true pleasures of religion and virtue. Yours ever, RICH. STEELE. I LETTER CCXCVIII. To Lady STEELE. DEAR PRUE, St. James's-ftreet, Aug. 3, 1717. HAVE yours, wherein you diffuade me from Wales, and tell me you hear I am ordered for Scotland. Mine of Saturday is on that fubject. I come now from the most disagreeable place in the world, a great man's table, and am unfit for writing, &c. but will be very long on this affair on Thursday. Your most obfequious husband, and most humble fervant, RICH. STEELE. LETTER CCXCIX. To Lady STEELE. DEAR PRUE, Aug. 3, 1717. AM going to Hampton-court, where the King now is, to folicit fome matters relating to our commiffion. I give a thousand thousand thanks for your very pretty and very kind letter of the 29th of last month. Forgive me that I am in hafte, with a ftedfast resolution in what you are so kind as to approve with so much affection. I remain your most affectionate hufband, and moft obedient humble fervant, RICH. STEELE, LETTER LETTER CCC. To Lady STEELE. MY DEAR WIFE, YOU Aug. 9, 1717. OURS of the 4th is full of that natural terror you have upon you by the apprehenfions of thunder. There is no talking away fuch fears. I earnestly recommend you to the protection of God under that and all other amazement and failing of fpirit. I take all the meafures I am able to be a comfort to you, as you are a very great one to me; for I indeed, from reafon and reflection, as well as tenderness and paffion, take you for the best of women. How happy fhall we be, when we are out of debt, to have nothing to do but to please and exhilarate each other, and educate our children in the love of that God who made us their parents! The poor little things feem (as far as my partiality will let me judge) to have very good endowments. I hope we shall live to see these talents improved. We have not had any thunder at all in these parts. God preferve you to your family, and, dear Moll, your most affectionate husband, and moft obedient fervant, RICH. STEELE. LETTER I LETTER CCCI. To Lady STEELE. DEAR PRUE, Aug. 17, 1717. AM in the utmoft concern to find you fo very uneafy as you are in the country. I am confident, if you had fuch a fellow as Dymock, whom you might command, it would be better with you, and you might be mistress of your eftate as abfolutely as you are of, dear Prue, your moft obfequious husband and fervant, RICH. STEELE, I LETTER CCCII. To Lady STEELE. DEAR PRUE, [Aug. 24, 1717.] HAVE yours of the 19th. I have done about the mention of Dymock, and believe you are in the right. The other circumstance to be confidered in your letter is about removing. You fay I did not tell you I had refolved it when you left the town. I did not myself know it then; but your inftructions to me were, Pall-mall, St. James's-ftreet, Gerard street, or a place near a church: which laft you will have. I am confident, daily intelligence of what paffes at the playhouse will be fome hundreds in my way; and money is the main thing get I always could, but now I will get it and keep it. Your affair is to make and keep yourself chearful; you shall have nothing to do but to enjoy, it shall be my part to labour and get. I have had much ftruggle by reafon of illpayments, and unreasonable, hafty, fevere people; among the reft, that hog Lady Vandeput. I have paid her to the end of last quarter, and have given her warning, and can remove any time between this and quarter-day without paying more than this quarter. I fhall on Michaelmas-day have 5331. due to me. If I can find means to have that advanced, I will pay off the coach-horfes quite, and have no charge of equipage of any kind till we are together again in London. How can you let your fpirit fink fo as to mind what people fay whom you do not esteem? Be yourself, and referve your best self for, dear Prue, yours ever, RICH. STEELE. I go to-morrow to Tunbridge, with Dr. Garth, to vifit Lady Marlborough and the Duke *; fo perhaps you may not have a letter by Tuesday's * Who had, in the December preceding, been seized with an apoplexy, which, though by the skill of Dr. Garth it was for fome time palliated, impaired his fenfes, and at length terminated in a total decay, and his diffolution. His Grace, however, had after the year 1717 fome lucid intervals. In the fummer of 1718, Sir Richard Steele, with Bishop Hoadly and Dr. Samuel Clarke, made a vifit of fome days at Blenheim-house, by invitation; where, he found, the ladies and gentlemen of the family, and a few of the neighbourhood, had got up the tragedy of "All for Love," to entertain the Duke of Marl. borough. Lady Bateman (one of his Grace's grand-daughters Tuesday's poft, for I fear I fhall not return till Wednesday. by the Earl of Sunderland), who played the part of Cleopatra, had in vain applied to Sir Richard Steele for a prologue on that extraordinary occafion, and feemed chagrined at the disappointment. At night, when the family retired, the Bishop defired pen, ink, and paper, might be brought to his chamber, and, the next morning at breakfast, prefented to Lady Bateman an excellent "Prologue;" which the spoke, the fame evening, to the Duke and Dutchefs, his Grace fhedding tears at the unex pected compliment from a favourite grand-child. In the courfe of the play, Sir Richard, who fat next to the Bishop, often ob ferved how well and feelingly Captain Fifhe performed the part of Anthony. This gentleman, who had been the Duke's page, had diftinguished himself in the army, and, as I have been informed, died a lieutenant-colonel. In one of the fcenes where Fishe was very fweet upon his Cleopatra, Sir Richard whifpered the Bishop, "I doubt this Fifhe' is Flesh,' my Lord."-I must mention another incident at their going away. Sir Richard faid to the Bishop, “Does your Lordship give money to all these "fellows in laced coats and ruffles?" "No doubt," replied the Bishop. "I have not enough," said the Knight; and when he paffed by them in the hall, he accofted them in a speech, telling them, "that he had found them men of taste, and, as fuch, "invited them all to Drury-lane theatre, to whatever play they "fhould please to bespeak," he having then a fhare in the paHe obtained this in 1714, by the friendship of the Duke of Marlborough, which he owed to a pleafant repartee (reported to the Duke, and taken as it was meant) on his Grace's preferring his relations. See "Biographia Britannica," vol.VI. p. 3829. Bishop Hoadly and Sir Richard Steele had long been connected as public men and fellow-labourers in the caufe of liberty. The Tatler took fhare in the controverfy with Bishop Blackall; and Mr. Hoadly was one of the five friends, who, in 1714, revised and corrected Steele's "Crifis" before it was printed. Mr. Aḍdison, Mr. Lechmere, Mr. Moore, and Mr. Minshull, were the other four. See p. 112. Mr. Hoadly was alfo the reputed author of "A Dedication to his Holinefs Clement X1," an admirable piece of grave humour, figned "Richard Steele," being prefixed to his "Account of the State of the Roman-catholic Religion throughout the World," publifhed in 1715. J. DUNCOMBE. LETTER tent. 86 |