Produced by Chris Curnow, Meredith Bach, Joseph Cooper and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net [Transcriber's Note: The use of tildes (~) around a word signifies that it was spaced out in the original l i k e t h i s. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation have been retained as in the original, with the exception of a few printer's errors. A full list of these can be found at the end of the text.] ~REMARKS~ ~ON~ ~_CLARISSA_,~ Addressed to the AUTHOR. Occasioned by some critical Conversations on the CHARACTERS and CONDUCT of that Work. ~WITH~ Some Reflections on the Character and Behaviour of PRIOR'S ~_EMMA_~. ~_LONDON:_~ Printed for _J. Robinson_ in _Ludgate-street_. M,DCC,XLIX. [Price One Shilling.] REMARKS ON _CLARISSA_, &c. ~_SIR_,~ Perhaps an Address of this Nature may appear very unaccountable, and whimsical; when I assure you, my Design is fairly to lay before you all the Criticisms, as far as I can remember them, that I have heard on your History of _Clarissa_; from the Appearance of the two first Volumes, to the Close of the Work. I have not willingly omitted any one Objection I have heard made to your favourite Character, from her first Appearance in the World; nor, on the contrary, have I either diminished or added to the favourable Construction put on her Words or Actions. If the Grounds for the Objections are found to be deducible from the Story, I would have them remain in their full Force; but if the Answers her Admirers have given to those Objections are found to result from an impartial and attentive perusal of the Story, I would not have her deny'd the Justice they have done 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.