After this, I need not tell you, he made _Miranda_ a Visit; and from
that Day never left her Apartment, but when he went home at Nights, or
unless he had Business; so entirely was he conquer’d by this Fair One.
But the Bishop, and several Men of Quality, in Orders, that profess’d
Friendship to him, advised him from her Company; and spoke several
Things to him, that might (if Love had not made him blind) have
reclaimed him from the Pursuit of his Ruin. But whatever they trusted
him with, she had the Art to wind herself about his Heart, and make him
unravel all his Secrets; and then knew as well, by feign’d Sighs and
Tears, to make him disbelieve all; so that he had no Faith but for her;
and was wholly inchanted and bewitch’d by her. At last, in spite of all
that would have opposed it, he marry’d this famous Woman, possess’d by
so many great Men and Strangers before, while all the World was pitying
his Shame and Misfortunes.
Being marry’d, they took a great House; and as she was indeed a great
Fortune, and now a great Princess, there was nothing wanting that was
agreeable to their Quality; all was splendid and magnificent. But all
this would not acquire them the World’s Esteem; they had an Abhorrence
for her former Life, and despised her; and for his espousing a Woman so
infamous, they despised him. So that though they admir’d, and gazed upon
their Equipage, and glorious Dress, they foresaw the Ruin that attended
it, and paid her Quality little Respect.
She was no sooner married, but her Uncle died; and dividing his Fortune
between _Miranda_ and her Sister, leaves the young Heiress, and all her
Fortune, entirely in the Hands of the Princess.
We will call this Sister _Alcidiana_; she was about fourteen Years of
Age, and now had chosen her Brother, the Prince, for her Guardian. If
_Alcidiana_ were not altogether so great a Beauty as her Sister, she had
Charms sufficient to procure her a great many Lovers, though her Fortune
had not been so considerable as it was; but with that Addition, you may
believe, she wanted no Courtships from those of the best Quality; tho’
every body deplor’d her being under the Tutorage of a Lady so expert in
all the Vices of her Sex, and so cunning a Manager of Sin, as was the
Princess; who, on her Part, failed not, by all the Caresses, and
obliging Endearments, to engage the Mind of this young Maid, and to
subdue her wholly to her Government. All her Senses were eternally
regaled with the most bewitching Pleasures they were capable of: She saw
nothing but Glory and Magnificence, heard nothing but Musick of the
sweetest Sounds; the richest Perfumes employ’d her Smelling; and all she
eat and touch’d was delicate and inviting; and being too young to
consider how this State and Grandeur was to be continu’d, little
imagined her vast Fortune was every Day diminishing, towards its
needless Support.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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