Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady — Volume 7

by Samuel Richardson

  LETTER LXIX

  MR. BELFORD, TO ROBERT LOVELACE, ESQ.THURSDAY AFTERNOON, AUG. 3.

  I am just now agreeably surprised by the following letter, delivered intomy hands by a messenger from the lady. The letter she mentions, asenclosed,* I have returned, without taking a copy of it. The contents ofit will soon be communicated to you, I presume, by other hands. They arean absolute rejection of thee--Poor Lovelace!

  * See Miss Harlowe's Letter, No. LXVIII.

  TO JOHN BELFORD, ESQ.AUG. 3.

  SIR,

  You have frequently offered to oblige me in any thing that shall bewithin your power: and I have such an opinion of you, as to be willing tohope that, at the times you made these offers, you meant more than merecompliment.

  I have therefore two requests to make to you: the first I will nowmention; the other, if this shall be complied with, otherwise not.

  It behoves me to leave behind me such an account as may clear up myconduct to several of my friends who will not at present concernthemselves about me: and Miss Howe, and her mother, are very solicitousthat I will do so.

  I am apprehensive that I shall not have time to do this; and you will notwonder that I have less and less inclination to set about such a painfultask; especially as I find myself unable to look back with patience onwhat I have suffered; and shall be too much discomposed by theretrospection, were I obliged to make it, to proceed with the requisitetemper in a task of still greater importance which I have before me.

  It is very evident to me that your wicked friend has given you, from timeto time, a circumstantial account of all his behaviour to me, and devicesagainst me; and you have more than once assured me, that he has done mycharacter all the justice I could wish for, both by writing and speech.

  Now, Sir, if I may have a fair, a faithful specimen from his letters oraccounts to you, written upon some of the most interesting occasions, Ishall be able to judge whether there will or will not be a necessity forme, for my honour's sake, to enter upon the solicited task.

  You may be assured, from my enclosed answer to the letter which MissMontague has honoured me with, (and which you'll be pleased to return meas soon as read,) that it is impossible for me ever to think of yourfriend in the way I am importuned to think of him: he cannot thereforereceive any detriment from the requested specimen: and I give you myhonour, that no use shall be made of it to his prejudice, in law, orotherwise. And that it may not, after I am no more, I assure you, thatit is a main part of my view that the passages you shall oblige me withshall be always in your own power, and not in that of any other person.

  If, Sir, you think fit to comply with my request, the passages I wouldwish to be transcribed (making neither better nor worse of the matter)are those which he has written to you, on or about the 7th and 8th ofJune, when I was alarmed by the wicked pretence of a fire; and what hehas written from Sunday, June 11, to the 19th. And in doing this youwill much oblige

  Your humble servant,CLARISSA HARLOWE.

  ***

  Now, Lovelace, since there are no hopes for thee of her returningfavour--since some praise may lie for thy ingenuousness, having neitheroffered [as more diminutive-minded libertines would have done] topalliate thy crimes, by aspersing the lady, or her sex--since she may bemade easier by it--since thou must fare better from thine own pen thanfrom her's--and, finally, since thy actions have manifested that thyletters are not the most guilty part of what she knows of thee--I see notwhy I may not oblige her, upon her honour, and under the restrictions,and for the reasons she has given; and this without breach of theconfidence due to friendly communication; especially, as I might haveadded, since thou gloriest in thy pen and in thy wickedness, and canstnot be ashamed.

  But, be this as it may, she will be obliged before thy remonstrances orclamours against it can come; so, pr'ythee now, make the best of it, andrave not; except for the sake of a pretence against me, and to exercisethy talent of execration:--and, if thou likest to do so for thesereasons, rave and welcome.

  I long to know what the second request is: but this I know, that if it beany thing less than cutting thy throat, or endangering my own neck, Iwill certainly comply; and be proud of having it in my power to obligeher.

  And now I am actually going to be busy in the extracts.