tions to one another--O wretch! bethink thee, in
time bethink thee, how great must be thy condemnation.'*

* See Vol. VI. Letter XVI.

And is this amiable doctrine the sum of religion? Upon my faith,
believe it is. For, to indulge a serious thought, since we are not
atheists, except in practice, does God, the BEING of Beings, want any
thing of us for HIMSELF! And does he not enjoin us works of mercy to one
another, as the means to obtain his mercy? A sublime principle, and
worthy of the SUPREME SUPERINTENDENT and FATHER of all things!--But if we
are to be judged by this noble principle, what, indeed, must be thy
condemnation on the score of this lady only? and what mine, and what all
our confraternity's, on the score of other women: though we are none of
us half so bad as thou art, as well for want of inclination, I hope, as
of opportunity!

I must add, that, as well for thy own sake, as for the lady's, I wish ye
were yet to be married to each other. It is the only medium that can be
hit upon to salve the honour of both. All that's past may yet be
concealed from the world, and from all her sufferings, if thou resolvest
to be a tender and kind husband to her.

And if this really be thy intention, I will accept with pleasure of a
commission from thee that shall tend to promote so good an end, whenever
she can be found; that is to say, if she will admit to her presence a man
who professes friendship to thee. Nor can I give a greater
demonstration, that I am

Thy sincere friend,
J. BELFORD.

P.S. Mabell's clothes were thrown into the passage this morning: nobody
knows by whom.

LETTER XLIX

MR. LOVELACE, TO JOHN BELFORD, ESQ.
FRIDAY, JUNE 30.

I am ruined, undone, blown up, destroyed, and worse than annihilated,
that's certain!--But was not the news shocking enough, dost thou think,
without thy throwing into the too-weighty scale reproaches, which thou
couldst have had no opportunity to make but for my own voluntary
communications? at a time too, when, as it falls out, I have another very
sensible disappointment to struggle with?

I imagine, if there be such a thing as future punishment, it must be none
of the smallest mortifications, that a new devil shall be punished by a
worse old one. And, take that! And, take that! to have the old satyr
cry to the screaming sufferer, laying on with a cat-o'-nine-tails, with a
star of burning brass at the end of each: and, for what! for what!---Why,
if