Даниэль Дефо - Roxana

But I have no-Mind to write the History of my Travels on this side of the World, at least, not now; it would be too full of Variety.

I must not, however, omit, that the Prince continued in all this Journey, the most kind, obliging Person to me, in the World, and so constant, that tho’ we were in a Country, where ’tis well known all manner of Liberties are taken, I am yet well assur’d, he neither took the Liberty he knew he might have, or so much as desir’d it.

I have often thought of this Noble Person, on that Account; had he been but half so true, so faithful and constant to the Best Lady in the World, I mean his Princess; how glorious a Virtue had it been in him? and how free had he been from those just Reflections which touch’d him, in her behalf, when it was too late.

We had some very agreeable Conversations upon this Subject; and once he told me, with a kind of more than ordinary Concern upon his Thoughts, that he was greatly beholden to me for taking this hazardous and difficult Journey; for that I had kept him Honest; I look’d up in his Face, and colour’d as red as Fire: Well, well, says he , do not let that surprize you; I do say, you have kept me Honest: My Lord, said I , ’tis not for me to explain your Words, but I wish I cou’d turn ’em my own Way; I hope, says I , and believe, we are both as Honest as we can be, in our Circumstances; ay, ay, says he , and honester than I doubt I shou’d have been, if you had not been with me; I cannot say but if you had not been here, I shou’d have wander’d among the gay World here, in Naples , and in Venice too; for ’tis not such a Crime here, as ’tis in other Places; but I protest, says he , I have not touch’d a Woman in Italy , but yourself; and more than that, I have not so much as had any Desire to it; so that, I say, you have kept me Honest.

I was silent, and was glad that he interrupted me, or kept me from speaking, with kissing me, for really I knew not what to say: I was once going to say, that if his Lady, the Princess, had been with him, she wou’d, doubtless, have had the same Influence upon his Virtue, with infinitely more Advantage to him; but I consider’d this might give him Offence; and besides, such things might have been dangerous to the Circumstance I stood in, so it pass’d off: But I must confess, I saw that he was quite another Man, as to Women, than I understood he had always been before; and it was a particular Satisfaction to me, that I was thereby convinc’d that what he said, was true, and that he was, as I may say, all my Own .

I was with-Child again in this Journey, and Lay-in at Venice , but was not so happy as before; I brought him another Son, and a very fine Boy it was, but it liv’d not above two Months; nor, after the first Touches of Affection (which are usual, I believe, to all Mothers) were over, was I sorry the Child did not live, the necessary Difficulties attending it in our travelling, being consider’d.

After these several Perambulations, my Lord told me, his Business began to close, and we wou’d think of returning to France ; which I was very glad of, but principally on Account of my Treasure I had there, which, as you have heard, was very considerable: It is true, I had Letters very frequently from my Maid Amy , with Accounts, that every thing was very safe, and that was very much to my Satisfaction: However, as the Prince’s Negociations were at an End, and he was oblig’d to return, I was very glad to go; so we return’d from Venice to Turin ; and in the Way, I saw the famous City of Milan ; from Turin , we went over the Mountains again, as before, and our Coaches met us at Pont a Voisin, [132] Pont a Voisin : Pont-de-Beauvoisin. between Chamberry and Lyons ; and so, by easie Journeys, we arriv’d safely at Paris , having been absent about two Years, wanting about eleven Days, as above.

I found the little Family we left, just as we left them; and Amy cry’d for Joy, when she saw me, and I almost did the same.

The Prince took his Leave of me the Night before; for as he told me, he knew he shou’d be met upon the Road by several Persons of Quality, and perhaps, by the Princess herself; so we lay at two different Inns that Night, lest some shou’d come quite to the Place, as indeed, it happen’d.

After this, I saw him not, for above twenty Days, being taken-up in his Family, and also with Business; but he sent me his Gentleman, to tell me the Reason of it; and bid me not be uneasie; and that satisfied me effectually.

In all this Affluence of my Good Fortune, I did not forget that I had been Rich and Poor once already, alternately; and that I ought to know, that the Circumstances I was now in, were not to be expected to last always; that I had one Child, and expected another; and if I bred often, it wou’d something impair me in the Great Article that supported my Interest, I mean, what he call’d Beauty; that as that declin’d, I might expect the Fire wou’d abate, and the Warmth with which I was now so carress’d, wou’d cool, and in time, like the other Mistresses of Great Men, I might be dropt again; and that, therefore, it was my Business to take Care that I shou’d fall as softly as I cou’d.

I say, I did not forget, therefore, to make as good Provision for myself, as if I had had nothing to have subsisted on, but what I now gain’d; whereas I had not less than ten Thousand Pounds, as I said above, which I had amass’d, or secur’d, rather out of the Ruins of my faithful Friend, the Jeweller; and which, he little thinking of what was so near him when he went out, told me, tho’ in a kind of a Jest, was all my own, if he was knock’d o’th’ Head; and which, upon that Title, I took Care to preserve.

My greatest Difficulty now, was, how to secure my Wealth, and to keep what I had got; for I had greatly added to this Wealth, by the generous Bounty of the Prince —, and the more, by the private retir’d Manner of Living, which he rather desir’d for Privacy, than Parsimony; for he supply’d me for a more magnificent Way of Life than I desir’d, if it had been proper.

I shall cut short the History of this properous Wickedness, with telling you I brought him a third Son, with in little more than eleven Months after our Return from Italy ; that now I liv’d a little more openly, and went by a particular Name which he gave me Abroad; but which I must omit: viz . the Countess de —, and had Coaches, and Servants, suitable to the Quality he had given me the Appearance of; and which is more than usually happens in such Cases, this held eight Years from the Beginning; during which Time, as I had been very faithful to him, so, I must say, as above, that I believe he was so separated to me, that whereas he usually had two or three Women, which he kept privately, he had not in all that Time meddled with any of them, but that I had so perfectly engross’d him, that he dropt them all; not, perhaps, that he sav’d much by it, for I was a very chargable Mistress to him, that I must acknowledge; but it was all owing to his particular Affection to me, not to my Extravagance; for, as I said, he never gave me leave to ask him for any thing, but pour’d in his Favours and Presents faster than I expected, and so fast, as I could not have the Assurance to make the least Mention of desiring more.

Nor do I speak this of my own Guess, I mean, about his Constancy to me, and his quitting all other Women; but the old Harradan , as I may call her, who he made the Guide of our Travelling, and who was a strange old Creature, told me a Thousand Stories of his Gallantry, as she call’d it, and how, as he had no less than three Mistresses at one time, and, as I found, all of her procuring, he had of a sudden, dropt them all, and that he was entirely lost to both her and them; that they did believe he had fallen into some new Hands, but she could never hear who, or where, till he sent for her to go this Journey; and then the old Hag complimented me upon his Choice, That she did not wonder I had so engross’d him; so much Beauty, &c . and there she stopt.