Book contents
- Frontmatter
- CONTENTS
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Select Bibliography
- Note on the Texts
- Marie Jeanne Riccoboni, Letters from Juliet Lady Catesby, to her Friend Lady Henrietta Campley, trans. Frances Brooke
- LETTER I
- LETTER II
- LETTER III
- LETTER IV
- LETTER V
- LETTER VI
- LETTER VII
- LETTER VIII
- LETTER IX
- LETTER X
- LETTER XI
- LETTER XII
- LETTER XIII
- LETTER XIV
- LETTER XV
- LETTER XVI
- LETTER XVII
- LETTER XVIII
- LETTER XIX
- LETTER XX
- LETTER XXI
- LETTER XXII
- LETTER XXIII
- LETTER XXIV
- LETTER XXV
- LETTER XXVI
- LETTER XXVII
- LETTER XXVIII
- LETTER XXIX
- LETTER XXX
- LETTER XXXI
- LETTER XXXII
- LETTER XXXIII
- LETTER XXXIV
- LETTER XXXV
- LETTER XXXVI
- LETTER XXXVII
- LETTER XXXVIII
- LETTER XXXIX
- Françoise de Graffigny, The Peruvian Letters, trans. Miss R. Roberts
- PREFACE
- LETTER I
- LETTER II
- LETTER III
- LETTER IV
- LETTER V
- LETTER VI
- LETTER VII
- LETTER VIII
- LETTER IX
- LETTER X
- LETTER XI
- LETTER XII
- LETTER XIII
- LETTER XIV
- LETTER XV
- LETTER XVI
- LETTER XVII
- LETTER XVIII
- LETTER XIX
- LETTER XX
- LETTER XXI
- LETTER XXII
- LETTER XXIII
- LETTER XXIV
- LETTER XXV
- LETTER XXVI
- LETTER XXVII
- LETTER XXVIII
- LETTER XXIX
- LETTER XXX
- LETTER XXXI
- LETTER XXXII
- LETTER XXXIII
- LETTER XXXIV
- LETTER XXXV
- LETTER XXXVI
- LETTER XXXVII
- LETTER XXXVIII, and last
- Volume II
- LETTER XXXIX
- LETTER XL
- LETTER XLI
- LETTER XLII
- LETTER XLIII
- LETTER XLIV
- LETTER XLV
- LETTER XLVI
- LETTER XLVII
- LETTER XLVIII
- LETTER XLIX
- LETTER L
- LETTER LI
- LETTER LII
- LETTER LIII
- LETTER LIV
- LETTER LV
- LETTER LVI
- LETTER LVII
- LETTER LVIII
- LETTER LIX
- LETTER LX
- LETTER LXI
- LETTER LXII
- LETTER LXIII
- LETTER LXIV
- LETTER LXV
- LETTER LXVI
- LETTER LXVII
- Editorial Notes
- Textual Variants
- Silent Corrections
LETTER V
- Frontmatter
- CONTENTS
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Select Bibliography
- Note on the Texts
- Marie Jeanne Riccoboni, Letters from Juliet Lady Catesby, to her Friend Lady Henrietta Campley, trans. Frances Brooke
- LETTER I
- LETTER II
- LETTER III
- LETTER IV
- LETTER V
- LETTER VI
- LETTER VII
- LETTER VIII
- LETTER IX
- LETTER X
- LETTER XI
- LETTER XII
- LETTER XIII
- LETTER XIV
- LETTER XV
- LETTER XVI
- LETTER XVII
- LETTER XVIII
- LETTER XIX
- LETTER XX
- LETTER XXI
- LETTER XXII
- LETTER XXIII
- LETTER XXIV
- LETTER XXV
- LETTER XXVI
- LETTER XXVII
- LETTER XXVIII
- LETTER XXIX
- LETTER XXX
- LETTER XXXI
- LETTER XXXII
- LETTER XXXIII
- LETTER XXXIV
- LETTER XXXV
- LETTER XXXVI
- LETTER XXXVII
- LETTER XXXVIII
- LETTER XXXIX
- Françoise de Graffigny, The Peruvian Letters, trans. Miss R. Roberts
- PREFACE
- LETTER I
- LETTER II
- LETTER III
- LETTER IV
- LETTER V
- LETTER VI
- LETTER VII
- LETTER VIII
- LETTER IX
- LETTER X
- LETTER XI
- LETTER XII
- LETTER XIII
- LETTER XIV
- LETTER XV
- LETTER XVI
- LETTER XVII
- LETTER XVIII
- LETTER XIX
- LETTER XX
- LETTER XXI
- LETTER XXII
- LETTER XXIII
- LETTER XXIV
- LETTER XXV
- LETTER XXVI
- LETTER XXVII
- LETTER XXVIII
- LETTER XXIX
- LETTER XXX
- LETTER XXXI
- LETTER XXXII
- LETTER XXXIII
- LETTER XXXIV
- LETTER XXXV
- LETTER XXXVI
- LETTER XXXVII
- LETTER XXXVIII, and last
- Volume II
- LETTER XXXIX
- LETTER XL
- LETTER XLI
- LETTER XLII
- LETTER XLIII
- LETTER XLIV
- LETTER XLV
- LETTER XLVI
- LETTER XLVII
- LETTER XLVIII
- LETTER XLIX
- LETTER L
- LETTER LI
- LETTER LII
- LETTER LIII
- LETTER LIV
- LETTER LV
- LETTER LVI
- LETTER LVII
- LETTER LVIII
- LETTER LIX
- LETTER LX
- LETTER LXI
- LETTER LXII
- LETTER LXIII
- LETTER LXIV
- LETTER LXV
- LETTER LXVI
- LETTER LXVII
- Editorial Notes
- Textual Variants
- Silent Corrections
Summary
Alas! what have I suffered, my dear Aza, since I consecrated to you my last knot? The loss of my Quipos was still wanting to complete my wretchedness; but when my officious persecutors perceived that work increased my disorder, they suffered me not to use it.
At last, they have restored to me the treasure of my tenderness; but I purchased it with my tears. Only this expression of my sentiments had I remaining, the sorrowful painting of my grief to you; and could I lose it and not despair?
My strange destiny has snatched from me even the relief which the unhappy find in speaking of their miseries; we are apt to think there is pity when they are heard, and from a participation of sorrow there arises some comfort: But I cannot make myself understood, and am surrounded with nothing but expressions of gaiety.
I cannot even enjoy that new kind of entertainment to which the inability of communicating my thoughts reduces me. Surrounded by people, whose attentive looks disturb the solicitude of my soul, I almost forgot the fairest present which Nature has made us; the power of rendering our ideas impenetrable, without the concurrence of our will. I am sometimes afraid that these curious savages discover the disadvantageous reflections with which I am inspired, by the oddness of their behaviour.
One moment destroys the opinion which another had given me of their character; for if I were to judge by the frequent opposition of their wills to mine, I should certainly conclude that they look on me as their slave, and their power would appear tyrannical.
Not to reckon upon infinite numbers of other contradictions, they refuse me, my dear Aza, even the necessary food for the sustenance of life, and the liberty of chusing what place I would lie in. They keep me, by a kind of violence, in the bed, which is become insupportable to me.
On the other side, if I reflect on the extreme concern they have shewn for the preservation of my life, and the respect with which the services they render me are accompanied; I am almost tempted to believe that they take me for a species superior to human kind.
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- Information
- Translations and ContinuationsRiccoboni and Brooke, Graffigny and Roberts, pp. 79 - 80Publisher: Pickering & ChattoFirst published in: 2014