Your humble.

Letter 5.—­Sir Justinian is the lover here described.  He had four daughters, and it is one of Dorothy’s favourite jests to offer Temple a mother-in-law’s good word if he will pay court to one of them when she has married the “Emperor.”

SIR,—­Since you are so easy to please, sure I shall not miss it, and if my idle dreams and thoughts will satisfy you, I am to blame if you want long letters.  To begin this, let me tell you I had not forgot you in your absence.  I always meant you one of my daughters.  You should have had your choice, and, trust me, they say some of them are handsome; but since things did not succeed, I thought to have said nothing on’t, lest you should imagine I expected thanks for my good intention, or rather lest you should be too much affected with the thought of what you have lost by my imprudence.  It would have been a good strengthening to my Party (as you say); but, in earnest, it was not that I aimed at, I only desired to have it in my power to oblige you; and ’tis certain I had proved a most excellent mother-in-law.  Oh, my conscience! we should all have joined against him as the common enemy, for those poor young wenches are as weary of his government as I could have been.  He gives them such precepts, as they say my Lord of Dorchester gives his wife, and keeps them so much prisoners to a vile house he has in Northamptonshire, that if but once I had let them loose, they and his learning would have been sufficient to have made him mad without my help; but his good fortune would have it otherwise, to which I will leave him, and proceed to give you some reasons why the other motion was not accepted on.  The truth is, I had not that longing to ask a mother-in-law’s blessing which you say you should have had, for I knew mine too well to think she could make a good one; besides, I was not so certain of his nature as not to doubt whether she might not corrupt it, nor so confident of his kindness as to assure myself that it would last longer than other people of his age and humour.  I am sorry to hear he looks ill, though I think there is no great danger of him.  ’Tis but a fit of an ague he has got, that the next charm cures, yet he will be apt to fall into it again upon a new occasion, and one knows not how it may work upon his thin body if it comes too often; it spoiled his beauty, sure, before I knew him, for I could never see it, or else (which is as likely) I do not know it when I see it; besides that, I never look for it in men.  It was nothing that I expected made me refuse these, but something that I feared; and, seriously, I find I want courage to marry where I do not like.  If we should once come to disputes I know who would have the worst on’t, and I have not faith enough to believe a doctrine that is often preach’d, which is, that though at first one has no kindness for them, yet it will grow strongly after marriage.  Let them trust to it that think good; for my part, I am