Produced by Julie C. Sparks
CLARISSA HARLOWE
or the
HISTORY OF A YOUNG LADY
By Samuel Richardson
Nine Volumes
Volume III.
LETTERS OF VOLUME III
LETTER I. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--Is astonished, confounded, aghast.Repeats her advice to marry Lovelace.
LETTER II. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--Gives a particular account of hermeeting Lovelace; of her vehement contention with him; and, at last,of her being terrified out of her predetermined resolution, and trickedaway. Her grief and compunction of heart upon it. Lays all to the faultof corresponding with him at first against paternal prohibition. Isincensed against him for his artful dealings with her, and for hisselfish love.
LETTER III. Mr. Lovelace to Joseph Leman.--A letter which lays open thewhole of his contrivance to get off Clarissa.
LETTER IV. Joseph Leman. In answer.
LETTER V. Lovelace to Belford.--In ecstasy on the success of hiscontrivances. Well as he loves Clarissa, he would show her no mercy, ifhe thought she preferred any man living to him. Will religiously observethe INJUNCTIONS she laid upon him previous to their meeting.
LETTER VI. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--A recriminating conversation betweenher and Lovelace. He reminds her of her injunctions; and, instead ofbeseeching her to dispense with them, promises a sacred regard to them.It is not, therefore, in her power, she tells Miss Howe, to take heradvice as to speedy marriage. [A note on the place, justifying herconduct.] Is attended by Mrs. Greme, Lord M.'s housekeeper at The Lawn,who waits on her to her sister Sorlings, with whom she consents tolodge. His looks offend her. Has written to her sister for her clothes.
LETTER VII. Lovelace to Belford.--Gives briefly the particulars ofhis success. Describes her person and dress on her first meeting him.Extravagant exultation. Makes Belford question him on the honour of hisdesigns by her: and answers doubtfully.
LETTER VIII. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--Her sentiments on her narrative.Her mother, at the instigation of Antony Harlowe, forbids theircorrespondence. Mr. Hickman's zeal to serve them in it. What her familynow pretend, if she had not left them. How they took her supposedprojected flight. Offers her money and clothes. Would have her seem toplace some little confidence in Lovelace. Her brother and sister willnot permit her father and uncles to cool.
LETTER IX. X. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--Advises her to obey her mother, whoprohibits their correspondence. Declines to accept her offers of money:and why. Mr. Lovelace not a polite man. She will be as ready to place aconfidence in him, as he will be to deserve it. Yet tricked away by himas she was, cannot immediately treat him with great complaisance. Blamesher for her liveliness to her mother. Encloses the copy of her letter toher sister.
LETTER XI. Lovelace to Belford.--Prides himself in his arts in theconversations between them. Is alarmed at the superiority of hertalents. Considers opposition and resistance as a challenge to do hisworst. His artful proceedings with Joseph Leman.
LETTER XII. From the same.--Men need only be known to be rakes, he says,to recommend themselves to the favour of the sex. Wishes Miss Howe werenot so well acquainted with Clarissa: and why.
LETTER XIII. From the same.--Intends to set old Antony at Mrs. Howe, toprevent the correspondence between the two young ladies. Girl, not gold,his predominant passion. Rallies Belford on his person and appearance.Takes humourous notice of the two daughters of the widow Sorlings.
LETTER XIV. From the same.--Farther triumphs over the Harlowes.Similitude of the spider and fly. Is for having separate churches aswell as separate boarding-schools for the sexes. The women ought to lovehim, he says: and why. Prides himself that they do.
LETTER XV. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--Particulars of an angry conferencewith Lovelace. Seeing her sincerely displeased, he begs the ceremony mayimmediately pass. He construes her bashful silence into anger, and vowsa sacred regard to her injunctions.
LETTER XVI. XVII. XVIII. Lovelace to Belford.--The pleasure of adifficult chace. Triumphs in the distress and perplexity he gave her byhis artful and parading offer of marriage. His reasons for and againstdoing her justice. Resolves to try her to the utmost. The honour of thewhole sex concerned in the issue of her trial. Matrimony, he sees, is inhis power, now she is.
LETTER XIX. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--Will not obey her mother in herprohibition of their correspondence: and why. Is charmed with herspirit.
LETTER XX. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--Knows not what she can do withLovelace. He may thank himself for the trouble he has had on heraccount. Did she ever, she asks, make him any promises? Did she everreceive him as a lover?
LETTER XXI. XXII. From the same.--She calls upon Lovelace to give her afaithful account of the noise and voices she heard at the garden-door,which frightened her away with him. His confession, and daring hints inrelation to Solmes, and her brother, and Betty Barnes. She is terrified.
LETTER XXIII. Lovelace to Belford.--Rejoices in the stupidity of theHarlowes. Exults in his capacity for mischief. The condescensionsto which he intends to bring the lady. Libertine observations to thedisadvantage of women; which may serve as cautions to the sex.
LETTER XXIV. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--A conversation with Mr. Lovelacewholly agreeable. His promises of reformation. She remembers, to hisadvantage, his generosity to his Rosebud and his tenants. Writes to heraunt Hervey.
LETTER XXV. XXVI. Lovelace to Belford.--His acknowledged vanity.Accounts for his plausible behaviour, and specious promises andproposals. Apprehensive of the correspondence between Miss Howe andClarissa. Loves to plague him with out-of-the-way words and phrases.
LETTER XXVII. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--How to judge of Lovelace'ssuspicious proposals and promises. Hickman devoted to their service. Yetshe treats him with ridicule.
LETTER XXVIII. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--Lovelace complains, she hears, toMrs. Greme, of her adhering to her injunctions. What means he by it, sheasks, yet forego such opportunities as he had? She is punished for hervanity in hoping to be an example. Blames Miss Howe for her behaviour toHickman.
LETTER XXIX. From the same.--Warm dialogues with Lovelace. She isdispleased with him for his affectedly-bashful hints of matrimony.Mutual recriminations. He looks upon her as his, she says, by a strangesort of obligation, for having run away with her against her will. Yetbut touches on the edges of matrimony neither. She is sick of herself.
LETTER XXX. From the same.--Mr. Lovelace a perfect Proteus. He nowapplauds her for that treatment of him which before he had resented; andcommunicates to her two letters, one from Lady Betty Lawrance, the otherfrom Miss Montague. She wonders he did not produce those letters before,as he must know they would be highly acceptable to her.
LETTER XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII. XXXIV. From the same.--The contents of theletters from Lady Betty and Miss Montague put Clarissa in good humourwith Mr. Lovelace. He hints at marriage; but pretends to be afraid ofpursuing the hint. She is earnest with him to leave her: and why.He applauds her reasonings. Her serious questions, and his ludicrousanswer.--He makes different proposals.--He offers to bring Mrs. Nortonto her. She is ready to blame herself for her doubts of him: butgives reasons for her caution.--He writes by her consent to his friendDoleman, to procure lodgings for her in town.
LETTER XXXV. Lovelace to Belford.--Glories in his contrivances. Givesan advantageous description of Clarissa's behaviour. Exults on hermentioning London. None but impudent girls, he says, should run awaywith a man. His farther views, plots, and designs.
LETTER XXXVI. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--Humourously touches on herreproofs in relation to Hickman. Observations on s
mooth love. LordM.'s family greatly admire her. Approves of her spirited treatment ofLovelace, and of her going to London. Hints at the narrowness of her ownmother. Advises her to keep fair with Lovelace.
LETTER XXXVII. XXXVIII. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--Wonders not that herbrother has weight to make her father irreconcilable.--Copy of Mr.Doleman's answer about London lodgings. Her caution in her choice ofthem. Lovelace has given her five guineas for Hannah. Other instances ofhis considerateness. Not displeased with her present prospects.
LETTER XXXIX. Lovelace to Belford.--Explains what is meant by Doleman'sanswer about the lodgings. Makes Belford object to his scheme, thathe may answer the objections. Exults. Swells. Despises every body.Importance of the minutiae. More of his arts, views, and contrivances.
LETTER XL. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--Acquaints her with a scheme formedby her brother and captain Singleton, to carry her off. Hickman's silentcharities. She despises all his sex, as well as him. Ill terms on whichher own father and mother lived. Extols Clarissa for her domestic goodqualities. Particulars of a great contest with her mother, on theircorrespondence. Has been slapt by her. Observations on managing wives.
LETTER XLI. XLII. XLIII. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--A strong remonstranceon her behaviour to her mother; in which she lays down the duty ofchildren. Accuses her of want of generosity to Hickman. Farther excusesherself on declining to accept of her money offers. Proposes a conditionon which Mrs. Howe may see all they write.
LETTER XLIV. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--Her mother rejects the proposedcondition. Miss Howe takes thankfully her reprehensions: but willcontinue the correspondence. Some excuses for herself. Humourous storyof game-chickens.
LETTER XLV. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--Lovelace communicates her brother'sand Singleton's project; but treats it with seeming contempt. She askshis advice what to do upon it. This brings on an offer of marriage fromhim. How it went off.
LETTER XLVI. Lovelace to Belford.--He confesses his artful intentions inthe offer of marriage: yet had like, he says, to have been caught in hisown snares.
LETTER XLVII. Joseph Leman to Mr. Lovelace.--With intelligence of adesign formed against him by the Harlowes. Joseph's vile hypocrisy andselfishness.
LETTER XLVIII. Lovelace. In answer.--Story of Miss Betterton. Boast ofhis treatment of his mistresses. The artful use he makes of Joseph'sintelligence.
LETTER XLIX. Clarissa to her aunt Hervey.--Complains of her silence.Hints at her not having designed to go away with Lovelace. She will openher whole heart to her, if she encourage her to do so, by the hopes of areconciliation.
LETTER L. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--Observations on Lovelace's meanness,pride, and revenge. Politeness not to be expected from him. She ravesat him for the artful manner in which he urges Clarissa to marry him.Advises her how to act in her present situation.
LETTER LI. Belford to Lovelace.--Becomes a warm advocate for the lady.Gives many instructive reasons to enforce his arguments in her favour.
LETTER LII. Mrs. Hervey to Clarissa.--A severe and cruel letter inanswer to her's, Letter XLIX. It was not designed, she says, absolutelyto force her to marry to her dislike.
LETTER LIII. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--Her deep regret on thisintelligence, for having met Lovelace. The finer sensibilities makenot happy. Her fate too visibly in her power. He is unpolite, cruel,insolent, unwise, a trifler in his own happiness. Her reasons why sheless likes him than ever. Her soul his soul's superior. Her fortitude.Her prayer.
LETTER LIV. LV. From the same.--Now indeed is her heart broken, shesays. A solemn curse laid upon her by her father. Her sister's barbarousletters on the occasion.
LETTER LVI. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--A letter full of generousconsolation and advice. Her friendly vow. Sends her fifty guineas in theleaves of a Norris's miscellanies.
LETTER LVII. Clarissa to Miss Howe.--A faithful friend the medicine oflife. She is just setting out for London. Lovelace has offered marriageto her in so unreserved a manner, that she wishes she had never writtenwith diffidence of him. Is sorry it was not in her power to comply withhis earnest solicitations. Returns her Norris: and why.
LETTER LVIII. LIX. Miss Howe to Clarissa.--Sorry she has returnedher Norris. Wishes she had accepted of Lovelace's unreserved offer ofmarriage. Believes herself to have a sneaking kindness for Hickman: andwhy. She blames Mrs. Harlowe: and why.
In answer to Letter VIII. Clarissa states the difference in thecharacters of Mr. Lovelace and Mr. Hickman; and tells her, that hermotives for suspending marriage were not merely ceremonious ones.Regrets Mrs. Howe's forbidding the correspondence between them. Herdutiful apology for her own mother. Lesson to children.
LETTER LX. Lovelace to Belford.--Thinks he shall be inevitably manacledat last. The lady's extreme illness. Her filial piety gives her dreadfulfaith in a father's curses. She lets not Miss Howe know how very ill shewas. His vows of marriage bring her back to life. Absolutely in earnestin those vows. [The only time he was so.] He can now talk of love andmarriage without check. Descants upon Belford's letter, No. LI.
LETTER LXI. From the same.--Is setting out for London. A struggle withhis heart. Owns it to be a villain of a heart. A fit of strong, buttransitory remorse. If he do marry, he doubts he shall have a vapourishwife. Thinks it would be better for both not to marry. His libertinereasons. Lessons to the sex.
LETTER LXII. From the same.--They arrive at Mrs. Sinclair's. SallyMartin and Polly Horton set upon him. He wavers in his good purposes.Dorcas Wykes proposed, and reluctantly accepted for a servant, tillHannah can come. Dorcas's character. He has two great points to carry.What they are.
THE HISTORY OF CLARISSA HARLOWE