The skeleton you faw in the library was once my fon, Charles Henley, a moft extraordinary man. He had great abilities, and understood every thing a mortal is capable of knowing, of things human and divine.When he was in his nineteenth year, I took him to France and other countries, to fee the world, and, on our return to England, married him into a noble family, to a very valuable young woman, of a large fortune, and by her he had the young lady you faw fitting on the chair near the table by me. This fon I loft, three years after his marriage, and with him all relish for the world: and being naturally inclined to retirement and a fpeculative life, never ftirred fince from this country-houfe. Here my fon devoted himfelf entirely to study, and amused himself with inftructing his beloved Statia, the young lady you have feen. At his death he configned her to my care; and as her underftanding is very great, and her difpofition sweet and charming, I have not only taken great pains in educating her, but have been delighted with my employment. Young as fhe is, but in the fecond month of her one Aug. 14, and twentieth year, the not only knows more than women of distinction generally do, but would be the admiration of learned men, if her knowledge in languages, mathematics, and philofophy, were known to them and as her father taught her mufic D 4

and

1727.

and painting, perhaps there is not a young woman of finer accomplishments in the kingdom.

Her father died towards the end of the year 1723, in the 39th year of his age, when the was not quite fixteen, and, by his will, left her ten thousand pounds, and Bafil-Houfe and eftate; but he is not to inherit it, or marry, 'till the is two and twenty. This was her father's will. As to the skeleton in the library, it was my son's express order it fhould be fo, and that the figure should not be removed from the place it stands in, while the library remained in that room; but continue a folemn memorial in his family, to perpetuate his memory, and be a memento mori to the living.

Old Mr. §. 10. This is the hiftory of Bafil Groves, Henley offers me his and the late owner of this feat, and his grand- daughter Statia. We live a happy, relimarriage. gious life here, and enjoy every blefling that

daughterin

can be defired in this lower hemisphere. But as I am not very far from a hundred years, having paffed that ninety-two which Sir William Temple fays, he never knew any one he was acquainted with arrive at, I must be on the brink of the grave, and expect every day to drop into it. What may become of Statia, then, gives me fome trouble to think; as all her relations, except myfelf, are in the other world. To spend

her

her life here in this folitude, as feems to be her inclination, is not proper; and to go into the world by herfelf, when I am dead, without knowing any mortal in it, may involve her in troubles and diftreffes. Hear then, my son, what I propose to you. You are a young man, but ferious. You have got fome wisdom in the fchool of affliction, and you have no averfion to matrimony, as you have juft buried, you fay, a glorious woman, your wife. If you will stay with us here, till Statia is two and twenty, and in that time render yourself agreeable to her, I promise you, the shall be yours the day the enters the three and twentieth year of her age, and you shall have with her fortune. all that I am owner of, which is no small fum. What do you fay to this proposal ?

§. 11. Sir, I replied, you do me vaft My reply. honour, much more I am fure than my merits can pretend to. I am infinitely obliged to you, and must be blind and infenfible, if I refused fuch a woman as Miss Henley, were fhe far from being the fortune the is: But I have not vanity enough to imagine, I can gain her affections; efpecially in my circumtances; and to get her by your authority, or power of difpofing of her, is what I cannot think of. I will stay however, a few months here, fince you fo generously invite

me,

My refidence at Bafil Groves for feven months, and man

ner of liv

ing.

The death

Mr.

Henley, and

me, and let Mifs Henley know, I will be her humble fervant, if she will allow me the honour of bearing that title. This made the old gentleman laugh, and he took me by the hand, faying, This is right. Come, let us go and take a walk before dinner.

§. 12. There I paffed the winter, and part of the spring, and lived in a delightful manner. The mornings I generally spent in the library, reading, or writing extracts from fome curious MSS. or fcarce books; and in the afternoons Mifs Henley and I walked in the lawns and woods, or fat down to cards. She was a fine creature indeed in body and foul, had a beautiful understanding, and charmed me to a high degree. Her converfation was rational and easy, without the leaft affectation from the books the had read; and fhe would enliven it fometimes by finging, in which kind of mufic fhe was as great a miftrefs as I have heard. As to her heart, I found it was to be gained; but an accident happened that put a stop to the amour.

§. 13. In the beginning of March, the of old old gentleman, the excellent Mr. Henley, Statia's Statia's grandfather and guardian, and my thereupon. great friend, died, and by his death a great alteration enfued in my affair. I thought

behaviour

to

to have had Mifs Henley immediately, as there was no one to plead her father's will against the marriage, and intended to fend O Finn for Fryar Fleming; but when Statia faw herself her own miftrefs, without any fuperior, or controul, and in poffeffion of large fortunes, money, and an estate, that fhe might do as the pleased; this had an effect on her mind, and made a change. She told me, when I addreffed myself to her, after her grandfather was interred, that what the intended to do, in obedience to him, had he lived, the thought required

very ferious confideration now the was left to herself: That, exclufive of this, her inclination really was for a fingle life; and had it been otherwife, yet it was not proper, fince her guardian was dead, that I fhould live with her till the time limited by her father's will for her to marry was come; but that, as he had too good an opinion of me, to imagine her fortune was what chiefly urged my application, and muft own fhe had a regard for me, fhe would be glad to hear from me fometimes, if I could think her worth remembring, after I had left the Groves of Bafil. This fhe faid with great seriousness, and feemed by her manner to forbid my urging the thing any further.