The Newhampshire gazetteer — Exeter, N.H., 1792-02-11 00:00:00, page 1

To the Editor of the Town and Coun
try Magazine.
S I R,
1 roft beg leave to complain to you of a
grievance, not only peculiarly difa
grceabb,but as it appears to me, hub
verjive of morality —I mean
pttual reference to the fee'ong^^OTr
joung girl' are ™ horrors and terrors,
or in raptures and exfacies,tuber they
ought only to ex,refs . disapprobation
and pleasure. Nay, my servant told
me lately, in excuft for a perlon ivho
bad been guilty of a most attrocious
robbery, chat ihe had a good heart.
To ft u, the feelings as sovereign
judges of the propriety of anions,may
fait with the principles of a modern
delft, who, vsitb Square in lom
Jones, talks of the rectitude and fit
ntf of things, yet it is a certain dij
guife for deceit an 1 malice. It it at
all times ready to excise breaches oj
friendship ; and the man, nubo cannot,
cover his defgns by aiffimulation, mij
yet pretend that bis . heart Jhuddert at
treachery ; and, nubea deteclei, the
horrors of guilt may be explained by
those, which, in a feeling mind, are
excited even by falpiciya. I five
observed that the disease is ms fre
quent among our fa,ionnb!e gentle
men, and those ladies woo, beingjf
able to read, are fond of employing
this precious privilege, in devouring
the crude trails of h,veb and roman
ces. lam certain whether the one
may not have harmed of the other ;
but it is at leaf clear, that neither
can'derive credit from the focsety. I
was once witness of very bad con
qu nces from theje sources ; if she flo
ry be not uncommon, it is yet Jtrialy
true. ;
MARLA was a clergymans
daughter —her mother was an
appendage co a woman of fashion,
who had spelled through the v?/^.
niots collections of the quondaia N,-
ble or Lowndes ; and was married in
the hopes, which were not disappoin
ted, that her interest might advance
her hufo^d in the church, due eu
doved her daughter with ail the tri
fling accomplishments which catch
the attention, without engaging the
reason ; with the fafhionabie tai e,
which for a time allures without any
real attraction. Nature had done
her part for Maria : she was rail and
exquisitely shaped ; her eyes blue and
expressive, her complexion Delicate ;
but the former were rolled by affecta
tion, and the latter difgaifed by
rouge. Her voice was sweet, but her
words were seldom articulated ; an
her nerves were so delicate, that tie
flighted found produced tremori,con
vulfions, and fainting. The business
of the toilette employed the whole
time which was left from fleep,meals,
and diversion ; and she defended
from it an angel, if refinement, and
attempts to improve what was alrea
dy nearly perfed, had not blemished
the whole work Flattered by her
mother, adored by the frivolous cox
combs of the age, Maria thought
berfelf charming ; to be fan „
conquer were fy oonymous—(he felt,
or at lead (he thought so, companion
for the vidims of her beauty ; but
declared, that she was not to be won
without years of service, and that the
man who wished to gain her smiles,
inuft possess a delicacy of mind, and
tenderness of heart, congenial «? her
EXET ER, ( New-Hamp(hire) Printed and Publiihed by HENRY RANLET, at Nine Shillings per annum.
Newhampfhire
From a LONDON MAGAZINE.
SATURDAY, February 11, 1792.]
own. This imprudent declaration
marked her out as the prey of dis
sembled sensibility, as the victim of
pretended tenderness. The crowds
who followed her were perpetually in
horrors and extacies ; but no one
distinguished himfelfin this way so
much as Sir James M'Lauchlin.
Sir James was <he rood handtome
and engaging of all her attendants—
his honour was indisputable ; his
fortune, for so he told her, indepen
dent and considerable. In short, he
was the hero of her affections ; but
(he thought fit to refer him to her
father, whose rank in the church was
confiderable,and whose fortune, toge
ther with that of his lifter, would at
last enrich the only offspring of the
family. Sir James talked of cold
delays, which the ardor of his passion
could not support ; of bargains,
which his delicacy could not endure
(n fh)rt, all the usual efforts were
made to induce her to confen: to a
private marriage, and then the whole
was to be a continued feene of love
and duty—reconcilement and forgive
pels — fplendo- and fashion. The
heart of Maria was no; able to with
stand the bewitching representation )
(he had read of fimUar attempts with
the fame success —indeed (he had
fcarcei, read of any thing tl|e : but
a natural good feafe, which no af
feftatioi coald-always obscure, and a
real delicacy, which amidst pretended
refinements was sometimes felt and
likened to, for a time defended her
against the attack.^ In this interval
of doubt and horror,willing, yet fear
ful of complying, she one day saw in
the fairs a note, which she picked up,
and found addressed to herfelf. She
retired to read it, with a pertubation
which she could not account for. It
contained the following words :
Maria carried this letter to her fa
ther, for her feelings had not totally
extinguished her prudence. He com
mended her for this, tho' late mark
of her attention to his advice—point
ed out, in the flrongeft light, the con
sequence of this intrigue, and the to
tal I jfs of her chara&er and her hap
piness. Maria Iftened to his ha
rangue, yet she wished to hear Sir
James' apology, and she obeyed the
dilates of her heart, in again attend
ing at the usual rendezvous, at the
house of a miliner in Taviftock-ftreet.
Sir James arrived with his usual punc
tuality, and she soon reproached him
with his infamous, design. Struck
dumb by the sudden deteaion, even
his assurance was for a time at a loss,
when she concluded him guilty, from
his inability to reply. At last he re
covered himfelf—" My angel ! he re
joined, can you trust the malice of a
drfguifed enemy, before the honor and
truth of your adorer /—My feelings
for a time, 1 own checked my utter
ance ; for I leave you to confider what
they mud, be, when, in one fatal mo
m^nt, I found both my honor and love
at stake—-I could survive the loss of
r These comes to let you know that
you are much empofed upon: Sur
James is neither more nor less than
corpural in an irifh regment, and has
already made & bargin to divide your
fortin wiih too peple that ar to help
him; wan of them is already ac
quenid with you, and fays, that he is
a nobleman. Take care of yourfelf,
my dear lady, from your frend, un
known."
" Dare Madem,
THE
neither. Judge then how I must feel
this complicated stroke, which levels
all that my fopl holds dear, in one
common ruin !" He might have pur
sued this strain, and probably with
foccefs—the love which dictated the
desire for another interview, muff al
ready be more willing to acquit than
condemn. It is dangerous to trust
the consequences of an assault, when
thtf delity of the garrison is already
fuf^cious. But in the midst of his
harangue, his feelings were at once
deranged by the apperance of anele
gant young woman, apparently ema
ciated with disease, and her foul de
pressed by continued calamity, which
had not admitted a ray of hope—ye:
her fate was interesting, and the calm
resignation which fat on every feature
would have fitted her for the charade,
of " Patience on a monument." If
she did not smile at grief, it was bc
caufe, unused to the chearfulnefs of
better days, her countenance had for
gotten the marks of pleasure— her
days were under a continued cloud,
from which she could not hope to e
merge. At the fight of Sir James,
the bedic of moment passed acrols her
cheek,and she funk into an easy chair.
Maria alarmed at her appearance,flew
to her assistance. Sir James attempted
the fame; but the fight of her face
foot; equally affected him—and,under
the pretence of fetching feme water,
he disappeared without again return
!nße.
A few moments restored the fair
fuffcrer to life and to misery. Maria,
at once perceived the conneaion of
die whole: but unwilling to increase
her trouble, she endeavoured to soothe
her by her cafrefFes, and to relieve
herby promiffes of agiftaoce. A flood
of tears soon found their way, and re
stored the calm resignation which both
regfan and religion had concurred ori
ginally to produce. "Excuse Madam,
laid she the iptrufion of a stranger —
believe me, my belt assistance was in
tended for you—Wretched as I am !
it iralmoft impossible that my mise
ries should be augmented or lessened.
That wretch—who has just left us—
who has probably left us for ever.—"
Maria started and turned pale—she
almbft wanted that assistance which she
had so liberally afforded—but she re
called thelittle resolution which lux
ury and diffiparion had left her, and
begged her companion to proceed.—
" 1 cannot, returned the fair fufferer,
enter now on a story which will so
much distress you. The man who has
courted your favour under a borrowed
title, is, in every refpe&, an impostor
=in short he is my husband, who has
left me for many months, without af
fiflance or support, to struggle, at the
fame time, with his infidelity, with
poverty, and the pains of an excra
dating disease." Maria could sup
port the tale no linger—she funk, at
once, into a state pf infenfibilitv. Her
companion soon recovered her—but
she would hear no mere. She^ how
ever, addressed the fair fufferer in the
most affectionate terms —called her,
her guardian angel and her friend. At
prefect, she said, the providential es
cape which she herfelf had had, was
too great to leave her any recollection
or calmness ; but on the morning she
would with pleasure, attend to her re
lation, and assist her as far as her pew^
er could extend. " I will at least,
fays, she, endeavour to soothe the sor
rows which J cannot heal, and pour
Gazetteer.
the balm of attention and consolation,
on the wound which rankles in your
heart. In the r-in time you must
accept of this aflhtance—a portion of
my income is always dedicated to the
unfortunate—your situation seems to
require it—do not decline it—(for the
unfortunate young woman had turned
from her tocoaccal her tears)-I
mean nOCTo recompense the service
you have done me—the attention of
my whole life is infuffictent for this
purpose. I wifLonly to assist distress,
as it is my duty, and which a feeling
heart, like mine longs to perform."
The woman receiving the purse, with
the confeious dignity of virtue, repli
ed, " It would be the most contempt
able affectation in me to fay, that I
did not want your affiflance; and it
would be an ugrateful return for your
intended kindness to despise it—but
the benefit I intended you, madanf,
was pure and unsullied in its objed—
though poor and in distress, I preserve
the sensibility which has been my
ruin ; bdt that sensibility is not a ge
nuine feeling of the heart, which can
oppose the wiffies of either gratitude
and benevolence. In the fixation in
which I have been, I should have been
glad to dispense the bounty which I
now receive.",
The new friends now separated ; but
Maria infilled on her previous visiting
her, the next morning at breakfaft.
The night was spent in revolving the
occurrences of the evening. She had
every reason to fuppofe,that SirJarnes
was guilty of this complicated deceit;
yet the loss of his agreeable flat rery,the
shame of having been the dupe of his
art, rendered her situation by no means
comfortable. The danger she had
been in, the terrors of the lucky es
cape which she had experienced, a
wakeoed feme real tenderness in her
bosom for her benefa&refs: but the
moments of refl^dion seemed to tinge
her generous condad with felfifhnefs,
and the confeioufnefs of commanding
beauty, with the vanity of peffeffing
so considerable a ffiare of discernment
induced her to overlook- the benefit,
because she felt a pain at recolleding
her own deficiency. In fa&, Maria,
though momentarily affeaed, was not
really changed ; and the next morn
ing. which brought her new visitor,
did not bring the proper disposition to
receive her.
Educated in the circle of falhion,
Maria yet knew how to dispense fn.iles
while care rankled in her heart; and
her tongue was long since taught the
tale of gratitude, though the heart did
not vibrate in the ftrideft unison.—
After the dual compliments, and the
tea things were removed, the stranger
begun—" You wifned, Madam, to
know my little story. The incidents
are indeed few and trifling ; yet if
they save you from those pangs which
I have long felt; if they can teach
you the faiutary lesson of coution and
diffidence, they will not be entirely
fruitless, I am the daughter of a farmer
near the county town of (hire;
The only child of a numerous family,
and the heiress of a competency,if not
of a splendid fortune, is easily flatter
ed into beauty. Youth and health,
with an easy shape, were, however, my
chief recommendations. My dress
was rather more splendid than my Na
tion Would allow—and a childish va
nity added those little fhewy deco
rations, which, while they discover
the disposition to be admired, attrad
[Numb. 32 of Volume 6.