My Dearest Lindamor,
I Am very much delighted, to learn both by the voice of Fame, and the Information of much more credible Relators, that Hermione’s cold usage has cured you of the Feaver, her scorching eyes had given you: And that when once you found your self reserved to shew what wonders her eyes were able to performe, you seasonably resolved to become an Instance of the power, rather of Reason, than of Love; and accordingly, did your selfe the right to frustrate the vain hopes, your Insulting Mistriss cherished to manifest in you, That her charms were capable to make your flame persevere, when her change had made it as well causelesse as hopelesse. I could wish indeed for your sake, that you owed your cure more entirely to your Reason, and lesse to your Resentment; That the Extraction of your freedome may no wayes blemish it. But since unallay’d Satisfactions are joyes too heavenly, to fall to many mens share on earth, I cannot but conclude, that your recovery even on these Tearms deserves, I should Congratulate it? For, the French say truly, that Les plus courtes Folies sont les meilleures. And liberty being too high a Blessing to be divestible of that nature by Circumstances; I (that seldome deplore him, who by losing his Mistress recovers Himselfe) think that Hermione has but intentionally, not eventually disobliged you; and hath made your flames a better return, by restoring you your own heart, than she could have done by exchanging hers for it. But that which not least endeares to me your recovery, is, That I am assured by persons, from whom I dare Credit even so welcome News, that my endeavours prov’d so happy as to be conducive to it, and that the Considerations I ventured to present you, did at least so farre contribute to your Freedome, as to give you the desire, and the design of regaining it. For I hope, I need not tell you, that I seldome use endeavours, whose prosperousnesse is more more welcome to me, than those, that aspire to serve Lindamor. And though I cannot ever pay you any great Services in relation to my vastly greater desires, yet I can scarce do you little ones in Relation to the delight resulting from the having done you any. Nor has the Joy which this successe of my discourses brings me, been sparingly encreased by my having ventured them with much more desire, then expectation of their prospering; and lesse out of any strong hope they would succeed, than out of an unwillingnesse to leave the means, I thought least improbable, unessayed: being invited to excite you to greater hopes, than I durst allow my self for you; by the Example of Generalls, who, whatsoeverdistrustfull thoughts they harbour in their breasts, suppose, that before the Battell, to make their Souldiers fight successefully, ‘tis as well conducive as requisite, by encouraging Orations, to make them think they shall do so: For, although I endevoured indeed to perswade you, that Reason being born Soveraign of the Passions though her Lenitie or supineness doe sometimes both occasion and permit their Usurpation; She is seldom so diversted of her native power; but that whensoever she pleaseth to imploy what she hath left, she is able to resume, what she hath lost. And though I was willing you should believe that to perfect what your Resentment had begun, was a taske so easie, that the Victory was as much in your power, as the Resolution of attempting it: Yet notwithstanding all this, I say, I was once half perswaded, that to undertake the Curing of a Lover was the next weaknesse to the being one. And, Lindamor, to deal ingenuously with you, your Recovery hath circumstances in it, that make me very apprehensive, that you are not yet out of the danger of a Relapse, and that you have not half so absolutely abandon’d your former amorous constitution of mind, as the former Idol of it. I know that from a person, who, for one that hath never yet been hurt by Cupid, is accused of using him sleightingly and feverely enough, you will expect Endeavours to preserve you from Relapses by such disswasions from Love, as its Votaries will scarce vouchsafe so mild a Title to, as that of Invectives against it. And I shall ingenuously acknowledge, Lindamor, that I have been sometimes no very unready Satyrist on that Theme; and with a pen, rellishing of the Liberty I cherished in myheart, endeavoured to disabuse those Servile souls, that being born to Reason, so far degraded themselves as to boast solely on excesse of Passion; and had such low and narrow thoughts of faelicity, and misery, as to expect either, from a Womans usage: All which I thought I might the freelier do, because having never known the infaelicities of Love, but in the sufferings of others, I might probably suppose, that my Declamations against it, would passe for the productions of my Reason, not my Revenge. But, Lindamor, though the extravagancies of some mens folly, have been sometimes too great, to let me avoid laughing somewhat Satyrically at it; yet I am really too little an enemy to Love, unlesse excessive or mis-plac’d by indistinct and disfiguring Considerations, to represent to you the noblest Passion of the Mind, as its most hideous and formidable disease.