Your lady, said she, is a maiden of forty years, not so remarkable for her beauty as her learning and taste, which is famous all over the country. Besides these, translations of the classics into French, but not one book in Greek or Latin a circumstance that discovered her ignorance in these languages. Her library was composed of the best English historians, poets, and philosophers of all the French critics and poets, and of a few books in Italian, chiefly poetry, at the head of which were Tasso and Ariosto, pretty much used. From whence I gathered, that her disposition was gloomy, and her imagination delighted with objects of horror. I counted fragments of five tragedies, the titles of which were The Stern Philosopher, The Double, The Sacrilegious Traitor, The Fall of Lucifer, and The Last Day.
Here I found a thousand scraps of her own poetry, consisting of three, four, ten, twelve, and twenty lines, on an infinity of subjects, which, as whim inspired, she had begun, without constancy or capacity to bring to any degree of composition: but, what was very extraordinary in a female poet, there was not the least mention made of love in any of her performances. My mistress, notwithstanding her precaution, was so much disturbed by her nephew’s company, that she did not rise till five o’clock in the afternoon so that I had an opportunity of examining her study at leisure, to which examination I was strongly prompted by my curiosity. Next morning, by daybreak, being awakened by the noise of the hunters and hounds, I rose to view the cavalcade, and had a sight of my competitor, whose accomplishments (the estate excluded) did not seem brilliant enough to give me much uneasiness with respect to Narcissa, who, I flattered myself, was not to be won by such qualifications as he was master of, either as to person or mind. Thus have I sent the simple King to hell,
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Before I took possession of my new place, she gave me a sketch of my mistress’s character, that I might know better how to regulate my conduct. I was fain to embrace this humble proposal, because my affairs were desperate and in a few days was hired by this lady, to serve in quality of her footman, having been represented by my hostess as a young man who was bred up to the sea by his relations against his will, and had suffered shipwreck, which had increased his disgust to that way of life so much, that he rather chose to go to service on shore, than enter himself on board of any other ship. But, above all things, she counselled me to conceal my story, the knowledge of which would effectually poison my entertainment for it was a maxim, among most people of condition, that no gentleman ought to be admitted into a family as a domestic, lest he become lazy, and insolent. She then promised to recommend me, as servant to a single lady of her acquaintance, who lived in the neighbourhood with her nephew, who was a young foxhunter of great fortune, where I might be very happy, provided I could bear with the disposition and manners of my mistress, which were somewhat whimsical and particular. She dissuaded me from a design I had formed of travelling to Louder, in hopes of retrieving my clothes and pay, by returning to my ship, which by this time I read in the newspaper was safely arrived in the River Thames: because, said she, you run the hazard of being treated not only as a deserter in quitting the sloop, but also as a mutineer, in assaulting your commanding officer, to the malice of whose revenge you will moreover be exposed. The whole behaviour of this venerable person was so primitive, innocent, sensible, and humane, that I contracted a filial respect for her, and begged her advice with regard to my future conduct, as soon as I was in a condition to act for myself.
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