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Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister By: Aphra Behn (1640-1689) |
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by Aphra Behn
The Argument In the time of the rebellion of the true Protestant Huguenot in
Paris , under the conduct of the Prince of Condé (whom we will call
Cesario ) many illustrious persons were drawn into the association,
amongst which there was one, whose quality and fortune (joined with
his youth and beauty) rendered him more elevated in the esteem of the
gay part of the world than most of that age. In his tender years
(unhappily enough) he chanced to fall in love with a lady, whom we
will call Myrtilla , who had charms enough to engage any heart; she
had all the advantages of youth and nature; a shape excellent; a most
agreeable stature, not too tall, and far from low, delicately
proportioned; her face a little inclined round, soft, smooth and
white; her eyes were blue, a little languishing, and full of love and
wit; a mouth curiously made, dimpled, and full of sweetness; lips
round, soft, plump and red; white teeth, firm and even; her nose a
little Roman , and which gave a noble grace to her lovely face, her
hair light brown; a neck and bosom delicately turned, white and
rising; her arms and hands exactly shaped; to this a vivacity of youth
engaging; a wit quick and flowing; a humour gay, and an air
irresistibly charming; and nothing was wanting to complete the joys of
the young Philander , (so we call our amorous hero) but Myrtilla 's
heart, which the illustrious Cesario had before possessed; however,
consulting her honour and her interest, and knowing all the arts as
women do to feign a tenderness; she yields to marry him: while
Philander , who scorned to owe his happiness to the commands of
parents, or to chaffer for a beauty, with her consent steals her away,
and marries her. But see how transitory is a violent passion; after
being satiated, he slights the prize he had so dearly conquered; some
say, the change was occasioned by her too visibly continued love to
Cesario ; but whatever it was, this was most certain, Philander
cast his eyes upon a young maid, sister to Myrtilla , a beauty, whose
early bloom promised wonders when come to perfection; but I will spare
her picture here, Philander in the following epistles will often
enough present it to your view: He loved and languished, long before
he durst discover his pain; her being sister to his wife, nobly born,
and of undoubted fame, rendered his passion too criminal to hope for a
return, while the young lovely Sylvia (so we shall call the noble
maid) sighed out her hours in the same pain and languishment for
Philander , and knew not that it was love, till she betraying it
innocently to the overjoyed lover and brother, he soon taught her to
understand it was love he pursues it, she permits it, and at last
yields, when being discovered in the criminal intrigue, she flies with
him; he absolutely quits Myrtilla , lives some time in a village near
Paris , called St Denis , with this betrayed unfortunate, till being
found out, and like to be apprehended, (one for the rape, the other
for the flight) she is forced to marry a cadet, a creature of
Philander 's, to bear the name of husband only to her, while
Philander had the entire possession of her soul and body: still the
League went forward, and all things were ready for a war in Paris ;
but it is not my business here to mix the rough relation of a war,
with the soft affairs of love; let it suffice, the Huguenots were
defeated, and the King got the day, and every rebel lay at the mercy
of his sovereign. Philander was taken prisoner, made his escape to a
little cottage near his own palace, not far from Paris , writes to
Sylvia to come to him, which she does, and in spite of all the
industry to re seize him, he got away with Sylvia . After their flight these letters were found in their cabinets, at
their house at St Denis , where they both lived together, for the
space of a year; and they are as exactly as possible placed in the
order they were sent, and were those supposed to be written towards
the latter end of their amours... Continue reading book >>
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