How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Pamela owes everything that she is to be, as well as her being, to him; for, I think, she would not have brought me to this, nor made so great a Resistance, but for the good Lessons, and religious Education she imbib'd from him. (78.30)
Her, Mr. B basically shifts all the credit for Pamela's strength and piety away from her and gives it to her dad. What do you think of that? Was Pamela really just raised right, or should we give her a little more credit? (Remember that her brothers didn't turn out so well—they're the ones who got the family into major debt in the first place.)
Quote #2
Poor Mr. Williams, with Tears of Joy in his Eyes, said; How happily, Sir, have you been touched by the Divine Grace, before you have been hurried into the Commission of Sins, that the deepest Penitence could hardly have aton'd for!—God has enabled you to stop short of the Evil; and you have nothing to do, but to rejoice in the Good, which now will be doubly so, because you can receive it without the least inward Reproach. (78.40)
Mr. Williams doesn't give Mr. B or Pamela credit for his miraculous reform; rather, it's "Divine Grace" that has interceded and prevented him from further crimes. But wait: if none of the characters had anything to do with it, why did we just read this whole book?
Quote #3
You do well, said he, to remind me; that I owe all this to the Grace of God. I bless Him for it; and I thank this good Man for his excellent Lessons. I thank his dear Daughter for following them: And I hope, from her good Example, and your Friendship, Mr. Williams, in time, to be half as good as my Tutoress." (78.41)
Well, something's changed: Mr. B here seems almost humble, saying that he's going to rely on religious guidance from Mr. Williams and Pamela in order to adjust his behavior, and even then he doesn't necessarily think he will be "half as good" as Pamela when it's all over. This kind of change seems more like a miracle than real character development, but hey—we are talking religion.
Quote #4
All that I value myself upon, is, that God has raised me to a Condition to be useful in my Generation, to better Persons than myself. This is my Pride: And I hope this will be all my Pride. For what was I of myself!—All the Good I can do, is but a poor third-hand Good; for my dearest Master himself is but the Second-hand. GOD, the All-gracious, the All-good, the All-bountiful, the All-mighty, the All-merciful GOD, is the First: To HIM, therefore, be all the Glory! (103.2)
Okay, Pamela, we get it: you had nothing to do with it, it's all God, let Jesus take the wheel, etc etc. It's just that all these attempts to downplay Pamela's special qualities seem a little funny after the past 300 pages of playing them up.
Quote #5
We went up; and in every Room, the Chamber I took Refuge in, when my Master pursu'd me, my Lady's Chamber, her Dressing-room, Mrs. Jervis's Room, not forgetting her Closet, my own little Bed-chamber, the Green-room, and in each of the others, I kneeled down severally, and blessed God for my past Escapes, and present Happiness . . . (96.7)
Pamela seems to be performing a kind of exorcism—or a Stations of the Cross—when she returns to the Bedfordshire house, visiting all the settings of her clashes with Mr. B and thanking God for enabling her to escape those circumstances. Why do you think she needs to do this?
Quote #6
Mrs. Jervis came in; said she, I have seen a very affecting Sight; you have made your Maidens quite happy, Madam, with your kindness and Condescension! I saw them all Four, as I came by the Hall Door, just got up from their Knees, praising and praying for you both! Dear good Bodies, said I; and did Jane pray too? God return their Prayers upon themselves, I say. (96.32)
Pamela has such a good influence on her former fellow-servants that they keep randomly breaking out into prayer. Wonder how Pamela's going to like that when they start burning her food and scorching her clothes?
Quote #7
As Farmer Jones has been kind to you, as I have heard you say, pray, when you take Leave of them, present them with three Guineas worth of good Books, such as a Family-Bible, a Common-Prayer, a Whole Duty of Man, or any other you think will be acceptable, for they live a great way from Church; and in Winter, the Ways from their Farm thither are impassable. (99.20)
Here, Pamela makes sure that her parents' friends can worship when it is too dangerous to travel to church. Remember, Pamela's yearly salary was around four guineas, meaning that these are some pretty expensive books. We can't help wondering if Farmer Jones wouldn't have rather had the money, but then we're cold-hearted cynics.
Quote #8
It seems, the neighboring Gentry had expected us; and there was a great Congregation; for (against my Wish) we were a little of the latest; so that, as we walked up the Church to his Seat, we had abundance of Gazers, and Whisperers: But my dear Master behav'd with so intrepid an Air, and was so cheerful and complaisant to me, that he did Credit to his kind Choice, instead of shewing as if he was asham'd of it; and as I was resolved to busy my Mind intirely with the Duties of the Day, my Intentness on that Occasion, and my Thankfulness to God, for his unspeakable Mercies to me, so took up my Attention, that I was much less concern'd than I should otherwise have been, at the Gazings and Whisperings of the Ladies and Gentlemen, as well as of the rest of the Congregation, whose Eyes were all turn'd to our Seat. (101.2)
Here, Pamela describes turning to religion to tune out all the gawkers at church. It sounds like some of the church-goers should be paying more attention to the service and less attention to the rich guy's servant bride.
Quote #9
The Dean preached again, which he was not used to do, out of Compliment to us; and an excellent Sermon he made on the relative Duties of Christianity; and it took my peculiar Attention; for he made many fine Observations on the Subject. Mr. Martin address'd himself twice or thrice to me, during the Sermon; but he saw me so wholly engross'd with hearkening to the good Preacher, that he forbore interrupting me; yet I took care, according to my dear Sir's Lesson, formerly, to observe to him a chearful and obliging Behaviour, as one of his Friends and Intimates. (101.13)
Don't you hate it when you're just trying to listen to the sermon and your husband's friend keeps cracking jokes in your ear? Yeah, so does Pamela—but she manages to (1) teach him a lesson, and (2) be polite at the same time, which is more than we can say for ourselves.
Quote #10
She made her beloved Spouse happy in a numerous and hopeful Progeny. And he made her the best and fondest of Husbands, and, after her Example, became remarkable for Piety, Virtue, and all the Social Duties of a Man and a Christian. (104.5)
At the end, the editor chimes in to let us know that, thanks to Pamela's example, Mr. B fully reformed into a virtuous and pious Christian. We hope Pamela likes him as much as she did when he was a dashing rake, is all we're saying.