LETTER LXXV.
Mr. Brand, To John Harlowe, Esq; [Inclosed in the preceding.]
Worthy Sir, my very good Friend and Patron,
I arrived in town yesterday, after a tolerable pleasant journey (considering the hot weather, and dusty roads). I put up at the Bull and Gate in Holborn, and hastened to Covent-garden. I soon found the house where the unhappy Lady lodgeth. And, in the back-shop, had a good deal of discourse (a) [Footnote a: 1Kb]with Mrs. Smith (her Landlady) whom I found to be so highly prepossessed in her favour, that I saw it would not answer your desires to take my informations altogether from her: And being obliged to attend my patron (who, to my sorrow,
Miserum est aliena vivere quadra)
I find wanteth much waiting upon, and is another sort of man than he was at College: For Sir, inter nos, honours change manners. For the aforesaid causes)
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I thought it would best answer all the ends of the commission with which you honoured me, to engage, in the desired scrutiny, the wife of a particular friend, who liveth almost over-against the house where she lodgeth, and who is a gentlewoman of character and sobriety, a mother of children, and one who knoweth the world well.
To her I applied myself therefore, and gave her a short history of the case, and desired she would very particularly enquire into the conduct of the unhappy young Lady; her present wayof life and subsistence; her visitors, her employments, and such-like; for these, Sir, you know, are the things whereof you wished to be informed.
Accordingly, Sir, I waited upon the gentlewoman aforesaid, this day; and, to my very great trouble (because I know it will be to yours, and likewise to all your worthy family's) I must say, that I do find things look a little more darkly, than I hoped they would. For, alas! Sir, the gentlewoman's report turneth not out so favourable for Miss's reputation, as I wished, as you wished, and as every one of her friends wished. But so it is throughout the world, that one false step generally brings on another; and peradventure a worse, and a still worse; till the poor limed soul (a very fit epithet of the divine Quarles's!) is quite entangled, and (without infinite mercy) lost for ever.
It seemeth, Sir, she is, notwithstanding, in a very ill state of health. In this, both gentlewomen (that is to say, Mrs. Smith her landlady, and my friend's wife) agree. Yet she goeth often out in a chair, to prayers (as it is said). But my friend's wife told me, that nothing is more common in London, than that the frequenting of the Church at morning prayers is made the pretence and cover for private Assignations. What a sad thing is this! that what was designed for wholsome nourishment to the poor Soul, should be turned into rank poison! But as Mr. Daniel de Foe (an
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ingenious man, tho' a dissenter) observeth (But indeed it is an old proverb; only I think he was the first that put it into verse)
God never had a House of Pray'r,
But Satan had a Chapel there.
Yet to do the Lady justice, nobody cometh home with her: Nor indeed can they, because she goeth forward and backward in a Sedan, or Chair (as they call it). But then there is a gentleman of no good character (an intimado of Mr. Lovelace) who is a constant visitor of her, and of the people of the house, whom he regaleth and treateth, and hath (of consequence) their high good words.
I have thereupon taken the trouble (for I love to be exact in any commission I undertake) to enquire particularly about this gentleman, as he is called (albeit I hold no man so but by his actions: For, as Juvenal faith,
---Nobilitas sola est, atque unica virtus)
And this I did before I would sit down to write to you.
His name is Belford. He hath a paternal estate of upwards of one thousand pounds by the year; and is now in mourning for an Uncle who left him very considerably besides. He beareth a very profligate character as to women (for I enquired particularly about That) and is Mr. Lovelace's more especial privado, with whom he holdeth a regular correspondence; and hath been often seen with Miss (tête à tête) at the window---In no bad way, indeed: But my friend's wife is of opinion, that all is not as it should be. And, indeed, it is mighty strange to me, if Miss be so notable a penitent (as is represented) and if she have such an aversion to Mr. Lovelace, that she will admit his privado into her retirements, and see no other company.
I understand, from Mrs. Smith, that Mr. Hickman
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was to see her some time ago, from Miss Howe; and I am told, by another hand (You see, Sir, how diligent I have been to execute the commissions you gave me) that he had no extraordinary opinion of this Belford, at first; tho' they were seen together one morning by the opposite neighbour, at breakfast: And another time this Belford was observed to watch Mr. Hickman's coming from her; so that, as it should seem, he was mighty zealous to ingratiate himself with Mr. Hickman; no doubt, to engage him to make a favourable report to Miss Howe of the intimacy he was admitted into by her unhappy friend; who (as she is very ill) may mean no harm in allowing his visits (for he, it seemeth, brought to her, or recommended, at least, the Doctor and Apothecary that attend her): But I think (upon the whole) it looketh not well.
I am sorry, Sir, I cannot give you a better account of the young Lady's prudence. But, what shall we say?
Uvaque conspectâ livorem ducit ab uvâ,
as Juvenal observeth.
One thing I am afraid of; which is, That Miss may be under necessities; and that this Belford (who, as Mrs. Smith owns, hath offered her money, which she, at the time, refused) may find an opportunity to take advantage of those necessities: And it is well observed by the poet, that
Ægrè formosam poteris servare puellam:
Nunc prece, nunc pretio, forma petita ruit.
And this Belford (who is a bold man, and hath, as they say, the look of one) may make good that of Horace (with whose writings you are so well acquainted; nobody better);
Audax omnia perpeti,
Gens humana ruit per vetitum nefas.
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Forgive me, Sir, for what I am going to write: But if you could prevail upon the rest of your family, to join in the scheme which you, and her virtuous Sister, Miss Arabella, and the Archdeacon, and I, once talked of (which is to persuade the unhappy young Lady to go, in some creditable manner, to some one of the foreign Colonies) it might save not only her owncredit and reputation, but the reputation and credit of all her family, and a great deal of vexation moreover. For it is my humble opinion, that you will hardly (any of you) enjoy yourselves while this (once innocent) young Lady is in the way of being so frequently heard of by you: And this would put her out of the way both of this Belford and of that Lovelace, and it might, peradventure, prevent as much evil as scandal.
You will forgive me, Sir, for this my plainness. Ovid pleadeth for me,
---Adulator nullus amicus erit.
And I have no view but that of approving myself a zealous well-wisher to all your worthy family (whereto I owe a great number of obligations) and very particularly, Sir,
Your obliged and humble Servant,
Elias Brand.
Wedn. Aug. 9.
P. S. I shall give you further hints when I come down (which will be in a few days); and who my informants were; but by these you will see, that I have been very assiduous (for the time) in the task you set me upon.
The length of my Letter you will excuse; for I need not tell you, Sir, what narrative, complex, and conversation Letters (such a one as mine) require. Every one to his talent. Letter-writing is mine, I will be bold to say; and that my correspondence was much coveted at the University,
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on that account, by Tyro's, and even by Sophs, when I was hardly a Soph myself. But this I should not have taken upon me to mention, but only in defence of the length of my Letter; for nobody writeth shorter, or pithier, when the subject requireth common forms only---But in apologizing for my prolixity, I am adding to the fault (if it were one, which however I cannot think it to be, the subject considered: But this I have said before in other words): So, Sir, if you will excuse my Postscript, I am sure you will not find fault with my Letter.
·One word more, as to a matter of erudition, which you greatly love to hear me start, and dwell upon. Dr. Lewen once, in your presence (as you, my good Patron, cannot but remember) in a smartish kind of debate between him and me, took upon him to censure the parenthetical style, as I call it. He was a very learned and judicious man, to be sure, and an ornament to our Function: But yet I must needs say, that it is a style which I greatly like; and the good Doctor was then past his youth, and that time of life, of consequence, when a fertile imagination, and rich fancy, pour in ideas so fast upon a writer, that parentheses are often wanted (and that for the sake of brevity, as well as perspicuity) to save the reader the trouble of reading a passage more than once. Every man to his talent (as I said before). We are all so apt to set up our natural byasses for general standards, that I wondered the less at the worthy Doctor's stiffness on this occasion. He smiled at me, you may remember, Sir---And, whether I was right or not, I am sure I smiled at him. And you, my worthy Patron (as I had the satisfaction to observe) seemed to be of my party. But was
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it not strange, that the old gentleman and I should so widely differ, when the end with both (that is to say, perspicuity or clearness) was the same?---But what shall we say?---
·Errare est hominis, sed non persistere---·
I think I have nothing to add until I have the honour of attending you in person; but that I am (as above) &c. &c. &c.
E. B.