Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister

by

Aphra Behn

The Argument

In the time of the rebellion of the true Protestant Huguenot inParis, under the conduct of the Prince of Condé (whom wewill call Cesario) many illustrious persons were drawn into theassociation, amongst which there was one, whose quality and fortune (joined withhis youth and beauty) rendered him more elevated in the esteem of the gay partof the world than most of that age. In his tender years (unhappily enough) hechanced to fall in love with a lady, whom we will call Myrtilla, who hadcharms enough to engage any heart; she had all the advantages of youth andnature; a shape excellent; a most agreeable stature, not too tall, and far fromlow, delicately proportioned; her face a little inclined round, soft, smooth andwhite; her eyes were blue, a little languishing, and full of love and wit; amouth curiously made, dimpled, and full of sweetness; lips round, soft, plumpand red; white teeth, firm and even; her nose a little Roman, and whichgave a noble grace to her lovely face, her hair light brown; a neck and bosomdelicately turned, white and rising; her arms and hands exactly shaped; to thisa vivacity of youth engaging; a wit quick and flowing; a humour gay, and an airirresistibly charming; and nothing was wanting to complete the joys of the youngPhilander, (so we call our amorous hero) but Myrtilla's heart,which the illustrious Cesario had before possessed; however, consultingher honour and her interest, and knowing all the arts as women do to feign atenderness; she yields to marry him: while Philander, who scorned to owehis happiness to the commands of parents, or to chaffer for a beauty, with herconsent steals her away, and marries her. But see how transitory is a violentpassion; after being satiated, he slights the prize he had so dearly conquered;some say, the change was occasioned by her too visibly continued love toCesario; but whatever it was, this was most certain, Philandercast his eyes upon a young maid, sister to Myrtilla, a beauty, whoseearly bloom promised wonders when come to perfection; but I will spare herpicture here, Philander in the following epistles will often enoughpresent it to your view: He loved and languished, long before he durst discoverhis pain; her being sister to his wife, nobly born, and of undoubted fame,rendered his passion too criminal to hope for a return, while the young lovelySylvia (so we shall call the noble maid) sighed out her hours in the samepain and languishment for Philander, and knew not that it was love, tillshe betraying it innocently to the overjoyed lover and brother, he soon taughther to understand it was love--he pursues it, she permits it, and at last yields,when being discovered in the criminal intrigue, she flies with him; heabsolutely quits Myrtilla, lives some time in a village near Paris,called St Denis, with this betrayed unfortunate, till being found out,and like to be apprehended, (one for the rape, the other for the flight) she isforced to marry a cadet, a creature of Philander's, to bear the name ofhusband only to her, while Philander had the entire possession of hersoul and body: still the League went forward, and all things were readyfor a war in Paris; but it is not my business here to mix the roughrelation of a war, with the soft affairs of love; let it suffice, theHuguenots were defeated, and the King got the day, and every rebel lay atthe mercy of his sovereign. Philander was taken prisoner, made his escapeto a little cottage near his own palace, not far from Paris, writes toSylvia to come to him, w

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