n himself by so many parenthetical
intrusions, as one may call them, and has so many incidents springing in
upon him, that he frequently drops his own thread, and sometimes sits
down satisfied half way; or, if at other times he would resume it, he
applies to his company to help him in again, with a Devil fetch him if he
remembers what he was driving at--but enough, and too much of Mr.
Tourville.

Mr. BELFORD is the fourth gentleman, and one of whom Mr. Lovelace seems
more fond than any of the rest; for he is a man of tried bravery, it
seems; and this pair of friends came acquainted upon occasion of a
quarrel, (possibly about a woman,) which brought on a challenge, and a
meeting at Kensington Gravel-pits; which ended without unhappy
consequences, by the mediation of three gentlemen strangers, just as each
had made a pass at the other.

Mr. Belford, it seems, is about seven or eight and twenty. He is the
youngest of the five, except Mr. Lovelace, and they are perhaps the
wickedest; for they seem to lead the other three as they please. Mr.
Belford, as the others, dresses gaily; but has not those advantages of
person, nor from his dress, which Mr. Lovelace is too proud of. He has,
however, the appearance and air of a gentleman. He is well read in
classical authors, and in the best English poets and writers; and, by his
means, the conversation took now and then a more agreeable turn. And I,
who endeavoured to put the best face I could upon my situation, as I
passed for Mrs. Lovelace with them, made shift to join in it, at such
times, and received abundance of compliments from all the company, on the
observations I made.*

* See Letter XIII. of Vol. V. above referred to.

Mr. Belford seems good-natured and obliging; and although very
complaisant, not so fulsomely so as Mr. Tourville; and has a polite and
easy manner of expressing his sentiments on all occasions. He seems to
delight in a logical way of argumentation, as also does Mr. Belton.
These two attacked each other in this way; and both looked at us women,
as if to observe whether we did not admire this learning, or when they
had said a smart thing, their wit. But Mr. Belford had visibly the
advantage of the other, having quicker parts, and by taking the worst
side of the argument, seemed to think he had. Upon the whole of his
behaviour and conversation, he put me in mind of that character of
Milton:--

--------His tongue