of course he thinks them very ill done. He mentioned fomething of this kind lately in a letter to court, and I had a reprimand from the minifter there very gentle indeedbut ftill it was a reprimand; and I had refolved to refign, when I received a private letter, before which I humbled myself, and adored the wife, the noble, the exalted genius which dictated it-which endeavoured to foothe my painful fenfibilityexpreffed an approbation of my fchemes, and an opinion of their weight and influence;-condefcending to enquire into business, as well as to examine the ideas of an impe

tuous

tuous young man,

How I am

exhorted, not to extinguish this fire, but to foften it, and keep it within due bounds, that it may be productive of good! So now I am no longer at variance with myfelf, but fettled, determined-at least for a week to come. Content and

peace of mind are valuable things, my dear friend'; but if they are precious, they are alfo tranfitory.

LETTER XLIV.

February 20

OD bless you, my dear friends!

GOD

and may he grant to you that

happinefs which he denies to me!

I thank

I thank you, Albert, for having deceived me. Iwaited for the weddingday to be fixed, and on that day I intended with folemnity to have taken down Charlotte's profile from the wall, and with fome other

papers to

have buried it. You are now united, and her picture ftill remains there. Well, let it remain! Why fhould it not? Does not Charlotte find room for me in her heart? Yes, you may allow me to occupy the fecond place there, and I will, I ought to keep it; I fhould become furious if she could Albert, that thought is

forget hell.-May you be happy, Albert!Charlotte, angel of light, may you

be the happiest of women!

LETTER

LETTER XLV.

March 15.

HAVE just had an adventure which will drive me from hence: I lose all patience.-Death !-it is not to be remedied, and you only are the cause of all this;-you that drove me on, and urged and tormented me; you that made me take an employment I am by no means fit for. I have great reason now to be fatisfied-so have you ! But that I may not again be told, that the impetuofity of my temper

ruins every thing, I here fend you, Sir, a plain and fimple narration of the affair, as any mere chronicler of facts would relate it.

The

The Count of O-likes me, dif tinguishes me'; it is known that he does; I have mentioned it to you a hundred times. Yesterday I dined with him; it was the day on which all the nobility meet at his house. I never once dreamed of the assembly, nor that we fubalterns were excluded. In fhort I dined with the Count, and after dinner we went in to the hall, and talked and walked backwards and forwards. Colonel B. who came in, joined in the converfation, and the time paffed away till the company came. God knows I was thinking of nothing! when entered the right noble and right honourable Lady of T-, accompa

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nied