world, yet one would think the company of a person whom we have the greatest regard to and affection for, could not be very unpleafant. As a man in love with a mistress, defires no conversation but hers, fo a man in love with himself (as mott men are) may be beft pleafed with his own. Besides, if the trueft and most ufeful knowledge be the knowledge of ourselves, folitude, conducing molt to make us look into ourselves, should be the most inftructive state of life. We fee nothing more commonly, than men, who for the fake of the circumftantial part and mere outfide of life, have been half their days rambling out of their nature, and ought to be fent into folitude to study themselves over again. People are usually spoiled, inftead of being taught, at their coming into the world; whereas by being more converfant with Obscurity, without any pains, they would naturally follow what they were meant for. In a word, if a man be a coxcomb, Solitude is his beft School; and if he be a fool, it is his best Sanctuary.

These are good reasons for my own ftay here, but I wish I could give you any for your coming hither, except that I earnestly invite you. And yet I can't help faying I have fuffered a great deal of discontent that you do not come, tho' I fo little merit that you should.

I must complain of the fhortness of your last. Those who have inoft wit, like thofe who have moft money, are generally most sparing of either.

LETTER IX.

From MR.

WYCHERLEY.

Nov. 5. 1705.

ours of the 26th of October I have received, as

Yours

I have always done yours, with no little fatisfaction, and am proud to discover by it, that you find fault with the fhortnefs of mine, which I think the beft excufe for it: And tho' they (as you fay) who have most wit or money are most sparing of either; there are fome who appear poor to be thought rich, and are poor, which is my cafe. I cannot but rejoice, that you have undergone fo much difcontent for want of my company; but if you have a mind to punish me for my fault (which I could not help) defer your coming to town, and you will do it effectually. But I know your charity always exceeds your revenge, so that I will not defpair of seeing you, and, in return to your inviting me to your foreft, the town; where the beasts that inhabit, tame or wild, of long ears or horns, purfue one another either out of love or hatred. You may have the pleasure to see one pack of blood-hounds pursue another herd of brutes, to bring each other to their fall, which is their whole fport: Or if you affect a lefs bloody chace, you may see a pack of spaniels, called Lovers, in a hot pursuit of a two-legged vixen, who only flies the whole loud pack to be fingled out by one dog, who runs mute to catch her up the fooner from the reft, as they are making a noise to VOL. VII.

B

the lofs of their game. In fine, this is the time for all forts of sport in the town, when those of the country ceafe; therefore leave your foreft of beasts for ours of brutes, called men, who now in full cry (pack'd by the court or country) run down in the houfe of commons a deferted horned beast of the Court, to the fatisfaction of their spectators: Besides, (more for your diverfion) you may fee not only the two great play-houfes of the nation, thofe of the lords and commons, in dispute with one another; but the two other play-houses in high conteft, becaufe the members of one houfe are remov'd up to t'other, as it is often done by the court for reafons of ftate. Infomuch that the lower houses, 1 mean the play-houses, are going to act tragedies on one another without doors, and the Sovereign is put, to it (as it often happens in the other two houses) to filence one or both, to keep peace between them. Now I have told you all the news of the town. I am, &c.

I have receiv'd your kind Letter, with my paper (a)

to Mr. Dryden corrected. I own you have made more of it by making it lefs, as the Dutch are faid

(4) The fame which was printed in the Year 1717. in a Mifcellany of Bern. Lintot's, and in the Pofthumous Works of Mr. Wycherley. P.

to burn half the spices they bring home, to inhance the price of the remainder, fo to be greater gainers by their lofs, (which is indeed my cafe now.) You have prun'd my fading lawrels of fome fuperfluous, faplefs, and dead branches, to make the remainder live the longer; thus, like your after Apollo, you are at once a poet and a physician.

Now, Sir, as to my impudent invitation of you to the town, your good nature was the firft caufe of my confident request; but excufe me, I muft (I fee) fay no more upon this fubject, fince I find you/ a little too niee to be dealt freely with; tho' you have given me fome encouragement to hope, our friendship might be without fhynefs, or criminal modefty; for a friend, like a miftrefs, tho' he his not to be mercenary, to be true, yet, ought not to refufe a friend's kindness because it is fmall or trivial: I have told you (I think) what a Spanish lady faid to her poor poetical gallant, that a Queen if fhe had to do with a groom, would expect a mark of his kindness from him, though it were but his currycomb. But you and I will dispute this matter when I am so happy as to fee you here; and perhaps 'tis * the only difpute in which I might hope to have the better of you.

Now, Sif, to make you another excufe for my boldness in inviting you to town, I defign'd to leave with you fome more of my papers, (fince these return fo much better out of your hands than they went from mine) for I intended (as I told you formerly) to spend a month, or fix weeks this fummer, near you in the country. You may be affured the

Ва

re is nothing I defire so much, as an improvement

Bro elect, it poble, fome things from the (a)

one of yours of the last month, you defire me

first volume of your Mifcellanies, which may be alter'd fo as to appear again. I doubted your meaning in this; whether it was to pick out the best of those verses (as thofe on the Idleness of business, on Ignorance, on Laziness &c.) to make the method and numbers exa&, and avoid repetitions? For tho' (upon reading 'em on this occafion) I believe, they might receive fuch an alteration with advantage; yet they would not be changed fo much, but any one would know'em for the fame at first fight. Or if you mean to improve the worst pieces? which are fuch, as, to render them very good, would require great addition, and almost the entire new writing of them. Or, lastly, if you mean the middle fort, as the Songs and Love-verfes? For thefe will need only to be shortened, to omit repetition; the words remaining very little different from what they were before. Pray let me know your mind in this, for I am utterly at a lofs. Yet I have try'd what I could do to fome of the fongs, and the poems on Laziness and Ignorance, but can't (even in my own

(a) Printed in folio, in the year 1704.