The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 (of 10): Poetry - Volume 2Pope, Alexander
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The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 (of 10): Poetry - Volume 2
Pope, Alexander
English poetry -- 18th century
The unfortunate lady seems to have been a particular favourite of our
poet. Whether he himself was the person she was removed from I am not
able to say, but whoever reads his verses to her memory will find she
had a very great share in him. This young lady who was of quality, had a
very large fortune, and was in the eye of our discerning poet a great
beauty, was left under the guardianship of an uncle, who gave her an
education suitable to her title; for Mr. Pope declares she had titles,
and she was thought a fit match for the greatest peer. But very young
she contracted an acquaintance, and afterwards some degree of intimacy,
with a young gentleman, who is only imagined, and, having settled her
affections there, refused a match proposed to her by her uncle. Spies
being set upon her, it was not long before her correspondence with her
lover of lower degree was discovered, which, when taxed with by her
uncle, she had too much truth and honour to deny. The uncle finding that
she could not, nor would strive to withdraw her regard from him, after a
little time forced her abroad, where she was received with all due
respect to her quality, but kept up from the sight or speech of anybody
but the creatures of this severe guardian, so that it was impossible for
her lover even to deliver a letter that might ever come to her hand.
Several were received from him with promises to get them privately
delivered to her, but those were all sent to England, and only served to
make them more cautious who had her in care. She languished here a
considerable time, went through a great deal of sickness and sorrow,
wept and sighed continually. At last wearied out, and despairing quite,
the unfortunate lady, as Mr. Pope justly calls her, put an end to her
own life. Having bribed a woman servant to procure her a sword, she was
found dead upon the ground, but warm. The severity of the laws of the
place where she was in denied her Christian burial, and she was buried
without solemnity, or even any to wait on her to her grave except some
young people of the neighbourhood, who saw her put into common ground,
and strewed her grave with flowers, which gave some offence to the
priesthood, who would have buried her in the highway, but it seems their
power there did not extend so far.--AYRE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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