istant
darling Looks of Love, and their signs of Adoration; she was civil and
affable to all, but so reserv'd, that none durst tell her his Passion,
or name that strange and abhorr'd thing, _Love_, to her; the Relations
with whom she went abroad every day, were fein to force her out, and
when she went, 'twas the motive of Civility, and not Satisfaction, that
made her go; whatever she saw, she beheld with no admiration, and
nothing created wonder in her, tho' never so strange and Novel. She
survey'd all things with an indifference, that tho' it was not sullen,
was far from Transport, so that her evenness of Mind was infinitely
admir'd and prais'd. And now it was, that, young as she was, her Conduct
and Discretion appear'd equal to her Wit and Beauty, and she encreas'd
daily in Reputation, insomuch, that the Parents of abundance of young
Noble Men, made it their business to endeavour to marry their Sons to so
admirable and noble a Maid, and one, whose Virtues were the Discourse of
all the World; the _Father_, the Lady _Abbess_, and those who had her
abroad, were solicited to make an Alliance; for the Father, he would
give no answer, but left it to the discretion of _Isabella_, who could
not be persuaded to hear any thing of that nature; so that for a long
time she refus'd her company to all those, who propos'd any thing of
Marriage to her; she said, she had seen nothing in the World that was
worth her Care, or the venturing the losing of Heaven for, and therefore
was resolv'd to dedicate her self to that; that the more she saw of the
World, the worse she lik'd it, and pity'd the Wretches that were
condemn'd to it; that she had consider'd it, and found no one
Inclination that forbad her immediate Entrance into a Religious Life; to
which, her Father, after using all the Arguments he could, to make her
take good heed of what she went about, to consider it well; and had
urg'd all the Inconveniencies of Severe Life, Watchings, Midnight
Risings in all Weathers and Seasons to Prayers, hard Lodging, course
Diet, and homely Habit, with a thousand other things of Labour and Work
us'd among the _Nuns_; and finding her still resolv'd and inflexible to
all contrary persuasions, he consented, kiss'd her, and told her, She
had argu'd according to the wish of his Soul, and that he never believ'd
himself truly happy, till this moment that he was assur'd, she would
become a Religious.

This News, to the Heart-breaking of a thousand Lovers,