her. But tho' I seem here to speak only of _Clarissa_, as
she is your principal Character, yet I intend as well to take notice of
what has been said relating to your whole Story, as to her in
particular.

In the first Conversation I heard on this Subject, the whole Book was
unanimously condemned, without the least Glimpse of Favour from any one
present who sat in judgment on it. It was tedious stuff!--low!--Letters
wrote between Misses about their Sweet-hearts!--There was an Uncle
_Anthony_--a Brother _James_!--a Goody _Norton_!--and a Servant
_Hannah_.--In short, _one_ had no Patience to read it, _another_ could
not bear it, a _third_ did not like it, _&c._ Such general Censurers, I
knew, could be very little worth attending to; and this Judgment I
should have formed had I been a Stranger to the Book thus unmercifully
treated; but as I had read _Clarissa_, and observed some Beauties in it,
yet heard not one of them mentioned, I was determined to say nothing,
and to make my Visit as short as possible.

From hence I went to spend the Evening with a Family in whose
Conversation I am always agreeably entertained. There happened, that
Night, to be a pretty large Assembly of mix'd Company. _Clarissa_
immediately became the Subject of our Conversation, when, after a few
general Remarks, one of the Gentlemen said, "His chief Objection was to
the Length of it, for that he was certain he could tell the whole Story
contained in the two first Volumes in a few Minutes; for Example,
(continued he) There is a Family who live in the Country, consisting of
an old, positive, gouty Gentleman, two old Batchelors as positive as
their gouty Brother, a meek Wife, an ambitious Son, an envious elder
Sister, and a handsome younger Sister; who, having refused many offered
Matches, engages the Attention and Liking of one Mr. _Lovelace_, a young
Gentleman of a noble Family; her Brother has an absolute Aversion to
him; a Rencounter follows between them; the Lady corresponds with
_Lovelace_ to prevent farther Mischief; a disagreeable Man is proposed
to her by all her Family; she will not consent; they all combine to
insist on her Compliance; she is lock'd up; forbid all Correspondence
out of the Family, but still persists in her Refusal; they call it
Obstinacy; she calls it Resolution; Mr. _Lovelace_ takes the Advantage
of her Friends cruel Usage of her, and presses her to throw herself on
his Protection: at last, for fear of being forced to marry