To Colonel Bellville.
YES, I am indeed fond of your Italiano;
it is the language of Love
and the Muses: has a certain softness and
all that;–and by no means difficult to
understand–at least it is tolerable easy to
understand as much of it as I do, as much
as enables one to be conceited, and give
one's self airs amongst those who are totally
ignorant: when this happens, I look astonished
at the Gothic creatures.–"Heavens!
my dear Madam, not know Italian?
how I pity your savage ignorance! bit
know Italian! La Lingua D'Amore?
Oh! Mirtillo! Mirtillo! Anima mia!"–
The dear creatures stare, and hate one
so cordially, it is really charming.–And
if one now and then unluckily blunders
upon somebody who is more in the secret
than one's self, a downcast look, and "Hovergogna,
Signora," saves all, and does
credit at once to one's learning and one's
modesty. Flattered too by so plain a confession
of their superiority, they give you
credit for whatever degree of knowledge
you desire, and go away so satisfied–and
exclaim in all companies, "Upon my word,
Lady Anne Wilmot is absolutely an
exquisite mistress of Italian, only a little
too diffident."
I am just come from playing at ball in the
garden, Lord Belmont of the party: this
sweet old man! I am half in love with him,
though I have no kind of hopes; for he
told me yesterday, that, lovely as I was,
Lady Belmont was in his eyes a thousand
times more so. How amiable is age like his!
so condescending to the pleasure of the
young! so charmed to see them happy! He
gains infinitely in point of love by his easy
goodness; and as to respect, his virtues cannot
fail to command it.
Oh! à propos to age, my Lord says, he is
sure I shall be a most agreeable old woman;
and I am almost of his opinion. Adieu!
creature! I can no more.
By the way, do you know that Harry's
Cittadina has taken a prodigious Penchant
for me, and vows no woman on earth has so
much wit, or spirit, or politesse, as Lady
Anne Wilmot? Something like a glimmering
of taste this: I protest I begin to
think the girl not quite so tolerable.
Je suis votre,
A. Wilmot.
