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head and an honest heart are never to be dispensed with. Not that I am so severe upon Luneville and my English friends, as to pretend there are not men of merit and good sense among them. There are some undoubtedly; but all I know are uneasy at finding themselves in such ill company. I shall trouble you no further upon this head. If you enter into my way of thinking, what I have said will be enough: if you do not, all I can say will have no effect. I should not have engaged in this long detail, but that I love to open my heart to you, and make you the confident of all my thoughts. Till I have the honour and happiness of conversing with you in a nearer manner, indulge me, dear sir, in this distant way of conveying my notions to you, and let me talk to you as I would to my dearest friend, without awe, correctness, or reserve. Though I have taken up so much of your time before, I cannot help giving myself the pleasure of acquainting you of the extraordinary civilities I receive from Mr. Poyntz. He has in a manner taken me into his family. I have the honour of his conversation at all hours, and he delights to turn it to my improvement. He was so good as to desire me to ask your leave to pass the winter with him, and, to encourage me to do it, promised me that I should not be without my share of public business. The first packet that comes from Fountainbleau I expect to be employed; which is no small pleasure to me, and will, I hope, be of service.

Do not you think, sir, it would be proper for you to write to Mr. Poyntz, to thank him for the honours he has done me; and to desire him to ex

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cuse it, if his civilities make me troublesome to him longer than you designed? You know so well how to do those things, that I am persuaded it would have a good effect.

The only news 1 have to tell you, is a secret intelligence from Vienna, that count Zinzerdorff is going out of favour; this is of consequence to the negociations, but you must not mention it: while I am not trusted with affairs you shall know all I hear; but afterwards nil patri quidem. I was saying to Mr. Poyntz, that Ripperda was undoubtedly very happy to come out of prison into the land of liberty; he replied, that whatever the duke might think, he was in danger of going to prison again.

This was said some time ago, and things may have altered since. I remain, dear sir, your duti ful son, &c.

LETTER LXXI.

MR. LYTTLETON TO SIR THOMAS LYTTLETON.

Paris, Jan. 22, 1789.

DEAR SIR, I HAVE SO much to thank you for, that I have not words to do it; so kind a compliance with all my wishes surpasses my acknowledgment. Your two letters to Mr. Poyntz had their effect, and were answered with a profusion of civilities, and marks of friendship and esteem; but the inclosed will instruct you better in the obligations I have to you and him. How happy I am in your permission to quit Lorrain, you may judge by my letter

on that head. I think you have mistaken my sense in some arguments made use of there; but it is needless to set you right. Your kindness and indulgence to my desires is an argument more persuasive than all the rest, and in which only I confide.

I have lately, sir, spent more than I could wish, and the necessity of doing it gives me no small uneasiness; but it is an undoubted fact, that without show abroad there is no improvement. You yourself confess it when you say, the French are only fond of strangers who have money to pay them for their compliments. You express a great uneasiness, for fear I should grow fond of games of chance. I have sometimes risqued a little at them, but without any passion or delight. Gaming is too unreasonable and dishonest for a gentleman, who has either sense or honour, to addict himself to it; but, to set you quite easy in that point, I give you my word and honour, and desire no pardon if I recede from it, that I never will addict myself to this destructive passion, which is such a whirlpool, that it absorbs all others. It is true I have been a sufferer at quadrille, and must ever suffer on: for point de societé sans cela ; c'est un article preliminaire à tout commerce avec le beau monde. I may venture to assure you, that all thoughts of peace are not laid aside, as you apprehend. I remain, dear sir, your dutiful son, &c.

LETTER LXXII.

S. POYNTZ, ESQ. TO SIR THOMAS LYTTLETON.

SIR, Paris, Jan. 22, 1729. I HAVE received your two kind letters, in which you are pleased very much to overvalue the small civilities it has lain in my power to show Mr. Lyttleton. I have more reason to thank you, sir, for giving me so convincing a mark of your regard, as to interrupt the course of his travels on my account, which will lay me under a double obligation to do all I can towards making his stay agreeable and useful to him; though I shall still remain the greater gainer, by the pleasure of his company, which no services of mine can sufficiently requite. He is now in the same house with me, and by that means more constantly under my eye than even at Soissons; but I should be very unjust to him, if I left you under the imagination that his inclinations stand in the least need of any such ungenerous restraint. Depend upon it, sir, from the observation of one who would abhor to deceive a father in so tender a point, that he retains the same virtuous and studious dispositions, which nature and your care planted in him, only strengthened and improved by age and experience; so that, I dare promise you, the bad examples of Paris, or any other place, will never have any other effect upon him, but to confirm him in the right choice he has made. Under these happy circumstances, he can have little occasion for any

other advice, but that of sustaining the character he has so early got, and of supporting the hopes he has raised. I wish it were in my power to do him any part of the service you suppose me capable of. I shall not be wanting to employ him, as occasion offers; and to assist him with my advice where it may be necessary, though your cares (which he ever mentions with the greatest gratitude) have made this task very easy. He cannot fail of making you and himself happy, and of being a great ornament to our country, if, with that refined taste and delicacy of genius, he can but recal his mind, at a proper age, from the pleasures of learning, and gay scenes of imagination, to the dull road and fatigue of business. This I have sometimes taken the liberty to hint to him, though his own good judgment made it very unnecessary.

Though I have only the happiness of knowing you, sir, by your reputation, and by this common object of our friendship and affections, your son; I beg you would be persuaded that am, with the most particular respect, sir, your most humble and obedient servant, &c.

LETTER LXXIII.

MR. LYTTLETON TO SIR THOMAS LYTTLETON.

DEAR SIR,

Paris, Feb. 17.

I MADE your compliments to Mr. Poyntz as handsomely as I could, and read him that part of your

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