Letters of affaires love and courtship. Written to several persons of honour and quality; / by the exquisite pen of Monsieur de Voiture, a member of the famous French Academy established at Paris by Cardinall de Richelieu. English'd by J.D.

To M. D. B. LETTER XXIV.

MADAME,

THe night is past with all other men, but not with me; since I cannot yet discern any thing of what, of all things the world affords, I desire most to know. It is long since that my mind hath been overcast with such thick clouds, that light can have no admittance, and the obscurity is so great, that I cannot perceive any thing but confused and mis-shaped images of things, which sometimes I am pleased with, but for the most part astonished at. Do you therefore, in whom all the light and brightnesse of heaven seems to be centred, dispell this dark∣nesse,

and suffer me not to be any longer in doubt, whether I am the most happie, or the most unhappie man upon earth. The sharpest displeasure, and the most perfect joyes are so interwo∣ven, that one comes not without the other, nay it often hap∣pens, that, at the same time, I am ingaged with incredible affli∣ctions, and infinite enjoyments. Be pleased, I beseech you, to separate these, and suffer not there should be so much disorder in a place where you command; after so many riddles, tell me one intelligible word, whereby I may know my good or bad fortune. For my whole soul, which I have bestowed on you, I only begge, that you would but let it look into yours, and that the dearest mind in the world, may not be ever the most obscure to me. Consider what trouble it is to me, never to speak to you, but before a person, who would prove a mortall enemie to my affection, if she came to the discoverie of it, and what torment it is, to make a perpetuall comedie of a thing so serious, and continuall falshoods the maskes and shrouds of such pure truths. Enable me to do all this, have the goodnesse to make me eternally happie, by saying one word onlie; suffer not the justest passion in the world to be most unfortunate, or that I should die of grief for having perfectly loved the most ami∣able person in the world.