Having said all this with an Air of Disdain, I, smiling, took my leave, with much less Civility and Respect than I used to do: and hasting to Intelligence, I past my time very well with Bellinda, to whom I paid all my Visits, and omitted nothing that might make Bellimante know I had forgot her: But at the end of some days by a very happy change, she finding more inclination to Love than to Cruelty, banishing all Obstacles in Favour of a Lover, she came to Intelligence; where at first sight she made me some little Reproaches, and that in so soft a manner, that I did not doubt but I had toucht her Heart: I swore a thousand times, that all I had done, was only put on to see if it were possible she could resent it, and force from her Heart some little concern for my supposed loss. At this time I had abundance of Intreagues upon my hands, for it was not with Bellinda and Bellimante, with whom I lived in this manner; and indeed it is impossible to remain at Intelligence and to make a Court but to two Persons only, where there are so many of the Fair and Young. I writ every day several Billets; and received every day as many: I had every day two or three Rendezvous; and one ought to manage matters very discreetly, that neither Party might come to the knowledge of the others concern; and one ought to be a Man of great Address and Subtilty to love more than one securely; and though this gave me some pain, it was nevertheless an Embarrass very agreeable, and in which I could have lived a great while; if Envy, which cannot suffer any Body to be happy in Intelligence, had not arrived there and told a great many things which discovered my Intreagues; so that Bellinda, with whom I had lived there with great Tranquillity a long time, and Bellimante, with whom I was but just beginning to be happy, were both obliged to quit this delightful place, where we enjoyed many happy hours; and they retired till the noise was a little over; and with them all those who had afforded me any hope: If any one of these had stayed, I had been contented well enough and one might have consol'd me for the loss of the other, but in one day to lose all that made my happiness, put me in such a Melancholy, I knew not for the present what to do for myself; but Coquet Love conducted me to a Village, that gave me a new Pleasure: The scituation of it is marvellous, the Fields and the Groves all about it the most pleasant in the World; the Meadows enamel'd with Rivulets, which run winding here and there, and lose themselves in the Thickets and the Woods. In going, Love said to me: In absence it is in vain to abandon yourself to sorrow. Alas! What signifies it to sigh night and day; the Absent does not hear us; nor can the most tender Affliction or Complaint render a Lover happy, unless the Fair One were present to hear all his Moans, then perhaps they might avail. There was reason in what he said, and I was pleas'd and calm'd; and we arrived at the same time at this Village: All the Houses were fine, and pleasant, we saw all the Graces there by Fountains and by Flowery Springs, and all the Objects that could be imagined agreeable; and the least amiable ones, we saw, gave us a Joy! All the World that inhabit there contribute to Diversion; and this place is called Amusement: Amusement is a young Boy, who stops and gazes at every thing that meets his Eyes, and he makes his Pleasure with every Novelty.
As soon as I arrived at this Village I thought to divert myself, as others did; and to hinder my Thoughts from fixing on the loss of my two Mistresses, and to banish from my mind the Chagrins their Absence gave me; withdrawn from the fair Eyes of Bellimante, and the Charming Wit of Bellinda, and to give my sighing Heart a little ease; upon a thousand Objects I formed my desires, and took a thousand Pleasures to divert my Melancholy: And all the time I lived at this dear place, I passed my time without any inquietude; for every day afforded me new Objects to give me new Wishes. And I now expected, without much impatience, the return of Bellinda and Bellimante; nor did I tire myself with writing to 'em every day; and when I did write, to save the expence of thought, the same Billet served both; a thousand little tender things I said of course to both: And sometimes, especially while I was writing, I thought I had rather seen them than have lived at Amusement, but since it was necessary they should be absent, I bore it with all the Patience I could; sometimes we were in a fit of writing very regularly to one another, but on a sudden I received no Letters at all; the reason of this was, they both understood I lived at Amusement, and had retired themselves to the Palace of Spight: I no sooner received this News, but I rendered myself there also; it is a place where there is alwaies abundance of Tumult, Outrage, Quarrels and Noise: And Spight is a Person who eternally gives occasion of Discontent and Broil; causing People often to fall out with those they love most, and to caress those they hate: But the Quarrels she occasions us with those we love, last but a very short season, and Love reconciles those differences that Spight obliges us to make: Thô 'tis sometime pleasant enough to see those we Love extreamly, and violently, fall into the highest rage, and say a thousand things injurious and unreasonable, and to swear all the Oaths that angry Love and Fury can inspire, never to see or converse with one another again, and in a moment after to grow calm, weep, and reunite; to be perjured on both sides, and become more fond than ever they were.
A Lovers Rage and Jealousie
One short moment do's confess:
How can they long angry be
Whose Hearts are full of tenderness?
In this Place there wou'd be eternal War, but for a person who inhabits there, and is always the Mediator for Peace, 'tis he that assists to accommodate and bring the Lovers together. This is a very honest person, call'd Right Understanding; he brought me to Bellinda, whom I found accompani'd with a Man that made her a thousand caresses; at my approach she made as if she knew me not, which I took in such disdain, that I apply'd myself to Spight, with a design to be reveng'd on this Haughty scorner. In this humour I made a visit to Bellimante but found her as Implacable as Bellinda, whom no excuses, no reason, cou'd reduce to the temper I had once seen her; in a rage, ten times more than I was before, fill'd with disdain and revenge I complain'd of this treatment to my little Love, who immediately led me into a Grove, where the Beauties and the Graces us'd to walk, to consult upon what return to make for my affront; from one place to another we past on till we came to a little Thicket, on the other side of which, by a little Rivulet we cou'd hear, but not see, two persons discoursing; they were women, and one seemed in a violent Rage against her Lover, who had newly offended her, whilst the other strove in vain to reconcile her, but she went on, vowing to revenge herself with the next object she shou'd Encounter that had but Wit, Youth, and fortune enough to Justify her Love, and make her conquest glorious; her resolution agreeing so with mine, and her manner of speaking, gave me new hope and pleasure, and a great curiosity to see her face; I found by her Resentment she was young and of Quality, and that alone was enough to make me resolve upon Addressing myself to her, and the other person had no sooner left her, but I advanced towards her, with as good a grace as I you'd put on; she was a little surprised, and blushing at first, but I soon reconcil'd her to my conversation. I found her handsom enough to ingage me, and she was as well pleased with me as I was with her, both having the same design which was that of revenge, and you may Imagine, our business being the same, our entertainment was not at first extraordinary, but as my cause of Anger was more reasonable than hers, I began to find myself to soften into liking of this new fair one, who was called Cemena, and who, to spight her former Lover, endeavor'd to be seen with me in all the publick places she cou'd, which gave him Infinite torments of Jealousie. One day as I was walking with this Cemena in a place where the young and the fair frequent, Bellinda and Bellimante often passed by us, and saw us both well pleas'd and in good humour; I cou'd perceive their colour goe and come, and that they were as uneasy at this object, as my heart you'd wish, and by their quitting of the place immediately after, I was assured of all my hope, and believed I had gained my Point; at the end of two or three days, one Morning walking alone in the same place I encountered Bellimante, who hap'ned to be attended with her Woman onely; she chang'd colour at my approach, and wou'd have passed me by but I stay'd her by the Robe; and said a thousand things to her that angry Love inspir'd me with, while she on her side did the same, till we had talk'd ourselves by degrees into reason, and good understanding. I found her Resentment to be only the excess of Love, and all those faults are easily forgiven, I immediately threw myself at her Feet, and made her a thousand protestations of my fidelity, and she, in her turn excused herself with all the tenderness imaginable, she made me a thousand new vows and caresses, and forgot nothing that might perswade me that all she did was by Counsel of Spight.
Oh! how soft it is to see
The fair one we believe untrue,
Eager and impatient be
To be reconcil'd anew;
When their little cheats of Love
Shall with reasons be excus'd,
Oh! how soft it is to prove.
With what ease we are abus'd!
When we come to understand
How unjust are all our fears;
And to feel the lovely hand
Wiping from our Eyes the tears.
And a thousand Favours pay
For every drop they kiss away,
Oh! how soft it is to yield,
To the Maid just reconcil'd.
I found this accommodement extreamly agreeable, and it was in these transports the Lovely Bellimante detain'd me for some days without quitting her, but I found too much Joy in a new reconciliation not to endeavour to make one also with Bellinda; as soon then as Bellimante grew a little off my heart by so long a conversation with one and the same Woman, I, on pretence of some affairs, left her extreamly charm'd and satisfi'd, and hasted to Bellinda, who, methought, was now a new Beauty; at least I found her too considerable to lose the Glory of ingaging her intirely; 'tis possible that both these Ladies, being agitated with as little faith as myself, deceiv'd me with the same design as I did them, to make their pleasure only, and thô this very often came into my thoughts, yet it gave me no great inquietude, they dissembl'd well, and I cou'd not see it; I had the satisfaction and the vanity of 'em, that was as much as I desir'd from any of the fair since Silvia toucht my heart, they both swore they lov'd and both fear'd to displease, if they were unfaithful they had a thousand stratagems to hide their infidelity, and took a great deal of care to keep me, which shew'd a value in me above all the rest of my Rivals, and I beheld myself with some Pride and esteem for having so much power; when ever they offended me they had all the Arts to mollify me, and who wou'd be so critically in love as not to be willing to be so well abus'd? For my part I will not be so nice, as to penetrate into their thoughts, to find what wou'd but displease me if found; but content myself with all I see and find that looks like Love at least and good humour. Nay even in their worst I found a thousand pleasures, those of their quarrels which sometimes happen twenty times a day, when every reconciliation is like a new Mistress, so well they strive to please and be reconcil'd.
But all these pleasures did not satisfy me, there were greater yet behind which I had not arriv'd to with these fair charmers, and however I liv'd at Amusement, making a thousand Amours with a hundred of the most Beautiful, still I had a desire to subdue intirely to my pleasure these two the most hard to gain, but now I was pretty well secur'd of both their hearts and yet neither knew they were each others Rivals in mine. They knew one another, converst, and play'd and walkt together, yet so discreet I was in this Amour that neither was jealous of the other, nor suspected I lov'd both with an equal Ardour; when I hap'ned to be with 'em both I carried myself so equally Gallant that both commended my conduct and imagin'd I did it to hide the secret passion I had for herself, and so many little Arts my Coquet Love had taught me I cou'd with ease manage abundance of intrigues at one and the same time.
But as I said, this did not suffice, nor cou'd the fires that some more willing Beauties allay'd, hinder me from wishing and burning and persuing those two fair persons with an Ardor that had no appearance of decay from any others goodness to me, but in my daily visits to 'em I eternally solicited them to suffer me to accompany them to that charming place call'd Favors, which is a very Beautiful Castle rais'd in a Vally. I confest to you that my Coquet Cupid advis'd me not to go, for fear of attaching myself too much to a place so extreamly agreeable; the Mountains, that environ this Castle, are very high and full of hollow Rocks, which made the scituation very sullen. The Castle itself was delicately built, and surrounded with tall Trees, so thick that one cou'd hardly see the Edifice, nor cou'd the Sun-beams dart throw the gloomy shade; and eternal Night seem'd to sit there in awful state and pleasure: For the more obscure this place is and secret from all Eyes, the better and more acceptable it is to all that enter there, and thô this Vally have many inhabitants, it appears to have none at all; because they love solitude, and, banishing all Publick society, content themselves only to be but two in company together; if there be more they are receiv'd with a very ill welcome, for a third Person in this place wou'd destroy the Pleasure and the harmony. The Inhabitants of this Castle never shew themselves but to those that are very importune, and then not every day, the Ladies that command there are many Sisters all of the name of the Castle; and all very fair, and still one more fair than the other, and when you visit 'em you see 'em not all at once but by degrees and the last you behold is the fairest, and by the pleasure you have in seeing one, you desire to see 'em all. For there are no limits to be given to desire, and as they are never seen by any body altogether, it happens very often that you see but one, and you must have address and great assiduity, abstinence, and good fortune to obtain one of these Favors; but the last will cost you much more trouble than all the rest put together, so very fair, so very nice and coy she is: But when once obtain'd she brings you to the Palace of intire Pleasure; which is neighbouring to the Castle of Favors; but I, who wou'd very fain, at once, have brought to this delicate place both Bellinda and Bellimante, found myself extream uneasy, because, as I said, only two can be well entertain'd at a time! I found it against my humour and against the advice of Love to abandon all, and retire with one only, for in decency and good manners, those, who go to this Castle of Favors, are oblig'd to continue there for some time; and I found, I shou'd be extreamly chagrin after a little with one alone; but both were obstinate and wou'd not suffer a third: and having been so very importune with both, I was asham'd to repent and recant all those things I had said, to persuade them to go, thô in my heart I was very ill satisfi'd I had not persu'd the counsel, Love had given me not to go to Favors at all; he foreseeing an inconvenience in such a retreat, which I, with all my young desires about me and fond of novelty, cou'd not, so well as he, discern; however I had propos'd it with some ardency and wou'd not go back, but resolv'd to make the best advantage of my voyage, and wou'd not declare my regreet till I cou'd no longer hinder it: So that Bellimante, yeilding to my Implorings, consented next day to go with me to this retreat of Favors.