neither. I am forry I could not have a glympfe either of you, or of the Sun (your father) before you went for Bath But now it pleases me to fee him, and hear of you. Pray put Mr. Congreve in mind that he has one on this fide of the world who loves him; and that there are more men and women in the univerfe than Mr. Gay and my Lady Duchefs. There are ladies in and about Richmond, that pretend to value him and yourfelf; and one of them at least may be thought to do it without affect tion, namely Mrs. Howard.

Pray confult with Dr. Arbuthnot and Dr. Cheyne, to what exact pitch your belly may be fuffer'd to swell, not to outgrow theirs, who are, yet, your betters. Tell Dr. Arbuthnot that even pigeon-pies and hogs puddings are thought dangerous by our governors; for those that have been fent to the Bishop of Rochefter are open'd and prophanely pry'd into at the Tower: 'Tis the first time dead pigeons have been fufpected of carrying intelligence. To be ferious, you and Mr. Congreve and the Doctor will be fenfible of my concern and furprize at his commitment, whofe welfare is as much my concern as any friend's I have. I think myself a most unfortunate wretch I no fooner love, and, upon knowledge, fix my esteem to any man; but he either dies, like Mr. Craggs, or is fent to imprisonment, like the Bishop. God fend him as well as I wish him, manifeft him to be as innocent as I believe him, and make all his enemies know him as well as I'do, that they may think of him as well!

If you apprehend this period to be of any danger in being addreffed to you, tell Mr. Congreve or the Doctor, it is writ to them. I am

Your, etc.

I

LETTER VIII.

July 13, 1722.

Was very much pleas'd, not to say obliged, by your

kind letter, which fufficiently warm'd my heart to have answered it fooner, had I not been deceived (a way one often is deceived) by hearkening to women; who told me that both Lady Burlington and yourself were immediately to return from Tunbridge, and that my Lord was gone to bring you back. The world furnishes us with too many examples of what you complain of in yours, and, I affure you, none of them touch and grieve me so much as what relates to you. I think your fentiments upon it are the very fame I fhould entertain: I with those we call great men had the fame notions, but they are really the most little creatures in the world; and the most interested, in all but one point; which is, that they want judgment to know their greatest interest, to encourage and chuse honest men for their friends.

I have not once feen the perfon you complain of, whom I have of late thought to be, as the Apoftle admonifheth, one flesh with his wife.

Pray make my fincere compliments to Lord Burlington, whom I have long known to have a stronger bent of mind to be all that is good and honourable, than almoft any one of his rank.

I have not forgot yours to Lord Bolingbroke, tho' I hope to have fpeedily a fuller opportunity, he returning for Flanders and France next month.

Mrs. Howard has writ you something or other in a letter, which, fhe fays, the repents. She has as much good-nature as if she had never seen any ill-nature, and

Inftead of that they want judgment, propriety of expreffion, requires he should have faid- there where they want judg

ment.

had been bred among lambs and turtle-doves, inftead

of Princes and court-ladies.

By the end of this week, Mr. Fortescue will pass a few days with me: we shall remember you in our potations, and wish you a fisher with us, on my grass-plat. In the mean time we wish you fuccefs as a fifher of women at the Wells, a rejoicer of the comfortless and widow, and a play-fellow of the maiden. I am

Your, etc.

LETTER IX.

Sept. 11, 1722.

I

Think it obliging in you to defire an account of my

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health. The truth is, I have never been in a worse ftate in my life, and find whatever I have try'd as a remedy fo ineffectual, that I gave myself intirely over. I wish your health may be fet perfectly right by the waters; and, be affured, I not only wish that, and every thing elfe for you, as common friends wish, but with a zeal not usual among thofe we call fo. I am always glad to hear of, and from you; always glad to fee you, whatever accidents or amufements have interven'd to make me do either lefs than usual. I not only fre. quently think of you, but conftantly do my best to make others do it, by mentioning you to all your acquaintance. I defire you to do the fame for me to those you are now with: do me what you think juftice in regard to those who are my friends, and if there are any, whom I have unwillingly deferved fo little of as to be my enemies, I. don't defire you to forfeit their opinion, or your own judgment in any cafe. Let time convince thofe who

know me not, that I am an inoffenfive person ; · tho' (tó fay truth) I don't care how little I am indebted to Time, for the world is hardly worth living in, at least to one that is never to have health a week together. I have been made to expect Dr. Arbuthnot in town this fortnight, or else I had written to him. If he, by never writing to me, feems to forget me, I confider I do the fame feemingly to him, and yet I don't believe he has a more fincere friend in the world than I am therefore I will think him mine. I am his, Mr. Congreve's,

I

LETTER X.

Faithfully affure you, in the midst of that melancholy with which I have been fo long encompaffed, in an hourly expectation almoft of my Mother's death; there was no circumstance that render'd it more infupportable to me, than that I could not leave her to fee you. Your own present escape from so imminent danger, I pray God may prove lefs precarious than my poor Mother's can be; whofe life at best can be but a fhort Reprieve, or a longer dying. But I fear, even that is more than God will please to grant me; for, these two days past, her moft dangerous fymptoms are returned upon her and, unless there be a fudden change, I muft, in a few days, if not in a few hours, be deprived of her. In the afflicting profpect before me, I know nothing that can fo much alleviate it as the view now given me (Heaven grant it may increase !) of your recovery." In the fincerity of my heart, I am exceffively concern'd not to be able to pay you, dear Gay, any part of the debt, I very gratefully remember Towe you on a like fad occafion, when you was here comforting me in

her laft great illness. May your health augment as faft as I fear hers must decline: I believe that would be very fast-may the life that is added to you be paft in good fortune and tranquillity, rather of your own giving to yourself, than from any expectations or truft in others. May you and I live together, without wishing more felicity or acquifitions than Friendship can give and receive without obligations to Greatnefs. God keep you, and three or four more of those I have known as long, that I may have fomething worth the furviving my Mother. Adieu, dear Gay, and believe me (while you live and while I live).

Your, etc.

As I told you in my laft letter, I repeat it in this: Do not think of writing to me. The Doctor, Mrs. Howard, and Mrs. Blount give me daily accounts of you.

I

Truly rejoiced to fee your hand-writing, though [ feared the trouble it might give you. I wish I had not known that you are still fo exceffively weak. Every day for a week past I had hopes of being able in a day or two more to fee you. But my Mother advances not at all, gains no ftrength, and seems but upon the whole to wait for the next cold day to throw her into a Diarrhoea, that must, if it return, carry her off. This being daily to be feared, makes me not dare to go a day from her, left that should prove to be her last. God fend you a speedy recovery, and fuch a total one as, at your time of life, may be expected. You need not call the few words I writ to you either kind or good;

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