vouring to conciliate love by the power of philtres and of charms; a fact of which we have not the leaft room to doubt, as there are in Virgil and fome other of the Latin poets, fo many instances that prove it. But it depends not altogether on the tetti * ; the Roman empire had arifen to a A ROMANCE. By G. M. Safternoon, execution mony of the poets; Plutarch tells GRAS VILLE ABBEY us, that Lucullus, a Roman general, loft his fenfes by a love potion and Caius Caligula, according to Suetonius, was thrown into a fit of madness by one which was given given him by his wife Cafonia. Lucretius too, according to fome authors, fell a facrifice to the fame folly. The Romans, like the Greeks, made use of thefe methods mofily in their affairs of gallantry and unlawful love; but in what manner they addreffed them felves to a lady they intended to marry, has not been handed down to us, and the reafon, as we fuppofe, is, that little or no courtship was practifed among them; women had no difpoling power of themselves; to what purpose then was it to apply to them for their confent? They were under perpetual guardianship, and the guardian having the fole power of difpofing of them, it was only neceffary to apply to him. In the Roman authors, we frequently read of a father, a brother, or a guardian, giving his daughter, his fifter, or his ward in marriage; but we do not recollect one fingle inftance of being told that the intended bridegroom applied to the lady for her content; a circumfiance the more extraordinary, as women in the decline of afternoon, as was expected; he only faw his fifter, thofe methods being already put in which the marquis had mentioned in his letter; the informed her brother of the circumstances that had hap. pened in the morning, and alfo ac quainted him with Clementina's refolution to leave the convent; at thefe words, he was in raptures, but they were foon fubdued by the thoughts of what difficulties must be furmounted to escape from it; for Clementina was totally confined to her chamber; not even feignora Ma ferini was permitted to fee her; thefe orders had been given about an hour before; the young triens had therefore only time to fix, that whatever refolutions the latter intended to put in practice, fhe was to write them down, and contrive to drop them in the hand of the former at evening vefpers; but both the brother and the fifter were at a loss how to elude the vigilance of the different people who belonged to the convent, As the notion of love potions and till a fcheme, propofd by feigniora powders is at this day not altogether era feemed as if it would prove favoura dicated, we take this opportunity of af-ble; fhe told her brother to go to furing our readers, that there is no potion, powder, or medicine known to mankind, that has any specific power of railing or determining the affections to any certain object, and that all pretenfions to fuch are not only vain and illufive, but illegal, and to the laft degree dangerous. the house of father Abfalom, (a prieft,) who was expected that night at a late hour to have a conference with the lady abbess, and to tell him her ladyship could not receive him; he fhould then procure a drels as much like father Abfalom's as poffi. ble, Grafville Abbey. A Romance. 249 the place where he was confined) the burit into tears. Felicia, who had not been able to attend vefpers, on account of an indifpofition which obliged her to keep her bed, was aftonifhed, and begged to know in the tendereft terms, the caule of her grief; but Clemen:ina was unable to fpeak. The convent belt had now done ringing; all was filent, except the wind, which howled through the apartments; the dim lamp that ble, and at the fame time when he was to have attended, to come to the gate of the convent; through which he might país unnoticed, if he would hold up his handkerchief fo as to cover his face, which the reverend father generally did to avoid the night air; by this means, he might get to the lady abbeffes apartments: but, inftead of entering them, to turn fhort round a contrary way, that would take him to a wind ing ftaircafe, which, after defcend-hung in Felicia's cell was obliged to ing it fome time, would terminate be removed, as hanging too near a in a large vaulted chamber, and in cafement; it was in danger of being this place he was to wait the arrival | extinguished. Clementina placed it of Clementina and his fifter. "But on one fide of her fifter's bed, and how is it poffible," returned feignior by its light obferved in her counteMaferini," if you should be able to nance a death-like palencfs; e meet me there, that we can efcape? pretfed Clementina's hand to her boYou will certainly be known." Leave fom, and once more begged to know that to me, faid the lady; we fhall why the wept; the latter, by dealfo be disguised as friars, and when grees, and with the greatest circumyou again pafs the attendants accom- fpection, informed her of her inten panied by us, they will naturally tions of leaving the convent; horror fuppofe you have been with her lathewed itfelf in every feature of Felidyinip, and are returned with two cia while fhe liftened to the relation; of your brethren; be fure to have a at length, overcome by furprife, carriage at a little distance, which grief, and weaknefs, the fainted; will by day-break convey us a few water flood by, her lifter hardly able miles from thefe deteftable walls, to fupport herfelf, applied it to her and by to-morrow evening we fall relief, and had the presence of mind probably arrive at fome little village not to make any noife. After fome where we may in the fame dreffes minutes, the recovered, but was alremain in fafety till the purfuit that moft too ill to fpeak. Clementina will be made after us is partly over, fupported her in her bed, and reand we shall then be able to proceed ceived the laft words of her fifter on our journey to Italy without in-with a look of anguish and madness. terruption. Seignior Maferini, after "Clementina," faid Felicia, whofe having thanked his fifter a thoufand voice was hardly articulate, "heaven times for her excellent fcheme, took preferve you in this hazardous athis leave, in order to prepare for the tempt. On! my fifter, may you elopement, Immediately after he fee many happy years, and while was gone, the lady wrote down thofe the funfline of profperity fheds its particulars they had just before beams upon thee, may they never agreed on, and the exact manner in be obstructed by the chilling wind of which Clementina was to act; at adverfity. "Almighty Father! fhe evening vefpers they met; and exclaimed, (and croffed herself with when the ceremony was over, the the greateft fervency) in this my received from her friend the billet laft hour of diffolution, when the without discovery; as foon as the foul is near parting from mortal dust, entered her fifter's cell, (which was to fly unfullied to a merciful and VOL. XXIV. K k heavenly heavenly Creator, vouchfafe to in- | preffed, obliges me to give it you, cine thine ear to my last prayer and (To be continued.) with a fidelity equal to the trust and confidence which you place in me, and with all the tenderness due to the nature of your distress: and I am the more pleased to obey your commands, because I have always esteemed it to be the more excellent charity, to alleviate the forrows of the mind; but herein your lady ship muft allow me to recall to your re membrance your former ffate, as well as to remind you of that wherein you now are; to lay open to you your own nature, and the nature of your lord, touching, at the fams time, upon the privileges which each of you has over the other. When you married him, I know, for your part, he was your firft love; and I believe that you was the fame to him: what the freedom and fince rity of those intercourfes in your youth were, all can eafily recollect, To the EDITOR of the LADY's who have not forgotten their own MAGAZINE. youth and although it may rather more difcompofe your mind, than calm it, to take notice of any pa errors, yet to fhew you that time does fometimes make that which was once eafy, become afterwards impof fible, I will take the liberty to point out to you a few of them. In that near focial union, wherein death is the only divorce which can be gained with honour, the principal end is the ftrengthening that union, by a mutual participation of every innocent joy; and this is done, either by cherishing affec tion with affection, while fhe is in her youth and pride, to be an object of ellimation, which becomes more powerful than affection itself; but before we can do so, we must have fome advantage, fome degree of excellence above another; at least, we must be equal to him, otherwife we may be as likely to meet with contempt as estimation; for we must not think that because our own minds are the moft loving, that therefore they immediately become the moft Letter to a Noble Lady. 251 moft lovely. True it is, that love | but frequently difpofed to loath the will ever generate love; but it muft object we admired: and when the never be measured in another by its affections have once tafted of forbidown intemperance: too great a pro- den fruit, the unity of man and digality in our own love may beget wife is weakened; fhe then no more a fulness in another and breed a de- enjoys the pleasure of a mutual love; fire of change: our love, therefore, he is ftinted both in power and will; fhould be fo tempered, that the fa- because the knowledge and practice vour of them, whom we would of evil doth ever teach the first of. please, may be preserved, and their fender to claim unlawful privileges; affection continued in its full force. and having broke his faith to her he And it is well worthy our care to loved, he always finds excufes for guard against decay on either fide. his licentioufnefs. When this divi. fion comes on, then they, who yield moft, do not in return command the most, as in the state of innocence; but, on the contrary, they who too liberally unfold their affection, do enrich the receiver of it; they who love moft, muft fuffer; and the most ingenuous temper is fure to be worst ufed; because the ends of this fociety are now no more to love and.. equally partake, but unboundedly to rule. You did at the beginning live happily together, and feemed a perfect pattern of the pureft times; but you did not confider, that though, in the state of innocence, the traffic fafely may be love for love, and the enamoured heart may exchange its all for all; yet, in the prefent ftate, difcretion is required in love; else they, in either fex, who firft ufurp upon affection's laws, will have the advantage, and enflave the affection of the other to their own capricious will. Had it been in your power too, madam, you should have made it your ftudy to have kept my lord from evil; because his corruption could not be without misfortune to yourself; there being no man but doth first fall from his duty to himfelf, before he can fall away from his duty to another: freedom from evil draws on a great and cordial refpect; this is a jewel highly precious; and when it is fet in the gold of affection, its luftre never fails to captivate the human heart. This I find was his lordship's cafe: and he began to bring the familiarity of natural affections under the affected abfolutenefs of an husband's power. Here his falfe pleasure took its rife: being over rich in your af fection, variety must kindle in him new appetite; he then fancied him. felf full of defies of what he had not; he grew the flave of opinion, and became fo devoted to his idol fancy, that he preferred every new and common image before your amiable and virtuous felf. Such is the restless confufion of error, that her peace must fill be in the power of others, when God hath placed both the way and guide of true dyship knows, that this is no path for thofe inconftant fpirits, which have wandered into the wilderness of defire; and whofe reafon bows to their bafe affections; it is suited on The fuperiority ariling from refpect, my lord has acquired before you; not by any worth in himself,peace within ourselves; but yourlawhich naturally would procure it for him; but by his crafty obfervance of the weakness of mankind, in which leffon, men are better read than women; and as our defires are more intemperately earnestly to thofe innocent fpirits, who, than yours, so is our inconftancy more ftrange and greater too; we are not only easily inclined to change, being pure themselves and ignorant in evil, think the paffage to it hard, if not impoffible; or, when they Kk 2 have have had the misfortune to flip, de re- | seem true, and may prove fo enchant cover them elves with fuch a careful industry, as forms them quite anew; they rejoice not as they first do, when they have deceived themselves to fray abroad and deceive others. I have fhewed you, madam, where you were, and where you are, and have taken fome little notice of your own nature and my lord's; I will now put your ladyship in mind of his lordship's privileges and of your own; that you may fee how much the one outweighs the other, and where the balance lies. All the privileges you can have over him, muft be in your endeavours to mend him by your own good example; t mifter his evil mind, and command his eftate by your policy; or, to pleafe him by your condefcenfion. To mend him, you must either have credit or favour with him: but what credit can your truth and goodness have with him, whofe faults, to himself and you, are witnefles that truth and goodnefs have no credit with him? And how little favour you have with him will be manifeft, if you repeat the story of his life; for, first, you know his devorion and affection have long fince paffed from your ladyfhip to his miftrefs; by which refpectful name men commonly call thofe whom they mean, by corrupting, to make their fervants; and although the, either out of craft or coldness, denies him the enjoyment of her, yet that is no benefit to you, and to him it is the art of his ruin ; because unsatisfied defire is too earnest for counsel, too confident for mistrust, and too powerful for reflection. But fhould you think, madam, that your lord's affections are too uch difperfed to find any inconvenience of this fort; it is true, that be, who roams from one object to another, does difperfe and diffipate his love, and fo makes the treams of his fancy lefs violent; but dotage will make contradictions to him, that the eafinefs of others may the more endear to him the bewitching refusals of his mistress: and you having lost his favour, as to his amendment, I will only advise you to pray for it. To mafter his mind, feems at first more practicable, because it is changing; and when it compares every thing to the foulness of itself, any thing may appear lovely to him, who fees in his own foul nothing but deformity; and this may give you fome hope of bringing his mind to a better ftate: but you will remember, that inconftancy is full of art; and that evil comes not into the nature of man with a frank and open addrefs, as good does; but fleals upon the foul like a treacherous underminer, whofe artifices, even when they are difcovered, are apt to be too many for us. Where then will you lay the ground of that power, which should overcome him ♪ If you attempt to fix it upon his humours, craft and inconftancy will overturn it; if upon his eftate, then you affail him in his ftrength : encounter him not, then, but inclofe yourself within the virtues of patience and humility, and avoid all that violent courfe, which is full of indecency, flame, and fervility; a courfe wherein the worst of your fex do fucceed best; and yet, if they gain their end, they are fure to lose that good reputation and honour, which has ever been dear and valu able to the best of women: and whoever will narrowly observe the complexions of those wives who encroach upon and invade the office of their husbands, ball fee that the very change of the office produces almost a change in nature, the woman growingannith, and the man womanilla. For it is most true, that fexes as well as ages have their distinct laws; our fame lying in the hazards of war, or in the management of civil bufinefs; yours in filence, in modelly, and |