ure for things of lesser moment. Minutenesses may be
observed, where greater articles are not neglected for them. I might
have had this to order, perhaps, when less fit to order it. I have no
mother, no sister, no Mrs. Norton, no Miss Howe, near me. Some of you
must have seen this in a few days, if not now; perhaps have had the
friendly trouble of directing it. And what is the difference of a few
days to you, when I am gratified rather than discomposed by it? I shall
not die the sooner for such a preparation. Should not every body that
has any thing to bequeath make their will? And who, that makes a will,
should be afraid of a coffin?--My dear friends, [to the women] I have
considered these things; do not, with such an object before you as you
have had in me for weeks, give me reason to think you have not.

How reasonable was all this!--It showed, indeed, that she herself had
well considered it. But yet we could not help being shocked at the
thoughts of the coffin thus brought in; the lovely person before our
eyes who is, in all likelihood, so soon to fill it.

We were all silent still, the women in grief; I in a manner stunned. She
would not ask me, she said; but would be glad, since it had thus earlier
than she had intended been brought in, that her two good friends would
walk in and look upon it. They would be less shocked when it was made
more familiar to their eye: don't you lead back, said she, a starting
steed to the object he is apt to start at, in order to familiarize him to
it, and cure his starting? The same reason will hold in this case. Come,
my good friends, I will lead you in.

I took my leave; telling her she had done wrong, very wrong; and ought
not, by any means, to have such an object before her.

The women followed her in.--'Tis a strange sex! Nothing is too shocking
for them to look upon, or see acted, that has but novelty and curiosity
in it.

Down I posted; got a chair; and was carried home, extremely shocked and
discomposed: yet, weighing the lady's arguments, I know not why I was so
affected--except, as she said, at the unusualness of the thing.

While I waited for a chair, Mrs. Smith came down, and told me that there
were devices and inscriptions upon the lid. Lord bless me! is a coffin a
proper subject to display fancy upon?--But these great minds cannot avoid
doing extraordinary things!

LETTER XLVIII

MR. BELFORD, TO ROBERT LOVELACE, ESQ.
FRIDAY MORN. SEPT. 1.