Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 4.djvu/17

Rh her dawning reaſon. Soon after theſe proteſtations of love were made, the young lady fell into a fever, which was like to prove fatal to her life.

The lover and her ſiſter never quitted the chamber for ſixteen nights, nor took any other repoſe than throwing themſelves alternately upon a little pallet in the ſame room. Having in her nature a great deal of gratitude, and a very tender ſenſe of benefits; ſhe promiſed upon her recovery to marry her guardian, which as ſoon as her health was ſufficiently reſtored, ſhe performed in the preſence of a maid ſervant, her ſiſter, and a gentleman who had married a relation. In a word, ſhe was married, poſſeſſed, and ruin’d.

The huſband of our poeteſs brought her to London, fixed her in a remote quarter of it, forbad her to ſtir out of doors, or to receive the viſits of her ſiſter, or any other relations, friends, or acquaintance. This uſage, ſhe thought exceeding barbarous, and it grieved her the more exceſſively, ſince ſhe married him only becauſe ſhe imagined he loved and doated on her to diſtraction; for as his perſon was but ordinary, and his age diſproportioned, being twenty-years older than ſhe, it could not be imagined that ſhe was in love with him.—She was very uneaſy at being kept a priſoner; but her huſband’s fondneſs and jealouſy was made the pretence. She always loved reading, to which ſhe was now more than ever obliged, as ſo much time lay upon her hands: Soon after ſhe proved with child, and ſo perpetually ill, that ſhe implored her huſband to let her enjoy the company of her ſiſter and friends. When he could have no relief from her importunity (being aſſured that in ſeeing her relations, ſhe muſt diſcover his barbarous deceit) he thought it was beſt to be himſelf the relator of his villany; he fell upon his knees before her, with ſo much ſeeming confuſion, diſtreſs, and anguiſh, that ſhe was at a loſs to know what could mould his ſtubborn heart to ſuch contrition. At laſt, with a thouſand well