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the brother doctor, the medico as we call him, lays wagers about me, I find. God forgive me, but they'll make me hate them both, and they are no better than two fools for their pains, for I was willing to have taken them to my heart.

Harley Street, 13 April, 1782.- When I took off my mourning, the watchers watched me very exactly, "but they whose hands were mightiest have found nothing:" so I shall leave the town, I hope, in a good disposition towards me, though I am sullen enough with the town for fancying me such an amorous idiot that I am dying to take up with every filthy fellow. God knows how distant such dispositions are from the heart and constitution of H. L. T. Lord Loughboro', Sir Richard Jebb, Mr. Piozzi, Mr. Selwyn, Dr. Johnson, every man that comes to the house, is put in the papers for me to marry. In good time I wrote to-day to beg the "Morning Herald" would say no more about me, good or bad.

Streatham, 17 April, 1782. -I am returned to Streatham, pretty well in health and very sound in heart, notwithstanding the watchers and the wager-layers, who think more of the charms of their sex by half than I who know them better. Love and friendship are distinct things, and I would go through fire to serve many a man whom nothing less than fire would force me to go to bed to. Somebody mentioned my going to be married t' other day, and Johnson was joking about it. I suppose, Sir, said I, they think they are doing me honor with these imaginary matches, when, perhaps the man does not exist who would do me honor by marrying me! This, indeed, was said in the wild and insolent spirit of Baretti, yet, 't is nearer the truth than one would think for. A woman of passable person, ancient family, respectable character, uncommon talents, and three thousand a year, has a right to think herself any man's equal, and has nothing to seek but return of affection from whatever partner she pitches on. To marry for love would therefore be rational in me, who want no advancement of birth or fortune, and till I am in love, I will not marry, nor perhaps then.

October, 1782. There is no mercy for me in this island. I am more and more disposed to try the continent. One day the paper rings with my marriage to Johnson, one day to Crutch

ley,* one day to Seward. I give no reason for such impertinence, but cannot deliver myself from it. Whitbred, the rich brewer, is in love with me too: O, I would rather, as Ann Page says, be set breast deep in the earth and be bowled to death with turnips.

Mr. Crutchley bid me make a curtsey to my daughters for keeping me out of gaol (sic), and the newspapers insolent as he ! How shall I get through? How shall I get through? I have not deserved it of any of them, as God knows.

Philip Thicknesse put it about Bath that I was a poor girl, a mantua-maker, when Mr. Thrale married me. It is an odd thing, but Miss Thrales like, I see, to have it believed.

3 November, 1784. Yesterday I received a letter from Mr. Baretti, full of the most flagrant and bitter insults concerning my late marriage with Mr. Piozzi, against whom, however, he can bring no heavier charge than that he disputed on the road with an innkeeper concerning the bill in his last journey to Italy; while he accuses me of murder and fornication in the grossest terms, such as I believe have scarcely ever been used even to his old companions in Newgate, whence he was released to scourge the families which cherished, and bite the hands that have since relieved him. Could I recollect any provocation I ever gave the man, I should be less amazed, but he heard, perhaps, that Johnson had written me a rough letter, and thought he would write me a brutal one: like the Jewish king, who, trying to imitate Solomon without his understanding, said, "My father whipped you with whips, but I will whip you with scorpions."

January, 1785. -I see the English newspapers are full of gross insolence to me: all burst out, as I guessed it would upon the death of Dr. Johnson. But Mr. Boswell (who I plainly see is the author) should let the dead escape from his malice at least. I feel more shocked at the insults offered to Mr. Thrale's memory than at those cast on Mr. Piozzi's person. My present husband, thank God! is well and happy, and able to defend himself: but dear Mr. Thrale, that had fostered these cursed wits so long! to be stung by their malice even in the grave, is too cruel:

"Nor church, nor churchyards, from such fops are free."-POPE.

* She suspected Crutchley to be the natural son of Thrale.

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1786. - It has always been my maxim never to influence the inclination of another: Mr. Thrale, in consequence, lived with me seventeen and a half years, during which time I tried but twice to persuade him to do anything, and but once, and that in vain, to let anything alone. Even my daughters, as soon as they could reason, were always allowed, and even encouraged, by me, to reason their own way, and not suffer their respect or affection for me to mislead their judgment. Let us keep the mind clear if we can from prejudices, or truth will never be found at all.* The worst part of this disinterested scheme is, that other people are not of my mind, and if I resolve not to use my lawful influence to make my children love me, the lookers-on will soon use their unlawful influence to make them hate me if I scrupulously avoid persuading my husband to become a Lutheran or be of the English Church, the Romanists will be diligent to teach him all the narrowness and bitterness of their own unfeeling sect, and soon persuade him it is not delicacy but weakness makes me desist from the combat. Well! let me do right and leave the consequences in His hand who alone sees every action's motive and the true cause of every effect: let me endeavor to please God, and to have only my own faults and follies, not those of another, to answer for.

*"Clear your mind of cant." - JOHNSON.

66

EXTRACTS FROM BRITISH SYNONYMY.

AFFECTION, PASSION, TENDERNESS, FONDNESS, LOVE.

THE first four of these words, then, so commonly, so constantly in use, are, although similar, certainly not synonymous; and the last, which always ought, and I hope often does comprehend them all, is not seldom substituted in place of its own component parts, for such are all those that precede it. Foreigners, however, will recollect, that the first of these words is usually adapted to that regard which is consequent on ties of blood; that the second naturally and necessarily presupposes and implies difference of sex; while the rest, without impropriety, may be attributed to friendship, or bestowed on babes. I have before me the definition of FONDNESS, given into my hands many years ago by a most eminent logician, though Dr. Johnson never did acquiesce in it.

"FONDNESS," says the definer, "is the hasty and injudicious determination of the will towards promoting the present gratification of some particular object."

"FONDNESS," said Dr. Johnson, "is rather the hasty and injudicious attribution of excellence, somewhat beyond the power of attainment, to the object of our affection."

Both these definitions may possibly be included in FONDNESS; my own idea of the whole may be found in the following example:

Amintor and Aspasia are models of true LOVE: 't is now seven years since their mutual PASSION was sanctified by marriage; and so little is the lady's AFFECTION diminished, that she sat up

*British Synonymy, or, An Attempt at Regulating the Choice of Words in Familiar Conversation. By Hester Lynch Piozzi. In Two Volumes. London. 1794. This book has been long out of print, and contains much curious matter. Sir James Fellowes meditated a new edition of it.

nine nights successively last winter by her husband's bedside, when he had on him a malignant fever that frighted relations, friends, servants, all away. Nor can any one allege that her TENDERNESS is ill repaid, while we see him gaze upon her features with that FONDNESS which is capable of creating charms for itself to admire, and listen to her talk with a fervor of admiration scarce due to the most brilliant genius.

For the rest, 't is my opinion that men love for the most part with warmer PASSION than women do,—at least than English women, and with more transitory FONDNESS mingled with that passion; while 't is natural for females to feel a softer TENDERNESS; and when their AFFECTIONS are completely gained, they are found to be more durable.

AMIABLE, LOVELY, CHARMING, FASCINATING.

so the learned James Harris

These elegant attributives terms adjectives denoting properties of mind or body - appear at first more likely to turn out synonymes, than upon a closer inspection we shall be able to observe while daily experience evinces that there is an almost regular appropriation of the words; as thus, an AMIABLE character, a LOVELY complexion, a CHARMING singer, a FASCINATING converser; the first of these appearing to deserve our love, the next to claim it, the third to steal it from us as by magic; the last of all to draw, and to detain it, by a half invisible, yet wholly resistless power. Nor does the epithet ever come so properly into play, as when tacked to an unseen method of attracting, for positive beauty needs not fascination to assist her conquests; and positive wit seeks rather to dazzle and distress, than wind herself round the hearts of her admirers; while there is a mode of conversing that seduces attention, and enchains the faculties.

"When Foote told a story at dinner-time," said Dr. Johnson, "I resolved to disregard what I expected would be frivolous; yet as the plot thickened, my desire of hearing the catastrophe quickened at every word, and grew keener as we seemed approaching towards its conclusion. The fellow fascinated me, Sir; I listened and laughed, and laid down my knife and fork, and thought of nothing but Foote's conversation."

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