magna, or at worst I hope you will hear it from the lips of

Your ever faithful,

and obedient fervant.

P. S. I will lofe as little of the epitaph as 'tis poffible, nay I will lofe none, for the reduction of the character will accommodate matters to the ftone, and the words are not ufelefs, because they are not large. My mother's character will bear the nearest approach in every fense; and your writing is worth more I hope than walking five fteps to read it, fo pray leave nothing out; fhe cannot be praised too much; and if I did not think that compreffion added force, I fhould not find her panegyrick half long enough even now.

1

To MRS. THRA L E.

DEAR MADAM,

July 26, 1775

THAT the regatta disappointed you is neither wonderful nor new; all pleasure preconceived and preconcerted ends in difappointment; but difappointment, when it involves neither fhame nor lofs, is as good as fuccefs; for it fupplies as many images to the mind, and as many topicks to the tongue. I am glad it failed for another reafon,' which looks more fage than my reasons commonly try to look; this, I think, is Queeney's firft excurfion into the regions of pleafure, and I

fhould

should not wish to have her too much pleased. It is as well for her to find that pleasures have their pains; and that bigger miffes who are at Ranelagh when she is in bed, are not fo much to be envied as they would wish to be, or as they may be reprefented.

So you left out the ****s, and I fuppofe they did not go. It will be a common place for you and Queeney fourfcore years hence; and my mafter and you may have recourfe to it fometimes. But I can only liften. I am glad that were among the fineft.

you

Nothing was the matter between me and Miss **** We are all well enough, now. Mifs Porter went yesterday to church, from which fhe had been kept a long time. I fancy that I fhall go on Thurfday to Afhbourne, but do not think that I shall stay very long. I wish you were gone to Surry and come well back again, and yet I would not have you go too foon. Perhaps I do not very well know what I would have; it is a cafe not extremely rare. But I know I would hear from you by every poft, and therefore I take ca +hat you should every post day hear from me.

I am, &c.

LET

LETTER

To MRS.

DEAR MADAM,

Ν

CXIX.

THRAL E.

Afhbourne, July 1, 1775.

ON Thursday I came to Dr. Taylor's, where I liye as I am ufed to do, and as you know. He has gotten nothing new, but a very fine lookingglafs, and a bull-bitch. The lefs bull is now grown the bigger. But I forgot; he has bought old Shakespeare, the race-horfe, for a ftallion. He has likewife fome fine iron gates which he will fet up fomewhere. I I have not yet feen the old horse.

You are very much enquired after, as well here aş at Lichfield.

This I fuppofe will go after you to Suffex, where I hope you will find every think either well or mending. You never told me whether you took Queeney with you; nor ever fo much as told me the name of the little one. May be you think I don't care about you.

I behaved myself fo well at Lichfield, that Lucy fays I am grown better; and the ladies at Stowhill expect I should come back thither before I go to London, and offer to entertain me if Lucy refuses.

I have this morning received a letter from Mrs. Chambers of Calcutta. The Judge has a fore eye, and could not write. She reprefents all as going on very well, only Chambers does not now flatter himself that he fhall do much good.

I am, &c.

LET

LETTER CXX.

To MRS. THRAL E.

Now, thinks my dearest Mistress to herself, fure I am at last gone too far to be peftered every post with a letter: he knows that people go into the country to be at quiet; he knows too that when I have once told the ftory of Ralph, the place where I am affords me nothing that I fhall delight to tell, or he will wifh to be told; he knows how troublesome it is to write letters about nothing; and he knows that he does not love trouble himself, and therefore ought not to force it upon others.

But, deareft Lady, you may fee once more how little knowledge influences practice, notwithstanding all this knowledge, you fee, here is a letter.

Every body fays the profpect of harvest is uncommonly delightful; but this has been fo long the Summer talk, and has been so often contradicted by Autumn, that I do not fuffer it to lay much hold on my mind. Our gay profpects have now for many years together ended in melancholy retrofpects. Yet I am of opinion that there is much corn upon the ground. Every dear year encourages the farmer to fow more and more, and favourable seasons will be fent at laft. Let us hope that they will be sent now.

The Doctor and Frank are gone to fee the hay. It was cut on Saturday, and yesterday was well wetted; but to day has its fill of funshine. I hope the hay at Streatham was plentiful, and had good weather.

Our lawn is as you left it, only the pool is fo full of mud that the water-fowl have left it. Here

are

are many calves, who, I fuppofe, all expect to be great bulls and cows.

Yesterday I faw Mrs. Diot at church, and fhall drink tea with her fome afternoon.

I cannot get free from this vexatious flatulence, and therefore have troublesome nights, but otherwife I am not very ill. Now and then a fit; and not violent. I am not afraid of the waterfall. I now and then take phyfick; and fufpect that you were not quite right in omitting to let blood before I came away. But I do not intend to do it here.

You will now find the advantage of having made one at the regatta. You will carry with you the importance of a publick perfonage, and enjoy a fuperiority which, having been only local and accidental, will not be regarded with malignity. You have a fubject by which you can gratify general curiofity, and amufe your company without bewildering them. You can keep the vocal machine in motion, without thofe feeming paradoxes that are fure to difguft; without that temerity of cenfüre which is fure to provoke enenies; and that exuberance of flattery which experience has found to make no friends. It is the good of publick life that it fupplies agreeable and general converfation. Therefore wherever you are, and whatever you fee, talk not of the Punick war; nor of the depravity of human nature; nor of the flender motives of human actions; nor of the difficulty of finding employment or pleafure; but talk, and talk, and talk of the regatta, and keep the reft for, deareft Madam,

Your, &c.

LET