The Officers Of The King Of Sweden Were Entertained With The Same
Elegance And Good Humour They Had Been The
Night before; and as they
were now resolved to quit the city extremely early, the prince took
leave of them
That night, and in doing so put a purse of gold into the
hands of every one to defray the expenses of their travelling. This
behaviour obliged them to own there was a possibility of sowing the
seeds of humanity in Muscovy, and that the czar had made some progress
in influencing those about him with the manners he had himself learned
in the politer courts.
CHAP. XXII.
What befel Louisa in the monastery: the stratagem she put in practice
to get out of it: her travels thro' Italy, and arrival in Paris.
But while Horatio was thus experiencing the vicissitudes of fortune, his
beautiful sister suffered little less from the caprice of that fickle
goddess. Placed as she was, one would have thought she had been secure
from all the temptations, hurries, and dangers of the world, and that
nothing but the death or inconstancy of monsieur du Plessis could have
again involved her in them. These, indeed, were the sole evils she
trembled at, and which she chiefly prayed might not befal her. Yet as it
often happens that those disasters which seem most remote are nearest to
us, so did the disappointments she was ordained to suffer, rise from a
quarter she had the least reason to apprehend.
The abbess and nuns, with whom she was, being all Italians, she set
herself to attain to the knowledge of their language, in which she soon
became a very great proficient, and capable of entertaining them, and
being entertained by them in the most agreeable manner. - The sweetness
of her temper, as well as her good sense, rendering her always ambitious
of acquiring the affection of those she converted with, she had the
secret to ingratiate herself not only to the youngest nuns, but also to
the elder and most austere, that the one were never pleased but when in
her company, and the others propose her as an example of piety and
sweetness to the rest.
She had a very pretty genius to poetry, and great skill in music, both
which talents she now exercised in such works as suited the place and
company she was in. - The hymns and anthems she composed were not only
the admiration of that convent, but also of several others to whom they
were shown, and she was spoke of as a prodigy of wit and devotion.
In fine, her behavior rendered her extremely dear to the superior; and
that affection joined to a spiritual pride, which those sanctified
devotees are seldom wholly free from, made her very desirous of
retaining her always in the convent: - she was therefore continually
preaching up to her the uncertainty of those felicities which are to be
found in the world, and magnifying that happy serenity which a total
renunciation from it afforded; - nay, sometimes went so far, as to
insinuate there was scarce a possibility for any one encumbered with the
cares, and surrounded with the temptations of a public life, to have
those dispositions which are requisite to enjoy the blessings of
futurity. - Ah my dear daughter, would she say frequently to her, how
much should I rejoice to find in you a desire to forgo all the
transitory fleeting pleasures of the world, and devote yourself entirely
to heaven! - what raptures would not your innocent soul partake, when
wholly devoid of all thought of sensual objects! you would be, even
while on earth, a companion for angels and blessed spirits, and borne on
the wings of heavenly contemplation, have your dwelling above, and be
worshipped as a saint below.
All the old nuns, and some of the young ones, assisted their abbess in
endeavouring to prevail on Louisa to take the veil; but all that they
said made no impression on her mind, not but she had more real piety
than perhaps some of those who made so great a shew of it, but she was
of a different way of thinking; and tho' she knew the world had its
temptation, having experienced them in a very great degree, yet she
was-convinced within herself, that a person of virtuous principles might
be no less innocent out of a cloyster than in one. - She saw also among
this sisterhood a great deal of envy to each other, and perceived early
that the flaming zeal professed among them was in some hypocrisy, and
enthusiasm in others; so that had she had no prepossession in favour of
du Plessis, or any engagement with him, the life of a nun was what she
never should have made choice of.
She kept her sentiments on this occasion entirely to herself however,
and made no shew of any repugnance to do as they would have her; but
whenever they became strenuous in their pressures, told them, she
doubted not but such a life as they described must be very angelic, but
having already disposed of her vows, it was not in her power to withdraw
them, nor would heaven accept so violated an offering. This, they told
her, was only a suggestion of some evil spirit, and that all engagements
to an earthly object, both might and ought to be dispensed with for a
divine vocation. The arguments they made use of for this purpose were
artful enough to have imposed on some minds, but Louisa had too much
penetration not to see thro' them; and being unwilling to disoblige them
by shewing that she did so, made use, in her turn, of evasions which the
circumstances of the case rendered very excusable. But fully persuaded
in their minds that it was solely her engagements with du Plessis that
rendered her so refractory to their desires, they resolved to break it
off, if possible, and to that end now intercepted his letters; two of
which giving an account that he was very much wounded and unable to
travel, they renewed their pressures, in order to prevail on her to take
the habit before he should be in a condition to come to Bolognia.
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