* more kind reception, and that every thing would now be according to my wishes: but all they "faid was ineffectual to renove intirely that grief, which her behaviour had fettled on my heart; " and I remained fluctuating between hope and de"fpair, till the day appointed by her father for "giving a decifive anfwer being arrived, my kinf

man brought me a heavy confirmation of what "I most feared would be the refult ;---"That he had "founded his daughter's inclinations, and found "they were not in my favour; fo defired I would "not give myself any farther trouble.' This mef

fage, though dreffed up in many compliments, "threw me into a fever ;---my life was defpaired "of ;---fresh applications were made both to fåther and daughter;---all were unfuccefsful; yet "I recovered, if a man may be faid to do fo who is continually wafted with inward pinings: -"I fummoned all my courage, imagined I could " content myself with feeing her, tho' at a distance,

and quitted my bed, in order to purfue her with "my eyes wherever fhe went: I had the cruel "bleffing of beholding her at church one Sunday "morning, and flattering myfelf with doing fo in "the afternoon, went again; but the inexorable

creature was not there, though she had never "been known to mifs before :---I fought her in "the park, at the opera, the play ;---at each of thefe places, found her once, but no more. "In a word, fhe chofe to deprive herself of every thing that gave her pleasure, rather than allow 66 me that poor one of seeing the face that had deprived me of all other comforts.---Was ever ingratitude like this !---Was ever fate fo hard as mine!-- Yet all the does cannot abate my paf"fion; nor is it in her power to hide herself fo "intirely, but that I fometimes get a glance. -In a difguife I watch about the houfe; fee her

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get into her coach; fee her, with all that de"luding foftnefs in her eyes, which almoft tempts me to give the lie to my own reafon and expe"rience, and pronounce her as good-natured as "The is fair.

"My whole time is taken up with haunting " her in this manner :--- all day I skulk in corners "like a thief, and thun the light, and at night "ftand centinel oppofite her chamber-window, "bleft to fee her thadow through the curtains, "while undreffing for bed.

"THIS, worthy SPECTATOR, is the fole business "I am capable of purfuing; this, the fole plea"fure I can tafte; and in this I am wholly loft to "all my kindred, friends, acquaintance, and al"moft to myself.--- Never was there a caufe in

which your pen could be more worthily em"ployed, than in an endeavour to preferve the "lentes, the life, nay the very foul from death of

an unfortunate miferable man, who is fo only by "his having too great a fhare of love and conftancy "for the moft amiable woman in the world.

"EXERT, then, all your eloquence to move the "heart of my obdurate fair, to give her a lively "fense of her ingratitude, and convince her how "ill fo foul a vice becomes fo beauteous a form: "fhe is a conftant reader of your effays, a great "admirer of them, has often faid the world would "be happy could it once be brought to follow the

maxims you lay down ; who knows, there"fore, but the may be wrought upon herself, when "fo favourite an advocate vouchfafes to plead ?--"Ingratitude is a copious fubject, or were it lefs "fo, my unhappy ftory might give you a fufficient hint.---It is a theme, I think, you have never

"touched

"touched upon, and perhaps will be no lefs agree_ "able to a great many of your readers, than to the

Sorrowful AMINTOR."

POOR Amintor! He is in a defperate fituation Indeed, and if the FEMALE SPECTATOR's pity will do him any good, I am commiffioned by our little club to tell him he is heartily welcome to it; but am forry to acquaint him withal, that we are afraid by the history he gives us of the progrefs of his paffion, pity will be all the confolation he will ever be able to procure. Nothing can be more plain, than that the lady finds no difpofitions in her heart of that kind, which he places his whole happiness in infpiring: there is no accounting for antipathies. in nature, nor is the strongest reafon fufficient to furmount them :---in vain his love and conftancy have a claim to her regard :---in vain her father's aflent would authorize that regard --- in vain a parity of age, of circumstances, of birth, concur to render a marriage between them fuitable :-that fecret impulfe which rules the heart be wanting, all other confiderations are of no force to attach.

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THIS therefore being evidently the caufe that Amintor is rejected, he ought not to accufe Arpafia for what is not in her power to remedy :-- fhe can no more love him, than he can forbear loving her: the sentiments on each fide are involuntary; and where the obligation is not of the will, there can be no ingratitude in refufi ig the recompence : not, but it were to be wifhed, for the happiness of both, that Arpafia could meet so ardent and fo fincere an affection as that of Amintor, with an equal warmth; but fince it cannot be, and nature is refractory, he should endeavour rather to forget, and enable himself to live without

her, than perpetuate his paffion and anxieties by any idle hopes of living with her.

----

THERE are many methods to be taken which may heighten and invigorate a paffion that has once gained entrance; but no human power can inspire it in contradi&ion to the heart : All at tempts, therefore, that the FEMALE SPECTATOR could make for that purpose would be labour loft; and Amintor ought to think it more kind in us to advise him to quit the vain purfuit, than by pretending to plead in his favour, flatter him with deceit ful expectations, which would only ferve to add to his difquiet in the end.---Time, abfence, and a conftant exertion of his reason, may one day reftore his liberty, but nothing can be done for him to make him eafy in his chains.

I WOULD have him confider, in the first place, the invincible obftacle between him and the accomplishment of his wishes; and in the next, that were there a poffibility of her ever being prevailed upon, by a romantic generofity, to give herself to him, and do a violence to her own inclinations for the gratification of his, the happiness of fuch an union would be far from perfect a paffion fo fervent, as he pretends to be inspired with, could never be fordidly contented with being bleffed alone: the chief felicity of true affection confifts in the power of beftowing it; and though in full poffeffion of the body, he would ftill languifh in a conscious inability of having influenced the mind.

I WONDER that his own good sense did not long ago remind him of this truth, as it feems not to have done by his never making any efforts for fubduing a paffion, which, from the very begin

ning,

ning, threatened him with despair :-he confeffes. the received the first overtures of it with a coldnefs which had nothing of affection in it, and no fooner knew the motive of his vifits than she refused to see him any more :---it was not poffible for her to teftify a more fincere diflike of his addreffes, nor a greater inclination to check in their infancy defires, which by their growth would be fatal to his peace :---he might have loved a woman (as too many fuch there are) who, fond of admiration even from the man fhe hated, would have encouraged his pretenfions; fed his flame with the fuel of vain hopes, only to make the damp of her difdain more fhocking; and then triumphed in the ruin fhe occafioned: but Arpafia, I find by his own confeffion, is not one of thefe; fhe has acted toward him with honour and difcretion; and I not only acquit her of ingratitude, but pronounce Amintor the perfon obliged; and he ought to take care that in not acknowledging he is fo, he does not draw upon himself that imputation he unjustly offers to fix on her..

INGRATITUDE implies a want of will, when one has the power, of returning a real benefit: now this is fo far from being the cafe bcfore us, that, as I think has been already proved, Arpafia in the first place is wholly deftitute of power to return the benefit, if it were a benefit, of Amintor's paffion; and in the next, to be loved by perfon one cannot love, is not a benefit, but a perfecution; at leaft it is certainly fo to this lady, fince it obliges her to impofe a banifhment: on herself from all the places he has been accuf tomed to frequent:

BESIDES, there is methinks a ftrange tenaciouf nefs in Amintor on the fcore of his paffion :---he B. 6. fcems