of possessing that fatal place which she had solicited with such eagerness.

Old Denham, naturally jealous, became more and more suspicious, and found that he had sufficient ground for being so; his wife was young and handsome, he old and disagreeable : what reason then had he to flatter himself that Heaven would exempt him from the fate of husbands in the like circumstances? This he was continually repeating to himself; but when compliments were poured in upon him from all sides, upon the place his lady was going to have near the duchess's person, he formed ideas of what was sufficient to have made him hang himself, if he had possessed the resolution. The traitor chose rather to exercise his courage against another. He wanted precedents for putting in practice his resentments in a privileged country:

From an Original Painting in the Poffefsion of S.Brook Boothby Bart

the present representative of the Brook family.

Pub July 1.1808.by John White Fleet St & John Scott. 442. Strand.

that of Lord Chesterfield was not sufficiently bitter for the revenge he meditated: besides, he had no countryhouse to which he could carry his unfortunate wife. This being the case, the old villain made her travel a much longer journey without stirring out of London. Merciless fate robbed her of life, and of her dearest hopes, in the bloom of youth.

any

As no person entertained doubt of his having poisoned her, the populace of his neighbourhood had a design of tearing him in pieces, as soon as he should come abroad; but he shut himself up to bewail her death, until their fury was appeased by a magnificent funeral, at which he distributed four times more burnt wine than had ever been drank at any burial in England.

While the town was in fear of some great disaster, as an expiation for these

fatal effects of jealousy, Hamilton did not feel altogether so easy as he flattered himself he should after the departure of Lady Chesterfield. He had only consulted the dictates of revenge in what he had done: his vengeance was satisfied; but such was far from being the case with his love; and having, since the absence of her he still loved, notwithstanding his resentments, leisure to make those reflections which a recent injury will not permit a man to attend to: Wherefore,' said he to himself, was I so eager to make 'her miserable, who alone, however 'culpable she may be, has it in her

power to make me happy? Cursed 'jealousy! yet more cruel to those 'who torment, than to those who are ' tormented! What have I gained, by 'having blasted the hopes of a more happy rival, since I was not able to