from the fear of your want of health, which I thought occafioned the omiffion of a letter. The letter wherein you speak of the 100l. remitted to Mrs. Clark has no date, which always creates puzzles. I highly admire and honour you for your good conduct in clearing your estate and paying your debts. Nothing on my part shall be omitted, to render you chearful in your endeavours for our common good: for I defign to allow you to be the head-piece, and give as much into your power as I can, which is but justice to the good and skilful use you have made of the power already reposed in you. The poor Spanish horse is dead; the mule I fhall make a prefent of to a young gentleman who is fond of him. I expect a horse fit for my own riding in return. I gave Mrs. Evans your letter; her brother-in-law is at present very ill, so that she cannot make any resolution. You ask about my chariot. Fuller made me a prefent of a very good one: the old one, purchase a good chaife. hor debt as much as treason. with ten pounds, will Depend upon it, I abEver yours, RICH. STEELE. You may be fure I have faid nothing to Dick Philips which I should not have said, &c. + I DEAR PRUE, LETTER CCLXXIV. To Lady STEELE. May 9, 1717. HAVE intelligence from Carmarthen that you are well at Blengorfe. Upon serious reflection, your not giving me one line yourself is fuch a flight notice of me, that indeed I will not write to you hereafter but in answer to your own hand. If Sandy tells me that "you are "well;" I will repartee, " I am well," to him, without further pains-taking. I was forced to lie laft night at a lodging next door to Mr. Wilks, in Covent-garden. The children and all your family are well. I LETTER CCLXXV. To Lady STEELE. DEAR PRUE, May 11, 1717. HAVE a letter from Blengorfe of the 6th, from Mr. Sandy. You might have made use of the fame conveyance. I cannot, nor will I, bear fuch apparent neglect of me; and, therefore, if you do not write yourself, except you are not well, I will not write to you any more, than by telling your fecretary, "I am well," &c. Yours, RICH. STEELE. 66 I LETTER CCLXXVI. To Lady STEELE. DEAR PRUE, May 14, 1717. HAVE your kind letter of May 7, which was a great pleasure to me. I begin to think I fhall have my limbs very foon again, for I am in an unusual freedom in my faculties. If you have business to do in the country, do it, for things here are not yet in fo good a way as I hope they will be foon. You must not put me off with excuses for want of paper, fince I send you every post a fheet to anfwer with, inclofed with that I write to you. I am, dear Prue, ever yours, RICH. STEELE. I LETTER CCLXXVII. DEAR PRUE, To Lady STEELE. WAS mightily pleased with a letter under your hand, for the length of which I thank you. I do not infift upon long epiftles; but to have a line is abfolutely neceffary to keep up our spirits to each other. I am obliged to you for your inclination towards the girls, and the thought of taking up the mortgage. You bid me write no crofs ftuff. I afk no unreasonable things to keep me in good-humour. I cannot imagine what you and your coufin can have dif agreed so much about; but fhe is my relation as fhe is yours. I am wonderfully recovered to what I was. Eugene, Betty, and Molly, are in perfect health. Ever yours, RICH. STEELE. Mrs. Clark has just now been here. She pleads poverty; and I have promised her, as foon as I get money, to pay her the intereft which was due on the 501. which you have paid off. LETTER CCLXXVIII. To Lady STEELE. DEAR PRUE, May 22, 1717. YOUR fon is now with me very merry in YOUR fon rags, which condition I am going to better, for he fhall have new things immediately. He is extremely pretty, and has his face sweetened with something of the Venus his mother, which is no fmall delight to the Vulcan who begot him*. Ever yours, RICH. STEELE. LETTER CCLXXIX. To Lady STEELE. DEAR PRUE, May 22, 1717. HAVE yours of the 18th, and am always pleased when I fee any thing under your fair hand: but, by the way, I expect the sheet of paper I fend to you fent up to me in the next letter, and not fuch scandalous half-fheets. The report of exempting me from pay is false; for five hundred pounds, " for the time the commif"fion was in Scotland," is already ordered me, which I daily expect to receive. As for your ftaying all the winter, I long to fee you, and we will never part again till death feparate us. Benfon is fo bufy with great men that Gillmore's *See Letter CCLXXXII. p. 167. affair is retarded by it. I will fay nothing about Left you should not read well the interlineation, I say, the 5ool, ordered me is for the time the commiffion was in Scotland. *This refers to one of Sir Richard's projects, alluded to in many of the preceding letters, for which he obtained a patent, whence he derived ultimately no advantage. The particulars of it he published next year, under the title of "An Account of "the Fish-pool, confifting of a Description of the Veffel fo call❝ed, lately invented, and built for the Importation of Fish alive "and in good Health from parts however distant ; a Proof of the "Imperfection of the Well-boat hitherto used in the Fishing "Trade; the true Reasons why Ships become stiff or crank in 66 failing; with other Improvements very useful to all Perfons "concerned in Trade and Navigation. Likewise a Description " of the Carriage intended for the Conveyance of Fish by Land "in the fame good Condition as in the Fish-pool by Sea." By Sir Richard Steele, and Mr. Jofeph Gillmore, mathematician, 1718, 8vo. Dedicated to the Hon. Sir John Ward, knt. Lord-mayor of London. Sir Richard's patent for this invention was dated June 10, 1718. It appears from this publication, and from No XXVIII. the last number of his "Theatre," that Steele expected to have made an ample fortune by this machine: but, on trial, it did not answer his expectations; for, though by this ingenious contrivance the fishes were fupplied with a continual stream of water in croffing the fea, yet, not brooking the confinement, they battered themselves against the fides of the veffel, and were fo much injured in their paffage, that, when brought to market, they did not fetch a proper price. We learn however with certainty, from a fubfequent letter, CCLXXXIX. p. 175, that STEELE's expence was not immenfe on this occafion; and that the fate of his invention, though a great disappointment, was by no means fuch a loss to him, as it is reprefented by the writer of his life in the Biographia Britannica, art. STEELE, P. 3833, note. + The words marked in p. 164. by inve.ted commas. M 3 LETTER |