The two Ladies continued walking
together till rejoined by the others,
who as they issued from the Library
were followed by a young Whitby
running off with 5 vols. under his arm
to Sir Edward’s Gig--and Sir Edw:
approaching Charlotte, said “You may
perceive what has been our Occupation.
My Sister wanted my Counsel in the
selection of some books.--We have
many leisure hours, & read a great
deal.--I am no indiscriminate Novel-
Reader. The mere Trash of the
common Circulating Library, I hold
in the highest contempt. You will
never hear me advocating those puerile
Emanations which detail nothing but
( 106 )
discordant Principles incapable of
Amalgamation, or those vapid tissues
of ordinary Occurrences from which no
useful Deductions can be drawn.--In
vain may we put them into a literary
Alembic;--we distil nothing which can
add to Science.--You understand me
I am sure?” “I am not quite certain
that I do.--But if you will describe the
sort of Novels which you _do_ approve,
I dare say it will give me a clearer idea.”
“Most willingly, Fair Questioner.--
The Novels which I approve are such
as display Human Nature with Grandeur
--such as shew her in the Sublimities
of intense Feeling--such as exhibit
the progress of strong Passion from
the first Germ of incipient Susceptibility
to the utmost Energies of Reason
half-dethroned,--where we see the
strong spark of Woman’s Captivations
elicit such Fire in the Soul of Man as
( 107 )
leads him--(though at the risk of some
Aberration from the strict line of Primitive
Obligations)--to hazard all, dare
all, atcheive all, to obtain her.--Such
are the Works which I peruse with
delight, & I hope I may say, with
amelioration. They hold forth the
most splendid Portraitures of high
Conceptions, Unbounded Veiws, illimitable
Ardour, indomptible Decision--
and even when the Event is mainly
anti-prosperous to the high-toned
Machinations of the prime Character,
the potent, pervading Hero of the
Story, it leaves us full of Generous
Emotions for him;--our Hearts are
paralized--. T’were Pseudo-Philosophy
to assert that we do not feel more
enwraped by the brilliancy of his
Career, than by the tranquil & morbid
Virtues of any opposing Character.
Our approbation of the Latter is but
( 108 )
Eleemosynary.--These are the Novels
which enlarge the primitive Capabilities
of the Heart, & which it cannot impugn
the Sense or be any Dereliction of the
character, of the most anti-puerile
Man, to be conversant with.”--“If
I understand you aright--said Charlotte
--our taste in Novels is not at all
the same.” And here they were obliged
to part--Miss D. being too much tired
of them all, to stay any longer.--The
truth was that Sir Edw: whom circumstances
had confined very much to one
spot had read more sentimental Novels
than agreed with him. His fancy had
been early caught by all the impassioned,
& most exceptionable parts of
Richardsons; & such Authors as have
since appeared to tread in Richardson’s
steps, so far as Man’s determined
pursuit of Woman in defiance of every
opposition of feeling & convenience is
( 109 )
concerned, had since occupied the
greater part of his literary hours, &
formed his Character.--With a perversity
of Judgement, which must be
attributed to his not having by Nature
a very strong head, the Graces, the
Spirit, the Sagacity, & the Perseverance,
of the Villain of the Story outweighed
all his absurdities & all his
Atrocities with Sir Edward. With him,
such Conduct was Genius, Fire & Feeling.
--It interested & inflamed him;
& he was always more anxious for its
Success & mourned over its Discomfitures
with more Tenderness than c^d
ever have been contemplated by the
Authors.--Though he owed many of
his ideas to this sort of reading, it were
unjust to say that he read nothing
else, or that his Language were not
formed on a more general Knowledge of
modern Literature.--He read all the
( 110 )
Essays, Letters, Tours & Criticisms of
the day--& with the same ill-luck
which made him derive only false Principles
from Lessons of Morality, &
incentives to Vice from the History of
it’s Overthrow, he gathered only hard
words & involved sentences from the
style of our most approved Writers.--
Sir Edw:’s great object in life was
to be seductive.--With such personal
advantages as he knew himself to possess,
& such Talents as he did also give
himself credit for, he regarded it as his
Duty.--He felt that he was formed to
be a dangerous Man--quite in the line
of the Lovelaces.--The very name of
Sir Edward he thought, carried some
degree of fascination with it.--To be
generally gallant & assiduous about
the fair, to make fine speeches to every
pretty Girl, was but the inferior part
of the Character he had to play.--
( 111 )
Miss Heywood, or any other young
Woman with any pretensions to Beauty,
he was entitled (according to his own
veiws of Society) to approach with
high Compliment & Rhapsody on the
slightest acquaintance; but it was
Clara alone on whom he had serious
designs; it was Clara whom he meant
to seduce.--Her seduction was quite
determined on. Her Situation in every
way called for it. She was his rival in
Lady D.’s favour, she was young,
lovely & dependant.--He had very
early seen the necessity of the case,
& had now been long trying with
cautious assiduity to make an impression
on her heart, and to undermine
her Principles.--Clara saw through
him, & had not the least intention of
being seduced--but she bore with him
patiently enough to confirm the sort
of attachment which her personal
( 112 )
Charms had raised.--A greater degree
of discouragement indeed would not
have affected Sir Edw:--. He was
armed against the highest pitch of
Disdain or Aversion.--If she could not
be won by affection, he must carry her
off. He knew his Business.--Already
had he had many Musings on the Subject.
If he _were_ constrained so to act,
he must naturally wish to strike out
something new, to exceed those who
had gone before him--and he felt a
strong curiosity to ascertain whether
the Neighbourhood of Tombuctoo
might not afford some solitary House
adapted for Clara’s reception;--but
the Expence alas! of Measures in that
masterly style was ill-suited to his
Purse, & Prudence obliged him to
prefer the quietest sort of ruin & disgrace
for the object of his Affections,
to the more renowned.--
( 113 )