1800.] 
and communicate to your benevolent beart 
my laft, my moft important, fecret. You 
muft know then, that for fixteen years 
Jaft paft T have lived in the moft intimate 
manner with this poor girl now under 
my roof, except fince my leaving Mont- 
morency, in which my fituation has 
obliged me to live with her as my fifter-; 
but my affection for her has not in the 
leaft diminifhed, and, but for you, the idea 
of leaving her without any reiource would 
imbitter my laft moments. 
From this connection have fprung five 
children, who have all been fent to the 
Foundling-Hofpital, and with fo little 
precaution in the view of afterwards 
knowing them, that I have not even pre- 
ferved the date of their birth. For feveral 
years, remorfe for this negligence has 
difturbed my repofe, and I die without the 
power of repairing it, to the mother’s 
great regret and to my own, All I 
did was merely to put in«the linen of the 
eldeft, a mark, of which I have kept the 
duplicate: he muft have been born, as I 
imagine, in the winter of 1746, or near it. 
This is all that I can recollect concerning 
it. If there were any means of finding 
again this child, it would confiitute the 
happinefs of its tender mother; but I de- 
ipair of it, and I cannot carry away with 
me fo much confolation. The ideas 
with which my .fault has filled my 
mind, have contributed in a great de- 
gree to make me meditate and com- 
pofe the Treatife on Education; and 
you will there find, in the firlt book, a 
paffage that will point out to you-this dif- 
politicn. I have not married the mother, 
nor was I obiiged to do it, fince, before 
my attachment to her, I declared to her 
that Inever fhould marry her; ana, be- 
fides, a public marriage was impcfidle in’ 
our cafe, on account of the difference of 
ourreligion. In every other point of view, 
T have loved and honoured her 2s my wife, 
as well for her good heart, her fincere af- 
fection, her unexampled difintereftednefs, 
as for her unfpotied fidelity, upon which 
fhe has never given mie even the {malleit 
uccafion for fulpicion. 
This is, Madam, the too ju reafon for 
my folicitude concerning the fate of this 
poor girl after fhe may lofe me; fe much 
fo, that if I had lefs confidence in your 
friendfhip, and in that of my lord the 
Ma thal, I fhou'd go away penetrated with 
erief for the forfaken condition in which 
I fhould leave her; but I truft her to you, 
and I die in peace with refpect tothat. It 
remains for me to fay what I think would 
be the mof convenient refpecting her fi. 
From the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 143 
tuation and character, and which might 
give the leaft occafion to take hold of ber 
faults. 
My firft idea was, to intreat you to 
give her an afylum in your houle, or 
about the perfon of the child who is the 
hope of it, until the time when women’s — 
care will be no longer neceffary ; but cer- 
tainly that ftep would not fucceed, there 
would be too many bufy bodies between 
her and you, and fhe has already in your 
houfe fome ill-willed perfons, whom fhe 
certainly has not made fo by any fault of 
her’s, and who would unquellionably, 
find means tc lower her in your eyes, or 
in thofe of my lord the Marfhal. She 
has not fupplenefs nor prudence enovgh to 
conduct herjelf among fo many aifierent 
difpofitions, and to praétice thofe little ma- 
nagements with wnhich one gains the con= 
fidence of fuperiors, whatever underiiand. 
ing they may poffcfs: therefore I again 
repeat it, that courfe wou'd not be pro- 
per, and I beg your ladyfhip to think no 
moreof it. Nor fhould I like shat the fhould 
live in Paris, inany manner whatever, being 
well perfuaded that, from her eafy diipo- 
fition, fhe vould become the prey and the 
victim of her numerous family, people 
whole covetoufnefs and perfidioulnels have 
no bounds ; from whem I have myfelf had 
a great deal of trouble to refcue her, and 
who are the caufe, in a great meafure, of 
my retiring into the country. If ever fhe 
lives in Pavis, fhe is loft; for, were the 
concealed from them, as fhe is of fo good 
and eafy a nature, fhe could not always 
abftain from feeing them, they would 
drain her pocket to the laft farthing, and 
then vex her to death with ill-treatment. 
My reafons are not lefs firong for wifh- 
ing that fhe might not live with her mo- 
ther, given up to my cruel enemies to be 
fed by them with bad defigns, and who 
only feek an occafion to punifh this poor 
girl for not having lent her hand to affit 
them in their plots againii me. She is the 
only one of the family who has received 
nothing from her mother, and the only one 
who has fed and taken care of her in her 
ditirefs ; if, therefore, I have given an 
afylum, for twelve years, to this poor 
woman, you will eafily comprehend, ma- 
dam, that it ison account of the daugh- 
ter FT have done it. I have a thoufand 
reafons, too tedious to particularize, for 
defiring that fhe may not return with her ; 
theref re, I pray you to interpofe, even, 
if there be need, by your authority, to 
prevent her. 
I fee only two courfes which it would be 
convenient to take; one is to continue in 
: the 
