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ancient and genteel family. But he was heir to a noble eftate, was of a bold and enterprizing spirit, fond of intrigue Don't let this concern you-You'll have the greater happinefs and merit too, if you can hold him-And, 'tis my opinion, if any-body can, you will.-Then he did not like the young lady's mother, who fought artfully to intrap him. So that the poor girl, divided between her inclination for him, and her duty to her defigning mother, gave into the plot upon him; and he thought himfelf-vile wretch as he was for all that!at liberty to fet up plot against plot, and the poor lady's honour was the facrifice.

I hope you fpoke well of her to him. I hope you received the child kindly.I hope you had prefence of mind to do this. -For it was a nice part to act; and all his obfervations were up, I dare fay, on the occafion.-Do, let me hear how it was: there's my good Pamela, do. And write, I charge you, freely, and without reftraint; for although I am not your mother, yet am I his eldeft fifter, you know and as fuch-come I will fay fo, in hopes you'll oblige me your fifter, and fo intitled to expect a compliance with my request: for is there not a duty in degree, to elder fifters from younger?

As to our remarks upon your behaviour, they have been much to your credit, I can tell you that :-but, neverthelefs, I will, to encourage you to enter into this requested correfpondence with me, confult Lady Betty, and will go over your papers again, and try to find fault with your conduct; and if we can fee any thing cenfurable, will freely let you know our minds.

But, before-hand, I can tell you, we fhall be agreed in one opinion; and that is, that we know not who would have acted as you have done, upon the whole. So, Pamela, you fee I put myself upon the fame foot of correfpondence with you. -Not that I will promife to anfwer every Letter: no, you must not expect that.

Your part will be a kind of narrative, purpofely defigned to entertain us here; and I hope to receive fix, feven, eight, or ten letters, as it may happen, before I return one: but fuch a part I will bear in it, as fhall let you know our opinion of your proceedings and relations of things. And as you wish to be found fault with, as you fay, you fhall freely have it, (though not in a fplenetick or ill-natured way) as often as you give occañon. Now,

you must know, Pamela, I have two views in this. One is, to fee how a man of my brother's fpirit, who has not denied himfelf any genteel liberties, (for it muft be owned he never was a common town rake, and had always dignity in his roguery) will behave himself to you, and in wedlock, which ufed to be freely fneered by him: the next, that I may love you more and more, which it will be enough to make me do, I dare fay, as by your letters I fhall be more and more acquainted with you, as well as by converfation; fo that you can't be off, if you would.

I know, however, you will have no objection to this; and that is, that your family affairs will require your attention, and not give you the time you used to have for this employment. But confider, child, the ftation you are raised to does not require you to be quite a domeftick animal. You are lifted up to the rank of a lady, and you must act up to it, and not think of fetting fuch an example, as will derive upon you the illwill and cenfure of other ladies.-For will any of our fex vifit one who is continually employing herfelf in fuch works as either must be a reproach to herself, or to them?-You'll have nothing to do but to give orders. You will confider yourself as the tafk-miftrefs, and the common herd of female-fervants, as fo many negroes directing themfelves by your nod; or yourself as the mafterwheel, in fome beautiful piece of mechanifm, whofe dignified grave motions is to fet a-going all the under-wheels, with a velocity fuitable to their refpective parts.-Let your fervants, under your direction, do all that relates to household management: they cannot write to entertain and inftruct, as you can: fo what will you have to do?-I'll answer my own question: in the first place, endeavour to pleafe your fovereign lord and mafter; and let me tell you, any other woman in England, be her quality ever fo high, would have found enough to do to fucceed in that. Secondly, to receive and pay vifits, in order, for his credit as well as your own, to make your fafhionable neighbours fond of you. Then, thirdly, you will have time upon your hands (as your monarch himself rifes early, and is tolerably regular for fuch a brazen face as he has been) to write to me in the manner I have mentioned, and expect; and I fee plainly, by your file,

that

You paint no feeries but fuch as make his wickedness odions; and that gentleman, much more lady, must have a very corrupt heart, who could, from fuch circumstances of diftrefs, make any reflections, but what should be to your honour, and in abhorrence of fuch actions. Indeed, child, I am fo convinced of this, that by this rule I would judge of any man's heart in the world, better than by a thoufand declarations and proteftations. I do affure you, rakish as Jackey is, and freely as I doubt not that Lord Davers has formerly lived, (for he has been a man of pleature) they gave ine by their behaviour on thefe tenderer occations, reafon to think they had more virtue, than not to be very apprehenfive for your fafety and my lord feveral times exclaimed, that he could not have thought his brother fuch a libertine neither,

Befides, child, were not these things written in confidence to your mother? And, bad as his actions were to you, if you had not recited all you could recite, would there not have been room for any ‘one, who should have feen what you wrote, to imagine they had been still worke ?— And how could the terror be fuppofed to have had fuch effects uponryou, as to endanger your life, without imagining you had undergone the worft that a vile man could offer, unless you had told us, what that was which he did offer, and so put a bound, as it were, to one's apprehenfive imaginations of what you fuffered, which otherwife must have been injurious to your purity, though you could not help it ?

Moreover, Pamela, it was but doing futtice to the libertine himfelf to tell your mother the whole truth, that the might know he was not so very abandoned, but that he could ftop fhort of the execution of his wicked purpofes, which he apprehended, if pusfued, would deftroy the life, that, of all lives, he would choose to preferve; and you owed alfo thus much to your parents peace of mind, that after all their diftracting fears for you, they might fee they had reafon to rejoice in an uncontaminated daughter. And one cannot but reflect, now all is over, and he has made 'yon his wife, that it must be a fatisfaction to the wicked man, as well as to yourself, that he was not more guilty than he was, and that he took no more liberties than he did

For my own part, I must say, that could not have accounted for your fits, by any defcriptions fhort of those you give; and had you been lefs particular in the circumstances, I fhould have judged he had been still worse, and your perfon though not your mind lefs pure, than his pride would expect from the woman he fhould marry; for this is the cafe of all rakes, that though they indulge in all manner of libertinifm themselves, there is no clafs of men who exact greater delicacy than they, from the perfons they marry; though they care not how bad they make the wives, the fifters, and daughters of others.

I have run into length again; fo will only add, (and fend all my three letters together) that we all blame you in fome degree for bearing the wicked Jewkes in your light, after the most impudent affittance the gave to his lewd attempt; much leis, we think, ought you to have left her in her place, and rewarded her: for her vilenefs could hardly be equalled by the worlt actions of the most abandoned procurefs.

I know the difficulties you labour under, in his arbitrary will, and in his interceffion for her: but Lady Betty rightly oblerves, that he knew what a vile wo man she was, when he put you into her power, and no doubt employed her, because he was fure fhe would answer all his purpofes; and that therefore the should have had very little opinion of the fincerity of his reformation, while he was fo folicitous in keeping her there, and in having her put upon a foot, in the prefent on your nuptials, with honeft Jervis..

She would, the fays, had the been in your cafe, have had one struggle for her difmiffion, let it have been taken as it would; and he that was fo well pleased with your virtue, must have thought this a natural confequence of it, if he was in earnest to reclaim.

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I know not whether you fhew him all write, or not: but I have written this laft part in the cover, as well for want of room, as that you may keep it from him, if you pleafe. Though if you think it will ferve any good end, I am not againft fhewing to him all I write. For I muit ever speak my mind, though I were to fmart for it; and that nobody can or has the heart to make me do, but my bold brother. So, Pamela, for this time, Adies.

LETTER

LETTER XI.

MY GOOD LADY,

Am honoured with your ladyfhip's three letters, the contents of which are highly obliging to me: and I fhould be inexcufable if I did not comply with your injunctions, and be very proud and thankful for your ladyfhip's condefcenfion in accepting of my poor fcribble, and promifing me fuch a rich and invaluable return; of which you have given me already fuch ample and fuch delightful inftances. I will not plead my defects, to excufe my obedience. I only fear, that the awe which will be always upon me, when I write to your ladyfhip, will lay me under fo great a restraint, that I shall fall fhort even of the merit my papers have already made for me, through your kind indulgence. But nevertheless, fheltering myfelf under your goodness, I will chearfully comply with every thing your ladyfhip expects from me, that is in my power to do.

You will give me leave, Madam, to put into fome little method, the particulars of what you defire of me, that I may fpeak to them all: for, fince you are fo good as to excufe me from fending the reft of my papers, (which indeed would not bear in many places) I will omit nothing that fhall tend to convince you of my readiness to obey you in every thing elie.

First then, your ladyfhip would have the particulars of the happy fortnight we paffed in Kent, on one of the most agreeable occafions that could befal me.

Secondly, an account of the manner in which your dear brother acquainted me with the affecting ftory of Mifs Godfrey, and my behaviour upon it.

And, thirdly, I prefume your ladyfhip, and Lady Betty, expect that I should fay fomething upon your welcome remarks on my conduct towards Mrs. Jewkes.

The other particulars contained in your ladyship's kind letters will naturally fall under one or other of thefe three heads-But expect not, my lady, though I begin in method thus, that I fhall keep up to it. If your ladyfhip will not allow for me, and keep in view the poor Pamela Andrews in all I write, but will have Mirs. B. in your eye, what will become of me? --But, indeed, I promise myfelf to much

To begin with the fuft article:

Your dear brother and my honest parents-(I know your ladyship will expect from me, that on all occafions I Thould fpeak of them with the duty that becomes a good child)—I fay, then, your dear brother, and they, and myself, fet out on the Monday morning for Kent, paffing through St. Albans to London, at both which places we ftopped a night; for our dear benefactor would make us take eafy journies; and on Wednefday evening we arrived at the sweet place allotted for the good couple. We were attended only by Abrahain and John, on hoifeback; for Mr. Colbrand, having fprained his foot, was in the travelling-coach with the cook, the houfe-maid, and Polly Barlow, a genteel new fervant, whom MIS. Brooks recommended to wait on me.

Mr.Longman had been down there for a fortnight, employed in fettling the terms of an additional purchafe to this pretty well wooded and well watered eftate; and the account he gave of his proceedings was very fatisfactory to his honoured principal. He told us, he had much ado to diffuade the tenants from pursuing a formed refolution of meeting their landlord on horfeback, at fome miles diftance; for he had informed them when he expected us: but knowing how defirous Mr. B. was of being retired while he ftaid here this time, he had ventured to affure them, that when every thing was fettled, and the new purchase actually entered upon, they would have his prefence among them now-and-then; and that he would introduce them all at different times to their worthy landlord, be fore we left the country.

The houfe is large and very commodious; and we found every thing about it, and in it, exceeding neat and convenient; which was owing to the worthy Mr. Longman's care and direction. The ground is well stocked, the barns and outhoufes in excellent repair, and my poor father and mother have only to with, that they and I may be deferving of half the goodnefs we experience from the bountiful mind of your good brother.

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