he advantage of a sovereign
in possession.

***

Dear Captain, I rejoice to see you--just in the nick of time--See! See!

The rosy-finger'd morn appears,
And from her mantle shakes her tears:
The sun arising mortals cheers,
And drives the rising mists away,
In promise of a glorious day.

Excuse me, Sir, that I salute you from my favourite bard. He that rises
with the lark will sing with the lark. Strange news since I saw you,
Captain!--Poor mistaken lady!--But you have too much goodness, I know, to
reveal to her uncle Harlowe the error of this capricious beauty. It will
all turn out for the best. You must accompany me part of the way. I
know the delight you take in composing differences. But 'tis the task of
the prudent to heal the breaches made by the rashness and folly of the
imprudent.

***

And now, (all around me so still and so silent,) the rattling of the
chariot-wheels at a street's distance do I hear! And to this angel of a
woman I fly!

Reward, O God of Love! [The cause is thy own!] Reward thou, as it
deserves, my suffering perseverance!--Succeed my endeavours to bring back
to thy obedience this charming fugitive! Make her acknowledge her
rashness; repent her insults; implore my forgiveness; beg to be
reinstated in my favour, and that I will bury in oblivion the remembrance
of her heinous offence against thee, and against me, thy faithful votary.

***

The chariot at the door!--I come! I come!

I attend you, good Captain--

Indeed, Sir--

Pray, Sir--civility is not ceremony.

And now, dressed as a bridegroom, my heart elated beyond that of the most
desiring one, (attended by a footman whom my beloved never saw,) I am
already at Hampstead!

LETTER XXIII

MR. LOVELACE, TO JOHN BELFORD, ESQ.
UPPER-FLASK, HAMPSTEAD.
FRI. MORN. 7 O'CLOCK. (JUNE 9.)

I am now here, and here have been this hour and half.--What an
industrious spirit have I!--Nobody can say that I eat the bread of
idleness. I take true pains for all the pleasure I enjoy. I cannot
but admire myself strangely; for certainly, with this active soul, I
should have made a very great figure in whatever station I had filled.
But had I been a prince, (to be sure I should have made a most noble
prince!) I should have led up a military dance equal to that of the great
Macedonian. I should have added kingdom to kingdom, and despoiled all
my neighbour sovereigns, in order to