My Dove
I hope in God that you are not so melancholy as when I had the happiness or misfortune of
waiting upon you last; for if I was any ways the cause thereof, then it was one of my unfortunate
days, but what if I fancy that the place & other Company were the real & [deleted] occasions therof
for pray Madam give me leave to put you in mind what trouble & concern you were under when a
certain Gentleman appeared, or at least after his coming where I had ye honour to be with you—
either at play or alone. It ought not to be in ye least wondered at that I do with so much eagerness
& attention observe all yor motion outward motions, nay almost those of yor heart & Soul, and when
I am so unlucky as to observefind you to be in ye least discomposed, melancholy, or seemingly angry, that I am
in an Agony of sorrow & grief &c, but when you are pleased, merry, & so consequently with a cheerful countenance
brisk & airy, look pleasant, & give me the innocent freedom of telling you of my extraordinary, & exceeding great passion of
Love, affection, honour, esteem, respect & veneration, wch I solemn most solemnly & most cordially profess to
have for you, or giv when you give me leave to kiss yor fair hand, yor pretty mouth, & ravishing br charming
Eyes & ravishing breasts, then I was in am in exstasie of joy & satisfaction, & rapt up in pleasure, especiall which I nay I even pleased my self, when I recollect how many hundred nay thousand times I have
have a faint &
done it
Madam
for Heavens sake let this last day but one of the year put an end to yor saying that you will live a single
Life, and why may not I then hope that the new year may be propitious to
me, being I am sure
that I do most heartily pray & wish that it may be so in all respects to yorself And that you may be one of the
happiest & most fortunate women alive, nay even tho I were really a real Sufferer thereby; for I
thank God I have so far from finding Composed my
thoughts concerning you that I am in hopes of bearing
it patiently if I should not obtain you, and that my actions will
demonstrate it viz neither by leaving this
Country nor doing any violent act of any sort when I hear any person courts you or is married to you
but whether (please that it will be, before I am so, God
Almighty best knows, as likewise what is good
for us both. But pray vertuous Lady give me leave most earnestly to recommend to you to consider &
weigh well & take yor own advice & follow yor own inclination in this most important affair of yor Life.
pretty innocent Creature I take yor Case to be thus viz if please God you should marry any p[deleted]man but y[deleted] refuse me &
marry another & he not prove a very Loving, kind, indulgent good husband in all respects, it will it not
be a trouble to you, when you may be assured I would have endeavoured by all ways & means to have been
such a one to you, but if he should prove, (wch God forbid) passionate, ill natured, ill humored, peevish
unsatisfied, discontented & Jealous, then what a horrour & confusion will it be to you, when all these or any
one of them happens to you, especially when you consider that you arewere only fearfull that they would have
happened to you if you had married me, & when please God I am ever so, wch I don't know but it may be
very shortly, I am very certain tho I should meet with but avery indifferent sort of awoman either for
person, quality, or fortune, yet I should make her a very good husband in all respects, but when so, what
sort of ana very extraordinary one Loving, tender, kind, indulgent & affectionate one should I have made to you,
to put you in mind of what I have formerlyso often both spoke & written to you, wch I hope I need
not here repeat to you, and I think it is not possible for your father to marry you to any man
that will love you may be a thousand part so well as I do.
My guardian angel but oh with what anguish of soul
horror & confusion of thought, distraction of mind, and all the dismal & melancholy Ideas of my past
Courtship &c to you, do I labour under; butwhen I am almost certain, or at least fearfull & apprehensive
that any the least misfortune mightmay happen or befall you on my accott especially concerning yor
marrying or Living single, and if I were in the least conscious to my self that I have or shall be any
ways willfully the causer thereof; it would be worse than death to me wch I hope in God I should face
& meet tho in the most terrible manner whatsoever with much less fear & concern then I do this my greatest misfortune & unhappiness of not being
like to marry you. But I pray God may that may never happen to you wch I am fearfull & apprehensive
will, as I have formerly told & written to you, if you either live single or marry any other.
Innocent Dove being I am forced to conclude my courtshipthis letter (but it is with ye greatest reluctancy &c that ever any mortal man
did) because I am fearfull & apprehensive that it is like to be ye last I beg of you, & that with
all the passion &c of a real Lover & friend &c that you would be pleased to take yor own choice of a husband,
to avoid the company that I have desired you as one has preferfor I know you have as much if not more good sense & understanding, as any of yor Relacons & friends & as for
good nature, humor, & disposition affableness, & vertue I think you far exceed them
My most entirely beloved Mistris the last things that I
presume once more to recommend to you are, viz that you would be pleased to avoid, as much
as much as possible, the reflect talking & reflecting &c company, Never to avoid the publick service
of God Almighty in general, but particularly on ye Sunday at Church, to receive ye most
holy Sacrament at Easter next & to continue so to do at all publick times. to hear of these
things will in some measure allay my grief, sorrow &c wch at present I am prest with,
because I am forbid to [deleted] to be make any further application to you on the accot
of Love &c but I think I shall never cease to beYor Lover
Yor most entirely affectionate friend
& faithfull humble servt whilst