“The small pittance you gave her for Maintenance falls greatly Short of Supplying her with Common Necessaries, and not only so but this Small allowance which is but £40 a year is now £10 in arrear. You must be sensible Mrs. Arne could not Subsist without Running you in Debt, those Debts must be paid very soon by you. Mrs. Arne has a right and expects to be maintained by you Suitable to your Circumstances. I must request an explicit and immediate answer; Or I shall take the necessary Steps to procure Mrs. Arne that justice which she has an Undoubted Right to.”
This called forth the following reply from Dr. Arne. It will be noted that Arne did not address the Attorney, but wrote direct to his wife:
“A.D. 1770.
“Mrs. Arne,—After the affectionate note I sent you yesterday, with 5 Guineas, which was from the first money I reciev’d, how great was my surprize, when I reciev’d in return a threatening letter from one Rennett an Attorney, on your account!
“Cou’d I possibly have suppos’d that after my being so long in no way of earning a Guinea, which (till this Job of Mr. Colman’s) was ever since the end of last March, and being involv’d in debts on that account that you—my Wife, shou’d be the only person who sought to distress me? If other people had been as inhuman, what must have become of a Man, who is a laborious Slave to support his necessary Dependants; insomuch that he does not enjoy three days’ ease and pleasure the whole year round?
“As peace and quiet are all the enjoyments which a man of my age can hope for, if he is in his senses, which, in spite of base and wicked minded people, I thank God I have not yet lost, I shall not fly in a passion at your very ungenerous treatment; but with the temper of a Philosopher explain to you the consequences of your following the ill advice, which may have been given you, and I know from whom.
“When Mr. Tyers refus’d to engage Polly Young, unless you cou’d produce a Bond sign’d by me, whereby we were both impower’d to live and act seperately, did not I directly on your express solicitation, enter into such Bond, impowering you to recieve her whole income? Did I ever desire a shilling of all she got before and after or wish otherwise than that it had been ten times as much for your sake?
“Well, after this, you having married your Niece to Mr. Bartelmon, which threw you out of a good income, having besides impoverish’d yourself, by lending your Money in large Sums to an extravagant, unprincipled Whore, and to others, who only meant to defraud you of that and other valuables, you applied to me by Mr. Forest, to pay you an annual allowance for your support: I, who was ever desirous and ready to do all within my power, ent’red immediately into an Agreement to pay you £40 a year, though I had no certain income of my own to do it with, and through years of distress, for want of something weekly coming in, made up my payments to you, in one week, fortnight, or month, whenever I cou’d scrape your money together, till lately, meeting with no employment for a considerable time,—encumber’d with an expensive house at Chelsea, which I have prudently quitted, and being robb’d by an abandon’d infamous Whore and Thief of a Servant, my Necessities oblig’d me to be behindhand in my payments; yet you very well know that whenever I had two, three, or five Guineas, I never fail’d to give them to you, in part of payment, and that but a trifle now remains due.
“Is this a Man to recieve the treatment you now give me? Fie, fie, Mrs. Arne! don’t drive me to resentment, when I am willing to act conformable to the laws of religion, peace and love; if you do, by Heaven you’ll have terribly the worst of it; for I can prove that having no regular income, whenever I recieve any money, it is always consum’d in debts, and that I am actualy not in a capacity to allow you £20 a year.
“If, on the contrary, you chuse to continue in love and friendship, send a line immediately to Mr. Rennett, that the affair is amicably accommodated, and though I may be never so distress’d, I will cheerfuly pay your allowance, and remain,