"Lord Melvile had courage to persevere in advancing, though Dorignon's idea perpetually obtruded itself on his imagination; the charms of her form indeed were not such as justified his infatuation; she was, in respect to personal attractions, much below mediocrity; but her sprightly sallies, her scavoir vivre, her piquantes caprices; her unbounded, her libertine vivacity, unfettered by the chains of either politeness, decency, or good-nature; her dexterity in varying the scene from storm to sunshine, from rage to softness; in short, those wretched artifices to which beauty need not, and probity will not, descend, held him in a state of willing slavery, from which he scarce had firmness of mind enough to attempt getting released."
The Excursion
At least 3 entries in the ESTC (1777, 1785).<br>
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See <u>The Excursion. In Two Volumes. By Mrs. Brooke</u> (London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1777). &lt;<a href="http://find.galegroup.com/ecco/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=ECCO&userGroupName=viva_uva&tabID=T001&docId=CW3309241815&type=multipage&contentSet=ECCOArticles&version=1.0&docLevel=FASCIMILE">Link to ECCO</a>&gt;