Show u. u F i Old Love Letters f II OLD LOVE LETTERS edi edited ted b by Abby Sage Richardson is a decidedly in interesting interesting interesting in- in and valuable little book For Forthe Forthe Forthe the benefit of the literature students several of the shorter letters wi with th comments comments comments com com- r ments by the collector are here given GEORGE FARQUHAR TO MRS OLDFIELD George Farquhar was one of the most brilliant writers of comedy during during- the first decade of the eighteenth century century cen cen century t tury and Mrs Oldfield who played l the leading parts in some of his plays was one of f the most charming actresses of that time Farquhar seems to have x I rv been seriously in love with her but perhaps fortunately for them both she illustrious preferred a richer and more illustrious lover 1 It is not absolutely certain that the 1 following letters are written to Mrs rs ii Oldfield They appear however in In a collection of his writings in which are il II Letters to Penelope and anti this seems to tobe tobe be the name under which he wrote to 3 Yas the f fascinating e actress r f No date About 1700 v II Madam If I hadn't begun thrice to 14 j write and as often thrown away nw my pen may I never take it up again My 14 head and my heart have been at cuffs about you these two long hours Says r my head head Youre a coxcomb for troubling troubling troubling ing your about a lady whose beauty is as much above your pretensions pretensions preten pretensions as your merit is below your love I Then answers my heart Good Good Mr j Head youre you're a blockhead I know Mr Farquhar's merit better than you As Asfor J for your part I I. kno know w you to be as Kd x if whimsical as the devil and changing ij with every new notion that offers but for my share I am fi fixed xe d and and- an d can stick k eF eFto i ito to my opinion of a ladys lady's merit forever fore 1 and if the fair She can secure an in interest interest in- in ii t terest in me Monsieur Head you may go w whistle h. h 1st 1 e. e Come come answered my head z you Mr Heart are always al leading this gentleman into some inconvenience or other Was it not you that first enticed him to talk to this lady Your confounded warmth made him like this lady and your busy impertinence has made him write to her your leaping and skipping disturbs his sleep by night and his humor good-humor by day In short sir I will hear no more of it I Iam V A Aam am head and I will be ob obeyed i z I 5 w j II You lie replied my heart very j r angry I am head in matters of love and if you dont don't give your consent you shall be forced for I am sure that in inthis inthis this case all the members will be on my side What say you jou gentleman Hands Oh say the hands we we would not K forego the pleasure of pressing a delicious delicious deli deli- cious white soft hand for the world II Well what say you Mr Tongue II Zounds t says the linguist there i- i is imore more ecstacy in speaking king three soft words word of Mr Hearts Heart's suggesting ug esting than whole orations of Seignior Heads So SoI I I am for foi the lady and heres here's honest neighbor Lips will stick to it II By the sweet power of kisses that we will replied the lips and thus all the worthy members standing up LIP for the heart they laid violent hands upon poor head and knocked out his brains So now t madam behold me as perfect a lover loveras as any any in Christendom my heart purely dictating every word 1 l' say j th the little i rebel throws itself into your power and if you dont don't support it in the tle cause it has taken up for your sake think what will be the condition of l II The headless and heartless II II IIII FARQUHAR II Madam Tisa a sad misfortune to begin a letter with an adieu but when x my love is crossed no wonder that my writing should be reversed I would beg your pardon for the other offenses of this nature which I have haver committed but that I have so little r t reason to judge favorably of your mercy though I assure you madam that I shall never excuse myself my myown myown own share of the trouble no more than thanE E I can can pardon myself the vanity o of attempting attempting at at- tempting your charms so much above the reach of my pretensions and which are reserved for some more worthy ad ad- If there ther be any man upon earth that can merit ment your esteem I pity J c him him for for an obligation too great for far fora fara a return must to any generous soul be bevery bevery bevery very uneasy though uneasy though I still envy his misery II May you be as happy madam in inthe inthe inthe the enjoyment of your desires as I 1 am miserable in the disappointment of mine and as the greatest blessing of 1 your life may the person you most y admire love you you as sincerely and as passionately as he whom you scorn II FARQUHAR LETTERS OF RICHARD STEELE Dick Steeles Steele's wife was Miss Mary Scurlock and the first of the fol following owing letters was written to her during courtship courtship court court- ship II After marriage Steeles Steele's gayety his conviviality and his his' recklessness about getting into debt must often have made i trouble for Mrs Steele Yet he almost disarms censure by his penitent acknowledgment acknowledgment ac ac- t of his faults and by his i constant affection He is frequently dining out and sleeping out but he never fails to send Mrs Steele a loving word before dinner inner or bedtime He go goes s to dinner with Lord Halifax and writes home j jI I dine with Halifax but shall be he home at half-after half six For thee I die a for thee I languish II 1 DICK S 1 P S. S Dress S.-Dress Dress yourself well and look beautifully to please your our faithful husband I Madam Mada l It is the hardest thing in inthe inthe the world to be in love and yet attend to business As for me all who speak to me find it out and I must lock myself myself myself my my- self up or other people will do it for me A gentleman asked me this morning What news from Lisbon and I answered answered answered an an- She is exquisitely handsome Another desired to know when I had been last at Hampton Court I replied It will wil be on Tuesday come P allow me at least to kiss your hand before that day that my mind may mayb maybe b be in some composure 0 O love A thousand torments dwell about thee Yet who would live to live without thee II Methinks I could write a volume to you ou but all the language on earth would fail in saying how much and with what d disinterested passion II I I am alp ever yours II RICH STEELE II II Sept 80 BO 1710 II Dear Prue I am very sleepy and tired but could not think of closing my eyes eyes till I had told 3 jou ou I am dearest creature II Your affectionate and fa faithful husband husband husband hus hus- band II RICH STEELE KATHERINE OF TO HENRY VIII Of all the six women whom the royal roval Bluebeard to took k to wife it is i probable that the only one who had any real affection for tor him was his first wife Katherine This is her last l letter to him written after her divorce and very shortly before her death Shakes pere has given the substance of this letter in inthe inthe inthe the last speeches of Catherine in Henry VIII Act IV Scene 2 1536 II My My lord and dear husband I commend commend commend com com- mend me unto you The hour of my death fast on and my case being such the tender love I owe you me with a few words to put you in remembrance of the health and safeguard of your soul which you ought to prefer before all worldly matters matters matters mat mat- and before the care and tendering of your own body for the which you have cast me into many miseries and andi yourself into many cares For my part partI part partI I I do pardon you all yes I do wish and devoutly pray God that He will also pardon you vou t F For or h t the e rest I commend unto you Mary our daughter beseeching you to toI I be a good fattier father unto her as I heretofore heretofore heretofore hereto hereto- fore desired I entreat you also on behalf of my maids to to- give them mar mar- s portions which is not much they being but three For alt all my other servants servants servants ser ser- I solicit a years year's pay more than their due lest they should be un un- r provided for II Lastly I do vow mine eyes desire you above all things KATHERINE The following letter was written by Sir Walter Raleigh to his wife after his trial for treason and his condemnation w tion to death in 1603 x J JY Y Y You ou shall now receive dear wife ife I Imy my last words in these my last lines My love I send you that you may keep keepit if it when I am dead and my counsel I that you may rem remember em ber it when I am amno x f no more I would not by my will present you with sorrows dear y J let them go to th the grave and be buried with me in the dust And seeing it is is not the will of God that I sh shall Ii ever see you more more in this life bear it patiently JI and with a heart heart like thyself a II Firstly I send you all the thanks my heart can conceive or my words can express for your many troubles and cares taken for me which though they have not taken effect as you you wished yet the debt is not less and pay it I never shall in in this world J II Secondly I beseech you b by the love f you bear me living do not hide yourself yourself your your- self sell in grief many days but seek to to- help the miserable fortunes of our poor poor child Thy mourning cannot avail me I am but dust Remember your poor child for his fathers father's sake r f- f who chose and loved you in his happiest time God is my witness it itis itis is for you you and yours I desired life but it is true I disdain myself for tor begging k of it I can write no more more- Time and death call me away Fn y The Everlasting God Infinite Powerful Inscrutable the Almighty ry i J t I It God which is Goodness itself Mercy X itself the true Light and Life keep iI thee and thine have mercy on me and teach me to forgive my p persecutors and 1 false witnesses and send us to meet again in His glorious kingdom My Myown Myown f own true wife farewell ll Bless my myR I R poor boy Pray for me and let the good God fold you both in His arms Written with the dying hand of sometime sometime some some- 1 time thy husband but now alas over over- fF thrown Yours that was but not now my IY myA myown tf A own W W. W RALEIGH fi i Raleigh's sentence was afterwards reprieved and he was committed to imprisonment in the Tower where he remained more than twelve years e CU |