Italian Letters, vols 1,2

Italian Letters, vols 1,2

Project Gutenberg's Italian Letters, Vols. I and II, by William Godwin
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Title: Italian Letters, Vols. I and II
Author: William Godwin
Release Date: November, 2005 [EBook #9299] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on September 18,
2003]
Edition: 10

Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ITALIAN
LETTERS, VOLS. I AND II ***

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ITALIAN LETTERS
Or
The History of the Count de St. Julian
By
WILLIAM GODWIN
Edited and with an Introduction by BURTON R. POLLIN [Blank Page]
Italian Letters Volume I

Letter I
_The Count de St. Julian to the Marquis of Pescara_
Palermo My dear lord,
It is not in conformity to those modes which fashion prescribes, that I
am desirous to express to you my most sincere condolence upon the
death of your worthy father. I know too well the temper of my Rinaldo
to imagine, that his accession to a splendid fortune and a venerable title
can fill his heart with levity, or make him forget the obligations he
owed to so generous and indulgent a parent. It is not the form of sorrow
that clouds his countenance. I see the honest tear of unaffected grief
starting from his eye. It is not the voice of flattery, that can render him
callous to the most virtuous and respectable feelings that can inform the
human breast.
I remember, my lord, with the most unmingled pleasure, how fondly
you used to dwell upon those instances of paternal kindness that you
experienced almost before you knew yourself. I have heard you

describe with how benevolent an anxiety the instructions of a father
were always communicated, and with what rapture he dwelt upon the
early discoveries of that elevated and generous character, by which my
friend is so eminently distinguished. Never did the noble marquis
refuse a single request of this son, or frustrate one of the wishes of his
heart. His last prayers were offered for your prosperity, and the only
thing that made him regret the stroke of death, was the anguish he felt
at parting with a beloved child, upon whom all his hopes were built,
and in whom all his wishes centred.
Forgive me, my friend, that I employ the liberty of that intimacy with
which you have honoured me, in reminding you of circumstances,
which I am not less sure that you revolve with a melancholy pleasure,
than I am desirous that they should live for ever in your remembrance.
That sweet susceptibility of soul which is cultivated by these
affectionate recollections, is the very soil in which virtue delights to
spring. Forgive me, if I sometimes assume the character of a Mentor. I
would not be so grave, if the love I bear you could dispense with less.
The breast of my Rinaldo swells with a thousand virtuous sentiments. I
am conscious of this, and I will not disgrace the confidence I ought to
place in you. But your friend cannot but be also sensible, that you are
full of the ardour of youth, that you are generous and unsuspecting, and
that the happy gaiety of your disposition sometimes engages you with
associates, that would abuse your confidence and betray your honour.
Remember, my dear lord, that you have the reputation of a long list of
ancestors to sustain. Your house has been the support of the throne, and
the boast of Italy. You are not placed in an obscure station, where little
would be expected from you, and little would be the disappointment,
though you should act in an imprudent or a vicious manner. The
antiquity of your house fixes the eyes of your countrymen upon you.
Your accession at so early a period to its honours and its emoluments,
renders your