Chapters (10)
I was willing to make a little difficulty of the lOOl. a year, though I thought my lord ought not And as to misbehaviour. Dr. Dartlett, I hardly know how to punish a woman for that, to her keeper. Does she not first misbehave to herself, and to the laws of God and man? And ought a man, that brings her to violate her first duties, to expect from her a regard to a mere discretionary obligation? I would have all these moralists, as they affect to call them-selves, suffer by such libertine principles as cannot be pursued, but in violation of the very first laws of morality.
Misbehaviour! Sir. He makes this plea to cover his own baseness of heart. I never misbehaved, as he calls it, till I saw
H 2
Well, madam, this may lead to a debate that can answer no end. I presume, )‘ou are as willing to leave my lord, as he is to part with you. It must be a wretchedness beyond what I can well imagine, to live a life of guilt (1 must not palliate in this case) and yet of hatred and animosity, with the person who is a partaker in that guilt.
I am put upon a very unequal task, Sir, to talk with you on this subject. My lord will not refuse to see me, I hope. I know what to say to him.
He has requested me to talk with you, madam. As I told you, I am not fond of the task. We have all our faults. God knows what he will pardon, and what he will punish. His pardon, however, in a great measure depends upon yourself. You have health and time, to all appearance, before you: your future life may be a life of penitence. I am no divine, madam; I would not be thought to preach to you but you have now a prospect opened of future happiness, through your mutual misunderstandings, that you never otherwise might have had. And let me make an observation to you; That where hatred or dislike have once taken place of liking, the first separation in such a case as this, is always the best. Affection or esteem between man and woman, once forfeited, hardly ever is recovered. Tell me truth Don’t you as heartily dislike my lord, as he does you?
I do, Sir He is
I will not hear vohat he is, from the mouth of declared prejudice. He has his faults. One .great fault is, that in which you have been joint partakers But if you might, would you choose to live togie-ther to be torments to each other?
I can torment him more than he can me Diabolical temper! Woman! (and I stood up, ^nd looked sternly) can you forget to whom you gay this and o/^whom Is not I-iord W. my uncle?
This (as I intended it should) startled her. She asked my pardon.