eful heart, for all your
goodness to me from childhood till now: and more particularly for your
present kind interposition in my favour--God Almighty for ever bless you,
dear Sir, for the kindness you endeavoured to procure for me!

One principal end of my writing to you, in this solemn manner, is, to beg
of you, which I do with the utmost earnestness, that when you come to
hear the particulars of my story, you will not suffer active resentment
to take place in your generous breast on my account.

Remember, my dear Cousin, that vengeance is God's province, and he has
undertaken to repay it; nor will you, I hope, invade that province:--
especially as there is no necessity for you to attempt to vindicate my
fame; since the offender himself (before he is called upon) has stood
forth, and offered to do me all the justice that you could have extorted
from him, had I lived: and when your own person may be endangered by
running an equal risque with a guilty man.

Duelling, Sir, I need not tell you, who have adorned a public character,
is not only an usurpation of the Divine prerogative; but it is an insult
upon magistracy and good government. 'Tis an impious act. 'Tis an
attempt to take away a life that ought not to depend upon a private
sword; an act, the consequence of which is to hurry a soul (all its sins
upon its had) into perdition; endangering that of the poor triumpher--
since neither intend to give to the other that chance, as I may call it,
for the Divine mercy, in an opportunity for repentance, which each
presumes to hope for himself.

Seek not then, I beseech you, Sir, to aggravate my fault, by a pursuit of
blood, which must necessarily be deemed a consequence of that fault.
Give not the unhappy man the merit (were you assuredly to be the victor)
of falling by your hand. At present he is the perfidious, the ungrateful
deceiver; but will not the forfeiture of his life, and the probable loss
of his soul, be a dreadful expiation for having made me miserable for a
few months only, and through that misery, by the Divine favour, happy to
all eternity?

In such a case, my Cousin, where shall the evil stop?--And who shall
avenge on you?--And who on your avenger?

Let the poor man's conscience, then, dear Sir, avenge me. He will one
day find punishment more than enough from that. Leave him to the chance
of repentance. If the Almighty will give him time for it, who should you
deny it him?--Let him still be the gu