Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- General Editors’ Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- List of Abbreviations
- General Introduction
- Textual Introduction
- Pamela in Her Exalted Condition
- Preface
- Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. In a Series of Familiar Letters: Vol. III. Letter I
- Letter II
- Letter III
- Letter IV
- Letter V
- Letter VI
- Letter VII
- Letter VIII
- Letter IX
- Letter X
- Letter XI
- Letter XII
- Letter XIII
- Letter XIV
- Letter XV
- Letter XVI
- Letter XVII
- Letter XVIII
- Letter XIX
- Letter XX
- Letter XXI
- Letter XXII
- Letter XXIII
- Letter XXIV
- Letter XXV
- Letter XXVI
- Letter XXVII
- Letter XXVIII
- Letter XXIX
- Letter XXX
- Letter XXXI
- Letter XXXII
- Letter XXXIII
- Letter XXXIV
- Letter XXXV
- Letter XXXVI
- Letter XXXVII
- Letter XXXVIII
- Letter XXXIX
- Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. In a Series of Familiar Letters: Vol. IV. Letter I
- Letter II
- Letter III
- Letter IV
- Letter V
- Letter VI
- Letter VII
- Letter VIII
- Letter IX
- Letter X
- Letter XI
- Letter XII
- Letter XIII
- Letter XIV
- Letter XV
- Letter XVI
- Letter XVII
- Letter XVIII
- Letter XIX
- Letter XX
- Letter XXI
- Letter XXII
- Letter XXIII
- Letter XXIV
- Letter XXV
- Letter XXVI
- Letter XXVII
- Letter XXVIII
- Letter XXIX
- Letter XXX
- Letter XXXI
- Letter XXXII
- Letter XXXIII
- Letter XXXIV
- Letter XXXV
- Letter XXXVI
- Letter XXXVII
- Letter XXXVIII
- Letter XXXIX
- Letter XL
- Letter XLI
- Letter XLII
- Letter XLIII
- Letter XLIV
- Letter XLV
- Letter XLVI
- Letter XLVII
- Letter XLVIII
- Letter XLIX
- Letter L
- Letter LI
- Letter LII
- Letter LIII
- Letter LIV
- Letter LV
- Letter LVI
- Letter LVII
- Letter LVIII
- Letter LIX
- Letter LX
- Letter LXI
- Letter LXII
- Letter LXIII
- Letter LXIV
- Conclusion
- Advertisement
- Appendices
- Emendations
- Word-Division
- Bibliographical Descriptions of Early Editions
- Explanatory Notes
- Index
Letter XV
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 June 2022
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- General Editors’ Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- List of Abbreviations
- General Introduction
- Textual Introduction
- Pamela in Her Exalted Condition
- Preface
- Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. In a Series of Familiar Letters: Vol. III. Letter I
- Letter II
- Letter III
- Letter IV
- Letter V
- Letter VI
- Letter VII
- Letter VIII
- Letter IX
- Letter X
- Letter XI
- Letter XII
- Letter XIII
- Letter XIV
- Letter XV
- Letter XVI
- Letter XVII
- Letter XVIII
- Letter XIX
- Letter XX
- Letter XXI
- Letter XXII
- Letter XXIII
- Letter XXIV
- Letter XXV
- Letter XXVI
- Letter XXVII
- Letter XXVIII
- Letter XXIX
- Letter XXX
- Letter XXXI
- Letter XXXII
- Letter XXXIII
- Letter XXXIV
- Letter XXXV
- Letter XXXVI
- Letter XXXVII
- Letter XXXVIII
- Letter XXXIX
- Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. In a Series of Familiar Letters: Vol. IV. Letter I
- Letter II
- Letter III
- Letter IV
- Letter V
- Letter VI
- Letter VII
- Letter VIII
- Letter IX
- Letter X
- Letter XI
- Letter XII
- Letter XIII
- Letter XIV
- Letter XV
- Letter XVI
- Letter XVII
- Letter XVIII
- Letter XIX
- Letter XX
- Letter XXI
- Letter XXII
- Letter XXIII
- Letter XXIV
- Letter XXV
- Letter XXVI
- Letter XXVII
- Letter XXVIII
- Letter XXIX
- Letter XXX
- Letter XXXI
- Letter XXXII
- Letter XXXIII
- Letter XXXIV
- Letter XXXV
- Letter XXXVI
- Letter XXXVII
- Letter XXXVIII
- Letter XXXIX
- Letter XL
- Letter XLI
- Letter XLII
- Letter XLIII
- Letter XLIV
- Letter XLV
- Letter XLVI
- Letter XLVII
- Letter XLVIII
- Letter XLIX
- Letter L
- Letter LI
- Letter LII
- Letter LIII
- Letter LIV
- Letter LV
- Letter LVI
- Letter LVII
- Letter LVIII
- Letter LIX
- Letter LX
- Letter LXI
- Letter LXII
- Letter LXIII
- Letter LXIV
- Conclusion
- Advertisement
- Appendices
- Emendations
- Word-Division
- Bibliographical Descriptions of Early Editions
- Explanatory Notes
- Index
Summary
My dear Lady,
I gave you in my last, my bold Remarks upon a Tragedy—The Distress’d Mother—I will now give you my shallow Notions of a Comedy—The Tender Husband.
I lik’d this Title; tho’ I can't say I was pleas’d at all with its second; with an explanatory Or,—The Accomplish’d Fools. But when I was told it was written by Sir Richard Steele, and that Mr. Addison had given some Hints towards it, if not some Characters, O dear Sir, said I, give us your Company to this Play; for the Authors of the Spectators cannot possibly produce a faulty Scene!
Mr. B. indeed smil’d; for I had not then read the Play: And the Earl of F. his Countess, Miss Darnford, Mr. B. and myself, agreed to meet with a Niece of my Lord's in the Stage-Box, which was taken on purpose:
There seems to me, my dear Lady, to be a great deal of Wit and Satire in the Play: But, upon my Word, I was grievously disappointed as to the Morality of it: Nor, in some Places, is Probability preserved; and there are divers Speeches so very free, that I could not have expected to meet with such from the Names I mention’d.
I should be afraid of being censur’d for my Presumption, were I to write to any body less indulgent to my Boldness, than your Ladyship: But I will make no Apologies to you, Madam.—Let me see, then, can I give you the brief History of this Comedy, as I did of the Tragedy?—I profess I hardly know, whether I can or not; at least, whether I should or not.—But I’ll try.
The Tender Husband, Mr. CLERIMONT, has for his Wife a Lady who has travell’d, and is far gone in all the French Fashions: “She brought me,” says he, “a noble Fortune; and I thought, she had a Right to share it; therefore carry’d her to see the World, forsooth, and make the Tour of France and Italy, where she learn’d to lose her Money gracefully, to admire every Vanity in our Sex, and contemn every Virtue in her own; which, with ten thousand other Perfections, are the ordinary Improvements of a travell’d Lady.”
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- Pamela in Her Exalted Condition , pp. 355 - 361Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012