Reverence, duty, love, and the sincerest compli-ments, distribute, as due, my dear Jeronymo, from your

GIACOMO.

Letter Lvh.

Lady Grandison to Mrs. Shirley.

Friday, May 25. Unhappy Laurana! Sir Charles expressed great concern for the manner of her death. How can you. brother, said Lady G. (when we three only were together) be concerned for so execrable a wretch!

Shall a human creature perish, replied he, and its fellow-creature not be moved? Shall an immortal being fix its eternal state by an act dreadful and irreversible; by a crime that admits not of repent-ance; and shall we not be concerned? This indeed was owing to distraction: but how ill was such a soul as Laurana’s prepared to rush into eternity? Unhappy Laurana!

It is not thought fit, for obvious reasons, to ac-quaint Clementina with the contents of the ge — neral’s letter.

At last, my dear grandmamma, the great point seems to be decided. Lady Clementina had for some time been employing herself in drawing up, in two opposite columns, the arguments for and against her entering into the marriage-state. She shewed them to me, and afterwards to Mrs. Beaumont; but would not allow either of us to take a copy. She has stated them very fairly. I could not but observe to her on tdiich side the strength lay.

This morning she gave us her company at break-fast-time for a few minutes only. She was in visible emotions; and seemed desirous of getting the better of them; but was unable; and therefore retired. She shut herself up, and about noon, sent, sealed up, a letter; which 1 will English as well as I can; thus directed;

TO HER EVE I{-nONOURED,EVKR-IXr)ULO EXT FATHER AND MOTHER, CLEMENTINA UELLA PORRETTA.

How did my whole soul aspire after the veil! In-superable obstacles having arisen against the union sin CHARLES GRANDISON. 297 of your child with one exalted man, how averse was I to enter into covenant with any other!

It was your pleasure, my lord; it was yours, ma-dam; that I should not be indulged in the aspira — tion. You had the goodness to oblige me in my averseness.

The Chevalier Crandison has since convinced me, by generous a:>d condescending reasonings, that I could not, in duty to the will of my two grandfa-thers, and injustice to my elder brother and his de scendants, renew my wishes after the cloister. I submit.

Ikit now, what is to be done, what can I do, to make you, my dearest parents, and my brothers, hapj)y? Olivia triumphs over me. My situation is disagreeable: I, who ought to be a comfort to my friends, have been, I still am, a trouble to them all. The Chevalier Grandison and his excellent lady have signified to me, more than once, that they expect from me the completion of their earthly happi — ness: and what is this life, but a short, a transitory passage to a better?