undiscovered. But it is otherwise in letters, which are read in cold blood, and often forced to stand a second or third perusal. Writing a letter is next of kin to publishing a book. You often do not know who are to be your readers, and had therefore need to be a little on your guard. After all, there are many fine things in Mad. de Sevigné, who is likely to be the best model for ladies' letters, till you shall be prevailed on to publish your own. I believe I have caught the rambling disease from Mad. de Sevigné; for I find I am got out of sight of my first design, which was to be an apology for blotting your book. Not that I pretend thus to excuse myself, or imagine that the loss of a line of hers could be atored by a whole sheet of mine. Perhaps the best reparation I could have made had been to have said nothing; and that the next to this is, not to say a syllable more, but, Madam, your most obedient, most slovenly, and inky servant, MADAM, LETTER V. EPH. CHAMBERS, Colney Hatch, Monday, May 10, INSTEAD of writing you a letter, I send you a how d'ye. I contracted indeed with you, to furnish a letter per week; but the situation in which I last saw you rendered the performance impracticable. In reality, what can a man say to a person ill a-bed? To speak pertinently, it must be on matters either of diet or physic. But, alas! water-gruel and asses' milk will make but poor entertainment! And, besides, you hear enough of those things from your physician and nurse. Should I endeavour to amuse you with flights of wit and fancy? it is not only vain and unreasonable, but out of my power. The concern I am under for your health damps the little genius I am possessed of. I must desire you therefore to make haste and get well again, or I shall be utterly insolvent. Till I hear of that, all I shall be able to write will be, Pray let me know how you do. Madam, your most obedient servant, EPH. CHAMBERS. LETTER VI. MADAM, Gray's Inn, Saturday Morning. IF it be to old age and impertinence I owe the honour of your last commands, I am more indebted to those two ill qualities, as they are commonly reputed, than I am to forty good ones. I could almost be tempted to wish you more of both of them, were it not that this might look a little too selfish as well as assuming: for, in reality, I do not wish you any other than as you are; and it might puzzle a better head than mine to find any thing to alter in you for the better, except I mean your patrimonial malady. If Polnitz may contribute any thing toward alleviating the least pains of your little toe, he will be very happy. He is dressing himself up fit to appear before you; but it will be Monday ere his clothes be quite ready. I am, &c. 1787, April and May. EPH. CHAMBERS. LVIII. Letters from Dr. Young to Mr. Williams, DEAR SIR, LETTER I. To Mr. Williams at Lyons. Welwyn, Feb. 23, 1739. NOTHING can be more kind than the continuance of your friendship: nothing more unjust than your suspicion of my backwardness to embrace it. I esteem you for yourself, and the good company you keep. Homer was a very honest. gentleman, who talked of many gods, and believed but one. Horace says, quanto tibi negaveris a Diis plura feres. Fenelon was half an angel; and Newton looked so far and so clearly into nature, that he found himself under the necessity to clap a God at the head of it, in order to render any thing accountable. As to Voltaire, he is content with the contemplation of his own parts, without looking for any other immortality than they shall give him. Thus, Sir, my sermon ends. But why this sermon? To shew myself qualified for the deanery or mitre you so kindly wish me. But these things are long in coming. If in your travels you should pick me up a little vacant principality, it would do as well; I am as well qualified for it, and as likely to succeed in it. Monaco would be a pretty sinecure, for, as I take it, the Most Christian King is so good as to do all the duty. I have brought you to the borders of Italy; I heartily wish you all pleasure in the land of Kantys. But before that, I hope to be censured by you in another letter, which would give me great satisfaction, You inquire after writers. Here is a libel lately published, called Manners, for which the author is fled, and the minister has been reprimanded: there are two or three things well enough said in it to balance a deal of gross abuse. The last publication I have read was about suicide, in which the author endeavours to persuade an Englishman. not to hang himself when the wind is N.E. Mustapha, a new tragedy, is treading the stage with some applause. Nothing shoots in abundance this spring but divinity; a forward plant like the snow-drop, but of little flavour. I desire you to re-enter me into your little list of friends; and to be assured that, with the most sincere affection and good wishes, &c. &c. &c. &c. E. YOUNG. Welwyn, Nov. 25, 1739. LETTERS from the dead are so entertaining, that many wits have lied their friends out of hell so agreeably, that mankind has forgiven the imposition, for the sake of the pleasure. Next to letters from the dead, are those from the living at a great distance, and, in some sense, inhabitants of another world. But, as far as I can learn from your letter, that other world I mean, is itself dead since I was there, at least, much out of order. Poor Sun! give him a glass of your pupil's October, to cure his November dumps; it will make him gay, and dance as in our Rehearsal; but leave a glass for his holiness the Pope; and, that it may go down. with him the better, you may let him know how it is prescribed by the Council of Nice. When I was there, I contracted a great intimacy with the Mediterranean. Every day I made him a solemn visit. He roared very agreeably; 1 hope our men of war will soon learn his art for the entertainment of his Spanish Majesty; this is a kind of opera that will receive no improvement from the loss of manhood. If here you are at a loss for my meaning (for I think I am a little obscure,) consult Mr. Patterson's little wife; she will let you into the secret; for I am mistaken, or our friend P. has taught her to look on all eunuchs with high disdain, and to detest music for the execrable damage it has done the whole sex. If you visit my quondam habitation, you will pass a solemn assembly of cypresses; I have great regard for their memory and welfare; they took up my quarrel against the Sun, and often defended me from his insults, when he was much more furious than you now represent him. You are so kind as often to remember me with Mr. P. When you drink my health, regard your own. I would have you eat my health, and I will drink yours: the north wants spirits; and the south, flesh; but take care you get not more than your own. There is great plenty in Italian markets, and it comes cheap; if any thing can be called cheap which may possibly cost a whole Roman nose. I hope you have nothing of Rome about you but that noble feature: if you have, post away to his holiness. No man makes more protestants than the pope, or more saints than the devil, when either of them is thoroughly known; for truth and virtue have no better friends upon earth than a near inspection and intimate acquaintance with the deformity and madness of their opposites. This, dear Sir, comes of your conversing with parsons; I forgot I was writing a letter, and was providing myself for next Sunday with a sermon against drinking, wenching, &c. &c. Pardon a friend's infirmity, and manfully bear your own calamity. May this be the greatest you meet with in your travels, and then you need not be in haste to return to your farm in Wales! My best wishes and services to Mr. P. &c. Lady Betty sends com pliments to you and Mr. P. &c. &c. I am, dear Sir, Your obliged and affectionate humble servant, 1787, May. LIX. Letters from Mr. Pope and the Earl of Oxford, LETTER I.. To the Rev. Mr. Wesley, at Tiverton, Devon. DEAR SIR, YOUR letter had not been so long unanswered, but that was not returned from a long journey of some weeks when it arrived at this place. You may depend on the money for the Earl of Peterborow, Mr. Bethel, Dr. Swift, and Mr. Echersall, which I will pay before-hand to any one you shall direct; and I think you may set down Dr. Delany, whom I will write to. I desired iny Lord Oxford, some months since, to tell you this; it was just upon my going to take a last leave of Lord Peterborow, in so much hurry that I had not time to write; and my Lord Oxford undertook to tell it you for me. I agree with you in the opinion of Savage's strange performance, which does not deserve the be nefit of the clergy. Mrs. Wesley has my sincere thanks for her good wishes in favour of this wretched tabernacle, my body; the soul that is so unhappy as to inhabit it deserves her regard something better, because it really harbours much good-will for her husband and herself; no man being more truly, dear Sir, your affectionate and faithful servant, ALEXANDER POPE. LETTER II. To the Rev. Mr. Wesley, School-master, Tiverton, Devon. REV. SIR, Dover-street, Aug. 7, 1734. I AM sorry and ashamed to say it, but the truth must come out, that I have a letter of yours, dated June 8, and this is August 7, and I have but now set pen to paper to answer it. I assure you, I was very glad to hear from you; and, since that you are much mended in your health, change of air will certainly be of great service to you, and I hope you will use some other exercise than that of the school. I hear you have had an increase of above forty boys since. you have been down there. I am very glad, for your sake, that you are so well approved of; I hope it will in every re spect answer your expectation: if your health be established, I make no doubt but that all parts will prove to your mind, which will be a great pleasure to me. There is very little news stirring; they all agree that the Bishop of Winchester is dying. They say Hoadly is to succeed him ; and Potter, Hoadly; but how farther I cannot tell, nor does the town pretend, which is a wonderful thing. I am very glad you was induced to read over Hudibras three times with care; and I find you are perfectly of my mind, that it much wants notes, and that it will be a great work; certainly it will be, to do it as it should be; I do not know one so capable of doing it as yourself. I speak this very sincerely. Lily's Life I have; and any books that I have you shall see, and have the perusal of them, and any |