pleasure in her conversation, as that one vice of her obftinacy will give me mortification this month. Ratcliffe commands her to the Bath, and fhe refuses ! indeed if I were in Berkshire I fhould honour her for this obftinacy, and magnify her no lefs for difobedience than we do the Barcelonians. But people change with the change of places (as we fee of late) and virtues become vices when they cease to be for one's intereft, with me as with others.

Yet let me tell her, he will never look finely while she is upon earth, as fhe would here in the water. It is not here as in moft other inftances; for thofe ladies that would please extremely, muft go out of their own element She does not make half fo good a figure on horseback as Christina Queen of Sweden; but were the once feen in the Bath, no man would part with her for the best mermaid in Chriftendom. You know I have feen you often; I perfectly know how you look in black and in white, I have experienced the utmoft you can do in colours; but all your movements, all your graceful steps, deserve not half the glory you might here obtain of a moving and eafy behaviour in buckram: Something between fwimming and walking, free enough, and more modeft. ly-half-naked than you can appear any where else. You have conquer'd enough already by land; fhow your ambition, and vanquish alfo by water. The buckram I mention is a dress particulary useful at this time, when, we are told, they are bringing over the fashion of German ruffs: You ought to use yourselves to fome degrees of stiffness beforehand; and when our ladies chins have been tickled a-while with ftarched muslin

and wire, they may poffibly bear the brush of a Ger man beard and whisker.

ces.

I could tell you a delightful story of Doctor P. but want room to display it in all its fhining circumstanHe had heard it was an excellent cure for love, to kiss the Aunt of the perfon beloved, who is generally of years and experience enough to damp the fiercest flame: he tried this course in his paffion, and kiffed Mrs E at Mr D's; but, he fays, it will not do, and that he loves you as much as ever. Your, &c.

LETTER VII.

To the fame.

you ask how the waters agree with me, I must

I tell you, to very well, that I queftion how you

and I fhould agree if we were in a room by ourelves. Mrs has honeftly affured me, that but for fome whims which he can't entirely conquer, The would go and fee the world with me in man's cloaths. Even you, Madam, I fancy (if you would not partake in our adventures) would wait our coming in at the evening with fome impatiene, and be well enough pleas'd to hear them by the fireside. That would be better than reading romances, unless Lady M. would be our hiftorian. What raises these defires in me, is an acquaintance I am beginning with my Lady Sandwich, who has all the fpirit of the daft age, and all the gay experience of a pleasurable

life. It were as fcandalous an omiffion to come to the Bath and not to fee my Lady Sandwich, as it had formerly been to have travelled to Rome without vifiting the Queen of Sweden. She is, in a word, the best thing this country has to boast of; and as she has been all that a woman of spirit could be, fo she still continues that easy and independent creature, that a fenfible woman always will be.

I must tell you a truth, which is not, however, much to my credit. I never thought fo much of yourself and your fifter, as fince I have been fourfcore miles distance from you. In the Foreft I look'd upon you as good neighbours, at London as pretty kind of women, but here as divinities, angels, goddeffes, or what you will. In the fame manner, I never knew at what rate I valued your life, till you were upon the point of dying. If Mrsand you will but fall very fick every feason, I shall certainly die for you. Seriously, I value you both fo much, that I esteem others much the lefs for your fakes; you have robb'd me of the pleasure of efteeming a thousand pretty qualities in them, by showing me fo many finer in yourfelves. There are but two things in the world which could make you indifferent to me, which, I believe, you are not capable of, I mean ill-nature and malice. I have seen enough of you, not to overlook any frailty you could have, and nothing less than a vice can make me like you lefs. I expect you should difcover by my conduct towards you both, that this is true, and that therefore you should pardon a thousand things in me for that one difpofition. Expect nothing from me but

truth and freedom, and I fhall always be thought by

you, what I always am,

LETTER IX.

To the fame.

Your, &c.

1714.

I

Return'd home as flow and as contemplative after I had parted from you, as my Lord * retired from the Court and glory to his Country-feat and wife, a week ago. I found here a difinal defponding letter from the fon of another great courtier who expects the fame fate, and who tells me the great ones of the earth will now take it very kindly of the mean ones, if they will favour them with a vifit by day-light. With what joy would they lay down all their schemes of glory, did they but know you have the generofity to drink their healths once a-day, as foon as they are fällen? Thus the unhappy, by the fole merit of their misfortunes, become the care of Heaven and you. I intended to have put this laft into verfe, but in this age of ingratitude my best friends forsake me, I mean my rhimes.

I defire Mrs Pto ftay her ftomach with these half hundred Plays, till I can procure her a Romance big enough to fatisfy her great foul with adventures. As for Novels, I fear fhe can depend upon none from me but that of my Life, which I am ftill, as I have been, contriving all poffible methods to fhorten, for

the greater eafe both of the hiftorian and the reader. May the believe all the paffion and tenderness exprefs'd in these romances to be but a faint image of what I bear her, and may you (who read nothing) take the fame truth upon hearing it from me. You will both injure me very much, if you don't think me a truer friend, than ever any romantic lover, or any imitator of their style could be.

The days of beauty are as the days of greatness, and fo long all the world are your adorers. I am one of those unambitious people, who will love you forty years hence, when your eyes begin to twinkle in a retirement, and without the vanity which every one now will take to be thought

Your, &c.

LETTER X.

HE I examine my own mind, the more

Tromantic I find myfelf. Methinks it is a noble

fpirit of contradiction to Fate and Fortune, not to give up thofe that are fnatched from us; but to follow them the more, the farther they are removed from the fense of it. Sure, Flattery never travelled fo far as three thousand miles; it is now only for Truth, which overtakes all things, to reach you at this distance. 'Tis a generous piece of Popery, that purfues even thofe who are to be eternally abfent into another world; whether you think it right or wrong, you'll own the very exravagance a fort of piety. I can't be fatisfied with ftrowing flowers over you, and barely honour