I own to you, madam, that at first this gave fome alarm to my pride, but the dear injured youth foon convinced me of his fidelity, and dif• interested tenderness he felt for me, by making ufe of all the arguments in his power to prevail on me to be married in private; and when he found I would by no means confent to that, offered to lead me publickly to the altar, though he fhould, by fo doing, incur the eternal difpleasure of his father, and be deprived of all he was born to poffefs.

• THIS propofal feemed more extravagant than the other, and young as I was, and as much as I loved, and ftill do love, I could not think of gratifying that love at the expence of rendering myfelf, and the perfon fo dear to me, unhappy in every circumftance of life, perhaps for ever. — • I obliged him therefore to be content with seeing me at a friend's houfe, where we fometimes met by stealth, till heaven should be pleased to make fome alteration in our fate, by turning one, or • both our parents hearts.

6

A SOLEMN promise paft, however, between us, never to liften with an affenting ear to any offers of marriage that might be made to either, but preferve, through all temptations whatever, both heart and hand for one another.

THIS is now near three years fince, in which time feveral very advantageous matches have • been propofed to him, all which he has rejected, with a firmncfs which well teftifies both his honour and his love.

But now, dear Female Spectator, comes the feverest and most shocking part of my misfor• tune:

tune : it was not enough for my cruel father to tear me from the only man I ever did, or ever can love :-it was not enough that he reproached me in the most bitter terms for not joining with him in railing against a perfon, who, my foul knew, merited the moft exalted praises:

it was not enough to withdraw all that fatherly affection he was accustomed to treat me with, and for these three long years treat me rather as an alien than a child :—all this, I fay, was not C fufficient, without intailing a mifery upon me, which but with my life I never can be eafed of.

In a word, madam, he has provided a huf band for me, to whom, if I confent not to be a wife, am to be turned out of doors, without the leaft prefent fupport, or hopes of any even at his death-that instead of the bleffings of a father, I must receive only curfes both living and dying. My heart fhudders while I am writing this, at the dreadful remembrance of what he has faid to me on this occafion; and at the impoffibility there seems of my any way avoiding to do what will render me not only wretched to 6 a degree beyond what any words can represent, but equally wicked, by becoming perfidious and ungrateful to the dear and worthy object of my <first vows.

SEVERAL of our relations perceiving my averfion to this hateful match, have used their • utmost interest with my father not to force my inclinations; but he continues inflexible, and their follicitations rather serve to make him haften my misfortune, than to ward it off; becaufe, as he fays, he will not be tiezed on a subject he is determined to perfift in.

• THE

THE grand motive is, that the perfon to whom my ill stars have rendered me amiable, 'defires no money with me, and has it befides greatly in his power to be ferviceable to my father in his way of bufinefs..

THESE are the merits for which he is pre•ferred: thefe make him in the eyes of an avaritious parent appear a fuitable match; though to give his character impartially, and without 6 any of the reafons I have for an averfion, the moft indifferent and difinterested perfon muft allow, that bis form is very ungraceful, that he has the misfortune of being lame in one arm, 'that his countenance is four, and that he is almost three times my age :-I fay nothing of his humour, because I am not fufficiently acquainted with it to be a judge; but the world does not 'feem to think very favourable of it.

• I Do not mention this, madam, as having any fway over my mind, for were he, instead of the moft difagreeable, the moft lovely man Heaven ever formed, I should deteft him equally, if attempting to invade that conftancy I have pro'mised to my first love.

YET, wretch that I am, I am upon the point of doing what the moft falfe and perfidious of 6 my fex could but do ; - and in that light shall I appear to all who know the profeffions of eternal love I have made to him, whom I am now about to render miferable for ever. - My wedding cloaths are making (would to God it 6 were my winding-fheet) and I muft in few days, be forced into a bridal bed, by far more dreadful to me than the grave.

• THE

THE only ease under this heavy affliction I can enjoy is, in the hope my ftory will influence you to fay fomething in your perfuafive manner that may have its due weight with other parents, (for I defpair of mine being moved, even with an angel's eloquence :) unhappy as I am, I wish "not to have any fharer in the fame fate, though I am afraid too many have and will: that the number may decreafe, however, is the fincere prayer of

GOOD MADAM,

Cheapfide, Your most unfortunate fervant, Octob. 2, 1745. MONYMA.

P. S. Next thurfday is the day appointed for my doom, if it be poffible for me to furvive till then think of me with compaffion, it is allcan now be done for me.'

HEARTS the leaft fenfible of the woes of others cannot but be touched with the moft tender commiferation for Monyma's condition; nor can any reasonable perfon feriously reflect on the conduct of her father in this affair without paffing the feverest cenfure on it.

UNACCOUNTABLE is it, as well as unnatural, that parents, who in general are fond of their children while they are very young, can afterwards refolve to make them for ever miferable, only to gratify fome fordid intereft of their own.

MOST indeed of those who thus force the inclinations of their children, being paft all fenfe of the fofter paffions themfelves, think they are acting for their good, while they oblige them to facrifice

love

love to ambition; but the father of this young lady carried his avarice to a much higher pitch than one shall ordinarily hear of :--it feemed not to be fo much what the world calls intereft for her fake, as for his own felfifhnefs in keeping his money, that he forced her from a man fo dear to her, and compelled her to give herself to another equally hateful.

DETESTABLE propenfity, to what does it transport us!-every noble, generous, or humane fentiment is dead within us, when once it takes poffeffion of the foul :-nay, we seem even abandoned by common sense, and act not only in direct oppofition to our pretences, but likewife run counter to what we think or defire within ourfelves.

WE throw away our estates, in the vain hope of doubling them :-we forfeit our honefty, with a view of acquiring bonour: we defcend to the moft contemptible and mean actions, in the expectation of becoming great :-in a word, a perfon whofe foul is devoted to avarice, or falfe ambition, is guilty of all manner of inconfiftencies, and while intending to purfue good fortune, blindly pushes away the goddess he adores.

THERE is befides in this paffion, above all others, an obftinacy that fo far hardens the heart, as to render it impenetrable to all the affaults of nature, as well as inflexible to the remonftrances of reafon and religion.

JUSTLY does our excellent Dryden, in his play Amphytrian, make Jupiter say,

When