort being a 
 particular friend of our family, we judged he would 
 have intereft enough with the Dutch factory there,' to 
 compel the villain to do us juftice ; I embarked in the 
 fame Ihip, on which Montrano, at the dead of night, 
 
 was
 
 EN Q^U I R V. 205. 
 
 was forced on board; we began an intimacy there, 
 which I hope will end not but with our lives. He re- 
 lated to me the hiftory of his pafuon for you, his mar- 
 riage, and that that was the reafon of his being fentto' 
 Ceylon, where one, who had been formerly a fervant to 
 his uncle, lived now in great repute ; having had the 
 good fortune to pleafe the widow of a Dutch merchant,, 
 who made him her hufband, and put him in poffefficn 
 of all her effects; which was very confiderable. With 
 this perfon, he told me, he was to tarry till command- 
 ed back by his uncle, which he exreded would not be 
 foon: he concluded his narration with thofe praifes of 
 you, which your beauty merit?, and a thoufand vow./ 
 of an eternal fidelity. Though I was extremely troubled 
 at his misfortune, a little motive cf felf-intereft made 
 me pleafed, that I had fo agreeable a companion in my 
 voyage, and the time I was to remain at Ceylon ; but 
 to alleviate his melancholy, I gave him my promife, 
 and indeed fpoke no more than I. designed, that IV 
 would ufe the utmoil of niy endeavours at my return, 
 and oblige my father to do the fame, to prevail on 
 his uncle to recal him : but Heaven was pleafed. to dif- 
 aDpoint the defigns of us all. After having failed with 
 a fair wind and profperous gale, till we came within a 
 few leagues of our intended pert, a Itorm arofe, as vio- 
 lent as it was fudden; we !cfl all our mafts, the bo! t- 
 fnrit was fpiit in two. ; and after being toft to and fro 
 for feveral hours at the pleafure of the waves> a great 
 fea came in, and drove us on a little iiland belonging to 
 the Maldives, called Ekber, fhort of Ceyion about feven 
 leagues ; it was with great difficulty wegoton more, all 
 thofe little fpots of earth being encompafTed with huge 
 craggy rocks, and the favage inhabitants fo unfkilful 
 in every thing that can be called an art, that their 
 harbours are little better than fo many whir 1 .- pools. 
 With an infinite deal cf toil and care, however, we at 
 laft got our long-boat in, which landing a few men at a 
 time, returned for the reft; but the captain, chief mate, 
 6 autl
 
 ao4 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 and five mariner*; flaying till the laft, a fudden hurrr- 
 cane riling in a moment, were all loft by the veffel's 
 fplitting, as was great part of the cargo ; the reft lodged 
 on the rocks, whence they were afterwards brought 
 away by the inhabitants of this barbarous place. We 
 foon found, that though we had efcaped the fea, we 
 were not free from dangers as formidable as that could 
 threaten. We had no fooner gained the more, than 
 we were defcried by two or three of the natives, who 
 fending forth a loud cry, ran up farther into the coun- 
 try ; and before we could well refolve in what manner we 
 mould behave among a people whom we eafily perceived 
 to be wholly uncivilized, we faw near a hundred of them 
 coming towards us ; fome armed with great branches 
 torn off the trees, fome with axes, and a few with bows 
 and arrows : we now repented that we had takerr no care 
 to bring our guns from on board, but on fecond thoughts 
 Jiad reafon to rejoice ; for though we could have made 
 a pretty good defence againft this little troop, they 
 would certainly have fallen on us in greater numbers, 
 and, over-powered by them, at laft been provoked to 
 have given us worfe treatment; we therefore opened our 
 arms, and prcfcnted to them our naked breads, in token 
 of fubmiffion; on which they feemed to receive us 
 kindly ; but drawing round us in a circle, conducted 
 us, hallooing and moating all the way they went, till 
 we came to a place, which, as we found afterwards, 
 was a kind of market, where flaves, fuch as we were 
 now become, were difpofed of to the belt bidder. 
 
 In this ifland, and it feems in moft of the others be- 
 longing to the Maldives, there is a fort of Incas, or 
 king, but ail tributary, affd acknowledging an obedience 
 to one fovereign of air, who refides in Male, the chief 
 of the iflands, and ftiles himfelf the emperor of thirteen 
 provinces, and of a thoufand iflands. He has a great 
 number of flaves, and when he comes abroad, is wor- 
 fhipped as a god. There was at this time a perfon in 
 Ekber employed by him to buy flaves, and the market- 
 
 day
 
 E N QJ3 I R Y. 2oj 
 
 day happening to be the next day after we came, we 
 were expofed to fale ; myfelf, with two of our mari- 
 ners, were chofen for this mighty fovereign, but Mon- 
 trano was the purchafe of the Incas of Alfoore, who had 
 fent a meflenger thither alfo on the fame errand. The 
 reafon that the great market was generally kept at Ek- 
 ber, was not only becaufe it was the largeft of all the 
 iflands, but likewife that, 1 lying at a more confider- 
 able diftance from any of the others, than they did 
 from one another, and more in the main fea, there was 
 a greater probability of unhappy perfons, diftrefled by 
 weather, taking refuge there than in the others. I 
 thought it a very great addition to my misfortunes, that 
 I was to be feparated from Montrano ; and I believe he 
 fpoke no more than the truth, when he afterwards af- 
 iured me it was fo to him. I will not trouble you with 
 what befel myfelf in a five-years fervitude among thefe 
 barbarous wretches. The charms of Montrano gained 
 him, for fome time, a milder fate. He had been em- 
 ployed in the vile offices, for which he was bought 
 not many days before, as he was working in the gar- 
 den of the Incas, a piece of paper, folded like a letter, 
 fell at his feet; he took it up, and found it diredled, in 
 the Italian language, ' To the accomplifhedflave;' and 
 feeing, no perfon near him, he concluded it muft be 
 thrown from fome of the palace-windows. Theoddnefs 
 of the adventure at firit gave him an infinite furprize ; 
 but curiofity, at length, getting the better of it, he 
 unfolded the letter, in which he found a great jewel ; 
 rich, but ill fet, according to the manner of fo unpo- 
 lite a country. But the value of this prefent was no 
 ways considerable, when compared with the knowledge, 
 that there was a perfon among thefe Pagans, with whom, 
 there was a probability he might converfc; cafting his 
 eyes, therefore, haftily over the letter, he found it con- 
 tained thefe lines : 
 
 '< SOME exclamations which I overheard youmake the 
 *' Other day, informed me that you are my country-man ; 
 
 *' your
 
 2c6 THE. FRUITLESS 
 
 " your air and mien demonftrate you net to be of the 
 " inferior rank of men ; I mould be glad to entertain 
 " you in a manner becoming your rank, but dare not 
 " make a public mow of the regard I have for you, left 
 ft it mould be fatal to us both, but will foon contrive a 
 " 'way to lefltn the hardfhips you endure; in the mean 
 " time, defire you will not fail to be in the grove of 
 " oranges, behind the banquetting-houfe, this night 
 " at twelve o'clock. Burn this billet, and take care to 
 *' conceal the diamond which I inclofed in it, more to 
 " give it weight, than that I thought fuch a trifle 
 *' worthy the notice of a man I am refolved to favour.'* 
 
 There was no name at the bottom ; nor was it in his 
 power to form any conjecture, to whom it was he was 
 fo much obliged: it is needlefs, therefore, to fay he 
 longed, with the utmoft impatience, for the hour ia 
 which he hoped to have this riddle folved ; you muft 
 believe, that in the circumftance of being a flave among 
 the moft barbarous people in the world, condemned to 
 offices with which he was no way acquainted, and for 
 want of undcrftand' r 'ig the language in which he was 
 commanded, little able to comprehend his mailer's 
 meaning, was but by ftripes made to difcover their 
 otherwife unintelligible directions j languifning hii 
 nights, painful his days; and vshr.t doubled the mifery 
 of both, was the belief, that his iervice was eternal; 
 that tl winder of his life muft be parTed 
 
 amo-.g thoie wretched favages, for ever debarred from 
 all fbcial converfation, his friends, his country, and his 
 more dear Iferia. You muft, I fay, believe, madam, 
 that in fuch a ftate, it was no inconiiderable confolatioa 
 to think there was a perlon of his own country who pi- 
 tied him, and feemed to have power to afford fome mi- 
 tigation of his misfortunes. 
 
 At laft the expected -moment came, he attended at 
 the appointed place, and had not waited long before he 
 faw, by the light of the moon, which at that time (hone
 
 E N Q_U I R Y. 207 
 
 exceeding bright, an old woman, whom he had often 
 beheld at a diilance in the palace, and knew to be an 
 attendant on the wife of the Incas : he told me that he 
 was 10 much furprized at the fight of her, that he knew 
 not how to receive her with that ceremony, which the 
 ftation me was in feemed to require, as being the chief 
 favourite of the greateit woman in the ifland. Slip 
 perceived the diforder he was in ; and approaching him 
 with a fmile, I am afraid, faid fhe, in Italian, that the 
 appearance of an old woman may have put a damp to 
 thofe glorious hopes the letter you received muft certainly 
 have infpired you with ; but I dare fwear, you have too 
 much underftanding not to know, that our good genius 
 does not always appear to us in the mofl pleafing ihape. 
 However difagreeable my form may feem, I bring you 
 tidings which may excufe my age and wrinkles. The 
 wife of the Incas of Alfoore, as well as myfelf, is of your 
 country, both born and bred up in Venice ; but her in- 
 clinations being fomewhat more gay than was confident 
 with the cuftoms of that republic, fhe was fent to Bruf- 
 fels, where fhe had fome relations, in order to be made 
 a reclufe; I was ordered to attend her to that place ; but 
 in our way we happened to meet with a Dutch officer, 
 who being captivated with the charms of Elphania, (for 
 fo was then my miflrefs called) prevailed ou her to ac- 
 company him to Holland : we lived with him fome time ; 
 but theinconftancy, natural to mankind, rendering her 
 unhappy in the lofs of him, we were reduced to very 
 great hardfhips, which compelled us to do fomething 
 contrary to the laws ; we were fent to Ceylon, to ex- 
 piate, by an eternal flavery, a fin, which nothing but 
 neceffity could have made us guilty of. Being expofed 
 to fale in the market-place, fome perfons belonging to 
 this Incas bought us for his fervice; but we had no 
 fooner arrived here, and were brought into his prefence, 
 than he fell fo paffionately in love with Elphania, that 
 from a Have he raifed her to his bed and throne : with 
 this condition only, that fhe fliould renounce the chrif-
 
 to? THE FRUITLESS 
 
 tian faith ; which (he did, and is now the moft favoured 
 and beft-beloved of any of his queens ; though he has 
 fome of a birth equal to his own. This, continued (he, 
 is the fum of our hiftory before your arrival; but fince 
 you appeared, my royal miflrefs has been no more her- 
 felf, all her days and nights have been taken up with 
 contemplating in her mind the perfections of her lovely 
 flave; but that paflion, which the fight of you infpired, 
 was extremely heightened, when happening to be in a 
 clofe bower in the garden the other day, unfeen by you, 
 ihe heard you lament your ill fortune, and cry out for 
 death, in terms, me faid, the moft tender and moving 
 that tongue ever uttered. She was, however, extremely 
 pleafed to find you were an Italian ; and her thoughts,, 
 which had till then been divided, if fhe mould make 
 you acquainted with the tendernefs fhe had for you or 
 not, were now wholly determined to do it the firft op- 
 portunity. It is charity, faid fhe to me ; it is that na- 
 tural inftinft which prompts us to have a pity for thofe 
 of our own country, as well as love, which now obliges 
 me to eafe the furFerings of this lovely Have ; nor can I, 
 will I, ought I to lee him languilh under miferies to 
 which I am certain he is a ftranger, and cannot long 
 fupport. She had no fooner formed this refolution, than 
 file wrote the billet, and plucking a diamond off her 
 breaft, and folding it in it, that fhe might be able to 
 hurl it at a greater diflance than the paper of itfelf might 
 have fallen, we faw it light direftly at your feet ; at 
 which we fhut the window immediately, left, in the 
 hurry of furprize and joy, you might have approached 
 more near than was convenient, where there are fo many 
 fpies and guards perpetually attending. This is the 
 intelligence I bring you, fir, purfued fhe, which if you 
 receive not with the extremeft pleafure, you are not only 
 ungrateful, but alfo perverfe ; blind to your own inte- 
 reft, and deferving of the misfortunes you have already 
 fallen under, and thofe which may enf'ue from flighted 
 love, and tendernefs abufed. Montrano allured me, -Jn 
 
 relating
 
 E N CLU I R Y. 209 
 
 relating this part of his ftory, that he never in his whole 
 life had been capable of feeling fo much fcorn and de- 
 teftation as at that minute ; the name of wife to the In- 
 cas could not infpire him with fuch refpeft, as to take 
 off his contempt for that of a tranfported felon, in which 
 circumftance he found this queen had been brought to 
 Ceylon ; he had his heart already too much devoted to 
 his beloved Iferia, for any other charms to work the 
 leaft effect. Thofe of this queen, though (he had been 
 the greateft beauty nature ever formed, would not have 
 been able to have compenfated for the deformities of her 
 mind. Scarce could he regard the old beldame, who 
 came from her, with patience; he had, however, pre- 
 fence enough of mind to reflefl on the danger of dif- 
 obliging her ; but never, faid he, did I go through a 
 greater or more difficult talk, than that of affecting a 
 fatisfaftion at the news me brought; he did it, not- 
 withftanding his reludlance, in fuch a manner as paffed 
 for truth ; and the amorous Elphania, not doubting, by 
 what her confederate informed her, but that he was as 
 fufccptible of her favours as me wilhed him, prevailed 
 on her doating hufband to give her leave to retire to a 
 little palace they had farther in the heart of the coun- 
 try : fhe pretended that the air had been prejudicial to 
 her health; and for the recovery of it, he willingly con- 
 fen ted me mould be for a little time removed. She had 
 the liberty of chufmg what flaves me pleafed to attend 
 her, and Montrano, for whole fake all this was done, 
 was the firft fingled out; as for the reft, they were 
 either fuch whufe fidelity me could depend on, or fuch 
 who had not capacities to fathom the meaning of an/ 
 thing which was not directly told them. With this 
 equipage me took leave of the Incas, and being arrived 
 at the place to which fne intended to go, the flaves were 
 appointed each to their feveral employments; that of 
 Montrano's was to overlook thcfe that kept the rooms in 
 order, and fee that they did their duty; an eafy tafk as 
 to the bodily exercife of it, but his mind was in agita- 
 tions
 
 210 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 tions more violent than ever ; the humour of the mi.lrefs 
 he now ferved , was more perplexing to him than the ty- 
 ranny of hisjformer mafters; nor had he lefs to expel 
 from her revenge/ when ihe ihoiild find how little he was 
 difpofed to comply with her intentions, than from the 
 moil inhuman of his own fex. She preferred herfelf to 
 him, her 'natural beauties illuftrated with all the aids 
 and embellifhments of art ; fhe talked to him in fo fr.ee a 
 manner, that had he not been apprized of her dcllres by 
 the difcourfe cf her confidante, yet he could not have been 
 ignorant what they were by her behaviour ; but think- 
 ing the fafeft, as well as molt galant manner of denying, 
 was, not to feem to know that any thing .more was ex- 
 pedled from him than fubmiflion andrefpect, he never 
 approached her but with the fame awe is that ve enter 
 the facred temples ^ but as this was net .that fort of ado- 
 ration which, fhe expe&ed from him, me grew extremely 
 peeviih, and after fhe had difmifled him from her pre- 
 fence, complained to her confidante of the little compli- 
 ance Ihe found in him, on which the fliamslefs procurer 
 of her pleafureg took upon her to chide him feverely ; 
 but, while ihe was doing fo, a fudden thought came in- 
 to his head, which might gain him fome time : he told 
 her, that no man could be more fenfible of the beauties 
 of her mifbrefs, but that he was under a iolenin vow 
 not to know the joys of love for two whole years. More 
 than one of them, faid he, is already elapfed ; and as I 
 have kept my promife inviolable till now, have caufe to 
 fear, that if I break it, fome fudden and unheard-of 
 judgment will fall upon me. This monfter of her frx 
 endeavoured, partly by railing at his fuperftitious regard 
 of oaths, as me termed it, and partly by hinting, that 
 no puniinment could enfue the breach of it, equal to 
 that which threatened him in lofing the favour of the 
 queen to alter his determination ; but neither perfuafions 
 nor menaces being of any ufe, (he was obliged to leave 
 him as fhe found him, and return to her miftrei: v.nh 
 an account little pleafing to her. What difcourie pafied 
 
 between
 
 E N Q_U I R Y, 211 
 
 between them was unknown as to the fubjeft of it ; but 
 he doubted not, by the gloom which fat next day upon 
 both their brows, that it had not been .in his favour, 
 and that he ihould fhortly experience all that a cruel 
 and revengeful woman, reftrained by no principles of 
 honour, religion, or generofky, could inflict; but, 
 contrary to thefe fuggeftions, the intelligencer of the 
 other's meaning told him, that in fpite of the coldnefs 
 with which he had received her queen's affections, and 
 the difregard he paid her, in preferring a foolilh vow to 
 her embraces, {he fiill retained a tenderncfs for him, 
 which would not fuffer her to caft him off, and hud pre- 
 vailed on her to wait the expiration of the time he men- 
 tioned, for a proof how worthy he was of the paffion. 
 fhe had entertained for him. Montrano, faid he, an- 
 fwered this rnefTage in terms as obliging as he could ; and 
 from that time forward was put to no further trouble 
 till the expiration of the year. They foon removed to 
 the great palace, where the deceived Incas received this 
 perjured woman with fuch demonftrations of kindnefs, 
 that the knowledge of her ingratitude to fuch n. hufband, 
 ivhofe love had raifed her from the loweft ebb of for- 
 tune, and ftill continued to fupport her in all the pomp 
 that that part of the world could afford, made her yet 
 more hateful in his mind; he often told me, that he 
 abhorred even to look upon her. But not to ipin out 
 my narration to a tedious length, the whole year of his 
 freedom from her felicitations, he paft in contrivances 
 to get from that detefted place; but found that im- 
 poffible, fince, had he made his efcape to any of the 
 other iflands, as perhaps he might have done in a ca- 
 noe, the Maldives have fo good an intelligence with 
 each other, that he mufl infallibly have been difcovered, 
 and fent back to endure the moil 'cruel punifhments 
 imaginable. You may think it ftrange, perhaps, that 
 neither he nor I could have any opportunity offending 
 to Ceylon, where we both were known, and might 
 early have been ranibmed ; but the temper of thofe 
 
 wretches
 
 212 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 wretches is fo barbarous, that, befides the ufe a chriftian 
 Have is to them, they take delight in triumphing over 
 and detaining them ; and having no correfpondence 
 with any other nation in the world, they know not the 
 value of their own commodities ; and having every 
 thing within themfelves, which they are capable of 
 having any relifh for, regard nothing which may be of- 
 fered in exchange for their flaves : gold nor iilver is of 
 any eftimation with them, their current coin being a 
 white fhell which is found upon the mountains, and 
 which the Incas keeps a guard about, it being death by 
 the law for any perfon, but thofe appointed by him, to 
 pick up any of it. For thefe reafons they have, on th 
 frontiers of the ifland next to Ceylon, a conftant number 
 of troops always maintained, who fuffer no boat nor per- 
 fon to pafs either to or from that place, without a token 
 from the Incas ; for that being a place of trade, and 
 having a factory in it of chriftians, without this caution 
 it would be impoffihle to keep thofe people, who 
 are fo miferable as to fall into their hands, from 
 regaining their liberty. Montrano, therefore, having 
 no way to fly from folicitations fb difpleafmg to 
 him, to evade them, pretended ficknefs: a few days 
 before the expiration of the year, he counterfeited fo 
 well the moft violent pains, that none who faw him 
 but verily believed he languimed under them. One 
 thing, indeed, was a great advantage to his feigning, 
 which was, that there were no phyficians in that place, 
 their way of curing difeafes being to moot arrows into 
 many parts of the patient's body, believing phlebo- 
 tomy a remedy for all diforders. Montrano fuffered 
 this experiment to be tried on him, but afterward pre- 
 tended to be much worfe than before. In fine, he car- 
 ried on this deception for the fpace of feven months, at 
 the end of which time he had an unexpected relief; El- 
 phania fell in reality as fick as he pretended to be ; her 
 life was defpaired of; and having before made an ex- 
 cufe that the fea air did not agree with her conftitution, 
 the Incas would needs have it, that her prefent diforder 
 
 fprung
 
 E N QU I R Y, 
 
 fprung from the fame occafion, and ordered her to be 
 removed on a litter borne on fix men's moulders, think- 
 ing that the eafieit way of carriage. Montrano feeming 
 not yet perfectly recovered, was difpenfed with for not 
 officiating in his employment, but obliged foon after 
 to pretend a reb.pfe^ for being, on the queen's being 
 fomevvhat better, fent for to come to the place where 
 me was, and thinking this would not be a Jailing pre- 
 tence, he feigned madnefs, and committed a thoufand 
 irregularities, though none hurtful or mifchievous to 
 anybody: Elphania, as well as others, was deceived 
 for a long time ; but at length difcovered the im- 
 pofition, by the fame means flie had done he was am 
 Italian : his misfortunes growing, by their continuance 
 and little appearance or hope of relief, more heavy to 
 be borne, he could not forbear giving them vent in 
 tears and exclamations whenever he was alone : he was 
 one day overheard by the confidante of Elphania's de- 
 fires, and the report that he was but feemingly mad im- 
 mediately conveyed to her miftrefs ; on which me re- 
 folved no longer to be difappointed in her love, or fail- 
 ing in that of her revenge, for the contempt thrown on 
 her beauty. She again defired leave of the Incas to 
 retire into the country; which being eafily obtained, 
 among the number of flaves me took with her, was 
 Montrano- The antick poftures of that poor lunatick, 
 faid me, may divert in the abfence of my dear lord, 
 Nobody in the leaft fufpeting her intentions, whatever 
 ihe did in thofe affairs was unqueftioned. It was now 
 three full years Montrano had carried on his difguife of 
 madnefs, without any perfon in the world believing him 
 otherwife ; nor had he any thought that Elphania had 
 difcovered the deceit, till they arrived at the little 
 palace which me had made choice of for the fcene of 
 her pleafures or revenge ; but me was no fooner fettled 
 there, than fending for him into her own apartment, 
 where nobody but the old Venetian woman was prefent, 
 ihe began to queftion him, for what reafon he had im- 
 
 pofed
 
 ti4 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 pofed on a queen who loved him. The knowledge that 
 he was fufpefted did not furprize him fo far, but that 
 he had prefence of mind enough to endeavour to wave 
 it off, by replying in the fame \yild and incoherent man- 
 ner, as he had done fince he fir'fl afiefled to be frantick ; 
 but me would not fufFer him to go on for any long time ; 
 but telling him, fhe was convinced of the impcfition he 
 had fo unworthily put on her, and that if he did not im- 
 mediately confefs the true motive which obliged him to 
 it, he fhculd fufFer the moil cruel death me could- poffibly 
 invent. He paufed a little on thefe words ; not, as he 
 faid, that he feared to die, but thought, that to die in 
 this remote corner of the world, without the power of 
 acquainting any perfon with his fate, was fomc thing too 
 terrible to be borne ; raid thinking, that as Ihc was fo 
 pofltive, no worfe could befal him in a declaration of 
 the truth, than in a fruitlefs endeavour to conceal it ; 
 he threw himfelf upon his knees, acknowledged her 
 beauties to be infinite, returned his moft humble thanks 
 for the condefcenfions me had made him ; but withal 
 confeiTed, that he was rendered wholly unable to return 
 her affections, by having, before he faw her, devoted 
 his whole foul to another objeft ; and then proceeded to 
 relate to her the hiftory of his love for you, his marriage, 
 and the cruelty of his uncle ; who, feparating him from 
 you, had occalioned his falling into the condition of a. 
 flave. He told her, he relied entirely on her generofity ; 
 and entreated, me would look on him with the eyes of 
 pity and forgivenefs. 
 
 When Montrano related this part of his hiftory to me, 
 faid his friend, he told me, Imuftmake ufe of my own 
 imagination to conceive, what kind of fury it was that 
 feized the foul of this moft vile woman, and fpaikied in 
 her eyes. You, madam, purfued he to me, if your foft 
 foul can form r.n idea fo horrible, mult tel! yourfelf 
 what was not in his power, who faw it, to c]efcribe, 
 much lefs in mine. What, cried fhe, is it for another 
 that I am defpifed ? Is it for the id;a of an abfent wo- 
 nt a
 
 E N Q_U I R Y. 215 
 
 man the beauties of the prefent are contemned ? The 
 burfting rage prevented her from fpeaking .any farther 
 to him at that time ; but turning to the advifing fiend, 
 who flood near her, they had fome difcourfe together; 
 after which, in a loud voice, It mail be fo, faid me ; 
 fmce he is no man for me, he fhall not for another. 
 With thefe words me flew out of the room, leaving only 
 the old wretch with him ; who bidding him folio -v her, 
 conduced him to a room at the farther end of the palace, 
 v/here having locked him in, me left him for fome 
 hours to meditate on what had happened ; but towards 
 evening, coming in again, Well, faid fhe, have you 
 considered of your late folly, in the manner you ought 
 to do ? Have you repented ? And are you nowrefolved 
 to accept that happinefs the queen defigns you ? I have 
 already told her, anfwered he, that it is not in my power. 
 But have you reflected, refumed me, that your life 
 iiwholly in hcr's? ar.d that with a breath me can dif- 
 pofe your fate r -I have, faid he ; and whatever miferies 
 Heaven may make her the inilrumcnt of inflicting on 
 me, I muft endure. It is well, ungrateful wretch, cried 
 fhe, but fhe has more of mercy than thou meritefl from 
 her: your life (he will not take; but as you flight the 
 joys of love, when proffered you by her, fhe will take 
 effectual care you never mall tafte them with another. 
 Montrano protefted to me, that he could not guefs what 
 it was fhe meant, till giving a ftamp with her foot, fix 
 lufry flaves ruflied in, and, in fpite of his ftruggling, 
 bound his hands and feet with great cords : the beldame 
 favv it done ; and afking him, once more, if he re- 
 pented, to which he anfwered in the negative, fhe went 
 out of the" room, and bade the fellows do their office : 
 on \vhich one of them plucked out a fharp indrument, 
 drew nearer to him, and by fome a&ions difcovered to 
 the amazed prifoner his inhuman intent. For, madam, 
 Continued he, comes on the dreaclfal part of your 
 I's fate. Hufbr.nd, diilfay? Alas! 
 lie, from that cruel moment, had no more the power of 
 
 being
 
 216 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 being fo ; deprived for ever of the dear names of father 
 and of hufband ; robbed of his fex, and doomed to an 
 eternal fterility. 
 
 In fome time after this fatal event, Elphania, either 
 repenting what Ihe had done, or that it were true, as flje 
 faid, that ihe had given orders only to threaten, not 
 really to inflift fuch a misfortune ; to make what re- 
 paration was in her power, gave him his liberty, and a 
 large fum of money, that he might tranfport himfelf to 
 Ceylon. In fpite of the juft hatred Montrano had 
 conceived r.gainft her, the circumftanccs he was in 
 made him accept of her favours; and hiring a canoe, 
 embarked in it for Candea, the chief city of Ceylon ; 
 but the weather changing, they were obliged to land 
 him among the mountains, fifty miles fhort of the port 
 he defired : the neceflity, however, being unavoidable, 
 he was forced to comply. He found feme poor Dutch 
 on the fea-coaft, one of whom he took with him as a 
 guide ; but they had not travelled many miles before 
 they were met by a gang of robbers, with whom mak- 
 ing fome refiitance, he was dangeroufly wounded, after 
 being deprived of all that had been given him by Elpha- 
 nia. The poor guide continued by him till fome paf- 
 fengers coming by, he was taken up and carried to a 
 houfe ; where being taken fome care of, and his wounds 
 drefied, though after a very indifferent manner, the 
 ftrength of his conftitution at lalt brought him to him- 
 felf; but the only ChriiHans in that place being Dutch, 
 a people who never were greatly famed for holpitality 
 or charity, fo little was contributed towards his fupport, 
 that the want of neceflaries kept him weak much longer 
 than the hurts he got by the thieves would elfe have 
 done. In fine, he recovered, but had not ftrength 
 enough, for a long time, even to walk about his 
 chamber, 'till that fmall pittance, which had been 
 allowed him, being taken away, and the appetites of 
 nature craving fupport, he crawled out into the flreet ; 
 an objeft, he faid, of fo much pity, that he appeared
 
 I R Y. 
 
 217 
 
 more like a ghofr than a living man. Having been fo 
 long kept from air, coming into it all at once, made 
 him faint away, and he fell down at the door of a rich 
 native of the ifle ; as it happened, he had lefs of the 
 favage in him than molt of them, and could not fee a 
 creature of his own fpecies in fo lamentable a condition, 
 without affording him fome relief; he took him in, had 
 him laid on a bed, applied proper things for his re- 
 covery, and gave him the bell refrefhment he had in 
 the houfe. Neither of them knew the language of the 
 other ; but the Ceylonefe made him underftand by figns, 
 that if he would ferve him, he would be kind to him ; 
 but Montrano, as well as he could, let him know he 
 was a paflenger, who had been deprived of all he had 
 of value by the robbers; and that he was travelling to 
 Candea, where he had friends who would fupport him, 
 but that he mull beg his way thither. The other ihaked 
 his head at this information, in token' that his country- 
 men had little charity to ilrangers ; but Montrano be- 
 ing determined, he gave him fome fmall matter toward 
 his fiipport in the journey ; with which, after having 
 flayed three or four days to recover his ftrength, he de- 
 parted. But, alas ! his long indifpofition and want 
 had enfeebled his limbs in fuch a manner, that he ra- 
 ther crept than walked ; he moved on, however, in this 
 ilow pace for a whole week, half a mile a day being the 
 moft he could boaft to have travelled ; at the end of 
 -which time he unfortunately miilook his way, and 
 happened into a wild place, which they call the c'efarts 
 of Cayamas ; there did he wander up and dovvr, un- 
 able to extricate himfelf from that labyrinth of rocks, 
 which lie thick fcattered in that dreadful wafte ; and 
 mufl certainly have perifhed, had not Providence fent 
 him a relief by the moft unexpe&e'd means. A gang 
 of robbers having taken a rich booty, for which, in all 
 probability, they were purfued, had taken lhelt:r in. 
 this place, where it was almofl impoflible for any to 
 overtake or find them. Thinking themfelves fecure, 
 VOL. II. L they
 
 218 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 they had fat down to reft and divide the prize at the 
 foot of a great heap of ftones, which feemed as if they 
 had been thrown up by feme earthquake. When Mon- 
 trano came on the other fide, he heard their voices ; 
 and faid, he thought he never had heard a found fo 
 pleafing as this was ; which gave him intelligence, he 
 fhould once more fee the faces of human creatures, and 
 Jie hoped be guided from that uninhabited wild. The 
 pile which parted them was vaftly long, but not very 
 high, and they happened to lie fo on the fide he was, 
 that he might eafily climb to the top of it ; in fpite of 
 his weaknefs, therefore, he attempted it, and with fuch 
 fuccefs, that in a few minutes he gained the fummit ; 
 whence looking down, he faw five men fitting pretty 
 clofe together, counting money, which lay in a heap 
 en the ground before them ; he was confidering in what 
 manner he mould get down the ridge of ftones, being 
 much more perpendicular on this fide than the other, 
 when one of the robbers, happening to caft up his eyes, 
 faw him ; the wildnefs of the place, his pale and ghaftly 
 looks, the guilt of the gazer, every thing confpired to 
 terrify ; and concluding him to be the ghoft of fome 
 perfon he had murdered, gave a great fhriek, and pre- 
 fently fell down in a fwoon ; his companions believing 
 him ftruck with fudden death, ftarted from their feats, 
 and had all of them, at the fame time, a fight of this 
 affrighted object ; every one took immediately to his 
 heels, without any regard either of the booty for which 
 they had ventured their lives, nor what became of him 
 they left behind ; and the natives of this country being 
 extreme fwift runners, they were out of fight in a mo- 
 ment. Montrano gueffed what occafioned their terror, 
 and cried out to them to ftay ; but fear had either made 
 them deaf, or not underflanding what he faid, they took 
 it for fomething contrary to what it was. In fpite of the 
 numberlefs miferies of his prefent condition, he has 
 often told me, he could not forbear fmiling at their 
 .flight, and falling into fome reflections : how infepa- 
 
 rable,
 
 E N QJJ I R V. .219 
 
 , thought he, are cowardice and villainy 1 The 
 place and circumftance he was in, however, giving him 
 little opportunity for indulging them, he deferred it 
 until another time, and made what hafle he could to 
 defcend ; which when he had done, he was in fome 
 debate within himfelf, if he mould take the money, fo 
 convenient for him in his neceffity, and leave the wretch, 
 who had aflifted in the unlawful gaining it, to recover 
 as he could ; or if he mould endeavour to bring him to 
 himfelf, and by that aft of charity engage him to be his 
 guide out of the defart ; the latter of thefe fuggeftions 
 took place, not only becaufe he had already experienced 
 how difficult it was for him to find his way of himfelf, 
 but alfo that it was agreeable to the fweetnefs of his dif- 
 pofition. Determined to do this, he kneeled down by 
 him, rubbed his breaft and temples, bent him forward, 
 and did every thing in his power to reftore him to his 
 fenfes ; which when he had done, by figns and fom 
 few words which he had learned from the Ceylonef* 
 language, he made him at lail convinced, that he was 
 no more than a man, and had no defign to hurt him. 
 1 Fhe fellow, thus re-aflured, looked about for his com- 
 panions, and finding they were gone, began to fcrambl* 
 up what they had left behind. Montrano affifled him 
 in gathering it, and by befeeching poflures, and fuch 
 expreffions as he could make intelligible, entreated h 
 would conduct him from that defart, which the other 
 promifed to do j but by going round about, for fear his 
 companions, when they had confidered on the matter, 
 fhould return and claim their ihare of the treafure, they 
 were two days before .they gained the road, but re- 
 joiced was Montrano once more to fee it. At parting, 
 the thief feeing the miferable condition he was in, gave 
 him fomewhat to help him on his journey, and on he 
 travelled till he came to a little town, called Javira ; 
 there I had the good fortune to renew my acquaintance 
 with him, I having procured my liberty, by having 
 ferved the fovereign of the Maldives in an exigence, 
 L 2 which,
 
 220 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 which, but for me, had coil him his life. I was tak- 
 ing fome refrefhment at a houfe of entertainment, fuch 
 a wretched one as that place affords, when I faw a per- 
 fon featured like Montrano, but in fuch an abject and 
 deplorable condition, and fo altered in every thing 
 from what he was, that I could not believe the firit 
 dictates of my mind, which told me, it was no other; 
 yet refolving to be convinced, I drew nearer to him, as 
 he was afking charity of the landlord of the houfe. Ke 
 faw me not 'till then ; but as foon as he did, Alceftus ! 
 faid he. I will not go about, madam, continued this 
 obliging friend, to reprefent the fatisfaftion I conceiv- 
 ed at meeting with him ; which would, indeed, have 
 been as great a grief, had I not, at that time, been 
 mailer of fufficient courage to eafe thofe calamities 
 which were vifible to me : the others which were not, 
 and which, as foon as we were alone, he inform- 
 ed me of, gave me a concern equal to my furprize, 
 that any thing, which had the (hape of a woman, could 
 aft in fo abhorred and fhamelefs a manner as Elphania 
 and her confidante had done ; but as there was no relief 
 for a misfortune fuch r.s that, but patiently ensuring 
 it, I omitted nothing in my power which might confole 
 him. We made the belt of our way toward Ceylon, 
 which at lall we reached ; I had the good fortune to ex- 
 ecute my father's commands on the villain who had 
 endeavoured to impofe upon him ; and Montrano found 
 the merchant to whom he had been fent by his uncle, 
 and received from him this pleafing intelligence, that 
 the old gentleman, repentingwhat he had done, had writ 
 letters to recal him ; and when the anfwers had let him 
 know he had not yet arrived on that coaft, had fent 
 others full of grief, and entreating he would make all 
 imaginable fearch for him. Neither of us, therefore, 
 having any longer bufmefs at Ceylon, we refolved to 
 leave it the firfl opportunity, but were obliged to wait 
 oear two years before any mip fet fail for Europe ; and 
 
 when
 
 E X U I R 
 
 when after that time we embarked, it was in a Dutch 
 merchant-man, bound for Rotterdam ; there were we 
 alfo compelled to ft ay a conaderable time before any flu 3 
 offered for Venice j but at length meeting with one, 
 we ciane together without any farther difficulties, and 
 landed laft nigh: ; he-has not yet paid his duty to his 
 uncle, nor would fuffer me to fee my father, the tender- 
 nefs he had for you calling him firft here, where, he faid, 
 I mult alfo accompany him ; not being able, he faid, to 
 relate to you hlinfeif the misfortune which you now are 
 acquainted with from my mouth. 
 
 Thus, faid Iferia, did the generous Alceftus end his 
 rr:!ancholy narration ; which having thanked him for, 
 we went together to the garden, to fee what was become 
 of Montrano, whom we found lying in this very grove, 
 in fo fad and melancholy a poflure as muft have moved 
 anyone to pity, much more a wife, who loved him 
 more than all things on this fide Heaven ; and whofe 
 affecHon was not in the leaft abated by the knowledge 
 of the injury that had been done him. I entreated him 
 to rife ; but he refufing to do fo, faying, the earth, 
 darknefs, and folifude, were fit for fuch a wretch as he 
 v/as ; I threw myfelf down by him, protefting that I 
 would never leave him ; and that if he did not wilh to 
 fee me the moft unhappy woman in the world, he muft 
 throw off all thoughts, and, forgetful of paft misfortunes, 
 join me in thanks to the Almighty Difpofer of all blef- 
 fnigs, that he was at laft paft over them, and fafe in his 
 Iferia's arms, as he mould ever be in her heart. As I 
 was fpeaking in this manner, Oh thou moil excellent of 
 all thy fex ! interrupted he, think not I come to claim 
 thee as a wife, to curfe thy youth and beauty with the 
 fhadow of a hulbancl : No ; it would be a fin Heaven 
 could never pardon, ihould 1 condemn thy charms to cold 
 fterility : thou, who may'lt blefs the world with a race 
 of angels like thyfelf. No, my L*ria ! I came but to 
 fee thee once, then take my everlafting leave, and in 
 fo;ne diilant cloyfter hide me for ever from thy fight. 
 L 3 Unkind
 
 222 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 Unkind Montrano, anfwered I, think you my love was 
 fenfual ? Are you not as dear as ever ? And would you 
 leave me, leave me by your own choice ? Have I not 
 endured enough, when torn from me by an inhuman 
 uncle ? I wafted feven whole years in grief j but you muft 
 now inflift a fecond wretchednefs more dreadful than the 
 firft : that was unavoidable, but this free-will, and 
 want of love to me, or want of mine to you. But do 
 not think that I will fuffer it ; no, continued I, em- 
 bracing him, thus will I cling about you ever, nor fhall 
 you throw me off; through lands and feas will I ac- 
 company you, and wherefcever you go, Iferia will be 
 there ; I am your wife, your lawful wedded wife, and 
 will maintain my claim againft the united force of th* 
 whole world. Many more expreffions, of the fame na- 
 ture with thefe, did I make ufe of, to convince him, 
 that I regarded him with the fame tendernefs as ever, 
 tnd thought no misfortune equal to that of being fe- 
 parated from him j but could not prevail en him to 
 alleviate his forrows for a considerable time. Never 
 was there a fcene more moving, more truly touching to 
 the foul, nor never conflict more equally carried on by 
 both ; fondnefs with fondnefs warred, and love was 
 cppofed againft love ; mine at laft, however, gained 
 the victory, and he con fen ted to live with me in th>* 
 manner you fee ; we pafs our days in a mutual endea- 
 vour to oblige each other, and our nights in fuch encenr- 
 ments as a chafte brother might allow himfelf with a 
 filler he tenderly loved. Our misfortune is entirely 
 concealed frcm all the world but Alceilus and yourfelf, 
 on whofe difcretion I dare rely, elfe had not made you 
 partaker of the fecret. I believe no woman could Le 
 more tranquil, in fuch a circumfbnce, than myfclf; 
 yet, Miramillia, loving as 1 do, r.nd beloved with the 
 fame ardour, judge, if I can bring my wifhes to that 
 pitch of resignation and content that is necefiluy to 
 qualify me for the tak you would have me undertake. 
 
 The
 
 E N QU I R Y. 
 
 The affiicled mother fished at the little fuccefs (he 
 had hitherto met with, and having thanked Iferia for 
 the good opinion fhe had of her fecrecy, took her leave, 
 and departed with a aeavy heart. The next it came 
 ia her head to ad Jrefs, on this fcore, was a lady in whofe 
 fortune there was indeed the utmoft appearance of fe- 
 renity. She was married to a man fhe long had loved, 
 but had been prevented from being his wife by her pa.- 
 rents, who looked on him as her inferior in point of 
 wealth. She now feemed to be poflefled of all me had 
 to wifh, and was univerfally believed to be among the 
 happy few. The manner in which me received Mira* 
 millia, and the influence of every thing about her, with 
 the tender affection me obferved between her and her 
 hufband, made this airlifted, mother conceive great hopes 
 that her fearch was here to end. 
 
 For which reafun letting her know fhc had fomething 
 to communicate, fhe engaged her to retire with her into 
 a room apart from the company, and there related to 
 her the occalion of her coming ; at which the other- ap- 
 peared not lefs furprized than thofe to whom fhe had 
 before addreffed this fait ; fain fhe would have diiluaded 
 her from fuffering herfelf to be impofed on by the arts 
 of thofe fellows, who have no other livelihood than what 
 they extraft from the ignorant and credulous ; but 
 Miramillia, who ftill continued refolute on making the 
 experiment, would not fuffer her to proceed for any time 
 on. this theme ; and Stenoclea, for fo fhe was called, 
 had too much complaifance to enter with her into an 
 argument which fhe perceived her friend determined to 
 defend; with an air of pleafantry therefore, which had 
 in it, however, fomewhat of diiTatisfaftion, fhe told her, 
 that whatever reafons fhe might have to think herfelf 
 unqualified for this employment, flic would undertake 
 it ; becaufe, faid fhe, how little foever you may benefit 
 by it, I am certain of receiving one very great ad- 
 vantage by it, which is the happinefs I fhall enjoy in 
 your focicty, which of neceffity you muft afford me for 
 L 4 the
 
 224 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 the time in which I am at work for you. Miramillia, 
 extremely pleafcd at e grant of her requeft, anfwered 
 this compliment only with a fmile and bow, and re- 
 turned with her to the company, having obtained her 
 promife of beginning the work the next day. 
 
 Three days had MiramiKla paft in this hcufe, in 
 \vhich time both Stencclea, and Armuthi her hulband, 
 itemed to f.udy nothing fo much as to divert her me- 
 lancholy ; but all the feats and fports their kindncfs in- 
 \ented, afforded but a .fmall portion of fatisfa&ion, 
 when compared with that ihe conceived, at feeing this 
 lady bufily employed in that tafk, which fo many had 
 refufed to undertake, and from which (he had a greater 
 hope than me would make fhow of, of obtaining her de- 
 f.res, and once more embracing her beloved fen. It was 
 r.ow mere than half accompiiihed, when Armuthi be- 
 ing abroad, and the two ladies fitting together con- 
 verfing en ordinary affairs, a fervant, with grief and 
 ccnfuficn vifible in his face, entreated to fpeak in pri- 
 vate to Stenoclea, who trembling, as if fearing fome 
 expefted ill, bade him follow her into another room. 
 Stenoclea returned not to Miramillia, till fl-.e had heard 
 a great r.oife below flairs, and a ftrange confullon of 
 voices, which now gave this unfatisfied mother fuftl- 
 cient caufe to apprehend, that fomething had fallen out 
 which would render this lady alfo incapable of doing her 
 the fervice flie required. As fne was thus reflecting and 
 Jamenting the misfortunes of others as well as herfelf, 
 Stenoclea, with ilreamir.g eyes, and all the fymptoms 
 of grief, appeared : Oh ! Miramillia, cried Ihe, it is 
 now no longer in my power to impofe on you : thofe 
 fears which made me ever incapable of doing you the 
 iervice you required, though I concealed them, in hopes 
 to put an end to fo fruitless an enquiry, are new come to 
 pafs, and I muft now be known to be the wretch I am ; 
 fain would I have deceived you into an opinion of my 
 happinefs, by ihewing you how ineffectual the per- 
 formance of what you afked would prove, to prevent you 
 
 from
 
 E N Q_U I R Y. 225 
 
 from being any longer deceived by the fubtilty of that 
 
 vain predictor, who advifed you to this fearch but I 
 
 am prevented in my defign, and fo far from that hap- 
 pinefs you wifh to find, muft own my breaft a perfeft 
 chaos of wild confufion, grief, defpair, and Ihame. 
 
 It is hard to fay, whether Miramillia was. more fur- 
 prized or troubled at fo fudden an alteration ; but hav- 
 ing made ufe of her vtmoft eloquence to perfuade her to 
 a patient enduring of her fate, entreated fhe would re- 
 late by what means flie was become unhappy ; on which 
 the other endeavouring to fubdue her pailicns, replied, 
 that fhe had not thus long made a fecret to her of her 
 moil private affairs, but with an intention to put her off 
 giving credit to the fortune-teller, and perplexing her- 
 felf with a vain enquiry after what it was fcarce pro- 
 bable ihe would ever find, or if (he did, would be of no 
 confequence to her defires in the end. 
 
 Loner, faid fhe, have T been wretched, through the 
 fears of that misfortune which is now arrived ; and when 
 you addreffed to me as to a happy perfcn, my full eyes 
 were ready in a flood of tears to convince you of your 
 miiifake, and proclaim the ntuation of my heart ; but 
 friend flap interpofed, and told me, that by deceiving 
 you this once, I mould preferve you from continuing to 
 be deceived, fince in finding no effedt from that piece 
 of fempfhy which you believed performed by hands pro- 
 per to undertake it, you would no more have relied on 
 that fabulous prediction, which I perceive has already 
 given you fo much fruitlefs toil. But my defigns are 
 now difappointed, the cruel certainty of rny fate leaves 
 me no room for hope, or for concealment; you and the 
 whole world muft now be fenfible, the fun in his cx- 
 tenfne progrefs fees not a wretch fo loll, fo dead to 
 cornfcrt, as the undone Stenoclea. 
 
 The diflraftion of her thoughts here brcke in, and for 
 
 a confiderable fpace of time would not permit her to utter 
 
 one coherent fentenze ; but fummoning h^ whole force 
 
 of that refolution flic was miflrefs of, f;.e ..t length rz- 
 
 L 5 covered
 
 226 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 covered her felf enough to fatisfy the high-rsifed curiofity 
 of Miramillia ; and being again deiired by her, prepar- 
 ed to give her the account flie was fo impatient of, and 
 feating herfelf by her, began in thefe or the like terms. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF STENOCLEA, 
 
 AND THE SlGNIORS A R M U T H I AND 
 
 BARNIBAR. 
 
 nPO make you acquainted, faid ftie, with the means 
 *. which has brought the fad cataftrophe of my fate 
 about, as alfo to let you a little into the nature and dif- 
 pofitions of the perfons concerned in it, I muft enlarge 
 my ftcry, by going back into thofe years which may 
 properly enough be called my childifh ones ; many 
 things happening at that time, though long fince paft > 
 which have drawn on the mifery of the prefent. 
 
 Know then, dear Miramillia, that I was bred the 
 darling of my doating parents, my only brother being 
 many years elder, and then abroad on his travels ; I was 
 looked on as the comfort of their age, their marriage 
 having never produced any other offspring than us two. 
 I need not tell you how careful they were of my educa- 
 tion ; the little undcrftanding I ftill retain in poetry, 
 mathematics, mufic, dancing, and thofe other accom* 
 plifliments proper for a perfon of my fex, will fuffici- 
 ently inform you ; they defired I mould be miftrefs, in 
 as high a degree as my capacity would permit, of every 
 thing defirable in a woman. The reputation of im- 
 provement, however, which thofe who had the care of 
 inflrutting me favoured me with, joined to a tolerable 
 ihare of beauty, gained me, before I reached the age 
 of fourteen, a great number of vifitcrs, who pretended 
 themfelves devoted to my charms j how much the gene- 
 rality.
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 227 
 
 rality of them were fo in reality, I gave myfelf not the 
 trouble to examine, my whole wifhes and defires being 
 centred in the agreeable Armuthi, a gentleman, whole 
 maturity may inform you, was all that was love-infpiring 
 in his bloom ; his age did not at that time exceed mine 
 above five years, yet was there fornething of a manly 
 majefty, which, mingled with the native fweetnefs and 
 innocence of his unexperienced youth, gave fuch charms 
 to his air, which I am unable to exprefs : but he was 
 inferior in point of fortune ; and that deficiency, in 
 the eyes of my parents, (who partially imagined the 
 merits of their daughter might entitle her to the greateft 
 expectations) over-balanced all his perfections. They 
 could have given me a dowry which might have ferved 
 as a competence for both, and made his wants unfelt i 
 not all the tendernefs I regarded him with, though net 
 unknown to them, could prevail, on them to confent, 
 that I mould match with one whofe only jointure was his 
 love. In fine, they were now pait all remembrance of 
 what once they were, had loft in age the fcftening 
 defires of youth, and looked on grandeur as the only 
 felicity in marriage. They were continually preaching 
 to me the pleafures of title and precedence ; reprefent- 
 ing to me the inftabilityof thofe defires which perfonal 
 perfections excite, and the numberlefs ills to which a 
 woman is expofed, who gives herfelf away merely for 
 the fake of love ; they bid me reflect on the mutability 
 cf all pafiions, and efpecially oh that by which I was 
 at prefent influenced ; how wretched I mould be if Armu- 
 thi, after becoming my hufband,' fho'uld fwerve from his 
 love, or I repent that which had made me his ; reminded 
 me that the tie of marriage was irrevocable, and that 
 if either of us deviated from our firft flame, with what 
 anxiety the chain would be dragged by both. But this 
 was a doftrine in which I had no faith ; I could not 
 believe there was a pofiibility for love, like ours, ever 
 to di minim ; and r,s to any other mifchiefs, I fet thenv 
 *t naught. A thoajar.d times [good Heaven ! pardon 
 L 6 ihe
 
 3*8 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 the wild exclamation] I have cried out, O let Armuthi 
 be but mine, and I will defy the woric that fate can do! 
 . But I will not detain you with any particulars of the 
 extravagance of my paffion, which are not altogether 
 material to my ftory ; it mall fuffice to tell you, that I 
 loved too well to liften to the pretences of any other, 
 though there were many who follicited my father on 
 my account, and fonie of them very advantageous ; 
 but I was not to be moved by their defpair, by the en- 
 treaties and commands of my parents, nor by any con- 
 fiderations of my own intereil ; and made no fcruple of 
 yefolutely declaring, that fince 1 could not be the wife 
 of Armuthi, I would be fo of no man. This equally 
 paflionate lover would fain have perfuaded me to make 
 my efcape, and wholly negledling all future contingen- 
 cies fly with him to feme place, where unknown we 
 might obtain the means of being made one, and con- 
 fummate our loves ; nay> once had he, for a handfomc 
 bribe, prevailed on a prieft to join our hands without 
 the knowledge of my obdurate parents ; but neither to 
 the one nor the other would I give confent ; not that I 
 denied through any fears of wh?.t might happen to my- 
 felf for fuch an act cf difcbedience, but that I could 
 not bear the thoughts cf involving him in the misfor- 
 tunes which muft inevitably fall on me. I loved him 
 with too much real tendernefs to ccnfent he mould be 
 unhappy with me; and even vvimed he loved me lefs, 
 fince I found he ccu'd not be fo without me. 
 
 In fpite of the diligence with which I was obferved, 
 I made ufe of ilratagems which frequently gave us the 
 blefiing of meeting, if that can be called fo, which was 
 indeed no other than an opportunity of condoling each 
 other, and lamenting our mutual woes. My mother's 
 death, which happened in this time, rid me of one 
 very watchful fpy ; and though I regarded her .with a 
 dutiful refpeft and love, yet it was fo inferior to that I 
 bore Armuthi, that the joy I took in finding myfclf 
 more at liberty to fee him, tcok away great part of 
 
 that
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 229 
 
 that forrow I fhould elfe have felt for the lofs of fo near 
 and dear a relation. My father, who had, perhaps, 
 more tendernefs for her than he was fenfible of himfelf, 
 furvived her not more than half a year, but died with 
 the fame refolution that he had lived, to prevent my 
 marriage with Armuthi; and that he might the more 
 certainly do fo, he left my fortune dependent on my 
 brother, and to be forfeited to him if ever I became 
 the wife of that prefent gentleman ; and left my tears 
 fliould work on his yielding nature to confent to it, the 
 eftate was to defcend to him, to be the portion of ano- 
 ther ; both of us to be cut off from his name and title, 
 and as we obeyed this injunction to be blefled or curfed. 
 Severe decree of a dying parent ! yet fuch was the aver- 
 fion he had conceived for this match, that he would omit 
 nothing which he thought might be a means to hinder 
 it. All the hopes I had on the known fweetnefs of my 
 brother's difpofition were new vanifned, fmce he could not 
 confent I fhould be the bride of Armuthi, without in- 
 curring the curfe of our father ; nor had the power to 
 preferve me from beggary, without being made a beg- 
 gar himfelf. I thought my condition now more defpe- 
 rate than ever ; I hnd indeed no longer obfcacles to 
 keep me from converging with this idol of my foul, as 
 often or as freely as 1 pleafed ; but to what end did I 
 fee orconverfe with him, but to become more unhappy 
 by the daily difcovery of fome new charm, and the re- 
 flection that I muu never be more his than now I was ? 
 I had but one faint fhadow of comfort, and that was, 
 that at my brother's return, which was now expelled 
 every hour, I fhould perfaads him to mitigate the feri- 
 tence of my father's teftament ; and though he could 
 not fuffer me to receive my dowry, mrjht evade the 
 penalty of paying it, by allowing me the intereft of it 
 per annum, under the denomination of charity. This 
 I fometimes flattered myfelf I mould perfuade him to 
 do, and it was this alone which the unhappy Armuthi 
 and myfelf had to preferve us from defpair ; for he, 
 
 alas !
 
 230 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 alas ! had no probable view of maintaining the chnrges 
 of a family, his whole dependance being on the favour 
 of an uncle, who, though he very much encouraged 
 his addrciies to me, while there was the leaft hope of 
 prevailing on my father to conf^nt to the marriage, was 
 now as much avcrfe, fince he had heard the cruel con- 
 ditions of his will; and oft^n chid Armuthi for con- 
 tinuing his vifits to n ; f. I hr-cl not leen him for two 
 days, when, to ray ii;ey..". fGble furprize and grief, 
 I received this letter ,ro^i 
 
 Here Stenoclea opened her cabinet, and taking out 
 a paper, read to Miramillia the following lines : 
 
 " MY tongue has for fome time been endeavouring 
 " in vain to tell you, oh my for ever loved Stenoclea ! 
 " what now I force my pen to do. Oh ! with what 
 " words mall I exprefs what it is I mean ? Can I live, 
 " and fay that I no more mult fee you ; no more mull 
 " liften to the enchanting harmony of your heavenly 
 "" voice ; no more muft hear you own a tendernefs, 
 " which to be bleffedwilh, there is not a faint but might 
 " forego his heaven, and ftand excufed for change of 
 " rapture? To what a hell am I accurfed that mult 
 " endure all this ? nay, like Belierophon, mull my 
 " own fentence bear. Yet will I not complain, nor 
 " utter one fyllable to exprefs the anguilh of my foul, 
 " or excite an unavailing pity in yours. Fate, who 
 '' ordains me to this mifery, will foon, I hope, b 
 *' kindly cruel, and make it too violent to be lairing, 
 " and ftrike me dead at once. For oh, Stenoclea 1 I 
 " have refolved to go for ever from you ; to carry from 
 " your fight a wretch, whofe contagious woes drive 
 " peace and happinefs from their loved manfion---youi' 
 " gentle breaft. Never, never will I renew thofe vain 
 " defires of unaccompliflied loye, nor perfecute you 
 " with a fruitlefs fuit. Far from your fight v/ill I con- 
 " ceal for ever this ill-fated form, too much beloved, 
 " fince too little worthy of being loved ; and leave yc-u
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 2 3 t 
 
 to regain that peace which I have toolongdeftroyed. 
 Guilty, as miferable, mould I be tovviih, much lefs to 
 attempt, the obfcuring of fo bright a ftar ; and in- 
 volving in the gloom of mine, a life which has fo many 
 opportunities of mining with the utmoft fplendor. 
 Oh ! may no thought of me overcloud your future 
 joys, but an eternal round of bleffings crown each 
 enfuing day ! Farewell ! believe, that in forfaking 
 you, I now do more to prove my love, than had I 
 fpent the beft part of my blood in fighting v/ith fome 
 happier rival ; nay, even in dying for you : that had 
 been a glorious end ; but this I now go to feek a mean, 
 lingering, and painful one. Pity me ; oh ! to the 
 lait moment of my life, adored and loved Stonoclea ! 
 for I would ftill be pitied, though not loved. Hea- 
 ven ! that I mould wifh Stenoclea not to love me 1 
 What is there but that dear comfort to withhold me 
 from running madly into fome defperate action, and 
 breaking through all laws both human and divine ? 
 Yet, till you ceafe to afford it, peace muft be a 
 ftranger to your breaft. Forget me then, banifh me 
 your thoughts ; but wim me not to live : in mercy 
 pray for the fpeedy death of 
 
 " The defpairing, 
 " The diftraded, 
 " Yet adoring; 
 
 " ARMUTHI. 
 
 " P. S. What I have refolved, not even your 
 " commands mall prevent me from executing ; this 
 t( therefore comes expecting no reply, and before you 
 " can have formed one, I fliall be pafl the reach of it. 
 " Adieu, once more, too lovely, and too good for my 
 * l repofe or your own I" 
 
 I cannot exprefs the grief I was in at the receipt of 
 this letter ; I was nearly touched with the generofity of 
 his behaviour, and joined with him in the opinion, that 
 
 fince
 
 252 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 fince there was fcarce a poffibility of our being at peace, 
 and indeed the reputation of both demanded our fepa- 
 ration, yet could I not confent to it ; I found my foul 
 too weak to refolve againft what gave me fo much plea- 
 fure as his fociety, even though it were only a prirtner- 
 fhip in misfortunes. I fent immediately to his lodgings, 
 charging the meflenger to tell him, I muft fpeak with 
 him before he went. But my commands arrived too late, 
 and I was foon after informed, by one who was in- 
 timate with his uncle, that he was gone to travel, 
 but to what part of the world was kept a fecret. His 
 only defign, as he has fince told me, being to feek 
 a cure for his hopelefs paffion, he thought it would be 
 an ill recipe to feed the diftemper by letters or meffages 
 from the beloved object. This relation of his alone 
 knew where he went ; and having fo great a defire to 
 prevent his nephew's throwing himfelf away, as he 
 called it, en a woman, who if me married him muft 
 have no fortune, there was little probability he would 
 reveal it. InccV.folable was I for his departure, feme- 
 times believing his proceeding had been occaiioned by 
 an excefs of love, and regard for my repofe ; at others 
 that it v/as owing to the want of it ; and whenever this 
 laft reflection came acrofs my thoughts, it gave me 
 pains too terrible for dcfcription. 
 
 Soon after this I received letters from Barnibar, fo 
 my brother was called, dated from Padua, wh'ch 
 brought me word, he was on his return, and woi Id 
 fpeedily be in Venice : never was there a more ter.< e 
 affccucn than that with which we had regarded c. ch. 
 other before he went to travel ; and as I had not ab;-. ed 
 any part of that which I had felt for him, fo I fuf- 
 peifted not that abfence had diminilhed his for me, and 
 promifed myfelf in his fociety a real confolation for the 
 Jofs of Armuthi : but, O God ! when I expected to 
 embrace him, and every moment thought the next 
 would bring him to my arms, I received an account of 
 his death, that he was killed by a gentleman on the 
 road with whom he unfortunately happened to cu:;r- 
 3 reJ
 
 E N Q^U I R Y. 233- 
 
 rel ; and a fervant he had with him endeavouring 
 to revenge his mailer's death, was alfo left for dead ; 
 th-it the perfon by whom this misfortune had happened 
 was unknown, and had made his efcape, fo that all 
 hope of doing jmlice to hi"s manes was extinguifhed. 
 
 Judge what a furprize this muft be to a filler that fo 
 tenderly loved him ; I found no comfort in the vail for- 
 tune which by his death I became miilrefs of, and 
 looked on myfelf as the moft forlorn creature in the 
 world. O, Armuthi ! would I cry, them haft aban- 
 doned me, and Heaven knows where thy defpsir will 
 carry thee And Barnibar ! thouwho alone, by thy ad- 
 vice and tender friendfhip, couldft have brought peace 
 to my amifted foul, art torn from me by fome inhuman 
 hand O ! bring the murderer to light, good Heaven ! 
 purfued I, that I may profecute him with the fevereft 
 vengeance let him be taken, let him be detected 
 when he leaft fears the danger, and fudden ruin over- 
 whelm him, as that he brought on Barnibar, my ua- 
 happy brother ! 
 
 But I will not, continued me, weeping afrefh at this 
 part of her ilory, prolong the fad cataftrophe of my 
 fate, by repeating to you the exclamations J made, or 
 the thoufand vows I offered up to Heaven, and every 
 faint, for bringing forth this unknown deilroyer of my 
 brother's life. I had fcarce celebrated the folemnity of 
 his funeral, before I heard Armuthi was brought back 
 to Venice, being feized on the road with fo violent an 
 inyifpofition, that he was unable to purfue his journey, 
 and had taken the firil opportunity of a litter for his 
 return. It was reported he was at the point of death, 
 and entreated to fee me. Sure never any heart was fub-' 
 jefled to fuch viciffitudes of anguifh, as was mine, to 
 have him reflcred ; but reftored in fuch a manner as 
 mull deprive me of him for ever, was infinitely more 
 dreadful than all I had before endured. I now per- 
 ceived that he was flill more dear than Barnibar had 
 been, and that all the ties of blood are far inferior to 
 thofe of love: -In fpte of the difguft I had conceived 
 
 againit
 
 234 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 sgainfthis uncle, I flew to bis houfe, and regardlefs of the 
 eenfure of the world, omitted nothing which I thought 
 might contribute to the recovery of this foul-nek lover, 
 for well I faw grief was his only diftemper. My kindnefs 
 was fo great a cordial, 'chat, contrary to the judgment of 
 the phyficians, v ho feme hours before I came had faid 
 he could not live, I left him very much reltored, and ia 
 fo fair a way of recovery, that it amazed all about him, 
 His uncle, now as obliging to me as he had formerly 
 been the reverfe, gave my generofity and conlhmcy fuel* 
 praifes, as whoever had heard might have believed ; he 
 alfo was my lover : but I took little notice of them, 
 well knowing that to have a great fortune, independent 
 by the death of my brother, was the greateii charm I 
 had for him. Early the next morning did I vint my 
 dear patient again, and found him in a condition, fuchas 
 gave me great hopes I mould complete the cure I had 
 -fo fortunately begun ; in fine, I left him not till it was 
 fulfilled, and having now no obfcacle to prevent his 
 being my hufband, was married to him in a fhort time 
 after, to the great fatisfadlion of his now obliging uncle. 
 Nothing ever was more ardent, or more tender than 
 the alFeclions of Armuthi ; all his aftions, all his words, 
 were fo many demonflrations of his iincerity ; and as I had 
 given- him the utmoft proofs of mine, he could not but 
 think his lot extremely fortunate; yet in the midit of 
 all the joy he cxpreiTed at my being his, I every now 
 and then obferved fome flarts of anguith breaking 
 out, and giving a check to rapture ; deep groans, 
 and fighs too heavy for reilraint, would ever and anon 
 buril from his troubled breafc, even when furrounded 
 with his mofi gay companions ; nor could the cheer- 
 ful glafs, when fvvifcly pafllng round in jocund healths, 
 repel their force, though oft I have feen, and wondering 
 feen him, flruggle with the innate dilturbance ; but in 
 unguarded fleep, with what dire furies feemed his brain 
 poffefTed ! It is falfe, he would cry, wildly rtarting up, 
 I killed him not j and then, again, throwing himfdf
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 235 
 
 on the floor in 'ftrange convulfions, Hide, hide me, 
 roared he out, from the offended ghoft ! Stop, flop tha,t 
 ftream of blood ! it will fwallow me ! See ! I am en- 
 compafTed with a liquid fire ! all hell'is on me ! Awaked 
 and frighted with fuch dreadful founds, I have perforce 
 broken the chain of deep, and taken him to iny arms ; 
 but, oh ! what tremblings had the dire viilons left on 
 all his frame ! in vain, with every art of fond, endearing 
 love, did I endeavour to bring him back to peace ; too 
 well I faw tranquillity was banifhed from his breafl, and 
 he but wore a ihow of foft contentment. As nothing 
 ought to be a fecret between perfons whom love and 
 law had united in the facred tie of marriage, I prefied 
 ..him, with all the tendernefs I v/as capable of exprefling, 
 to reveal to me the cauie ol" his affliction ; but never 
 could I obtain from him this proof of what he had fo 
 often fworn, to deny me nothing I could afk, and in 
 his power to grant ; but, on the contrary, he told m 
 that he had in reality no caufe for grief, that tbofc 
 troubled vifions were a diforder hereditary to his family, 
 and that it was madnefs to impute the wild ideas of 
 fancy, in which reafon had no part, to any real difor- 
 der in the waking mind, which he affured me was en- 
 tirely free from remorfe, or guilt of any fecret fin, 
 which fhould occafion fuch confuiion, as he was fenf> 
 ble fometimes appeared in him. I cannot fay I was 
 perfeily fatisfied with this reply ; but having frequently 
 fpoke to him on this head, and finding him ftill the 
 fame, and at laft to grow a little uneafy, that I expreffed 
 a uii;idciv;e in what he faid, I was obliged to give over 
 any farther interrogatories concerning the affair : his 
 disorders, however, encreafing, efpecially in fleep, gave 
 me alfo perturbations which were very terrible to fuftain : 
 he fb frequently crying out on blood, made me in- 
 deed think fome had been fhed by unwarrantable means ; 
 and more than once it flruck into my mind, how dread- 
 ful a. ruin we mull: be involved in, if by any accident 
 he and my brother fhould have met, and it fhould be 
 
 the
 
 236 THE' FRUITLESS 
 
 the ghoft of that unhappy youth, whom he fo often 
 named; and the bare apprehenfions that fuch a thing 
 was pciiible, gave me horrors which I am not able to 
 exprefs ; but I endeavoured to banifh fuch thoughts as 
 much as poflible, and whenever any thing happened to 
 renew them, ftrove with all my might to overcome them 
 by arguments of a contrary nature ; yet would they not 
 wholly forfake me, and the condition I was in was far 
 from happy. 
 
 '" About five months fince our marriage, did I live with- 
 out any certainty, that there was fomething in the bot- 
 tom of all this, more than what I have told you. Oh ! 
 would to God I never had been convinced! Sufpence, 
 tormenting as it was, was yet inferior to what eniued 
 the dreadful detection of Armuthi's crime, and my ir- 
 remediable misfortune ; but murder though for a time 
 concealed, will, fometime or other, break forth, and blood 
 will call for blood. I was fitting this morning in a low 
 parlour, when I obferved a man who feemed to be en- 
 quiring for fome perfon in the neighbourhood ; I ima- 
 gined I had feen the face, and looked more earneftly, 
 when prefently I faw him come to our gate, and on his 
 near approach knew him to be Stilicon, an old fervant 
 in our family, who had attended my brother in his 
 travels, and the fame who was reported to have been 
 murdered with him at Padua : I was infinitely pleafed 
 to find him alive, hoping by him I might dilcovef 
 who was the deftroyer of my dear brother, and take that 
 vengeance which his death required : I ordered lie 
 mould be admitted immediately, and as foon as he was, 
 began to queilion him concerning the manner of that 
 unhappy accident ; to which he replied in thefe terms : 
 We had not, madam, faid he, left Padua more than, 
 half an hour, before we met a gentleman well mounted, 
 but unattended ; either through defign or chance, he 
 rode fo near my mafter, that their horfes jofrled, and 
 the Granger's horfe being fomewhat fierv, gave a fuu- 
 den fpring, which was very near throwing his rider ; 
 
 he
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 237 
 
 fie taxed Signior Barnibar with incivility, imputing the 
 caufe to him, as not having taken care to guide his 
 beaft, or turn him out of the way. My mafter not 
 thinking he owed that refpecl to a perfon unknown to 
 him, and whofe appearance feemed not to command 
 fuch a deference, anfwered him in terms befitting the 
 arrogance of the demand ; on which the other, who, 
 I believe, was heated with wine, challenged him to the 
 proof, which of them merited to be efteemed the braveft 
 man : my mafter, unwilling to decline the combat, 
 leaped in a moment from his horfe, commanding me 
 to take care of him, and, drawing his fword, ran to 
 meet his antagonift, who was already prepared, and, 
 at the firft pufh, received a wound under his left breaft 
 of which he immediately expired ; I, diftracled at what 
 I faw, flew to the fword of my dear dead mafter, re- 
 folute to revenge him, or perim with him : I confefs 
 myfelf too weak to do the former, but was pretty near 
 obtaining my defire in the other ; for the murderous 
 weapon which had deprived him of life was buried in 
 my body, and but with difficulty drawn thence by its 
 remorfelefs mafter, who, leaving me weltering in my 
 blood, to all appearance dead, made the belt of his 
 way toward the city. Some pafTengers foon after com- 
 ing that way, the body of Signior Barnibar was con- 
 veyed back, to Padua, whence you know it was after- 
 wards conveyed to Venice, to be interred with his 
 noble anceftors : I was put under the care of an able 
 furgeon, who, contrary to all expectations, worked a 
 cure on me ; but I continued fo weak, that I was un- 
 able to begin my journey till three days fince. Hea- 
 ven has, however, enabled me to return at a feafon to 
 revenge the untimely death of my dear mafter. Early 
 this morning, as I was coming to enquire where I might 
 pay my dutiful ref^cfts to you, I faw the barbarous 
 affaffin, the idea of whofe face, fince that curfed mo- 
 ment in which I firft beheld him, has never been abfent 
 from my mind. I followed, unnoticed, and no doubt 
 
 forgotten
 
 238 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 forgotten by him, till I faw him enter a magnificent 
 houfe a few ftreets off; whence running immediately to 
 ft magiftrate, I made oath of what I knew, and had 
 proper officers, and a warrant granted to apprehend 
 him. He is now under a ftrong guard, and I can falute 
 you, madam, continued he, with the joyful news that 
 your brother's ghoft will mortly have the vengeance it 
 requires. 
 
 So ftrongly, faid Stenoclea, did the fears I have 
 already acquainted you with work in me, that for fomc 
 moments I was incapable of afking Stilicon the name of 
 him whom he had apprehended ; but when I did, It* 
 anfwered me, that he was ignorant either of the name 
 or quality of the perfon, but that having caufed him to - 
 be feized, he presently enquired where he might find me, 
 being willing to be the firft who mould acquaint me with 
 the pleafmg tidings. 
 
 Never was fuch a mixture of hope and terror as that I 
 endured all the time he was fpeaking ; I cculd not think 
 it Armuthi, yet would have given almoft my life to 
 have been certain it was not. About this time I heard 
 you coming down flairs, I ordered the fellow to be en- 
 tertained by the fervants, and came into the room to 
 you ; I concealed my diforder as well as I was able, and 
 indeed the more I confidered the matter, the more I 
 found comfort ; I could not think, if it were really my 
 huiband who was in cuftody, but that I mould have 
 heard of his misfortune from himfelf ; I refolved, how- 
 ever, to be informed of the truth, by fending^a perfon 
 to the prifon ; but before I had well determined in \\hn.t 
 manner to proceed, I was called to one who brought 
 me a letter, the character of which, on the fuperfcrip- 
 tion, I knew to be that of Armuthi, and gueffed the 
 fatal purport before I read it in thefe lines. 
 
 As me fpoke thefe words, me tt)ok out of her pocket 
 
 a letter, which fhe put into the hands of Miramillia to 
 
 read, while fhe indulged the greatnefs of her forrows in 
 
 3 tears,
 
 E N CLU I R Y. 239 
 
 ears, now again pail the power of utterance by 
 fpeech : her fympathizing friend confidering, ' to repeat 
 the contents of that paper would ferve but 19 encreafe 
 her griefs, read to herfelf as follows : 
 
 " I Need not now be demanded the reafons of 
 " that defpair you have fo often obfcrved, and which 
 " were indeed toe juftly viable for you not to perceive, 
 " yet Heaven will, I hope, forgive a crime which was 
 " involuiur.ry. Oh ! that you would as readily be 
 *' brought not to hate the "man, whofe death will foon 
 *' atone the murder of Barnibar ! But that were too 
 " vrvin a hope : by one raih aft I have deprived you of 
 *' a brother, who was extremely dear to you, and of a 
 *' hufband who valued nothing in competition with you 
 " What can I fay in vindication of what I have done, 
 (< which will not feem rather to add to the heinoufnefs 
 fs of it ? Yet had I loved you to a lefs violent degree, I 
 " had not thus been criminal ; the grief I conceived for 
 " having taken the life of an innocent gentleman, and 
 <e the brother of Stenoclea, mould have made me, the 
 next moment I knew to whom my fword had been 
 fo fatal, refign myfelf to juftice ; and, felf-accufed, 
 tefiificd how little my heart was capable of taking 
 the part of murder, though a&ed by my own hand : 
 but, oh ! I muft then have gone to the grave un- 
 bleffed with your poflHTion it was not life, but the 
 enjoyment of Stenoclea, that made me fcreen the 
 murderer of your brother from the juft cenfure of the 
 law ; yet, oh ! I confefs it was a felf-interefted flame, 
 and you ought never to forgive the man, who, to 
 feaft on your charms, involved you in his deftruftion. 
 Horrid guilt ! I tremble to think how much I have 
 wronged you ; pity me, it is all I afk ; as for a mi- 
 tigation of my firft crime, the killing of your brother, 
 it is what I neither hope, nor will endeavour ; the 
 law requires my blood, and I will yield it a willing 
 facrifice; be you no more fevere, nor hate, after 
 
 " death,
 
 o THE FRUITLESS 
 
 death, him who only wifhed to live for you, and 
 never can be other than 
 
 " Your moft pafiionately 
 " affectionate, though unhappy, 
 
 " and too guilty hufband, 
 
 " ARMUTHI, 
 
 " P. S. I dare not entreat to fee you, in the circum- 
 ftances under which I am ; yet hope you will not re- 
 fufe that comfort to my lateft moments, which fhall 
 be all employed in imploring bleffings on you. Once 
 mere pardon and pity the wretch, who was your 
 faithful hulband.1" 
 
 Now tell me, Miramillia, refumed Stenoclea, gentle 
 lady, advife me what to do, if a condition fo truly def- 
 perate as mine can admit, of any which may afford the 
 leaft fhadow of a comfort. The moment I had read 
 thefe heart-wounding lines, officers came into my hpufe, 
 are now in poffefuon as of the goods of a delinquent, 
 and fhortly will the loft Armuthi be made an example 
 of public juftice, and I, his wife, be driven out to ills, 
 the leaft of which is beggary, ^ 
 
 Few people had more the art of perfuaiion, or a 
 greater mare of good-nature to comfort the diftreffed, 
 than .Miramillia ; but the cafe was here too defperate, 
 and all (he could do for a long time, was to bear her 
 company in tears ; but recovering herfelf as well as me 
 was able, me at laft begged me would not give way to 
 forrow ; and ftarting on a iudden, as one waked from a 
 trance, Since you deftre my advice, Stenoclea, faid me, 
 I will give it you, and have bethought me of a way, 
 which, if it fucceeds, will fare you from all the miferics 
 you dread ; Armuthi will live ; your reputation will be 
 fafe, and goods and lands preferved. You muft, con- 
 tinued me, bend your whole ftudy to raile friends to 
 procure a pardon for your hufband ; thus far the duty 
 of a wife obliges you to do j but as it is your brother he 
 
 has
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 2 4I 
 
 has killed, ill would it become you to live with the 
 murderer of fo near and dear a relation. No, you muft 
 fave Armuthi, but muft fee him no more. You muft 
 be content topafs the remainder of your days in lonely 
 folitude, a widow while your hufband lives ; and I think, 
 ihid me, mould you difpofe, "in charitable ufes, ou 
 half of that eftate which by his death would all be for- 
 feited for a lefs pious end ; and with the other retire to 
 a cloyiter, there to pray for the expiation of the fin of 
 him, who, doubtlefs, muft ilill be dear to you ; it 
 would be the greateft means of bringing peace to your 
 own mind you couM make ufe of; and befldes, best. 
 glorious pattern of virtue, thus fulfilling both the con- 
 jugal and fraternal duty. 
 
 It was without the leait hefitation that Stenoclea 
 allured her, me would gladly take her counfel in every 
 particular, but feenied to entertain little hopes of pre- 
 vailing for a pardon for Armuthi ; on which Miramillia- 
 readijy made her an ofTer of ufing what intereil me had 
 with the Senate ; and indeed me fo effectually made good 
 her promife, that in a week's time me raifed this 
 aftli&ed lady from that extremity of defpair me had 
 been in, by obtaining the life of her dear hufband, 
 His pardon was figned, and he was releafed from prifon j 
 but before he was fo, Miramillia, who thought Steno- 
 clea could not continue to live with him with honour, 
 took care to remove her to a monaftery. The diffraction 
 of Armuthi, when he found on what terms he was faved, 
 being nothing material to the intent -of this book, I 
 mall not go about to defcribe ; therefore fhall only fay, 
 that when all he could do had proved ineffeftual to move 
 Stenoclea from that refolution (he had taken by the 
 advice of Miramillia, and by the latter of thefe ladies 
 being convinced, that he owed no lefs than fuch a felf- 
 denial to the memory of Barnibar, he followed the ex- 
 ample of his wife, and withdrew into a convent, where, 
 among the fociety of the holy fathers, lu was in a little 
 time taught to defpife the vanity of all fenfual enjoy- 
 
 VOL, II. M ments,
 
 ~z THE FRUITLESS 
 
 ments, and to fpend the days allotted him in this world, 
 in preparations for a better. Stenoclea grew a great 
 example of piety j and after their mutual conversion, 
 there pafled letters between them, which have been 
 printed fince their deaths, for the edification of others 
 in piety and virtue. 
 
 Miramillia left them not till fhe had feen every article 
 of her advice obeyed, and this fo lately unhappy pair in 
 a fair way of being tranquil in their own minds ; and 
 looked upon as eminent examples of refolution and 
 ftrength of virtue, by all who knew them or had heard 
 their ftory. 
 
 But now having fo happily finilhed this good work, 
 her own misfortunes, and the memory of her dear fon, 
 made her begin again to think on the fortune-teller's 
 prediction, and renew the fearch flie had for fome time 
 neglefted, to ferve the unfortunate Stenoclea. 
 
 In her way home, me pafTed near the houfe of a lady 
 who feemed to live in a perfect tranquility, and who be- 
 ing pretty well advanced in years, fhe thought might at 
 leaft be free from that deftrudHve paffion which had 
 been almoft always the caufe that me had hitherto found 
 it fo difficult to have her wifh accomplifhed. 
 
 She ordered her coachman, therefore, to drive to the 
 houfe of this lady, and was received by her in a manner 
 which left her no room to doubt fhe mould be refufed in 
 the grant of her requefl, as did the appearance of every 
 thing about her make her hope there was no danger of 
 its not being in her power : fhe did not, however, im- 
 mediately acquaint her with the caufe of her coming, 
 being determined before. She did fo, to be fully afiured 
 that her fearch would not here alfo be as fruitlefs as it 
 had hitherto been. She continued with her three or 
 four days without letting her into the fecret, in which 
 time fhe obferved nothing that could give her caufe to 
 fear fhe fhould have lefs fuccefs than fhe wilhed. Never 
 woman had a more defcrving and obliging hufband ; 
 two fine fans and one daughter were the product of their 
 
 marriage
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 243 
 
 ; they had an affluence of the goods of 
 fortune, lived beloved and refpedted by their neigh- 
 bours, and in a perfect tranquillity at home, all the 
 family feeming to itudy nothing but the fatisfaclion of 
 the other. Such a concord, thought Miramillia, muft in- 
 fallibly produce a happinefs, which without it grandeur 
 cannot give; and now determined to purfue her project, 
 communicated to Tellifmda, for fo was the lady called, 
 the motive which, joined to the regard me had for her, 
 had engaged her to this viut ; but no fooner had me 
 <lone fpeaking, than the other, by a deep figh, teftified how 
 little me was qualified for fuch an undertaking : which, 
 greatly furprizing Miramillia, Alas ! faid me, am I alfo 
 here deceived ? Is Tellifmda fo unthankful to Heaven 
 for the bleffings me enjoys, as not to be contented with 
 herftate? What fecret care, or rather what imaginary 
 ill, intrudes upon your peace, and poifons the ral feli- 
 cities of your life ? Ah, my deareft Miramillia ! replied 
 that lady, have a better opinion, I befeech you, of my 
 underftanding, than to believe I create demons on pur- 
 pofe to diflurb and fright me : no ; I aflure you, o* 
 the contrary, that it was only my too ftrenuous en- 
 deavours to preferve my peace that has deilroyed it-; 
 T feared to be unhappy, and have made myfelf fo ; by 
 aiming to avoid misfortunes, I have met them ; but I 
 know I fpeak in riddles, and as my brealt has long 
 laboured with the fecret, I will explain it to you, and 
 make you judge, if the griefs I labour under have a 
 fubilantial fource or not. Miramillia was preparing to 
 give her fome affurances of her fidelity, but the other 
 would not fuffer her to proceed ; telling her, that if 
 ihe had not an entire confidence in her, me mould hav 
 taken the fame care to conceal her difcontent from hrr, 
 as (he had done from the reft of the world. Some fe\y 
 compliments of this kind being paft between them, 
 Tellifmda prepared herfeif for the performance of her 
 promife, and foon after accomplimed it in thefe terms. 
 
 M 2
 
 n THE FRUITLESS 
 
 THE HISTORY OF TELLISINDA, 
 
 r PHOUGH, perhaps, faid me, never any perfons, 
 linked in the bonds of Hymen, loved with a more 
 true affeclion than myfelf and the chevalier ; yet having 
 been mr-ined four years without any child, he grew fo 
 excefiivcly difcontented, that I had reafon to fear a de- 
 creafe of his tendernefs : I endeavoured to confole him 
 for the want of a bleffing, which, indeed, I then thought 
 I never fliould afford him, by arguments fuch as thele : 
 I told him, that if we were not permitted to enjoy the 
 comforts of children, we were alfo free from the troubles 
 and cares which nece/Tarily attend a paternal Mate ; that 
 if Heaven kad thought fit to make us parents, welhould 
 have been fo ; and that we ought not to repine at the 
 decrees of him, who knew better what was good for us 
 than we did for ourfelves. In fine, I omitted nothing 
 that my little reading, both in divinity and philofophy, 
 enabled me to fay ; yet ftill he was uneafy ; and though 
 3ie faid nothing in contradiction to what I offered, yet 
 did a fullen peeviihnefs (it on his brow while liftening 
 to me, and fometimes he would fling from me, leaving 
 the room while I was in the middle of my difcourfe. 
 This diftemper grew every day more upon him ; and I 
 began at laft to fear I fhould entirely lofe his affedlions : 
 the apprehenfions of fo terrible a misfortune threw me 
 into a deep melancholy ; I became opprefled with it, 
 and could not forbear imparting it to a friend, in whom 
 1 had great confidence ; by her I was perfuaded, con- 
 trary to my reafon, my religion, and that aversion I 
 was bred to have to every thing which bordered on a de- 
 ceit, to feign myfelf with child. But as there appeared 
 no other way of regaining the affeftions of my hulband, 
 1 was prevailed on to follow her advice. I did fo ; and 
 the joy which from that time appeared in the counte- 
 nance of the chevalier, made me well enough fatished 
 c with
 
 E N Q^U I R Y. 245 
 
 with what I had done. Eftharia, for fofhe was called, 
 who had couhfelled me to this ftratagem, took it upon 
 her to provide a child againft the time in which it was 
 expected I mould be delivered. I will not trouble you 
 with the particulars of our management ; it mall fuffice 
 to tell you, that the fraud patted undifcovered, and I 
 was fuppofed to be the mother of a fine boy. I had 
 fcarce leifure for reflection, fo much were my thoughts 
 employed in anfwering the congratulations of my 
 friends, and the now renewed endearments of the che- 
 valier ; but when I had^ I cannot fay I was perfectly at 
 eafe ; the natural antipathy I had to all kirids of deceit, 
 made me look on myfelfwith a kind of contempt ; and 
 confcious how little I deferved the tendernefs I received 
 from my hufband, at leaft for that which had engaged 
 it, was afhamed within myfelf for receiving it. I was 
 for fome time alfo before I could fafhion myfelf, to be- 
 have to the child in any manner becoming a mothur; 
 but time, which renders all things eafy, brought me at 
 length to diffemble with a good grace enough ; and at- 
 laft, indeed, accuftoming myfeif to fondle and carefs it, 
 grew to have a fort of tendernefs : but, alas ! it could 
 at moftbe no more than that of a good-natured narfe^ 
 as I foon after was convinced ; for my fuppofed fon bc- 
 .in? sbout a year old, I became, indeed, with child'; 
 and I no foorver found I was fo, than I perceived a vail 
 difference in my affections, even to that unborn proJuct 
 of my own, than I had ever known for that, whefa 
 little engaging actions could not but excite a fort of love 
 in me. Jn due time he, who now pafles for my younger 
 fon, but is, indeed, the only one I ever had, made me 
 in reality a mother ; and with that name informed me 
 with all thofe foftening fears, thofe tender perplexities, 
 and raviihing fondnefTes, which I had fo often obferved 
 and wondered at in others. But when the joy of feeing 
 that dear image of myfelf gave way to cooler con- 
 fideration, how feverely did I accufe myfelf for the 
 deceit I had ufed ! how greatly did I blame Eftharia 
 Mj for
 
 c 4 f> THE FRUITLESS 
 
 for the advice me had given me ! But fhe was now dead, 
 and pail the reach of my reproaches. The thoughts 
 that he muft be the inheritor of the eftate of my dear 
 fon, drove me almoft to madnefs, and filled me by de- 
 grees with a kind of hatred to that poor innocent, who 
 was but guilty of offending me through my own fault ; 
 for I mult acknowledge, that from his earlieft infancy 
 till this time, he has difcovered fuch a fweetnefs of dif- 
 pofition, as would have made me happy in being the 
 mother of fucu a fon, had I in reality been fo. He is 
 now eileemed the finefl gentleman in this part of th 
 country; and, in fpite of the prejudice of nature, I 
 cannot but confefs, that in many things he very much 
 excells his fuppofed brother ; yet, deferving as he is, 
 oh Miramillia ! he is a ftranger to my blood, and is it 
 iiot hard that he fliould deprive him, who is net, of his 
 inheritance ? Yet, by what means mail I avoid it ? A 
 thoufand times, in the fondnefs of foul for the other, I 
 l:uve opened my mouth to tell the chevalier the whole 
 f:ory ; but fear and fhame as often prevented me from 
 {peaking. I cannot difcover the fraud I have beea 
 guilt}- of, without expofing myfelf at once to the in- 
 tiignation, and, perhaps, eternal hatred of a hufband 
 \vho is very dear to me, and the juft cenfure and re- 
 proaches of the whole world ; for it cannot be fuppofed, 
 but that Herranius, fo is my pretended fon called, 
 would inveigh loudly againit the injuitice of my pro- 
 ceedings. But if 1 were fo difpc'1-d, I know not by 
 what means I mould make out the truth of what I fay ; 
 Eftharia is dead, as I have before obferved ; there was 
 but one perfon befide her let into the fecret, who alfo is 
 no more. I know not from whom that fubtle creature 
 procured him ; nor can I, by any other proof but my 
 own oath, make out that he is not mine : I fliould in- 
 cur the "hate and fcorn of all who know me; and, per- 
 haps, leave hings in the fame pofition they were in be- 
 fore. Was ever affliction equal to mine ? Have you, in 
 all your inquisition after happinefsj found a perfon more 
 
 truly
 
 E N Q_ U I R Y. 247 
 
 truly diftant from it, than the unfortunate Tellifinda ? 
 It is eafy, madam, replied Miramillia, for any one, 
 who is a mother, to guefs a mother's grief in fo per- 
 plexing a circumflance ; yet cannot I advife you to throw 
 Herranius off: he is your fon by adoption, though not 
 by birth ; and you know the old Romans made no dif- 
 ference between the one and the other, but according 
 to the virtues they obferved in them. Herranius, you 
 fay, has merit ; let that endear him to you ; you have 
 robbed him of parents, to whom, perhaps, he might 
 have been dear; though misfortunes prevailed on them , 
 to part with him for the hope of a better provifion : not 
 that, methinks, I would have him, who is really your 
 fon, be deprived of his birth-right; there may be ways 
 and means found put to make them at leaft equal in 
 their fortunes ; and it will be of much better confe- 
 quence to fludy that, than, by betraying the fecret to 
 the chevalier, ran the hazard of forfeiting his affec- 
 tions ; and, at the fame time, be guilty of a cruelty to 
 an unhappy youth, who thinks himfelf your own. 
 
 Tellifinda could not but approve her reafons ; {he 
 afTared her ihe would take the advice flie had fo kindly 
 given, but could not bring herfelf to that Hate of tran- 
 quillity which was neceffary to oblige her in the affair 
 which had brought her thither; nor did the other, 
 fince made acquainted with her Aory, expect it from 
 her ; and therefore took her leave in a ihort time. 
 
 Having made fo many vain efTays among the married 
 ladies, me began to imagine that there was nopoffibility 
 of finding one in that ftate entirely-free from care, and 
 therefore refolved, if fhe profecuted her fearch, it mould 
 be only to thofe who had not yet given up their freedom 
 me would apply. She bethought herfelf of a young 
 lady, who by the death of her parents was left miftrefs 
 of a very confiderable fortune ; me was very beautiful, 
 and had accompliftiments enough to make her a fit wife 
 for the firft nobleman in Venice; but her gaiety, and 
 the unaffected eafe of her converfation, made it evident 
 M 4 Jhe
 
 * 4 8 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 fhe was yet wholly free from any infetion from that 
 dangerous pafiion, which is generally the original of 
 all the misfortunes of the fair. 
 
 Miramillia had no fooner recovered the fatigues of her 
 journey, than {he went to vifit Amalia, for by that name 
 was this lady diflinguifhed ; fhe found a vaft deal of com- 
 pany with her, and her good humour alone it was which 
 gave life to the converfation. Our affli&ed mother did 
 not doubt but that contentment dwelt here, and longed 
 till fhe had feen the other ladies depart, that Ihe might 
 communicate to her the requeft fhe had to make. At 
 length this part of her wifh was fulfilled ; and fhe was 
 beginning to endeavour for the other, when a woman 
 in an ordinary habit came into the room ; on the fight 
 of whom Amalia rofe from her feat, and begging par- 
 don of Miramillia for a moment's abfence, ran with her 
 into a clofet, with all the appearance of a moft eager 
 impatience in her looks and air. She returned not in a 
 confiderable time; and when fhe did, the alteration, 
 which was vifible in her countenance, mr.de Miramillia 
 believe fome very extraordinary accident had happened ; 
 and in that opinion, Madam, faid fhe, I hope you have 
 heard nothing uliich fhould rob you of any part of that 
 che?.rfulnefs whi_h lately was fo entertaining to your 
 friends? -Oh, madam! replied fhe, the fadciefc acci- 
 dent ! I never was fo much perplexed in rny whole life; 
 I would rather have given half my fortune, than ha\e 
 mtt with fuch a diiappointment. It is not to be borne. 
 Good God ! continued fhe, fretting more and more, to 
 be debarred of one's will in fuch a thing as this ; fare I 
 have the hardcft fortune of any one in the wcrld. I 
 hope, faid Mirarr.illia, you are not entering into a law- 
 fuit ? No, no, 21 fwered the other, I have enough to 
 trouble me without that, of a mere vexatious natuie ; 
 never any body was" fo difappointed, fo mortified. Thefa 
 words filled Miramillia with a kind of curicfity to know 
 what had worked fo great a change in her ; fhe continued 
 lo aik her feveral queitions concerning the caufe cf her 
 
 difordcr,
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 249 
 
 diforder, as if it proceeded from the news of the death 
 of forae one (he had a friendfhip for, and fcveral other 
 fuch demands ; to all which me anfwered in the nega- 
 tive, but joined to it ftill, that her misfortune was far 
 worfe: which \vords railing to a greater height Mira- 
 miifia*s defire of knowing, me entreated to be made the 
 coniidante of this fecret; but it was net in the power of 
 the other prefently to comply with her requeft, the dif- 
 t urban ce of her mind not permitting her to bring fortli 
 any mrre than broken fentences : tears at length af- 
 forded her fome relief; and after giving a loofe to them 
 for about two or three minutes, me regained the power 
 of fpcech, and related her calamity in thefe wwds-: 
 you know, faid me, that there is a great ball at co..ift 
 next week; all the Beau monde will be there, "and every 
 endeavouring to be as fine as they can : Sab ; na, 
 who is, without exception, the vaineft creature in the 
 world, mowed me a piece of the richeft brocade I ever 
 faw in my life, that is to be m=u!c up for her agrunft the 
 time ; and you never heard a"ny thing boaft with fo much 
 infolence as me did, that fne fliould be the beft'dre/I'ed 
 of ..mv bodv : filly creature ! me forgot me was talking to 
 n peril 1 n who could as well afford' to purchafe a haud- 
 foirie tiling as herfclf. I was refolved to be even with 
 her, and had formed a defign, which, if not prevented 
 by the lazinefs or treachery of the perfon I employed in 
 it; would have been an excellent piece of revenge. With, 
 r. vr.it deal of indaflry, and fi.n-.e artifice, I procured a 
 pattern of Sabina's brocade, and finding it was not ta 
 .be matched, fent it to my mercer, whom I ordered to 
 f::ow it to the weaver, that he might make a certain 
 number of yards for me exaftly of the fame figure, but 
 '. aft deal more Clver in the ground : there are alfd 
 fome hrge green leaves in it, on which I intended ta 
 have hud here and there feveral fmall diamonds and ru- 
 bies, and other precious Hones tacked on. Oh ! it 
 would have been the mofl beautiful fancy, and the 
 richeft, that ever was feen ; but, oh MiramilJia ! the 
 M 5 . baf*
 
 250 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 bafe wretch, that I depended on, that promifed me fo 
 faithfully, has difappointed me ; he fent word juft now, 
 that he begged my pardon, but could not poflibly get it 
 done in the time. Was ever fuch a neglect, fuch an im- 
 pudence, when I had told the fellow he muft work night 
 and day to do it ? I could tear him in pieces, and myfelf 
 too, that I muft be triumphed over by fuch a creature 
 as Sabina, who, though me is neither handfome nor" 
 very young, will have all vhe world flaring at, and admir- 
 ing, her clothes, while nobody takes any notice of me, 
 though, without any varaty, there is no comparifon 
 between us. 
 
 Miramillia could fcarce contain her laughter at the 
 fecital of fo ridiculous a misfortune ; and, willing to con- 
 
 fole her as well as Ihe could But, dear Amalia! faid 
 
 fhe, why mould you afflict yourfelf fo deeply? Me- 
 thinks this vexation might eafiiy be removed; there are 
 without doubt other very handfome filks in town ; buy 
 the richeft the mops will afford, and purfue your defign 
 of embroidering it with diamonds; I am confident you 
 may make it appear equally glorious with her's, what- 
 ever .it be. That is true, replied Amalia; but, my 
 dear, you miftake the thing : the mortification I pro- 
 pofed to give her pride was this, to have of the very 
 fame pattern a filk fo infinitely to outlhine her's. I 
 would not give a ryal to be finer th^.n me in any other 
 drefs ; but it would have been the moft elegant fatif- 
 faftion to have observed the baulk it would have been to 
 her, to have beheld her own pattern fq much outdone. 
 But why do I talk of it ? contifi ued flie ; my hope is pafl ; 
 all my defigns are fruftrated ; and I muft content myfelf 
 either to feign an indifpolition and ftay at home, or, by 
 going there, refolve to endure all the fine compliments 
 that will be made heron the delicacy of her fancy. 
 
 All that Mirsmillia could fay to her was of little fer- 
 vice to make her in a better humour, and Ihe was obliged 
 to leave her to indulge it, not imparting any thing of 
 the reafons which, had induced her to this vifit ; rightly 
 
 judging,
 
 E N CLU I R Y. 251 
 
 judging, that when people fet their hearts on trifles, a 
 difappointment, even in them, is as hard to be endur- 
 ed, as things of the greateft confequence are to others. 
 
 Not being willing yet to give over her fearch, the 
 next whofe character promifed her fuccefs was Cloriila, 
 a young lady of great birth, beauty, and education; 
 but (he was inconfolable, becaufe her father, being of 
 a different turn of mind, had refufed a port of honour 
 offered him by the Senate, and another had accepted it, 
 who had daughters, that by virtue of their father's office 
 were now entitled to fit above her in all public aflem* 
 lies. She bore this vexation with much the fame degree" 
 of moderation, as Amalia had done the difappointment 
 of her filk : Miramillia concluding nothing was to be ex- 
 pefted here to forward the experiment me was fo much 
 defirous to make trial of, ordered her coach to drive to 
 the houfe of Claribella, a young lady whofeemedto have 
 every thing that can complete happinefs excepting a huf- 
 band, and that was every day in her power to be pof- 
 feffed of, being follicited in marriage by the richeft and 
 mod accompli fiied noblemen in Venice; but me ap- 
 peared no friend to love, and declared to all her ac- 
 quaintance, that me had yet .never feen the man who 
 had any temptations for her to quit her liberty. She 
 had the reputation of being of the moil eafy, as well as 
 gay temper imaginable; and Miramillia accufed herfelf 
 of want of thought, that me had not made the firft appli- 
 cation to her, which *might probably have favedhcr the 
 trouble of the reft : but, alas ! flie had not time to com- 
 municate to her the intent of her viiit, before ihe had 
 reafon to fufpeft it would be of little purpofe : me re- 
 ceived her indeed with. ?J1 the civilities due to a lady 
 of her quality and charadler, but yet there might be feen 
 a fort of peevifhnefs in all her air, which denoted Hie was 
 far from being perfectly at eafe ; which Miramillia per- 
 ceiving, afked if ihe was well ; and that queftion pre- 
 fently informed her how much fame had deceived Kfr in 
 reporting this lady for a woman of fo much good hu- 
 M 6. rcour.
 
 252 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 mour. I am not at all furprized, madam, anfwered fhff, 
 that you mould take me to be indifpofed ; not that I 
 think I am at all altered lince you faw me laft, but the 
 prodigious charms of Ifmenia make too great an eclat to 
 fufTer any other woman to be thought tolerable. It would 
 be impoffible to reprefent the furprize in which thefe 
 words involved the perfon to whom they were addreffed; 
 ihe knew, indeed, there was a lady called Ifmenia ; that 
 file was the daughter of a fenator, and efteemed a very 
 lovely maid ; but what concern this mould be of C! Ara- 
 bella's, or why me mould name her to a perfon who had 
 not the leait acquaintance with her, me could not ima- 
 gine : to eafe herfelf, therefore, of this perplexity, As I 
 r.m ignorant, faid ie, of any of the affairs of that lady, 
 I cannot guefs of what confequencc her beauty can be to 
 y-ou. Pardon me, m dam, re fumed the other, your 
 late griefs have, perhaps, made you regardlefs of the 
 news of the town, elfe it is impoffible but you rnuit 
 have heard the vaft reputation Ifmenia has acquired by 
 the death of Charino. Ycu would oblige me with the 
 relation of it, faid Miramillia ; for I allure you I never 
 heard it mentioned, though I had formerly fome ac- 
 quaintance with Charino, and locked on him as a moft 
 accomplifhed gen 'le man. ---He was fo, replied .Clari- 
 bclla; and no doubt, but if he had made his applica- 
 tion, might have been thought well of by women of 
 great- r diiHnftion than Ifmenia: but what he faw in 
 her, Heaven knows ! to infpire him with fo prodigious 
 a pr.iTicn ; the mere he adored, the mere me infulted. 
 I never faw any thing in my life arrive at that mon- 
 ftrous height of vanity ihe did; nor a man, efpecially 
 one who had fenfe too, degenerate to fo low and mean 
 a fubmiffion as did Charino : he was like her fhadow, 
 followed her wherever me went, talked of her in all 
 company as of the moft lovely creature in the world. 
 Thus it went on between them for about three months, 
 at the end of which, fhe continuing to ufe him ill, he 
 fiiot himfeJf through the head, leaving a letter behind 
 
 him,
 
 E N CLU I R Y. 253 
 
 'him, to acquaint the world for what caufe he did it. 
 Since this demonstration of her power, there is no en- 
 during Ifmenia; the is grown fo aifuming, that it is 
 impoffible to converfe with her ; and yet you cannot 
 imagine hc\v much {he is admired by the men. I fup- 
 pofe they think, becaufe one has been fool enough to 
 die for her, that me really deferves to be cried up in the 
 manner fhe is; in fine, there is nothing now talked of 
 in town but her beauty; fhe is the general toaft; and 
 it is looked on as folly or envy not to join in the ridicu- 
 lous praifes which are given her. This is the firft time 
 I ever heard of this adventure, faid Miramiiiia, and am 
 extremely forry that Charino mould have fo fmall a fenfe 
 of the duties of religion, and fo poignant a one of a 
 
 ^oolifn paffica. But 1 cannot fee why you mould be 
 difcontcnted at it, any farther than common corapaf- 
 fion for the untimely death of fo agreeable a chevalier. 
 If Ifmenia has ftupidity enough to be pleafed with fo fa- 
 tal an effect of her charms, and is induced by her vanity 
 to behave in the manner you defcribe, it is eafy to break 
 off all acquaintance with her; for my p<trt, though I 
 am concerned when I fee any of my lex give way to 
 foibles of that kind, I think it not my duty to afflict my- 
 felf for what I cannot prevent, nor happens through any 
 fault of mine. But can I Hop myears from the enco- 
 miums with which I am perpetually perfecuted ? cried 
 Claribella. Can any thing be more provokiag, than to 
 fee mankind fo much bewitched to a creature, that, in 
 my opinion, has no one good quality to attract their 
 admiration ? Does not the whole world run mad after 
 her, worihip her as a goddefs ? The meaneft of the 
 people, unblefTed with opportunity to view the mighty 
 wonder near, Hand in the itreet in throngs, watching 
 her coming out, then croud about her chariot, crying, 
 How fair me is! How exquifitely charming! Where - 
 ever me goes, all eyes are fixed upon her; ail tongues 
 feem to outvie each other in her praife, as if the folly of 
 Charioo had fprcad its infection through all the race of 
 
 man.
 
 254 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 man. No, certainly, replied Miramillia, (with a haff 
 fmile, now plainly perceiving the caufe of her difquiet) 
 not through all, I dare fay; you have your admirers, 
 who confefs your power of charming. Coxcombs I 
 wretches alii re fumed the fair votary of envy, what 
 avails their pretending a paffion for me, when they do 
 nothing to atteft it to the world ? Oh, Miramillia ! a 
 woman gains more glory to have one man die for her, 
 than to have a thoufand live and languifh at her feet. 
 It was not nil Charino could fay or fwear, that fet up 
 the fame of Ifmenia ; but in that one action, his death, 
 he has recorded the force cf her charms to all pofterity. 
 Heavens! how fortunate fome women are, and how 
 much the contrary others! Notwithftanding my great 
 eftate, allowed, good qualities, and birth, I pafs for no* 
 thi*g in the eileem of the world, am unregarded, 
 flighted ; and yet, without my glafs extremely deceives 
 me, (he is far from having the pre-eminence over me, 
 either in face or fhape. Good God ! how is it poffibl* 
 to be contented under fuch vifible partiality ? She had 
 not, perhaps, given over her exclamations for a much 
 longer time, had the torrent of her tears allowed the 
 power of farther fpeech : nor could Miramillia offer any 
 thing to interrupt her, fo greatly was fhe amazed that a 
 woman, endued with good fenfe in other things, fhould 
 fo much fuffer it to be debafed by her exceffive vanity 
 and defire of admiration. But perceiving me had left 
 off fpeaking, fhe could not forbear mixing fome grave 
 reproofs with her confoiations ; fhe begged her to con- 
 fid.er how little effential to true happinefs was the being 
 accounted beautiful, and how much better it was to be 
 fmcerely loved by one worthy man, than to have the 
 noify encomiums of the whole fex; and at the fame 
 time reminded her, that nothing was more an argument 
 of a mean and ungenerous foul than to envy another, 
 either for i etil or imaginary perfections. But how little 
 cffedt Inch kr.id of difcourfes were able to work on her, 
 any one, who in the courfe of their life has met with a 
 
 worn SB
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 255 
 
 woman of Claribella's temper, may eafily believe. She 
 faid nothing, however, in oppofuion to her perfuafions; 
 but the other finding little hopes of making a convert of 
 her, fhortened her vifit, and departed with a perfect in- 
 dignation in her mind, that perfons, whom Heaven de- 
 figned to blefs, mould, by their own perverfenefs of 
 difpofition, render themfelves unhappy. But her own 
 misfortunes hindering her from giving too much atten- 
 tion to the calamities of others, whether real or imagi- 
 nary, me refolved to make yet one more efTay. 
 
 Selinda was a young lady very much celebrated for an 
 uncommon (hare -of wit and underftanding ; and being 
 endowed with every thing me could wilh for in life, me 
 imagined not that fuch a one would difcontent herfelf 
 .with any fancied ills. To her therefore me refolved to 
 apply, and in a few days made her a vifit, with all that 
 form which is made ufe of among people who live in the 
 great world, and are not fufficiently acquainted with 
 each other, to have made a mutual agreement to throw 
 off thofe tirefome and indeed unnecefTary ceremonies. 
 
 But me was foon convinced how much fhe was de- 
 ceived in her expeelations here ; for defiring to fpeak 
 with her, the chief attendant, with air affected, and 
 all that mimickry of good breeding which thofe fort cf 
 people abound with, told her, that her lady could by 
 no means appear ; that her favourite lap-dog had died 
 of an apoplexy fome few days ago, and me was incon- 
 folable for fo great a misfortune ; but that as foon as fhe 
 faw company, fhe was very certain fhe would think 
 herfelf favoured in a vifit from her. This put Mira- 
 millia beyond all patience : Heavens ! cried fhe to her- 
 felf, are all our fex devoted to difquiet? Is there a 
 fate upon us to be wretched ? Muft we labour under 
 woes of our own formation, when Fortune contributes 
 all fhe can to make us happy ? Good God ! continued 
 fiie, that even wit is not a defence from vanity and affec- 
 tation ! Thus, like Amalia, Clorilla and Claribella, 
 do we torment ourfelves with childifh and imaginary 
 
 ills,
 
 256 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 ills, till taught by real ones how mad we have been,, 
 and wilh the paft could be again recalled. 
 
 Thefe reflections induced cur afftjfted mother to re- 
 turn to her houfc, with a firm refolution to give over an 
 enquiry which me was now convinced would be altoge- 
 ther fruitlefs, and depend wholly on Heaven for the 
 reftoration of her,peace ; either by hearing of her dear 
 fon, or by obtaining a flock of patience to fupport the 
 uncertainty. 
 
 She had not fixed this determination many days, 
 before me found the good effefts of it : that fon, whofe 
 abfence me had fo long deplored, and who nobody now 
 believed was in the world, was, when me leail expected 
 it, returned to her embraces. A coach-and-fix, con- 
 taining the young Adam, fj he was called, a c r r?.ve old 
 gentleman, and a moil beautiful virgin, carne to her 
 gate. The tranfpcrt fhc was in to behold once more 
 that darling of her foul, Icfc her not the power of ob- 
 ferving by whom he was accompanied : me hung upon 
 his neck ; Ihe clafped him with raptures, fuch as o;ily 
 mothers know ; me gazed on him with an agony of pka- 
 fure ; for a long time me could bring no other words', 
 than, My fon! My fon! Adario ! My dear Adaiio'! 
 But extafy at length giving way to relieftion : Win re 
 have you been ? fne cried, and why, by your abfence 
 and your filence, have you involved me in griefs which 
 have been very near fatal to me ?---Oh pardon the trnnf- 
 greflion of my fceraingnegleft, beft of parents, and of 
 women, anfwered he ; but as it is to this gentleman 
 you are indebted for my life, be pleafed to hear from 
 his mouth my vindication. Thefe words makirg her 
 turn her eyes on the company, llie immediately knew 
 the perfon he mentioned to be figr.ior-Clctario, one who 
 had been the moft paffionate of her adorers, when in a 
 virgin Hate ; but being rejeclcd by her for the father t f 
 Adario, his ciefpair had made him feveral times attempt 
 the life of that more happy rival, for which there had 
 ever fmce remained an extreme hatred between the fami- 
 lies j
 
 E N QJJ I R Y. 257 
 
 lies ; but to be told that he had been inftrumental in 
 preferving Adario, chafed, from her breaft all fentiments 
 but thofe of gratitude : me received him with all civi- 
 lity ; and being told by him, that the young lady who 
 came with him was his daughter, made her all the com- 
 pliments her beauty and fine air demanded from as many 
 as faw her. After which, being impatient- to know by 
 what means they had become acquainted with her fon, 
 me prefled for the gratification of that defire ; and 
 Clotario, pleafed to oblige, began in this manner : 
 
 THE HISTORY OF FELICIA AND ADARIO. 
 
 HPHIS young girl, faid he, pointing to Felicia, i 
 the- only child I ever had by a lady who, after 
 Miramillia, feemed moft worthy of my affections ; but 
 the prefent fhe had made me of her, proved fatal to her- 
 felf: (he died in child-bed; and though I was ex- 
 tremely af'Udled for her lofs, I thought it would better 
 become the love I bore her, to tranfplant it to the dear 
 pledge me left me, than to wafte my whole thoughts 
 on what was not to be recovered by all my cares. Few 
 fathers regard their children with that tendernefs I have 
 ever done Felicia, and to do her juftice, none ever 
 feemed more to deferve it. When grown to an age to 
 be feniible of my indulgence and her own duty, (he 
 made it all her fludy to let me fee the one was no't 
 thrown away, by her ilrift obfervance of the other. I 
 fliall pafs over in filence the improvements fhe made in 
 all the accomplifhments I thought it proper fhe mould 
 be iiiiiruC.ed in, leit you mould imagine I coniider her 
 with too partial an opinion. Such as me is, however, 
 the nobleft chevaliers in the country folicited my con- 
 lent to obtain her in marriage ; but ihe appeared fo far 
 
 from
 
 2 S 8 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 from having any inclination to enter into that Hate, that 
 fhe entreated me with the utmoft earneflnefs to permit 
 her to remain as me was. I loved her too well to prefs 
 her to any thing fhe difliked, and allured her I would 
 never exert my authority in that point, unlefs I mould 
 fee her agitated with a blind pafiion for one unworthy 
 of her ; fhe proteiled, fhe would never entertain the 
 leaft emotions of that kind, without firft knowing if I 
 was willing fhe fhould indulge them ; and I obferved in 
 her fo much difcretion in other things, that I made no 
 fcruple of believing her. I depended entirely on her 
 ccnduft, and was free from thofe corroding cares which 
 fo much perplex the generality of fathers. But the 
 greater my imagined fecurity, the greater my difap- 
 pointment, when I hadreafon to believe myfelf deceived. 
 One morning, furprized that fhe came not to pay her 
 ufwa! teflimonies of obedience, I fent to her chamber 
 to enquire her health, and was informed that fhe went 
 early into the fields, accompanied by a young man 
 called Ferronefe, the fon of a perfon who had formerly 
 been a fervant to me. I was not pleafed to hear flm 
 was gone out fo attended ; not that I thought fhe could 
 be infpired with any affection for a man fo much beneath 
 her; but that having heard a bad character of him, I 
 fufpedled he might be employed as an ernihury from 
 forne other, whom I was certain I fhould not approve, thus 
 recommended. I was juft fending to order (he fliculd 
 return, when a poor man, who happened to be at 
 work in the grounds, came running a! molt out of breath 
 to inform me, he had fcen Ferronefe on horfeback with 
 Felicia before him, who fhrieking and crying out for 
 help, plainly teftified fhe had no hand in her own rape. 
 I demanded which way they went, and having been 
 informed, made my fervants immediately mount in 
 their purfuit. They obeyed with diligence, and were 
 fo fuccefsful in their fearch, that in the foreftof Adorno, 
 behind your caftle, they found my daughter rending 
 the air with cries, and (landing between twoperfons w!io 
 
 fecmed
 
 E N C^U I R Y. z 59 
 
 feemed dead, or dying ; one of them was the falfe 
 Ferronefe, and the other her valiant defender, the gal- 
 lant Adario : but his name or perfon being utterly a 
 ftranger to her, fhe told them, that as it was to that 
 brave unknown fhe was indebted for the prefervation of 
 .her honour, fhe fhould think herfelf the moft ungrate- 
 ful of women, if fhe did net ufe her utmoft endeavours 
 to bring him out of a condition in which he fell but 
 for her fake. She added, That there were ; iigns of lifii 
 in him, and therefore ordered fome of the men to ride 
 \vith all fpeed to the next town for a litter ; while fh 
 endeavoured, as well as fhe could, to bind his wounds. 
 Her commands being obeyed, he was brought in that 
 manner to my houfe; where the truth being re-lated to 
 me, I commended her behaviour, and was no lefs zea- 
 lous than fhe had been, to fave the life of a perfon to 
 whom I was obliged for the reftoration and protection 
 of my child. The furgeons no fooner looked on his 
 wounds, than they informed me none of them were 
 mortal, and that his only danger confifted in lofs of 
 blood, and having lain fo long. They gave me hopes, 
 however, of his life, and nothing was omitted which 
 might prevent the difappointment of thofe hopes. In a 
 few hours he opened his eyes, and foon after had the uf 
 of fpeech; but we forbore afking him any queftions, 
 being told, that nothing would be fo prejudicial to him 
 as noife or light. We exadily obferved the orders given 
 us by thofe to whom we committed the care of him ; 
 but I could not avoid taking notice that Felicia enquired 
 of his health, with a concern which feeme'd to have in 
 it fornething more than gratitude. When fhe related 
 how bravely he had fought in her relief, and with what 
 courage and galantry he flew, in the defence of Jier 
 chaftity, on the villain who attempted it, her eyes 
 fparkled with fire I had never feen in them before. 
 She feemed agitated -with an unufual warmth. She 
 took pleafure in repeating the tale whenever fhe had an 
 opportunity. She was tranfported at ,the hopes given 
 
 her
 
 2 o THE FRUITLESS 
 
 her of his recovery : me could not conceal her diforder* 
 whenever any fufpicious words were let fall, that k 
 was dubious : in fine, her very look and aftion ex- 
 prefled a tendernefs which made me tremble. Pardoa 
 me, excellent Miramillia, I knew him not for Adario j 
 and though, even in that difmal ftate, I perceived 
 enough about him, to believe him not unworthy of her ; 
 yet the uncertainty whether he might look on her with 
 the fame eyes, or indeed might be in a condition to 
 return her affection, made me fear (he mould place it 
 on him. I concealed my fentiments, however, till I 
 Ihould be more allured, judging with reafon, that if my 
 conjectures were true, me would be more wary in her 
 behaviour before me. The great fkill and care that was 
 employed, in a week's time relieved us from the fear* 
 of the death of our gueft, and the young Felicia could 
 not conceal a joy at the news, which heightened my 
 fufpicions. It was more than a month, however, be- 
 fore we were permitted to fpeak to him, and then no 
 more than to teftify our zeal for his recovery, fo ex- 
 tremely weak was his condition. We were told by the 
 peribns employed to watch with him, that the chief 
 ufe he made of his recovered fpeech, \vas, f.rft, to en- 
 quire in whofe houfe he was ; and being told it belonged 
 to the perfon in whofe daughter's cauie he had received 
 thofe wounds, he expreffed the utmoft fatisfafkion ; but 
 that on the hearing my name, it vifibly abated, and 
 he feemed rather troubled, than the contrary, to re- 
 ceive any obligations from Clotario. He cculd not, 
 however, refrain afking many queftions concerning 
 Felicia ; fuch as what follicitations fhe had for marriage, 
 who were the pretenders to her, which of them fhe 
 feemed moft to favour, or to whom I was inclined to 
 difpofe of her, by what means me came to be expofed 
 to the danger from which he had delivered her ? All 
 which being anfwered according to the direcl truth, 
 they faid he exprefled an infinity of pleafure, to h'ear fhe 
 was not yet enga-ged either by duty cr inclination. I 
 
 could
 
 E N CU TRY. 26! 
 
 -could not be told thefe things, without believing the 
 fume fentiments had infpired them both ; and having 
 myfelf, as you very well know, madam, experienced 
 the force of love, fmcerely wifhed he might be of fuch 
 a quality as might not render their's unfortunate, which 
 I very much feared, becaufe of the regret with which 
 he heard of her's. Admittance at laft being allowed, 
 I went to vifit him, taking Felicia with me ; decency 
 3nd gratitude I thought obliging her to pay this refpeft 
 to one to whom me was indebted for all that was moil 
 dear to her : I imagined alfo, that by being prefent at 
 this interview, I mould be able to aflure myfelf of the 
 fentiments of them both, more fully, perhaps, than any 
 other way ; and iadeed there required but little pene- 
 tration to read in their countenances what pafled in their 
 hearts. Their affeclkm for each other was as apparent 
 as the care they took to conceal it ; nor can I fay, that 
 I was much troubled at it; there was fomething in the 
 face and voice of Adario that infenfibly attached me to 
 him. I did not indeed, Miramillia, think of you at 
 that time, much lefs imagine that this noble youth was 
 your fon ; yet it is certain, that great refemblance he 
 has to a form which had been once fo dear to me, it 
 was that filled me with impreflions fo much in his favour. 
 The firft civilities being over, I defired him to let me 
 know to whom I had been fo much obliged ; but never 
 did I fee fo fudden and fo ftrange an alteration as ap- 
 peared in him at this demand. That extreme palenefs, 
 which the weaknefs of his condition had fpiead over 
 his face, now gave way to a fluming red j it feemed as 
 if his whole little remains of blood had forfook all 
 other parts to paint his blufhing cheeks. His lips 
 trembled as he was about to make reply, nor could he 
 prefently bring forth a word ; but when he did, it was 
 in this manner : How eafy were it for me, faid he, to 
 impofe on your belief, by giving myfelf a name to 
 which I have no pretence ! But know, my lord, that 
 whatever I am, 1 was bred to hate deceit ; and as there 
 
 m
 
 26* THE FRUITLESS 
 
 is an unfurmountable reafon for my concealing frot* 
 what family I am defcended, think it a lefs misfortune 
 to run the hazard of paffing in your efteem, as a per- 
 fon who has done fomething, for which he is afraid 
 or afhamed to own himfelf for what he is, than to be 
 confcious of a crime like falfhood. v This only (conti- 
 nued he) I entreat you to believe of me, that I am 
 wholly devoted to your fervice, and am fo far from re- 
 gretting that in it I have fpent part of my blood, that 
 I would gladly Ihed the remainder on the fame account, 
 and blefs Heaven for nothing more earneftly, than that 
 I have been the happy inftrument of reftoring the ad- 
 mirable Felicia to your embraces. Here he ceafed to 
 fpeak, and the aftonifhment his words involved me in, 
 left me not the power of making him an immediate 
 anfvver ; I was confounded, 1 knew not what to think, 
 I could not believe he was of a birth inferior to what 
 his pride would make him wifh to be thought ; there 
 was fomething fo noble in his air and countenance, as 
 prefently checked all fuggeftions of that kind. Nor 
 could I imagine he had been guilty of any thing which 
 fhould oblige him to conceal himfelf: that galant free- 
 dom with which he fpoke, and that love of truth which 
 he preferred to all things, made me conceive the higheil 
 opinion of his honour, and hisjuftice: in fine, what 
 he faid was both pleaiing and difcurbing to me ; I ad- 
 mired him more than I had done, but was more fear- 
 ful than I had been, left Felicia mould do fo too. 
 When the tumults of my thoughts would give me leave, 
 1 told him, that the obligations I was under to him, 
 forbad I ihould prefs to know any thing he was un- 
 willing to reveal ; nor, as I had done nothing to defervc 
 his confidence, could not take it ill that he rcfufed it 
 me.. However, purfued I, before we part, y ;u may 
 perhaps have a better opinion of my difcretion and my 
 gratitude ; and as a prc of that you are deiirous to make 
 trial of both, I beg you will commantl everv thinjT in 
 this houfe, with the fame freedom as you would VQUF
 
 EN Q_U I & Y.. zG> 
 
 oVfoi. He made no other reply to thefe words than 
 bowing his head, for he had not yet recovered ftrength 
 enough to move his body in the leaft ; after this we 
 began to talk of the villainy of Ferronefe, and the little 
 fecurity a young woman can have out of the prefence of 
 ihofe whom duty and nature oblige to be tender of 
 her honour. Felicia excufed her going into the field 
 with him, by faying he told her, there was that mo- 
 ment a great mountain raifed at the end of it in that 
 night, which he imagined had been done by an earth- 
 quake ; me added, that not having the leail fufpicion 
 that he had any dcfign on her, nor could apprehend a 
 danger of any kind fo near the houfe, fhe had yin out 
 to fee this wonder, at the garden-gate which led. to the 
 Held, and happened to be then open ; but that fhe was 
 no fooner out of hearing, than me perceived a horfe 
 tied by the bridle to a tree, on which he mounted, 
 taking her by force in his arms, and making no flop 
 till he came to that wood, where Adario found him 
 ready to facrifice her honour to a paffion fhe would not 
 confent to gratify by marriage witli him. I obferved, 
 while Felicia was relating to Adario the means by which 
 me was carried away, fhe took a more than ordinary 
 pains in excufing her inadvertency ; and this ferved to 
 convince me more, that fhe was in reality as fenfiWe of 
 the tender paffion as it is pofiible for a young heart to be. 
 We continued in the chamber till a certain faintnefs, 
 which his countenance, in fpite of him, betrayed, re- 
 minded me that we had put him on the neceffity of 
 fpeaking more than his ftrength would bear j and in- 
 deed the furgeon found him fo difordered at his next 
 vifit, that he defired we would forbear any further con- 
 verfaticn with him for a good while. It was near ano- 
 ther month before we were fuffered to go into his cham- 
 ber, any farther than the door, to enquire after his 
 health, which I conflantly did every day. But I took 
 notice, that after this, Felicia grew extremely melan- 
 choly, and at laft fo pale, and her whole air fo de- 
 
 jeded,
 
 ^4 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 je&ed, that me was fcarcely to be known : I guefled, 
 that this change in her proceeded from the endeavours 
 ite made to conquer the paffion me had entertained for 
 a perfon who was refolved to continue a ftranger to her ; 
 and to forward her cure, fent her to the houfe of a fifter 
 of mine, who had many children of much the fame 
 age with herfelf, in whofe fociety I hoped her melan- 
 choly might abate : I perceived an unwillingnefs in her 
 to go, but not fo much as offered any thing in oppofi- 
 tion to it. But flie had not been there many days be- 
 fore my fifter fent her back, fearing fome fad effecT: of 
 her diflemper, which, from the moment me left home, 
 had increafed by fuch fwift degrees, that at her return 
 fhe feemed but like the fpeclre of the once gay Felicia. 
 Adario too, on hearing me was gone, fell into convul- 
 fions, which were near being fatal to him ; this new 
 diforder, however, retarded his recovery fo much, that 
 it was near four months before he was able to walk about 
 his chamber. I was fo greatly affedled with their mutual 
 diftrefs, that I refolved to relieve it, if by any means I 
 could : but neither of them having declared their fenti- 
 ments to me, I was at a lofs how to break the know- 
 , ledge I had of them, either to the one or the other. 
 My concern for my child, whom I faw almoft at the 
 point cf death, made me at laft caft afide all fcruples. 
 I revealed to her the difcovery I had made, and per- 
 ceiving fhe was in a confufion fcarce fupportable, I 
 endeavoured to comfort her, and told her it was no 
 breach of modefty for a young maid to be charmed with 
 merit fuch as our gueft appeared to be mafter of. I 
 aifured her alfo, that I faw the fame paffion working as 
 powerfully in his foul as in her's, and that if there was 
 no greater impediment than I could yet forefee, mar- 
 riage mould, in a fmall time, complete their mutual 
 willies. The anfwers me made were but fhort, and 
 confifled only in thanks for the tendernefs I exprefled 
 for her repofe ; yet could I plainly difcern the greateft 
 
 indulgence
 
 fe N CLU I R V. 2% 
 
 indulgence on any other fcore would hive* availed but 
 little to the recovery of her peace. 
 
 From her I went to the chamber of Adario, whom I 
 found extremely penfive ; I would not, as yet, take 
 :iny notice to him of my defign, being defirous cf feeing 
 if he would reveal to Felicia more than he was willing 
 to do to me : to accomplish which intent, I ordered 
 dinner to be ferved in his chamber, feeing he was now 
 in a condition to endure company. This was done every 
 day ; and fometimes pretending fudden bufmefs, I would 
 retire, on purpofe to give him the liberty of explaining 
 himfelf, if he had courage to do fo. I queilioned. 
 ihy daughter concerning his behaviour, and ihe with 
 blufhes at laft confeffed, that he had declared himfelf 1 
 her lover ; that having told him me could not, without 
 breach of modefiy, accept of any prcpofals of that kind 
 from a perfon, who, while he made an offer of his heart, 
 concealed his name ; ke affurcd her, that his quality. 
 U-as not inferior to -hers; but that, when me prefied 
 him to make it known, he only fighed, and turned his 
 head away. I need not repeat the trouble I was in at 
 this latter part of the account. You may believe^ on 
 the one fide, I was infinitely concerned at the deipair of* 
 a child fo dear to me; and, on the other, could not 
 think of giving her to a man, from whom nothing could 
 draw the fecret of his birth. After a long confidera- 
 tion, I commanded Felicia to inform him, fhe would 
 liften no farther to the declarations he ceafed net to 
 make her, nor on any terms believe his pretenfioni 
 were fuch as were confident with honour, unlefs he 
 made them known to me, and alfo from what parents 
 Jie derived his being. She obeyed, and hd appeared in 
 all the confufion imaginable ; he told her, that he had 
 not the leaft hope of fucceeding ; that ail the reafon 
 he hr.d fo long concealed himfelf was, that he was 
 certain of lofmg all that good-will the fervice he had 
 done me had acquired, when once that fatal fecret 
 fiiould be difcovered : There is, faid he, an enmity 
 
 Vet, .II.. N bctv/seo
 
 266 
 betw 
 
 THE FRUITLESS 
 
 between our parent?, which, on the fide of yours, I fear 
 \vui never ceafe. But why fliould I delay your atten- 
 tion ? He, at length, was prevailed on to difcover 
 himfelf your fon ; which I was no fconer made acquainted 
 with, than I felt a tranfport which no tongue is able to 
 c ,-pref:.. -The merits of Adario feemed now to fhine 
 with uoubleluftre, when I knew they were derived from 
 Miraraillia. Miramillia ! whom I have never ceafed 
 to admire, even when myrafli defpair made me attempt 
 the life of the man moll dear to her: I flew immedi- 
 ately to Adario, I embraced him with all the demon- 
 ilraticn of a paternal affeftion, affuring him, J ihould 
 think myfelf biefied in making him my fon. There 
 remains, faid 1, but one impediment to our common 
 fatisfafticn, the confent of your excellent mother, her for- 
 givenefs of a crime, which I have fince feverely repented 
 of, and vouchsafing to join your hands. Adario re- 
 turned my endearments as became his affedlion to my 
 daughter, and gave me hopes you would not be lefs 
 bounteous to his wifhes than I had been. 
 
 Thus, madam, continued he, have you heard the 
 kiftory of apafTicn, which, as violent as it is, has not 
 tranfported the perfons influenced by it to aft any thing; 
 contrary to dvi'y, or to honour; all the tendernefs Fe- 
 licia has been fo fortunate to infpire in the foul of Adar 
 rio, has never made him once intreat the gratification 
 of his delii es, till authorized by your permiflion. If then 
 the mutual love of thefe darlings of the hearts of us 
 both, can be of any power to move you ; or the fincenj 
 penitence of Clotario mitigate the guilt of his former 
 raihncfs, behold I join in their fubmiffions, and intreat 
 you \viil not be refraftory to their willies. 
 
 Here ceafed Clotario to fpeak ; and taking Adario in 
 one hand, and Felicia in the other, they all three fell 
 on their knees before Mir.-rnillia ; who expreffing fome 
 ccnfufion to fee Clotario in that pofturc, firft raifed him 
 in the mo:'l obliging manner, then embraced Felicia and 
 Adario with a tendernefs, which denoted (he would be 
 
 far
 
 E N CLU I R Y. a6 7 
 
 far from oppofing their defires ; which me foon after ra 
 tified by her words. 
 
 Thus was this houfe of mourning now converted to a 
 proportionable joy : not only Felicia, but Clotario, fhe 
 obliged to have apartments with her, till preparation 
 were made for the marriage, which was foon after com- 
 pleted, to the unfpeakable fatisfadlion of all who were 
 Concerned in it, 
 
 ND of the SECOND VOLUME, 
 
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