The Treacherous Guardian. to favours from the great, I know not well how to receive, or in what terms to acknowledge. 397 very cynical afperity not to confefs obligations where no benefit has been received, or to be unwilling When, upon fome flight encou-that the publick should confider me ragement, I first vifited your lord- as oving that to a patron, which hip, I was overpowered, like the Providence has enabled me to do reft of mankind, by the enchant for myself. ment of your addrefs; and could not forbear to with that I might boaft myfelf Le vainqueur de vainqueur de la terre:-that I might obtain that regard for which I faw the world contending; but I found my attendance fo little encouraged, that neither pride nor modefty would fuffer me to continue it. When I had once addreffed your lordship in public, I had exhausted all the art of pleasing, which a retired and uncourtly scholar can poffefs. I had done all that I could, and no man is well pleased to have his all neglected, be it ever fo little. Seven years, my lord, have now paft, fince I waited on your outward rooms, or was repulfed from your door; during which time I have been pufhing on my work through difficulties, of which it is useless to complain, and have brought it at laft, to the verge of publication, without one act of affiftance, one word of encouragement, or one Having carried on my work thus far, with fo little obligation to any favourer of learning, I fhall not be difappointed, though I fhould conclude it, if lefs be poffible, with lefs; for I have been long wakened from that dream of hope, in which I once boafted myself with fo much exultation, . My lord, Your lorship's Moft humble, Most obedient fervant, THE TREACHEROUS GUARDIAN. [Embellished with an elegant Engraving.] OMEWHERE in the great mile of favour. Such treatment IS wilderness of Augufta, in can did not expect, for I never had a patron before. The fhepherd in Virgil grew at laft acquainted with love, and found him a native of the rocks. Is a patron, my lord, one who looks with unconcern on a man truggling for life in the water, and when he has reached ground encumbers him with help? The notice which you have been pleased to take of my labours, had it been early, had been kind; but it has been delayed till I am indifferent, and cannot enjoy it; till I am folitary, and cannot impart it; till I am known, and do not want it. I hope it is no obfcure hole, dwells an old, overgrown be-ferpent, whom men call Viperly, in every part resembling man; but his internals feem the true copy of his ancestor, first seen in the garden of Eden; many a widow and orphan he had devoured, whofe fhadows are ftill walking up and down the streets of a famous eity: yet this much I must needs fay for him, he never meddled with the poor, unless it were to thrust him from his gate. This creature had once a friend named Kindman, a perfon of fome wealth, but richer far in his only child Conftantia, whom with all his eftate he left to the pure fate of innocence and love for about a year and a half. But mark now the inflability of human af fairs. Heartly, when abroad, had contracted, as he thought, an inviolable friendship with one Richmore, a young gentleman of a very great eftate, though much inferior to him in parts and perfon. This Rich. more, one day to his misfortune, he invites to dine with him at Viperly's, in order to fhew him the beautiful creature whom he was defigned to marry. At the first fight of her, Richmore could hardly make her any compliment, or fo much as tell her he was beautiful, because he knew it too well. To fpeak plainly, he fell wickedly in love with her. However, he had the grace, or rather the cunning to conceal it for about a quarter of a year; when finding that his friend's happiness grew nearer and nearer every hour, and that his own paffion encreased every minute, he bethought himfelf of a most damnable expedient to prevent Heartly's blifs, and put an end to his own torments. the guardianship and truft of his friend; and, dying, bequeathed alfo to his care young Heartly, his dearest friend's fon, to whom Kindly was guardian; with a pofitive injunction that he should marry his daughter when the came to the age of fixteen. Heartly was about that age when Kindman died, and had a handsome estate left him by his father's will, which he was to poffefs at twenty-one. Conftantia, wholly left to Viperly's care, was educated from eight years old till fourteen, at a boarding school, where he had the good fortune to be inftructed in the principles of true virtue, which her own natural inclination improv. ed to a miracle, nor was the lefs a proficient in all her other orDamental exercifes. Add to thefe the beauty of her perfon, which was as extraordinary as thofe of her mind, and you may believe he might blefs any mortal man in a marriage with her. Heartly in the mean time led au academic life about four years, and them made a trip into foreign countries for another twelvemonth, whence he returned at age to take poffeffion of his estate. He foon Ever fince his first entertainment went to vifit Conflantia, at theat Viperly's, he had as eafy an acboarding school, and the oftener hecefs to the lady, as Heartly himself, vifited her the more defirable he found her. 'Tis true, at first he loved her very well in her infancy, as it were; but the thoughts of being in a manner confined to marry her, made him lefs eager of the proffered happiness yet the always paffionately loved him, at leaft with as much paffion as her tender years were capable of, though he knew he was defigned for her lord and master. In fort they loved each other perfectly. Heartly therefore made it his request to Viperly, that he would please to remove her from the school to his own houfe, which did not in the leaft difpleafe him. To Viperly then the was brought, where, for her fake, Heartly took lodgings and lived with her in a though in Heartly's abfence; but now his business was not fo immediately directed to her. He came now to tempt the ferpent, whom he luckily found at home; and after fome compliments enticed from his hole to the tavern, where he began to tell him, that is was in his power to damn or blefs him; and that if he would endeavour the laft, he would give him two thoufand pounds. the old one, you may imagine, would not eafily let go fo fair a proffer; however, he told him, that if there were any thing wherein he might do him cafe, and his own confcience no hurt, he might command him, without any reward. Said Richmore then, 'tis only to break off the defigned marriage be The Treacherous Guardian. wween Heartly and Conftantia, for I cannot live without her. Here are two propofitions in one, interrupted Viperly, their marriage must be broken off, and you enjoy her. Right, replied Richmore, but if the laft be done, 'tother will fall of courfe; perform but this, and the money is yours the next hour. 399 way of compliment, well enough for a fpark of his eftate; which he thought, without the help of words, might be fufficient to anfwer the lady's expectation; and, to fay truth; he made a very good figure, which no doubt he was defirous to copy. Of this he made her partly fenfible that very night; thence the began to be as apprehentive of danger from the young man's love, as he was from the old man's avarice: for within a very few days after, Viperly let her know, that it was his determinare pleafure the fhould marry Ri, unless the would make Heart In short, the villainous mifer promifed to effect it: accordingly, with fome fhew of reafon, he foon after perfuaded Heartly to go near a hundred miles from the town to look after fome part of his eftate, making it fo feemingly neceffary, that the young gentleman was forced by py without a groat to his intereft, to leave the town in lefs her portion; which we may imagine, than ten days time. And yet not was none of the moft obliging ditbefore he had occafion to obferve courfes that the had ever been enter. the great intimacy and friendship fo tained with. However, the diflately contracted between the old and courfe was not all; for he gave young gentleman. Wherefore, fear-Richmore fuch villainous opportuing the worst, he taught Conftantia nities, that none but a virtue like to arm herself against all misfortunes, her's could have fruftrated his deby an expedient that is not frequent- figns. ly practifed, because there are but few young lovers about this town that know how to write a quite contrary thought with a black ink, in a manner, on the fame lines on which they had written their true meaning in a white liquid matter, which will appear, the black being obliterated by washing the paper with a third water or mixture. When Viperly thought that Heartly was far enough from him, not to fee and hear his devilfhip's defigns, he brought Richmore one night with him, and was pleafed to be very feemingly drunk; or, perhaps, he was really fomething near it: and then took the liberty to tell Conftantia, that he had provided a better husband for her than her father's defcription of her fortune could give her reafon to hope. The lady was modeftly pleafed to anfwer, that fhe did truly believe fuch a perfon as Richmore, was infinitely beyond the merits of her perfon or fortune, Richmore replied, by the Once he was concealed in her bedchamber till fhe went into bed, and had difmifled her fervant; and then all the darkness that her prefence could fuffer, added fomething more than a confidence to his defires; which yet, I am apt to think, had been lawful, were it not for her preengagement to his friend: but this wicked opportunity was his finifter friend, and at that first time he took his laft leave of thofe lips which would have curfed him had they been taught; at leaft they happily deceived him, when he begged of him not to take the advantage of the night, fince the would willingly meet his love in a lawful honourable bed; but he was confident, he added, this could be the contrivance of none but Viperly, or the devil. And, continued fhe, that you may be affured of my truth in this matter, procure a light, and I will immediately write to Mr. Heartly all the moft difobliging things that you yourfelf fhall defire me, and withall fend |