tend for this entire forgiveness still think it their duty to give teftimony against their injurers, and to deliver them up to the cognifance of law. I am perfuaded, therefore, that this precept is wrong interpreted. When the injurer expreffes forrow or contrition, no mortal would be more ready to forgive than I; and, if thofe who had injured me were' fallen into misfortune and mifery, I hope I fhould have no hesitation in endeavouring to relieve them; but to allow an arrogant woman to infult and tread upon me, as if I were a worm, without using the privilege which even worms use, is a degree of patience and long fuffering which I cannot attain.

Befides, though it is written that we ought to forgive our own enemies, yet it is no where written that we are bound to forgive the enemies of our friends.-No, my deareft lady Diana, I have endeavoured to imitate you in many things, particularly in that attachment to your friends, which remains unfhaken, not only by their errors, but (and

this is ftill more rare) even by their misfortunes, it never will be in my power, from the heart, to forgive those who calumniate, and show an inclination to injure, the perfons I love and reverence.

The conftruction which, you fay, may be put on coquetry, never occurred to me before. Acquitting me entirely of it, in that sense of the word, you ftill accufe me of having deceived lord Deanport, by listening to his addreffes with an air of greater fatisfaction than I had done before ;-but

get that I told you, in my last, my

you for

dear lady

Diana, that, after he expreffed a defire to serve Mrs. Denham's family, I really felt more good-will to the man; and, though I ftill continued to put a juft value on the filly things he whispered in my ear, yet they did not create the fame difguft as formerly :-fo that very little deceit can be laid to my charge on that account. And as for the attentions I fhowed him, immediately after lady Deanport and the Moyftons had behaved

with fuch rudenefs to me, if you had been prefent to see how much my complaifance difconcerted her ladyfhip, teazed the aunt and niece, and fet the whole three a fidgetting, I am convinced you would have been very much entertained; and, I cannot help being still of opinion, that the entertainment was a very

innocent one.

any

As for the effect which harmless gaiety of mine may have on him, or on any prefumptuous fool or libertine whatever, I do not think myself at all anfwerable for it. Your ladyship, however, may be in the right in fuppofing that the small alteration in my conduct produced the audacity of his; and that idea will, you may be affured, keep me on my guard, to prevent his having any opportunity of renewing it in future.

Whether the change in lady Deanport's behaviour is a complete proof of her having no difpleasure at her fon's attentions to me, as your ladyfhip fuppofes, is what I cannot determine; nor can I comprehend from what

motive she acts:-but of this I am certain, that I wish to have no further intercourse of any kind with him, and as little as poffible with her ladyship.

Having now faid every thing I wished, on certain expreffions in your letter, which, I own, hurt me a little, I fhall go to bed and dream of my meeting with William, instead of dreaming of those fame expreffions, as I certainly should have done, had I not told you all that was on my heart.

Farewell! my dearest lady Diana. Continue to love your own

HORATIA CLIFFORD.

LETTER LXXVIII.

JAMES GRINDILL, Efq. to the COUNTESS of DEANPORT.

MY DEAR COUNTESS,

-fhire, South Wales.

I DID not imagine that the devil himself could have contrived any thing more vexatious to me than that which was the fubject of my last letter.

I now find that I have under-rated the devil's talents :-he has improved on his last by a new invention to torment me; and he inftigates the very person, from whom I expected relief in the midst of my fufferings, to point it against me with the most infernal energy.

I have just received a letter from lord Deanport, full of reproaches. He accuses me of exciting your ladyship to teaze him to form connections which he loaths, and to prejudice him against persons he loves. He advises me to take no farther concern in his affairs, but