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Temperance and your company, as agreeable, as you can make it, will make life tolerable, if not easy, even with the gout. God give us an happy meeting. Yours faithfully, tenderly, &c. RICH, STEELE.

LETTER CCCXXIX. To Lady STEELE.

DEAR PRUE,

Monday morn, June 23, 1718. SEND this meffenger to tell you that I fhall not be with you till eight o'clock tomorrow morning. At that hour, God willing, I fhall reach Hampton-court, and haften (as foon as I have taken up you and the rest of my dear cargo) to London, where it is neceffary I fhould be in the forenoon. I am, dear Prue, your moft affectionate, moft obedient husband and fervant, RICH. STEELE.

I was so pleased with my fon from his lodging o Hampton, that I fhall, please God, take him with me to Scotland.

LETTER

LETTER CCCXXX. To Mrs. ELIZ. STEELE *. My dear Child, Mifs BETTY,

NE matter of moment or other has de

ON `tained me all this day; nor can I fee you

to night. I thank you for your purse; and, if you and 1 live till this day twelvemonth, you are to ask me for it again full of gold. God bless you. Remember me to Molly. Be obfervant of the good guardian God has raised for you. RICH. STEELE,

LETTER CCCXXXI. To Mrs. ELIZ. STEELE. DEAR BETTY,

F you have a letter from Mrs. Keck to me, pray fend it me by the bearer, fealed up. You may remember you fent me one open by. him. He is a very faithful fervant, but he might have been otherwise for aught you knew; not to fay that it is alfo refpect to me to have a letter from you when I fend you one.

Give my most humble fervice to Mrs. Snow when you fee her, and beg her favour to vifit you. You are at your new lodgings; and al

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* Afterwards Lady Trevor. See p. 210.-Lady STEELE appears to have been dead before this letter was written. On her grave-tone in Westminster-abbey there is the following infcription: "Dame Mary Steele, wife of Sir Richard Steele, "knight, daughter and fole heiress of Jonathan Scurlock, efq. "of the county of Carmarthen, died Dec. 26, 1718, aged 40 years; leaving iffue one fon and two daughters, Eugene, Eli"zabeth, and Mary."

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ways preferve the highest respect to her for being willing to receive you.

But it is impoffible for me to be easy without feeing you every moment I have leifure. I am, most affectionately, your father, RICH. STEELE, My service to Molly.

I had bufinefs kept me at home all day.

LETTER CCCXXXII. To Dear BETTY STEELE.

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DEAR CHILD,

May 21, 1719.

HAVE your pretty letter, and have sent to know whether I can have any tickets* or not, or whether there will be room; but have not yet an answer. Be grateful, obedient, and refpectful to Mrs. Keck; and you will oblige your moft affectionate father, RICH. STEELE.

Service to Molly.

LETTER CCCXXXIII. To Mrs. ELIZ. STEELE.

MY DEAR CHILD,

Aug. 21, 1719.

I of

HAVE your letter, and am very much pleased with the improvement

your hand, I earnestly defire you to be careful of obeying

* This poffibly might be to a fplendid ball which was given to the young Princeffes, in the Greenhouse at Kensington Gardens, on the King's birth-day, May 28, the day on which their houfhold-eftablishment was first formed.

whatever

whatever your good guardian* and kind mistresst direct. I have been taken up with cares, which, I hope, will make my children eafy after me. I pray for you and your fifter, and am your affectionate father, RICH. STEELE.

LETTER CCCXXXIV. To Mrs. ELIZABETH STEELE, at Mrs. Nazereau's at Chelsea.

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MY DEAR CHILD, Edinburgh, Sept. 17, 1720. KEEP your letters fafely tied together, in order to observe your improvement, which I take notice of with great pleasure. Mrs. Mary's mark is no less a fatisfaction to me, because it denotes that she is well, and fhews her endeavours to converfe with me. But I hope you will now begin to make her fign the first letters of her Be pleased to write every other letter in English. To make this easy, I will be contented that what is written in your mother tongue one poft, may be in French the next.

name.

Be very dutiful and obedient to Mrs. Keck, and believe me to be the most affectionate of fathers. RICH. STEELE

Remember me to Molly.

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MY DEAR CHILD, Edinburgh, O&. 7, 1720.

HAVE yours of the 30th of the last month;

and, from your diligence and improvement, conceive hopes of your being as excellent a perfon as your mother: you have great opportunities of becoming fuch a one, by obferving the maxims and fentiments of her bofom friend, Mrs. Keck, who has condefcended to take upon her the care of you and your fifter, for which you are always to pay her the fame refpect as if The were your mother.

I have obferved that your fifter has, for the first time, written the initial or first letters of her name. Tell her I am highly delighted to fee her fubfcription in fuch fair letters, and how many fine things thofe two letters ftand for when the writes them. M. S. is milk and fugar, mirth and fafety, mufick and fongs, meat and fauce, as well as Molly and Spot, and Mary and Steele.

You fee I take pleasure in converfing with you, by prattling any thing to divert you. I hope we fhall next month have an happy meeting, when I will entertain you with fomething that may be as good for the father as the children, and confequently please us. I am, Madam, your affectionate father, and most humble fervant, RICH. STEELE.

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