torney a bond, fent to his late father, in order to make an affignment of it to Mr. Stacie. I therefore immediately fent to Mr. Stacie, who foon came with his attorney, and having engaged to the officer for my appearance, I returned home without the attendance of my gentlemen ushers. My little girl felt inexpreffible fatisfaction at feeing me; and I had the pleafure to find, that the cause of my abfence had not been suspected by any perfon in the house. The mistress of it was confined to her bed; her husband was in Italy; and I had been as much alarmed left she fhould be frightened at fo critical a time, as I was at the disagreeable predicament in which I had ftood. As the writ was foon returnable, and it was not in my power to procure a bail fufficient for fo large a fum, I had no refource but to give my name into the office of the court of King's Bench for not being willing to plead the privilege I was entitled to from Comte Haflang, to a debt of any kind, much less to one I did not owe, I determined to ftand trial. I was the more induced to do this, as the affair began to unravel itself; by which I found, that the unhappy wo-" man my youngest fon had formerly connected himself himself with, in conjunction with another perfon, had prevailed upon an ignorant Irishman, who was never worth ten pounds in his life, to fwear that I was indebted to him a fum, that he and all his ancestors, from their fituation, could never have been poffeffed of. This unwarrantable manoeuvre I apprehend, was intended to intimidate me, fo as to get from me a receipt for the bond; for my fituation, at that juncture, made it extremely hazardous for me to change my apartment. The dread of fatal confequences, they imagined would induce me to purchase my liberty at any price. I must here inform you, that the bond in question was given by the relation I have already mentioned, who I brought up from a child, for money borrowed of Mr. Woodward, upon his going to the EaftIndies. If you will refer to one of my former letters, I forget which, you will fee, that upon my nephew's going abroad, through the intereft procured him by Mr. Hoole, Woodward advanced him eighty odd pounds for the completion of his equipment. A bond was given for that fum by the young gentleman, but, at Mr Woodward's express defire, was made out in my name; and he would would never accept of it, as I have reafon to believe, left it should fall into any other person's hands but my own, who he was fure would not fue for it. This could be the only reafon for his refufal, as he fo ftrenuously infifted upon my keeping it. As Mr. Stacie, upon many occafions, had been very obliging to the young men of my family, as well as to myself, I thought the affignment of this bond to him as counter fecurity towards the payment of Captain Metham's debt, was the only means I had, at the time, to prove to him, that though I was deprived of the ability to do him juftice, I did not want inclination; the bond was accordingly fent to this attorney's father, who was one of Mr. Woodwards folicitors, to be affigned over to Mr. Stacie. But that not having been done, I wrote to the fon, to require it fhould be immediately delivered up, and in fo peremptory a manner, that I have great reafon to believe this arreft was fabricated, in order to terify me to give a receipt for the bond. There does not appear to be any other inducement for the cruel treatment I received. Do you ever recollect reading a scene of greater cruelty in a civilized country, than that I have juft just recited? That a person who had, as *Orlando fays, "looked on better days; had fat at "good men's feasts; had from her eyelids often "wiped a tear; and knew what 'twas to pity "and be pitied;" fhould be dragged out of her bed, whilst labouring under a painful indisposition, hurried, in an ignominious manner, to a place of confinement, at the hazard of her life, and this without any just pretence; is an incident that almost exceeds belief, and difgraces the country where the act was committed. The many inftances I have given you in the course of my story, of the villainy of mankind, will, I fear, degrade human nature in your eftimation. But Heaven forbid, that my hard lot should be the lot of many of my fex!-It is true, I have experienced the most unkind, ungrateful, and villainous treatement, from fome of both fexes; nor have I yet finished the tale of them: but I will charitably hope that my cafe is a fingular one; and that people in general pass through life, without meeting with fo many proofs of the degeneracy of their fellow-creatures as I havedone. * As you like it, Act II. Scene VIII. G. A. B. LE T LETTER XCVIII. Feb. 22, 17 AT the conclufion of the season, I made application to Mr Younger, acting manager of Drury-lane, to request that the proprietors would grant me a number of tickets; as I could by no means expect the fame indulgence either from the patentees or performers, I had experienced the year before at Covent-Garden. They were immediately granted; and the late Earl Spencer requesting his lady to honour me with her patronage, in addition to my former patroneffes, I met with the fuccefs I hoped for. My not hearing from Captain Metham grieved me much. But this did not arife from the diftreffes I encountered; these were but trifling confiderations, when put in competition with a mother's apprehenfions for a much-loved fon, deftined to fo dreadful a climate. I never doubted for a moment, his affifting me when he had the power, as he poffeffed a foul of honour above breaking a promise to a stranger, much more to a parent of whom he was fo fond. When I made an application to Sir George Metham, |