Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-10-18
MISCELL A N Y /.
romance of Fanny Braddock.


oomnetent fortune On his death he left no
lass than six thousand pounds as provision for
his two daughters, aud probably much larger
sn,n to his only son, Edward Braddock.
One of the daughters died early, and her sister
Fanny Braddock, became possessed of her share
of ,be fathers legacy Goldsmith, in his life Of
Roam Nash. has told the romantic story of
Fanny nnder the name of "Mss Sylvia S." with
b;s sweetness of narrative and gentle kindness
Of svmpatbv. She was descended, he's says, from
one Of the best families in the kingdom, and was
left 6 large fortune upon her sisters decease.-
Whatever the finest poet could conceive of wit,
or the most celebrated painter imagine OF beauty,
we're excelled in the perfections OF this young
lsdv. She was naturally gay, generous to o
fanit rood natured TO the highest degree, atfable
in conversation and some of her letters and
other writings, as well in verse as in prose,
woud have shone among those of the most cele,
brated wits of this or any other age, had they
been published.
Rnt these qualifications were marked by an
other which lessened the value OF them all; she
was imprudent-"by which," says the kind
philosopher, 81 mean she had no knowledge OF
the nse of lnoney.' She was arrived at the age
of nineteen. when the crowd of her lovers and
the continued repetition of new fattery had
tonoht her to think that she could never be for
salem and never poor. ''Youhg ladies are apt
70 expect.n wisely moralizes Goldsmith, in o
strain that reminds us OF passage in the wi
car of Wakefield" "a certainty of success from
number of lovers; and yet have never seen a
GIRL oourteG by q hundred lovers that found a
husband in any. Before her choice is fixed she
has either lost her reputation or her good sense,
and the loss of either is sufficient to consign her
to perpetual virginity."
Among the number Of this young lady's low
ers was a handsome, good-natured, easy kind OF
fellow. of whose name we can learn nothing be-
yond its initial rs" He was "constitutionaly
yirtuous,n but practically it appears quite the
contrary, for he followed the dictates of every
newest passion" He loved Fanny Braddock,
and Fanny Braddock loved him. The vices OF
the man Goldsmith gently terms them sim
prudencies,O soon ruined him, and he was
thrown into prison for debt Fanny Braddock
with the dsinterestedness OF pure and loving
woman, was resolutely bent on freeing him, and
sacrificed her whole fortune in relieving her
lover from his obligations to his creditors, and
Tins restored him to liberty. s., instead of
improving in friendship or affection, only studied
to avoid creditor he could never repay 4; for
"though small favors produce good will, great
ones destroy friendship" says Goldsmith, who
could utter maxiins worthy of Solomon, while
he lived as riotously as the Prodigal Son.
Poor Fanny, however, was ruined, in reputa-
tion as well as in fortune, by this profuse gen.
erosity to her ungratetul lover. Beau Nash,
then meeting with her among some of his
friends in London, prevailed upon her TO go with
him TO Bath, where the Beau, being paramount
in mower. might introduce her to the best com
nany. and leave it to her merit to do the rest
Poodle of distinction courted her acquaintance,
and stroye to divert her with social enioyments
and fashionable trivoties of the place; but it
was apparent that settled melancholy had
taken possession of her mind, and she moved a
mong, but was not of the gay throng With loss
of love loss of fortune loss of friends, and loss
of health, she was finally induced, as a mere
ref1ge from her own wretchedness, to yield to
the invitation of q dame Lindsey, who desired
to secure so much beauty, as an additional
temptation to those who resorted to her gam
bling rooms. Although she yielded to dame
Tjpdsev's invitation, Fanny Braddock is not
believed to have been tainted with any other
vice than that of presiding at the hazard table
for the advantage of Others.
She could not long, however, endure this dis
grace, and preferred the humble condition of q
housekeeper in gentleman's family, to which
her poverty now reduced her. Here she re-
maned, always sad, but faithful to her duty
The gentleman with whom she lived, now went
I'D to London with his wife, leaving the chill
dren and the house to her care. On the day
when he was expected to return, Fanny, after
the discharge of her daily household duty, went
into the dining-room and wrote these lines up.
on one of the window panes:
soh Death thou pleasing end of human woe,
Thou cure for life, thou greatest good below
Still may'st thou fly the coward and the slave,
And thy soft slumbers only bless the brave"
Some visitors coming in she entertained them
cheerfully, and, on their going out, she went to
the library, where she had ordered supper
Here she spent the remaining hours preceding
bedtime in dandling two of Mr.. Woods (the
gentleman in whose family she lved) children
on her knees. In retiring thence to her cham
ber. she went into the nursery, to take her leave
of another child, as it lay sleeping in the cradle.
Struck with the innocence OF the little 6aoes
looks, and the consciousness OF her meditated
guilt, she could not avoid bursting into tears:
and hugging ii in her arms. She then bade her
old servants good night, for the first time
she had ever done so, Gnd went to bed as usual
1t is probable she soon quilted her bed
She then dressed herselfin clean linen and white
garments of every kind, like bridesmaid
Her gown she pinned over her breast just as a
purse pins the swaddling clothes of an infant"
She then took pink silk girdle, and heightened
it with another made of gold thread, she made
q moose at one end, and tied three knots at
small distance from each other.
She now sat down to read that passage in
Ariosto's ''Orlando Furioso," where Olympia is
abandoned by her bosom friend, and ruined
4 L L IL. . H.