 lately set forth in
certain French Novels; very bungling Copies of which have been presented us
here, under the Name of Translations.
    Jones grew still more and more impatient to see Sophia; and finding, after
repeated Interviews with Lady Bellaston, no Likelihood of obtaining this by her
Means; for, on the contrary, the Lady began to treat even the Mention of the
Name of Sophia with Resentment; he resolved to try some other Method. He made no
Doubt but that Lady Bellaston knew where his Angel was, so he thought it most
likely, that some of her Servants should be acquainted with the same Secret.
Partridge therefore was employed to get acquainted with those Servants, in order
to fish this Secret out of them.
    Few Situations can be imagined more uneasy than that to which his poor
Master was at present reduced; for besides the Difficulties he met with in
discovering Sophia, besides the Fears he had of having disobliged her, and the
Assurances he had received from Lady Bellaston of the Resolution which Sophia
had taken against him, and of her having purposely concealed herself from him,
which he had sufficient Reason to believe might be true; he had still a
Difficulty to combat, which it was not in the Power of his Mistress to remove,
however kind her Inclination might have been. This was the exposing of her to be
disinherited of all her Father's Estate, the almost inevitable Consequence of
their coming together without a Consent, which he had no Hopes of ever
obtaining.
    Add to all these the many Obligations which Lady Bellaston, whose violent
Fondness we can no longer conceal, had heaped upon him; so that by her Means he
was now become one of the best dress'd Men about Town; and was not only relieved
from those ridiculous Distresses we have before mentioned, but was actually
raised to a State of Affluence, beyond what he had ever known.
    Now though there are many Gentlemen who very well reconcile it to their
Consciences to possess themselves of the whole Fortune of a Woman, without
making her any Kind of Return; yet to a Mind the Proprietor of which doth not
deserve to be hang'd, nothing is, I believe, more irksome than to support Love
with Gratitude only; especially where Inclination pulls the Heart a contrary
Way. Such was the unhappy Case of Jones; for tho' the virtuous Love which he
bore to Sophia, and which left very little Affection for any other Woman, had
been entirely out of the Question, he could never have been able to have made an
adequate Return to the generous Passion of this Lady, who had
