And, then, I take Shelter with poor penitent JOHN, and the rest of the _Men_ and the _Maids_, of all whom I may say, with compassionate _Marcia_,
--------_The Youths DIVIDE their Reader._
I am glad I made War, in my last, upon the Notion of altering the Style: for, having read it twice over since then, (and to Audiences, where the _Tears_ were applausively eloquent) I could hardly, here and there, find a Place, where one Word _can_ be chang’d for a better. There are some indeed, where ’twere _possible_ to leave out, a few, without making a Breach in the Building. But, in short, the Author has put so bewitching a Mixture together, of the _Rais’d_ with the _Natural_, and the _Soft_ with the _Strong_ and the _Eloquent_---thatnever Sentiments were finer, and fuller of Life! never any were utter’d so sweetly!---Even in what relates to the pious and frequent Addresses to God, I now retract (on these two last Revisals) the Consent I half gave, on a _former_, to the anonymous Writer’s Proposal, who advis’d the Author to _shorten_ those Beauties.----Whoever considers his _Pamela_ with a View to find Matter for Censure, is in the Condition of a passionate Lover, who breaks in upon his Mistress, without Fear or Wit, with Intent to accuse her, and quarrel---He came to her with Pique in his Purpose; but his _Heart_ is too hard for his _Malice_---and he goes away more enslav’d, for complaining.
{ _The following delightful Story, so admirably related, will give great Pleasure to the Reader; and we take the Liberty of inserting it, for that very Reason._}
{ What a never-to-be satisfied _Length_ has this Subject always the Power of attracting me into! And yet, before I have done, I must by your means tell the Author a _Story_, which a Judge not so skilful in Nature as he is, might be in Danger perhaps of mistaking, for a trifling and silly one. I expect it shou’d give him the clearest Conviction, in a Case he is subject to question.}
{ We have a lively little Boy in the Family, about seven Years old---but, alas for him, poor Child! quite unfriended; and born to no Prospect. He is the Son of an honest, poor Soldier, by a Wife, grave, unmeaning, and innocent. Yet the Boy, (see the Power of connubial _Simplicity_) is so pretty, so genteel, and gay-spirited, that we have made him, and design’d him, our _own_, ever since he could totter, and waddle. The wanton Rogue is half Air: and every Motion he acts by has a Spring, like _Pamela_’s when she threw down the Card-table. All this Quickness, however, is temper’d by a good-natur’d Modesty: so that the wildest of his Flights are thought rather diverting than troublesome. He is an hourly Foundation for Laughter, from the Top of the House to the Parlours: and, to borrow an Attribute from the Reverend Mr. _Peters_, (tho’ without any Note of his Musick) _plays a very good_ FIDDLE in the Family. I have told you the History of this _Tom-tit_ of a Prater, because, ever since my first reading of PAMELA, he puts in for a Right to be _one_ of her Hearers; and, having got half her Sayings by heart, talks in no other Language but hers: and, what really surprises, and has charm’d me into a _certain_ Fore-taste of her Influence, he is, at once, become fond of his Book; which (before) he cou’d never be brought to attend to---that _he may read_ PAMELA, he says, _without stopping_. The first Discovery we made of this Power over so unripe and unfix’d an Attention, was, one Evening, when I was reading her Reflections at the _Pond_ to some Company. The little rampant Intruder, being kept out by the Extent of the Circle, had crept under my Chair, and was sitting before me, on the Carpet, with his Head almost touching the Book, and his Face bowing down toward the Fire.---He had sat for some time in this Posture, with a Stillness, that made us conclude him asleep: when, on a sudden, we heard a Succession of heart-heaving Sobs; which while he strove to conceal from our Notice, his little Sides swell’d, as if they wou’d burst, with the throbbing Restraint of his Sorrow. I turn’d his innocent Face, to look toward me; but his Eyes were quite lost, in his _Tears_: which running down from his Cheeks in free Currents, had form’d two sincere little Fountains, on that Part of the Carpet he hung over. All the Ladies in Company were ready to devour him with Kisses: and he has, since, become doubly a Favourite---and is perhaps the youngest of _Pamela’s Converts_.}