Date: 1762

"One only hope remains, that you, my first and dearest friend, will not abandon me; that whatever cloud of melancholy may hang over my mind, yet you will still bear with me, and remove your abode to a place where I may have the consolation of your company."

— Scott [née Robinson], Sarah (1720-1795)

Date: 1763

"The once smiling scene has a melancholy gloom, which strikes a damp through my inmost soul."

— Brooke [née Moore], Frances (bap. 1724, d. 1789)

Date: 1809

"Could my ideas flow as fast as the rain in the store-closet it would be charming."

— Austen, Jane (1775-1817)