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[Transcriber's Note:
The use of tildes (~) around a word signifies that it was spaced out in
the original l i k e t h i s.
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation have been retained as in the original,
with the exception of a few printer's errors. A full list of these can
be found at the end of the text.]
~REMARKS~
~ON~
~_CLARISSA_,~
Addressed to the AUTHOR.
Occasioned by some critical Conversations on the
CHARACTERS and CONDUCT of that Work.
~WITH~
Some Reflections on the Character and Behaviour
of PRIOR'S ~_EMMA_~.
~_LONDON:_~
Printed for _J. Robinson_ in _Ludgate-street_.
M,DCC,XLIX.
[Price One Shilling.]
REMARKS ON _CLARISSA_, &c.
~_SIR_,~
Perhaps an Address of this Nature may appear very unaccountable, and
whimsical; when I assure you, my Design is fairly to lay before you all
the Criticisms, as far as I can remember them, that I have heard on your
History of _Clarissa_; from the Appearance of the two first Volumes, to
the Close of the Work. I have not willingly omitted any one Objection I
have heard made to your favourite Character, from her first Appearance
in the World; nor, on the contrary, have I either diminished or added to
the favourable Construction put on her Words or Actions. If the Grounds
for the Objections are found to be deducible from the Story, I would
have them remain in their full Force; but if the Answers her Admirers
have given to those Objections are found to result from an impartial and
attentive perusal of the Story, I would not have her deny'd the Justice
they have done her. But tho' I seem here to speak only of _Clarissa_, as
she is your principal Character, yet I intend as well to take notice of
what has been said relating to your whole Story, as to her in
particular.
In the first Conversation I heard on this Subject, the whole Book was
unanimously condemned, without the least Glimpse of Favour from any one
present who sat in judgment on it. It was tedious stuff!--low!--Letters
wrote between Misses about their Sweet-hearts!--There was an Uncle
_Anthony_--a Brother _James_!--a Goody _Norton_!--and a Servant
_Hannah_.--In short, _one_ had no Patience to read it, _another_ could
not bear it, a _third_ did not like it, _&c._ Such general Censurers, I
knew, could be very little worth attending to; and this Judgment I
should have formed had I been a Stranger to the Book thus unmercifully
treated; but as I had read _Clarissa_, and observed some Beauties in it,
yet heard not one of them mentioned, I was determined to say nothing,
and to make my Visit as short as possible.
From hence I went to spend the Evening with a Family in whose
Conversation I am always agreeably entertained. There happened, that
Night, to be a pretty large Assembly of mix'd Company. _Clarissa_
immediately became the Subject of our Conversation, when, after a few
general Remarks, one of the Gentlemen said, "His chief Objection was to
the Length of it, for that he was certain he could tell the whole Story
contained in the two first Volumes in a few Minutes; for Example,
(continued he) There is a Family who live in the Country, consisting of
an old, positive, gouty Gentleman, two old Batchelors as positive as
their gouty Brother, a meek Wife, an ambitious Son, an envious elder
Sister, and a handsome younger Sister; who, having refused many offered
Matches, engages the Attention and Liking of one Mr. _Lovelace_, a young
Gentleman of a noble Family; her Brother has an absolute Aversion to
him; a Rencounter follows between them; the Lady corresponds with
_Lovelace_ to prevent farther Mischief; a disagreeable Man is proposed
to her by all her Family; she will not consent; they all combine to
insist on her Compliance; she is lock'd up; forbid all Correspondence
out of the Family, but still persists in her Refusal; they call it
Obstinacy; she calls it Resolution; Mr. _Lovelace_ takes the Advantage
of her Friends cruel Usage of her, and presses her to throw herself on
his Protection: at last, for fear of being forced to marry the Man she
hates, she appoints to go off with _Lovelace_; but fearing the
Consequence of such a rash Step, and thinking it a Breach of her Duty to
leave her Father's House till urged by the last Necessity, she would
have retracted the Appointment, and waited yet a little longer, in hopes
her Friends might be influenced to change their Mind; Mr. _Lovelace_
does not take the Letter she puts in the usual Place for that purpose,
and we see by her last Letter to her Friend, dated at St. _Albans_, that
she is there with _Lovelace_. Now, how is it possible for this Story,
without being exceeding tedious, to be spun out to two Volumes,
containing each above 300 Pages?"
When the Gentleman ceased, a young Lady, whose Name was _Gibson_, took a
little Almanack out of her Pocket, and, turning to the Place where the
Births and Deaths of the Kings of _England_ were marked, gave it to the
Gentleman, and said, "that by his Rule of Writing, that was the best
History of _England_, and Almanack-makers were the best Historians".
Mr. _Johnson_, another of the Company, said, he would engage to relate
the _Roman_ History, in that manner, in as little time as had been
expended in the summing up the Story of _Clarissa_; and then, with a
Monotony in his Voice that expressed more Humour than I can describe, he
began as follows:
"_Romulus_ the Son of _Apulius_, as some say, tho' according to others
the Son of _Mars_ by one of the Vestal Virgins, built the City of
_Rome_, and reign'd there 37 Years; after him reigned six Kings
successively (their Names are of no Consequence) but the Wickedness of
the last King put an end to the regal State, and introduced the
Consular, which we may say lasted about the Space of 427 Years, tho' it
was retrenched in Power by the Tribunes of the People, and had many
Intermissions by the Creation of Dictators, the Decemviri, and the
military Tribuns; during all this time, sometimes there was War,
sometimes there was Peace, foreign Wars in abundance, great Civil Wars,
not a few Contentions for Power amongst all Degrees of Men, vast
Conquests, great Extent or Empire, till at last, in the famous Plains of
_Pharsalia_, was fought a decisive Battel for the Empire, between two
ambitious Men, namely, _Caesar_ and _Pompey_; the latter fled, and was
treacherously slain on the _Egyptian_ Shore, whilst the former remain'd
Master of the Field, and almost of the Universe."
Here Mr. _Johnson_ changed the Tone of his Voice, and said, "I will
pursue this no farther, for to the Death of _Pompey_ makes twenty
Volumes in the History wrote by the Fathers _Catrou_ and _Rouille_,
which is generally allowed to be a very good one, and, I think, one of
its chief Beauties depends on the Length; for to that we owe the
displaying so many various Characters, and the diving into the Motives
of those great Mens Actions, who guided that extensive, powerful, I had
almost said unmanagable Common-wealth.
Mr. _Singleton_ laugh'd, and said, "He was surprised to hear a Man of
Mr. _Johnson's_ Understanding display so much Eloquence to prove, (if he
intended to prove any thing by it) that the knowing the Particulars of
the Family at _Harlow-place_ was of as much Consequence, as the knowing
the Springs and Wheels on which turned the Affairs of the greatest
Commonwealth that was ever heard of since the Creation of the World.
"Indeed, Sir, replied the Lady of the House, (who has bred up three Sons
and three Daughters, who do Honour to her Education of them) I really
think the penetrating into the Motives that actuate the Persons in a
private Family, of much more general use to be known, than those
concerning the Management of any Kingdom or Empire whatsoever: The
latter, Princes, Governors, and Politicians only can be the better for,
whilst every Parent, every Child, every Sister, and every Brother, are
concerned in the former, and may take example by such who are in the
same Situation with themselves.
Mr. _Clark_ said, "that he believed the whole Account of the Mind of
Man, were we only to mention the primary Passions, might be comprised in
a few Words; but (continued he) from those Fountains to trace the
several Channels into which they flow, and to get a Clue to guide us
through all the winding Labyrinths into which they turn themselves, is
no such easy Matter; that
_Life's but a walking Shadow, a poor Player,
That struts and frets his Hour upon the Stage
And then is heard no more,_
perhaps gives us as strong an Image as it is possible to receive, of all
the great Transactions perform'd by Mankind for these 6000 Years; and
yet the celebrated Author, who wrote those Words, has diversify'd and
display'd that strutting and fretting in as many various Lights as he
has drawn Characters throughout his immortal Writings.
"In these two Volumes of _Clarissa_, it plainly appears, the Author's
Intention is to impress deeply on the Reader's Mind, the peculiar
Character of each Person in that Family whence his Heroine is derived;
and in this I think he has succeeded so well, that for my own part I am
as intimately acquainted with all the _Harlows_, as if I had known them
from my Infancy; and if I was to receive a Letter from any one of them,
I am sure I should not want the Name to assist me in assigning it to the
proper Person. Tho', upon the whole, I don't know but there may be some
Exuberances that might have been spared, as they stop the Progress of
the Story, and keep us in anxious doubt concerning _Clarissa's_ Fate,
altho' the scattered Observations have generally the Recommendation of
Novelty to amuse the Curious, Depth to engage the Attention of the
Considerate, and Sprightliness to entertain the Lively; and Story is
considered by the Author, as he says in his Preface, but as the Vehicle
to convey the more necessary Instruction. And _Clarissa_ says to Miss
_How_;
_You will always have me give you minute Descriptions, nor suffer
me to pass by the Air and Manner in which Things are spoken, that
are to be taken notice of; rightly observing, that Air and Manner
often express more than the accompanying Words._
"If this Observation is just, and Air and Manner can be placed before a
Reader's View by writing, I am sure minute Descriptions are necessary;
and I could point out several Places in _Clarissa_, where we may see the
very Look of the Eyes, and Turn of the Countenance of the Persons
mentioned, and hear the Tone of the Voice of the Person speaking."
The next Objection was raised by Mr. _Dobson_, to Mrs. _Harlowe's_
Character, which he said, "It was plain you did not intend as a bad one,
by her Meekness, Submission to her Husband, and her hitherto truly
maternal Care of her Family; and yet, when she joins with violent
overbearing Spirits, to oppress and persecute such a Daughter as
_Clarissa_, because she steadily adhered to a Resolution of refusing
solemnly to vow at the Altar Love and Obedience to such a Wretch as
_Solmes_, what was this but Tameness and Folly instead of Meekness?"
Totally to justify Mrs. _Harlowe_ was not attempted; on the contrary, it
was unanimously agreed, that she was to blame: But Miss _Gibson_ desired
"Mrs. _Harlow's_ Faults might not be thrown on the Author, unless it
could be proved that he himself intended her Conduct should deserve no
Censure. However, (continued she) to preserve any Charity in censuring
her, I think it should be considered, how much a Woman must be
embarassed, who has for many Years accustomed herself to obey the very
Looks of another, where a Point is peremptorily insisted on, which, to
comply with, must gall her to the Heart. Mrs. _Harlowe_ might indeed
have suffered with _Clarissa_, but could not have preserved her from her
Father's Fury, irritated and inflamed by her ambitious violent Brother:
And perhaps she flatter'd herself, that she might gain more Influence by
seeming to comply, than if she had attempted absolutely to resist the
Storm gathering in her Family. And this I think, the many Hints she
gives, that if she was left to herself, it would be otherwise, is a full
Proof of."
A young Lady, who had hitherto been silent, looked pleased at Miss
_Gibson's_ Remarks, and said;
"I think _Clarissa_ herself has made very good Observations on her
Mamma's Meekness, and the Effects of it, in one of her Letters to Miss
_Howe_, where she says--In my Mamma's Case, your Observation is
verifyed, that those who will bear much, shall have much to bear. And
how true is her farther Observation, where she says, that she fears her
Mamma has lost that very Peace which she has sacrificed so much to
obtain."
"Your Remark, Madam, said Miss _Gibson_, is very just, and from this
Character of Mrs. _Harlowe_, we may draw a noble and most useful Moral;
for as in the Body, too rich Blood occasions many Diseases, so in the
Mind, the very Virtues themselves, if not carefully watched, may produce
very hurtful Maladies. Meekness therefore, and a long Habit of
Submission, is often accompanied by a want of Resolution, even where
Resolution is commendable. To be all Softness, Gentleness and Meekness,
and at the same time to be steadily fixed in every Point 'tis improper
to give up, is peculiar to _Clarissa_ herself, and a Disposition of Mind
judiciously reserved by the Author for his Heroine alone."
An old Gentleman who sat in the Corner, and often made wry Faces at the
sudden Attack of Rheumatick Pains, with which he was often afflicted,
objected strongly to Mr. _Harlowe's_ arbitrary Usage of such a Wife, as
being very unnatural. "Nay, Sir, (said Miss _Gibson_) I think _Clarissa_
gives a very good Account of Mr. _Harlowe's_ Behaviour, in a Letter to
her Friend, when she says;
_But my Father was soured by the cruel Distemper I have named,
which seized him all at once, in the very prime of Life, in so
violent a Manner, as to take from the most active Mind, as HIS
was, all Power of Activity, and that in all Appearance for
Life.--It imprison'd, as I may say, his lively Spirits in himself
and turned the Edge of them against his own Peace, his
extraordinary Prosperity adding but to his Impatiency._
"And methinks, it is very easy to imagine, Mr. _Harlowe's_ Pains, and
Mrs. _Harlowe's_ tender Concern for these Pains increasing together: her
Attention to him, and earnest Endeavours to soften and alleviate the
Extremity of his Torments becoming all her Care; till, his Ill-temper
daily growing stronger by the Force of his bodily Disorders, he at last
habituated himself to vent it on the Person who most patiently
submitted, tho' her Heart was most nearly touched and affected by it.
And I appeal to the common Experience of any Persons who have accustomed
themselves to make Observations on the Scenes before them, if they have
not often seen heart-breaking Harshness burst forth on those who
strongest feel the Strokes, and yet submit to them without complaining;
and this practised even by Persons who would take it much amiss to be
thought peculiarly ill-natured."
The old Gentleman, without answering Miss _Gibson_, insisted on what he
had said before; and then turning to his Daughter, in a rough Voice,
accompanied with a fierce Look, bid her not sit so idly, but ring the
Bell, that the Servant might get a Coach, for he would go home. The
young Lady, who was as submissive a Daughter as Mrs. _Harlow_ was a
Wife, immediately obeyed his Commands, tho' it might be read in her
Countenance, that she could have wished that he would have injoined them
in a milder Manner; on which her Father observed, that the Girl was
always out of Humour and sullen when she was employed. Indeed, Sir,
said the young Lady, I love to be honoured with your Commands; I was
only afraid you was angry with me. A Tear stole without her Consent from
her Eyes, and at the same Time she looked at her Father with a
supplicating, instead of a sullen Countenance.
As soon as the Coach came, the old Gentleman, with great Roughness,
commanded his Daughter to attend him, and left us; and we could not help
remarking, how much the Gentleman's Behaviour had added Weight to the
Force of his Criticism.
The next Objection was raised by Mr. _Dellincourt_, who found great
Fault with the Liberties you have taken with the _English_ Language, and
said, you had coined new Words, and printed others as if you was writing
a Spelling-book, instead of relating a Story. We were all silent for a
few Moments, and then Miss _Gibson_ said;
"Indeed, Sir, I do not pretend to be any Judge of the Accuracy of Stile,
but I beg to know, if in the writing familiar Letters, many Liberties
are not allowable, which in other kinds of writing might perhaps be
justly condemned: And as to the printing some of the Words with Breaks
between the Syllables, it certainly makes the Painting the stronger;
however, I submit this entirely to the Judgment of others. But supposing
this to be a failing, surely it is a trifling one, to censure a Book
severely for, in which there are so many striking Beauties to be found.
But to illustrate my Thoughts on this Head, I will tell you a Story that
is really true.
"A Gentleman shewed a Friend of his a Picture of a favourite Horse,
drawn by the celebrated Mr. _Wooten_. The Horse was unexceptionably
beautiful, and the Picture excellently drawn. His Friend regarded it
for some Time with great Attention: When the Gentleman (who was a Lover
of Pictures, and who delighted to share his Pleasures with others)
earnestly asked his Friend's Opinion of the Piece he was viewing; who,
after much Consideration, with a significant Shrug of his Shoulders, and
a contemptuous Toss of his Hand, said, _I don't like the Skirts of the
Saddle_."
The Application of this Story was so very plain, that the whole Company
were diverted with it; and thus, Sir, I think I have sumed up all the
Critisism I heard either against or in favour of your _Clarissa_, on the
Publication of the two first Volumes.
The next Scene of Criticism (if I may so call it) on _Clarissa_ that I
was present at, was on the Publication of the two succeeding Volumes.
The same Company met, with the Addition only of one Gentleman, whom I
shall call _Bellario_; his known Taste and Impartiality made all those
who wished Reason instead of Prejudice might judge of the Subject before
them, rejoice at his Presence. The Objections now arose so fast, it was
impossible to guess where they would end. _Clarissa_ herself was a
Prude--a Coquet--all the Contradictions mentioned some Time ago in a
printed Paper, with the Addition of many more, were laid to her Charge.
She was an undutiful Daughter--too strict in her Principles of Obedience
to such Parents--too fond of a Rake and a Libertine--her Heart was as
impenitrable and unsusceptible of Affection, as the hardest Marble. In
short, the many contradictory Faults that she was at once accused of, is
almost incredible: So many, that those who had attended enough to her
Character, to have an Inclination to justify her, found it difficult to
know where to begin to answer such a complicated Charge. But after a
short Silence, Miss _Gibson_ with her usual Penetration, said;
"Whenever any Person is accused of a Variety of Faults, which are
plainly impossible to dwell in the same Mind, I am immediately convinced
the Person so accused is innocent of them all. A Prude cannot, by an
observing Eye, be taken for a Coquet, nor a Coquet for a Prude, but a
good Woman may be called either, or both, according to the Dispositions
of her resolved Censurers; and hence I believe we may trace the Cause,
why the Characters even of those Persons who do not endeavour to wear
any Disguise are so very liable to be mistaken; for Partiality or
Prejudice generally sit as Judges: If the former mount the
Judgment-seat, how many different Terms do we make use of to express
that Goodness in another, which our own fluctuating Imaginations only
have erected? If the latter, how do we vary Expressions to paint that
Wickedness which we are resolve to prove inhabits the Mind we think
proper to condemn?" "Nay, but (said Mr. _Dellincourt_) how are we
concerned either to justify or accuse _Clarissa_? we cannot be either
partial to, or prejudised against her." "I know not how it is, (replyed
Miss _Gibson_) but those who dread Censure, tho' Circumspection wait on
every Step, will be censured, till there no longer remains in the World
any of those Dispositions that delight in inflicting that Punishment on
others they see they most fear. Now, tho' _Clarissa_ was not so
blameably fearful of Censure, but that her first Care was to preserve
the Innocence of her own Mind, and do no wrong; yet it is plain, she
would very gladly have avoided incurring, as well as deserving,
Reproach; and that she is treated like an intimate Acquaintance by all
her Readers, the Author may thank himself for. I dare say, the Authors
of _Cassandra_, _Clelia_, with numberless others I could name, were
never in any Danger of having their Heroines thought on, or treated like
human Creatures."
_Bellario_, who had hitherto been silent, said, "He thought _Clarissa_
could not justly be accused of any material Fault, but that of wanting
Affection for her Lover; for that he was sure, a Woman whose Mind was
incapable of Love, could not be amiable, nor have any of those gentle
Qualities which chiefly adorn the female Character. And as to her
whining after her Papa and Mamma, who had used her so cruelly, (added
he) I think 'tis contemptible in her."
"But, Sir, (said Miss _Gibson_) please only to consider, first,
_Clarissa_ is accused of want of Love, and then in a Moment she is
condemned for not being able suddenly to tear from her Bosom an
Affection that had been daily growing and improving from the Time of her
Birth, and this built on the greatest paternal Indulgence imaginable.
Affections that have taken such deep Root, are little Treasures hoarded
up in the good Mind, and cannot be torn thence without causing the
strongest convulsive Pangs in the Heart, where they have been long
nourished: And when they are so very easily given up as you now, Sir,
seem to contend for, I confess I am very apt to suspect they have only
been talked of by the Persons who can part with them with so little
Pain, either from Hypocrisy, or from another very obvious Cause, namely,
the using Words we are accustomed to hear, without so much as thinking
of their Meaning. Such Hearts I think may be much more properly compared
to the Hardness of Marble, than could that of the gentle _Clarissa_.
"There is in her Behaviour, I own, a good deal of apparent Indifference
to _Lovelace_; but let her Situation and his manner of treating her be
considered, and I fancy the whole will be seen in a different Light from
what it may appear on the first View. She has confessed to Miss _Howe_,
that she could prefer him to all the Men she ever saw; and that Friend
of her Heart, to whom her very inmost Thoughts were laid open all along,
pronounces her to be in Love with him. It is not from Hypocrisy that she
does not confess the Charge, but from the Reason Miss _Howe_ gives, when
she says;
_I believe you did not intend Reserve to me, for two Reasons, I
believe you did not; first, because you say you did not: Next,
because you have not as yet been able to convince yourself how it
is to be with you; and, persecuted as you are, how so to separate
the Effects that spring from the two Causes (Persecution and Love)
as to give to each its particular Due._
"That _Clarissa_ positively did not intend to go off with _Lovelace_
when she met him, to me is very plain; nor could he have prevailed on
her, had not the Terrors raised in her Mind, by apprehended Murder,
almost robbed her of her Senses, and hurried her away, not knowing what
she did. For the Truth of this, I appeal to that charming painted Scene,
where the Reader's Mind shares _Clarissa's_ Terror, and is kept in one
continued Tumult til.
[A]_The Steeds are smote, the rapid Chariot flies,
The sudden Clouds of circuling Dust arise._
[A] _Pope's Homer._
"She was vexed to her soul afterwards to find she was tricked, as she
calls it, out of herself, when _Lovelace_, instead of comforting and
assuring her Mind, begins such a Train of shufling artful Tricks, as no
one but _Lovelace_ could have thought on: And altho' she did not know
all his Design, for if she had, she would certainly have left him, yet
she sees enough of his _crooked ways_, to be convinced that he acted
ungenerously by her, because she was in _his Power_. Does not
_Lovelace_, in a Letter to _Belford_, writ in four Days after she was
with him, say?
_And do I not see, that I shall want nothing but Patience, in order
to have all Power with me? For what shall we say, if all these
Complaints of a Character Wounded, these Declarations of increasing
Regrets of meeting me, of Resentments never to be got over for my
seducing her away, these angry Commands to leave her,--what shall we
say, if all were to mean nothing but Matrimony?--And what if my
forbearing to enter upon that Subject comes out to be the true Cause of
her Petulance and Uneasiness._
"And then he gives such an Account of his asking her Consent to marry
him, and at the same Time artfully confusing her, so as to prevent her
Consent, as perfectly paints his cunning vile Heart. How is her
Behaviour altered to him from the Time she can write Miss _Howe_ word
that her Prospects are mended, till his returning Shufling convinces her
there is no Confidence to be placed in him! But if, Sir, you cannot
think _Lovelace's_ Usage of _Clarissa_ a full Justification of her in
this Point, I think the Author has a just Right to be heard out before
his Heroine is condemned in so heavy a Charge, as that of being void of
all Affection. You know enough of my Sentiments, Sir, to be convinced
that I do think this the heaviest Charge a Woman can be accused of; for
Love is the only Passion I should wish to be harboured in the gentle
Bosom of a good Woman. Ambition, with all the Train of turbulent
Passions the World is infested with, I would leave to Men: And could I
make my whole Sex of my Opinion, they would be resigned without the
least Grudge or Envy; for Peace and Harmony dwell not with them, but on
the contrary, Discord, Perturbation and Misery are their constant
Companions. But tho' I speak thus with the utmost Sincerity of Love; yet
I cannot think a Woman greatly the Object of Esteem who, like _Serina_
in the _Orphan_, having such a Father as _Acasto_, and such Brothers,
affectionate to her, however blameable in other Respects; while she saw
her whole Family distressed and confused, and _Monimia_, the gentle
Companion of her Infancy, involved in that Confusion, her Lover too
behaving like a Mad-man, yet still, could cry out,
Chamont's _the dearest thing I have on Earth;
Give me_ Chamont, _and let the World forsake me._
"_Clarissa_ would have acted a different Part, I do confess; and yet, if
I can guess any Thing of the Author's Intention by what is already
published, I fancy, when we have read the Conclusion of this Story, we
shall be convinced that Love was the strongest Characteristic of
_Clarissa's_ Mind."
_Bellario_ answered, with that Candor, which is known to be one of the
most distinguishing Marks of his Character by all who have the Pleasure
of his Acquaintance, 'That if it proved so, he should have the greatest
Esteem and highest Veneration for _Clarissa_, and would suspend his
Judgment till he saw the remaining Part of the Story.'
But all the Company were not so candid, for Mr. _Dellincourt_ said, 'He
was sure _Clarissa_ could not in the remaining Part of the Story
convince him, that her Characteristic was Love; for nothing less than
the lovely _Emma's_ Passion for _Henry_ would be any Satisfaction to
him, if he was a Lover.'--Miss _Gibson_ said. 'She had often been sorry
that the Poem of _Henry_ and _Emma_ had not been long ago buried in
Oblivion; for (continued she) it is one of those Things which, by the
Dress and Ornaments of fine Language and smooth Poetry, has imposed on
Mankind so strong a Fallacy, as to make a Character in itself most
despicable, nay I may say most blameable, generally thought worthy
Admiration and Praise: For strip it of the dazzling Beauties of Poetry,
and thus fairly may the Story be told.
An old _English_ Baron retired in his Decline of Life to his
Country-seat, where one only Daughter (left him by a Wife he fondly
loved) was the Care, the Joy, the Comfort of his declining Years: No
sooner had the State of blooming Youth taken place of that of prattling
Infancy, than she became the Object of publick Admiration, and Lovers of
all Degrees with Emulation strove to gain the fair _Emma's_ Favour; but
as yet her Heart was free, and her Father's paternal tender Indulgence
never once endeavoured to force her Choice. At last the happy _Henry_ in
various Disguises found the means to obtain her Favour, and she becomes
passionately in Love with him: But not content with this, he resolves on
a Trial of her Constancy, and therefore tells her, that he is a
Murderer, must fly from Justice, and herd amongst the lowest and basest
of Mankind; that he despised her, and the fond Heart she had given him;
a younger and fairer Nymph now engaging his Pursuit, and that if she
would follow him, she also must herd with Outlaws his Companions, who
like himself were fled from Justice; where Impiety, Blasphemy and
Obscenity would be all the Language she could hear.
_Emma_ on this Trial, ignorant who _Henry_ was, or what Brothel had last
given him up, without one Enquiry whether the Murder he confessed was
not of the blackest Die, remorseless for all the Agonies with which she
must tear her Father's tender Bosom, resolves at all Events, as _Henry_
himself says,
_Name, Habit, Parents, Woman, left behind_.
to follow him through the World; not admitted to share his Fate, but to
be scorned and insulted by him. Thus _victoriously_ she stood her Trial.
_Henry_ turns out a great Man; consequently his Wife is greatly admired;
Success crowns all, and both Grandeur and Love join to reward her
supposed heroic Virtue.
But had the Poet thought proper, that _Henry_ should have turned out the
Murderer, the Vagabond, the insolent and ungrateful Scorner of her Love
he represented himself to be; had her Father's Sorrow for her Fate
shortned his miserable Days; had she been abandoned by the Wretch she
had so much Reason to expect the worst of Treatment from, and, between
Rage, Despair, and a thousand conflicting Passions, been led by a
natural Gradation from one Vice to another, till she had been lost in
the most abandoned Profligacy; instead of being proposed for an Example,
her Name would have been only mentioned to deter others from the like
rash Steps. That this was the natural Consequence of her Actions is very
apparent: Nor do I think from her Behaviour, that _Henry_ had the least
Reason to be convinced that she would not leave him for the first Man
who would try to seduce her, provided the Colour of his Complexion
suited her Fancy.
All the Company were very inclineable to yield up _Emma's_ Cause, if
_Henry had_ indeed been a Villain and a Murderer; only great Part of
them were very apt to forget one Circumstance, namely, that it was
impossible for her to know, but that he was the Wretch he represented
himself to be; and Miss _Gibson_ seemed to be much more inclined to
compassionate her, if extreme Misery had been her Fate, than was the
Gentleman who first mentioned her as an Object of Admiration, only
because the Author of the Poem thought fit to reward her. Miss _Gibson_
then addressing herself to _Bellario_, said, 'Sir, you are a Father,--an
indulgent Father,--would you have your Daughter act in such a
Manner?--_Bellario_ honestly owned he would not. 'Why then, Sir,
(replyed she) please to consider a Moment, and you will see the
Injustice of wishing another Man's Daughter should act so.' _Bellario_
ingenuously confessed, that when he read the Poem of _Henry_ and _Emma_,
the Picture of his Mistress, and not that of his Daughter, was before
his Eyes, and he would have his Mistress _of all Mankind love but him
alone_.----'I wonder not at that, Sir, (said Miss _Gibson_) but then
you would not be the Man _Henry_ represented himself to be. Had _Henry_
had any Misfortunes by which his Heart had not been stained.
[B]_Had it pleased Heav'n
To try_ him _with Affliction, had he rain'd_
_All kind of Sores and Shames on_ his _bare Head,
Steep'd_ him _in Poverty to the very Lips,
Given to Captivity_ him _and_ his _utmost Hopes,_
[B] OTHELLO.
no one would more have applauded _Emma's_ Resolution, _of loving of all
Mankind but him alone_, than I should have done: But yet when I see a
Woman seriously endeavour to conquer a Passion for a Man who proves
himself unworthy her Love, it will always be to me a strong Proof of her
steady Constancy to a Man she has Reason to esteem. I would have had
_Emma_ stood _Henry's_ shocking Tryal as _Macduff_ in the Tragedy of
_Macbeth_ does that of _Malcolm_, and when he had proved himself
unworthy her least Affection; I think, in the Words of _Macduff_ she
might have said,
_----Fare thee well,
These Evils thou repeat'st upon thyself,
Have banish'd me from_ JOY.----_Oh! my Breast,
Thy Hope ends here._
On such a Behaviour, I think the Reward she met with should have been
founded, and such I believe would have been the Behaviour of _Clarissa_
in the like Circumstances.
'The Love that is not judicious, must be as uncertain as its capricious
Foundation: But 'tis one of the distinguishing Marks of _Clarissa's_
Character, to watch her own Mind, that Prejudice may not get Possession
of it, nor her Imagination run away with her Judgment. With what a noble
Contempt does she treat the extravagant Offers _Solmes_ makes her, at
the Expence of Justice, and cruelly leaving his Family to starve? But
how very few People, like _Clarissa_, can poise the Scales with an even
Hand, where one Grain of Self is placed in either Scale?'
The Gentleman, who had at first started the Objection to _Clarissa_ of
her being incapable of any strong Affection, now said, 'that he could
not see any Proof of her Impartiality, in that she could view the
Actions of _Solmes_ in the proper Light: He did not know whether she
would have argued in the same manner With regard to _Lovelace_'. Miss
_Gibson_ said, 'Do you speak this, Sir, as a Proof of the Justice of
your first Objection to _Clarissa_, that her Heart was as impenetrable
as Marble; is it reasonable she should be condemned both ways?' The
Gentleman look'd very grave for a Moment, and then said, he was sure she
had no Affections in her, notwithstand what he had now said.
Mr. _Johnson_ on this, told the following Story.
"I remember (said he) I went some time ago with Mr. _Tonson_ to a
celebrated Painter's, to see a Picture he had drawn of a Gentleman we
were both intimately acquainted with; the Resemblance was very strong;
we were much pleased with the Picture, even to the very Drapery; the
Coat was a fine Crimson Cloth, but Mr. _Tonson_, at first View, took it
for Velvet; he was soon convinced of his Mistake, but yet could never
since mention the Picture, without talking of the Velvet Coat; and when
I have bid him remember it was Cloth, he has always acknowledged it, and
said, it's very true Sir; And yet such a strong Impression had his first
Idea of it made in his Mind, that in two Minutes he could talk again of
the Velvet Coat, with as much Ease as if he had been perfectly ignorant
of his Mistake."
A strong Objection was raised to Mr. _Lovelace's_ being so long without
any Attempt on the Lady's Honour, when she was under the same Roof with
him, and so much in his Power. Mr. _Johnson_ said he thought Mr.
_Belford_ had given a good Reason for this Delay in a Letter to
_Lovelace_, where he says,
_Thou too a Man born for Intrigue, full of Invention, intrepid,
remorseless, able patiently to watch for the Opportunity, not
flurried, as most Men, by Gusts of violent Passion, which often nip
a Project in the Bud, and make the Snail, which was just putting
out its Horns to meet the Inviter, withdraw into its Shell._
So that it seems to be a Maxim, amongst _Lovelace_ and his Club of
Rakes, not to destroy their own Schemes by a too precipitate Pursuit;
and _Lovelace_ gives yet a stronger Reason for it in the following
Words.
_O Virtue, Virtue_, says he, _what is there in thee, that can thus
affect the Heart of such a Man as me against my Will!--Whence these
involuntary Tremors, and fear of giving mortal Offence! What art
thou that, acting in the Breast of a feeble Woman, canst strike so
much awe into a Spirit so intrepid which never before, no, not in
my first Attempt, young as I then was, and frighted at my own
Boldness (till I found myself_ forgiven,) _had such an Effect on
me._
But Quotations from _Lovelace's_ Words to this Purpose, and that he was
resolved to be slow in order to be sure, would be endless.
This, I think, was the last Objection raised; only _Bellario_ said, that
the Report that the Catastrophy was to be unhappy had made a deep
Impression on him; for that he could not avoid thinking that, if it was
true, it must be a great Error, and destroy all the Pleasure a
good-natur'd Reader might already have received: However, he said, he
would keep his Word in not absolutely giving his Judgment till he saw
the Conclusion.
And thus ended the second Scene of Criticism on _Clarissa_; only, as we
went down Stairs, a Lady, who had not spoke one Word the whole Evening,
mutter'd out a strong Dislike, that the agreeable Mr. _Lovelace_ should
not become a Husband.
And now, in the Month of _December_, appears the long expected, much
wished for Conclusion of _Clarissa's_ Story.
The Company we have already mentioned being again assembled, the Lady
who had before grieved that the agreeable Mr. _Lovelace_ should not
become a Husband, now lamented that Miss _Howe_ should be married to so
insipid a Man (that was the Epithet she chose for him) as Mr. _Hickman_.
This passed some little time without any Answer. Miss _Gibson_ was
silent; and I saw by her Looks that she thought there was some Weight in
her Objection. At last an old Lady, who had three Daughters marriagable,
said, she wondered to hear Mr. _Hickman_ called insipid; for she thought
there could be no Reason for giving him that Appellation, unless young
Women would confess what she should be very sorry to hear them confess,
namely, that, in their Opinion, Sobriety intitles a Man to the Character
of Insipidity. Pray remember, continued the Lady, that there is no
Ridicule cast upon Mr. _Hickman_ throughout the whole Story, but by
_Lovelace_ and Miss _Howe_. The former lov'd Ridicule so well, that he
could make Objects of it, by the Help of his gay Imagination, even where
he found none: Besides, he hated any Man should have a fine Woman but
himself; for, in his Opinion, he alone deserved them. And I think Miss
_Howe_ is very censurable for the Liberties she takes with a worthy Man,
whom also it is plain she intends to make her Husband.
Miss _Gibson_ agreed in censuring Miss _Howe_ for the Liberties she
takes with him; but at the same time said, she thought even his bearing
that Usage did lower his Character. Now you see, replied the Lady, how
you are taken in; that you can condemn Miss _Howe_ for her Contempt of
Mr. _Hickman_, and yet at the same time let the lively Strokes that fall
from her Pen have their full force against the abused worthy Man. Yet
Miss _Howe_ herself owns, as early as the second Volume, that Mr.
_Hickman_ is humane, benevolent, generous,--No Fox-hunter--No
Gamester--That he is sober, modest, and virtuous; and has Qualities that
Mothers would be fond of in a Husband for their Daughters; and for
which, perhaps, their Daughters would be the happier, could they judge
as well for themselves as Experience may teach them to judge for their
future Daughters. In other Places he is represented as charitable,
considerate to Inferiors, so obliging and respectful to his
Mother-in-law, that she leaves him at her Death, in Acknowledgment of
it, all that was in her Power: And Miss _Howe_ owns he never disobliged
her by Word or Look. What then is the Objection to Mr. _Hickman_? Why
truly, he has not _Lovelace's_ fine Person!--_Lovelace's_ fine
Address!--_Lovelace's_ impetuous Spirit; and yet he has shewn even
_Lovelace_, that he wants not Courage. He is plain in his Dress!--His
Gait shews him not to be so debonnaire in dancing a Minuit as
_Lovelace_.--But, indeed, I am afraid whoever prefers a _Lovelace_ to a
_Hickman_, will wish all her life-time she could have sooner found out,
that tho' _Lovelace_ was the best Partner at a Ball; yet, when a
Companion for Life was to be chose, that Mr. _Hickman's_ Goodness of
Heart rendered him in all respects more essential to Happiness; much
more eligible than all the gay, fluttering, and parading Spirit of a
_Lovelace_ could possibly have done. And your Favourite _Clarissa_, Miss
_Gibson_, says in a Letter to Miss _Howe_; 'Will you never, my Dear,
give the Weight which you, and all our Sex ought to give to the
Qualities of Sobriety and Regularity of Life and Manners in that
Sex?--Must bold Creatures and forward Spirits for ever, and by the
wisest and best of us, as well as by the indiscretest, be the most
kindly used?--be best thought of'?
Again, in her posthumous Letter--'Your Choice is fallen upon a sincere,
an honest, a virtuous, and what is more than all, a _pious Man_.--A Man
who altho' he admires your Person, is still more in love with the Graces
of your Mind; and as those Graces are improvable with every added Year
of Life, which will impair the transitory ones of Person, what a firm
Basis has Mr. _Hickman_ chosen to build his Love upon.'
The same Man cannot be every thing: A _Hickman_ in Heart, to a
_Lovelace_ in Vivacity and Address, perhaps, is almost impossible to be
met with; Time, Opportunities, and Inclinations are wanting.
Nay, Madam, says Miss _Gibson_, I do not dispute Mr. _Hickman's_ being
preferable for a Husband to Mr. _Lovelace_; the Heart is certainly the
first thing to be considered in a Man to whose Government a Woman
resigns herself; but I should not chuse either _Lovelace_ or _Hickman_.
I must confess I should desire Humour and Spirit in a Man. A married
Life, tho' it cannot be said to be miserable with an honest Husband; yet
it must be very dull, when a Man has not the Power of diversifying his
Ideas enough to display trifling Incidents in various Lights; and 'tis
impossible where this is wanting, but that a Man and his Wife must often
depend on other Company to keep them from sinking into Insipidity. And
for my part, I cannot paint to myself any thing more disagreeable, than
to sit with a Husband and wish some-body would come in and relieve us
from one another's Dulness. Trifles, Madam, become strong Entertainments
to sprightly Minds!--
Ah! Miss _Gibson_, replied the Lady, in every Word you speak, you prove
how necessary the Author's Moral is to be strongly inculcated; when even
_your_ serious and thoughtful Turn of Mind will not suffer you to see
through the Glare of what you call Humour and Spirit with that Clearness
which would enable you to distinguish how very seldom that Humour and
Spirit is bestowed on a Wife. Mr. _Hickman's_ whole Mind being at Home,
would enliven him into a chearful Companion with his Wife; whilst a
_Lovelace's_ Mind, engaged on foreign Objects, would often make him fall
into Peevishness and Ill-humour, instead of this so much dreaded
_Insipidity_.
Indeed, Madam, said Miss _Gibson_, I don't plead for Mr. _Lovelace_; for
I detest him of all the Men I ever read of.
That is true, replied the Lady; but that is because you have _read_ of
him, and know the Villanies he was capable of. But yet, I think, you
have plainly proved, if a _Lovelace_ and a _Hickman_ contended for your
Favour, which would have the best Chance of succeeding.
Miss _Gibson_ blushed, and was silent; when a sprightly Girl, of about
Sixteen, said, She loved Mr. _Hickman_ very much; he was a good, and a
gentle-hearted Man--But indeed she should not like him for her Husband.
The Gentlemen, during this Debate, had all sat silent; but they often
smiled to see how few Advocates Mr. _Hickman_ was likely to have amongst
the Ladies.
At last _Bellario_ said, If I had not thought so before, I should now be
convinced by this Conversation, how judicious the Author of _Clarissa_
was in setting forth so very strongly as he does, the Necessity of
Sobriety and Goodness in a Husband, in order to render a married State
happy. For you have shown clearly, Ladies, how difficult it is for a Man
to be esteemed by you who has those Qualities, since I can see no one
Objection to Mr. _Hickman_, but that he has not that Gaiety of
Disposition which from a vast Flow of animal Spirits, without Restraint
or Curb from either Principles of Religion or Good-nature, shines forth
in _Lovelace's_ wild Fancies. And this Man you find such a Reluctance to
speak well of; tho' a reforming _Belford_ esteems; Colonel _Morden_
highly values him; and says, he is respected by all the World!--And a
_Clarissa_ for ever acknowledges his Merit.--And, in one of the last
Actions of her Life, praises him as he deserves to be praised. And
earnestly recommends it to her best and dear Friend, to give both her
Hand and Heart to so worthy a Man. The steady Principles of Mr.
_Hickman_ was a firm Basis to depend on, for Protection and good Usage.
Miss _Gibson_ was so much pleased with seeing _Bellario_ enter so
heartily into the Design of the Author of _Clarissa_, that she dropp'd
the Argument, (tho' she did not seem quite convinc'd that Mr. _Hickman_
could be an agreeable Husband) and with some Earnestness desired
_Bellario_ to tell her, whether he was not now convinced that _Clarissa_
was capable of the strongest Affection, could she but have found the
least Foundation to have built that Affection on: Yes, replied
_Bellario_, I am convinced of it, and am surprised that I did not before
see how much _Lovelace's_ base unmanly Behaviour justifies her in this
Point; he himself, indeed, in the Letter he writes _Belford_ after he
left _England_, lays the whole Scene before us; to his own Condemnation,
and _Clarissa's_ eternal Honour: He owns her meek and gentle Spirit;
confesses he repeatedly, from the first, poured cold Water on her rising
Flame, by meanly and ingratefully turning upon her the Injunctions
which Virgin Delicacy, and filial Duty induced her to lay him under
before he got her into his Power; he quotes her own Words: _That she
could not be guilty of Affectation or Tyranny to the Man she intended to
marry_; that from the Time he had got her from her Father's House, _he
had a plain Path before him_; that _he had held her Soul in suspense an
Hundred times_; that _she would have had no Reserves, had he not given
her Cause of Doubt_; that she owned to _Belford_, that _once she could
have loved him; and could she have made him Good would have made him
Happy_.
To this Letter, continued _Bellario_, and numerous other Places in the
Book, would I refer all those, if any such there are, who yet doubt her
being capable of Love. Surely we may fairly conclude with _Lovelace_,
that well might she, who had been used to be courted and admired by
every desiring Eye, and worshipped by every respectful Heart--Well might
such a Woman be allowed to draw back, when she found herself kept in
suspence, as to the great Question of all, by a designing and intriguing
Spirit, pretending Awe and Distance, as Reasons for reining in a
Fervour, which, if real, cannot be reined in.
_Clarissa_ seems indeed, as Colonel _Morden_ says, (added the
now-admiring _Bellario_) to have been, as much as Mortal could be, LOVE
ITSELF.
Miss _Gibson_ was highly delighted with what _Bellario_ said, and added
to it, That she thought _Clarissa's_ frankness of Heart was very
apparent, from the manner in which she had treated those Gentlemen her
Heart had obliged her to refuse, and from the generous Advice she in so
many Places gives Miss _Howe_, in relation to her Treatment of Mr.
_Hickman_: And pray, Sir, continued Miss _Gibson_, pardon my asking you
one Question more, namely; whether you are not now satisfied with the
Conduct of the Author in the Management of his whole Story?