Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His SisterBehn, Aphra
General
Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister
Behn, Aphra
Epistolary fiction, English
After this letter finding no hopes, but on the contrary a dire
necessity of departing, he told _Brilliard_ his misfortune, and asked
his counsel in this extremity of affairs. _Brilliard_, (who of a
servant was become a rival) you may believe, gave him such advice as
might remove him from the object he adored. But after a great deal of
dissembled trouble, the better to hide his joy, he gave his advice for
his going, with all the arguments that appeared reasonable enough to
_Philander_; and at every period urged, that his life being dear to
_Sylvia_, and on which hers so immediately depended, he ought no
longer to debate, but hasten his flight: to all which counsel our
amorous hero, with a soul ready to make its way through his trembling
body, gave a sighing unwilling assent. It was now no longer a dispute,
but was concluded he must go; but how was the only question. How
should he take his farewell? How he should bid adieu, and leave the
dear object of his soul in an estate so hazardous? He formed a
thousand sad ideas to torment himself with fancying he should never
see her more, that he should hear that she was dead, though now she
appeared on this side the grave, and had all the signs of a declining
disease. He fancied absence might make her cold, and abate her passion
to him; that her powerful beauty might attract adorers, and she being
but a woman, and no part angel but her form,’.was not expected she
should want her sex’s frailties. Now he could consider how he had won
her, how by importunity and opportunity she had at last yielded to
him, and therefore might to some new gamester, when he was not by to
keep her heart in continual play: then it was that all the despair of
jealous love, the throbs and piercing of a violent passion seized his
timorous and tender heart, he fancied her already in some new lover’s
arms, and ran over all these soft enjoyments he had with her; and
fancied with tormenting thought, that so another would possess her;
till racked with tortures, he almost fainted on the repose on which he
was set: but _Brilliard_ roused and endeavoured to convince him, told
him he hoped his fear was needless, and that he would take all the
watchful care imaginable of her conduct, be a spy upon her virtue, and
from time to time give him notice of all that should pass! Bid him
consider her quality, and that she was no common mistress whom hire
could lead astray; and that if from the violence of her passion, or
her most severe fate, she had yielded to the most charming of men, he
ought as little to imagine she could be again a lover, as that she
could find an object of equal beauty with that of _Philander_. In
fine, he soothed and flattered him into so much ease, that he resolves
to take his leave for a day or two, under pretence of meeting and
consulting with some of the rebel party; and that he would return
again to her by that time it might be imagined her fever might be
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account