Love and Friendship, and Other Early Works, Jane Austen [bts books to read txt] 📗

of Buckingham. On his Majesty’s death

he was succeeded by his son Charles.

 

CHARLES the 1st

 

This amiable Monarch seems born to have suffered misfortunes

equal to those of his lovely Grandmother; misfortunes which he

could not deserve since he was her descendant. Never certainly

were there before so many detestable Characters at one time in

England as in this Period of its History; never were amiable men

so scarce. The number of them throughout the whole Kingdom

amounting only to FIVE, besides the inhabitants of Oxford who

were always loyal to their King and faithful to his interests.

The names of this noble five who never forgot the duty of the

subject, or swerved from their attachment to his Majesty, were as

follows—The King himself, ever stedfast in his own support

—Archbishop Laud, Earl of Strafford, Viscount Faulkland and Duke

of Ormond, who were scarcely less strenuous or zealous in the

cause. While the VILLIANS of the time would make too long a list

to be written or read; I shall therefore content myself with

mentioning the leaders of the Gang. Cromwell, Fairfax, Hampden,

and Pym may be considered as the original Causers of all the

disturbances, Distresses, and Civil Wars in which England for

many years was embroiled. In this reign as well as in that of

Elizabeth, I am obliged in spite of my attachment to the Scotch,

to consider them as equally guilty with the generality of the

English, since they dared to think differently from their

Sovereign, to forget the Adoration which as STUARTS it was their

Duty to pay them, to rebel against, dethrone and imprison the

unfortunate Mary; to oppose, to deceive, and to sell the no less

unfortunate Charles. The Events of this Monarch’s reign are too

numerous for my pen, and indeed the recital of any Events (except

what I make myself) is uninteresting to me; my principal reason

for undertaking the History of England being to Prove the

innocence of the Queen of Scotland, which I flatter myself with

having effectually done, and to abuse Elizabeth, tho’ I am rather

fearful of having fallen short in the latter part of my scheme.

—As therefore it is not my intention to give any particular

account of the distresses into which this King was involved

through the misconduct and Cruelty of his Parliament, I shall

satisfy myself with vindicating him from the Reproach of

Arbitrary and tyrannical Government with which he has often been

charged. This, I feel, is not difficult to be done, for with one

argument I am certain of satisfying every sensible and well

disposed person whose opinions have been properly guided by a

good Education—and this Argument is that he was a STUART.

 

Finis

Saturday Nov: 26th 1791.

*

A COLLECTION OF LETTERS

To Miss COOPER

COUSIN

Conscious of the Charming Character which in every Country, and

every Clime in Christendom is Cried, Concerning you, with Caution

and Care I Commend to your Charitable Criticism this Clever

Collection of Curious Comments, which have been Carefully Culled,

Collected and Classed by your Comical Cousin

 

The Author.

*

A COLLECTION OF LETTERS

LETTER the FIRST

From a MOTHER to her FREIND.

 

My Children begin now to claim all my attention in different

Manner from that in which they have been used to receive it, as

they are now arrived at that age when it is necessary for them in

some measure to become conversant with the World, My Augusta is

17 and her sister scarcely a twelvemonth younger. I flatter

myself that their education has been such as will not disgrace

their appearance in the World, and that THEY will not disgrace

their Education I have every reason to beleive. Indeed they are

sweet Girls—. Sensible yet unaffected—Accomplished yet Easy—.

Lively yet Gentle—. As their progress in every thing they have

learnt has been always the same, I am willing to forget the

difference of age, and to introduce them together into Public.

This very Evening is fixed on as their first ENTREE into Life, as

we are to drink tea with Mrs Cope and her Daughter. I am glad

that we are to meet no one, for my Girls sake, as it would be

awkward for them to enter too wide a Circle on the very first

day. But we shall proceed by degrees.—Tomorrow Mr Stanly’s

family will drink tea with us, and perhaps the Miss Phillips’s

will meet them. On Tuesday we shall pay Morning Visits—On

Wednesday we are to dine at Westbrook. On Thursday we have

Company at home. On Friday we are to be at a Private Concert at

Sir John Wynna’s—and on Saturday we expect Miss Dawson to call

in the Morning—which will complete my Daughters Introduction

into Life. How they will bear so much dissipation I cannot

imagine; of their spirits I have no fear, I only dread their

health.

 

This mighty affair is now happily over, and my Girls are OUT. As

the moment approached for our departure, you can have no idea how

the sweet Creatures trembled with fear and expectation. Before

the Carriage drove to the door, I called them into my dressing-room, and as soon as they were seated thus addressed them. “My

dear Girls the moment is now arrived when I am to reap the

rewards of all my Anxieties and Labours towards you during your

Education. You are this Evening to enter a World in which you

will meet with many wonderfull Things; Yet let me warn you

against suffering yourselves to be meanly swayed by the Follies

and Vices of others, for beleive me my beloved Children that if

you do—I shall be very sorry for it.” They both assured me

that they would ever remember my advice with Gratitude, and

follow it with attention; That they were prepared to find a World

full of things to amaze and to shock them: but that they trusted

their behaviour would never give me reason to repent the Watchful

Care with which I had presided over their infancy and formed

their Minds—” “With such expectations and such intentions

(cried I) I can have nothing to fear from you—and can chearfully

conduct you to Mrs Cope’s without a fear of your being seduced by

her Example, or contaminated by her Follies. Come, then my

Children (added I) the Carriage is driving to the door, and I

will not a moment delay the happiness you are so impatient to

enjoy.” When we arrived at Warleigh, poor Augusta could scarcely

breathe, while Margaret was all Life and Rapture. “The long-expected Moment is now arrived (said she) and we shall soon be in

the World.”—In a few Moments we were in Mrs Cope’s parlour,

where with her daughter she sate ready to receive us. I observed

with delight the impression my Children made on them—. They

were indeed two sweet, elegant-looking Girls, and tho’ somewhat

abashed from the peculiarity of their situation, yet there was an

ease in their Manners and address which could not fail of

pleasing—. Imagine my dear Madam how delighted I must have been

in beholding as I did, how attentively they observed every object

they saw, how disgusted with some Things, how enchanted with

others, how astonished at all! On the whole however they

returned in raptures with the World, its Inhabitants, and

Manners.

Yrs Ever—A. F.

 

LETTER the SECOND

From a YOUNG LADY crossed in Love to her freind

 

Why should this last disappointment hang so heavily on my

spirits? Why should I feel it more, why should it wound me

deeper than those I have experienced before? Can it be that I

have a greater affection for Willoughby than I had for his

amiable predecessors? Or is it that our feelings become more

acute from being often wounded? I must suppose my dear Belle

that this is the Case, since I am not conscious of being more

sincerely attached to Willoughby than I was to Neville, Fitzowen,

or either of the Crawfords, for all of whom I once felt the most

lasting affection that ever warmed a Woman’s heart. Tell me then

dear Belle why I still sigh when I think of the faithless Edward,

or why I weep when I behold his Bride, for too surely this is the

case—. My Freinds are all alarmed for me; They fear my

declining health; they lament my want of spirits; they dread the

effects of both. In hopes of releiving my melancholy, by

directing my thoughts to other objects, they have invited several

of their freinds to spend the Christmas with us. Lady Bridget

Darkwood and her sister-in-law, Miss Jane are expected on Friday;

and Colonel Seaton’s family will be with us next week. This is

all most kindly meant by my Uncle and Cousins; but what can the

presence of a dozen indefferent people do to me, but weary and

distress me—. I will not finish my Letter till some of our

Visitors are arrived.

 

Friday Evening

Lady Bridget came this morning, and with her, her sweet sister

Miss Jane—. Although I have been acquainted with this charming

Woman above fifteen Years, yet I never before observed how lovely

she is. She is now about 35, and in spite of sickness, sorrow

and Time is more blooming than I ever saw a Girl of 17. I was

delighted with her, the moment she entered the house, and she

appeared equally pleased with me, attaching herself to me during

the remainder of the day. There is something so sweet, so mild in

her Countenance, that she seems more than Mortal. Her

Conversation is as bewitching as her appearance; I could not help

telling her how much she engaged my admiration—. “Oh! Miss

Jane (said I)—and stopped from an inability at the moment of

expressing myself as I could wish— Oh! Miss Jane—(I repeated)

—I could not think of words to suit my feelings— She seemed

waiting for my speech—. I was confused— distressed—my

thoughts were bewildered—and I could only add—“How do you do?”

She saw and felt for my Embarrassment and with admirable presence

of mind releived me from it by saying—“My dear Sophia be not

uneasy at having exposed yourself—I will turn the Conversation

without appearing to notice it. “Oh! how I loved her for her

kindness!” Do you ride as much as you used to do?” said she—.

“I am advised to ride by my Physician. We have delightful Rides

round us, I have a Charming horse, am uncommonly fond of the

Amusement, replied I quite recovered from my Confusion, and in

short I ride a great deal.” “You are in the right my Love,” said

she. Then repeating the following line which was an extempore

and equally adapted to recommend both Riding and Candour—

 

“Ride where you may, Be Candid where you can,” she added,” I rode

once, but it is many years ago—She spoke this in so low and

tremulous a Voice, that I was silent—. Struck with her Manner of

speaking I could make no reply. “I have not ridden, continued she

fixing her Eyes on my face, since I was married.” I was never so

surprised—“Married, Ma’am!” I repeated. “You may well wear that

look of astonishment, said she, since what I have said must

appear improbable to you—Yet nothing is more true than that I

once was married.”

 

“Then why are you called Miss Jane?”

 

“I married, my Sophia without the consent or knowledge of my

father the late Admiral Annesley. It was therefore necessary to

keep the secret from him and from every one, till some fortunate

opportunity might offer of revealing it—. Such an opportunity

alas! was but too soon given in the death of my dear Capt.

Dashwood—Pardon these tears, continued Miss Jane wiping her

Eyes, I owe them to my Husband’s memory. He fell my Sophia,

while fighting for his Country