Даниэль Дефо - Roxana

Amy waited at the Room where they Play’d; sat up all-Night to attend them; and in the Morning, when they broke-up, they swept the Box into her Lap, when she counted out to me, sixty two Guineas and a half; and the other Servants got very well too: Amy came to me when they were all gone, Law — Madam , says Amy , with a long gaping Cry, what shall I do with all this Money? And indeed, the poor Creature was half-mad with Joy.

I was now in my Element; I was as much talk’d of as any-body cou’d desire, and I did not doubt but something or other wou’d come of it; but the Report of my being so rich, rather was a Baulk to my View, [216] a Baulk to my View : i.e., got in the way of their considering her. than any-thing else; for the Gentlemen that wou’d, perhaps, have been troublesome enough otherwise, seem’d to be kept off; for Roxana was too high for them.

There is a Scene which came in here, which I must cover from humane Eyes or Ears; for three Years and about a Month, Roxana liv’d retir’d, having been oblig’d to make an Excursion, in a Manner, and with a Person, which Duty, and private Vows, obliges her not to reveal, at least, not yet.

At the End of this Time I appear’d again; but I must add, that as I had in this Time of Retreat, made Hay , &c. – so I did not come Abroad again with the same Lustre, or shine with so much Advantage as before; for as some People had got at least, a Suspicion of where I had been, and who had had me all the while, it began to be publick, that Roxana was, in short, a meer Roxana , [217] a meer Roxana : nothing more or less than a whore. Possibly an allusion to Hester Davenport, a well-known actress and mistress of the Earl of Oxford, who took the part of Roxana in several plays. ‘Roxolana’ is used in Congreve’s The Way of the World (1700) as a synonym for whore. neither better nor worse; and not that Woman of Honour and Virtue that was at first suppos’d.

You are now to suppose me about seven Years come to Town, and that I had not only suffer’d the old Revenue, which I hinted was manag’d by Sir Robert Clayton , to grow, as was mention’d before; but I had laid-up an incredible Wealth, the time consider’d; and had I yet had the least Thought of reforming, I had all the Opportunity to do it with Advantage, that ever Woman had; for the common Vice of all Whores, I mean Money, was out of the Question, nay, even Avarice itself seem’d to be glutted; for, including what I had sav’d in reserving the Interest of 14000 l . which, as above, I had left to grow; and including some very good Presents I had made to me, in meer Compliment, upon these shining masquerading Meetings, which I held up for about two Years, and what I made of three Years of the most glorious Retreat, as I call it , that ever Woman had, I had fully doubled my first Substance, and had near 5000 Pounds in Money, which I kept at-home; besides abundance of Plate, and Jewels, which I had either given me, or had bought to set myself out for Publick Days.

In a word, I had now five and thirty Thousand Pounds Estate; and as I found Ways to live without wasting either Principal or Interest, I laid-up 2000 l . every Year, at least, out of the meer Interest, adding it to the Principal; and thus I went on.

After the End of what I call my Retreat, and out of which I brought a great deal of Money, I appear’d again, but I seem’d like an old Piece of Plate that had been hoarded up some Years, and comes out tarnish’d and discolour’d; so I came out blown, [218] blown : faded (used of a flower that has blossomed). and look’d like a cast-off Mistress , nor indeed, was I any better; tho’ I was not at-all impair’d in Beauty, except that I was a little fatter than I was formerly, and always granting that I was four Years older.

However, I preserv’d the Youth of my Temper; was always bright, pleasant in Company, and agreeable to every-body, or else every-body flatter’d me; and in this Condition I came Abroad to the World again; and tho’ I was not so popular as before, and indeed, did not seek it, because I knew it cou’d not be; yet I was far from being without Company, and that of the greatest Quality, of Subjects I mean , who frequently visited me, and sometimes we had Meetings for Mirth, and Play, at my Apartments, where I fail’d not to divert them in the most agreeable Manner possible.

Nor cou’d any of them make the least particular Application to me, from the Notion they had of my excessive Wealth, which, as they thought, plac’d me above the meanness of a Maintenance; and so left no room to come easily about me.

But at last I was very handsomly attack’d by a Person of Honour, and (which recommended him particularly to me) a Person of a very great Estate; he made a long Introduction to me upon the Subject of my Wealth: Ignorant Creature! said I to myself , considering him as a LORD; was there ever Woman in the World that cou’d stoop to the Baseness of being a Whore, and was above taking the Reward of her Vice! No, no, depend upon it, if your Lordship obtains any-thing of me, you must pay for it; and the Notion of my being so rich, serves only to make it cost you the dearer, seeing you cannot offer a small Matter to a Woman of 2000 l . a Year Estate .

After he had harangu’d upon that Subject a good-while, and had assur’d me he had no Design upon me; that he did not come to make a Prize of me, or to pick my Pocket, which (by the way) I was in no fear of, for I took too much Care of my Money, to part with any of it that way; he then turn’d his Discourse to the Subject of Love; a Point so ridiculous to me, without the main thing, I mean the Money, that I had no Patience to hear him make so long a Story of it.

I receiv’d him civilly, and let him see I cou’d bear to hear a wicked Proposal, without being affronted, and yet I was not to be brought into it too easily: He visited me a long-while, and in short, courted me as closely and assiduously, as if he had been wooing me to Matrimony; he made me several valuable Presents, which I suffer’d myself to be prevail’d with to accept, but not without great Difficulty.

Gradually I suffer’d also his other Importunities, and when he made a Proposal of a Compliment, or Appointment [219] Compliment, or Appointment : gift, or arrangement. to me, for a Settlement, he said , That tho’ I was rich, yet there was not the less due from him, to acknowledge the Favours he receiv’d; and that if I was to be his, I shou’d not live at my own Expence, cost what it wou’d : I told him, I was far from being Extravagant, and yet I did not live at the Expence of less than 500 l . a Year out of my own Pocket; that however, I was not covetous of settled Allowances, for I look’d upon that as a kind of Golden Chain , something like Matrimony; that tho’ I knew how to be true to a Man of Honour, as I knew his Lordship to be, yet I had a kind of Aversion to the Bonds; and tho’ I was not so rich as the World talk’d me up to be, yet I was not so poor as to bind myself to Hardships, for a Pension.

He told me, he expected to make my Life perfectly easie, and intended it so; that he knew of no Bondage there cou’d be in a private Engagement between us; that the Bonds of Honour he knew I wou’d be ty’d by, and think them no Burthen; and for other Obligations, he scorn’d to expect any-thing from me, but what he knew, as a Woman of Honour, I cou’d grant; then, as to Maintenance, he told me, he wou’d soon show me that he valued me infinitely above 500 l . a Year; and upon this foot we began.

I seem’d kinder to him after this Discourse; and as Time and Private Conversation made us very intimate, we began to come nearer to the main Article, namely , the 500 l . a Year; he offer’d that at first Word; and to acknowledge it as an infinite Favour to have it be accepted of; and I, that thought it was too much by [220] by : as concerns. all the Money, suffer’d myself to be master’d, or prevail’d with, to yield, even on but a bare Engagement upon Parole.