him restrainedher from throwing the Reins over the Neck of a Passion she thought mighthave hurried her into Ruin. But when by his Artifices, and the Crueltyof her Friends, she was driven into his Power, had he not, to use herown Words, treated her with an Insolence unbecoming a Man, and kept hervery Soul in suspence; fawning at her Feet to marry him, whilst, in thesame Instant, he tried to confuse her by a Behaviour that put it out ofher Power to comply with him; there was nothing that she would not havedone to oblige him. Then indeed she plainly saw that her Principles andhis Profligacy, her Simplicity and his Cunning, were not made to bejoined; and when she found such was the Man she liked best, no Wonderher Desire of a single Life should return. She saw, indeed, her ownSuperiority over _Lovelace_, but it was his Baseness that made herbehold it. And here I must observe, that in the very same Breath inwhich she tells him, _Her Soul's above him_, she bids him _leave her_,that Thought more than any other makes her resolve, at all Events, toabandon him. Was this like exulting in her own Understanding, andproudly (as I have heard it said) wanting to dictate to the Man sheintended for a Husband? Such a Woman, if I am not greatly mistaken,would not desire the Man to leave her because she saw her Soul was abovehim; but on the contrary, concealing from him, and disguising herThoughts, would have set Art against Art, and been the more delighted tohave drawn him in to have married her, that she might have deceived him,and enjoyed the Thoughts of her own Superiority for Life. As I remember,he never asks her fairly to marry him but once, and then she consents:But how different in every Action is she from the sly and artful Woman,who would have snatched at this Opportunity, and not have trusted himwith a Moment's Delay, whilst _Clarissa_, being then ill, consents, witha Confidence that nothing but her Goodness and Simplicity could have hadin such a Man.
Tho' _Clarissa_ unfortunately met with _Lovelace_, yet I can imagine herwith a Lover whose honest Heart, assimulating with hers, would havegiven her leave, as she herself wishes, to have shewn the Frankness ofher Disposition, and to have openly avowed her Love. But _Lovelace_, byhis own intriguing Spirit, made her Reserves, and then complained ofthem; and as she was engaged with such a Man, I think the Catastrophe'sbeing what is called _Unhappy_, is but the natural Consequence of suchan Engagement; tho', I confess, I was not displeased that the Report ofthis Catastrophe met with so many Objections, as it proved what anImpression the Author's favourite Character had made on those Mindswhich could not bear she should fall a Sacrifice to the Barbarity of herPersecutors. And I hope that now all the Readers of _Clarissa_ areconvinced how rightly the Author has judged in this Point. If the Storywas not to have ended tragically, the grand Moral would have been lost,as well as that grand Picture, if I may call it so, of human Life, of aMan's giving up every thing that is valuable, only because every thingthat is valuable is in his Power. _Lovelace_ thought of the Substance,whilst that was yet to be persued; but once within reach of it, hisplotting Head and roving Imagination would let him see only the Shadow,and once enter'd into the Pursuit, his Pride, the predominant Passion ofhis Soul, engaged him to fly after a visionary Gratification which hisown wild Fancy had painted, till, like one following an _Ignis fatuus_through By-Paths and crooked Roads, he lost himself in the Eagerness ofhis own Pursuit, and involved with him the innocent _Clarissa_, who,persecuted, misunderstood, envied, and evil-treated as she had been, bythose from whom she had most Reason to hope Protection, I think couldnot find a better Close to her Misfortunes than a triumphant Death.Triumphant it may very well be called, when her Soul, fortified by atruly Christian Philosophy, melted and softened in the School ofAffliction, had conquered every earthly Desire, baffled every uneasyPassion, lost every disturbing Fear, while nothing remained in hertender Bosom but a lively Hope of future Happiness. When her very Griefswere in a manner forgot, the Impression of them as faint and languid asa feverish Dream to one restored to Health, all calm and serene herMind, forgiving and praying for her worst Enemies, she retired from allher Afflictions, to meet the Reward of her Christian Piety.
The Death of _Clarissa_ is, I believe, the only Death of the Kind in anyStory; and in her Character, the Author has thrown into Action (if I maybe allowed the Expression) the true Christian Philosophy, shewn itsForce to ennoble the human Mind, till it can look with Serenity on allhuman Misfortunes, and take from Death itself its gloomy Horrors. Neverwas any thing more judicious than the Author's bringing _Lovelace_ asnear as _Knight's-Bridge_ at the Time of _Clarissa's_ Death; for by thatmeans he has in a manner contrived to place in one View before our Eyesthe guilty Ravager of unprotected Innocence, the boasting Vaunter of hisown useless Parts, in all the Horrors of mad Despair, whilst the injuredInnocent, in a pious, in a divine Frame of Mind is peaceably breathingher last. 'Such a Smile! such a charming Serenity (says Mr. _Belford_)overspreading her sweet Face at the Instant, as seemed to manifest hereternal Happiness already begun.'
Surely the Tears we shed for _Clarissa_ in her last Hours, must be Tearsof tender Joy! Whilst we seem to live, and daily converse with herthrough her last Stage, our Hearts are at once rejoiced and amended, areboth soften'd and elevated, till our Sensations grow too strong for anyVent, but that of Tears; nor am I ashamed to confess, that Tears withoutNumber have I shed, whilst Mr. _Belford_ by his Relation has kept me (asI may say) with fixed Attention in her Apartment, and made me perfectlypresent at her noble exalted Behaviour; nor can I hardly refrain fromcrying out, 'Farewell, my dear _Clarissa_! may every Friend I love inthis World imitate you in their Lives, and thus joyfully quit all theCares and Troubles that disturb this mortal Being!'
May _Clarissa's_ Memory be as triumphant as was her Death! May all theWorld, like _Lovelace_, bear Testimony to her Virtues, and acknowledgeher Triumph!
I am with many Thanks, Sir, for your obliging Letter,
_Your most obedient_, &c.
HARRIOTE GIBSON.
These Letters were shewn me by Miss _Gibson_, and thus, Sir, have Icollected together all I have heard on your History of _Clarissa_; andif every thing that Miss _Gibson_ and _Bellario_ has said, is fairlydeducible from the Story, then I am certain, by the candid andgood-natured Reader, this will be deemed a fair and impartialExamination, tho' I avow myself the sincere Admirer of _Clarissa_, and
_Your very humble Servant,_
~_FINIS._~
[Transcriber's Note:
The following errors have been corrected:
Page 6: "_Cartrou_" and "_Rouille_" changed to "_Catrou_" and "_Rouille_" (by the Fathers _Catrou_ and _Rouille_,)
Page 12: "make" changed to "makes" (makes the Painting the stronger)
Page 17: "_these angry Commands to to leave her,_" changed to "_these angry Commands to leave her,_"
Page 22: "the the Tragedy of _Macbeth_" changed to "the Tragedy of _Macbeth_"
Page 29: "acknowleges" changed to "acknowledges" (for ever acknowledges)
Page 43: "fxt" changed to "fixt" (greater Malady is fixt)]
Remarks on Clarissa (1749) Page 10
