concerning the pleasures I enjoy, and the flattery I receive, all which has nothing to do with comfort for the present diftrefs, and sometimes I am angry when I read fuch ftuff. That your two Sultanas are fick is very uncomfortable for you; may be Dr. Turton may do them good: I never faw Dr. Turton, but my heart, like Clariffa's, naturally leans towards a phyfician. Le medicin et le curè, as the French themselves, who have gayer hearts than mine, confefs, are the laft earthly objects on which the human hopes and human eyes are to be fixed: and it is fomewhat unfair not to let them take up a little of our affections beforehand.

If we do go to Michelgrove, Hefter will write all one; fhe is very attentive to her father, very dutiful, and very wife. I hope my anxiety is concealed from her pretty well, it would be exceeding wrong to deprefs her fpirits, and very dangerous to her health.

I am most fincerely, dear Sir,

...:

Your faithful fervant,

H. L. THRALE.

The converfation you inclofed I could have written myfelf; as Juliet fays, Yea, but all this did I know before.

VOL. II.

K

LETTER

I

LETTER CCLV.

To Mrs. THRALE.

DEAR MADAM.

London, August 24, 1780.

DO not wonder that you can think and write but of one thing, Yet concerning that thing you may be lefs uneafy, as you are now in the right way! You are at least doing, what I was always defirous to have you do, and which, when defpair put an end to the caution of men going in the dark, produced at laft all the good that has been obtained. Gentle purges, and flight phlebotomies, are not my favourites; they are pop-gun batteries, which lofe time and effect nothing. It was by bleeding till he fainted, that his life was faved. Í would, however, now have him trust chiefly to vigorous and ftimulating cathartics. To bleed, is only proper when there is no time for flower remedies. Y LO

Does he fleep in the night? if he fleeps, there is not much danger; any thing like wakefulness in a man either by nature or habit fo uncommonly fleepy, would put me in great fear. Do not now hinder him from fleeping whenever, heaviness comes upon him. Quiet reft, light food, and trong purges, will, I think, fet all right. Be you vigilant, but be not frighted.

Of Mr. R▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬I very well remember all but the name. "He had a nice difcernment of lofs

"and gain." This I thought a power not hard to be attained. What kept him out then must keep him out now; the want of a place for him. Mr. P then obferved, that there was nothing

upon

upon which he could be employed. Matters will never be carried to extremities. Mr. P

cannot be difcharged, and he will never fuffer a fuperiour. That voluntary fubmiffion to a new mind is not an heroick quality; but it has always been among us, and therefore I mind it lefs.

The expedition to foreign parts you will not much encourage, and you need not, I think, make any great effort to oppofe it; for it is as likely to put us out of the way to mifchief, as to bring us into it. We can have no projects in Italy. Exercise may relieve the body, and variety will amufe the mind. The expence will not be greater than at home in the regular course of life. And we fhall be fafe from B— and G——, and all instigators to schemes of wafte. Si te fata ferant, fer fata.

The chief with that I form is, that Mr. Thrale could be made to understand his true ftate: to know that he is tottering upon a point; to confider every change of his mental character as the fymptom of a disease; to distrust any opinions or purposes that shoot up in his thoughts; to think that violent mirth is the foam, and deep fadness the fubfidence of a morbid fermentation; to watch himself, and counteract by experienced remedies every new tendency, or uncommon fenfation. This is a new and ungrateful employment; but without this felf-examination he never can be fafe. You must try to teach it, and he to learn it gradually, and in this my fweet Queeney must help you; I am glad to hear of her vigilance and obfervation. She is my pupil.

I fuppofe the Sfcheme is now paft; I saw no great harm in it, though perhaps no good. Do not fuffer little things to embarrass you. Our great work is conftant temperance, and frequent, very frequent evacuation; and that they may not

be interrupted, conviction of their neceffity is to be prudently inculcated.

I am not at present so much distressed as you, becaufe I think your prefent method likely to be efficacious. Dejection may indeed fo'low, and I fhould dread it from too copious bleeding; for as purges are more under command, and more concurrent with the agency of nature, they seldom effect any irremediable change. However, we must expect after fuch a difeafe, that the mind will fluctuate long before it finds its center.

I will not tell you, nor Mafter, nor Queeney, how long to be among you; but I would be glad to know when we are to meet, and hope our meeting will be cheerful.

I am, dearest Lady,

Your, &c.

LETTER CCLVI.

To Mrs. THRAL E.

DEAR MADAM,

London, August 25, 1780.

YESTERDAY I could write but about one

thing. I am forry to find from my dear Queeney's letter to-day, that Mr. Thrale's fleep was too much fhortened. He begins however now, fhe fays, to recover it. Sound fleep will be the fureft token of returning health. The fwelling of his legs has

nothing

nothing in it dangerous; it is the natural confequence of lax mufcles, and when the laxity is known to be artificial, need not give any uneafinefs. I told you fo formerly. Every thing that I have told you about my dear mafter has been true. Let him take purgatives, and let him fleep. Bleeding feems to have been neceffary now; but it was become neceffary only by the omiffion of purges. Bleeding is only for exigencies.

I wish you or Queeney would write to me every poft while the danger lafts. I will come if I can do any good, or prevent any evil.

For any other purpose, I fuppofe, now poor Sam may be fpared; you are regaled with Greek and Latin, and you are Thralia Caftalio femper amata choro; and you have a daughter equal to yourfelf. I fhall have enough to do with one and the other. Your admirer has more Greek than poetry; he was however worth the conqueft, though you had conquered me. Whether you can hold him as faft, there may be fome dram of a fcruple, for he thinks you have full tongue enough, as appears by fome of his verses; he will leave you for fomebody that will let him take his turn, and then I may come in again: for, I tell you, nobody loves you fo well, and therefore never think of changing like the moon, and being conftant only in your inconftancy.

I have not dined out for fome time but with Renny or Sir Joshua; and next week Sir Jofhua goes to Devonshire, and Renny to Richmond, and I am left by myfelf. I wish I could fay nunquam minus, &c. but I am not diligent.

I am afraid that I fhall not fee Lichfield this year, yet it would please me to fhew my friends how much better I am grown: but I am not grown, I am afraid, lefs idle; and of idlenefs I am now paying the fine by having no leifure,

Does