This group of letters are love letters written to Lady Dorothy Savile in the most verbose and ardent manner by Scroop Egerton, then 4th Earl of Bridgewater, in his attempt to persuade Lady Dorothy to accept his marriage proposal [which she did not, going on to marry the 3rd Earl of Burlington].
In his letters to Lady Dorothy Savile, Lord Bridgewater writes of: his regret at speaking to Lord Nottingham before her about a marriage proposal which he acknowledges was rude; his excuse for speaking to Lord Nottingham first being that he did not have time to convince Lady Dorothy of the sincerity of his passion and his not thinking he would consider her previously due to his poor fortune in the past; admiring her character and loving her person; submitting to whatever she decides; Lord Nottingham's advice to acquiesce to his proposal; his explanation that he sent a letter to Lord Nottingham only out of respect for him; being riveted by Lady Dorothy's beauty and merit which he has admired for some years; his love and torment; the sincerity and constancy of his love; his letters being for her only and not to be shown to anyone; his helplessness if she chooses to show his letters to his enemies; his desperation that she gives him an answer and put him out of his very great misery; his anguish being worse than that of a prisoner who knows their fate; his wish that she would write something to him; her banning Lord Nottingham from mentioning him; his belief that nobody but she believes his love insincere; his assertion that he would marry Lady Dorothy with or without Lord Nottingam's consent; his accusation that she must hate him and if not then he asks her to put himself and his fortune in her power to decide on jointure and pin money such as Lord Nottingham would be pleased with for her; a wishing to be put on the list of suitors that Lord Nottingham will want Lady Dorothy to choose from; a lover's impatience to hear from the subject of his devotion; calling on Lord Nottingham but discovering he was ill and having his visit returned by Finch (his greatest enemy) who looked as if he were pleased to give him bad news, though he had none regarding Lady Dorothy's decision.