the eye and curiosity of the passenger from the river, where, upon beholding a mixture of beauty and ruin, he enquires, what houfe is failing, or what church is rifing? So little tafte have our common Tritons of Vitruvius; whatever delight the poetical gods of the river may take, in reflecting on their streams, my Tufcan Porticos, or Ionic Pilafters.

But (to defcend from all this pomp of ftyle) the best account of what I am building, is, that it will afford me a few pleasant rooms for fuch a friend as yourself, or a cool fituation for an hour or two for Lady Scudamore, when fhe will do me the honour (at this public house on the road) to drink her ówn cyder.

The moment I am writing this, I am furprized with the account of the death of a friend of mine; which makes all I have here been talking of, a mere jest! Building, gardens, writings, pleafures, works,, of whatever. ftuff man can raife! none of them (God knows) capable of advantaging a creature that is mortal, or of fatisfying a foul that is immortal! Dear Sir,

May 21, 1720.

YOUR letter, which I had two pofts ago, was very

Y medicina to we; and, I heartily thank you for the relief it gave me. I was fick of the thoughts of

C S

my not having in all this time given you any testimony of the affection I owe you, and which I as conftantly indeed feel as 1 think of you. This indeed was a troublesome ill to me, till, after reading your letter, I found it was a most idle weak imagination to think I could fo offend you. Of all the impreffions you have made upon me, I never receiv'd any with greater joy than this of your abundant good-nature, which bids me be affured of fome share of your affections.

had many other pleasures from your letter; that your mother remembers me is a very fincere joy to me; I cannot but reflect how alike you are; from the time you do any one a favour, you think yourselves obliged as thofe that have received one. This is indeed an oldfashioned respect, hardly to be found out of your house. I have great hopes however, to see many old-fashioned virtues revive, fince you have made our age in love with Homer; I heartily wish you, who are as good a citizen as a poet, the joy of seeing a refor mation from your works. I am in doubt whether I should congratulate your having finished Homer, while the two effays you mention are not completed; but if you expect no great trouble from finishing thefe, I heartily rejoice with you.

I have fome faint notion of the beauties of Twickenham from what I here fee round me. The verdure of fhowers is poured upon every tree and field about us; the gardens unfold variety of colours to the eye every morning, the hedges breath is beyond all perfume, and the fong of birds we hear as well as you. But tho' I hear and see all this, yet I think they would delight me more if you was here. I found the want

of these at Twickenham while I was there with you, by which I guess what an increase of charms it must now? have. How kind is it in you to with me there, and how unfortunate are my circumstances that allow me not to vitit you? If I fee you, I must leave my Father alone, and this uneafy thought would disappoint all my proposed pleasures; the fame circumftance will prevent my prospect of many happy hours with you in Lord Bathuift's wood, and I fear of seeing you till winter, unless Lady Scudamore comes to Sherburne, in which cafe I fhall prefs you to fee Dorsetshire, as you propofed. May you have a long enjoyment of your 'new favourite Portico.

Your,&c.

THE

LETTER VI.

From Mr. DIGBY.

Sherburne, July 9, 1720.

HE London language and conversation is, I find, quite changed fince I left it, tho' it is not above three or four months ago. No violent change in the natural world ever aftonifhed a Philofopher fo much as this does me. I hope this will calm all Party-rage, and introduce more humanity than has of late obtained in conversation. All scandal will fure be laid afide, for there can be no fuch difeafe any more as Spleen in this new golden age. I am pleased with the thoughts of feeing nothing but a general good humour when I come up to town; I rejoice in the universal riches I hear

of, in the thought of their having this effect. They tell me you was foon content; and that you cared not for fuch an increase as others wifhed you. By this account I judge you the richest man in the South - sea, and congratulate you accordingly, I can wish you only an increase of health, for of riches and fame you have enough.

Your, &c.

You

LETTER VII.

July 20, 1720.

OUR kind defire to know the state of my health had not been unfatisfied so long, had not that ill ftate been the impediment. Nor Thould I have feem'd an unconcern'd party in the joys of your family, which I heard of from lady Scudamore, whofe fhort Efchantillon of a letter (of a quarter of a page) I value as the fhort glympfe of a vifion afforded to fome devour hermit; for it includes (as those revelations do) a promife of a better life in the Elysian groves of Cir3ncefter, whither, I could fay almoft in the style of a fermon, the Lord bring us all, &c. Thither may we tend, by various ways, to one blissful bower: thither, may health, peace, and good humour wait upon us as affociates thither may whole cargoes of nectar (liquor of life and longevity!) by mortals be convey'd; and there (as Milton has it) may we, like the deities di botadig my

call'd spaw-water,

On flowers repos'd,hand with fresh garlands crown'd,

18 Quaffe imortality and joy.ni gas 1

0.

When I fpeak of garlands, I fhould not forget the green vestments and scarfs which your fifters promis'd to make for this purpose: I expect you too in green, with a hunting-horn by your fide and a green hat, the model of which you may take from Ofborne's defcription of King James the first.

What words, what numbers, what oratory, or what poetry, can fuffice, to express how infinitely I esteem, value, love, and defire you all, above all the great ones of this part of the world; above all the Jews, jobbers, bubblers, fubfcribers, projectors, directors, governors, treasurers, &c. &c. &c. in Sa cula fæculorum.

Turn your eyes and attention from this miferable mercenary period: and turn yourself, in a juft contempt of these fons of Mammon, to the contemplation of books, gardens, and marriage: in which I now leave you, and return (wretch that I am!) to watergruel and Palladio,

I am, &c.

LETTER VIII.

From Mr. DIGBY.

Sherburne, July 30.

I Congratulate you, dear Sir, on the return of the

Golden - age, for fure this must be such, in which money is shower'd down in such abundance upon us. I hope this overflowing will produce great and good fruits, and bring back the figurative moral golden age