My dearest Lady,

I now set myself to obey your Ladyship's second Command, which is, To give an Account in what manner your dear Brother broke to me the Affair of the unfortunate Miss Godfrey, with my Behaviour upon it: And this I cannot do better, than by transcribing the Relation I gave at the Time, in those Letters to my dear Parents which your Ladyship has not seen, in these very Words.

[See Vol. II. p. 359 [437]. beginning My dear Mr. B. down to p. 374. Line 20 (447, l.1).]

Thus far, my dear Lady, the Relation I gave to my Parents, at the Time of my being first acquainted with this melancholy Affair.

It is a great Pleasure to me, that I can already flatter myself, from the Hints you kindly give me, that I behaved as you wished I should behave. Indeed, Madam, I could not help it; for I pitiedmost sincerely the unhappy Lady; and tho’ I could not but rejoice, that I had had the Grace to escape the dangerous Attempts of the dear Intriguer, yet never did the Story of any unfortunate Lady make such an Impression upon me as hers did: She loved him, and believed, no doubt, he loved her too well to take ungenerous Advantages of her soft Passion for him; and so, by Degrees, put herself in his Power; and too seldom, alas! have the noblest-minded of the seducing Sex the Mercy or the Goodness to spare the poor Creatures that do!—And then this Love, to be sure, is a sad Thing, when once it is suffer’d to reign!— A perfect Tyrant!—requiring an unconditional Obedience to its arbitrary Dictates, and deeming every Instance of Discretion, and Prudence, and Virtue itself, too often, but as so many Acts of Rebellion to its usurped Authority.

And then, how do even Blemishes become Perfections in those we love? Crimes themselves too often, to inconsiderate Minds, appear but as human Failings; and human Failings are a common Cause, and always pardonable by human Frailty.

Then ‘tis another Misfortune of People in Love, they always think highly of the beloved Object, and lowly of themselves; such a dismal Mortifier is Love!