The History of Emily Montague
We stood waiting with all the eagerness of expectation; the tidecame rushing with an amazing impetuosity; the bridge seemed to shake,yet resisted the force of the waters; the tide recoiled, it made apause, it stood still, it returned with redoubled fury, the immensemass of ice gave way.
A vast plain appeared in motion; it advanced with solemn andmajestic pace: the points of land on the banks of the river for a fewmoments stopped its progress; but the immense weight of so prodigious abody, carried along by a rapid current, bore down all opposition with aforce irresistible.
There is no describing how beautiful the opening river appears,every moment gaining on the sight, till, in a time less than canpossibly be imagined, the ice passing Point Levi, is hid in one momentby the projecting land, and all is once more a clear plain before you;giving at once the pleasing, but unconnected, ideas of that directintercourse with Europe from which we have been so many monthsexcluded, and of the earth's again opening her fertile bosom, to feastour eyes and imagination with her various verdant and floweryproductions.
I am afraid I have conveyed a very inadequate idea of the scenewhich has just passed before me; it however struck me so strongly, thatit was impossible for me not to attempt it.
If my painting has the least resemblance to the original, yourLordship will agree with me, that the very vicissitudes of season herepartake of the sublimity which so strongly characterizes the country.
The changes of season in England, being slow and gradual, are butfaintly felt; but being here sudden, instant, violent, afford to themind, with the lively pleasure arising from meer change, the very highadditional one of its being accompanied with grandeur. I have thehonor to be,
My Lord, Your Lordship's, &c. William Fermor.
LETTER 132.
To Mrs. Temple, Pall Mall.
April 22.
Certainly, my dear, you are so far right; a nun may be in manyrespects a less unhappy being than some women who continue in theworld; her situation is, I allow, paradise to that of a married woman,of sensibility and honor, who dislikes her husband.
The cruelty therefore of some parents here, who sacrifice theirchildren to avarice, in forcing or seducing them into convents, wouldappear more striking, if we did not see too many in England guilty ofthe same inhumanity, though in a different manner, by marrying themagainst their inclination.
Your letter reminds me of what a French married lady here said to meon this very subject: I was exclaiming violently against convents; andparticularly urging, what I thought unanswerable, the extreme hardshipof one circumstance; that, however unhappy the state was found ontrial, there was no retreat; that it was _for life_.
Madame De ---- turned quick, "And is not marriage for life?"
"True, Madam; and, what is worse, without a year of probation. Iconfess the force of your argument."
I have never dared since to mention convents before Madame De ----.
Between you and I, Lucy, it is a little unreasonable that peoplewill come together entirely upon sordid principles, and then wonderthey are not happy: in delicate minds, love is seldom the consequenceof marriage.
It is not absolutely certain that a marriage of which love is thefoundation will be happy; but it is infallible, I believe, that noother can be so to souls capable of tenderness.
Half the world, you will please to observe, have no souls; at leastnone but of the vegetable and animal kinds: to this species of beings,love and sentiment are entirely unnecessary; they were made to travelthrough life in a state of mind neither quite awake nor asleep; and itis perfectly equal to them in what company they take the journey.
You and I, my dear, are something _awakened_; therefore it isnecessary we should love where we marry, and for this reason: oursouls, being of the active kind, can never be totally at rest;therefore, if we were not to love our husbands, we should be indreadful danger of loving somebody else.
For my part, whatever tall maiden aunts and cousins may say of theindecency of a young woman's distinguishing one man from another, andof love coming after marriage; I think marrying, in that expectation,on sober prudent principles, a man one dislikes, the most deliberateand shameful degree of vice of which the human mind is capable.
I cannot help observing here, that the great aim of modern educationseems to be, to eradicate the best impulses of the human heart, love,friendship, compassion, benevolence; to destroy the social, andencrease the selfish principle. Parents wisely attempt to root outthose affections which should only be directed to proper objects, andwhich heaven gave us as the means of happiness; not considering thatthe success of such an attempt is doubtful; and that, if they succeed,they take from life all its sweetness, and reduce it to a dull unactiveround of tasteless days, scarcely raised above vegetation.
If my ideas of things are right, the human mind is naturallyvirtuous; the business of education is therefore less to give us goodimpressions, which we have from nature, than to guard us against badones, which are generally acquired.
And so ends my sermon.
Adieu! my dear! Your faithful A. Fermor.
A letter from your brother; I believe the dear creature is out ofhis wits: Emily has consented to marry him, and one would imagine byhis joy that nobody was ever married before.
He is going to Lake Champlain, to fix on his seat of empire, orrather Emily's; for I see she will be the reigning queen, and he onlyher majesty's consort.
I am going to Quebec; two or three dry days have made the roadspassable for summer carriages: Fitzgerald is come to fetch me. Adieu!
Eight o'clock.
I am come back, have seen Emily, who is the happiest woman existing;she has heard from your brother, and in such terms--his letterbreathes the very soul of tenderness. I wish they were richer. I don'thalf relish their settling in Canada; but, rather than not livetogether, I believe they would consent to be set ashore on a desartisland. Good night.
LETTER 133.
To the Earl of ----.
Silleri, April 25.
The pleasure the mind finds in travelling, has undoubtedly, my Lord,its source in that love of novelty, that delight in acquiring newideas, which is interwoven in its very frame, which shews itself onevery occasion from infancy to age, which is the first passion of thehuman mind, and the last.
There is nothing the mind of man abhors so much as a state of rest:the great secret of happiness is to keep the soul in continual action,without those violent exertions, which wear out its powers, and dullits capacity of enjoyment; it should have exercise, not labor.
Vice may justly be called the fever of the soul, inaction itslethargy; passion, under the guidance of virtue, its health.
I have the pleasure to see my daughter's coquetry giving place to atender affection for a very worthy man, who seems formed to make herhappy: his fortune is easy; he is a gentleman, and a man of worth andhonor, and, what perhaps inclines me to be more partial to him, of myown profession.
I mention the last circumstance in order to introduce a request,that your Lordship would have the goodness to employ that interest forhim in the purchase of a majority, which you have so generously offeredto me; I am determined, as there is no prospect of real duty, to quitthe army, and retire to that quiet which is so pleasing at my time oflife: I am privately in treaty with a gentleman for my company, andpropose returning to England in the first ship, to give in myresignation: in this point, as well as that of serving Mr. Fitzgerald,I shall without scruple call upon your Lordship's friendship.
I have settled every thing with Fitzgerald, but without saying aword to Bell; and he is to seduce her into matrimony as soon as hecan, without my appearing at all interested in the affair: he is to askmy consent in form, though we have already settled every preliminary.
All this, as well as my intention of quitting the army, is yet asecret to my daughter.
But to the questions your Lordship does me the honor to ask me inregard to the Americans, I mean those of our old colonies: they appearto me, from all
I have heard and seen of them, a rough, ignorant,positive, very selfish, yet hospitable people.
Strongly attached to their own opinions, but still more so to theirinterests, in regard to which they have inconceivable sagacity andaddress; but in all other respects I think naturally inferior to theEuropeans; as education does so much, it is however difficult toascertain this.
I am rather of opinion they would not have refused submission to thestamp act, or disputed the power of the legislature at home, had nottheir minds been first embittered by what touched their interests sonearly, the restraints laid on their trade with the French and Spanishsettlements, a trade by which England was an immense gainer; and bywhich only a few enormously rich West India planters were hurt.
Every advantage you give the North Americans in trade centers atlast in the mother country; they are the bees, who roam abroad for thathoney which enriches the paternal hive.
Taxing them immediately after their trade is restrained, seems likedrying up the source, and expecting the stream to flow.
Yet too much care cannot be taken to support the majesty ofgovernment, and assert the dominion of the parent country.
A good mother will consult the interest and happiness of herchildren, but will never suffer her authority to be disputed.
An equal mixture of mildness and spirit cannot fail of bringingthese mistaken people, misled by a few of violent temper and ambitiousviews, into a just sense of their duty.
I have the honor to be, My Lord, &c. William Fermor.
LETTER 134.
To Mrs. Temple, Pall Mall.
May 5.
I have got my Emily again, to my great joy; I am nobody without her.As the roads are already very good, we walk and ride perpetually, andamuse ourselves as well as we can, _en attendant_ your brother,who is gone a settlement hunting.
The quickness of vegetation in this country is astonishing; thoughthe hills are still covered with snow, and though it even continues inspots in the vallies, the latter with the trees and shrubs in the woodsare already in beautiful verdure; and the earth every where puttingforth flowers in a wild and lovely variety and profusion.
'Tis amazingly pleasing to see the strawberries and wild pansiespeeping their little foolish heads from beneath the snow.
Emily and I are prodigiously fond after having been separated; it isa divine relief to us both, to have again the delight of talking of ourlovers to each other: we have been a month divided; and neither of ushave had the consolation of a friend to be foolish to.
Fitzgerald dines with us: he comes.
Adieu! yours, A. Fermor.
LETTER 135.
To the Earl of ----.
Silleri, May 5.
My Lord,
I have been conversing, if the expression is not improper when Ihave not had an opportunity of speaking a syllable, more than two hourswith a French officer, who has declaimed the whole time with the mostastonishing volubility, without uttering one word which could eitherentertain or instruct his hearers; and even without starting any thingthat deserved the name of a thought.
People who have no ideas out of the common road are, I believe,generally the greatest talkers, because all their thoughts are lowenough for common conversation; whereas those of more elevatedunderstandings have ideas which they cannot easily communicate exceptto persons of equal capacity with themselves.
This might be brought as an argument of the inferiority of women'sunderstanding to ours, as they are generally greater talkers, if we didnot consider the limited and trifling educations we give them; men,amongst other advantages, have that of acquiring a greater variety aswell as sublimity of ideas.
Women who have conversed much with men are undoubtedly in generalthe most pleasing companions; but this only shews of what they arecapable when properly educated, since they improve so greatly by thataccidental and limited opportunity of acquiring knowledge.
Indeed the two sexes are equal gainers, by conversing with eachother: there is a mutual desire of pleasing, in a mixed conversation,restrained by politeness, which sets every amiable quality in astronger light.
Bred in ignorance from one age to another, women can learn little oftheir own sex.
I have often thought this the reason why officers daughters are ingeneral more agreable than other women in an equal rank of life.
I am almost tempted to bring Bell as an instance; but I know theblindness and partiality of nature, and therefore check what paternaltenderness would dictate.
I am shocked at what your Lordship tells me of Miss H----. I know herimprudent, I believe her virtuous: a great flow of spirits has beenever hurrying her into indiscretions; but allow me to say, my Lord, itis particularly hard to fix the character by our conduct, at a time oflife when we are not competent judges of our own actions; and when thehurry and vivacity of youth carries us to commit a thousand follies andindiscretions, for which we blush when the empire of reason begins.
Inexperience and openness of temper betray us in early life intoimproper connexions; and the very constancy, and nobleness of nature,which characterize the best hearts, continue the delusion.
I know Miss H---- perfectly; and am convinced, if her father willtreat her as a friend, and with the indulgent tenderness of affectionendeavor to wean her from a choice so very unworthy of her, he willinfallibly succeed; but if he treats her with harshness, she is lostfor ever.
He is too stern in his behaviour, too rigid in his morals: it is theinterest of virtue to be represented as she is, lovely, smiling, andever walking hand in hand with pleasure: we were formed to be happy,and to contribute to the happiness of our fellow creatures; there areno real virtues but the social ones.
'Tis the enemy of human kind who has thrown around us the gloom ofsuperstition, and taught that austerity and voluntary misery are virtue.
If moralists would indeed improve human nature, they should endeavorto expand, not to contract the heart; they should build their system onthe passions and affections, the only foundations of the noblervirtues.
From the partial representations of narrow-minded bigots, who paintthe Deity from their own gloomy conceptions, the young are too oftenfrighted from the paths of virtue; despairing of ideal perfections,they give up all virtue as unattainable, and start aside from the roadwhich they falsely suppose strewed with thorns.
I have studied the heart with some attention; and am convincedevery parent, who will take the pains to gain his children's friendship,will for ever be the guide and arbiter of their conduct: I speak from ahappy experience.
Notwithstanding all my daughter says in gaiety of heart, she wouldsooner even relinquish the man she loves, than offend a father in whomshe has always found the tenderest and most faithful of friends. I aminterrupted, and have only time to say, I have the honor to be,
My Lord, &c. Wm. Fermor.
LETTER 136.
To Mrs. Temple, Pall Mall.
Silleri, May 13.
Madame Des Roches has just left us; she returns to-day to theKamaraskas: she came to take leave of us, and shewed a concern atparting from Emily, which really affected me. She is a most amiablewoman; Emily and she were in tears at parting; yet I think my sweetfriend is not sorry for her return: she loves her, but yet cannotabsolutely forget she has been her rival, and is as well satisfied thatshe leaves Quebec before your brother's arrival.
The weather is lovely; the earth is in all its verdure, the trees infoliage, and no snow but on the sides of the mountains; we are lookingeagerly out for ships from dear England: I expect by them volumes ofletters from my Lucy. We expect your brother in a week: in short, weare all hope and expectation; our hearts beat at every rap of the door,supposing it brings intelligence of a ship, or of the dear man.
Fitzgerald takes such amazing pains to please me, that I begin tothink it is pity so much attention should be thrown away; and am halfinclined, from meer compassion, to follow the example you have soheroically set me.
Abs
olutely, Lucy, it requires amazing resolution to marry.
Adieu! yours, A. Fermor.
LETTER 137.
To Colonel Rivers, at Montreal.
Silleri, May 14.
I am returned, my Rivers, to my sweet friend, and have again thedear delight of talking of you without restraint; she bears with, sheindulges me in, all my weakness; if that name ought to be given to atenderness of which the object is the most exalted and worthy of hissex.
It was impossible I should not have loved you; the soul that spokein those eloquent eyes told me, the first moment we met, our heartswere formed for each other; I saw in that amiable countenance asensibility similar to my own, but which I had till then sought invain; I saw there those benevolent smiles, which are the marks, andthe emanations of virtue; those thousand graces which ever accompany amind conscious of its own dignity, and satisfied with itself; in short,that mental beauty which is the express image of the Deity.
What defence had I against you, my Rivers, since your merit was suchthat my reason approved the weakness of my heart?
We have lost Madame Des Roches; we were both in tears at parting; weembraced, I pressed her to my bosom: I love her, my dear Rivers; I havean affection for her which I scarce know how to describe. I saw herevery day, I found infinite pleasure in being with her; she talked ofyou, she praised you, and my heart was soothed; I however found itimpossible to mention your name to her; a reserve for which I cannotaccount; I found pleasure in looking at her from the idea that she wasdear to you, that she felt for you the tenderest friendship: do youknow I think she has some resemblance of you? there is something in hersmile, which gives me an idea of you.