with which hypocrisy has so long and successfully covered it.
That they may judge of the magnitude of your unworthy conduct towards me, it is necessary to state some short sketch of my life, before I had the misfortune of knowing you.
My father was a gentleman of a good family, and possessed an hereditary landed property, which, as he had no son, myself and two sisters naturally were the heirs of, but those expectations were early blasted by the mismanagement of my unhappy parent; his estate was sold, charged with a moderate fortune for myself and sisters, and a sum of money for him to purchase an annuity.
With this arrangement I was content, nor did I then feel the loss of fortune, having a happy home in the house of my maternal uncle, a numerous circle of agreeable acquaintances and many kind friends, all the pleasures which youth and cheerfulness could enjoy, but this, like other happy periods of my life was of short duration, as my father about two years after the sale of his estate, having also sold his annuity, had spent the money, and was in want of immediate assistance: in this his distress no one afforded him the least relief, no single soul befriended him.
I gave him all I could for his present wants, and then began to reflect what I should do to support him and myself in future.
Private theatricals had long been the fashion, and performances of that sort had constituted one of my principal amusements. The friends who were acquainted with the little talents I possessed, advised me to try the stage.
I did so, and met with all the success I could reasonably hope

for, in point of emolument certainly beyond what I felt I deserved. In a short time I realized a property sufficient for all the reasonable wants of life, besides being enabled to allow my father a yearly income.
After performing for three years in various theatres in England, and two whole seasons at Edinburgh, I returned to Dublin where I made a permanent engagement for years.
As I would avoid speaking of myself further than this address to you renders necessary, I pass over all such private events of my life, as might oblige me to name persons who, though they have treated me harshly, I do not with to mention, but you, Madam, were well informed of those calamitous occurrences that had befallen me before our acquaintance.
The first winter of my Dublin engagement I became acquainted with Mr. G—, whom I had known slightly at Bath, where I had performed the former winter,
A strong and perhaps fatal attachment united us; on my part I do not scruple to acknowledge I sacrificed more than prudence can excuse: the resentment of my relatives was, and is to this day implacable, by which I have lost the share of a considerable property on the death of my before mentioned uncle.
To the distressing circumstances which attended my union with Mr.G. I had nothing to oppose but that happiness which I possessed to the extreme.
In my domestic enjoyments you found me, as you too well were convinced of, in the possession of as great a portion of content as this life can be supposed to have, yet it alone