The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

At last, repeating his usual saying, that he could lie naked in the bed

with me and not offer me the least injury, he starts out of his bed.

'And now, my dear,' says he, 'you shall see how just I will be to you,

and that I can keep my word,' and away he comes to my bed.

I resisted a little, but I must confess I should not have resisted him

much if he had not made those promises at all; so after a little

struggle, as I said, I lay still and let him come to bed. When he was

there he took me in his arms, and so I lay all night with him, but he

had no more to do with me, or offered anything to me, other than

embracing me, as I say, in his arms, no, not the whole night, but rose

up and dressed him in the morning, and left me as innocent for him as I

was the day I was born.

This was a surprising thing to me, and perhaps may be so to others, who

know how the laws of nature work; for he was a strong, vigorous, brisk

person; nor did he act thus on a principle of religion at all, but of

mere affection; insisting on it, that though I was to him to most

agreeable woman in the world, yet, because he loved me, he could not

injure me.

I own it was a noble principle, but as it was what I never understood

before, so it was to me perfectly amazing. We traveled the rest of the

journey as we did before, and came back to the Bath, where, as he had

opportunity to come to me when he would, he often repeated the

moderation, and I frequently lay with him, and he with me, and although

all the familiarities between man and wife were common to us, yet he

never once offered to go any farther, and he valued himself much upon

it. I do not say that I was so wholly pleased with it as he thought I

was, for I own much wickeder than he, as you shall hear presently.

We lived thus near two years, only with this exception, that he went

three times to London in that time, and once he continued there four

months; but, to do him justice, he always supplied me with money to

subsist me very handsomely.

Had we continued thus, I confess we had had much to boast of; but as

wise men say, it is ill venturing too near the brink of a command, so

we found it; and here again I must do him the justice to own that the

first breach was not on his part. It was one night that we were in bed

together warm and merry, and having drunk, I think, a little more wine

that night, both of us, than usual, although not in the least to

disorder either of us, when, after some other follies which I cannot

name, and being clasped close in his arms, I told him (I repeat it with

shame and horror of soul) that I could find in my heart to discharge

him of his engagement for one night and no more.