Here's a damn'd impertinent Fool bolted in, that hinders me from ending my Letter; the Plague of take him, and any Man or Woman alive that take my Thoughts off of you: but in the Evening I will fee you, and be happy in fpite of all the Fools in the World.

XXIII.

LETTER
To the SA M E.

Madam,

IF

F there be yet alive within you the leaft Memory of me, which I can hope only, because of the Life that remains with me, is the dear Remembrance of you; and methinks your Kindnefs, as the younger, fhould out-live mine. Give me Leave to affure you, I will meet it very fhortly with fuch a Share on my Side, as will justify me to you from all Ingratitude; tho' your Favours are to me the greatest Blifs this World, or Womankind, which I think Heaven can beftow (but the Hopes of it.) If there can be any Addition to one of the highest Misfortunes, my Abfence from you has found the Way to give it me, in not affording me the leaft Occafion of doing you any Service fince I left you. It feems, till I am capable of greater Merit, you refolve to keep me from the Vanity of pretending any at all. Pray confider when you give another Leave to ferve you more than I, how much Injustice you run the Hazard of committing, when it will not be in your Power to reward that more deserving Man with half fo much Happiness as you have thrown away upon my worthlefs Self,

Your reftless Servant.

LET

LETTER

Madam,

XXIV.

To the SAM E.

Know not well who has the worst on't, you,

who love but little, or I, who doat to an Extravagance fure, to be half-kind, is as bad as to be half-witted; and Madness, both in Love and Reason, bears a better Character than a moderate State of either. Would I could bring you to my Opinion in this Point; I would then confidently pretend you had too juft Exceptions either against me or my Paffion, the Flesh and the Devil; I mean all the Fools of my own Sex, and that fat, with the other lean one of yours, whofe prudent Advice is daily concerning you, how dan gerous it is to be kind to the Man upon Earth who loves you beft. I, who ftill perfwade myself, by all the Arguments I can bring, that I am happy, find this none of the leaft, that you are too unlike these People every way, to agree with them in any particular. This is writ between fleeping and waking, and I will not answer for its being Sense; but I, dreaming you were at Mrs. N's with five or fix Fools and the lean Lady, wak'd in one of your Horrors, and in Amaze, Fright, and Confufion, fend this to beg a kind one from you, that may remove my Fears, and make me as happy as I am faithful."

LETTER XXV.

To the SAM E.

Dear Madam,

γου

OU are ftark mad, and therefore the fitter for me to love; and that is the Reafon, I think, I can never leave to be

Your bumble Servant,

LETTER XXVI.
To the SAME.

Madam,

TO convince you how juft I muft ever be to you, I have sent this on purpose, that you may know you are not a Moment out of my Thoughts; and fince fo much Merit as you have, and fuch convincing Charms (to me at least) need not with a greater Advantage over any: to forget you is the only Reprieve poffible for a Man fo much your Creature and Servant as I am; which I am fo far from wifhing, that I conjure you, by all the Affurances of Kindnesses you have ever made me proud and happy with, that not two Days can pass without fome Letter from you to me. You must leave 'em, &c.to be fent to me with Speed. And till the bleft Hour wherein I fhall fee you again, may Happiness of all kinds be as far from me, as I do, both in Love and Jealoufie, pray Mankind may be from you.

LET

LETTER

Madam,

XXVII.

To the SAM E.

THERE is now no Minute of my Life that does not afford me fome new Argument how much I love you: the little Joy I take in every thing wherein you are not concerned, the pleafing Perplexity of endlefs Thought which I fall into where-ever you are brought to my Remembrance; and laffly, the continual Difquiet I am in, during your Abfence, convince me fufficiently, that I do you Juftice in loving you, so as Woman was never loved before.

XXVIII.

LETTER
To the SAM E.

Madam,

γου

OUR fafe Delivery has delivered me too from Fears for your Sake, which were, I'll promife you, as burthenfome to me, as your great Belly cou'd be to you. Every thing has fallen out to my With, for you are out of Danger, and the Child is of the foft Sex I love. Shortly my Hopes are to fee you, and in a little while after to look on you with all your Beauty about you. Pray let no Body but yourself open the Box I fent you; I did not know, but that in lying-in, you might have ufe of thofe Trifles: fick and in bed, as I am, I could come at no more of 'em; but if you find 'em, or whatever is in my power of Ufe, to your Service, let me know it.

LET

LETTER XXIX.
To the SAME.

Madam,

THIS is the first Service my Hand has done me, fince my being a Cripple, and I would not employ it in a Lie fo foon; therefore pray believe me fincere, when I affure you, that you are very dear to me; and as long as I live, I will be kind to you:

P. S. This is all my Hand would write, but my Heart thinks a great deal more.

Nothing can ever be fo dear to me as you are;

and am so convinc'd of this, that I dare undertake to love you whilft. I live: believe all I fay, for that is the kindeft thing imaginable, and when you can devife any way that may make me appear fo to you, inftruct me in it, for I need a better Understanding than my own, to fhew my Love, without Wrong to it.

LETTER

XXXI.

To the SAM E.

Madam,

NOW, as I love you, I think I have Reason to be jealous; your Neighbour came in last Night with all the Marks and Behaviour of a

Spy;