Before his marriage, he had introduced me to the lady as his
particular friend; and I now offered in that character, to lay
before her the necessity of reforming her oeconomy, if she had
any regard to the interest of her own family, or complaisance for
the inclinations of her husband -- But Baynard declined my offer,
on the supposition that his wife's nerves were too delicate to
bear expostulation; and that it would only serve to overwhelm her
with such distress as would make himself miserable.
Baynard is a man of spirit, and had she proved a termagant, he
would have known how to deal with her; but, either by accident or
instinct, she fastened upon the weak side of his soul, and held
it so fast, that he has been in subjection ever since -- I
afterwards advised him to carry her abroad to France or Italy,
where he might gratify her vanity for half the expence it cost
him in England: and this advice he followed accordingly. She was
agreeably flattered with the idea of seeing and knowing foreign
parts, and foreign fashions; of being presented to sovereigns,
and living familiarly with princes. She forthwith seized the
hint which I had thrown
out on purpose, and even pressed Mr Baynard to hasten his
departure; so that in a few weeks they crossed the sea to France,
with a moderate train, still including the aunt; who was her
bosom counsellor, and abetted her in all her oppositions to her
husband's will-- Since that period, I have had little or no
opportunity to renew our former correspondence -- All that I knew
of his transactions, amounted to no more than that after an
absence of two years, they returned so little improved in
oeconomy, that they launched out into new oceans of extravagance,
which at length obliged him to mortgage his estate -- By this time
she had bore him three children, of which the last only survives,
a puny boy of twelve or thirteen, who will be ruined in his
education by the indulgence of his mother.
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