rence; he desires her not to be apprehensive
of any vindictive measures from him.'

Nevertheless (as may be expected) 'he inveighs against you; as he finds
that she gave you no advantage over her. But he forbears to enter
further into this subject, he says, till he has the honour to see her;
and the rather, as she seems so much determined against you. However, he
cannot but say, that he thinks you a gallant man, and a man of sense; and
that you have the reputation of being thought a generous man in every
instance but where the sex is concerned. In such, he owns, that you have
taken inexcusable liberties. And he is sorry to say, that there are very
few young men of fortune but who allow themselves in the same. Both
sexes, he observes, too much love to have each other in their power: yet
he hardly ever knew man or woman who was very fond of power make a right
use of it.

'If she be so absolutely determined against marrying you, as she declares
she is, he hopes, he says, to prevail upon her to take (as soon as her
health will permit) a little tour abroad with him, as what will probably
establish it; since traveling is certainly the best physic for all those
disorders which owe their rise to grief or disappointment. An absence of
two or three years will endear her to every one, on her return, and every
one to her.

'He expresses his impatience to see her. He will set out, he says, the
moment he knows the result of her family's determination; which, he
doubts not, will be favourable. Nor will he wait long for that.'

When I had read the letter through to the languishing lady, And so, my
friends, said she, have I heard of a patient who actually died, while
five or six principal physicians were in a consultation, and not agreed
upon what name to give his distemper. The patient was an emperor, the
emperor Joseph, I think.

I asked, if I should write to her cousin, as he knew not how ill she was,
to hasten up?

By no means, she said; since, if he were not already set out, she was
persuaded that she should be so low by the time he could receive my
letter, and come, that his presence would but discompose and hurry her,
and afflict him.

I hope, however, she is not so very near her end. And without saying any
more to her, when I retired, I wrote to Colonel Morden, that if he
expects to see his beloved cousin alive, he must lose no time in setting
out. I sent this letter by his own servant.

Dr. H. sent away his