and to make me pr e agreeable. I with it Et Veneri, & er to conciliate acquaintBut I hor whether though peop If his eafe.-Pray do not g to me. Adieu! LETTER V. Shenftone to a Friend, expreffing bis Diffatisfaction at the Manner of Life a which he is engaged. I had never feen before. The man be- drives fix of t plays on Mr. L-i eft enem antagon very ci with arrog prob cef fa V โท party I Dear Sir, Mr. W-. a 1741. WONDER I have not heard from you lately-of you indeed I have, from If you could come over probably, I might go back with you fr day or two; for my horfe, I think, gets rather better, and may, with indugence, perform fuch a journey. I to advife with you about feveral ma ters;-to have your opinion about a buildA formality, is cer- ing that I have built, and about a jour I fpeak this ney which I defign to Bath; and aber numberlefs things, which, as they ar of dreffing different of his pro advife, but to you very capable of numberlefs, cannot be comprehended a -coloured coat.-You this paper. I am, your, &c. yet as a man of the endeavouring to elicit that Now I am come home from a vi gaiety which my reafon every little uneafinefs is fufficient to /Ball never find.-It is im- troduce my whole train of melancholy exprefs /cannot write a common letter with- the life which I forefee I fhall lead. I rer lince I came home, infomuch diffatisfied with the life I now lead, x repetitions. This is the third am angry, and envious, and deje I have begun your's, and you fee and frantic, and difregard all pre what staff it is made up of. I must e'en things, juft as becomes a madman to d cortable refource of dull people, gloomy joy) with the application of D though, even as to that, I have nothing Swift's complaint, "that he is forced to communicate. But I would be glad know, whether you are under a neceity of reliding on week-days; and, if figure I make, than a cable rope to make any inquiry concerning the num- I could deferve and relifh fo much more not, why I may not expect you a day or cambric needle:-I cannot bear to t two at the Leafowes very foon.--Did you the advantages alienated, which I think ber of my poems fold at Oxford? or did than thofe that have them.-Nothing hear any thing concerning it that concerns me to hear?-Will S(for you "die in a rage, like a poifoned ratin "hole. "My foul is no more fuited to the can give me patience but the foothing fympathy of a friend, and that will o fimplicity and good-nature. He feems I believe foon I fhall bear to fee nobody that is his true name) is the excefs of turn my rage into fimple melancholy to have all the industry imaginable to divert and amufe people, without any ambitious ends to ferve, or almoft any concern waether he has fo much as a laugh allowed to his tories, any farther than as a laugh y here will figy under a fit of grumble does me ne, that I cure myAdieu! ce. ETTER VI. flone to Mr. Pray now do not write me word that your business will not allow you ten minutes in a fortnight to write to me; an excufe fit for none but a cobler, who has ten children dependent upon a waxen thread. Adieu! with an Invit ion to accompany him to Town. LETTER VIL From the fame to the fame. My good Friend, 0° 1741. UR old friend Somervile is dead! I did not imagine I could have been fo forry as I find myself on this occafion— "Sublatum quærimus." I can now excufe all his foibles; impute them to age and to diftrefs of circumftances: the laft of thefe confiderations wrings my very foul to think on. For a man of high fpirit, confcious of having (at least in one production) generally pleased the world, to be plagued and threatened by wretches that are low in every fenfe; to be forced to drink himself into pains of the body in order to get rid of the pains of the mind; is a mifery which I can well conceive, because I may, without vanity, efteem myfelf his equal in point of economy, and confequently ought to have an eye on his misfortunes: (as you kindly hinted to me about twelve o'clock at the Feathers) I fhould retrench;-I will; but you fhall not fee me:-I will not let you know that I took your hint in good part. I will do it at folitary times, as I may and yet there will be fome difficulty in it; for whatever the world might efteem in poor Somervile, I really find, upon critical inquiry, that I loved him for nothing fo much as his flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money. Jear Sir, The Leafowes, Nov. 25, 1741. Mr. A was honourably acquitted: Lord A—, who was prefent, and behaved very infolently they fay, was hiffed out of court. They proved his application to the carpenter's fon, to get him to Sf 4 fwear LETTER IV. is an indication that people are delighted. This, joined with his turn of though, renders him quite agreeable. I with t Mr. Shenstone to Mr., on his taking were in my power to conciliate acquaint Orders in the Church. Dear Sir, Leafewes, June 8, 1741. I WRITE to you out of the abundant inclination I have to hear from you; imagining that, as you gave me a direction, you might poffibly expect to receive a previous letter from me. I want to be informed of the impreffions you receive from your new circumstances. The chief averfion which fome people have to orders is, what I fancy you will remove in fuch as you converfe with. I take it to be owing partly to drefs, and partly to the avowed profetion of religion. A young clergyman, that has diftinguifhed his genius by a compofition or two of a polite nature, and is capable of dreffing himfelf, and his religion, in a different manner from the generality of his profeffion, that is, without formality, is certainly a genteel character. I fpeak this not with any fly defign to advife, but to intimate that I think you very capable of fhining in a dark-coloured coat.-You muft confider me yet as a man of the world, and endeavouring to elicit that pleasure from gaiety which my reafon tells me I fhall never find.-It is impoffible to exprefs how ftupid I have been ever fince I came home, infomuch that I cannot write a common letter without fix repetitions. This is the third time I have begun your's, and you fee what stuff it is made up of. I must e'en haften to matter of fact, which is the comfortable refource of dull people, though, even as to that, I have nothing to communicate. But I would be glad to know, whether you are under a neceffity of refiding on week-days; and, if not, why I may not expect you a day or two at the Leafewes very foon.- Did you make any inquiry concerning the number of my poems fold at Oxford? or did you hear any thing concerning it that concerns me to hear?-Will S -(for that is his true name) is the excefs of fimplicity and good-nature. He feems He feems to have all the industry imaginable to divert and aniufe people, without any ambitious ends to ferve, or almoft any concern whether he has fo much as a laugh allowed to his hories, any farther than as a laugh ance with half his eafe.-Pray do t delay writing to me. Adieu! WONDER I have not heard from yo I lately-of you indeed I have, from Mr. W-. If you could come over, probably, I might go back with you i a day or two; for my horfe, I think gets rather better, and may, with ind gence, perform fuch a journey. I to advife with you about feveral m ters;-to have your opinion about a build ing that I have built, and about a jour ney which I defign to Bath; and abør numberlefs things, which, as they a numberlefs, cannot be comprehended a this paper. I am, your, &c. Now I am come home from a viftevery little uneafinefs is fufficient to troduce my whole train of melancho confiderations, and to make me une diffatisfied with the life I now lead, mi the life which I forefee I fhall lead. ! am angry, and envious, and dejefr and frantic, and difregard all pre things, just as becomes a madman to de I am infinitely pleafed (though it gloomy joy) with the application of D Swift's complaint, "that he is forced= die in a rage, like a poifoned rati "hole." My foul is no more fuited to t figure I make, than a cable rope to cambric needle:-I cannot bear to fer the advantages alienated, which I think I could deferve and relifh fo much more than thofe that have them.- Nothing can give me patience but the foothing fympathy of a friend, and that will only turn my rage into fimple melancholy.I believe foon I fhall bear to fee nobody. I do hate all hereabouts already, excep one or two. I will have my din brought upon my table in abfence, and the plates fetched away in my ab fence; and nobody shall fee me; for I my Can can never bear to appear in the fame ftupid mediocrity for years together, and gain no ground. As Mr. Gcomplained to me (and, I think, you too, both unjustly), "I am no character.". I have in my temper fome rakishness, but it is checked by want of fpirits; fome folidity, but it is foftened by vanity; fome efteem of learning, but it is broke in upon by lazinefs, imagination, and want of memory, &c.—I could reckon up twenty things throughout my whole circumftances wherein I am thus tantalized. Your fancy will present them.-Not that all I fay here will fignify to you: I am only under a fit of diffatisfaction, and to grumble does me good-only excufe me, that I cure myfelf at your expence. Adieu! LETTER VI. Mr. Shenftone to Mr. ——, with an Invit alion to accompany him to Town. Dear Sir, The Leafowes, Nov. 25, 1741. HE reafon why I write to you fo fudTdenly is, that I have a propofal to make to you. If you could contrive to be in London for about a month from the end of December, I imagine you would fpend it agreeably enough along with me, Mr. Outing, and Mr. Whitler. According to my calculations, we should be a very happy party at a play, coffee-houfe, or tavern. Do not let your fupercilious friends come in upon you with their prudential maxims. Confider you are now of the proper age for pleasure, and have not above four or five whimfical years left. You have not ftruck one bold ftroke yet, that I know of. Saddle your mule, and let us be jogging to the great city. I will be anfwerable for amufement. Let me have the pleasure of feeing you in the pit, in a laughter as cordial and fingular as your friendthip. Come-let us go forth into the operahoufe; let us hear how the eunuch-folk fing. Turn your eye upon the lilies and rofes, diamonds and rubies; the Belindas and the Sylvias of gay life! Think upon Mrs. Clive's inexpreffible comicalnefs; not to mention Hippelley's joke-aboundng phyfiognomy!Think, I fay, now; for the time cometh when you shall fay, "I have no pleasure in them." I am conscious of much merit in bringing about the interview betwixt Mr. L- and Mr. S; but merit, as Sir John Falstaff says, is not regarded in thefe cofter-monger days. Pray now do not write me word that your bufinefs will not allow you ten minutes in a fortnight to write to me; an excufe fit for none but a cobler, who has ten children dependent upon a waxen thread, Adieu! WR old friend Somervile is dead! I did not imagine I could have been fo forry as I find myself on this occafion"Sublatum quærimus." I can now excufe all his foibles; impute them to age and to diftrefs of circumstances: the lat of thefe confiderations wrings my very foul to think on. For a man of high fpirit, confcious of having (at least in one production) generally pleafed the world, to be plagued and threatened by wretches that are low in every fenfe; to be forced to drink himself into pains of the body in order to get rid of the pains of the mind; is a mifery which I can well conceive, because I may, without vanity, efteem myfelf his equal in point of ceconomy, and confequently ought to have an eye on his misfortunes: (as you kindly hinted to me about twelve o'clock at the Feathers) I fhould retrench;—I will; but you fhall not fee me:-I will not let you know that I took your hint in good part. I will do it at folitary times, as I may and yet there will be fome difficulty in it; for whatever the world might efteem in poor Somervile, I really find, upon critical inquiry, that I loved him for nothing fo much as his flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money. Mr. A was honourably acquitted: Lord A-, who was prefent, and behaved very infolently they fay, was hiffed out of court. They proved his application to the carpenter's fon, to get him to Sf 4 swear fwear against Mr. A-, though the boy was proved to have faid in feveral companies (before he had been kept at Lord A-'s houfe) that he was fure the thing was accidental. Finally, it is believed he will recover the title of A-ea. The apprehenfion of the whores, and the fuffocation of four in the round-houfe by the ftupidity of the keeper, engroffes the talk of the town. The faid house is re-building every day (for the mob on Sunday night demolished it), and re-demolished every night. The Duke of M-gh, J S his brother, Lord C—G—, where taken into the roundhoufe, and confined from eleven at night till eleven next day: I am not pofitive of the Duke of M-gh; the others are certain and that a large number of people of the first fashion went from the roundhoufe to De Veil's, to give in informations of their ufage. The juftice himfelf feems greatly feared; the profecution will be carried on with violence, fo as probably to hang the keeper, and there is an end. Lord Bath's coachman got drunk and tumbled from his box, and he was forced to borrow Lord Orford's. Wits fay, that it was but gratitude for my Lord Orford's coachman to drive my Lord Bath, as my Lord Bath himself had driven my Lord Orford. Thus they. I have ten million things to tell you; though they all amount to no more than that I with to please you, and that I am your fincere friend and humble fervant. I am pleafed that I can fay I knew Mr. Somervile, which I am to thank for. LETTER VIII. you my ability to thew my gratitude. It is an obfervation I made upon reading today's paper, which contains an accour: of C. Khevenhuller's fuccefs in favour of the Queen of Hungary. To think whe fublime affection must influence that poc unfortunate Queen, fhould a faithful and zealous General revenge her upon her enemies, and reftore her ruined affairs! Had a perfon fhewn an efteem and affection for me, joined with any elegance, or without any elegance, in the expreffion of it, I fhould have been in acute pain till I had given fome fign of my wiingness to ferve him. From all this, I conclude that I have more humanity than fome others. Probably enough I fhall never meet with a larger share of happiness than feel at prefent. If not, I am thoroughly convinced, my pain is greatly fuperior to my pleafure. That pleafure is not abi lutely dependent on the mind, I know from this, that I have enjoyed happier fcenes in the company of fome friends than I can poffibly at prefent ;-but alas! all the time you and I fhall enjoy together, abftracted from the rest of lives, and lumped, will not perhaps amount to a folid year and a half. How fmall a proportion! People will fay to one that talks thes, Would you die ?" To fet the cafe upon a right footing, they must take away the hopes of greater happiness in this lift, the fears of greater mifery hereafter, t gether with the bodily pain of dying, and addrefs me in a difpofition betwixt mirth and melancholy; and I could eafily refolve them. I do not know how I am launched o fo far into this complaint: it is, perhap a ftrain of constitutional whining; the ef fect of the wind-did it come from the winds? to the winds will I deliver it: "Tradam protervis in mare Creticam, "Portare ventis-" |