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good Husband. Louifa was the Name of his beautiful Ward; fhe was brought up in the Houfe with his Lady, who had a great Kindnefs for her. Hernando had none of those terrible Conflicts I before defcribed in the Cafe of the Duke, and Mademoiselle Charlot; he was not acquainted with those violent Airs of Honour, nor had fcarce, in his narrow Education, converfed with any who travell'd that Road; however their precife Party held it a violent Scandal for a marry'd Man to corrupt a young Woman, efpecially under his Ward; therefore care was to be taken that it fhould not be known, and then it would be as if it were undone. Her Mind had taken a natural Bent to Orizons and Devotion; his Lady encouraged the good Spirit in her, and laid the Foundation of a Vertue not eafily fháken; tho' Hernanda was indefatigable in his Purfuits, yet he would rather have had it in Ambition than Love; he did not care how eafie he came by his Pleasures, nor how dearly he paid for them, as appeared afterwards by a Taint he received, the ufual Prefent that lewd Women beftow upon fuch who do themselves the Injury to converte with them.

Mademoiselle Louifa found nothing fo obliging as her Guardian, whatever the requefted was granted; whatever fhe but feemed to with, the enjoy'd; but he was at a Lofs how to begin with her; if by a formal Declaration, it was teaching her to deny.

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My Lady had inftructed her in all that was neceffary to make a young Maid fet a Value upon her Chastity; the feem'd to bear an incorruptible Defire of preferving hers; their daily Converfation, nay Diverfions, roll'd upon nothing that was loofe or amorous; all Appearances were against him, and yet, in fpight of Appearances, he refolv'd to proceed, and undermine that seemingly invincible Chastity. It would be a Sort of a Triumph over his Wife, whom he hated, as well as over Louifa, whom he lov'd; but how to attempt her firft, was the Point; He faw nothing of an amorous Conftitution; nothing of the native Coquet, all was regular, all was cool and innocent; how much to blame was he to make her other wife? Are there fuch violent Defires that Reafon cannot fupprefs? Is Love fuch an irrefiftible Tyrant; Will he trample upon all Obftacles? Are the moft facred Ties of no Obligation in his Senfe? O no! for if it were true Love, 'twould feek the Good of the Perfon beloved; but Hernando was in his Temper a Friend to none but himself; Amorous, and convers'd every Day with a young handfome Woman, which was im poffible for him to do, without defiring of her. The little Freedoms that were permit ted, inflamed him; he could not pafs near her without trembling; when he did but touch her Hand, his Blood flufhed in his Face; fometimes he would ravish a Kifs, in the way of Play, but then he was loft in

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Pleasure; he took all Occafions for those pretty Liberties; her Bed-fide was not refus'd him: When he us'd to View her there in a Morning, he would fix his fparkling wifhing Eyes, crofs his Arms, and figh in fuch a tender Manner, that Louifa must have been very Ignorant, not to have difcern'd a Mystery in fuch Behaviour. He would always affect to fit near her; to take the Place fhe had quitted; to touch what she had but touched and when his Lady was not prefent, her Glove, her Handkerchief, was Extafie to him; yet with nothing of a fulfome Addrefs; he had a native and becoming Gallantry. Louisa thought her felf obliged by these Diftinctions; they even created a fort of Gratitude, which warm'd it felf, to Tenderness: She was pleafed to fee, to hear him; his Company feemed more diverting than others; fhe knew no harm in it, fhe thought no harm.

At that Time there was a young Gentleman from the Country, a Relation of Hernando's Lady, who fell in Love with Mademoiselle Louifa; his Circumstances were advantagious for her, and his Perfon very agreeable. Mr. Wilmot begg'd the Honour to wait upon his Coufin and the young Lady to the Opera. Hernando's Blood flafh'd in his Face; he immediately guefs'd that Mr. Wilmot was engag'd; he thought it now high Time to declare himfelf; he had fool'd too long; there was an audacious Lover, by the Rites of Marriage, going to

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pretend to take her from his very Table he confefs'd 'twas advantagious to her; he was his Lady's Relation; fhe lov'd Louifa, and would not fail to prefs it to oblige both; nay, Louifa her felf might approve of him, he was handfome, he was young, he was amorous; fhe was innocent and uningaged: Nothing oppos'd Wilmot's feeming Happinefs; but all Things feem'd to be against his. Thefe Things revolv'd in an Inftant through his Mind. He saw them rife to the Opera, with a Concern he was not able to fupport. Wilmot, by the Laws of Civility, was to lead the Lady Volpone, to put her firft into the Coach, Louifa was preparing to follow ; Hernando catch'd her Hand in fuch a Tranfport as was highly favourable to his Eyes and Air, he never look'd fo handfome as then. No, Mademoifelle, faye he, Wilmot fhall never touch this Hand whilft I am alive; they were too near to fay more. Hernando agreeably furpriz'd his Lady, when he ftept into the Coach to them, and faid he would go to the Opera. 'Twas known he had appointed Bufinefs of mighty Confequence, which would fuffer by being delay'd; like a good Wife, he did not fail to reprefent it to him, for fear he fhould have forgot it; but that was all one to him; no Bufinefs could come in Ballance with Louifa; he faw that must be the Time to defend her Heart from the first Impreffions of a young affiduous Lover.

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Lover. He fat over against her in the Coach, and without knowing what he did, prefs'd her Knees with his, till he pain'd her; fhe wondred at the Excefs, becaufe 'twas what he was not used to; but the durft not complain, for fear of his Lady, The Story of the Opera chanc'd to be of a Woman who had marry'd a fecond Huf band, her first being yet alive, tho' unknown to her; after feven Years Abfence he returns the third Night of their new Hymen, difcovers himself to her; the knows and owns him; falls into extreme Despair at the Misfortune; runs mad, and in her Lunacy ftabs her felf; The Play was wrought up with all the natural Artifice of a good Poet. Louifa, who did not often see fuch Representations, became extremely mov'd at this. Her young Breafts heav'd with Sorrow; the Tears fill'd her Eyes, and the betray'd her Senfe of their Misfortune with a Tenderness that Hernando did not think had been in her. He was infinitely pleas'd, and employ'd a World of Pains to applaud, inftead of rediculing, as his Lady did, that Senfibility of Soul. When they came away, he took care that her Hand fhould fall to his Share. As they were going home, he fat over against her in the fame Manner as before. At Supper, the Play was their Subject. His Wife was reasoning about the Accident of the double Marriage, and faid it was neceffary the Poet fhould dispatch

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