regrine would have answered, but a pluck
by the sleeve obliged him to turn from Selinda to entertain a lady
mask'd who had given him the nudg. He presently knew her to be Emilia,
who whispered him in the ear: I find sir, what Guyomar said just now is
very true:

That love which first took root will first decay;
That of a fresher date will longer stay.

Peregrine tho surprised was pleased with her pretty reprimand, being
delivered without any anger, _but in murmuring, complaining accents,
which never fail to move_ ..."

Thus again, Peregrine goes to the famous St. Bartholomew fair, which was
still, as in Ben Jonson's time, a place of general meeting. "Lord C." is
there discovered, who had a masked lady with him; she pulls off her mask
and smiles at Peregrine, who again recognizes Emilia. The mixed
impressions that this sight makes on the hero are analysed in these
terms:

"He took a secret pride in rivalling so great a man, and it confirmed
his great opinion of Emilia's beauty to see her admir'd by so
accomplish't a person and absolute a courtier as my lord C. These
considerations augmenting his love increased his jealousy also, and
every little familiarity that my Lord us'd, heightened his love to her
and hatred to his Lordship; he lov'd her for being admir'd by my Lord,
yet hated my Lord for loving her."

The vain woman for her part is sufficiently interested in Peregrine to
put a stop to a dawning passion which she discovers in him for another
woman, and which might have ended in a marriage; but not at any rate
enough to repay his sacrifice by true love. Emilia's artifices are
studied with much skill, and the author seems, here too, to be imitating
nature, and recounting personal experiences: "_Quorum pars magna fui_,"
as he says on the title-page of his book. At one time Emilia feels that
Peregrine is escaping her; what does she conceive will keep him attached
to her? At such a crisis she is shrewd enough not to resort to vulgar
coquetries, feeling that they are no longer in season. With excellent
instinct she guesses that the only means of recovering possession of
honest Peregrine is to appeal to his good heart: instead of promising
him her favours, she asks of him a service. Peregrine would have
despised himself had he not rendered it, and it is only afterwards that
he perceives his chain is by this means newly forged. Emilia has fixed
ideas on the usefulness of men of this sort, and puts them very cl