TO THE HON. H. S. CONWAY. Strawberry-hill, October 13, 1764. LORD John Cavendish has been so kind as to send me word of the duke of Devonshire's legacy to you. You cannot doubt of the great joy this gives me ; and yet it serves to aggravate the loss of so worthy a man! And when I feel it thus, I am sensible how much more it will add to your concern, instead of diminishing it. Yet do not wholly reflect on your misfortune. You might despise the acquisition of five thousand pounds simply; but, when that sum is a public testimonial to your virtue, and bequeathed by a man so virtuous, it is a million. Measure it with the riches of those who have basely injured you, and it is still more! Why it is glory; it is conscious innocence; it is satisfaction-it is affluence without guilt-Oh! the comfortable sound! It is a good name in the history of these corrupt days. There it will exist, when the wealth of your and their country's enemies will be wasted, or will be an indelible blemish on their descendants. My heart is full, and yet I will say no more. to all your opulent family. Who says virtue is this world? It is rewarded by virtue, and it the bad. Can greater honour be paid to it? My best loves not rewarded in is persecuted by Yours ever. DEAR SIR, TO THE REV. MR. COLE. Strawberry-hill, October 27, 1764. Though I am much concerned at not seeing you, I am more so at not hearing from you, as I fear your sore throat has 1 William fourth duke of Devonshire. During his administration in Ireland, Mr. Conway had been secretary of state there. [Or.] He died at Spa, 2d October 1764. [Ed.] 2 The legacy was contained in a codicil written in the duke's own hand, as follows:-" I give to general Conway five thousand pounds, as a testimony of my friendship for him, and of my sense of his honourable conduct and friendship for me.” [Ed.] proved more troublesome than you apprehended. Pray write me one line to tell me how you are. I will not trouble you with more now, but to enclose a sheet, by which I hope you will approve the manner in which I have obeyed you. Yours most faithfully. TO THE HON. H. S. CONWAY. Strawberry-hill, October 29, 1764. I AM glad you mentioned it: I would not have had you appear without your close mourning for the duke of Devonshire upon any account. I was once going to tell you of it, knowing your inaccuracy in such matters; but thought it still impossible you should be ignorant how necessary it is. Lord Strafford, who has a legacy of only £200, wrote to consult lady Suffolk. She told him, for such a sum, which only implies a ring, it was sometimes not done; but yet advised him to mourn. In your case, it is indispensable; nor can you see any of his family without it. Besides, it is much better on such an occasion to over, than under do. I answer this paragraph first, because I am so earnest not to have you blamed. Besides wishing to see you all, I have wanted exceedingly to come to you, having much to say to you; but I am confined. here, that is, Mr. Chute is: he was seized with the gout last Wednesday se'nnight, the day he came hither to meet George Montagu, and this is the first day he has been out of his bedchamber. I must therefore put off our meeting till Saturday, when you shall certainly find me in town. We have a report here, but the authority bitter bad, that lord March is going to be married to ****. I don't believe it the less for our knowing nothing of it; for unless their daughter were breeding, and it were to save her character, neither ***, nor *** would disclose a tittle about it. Yet in charity they should advertise it, that parents and relations, if it is so, may lock up all knives, ropes, laudanum, and rivers, lest it should occasion a violent mortality among his fair admirers. I am charmed with an answer I have just read in the papers of a poor man in Bedlam, who was ill-used by an apprentice because he would not tell him why he was confined there. The unhappy creature said at last, "Because God has deprived me of a blessing which you never enjoyed." There never was any thing finer or more moving! Your sensibility will not be quite so much affected by a story I heard t'other day of sir Fletcher Norton.' He has a mother-yes, a mother: perhaps you thought, that, like that tender urchin Love, duris in cotibus illum Ismarus, aut Rhodope, aut extremi Garamantes, Well, Mrs. Rhodope lives in a mighty shabby hovel at Preston, which the dutiful and affectionate sir Fletcher began to think not suitable to the dignity of one who has the honour of being his parent. He cheapened a better, in which were two pictures which the proprietor valued at three-score pounds. The attorney insisted on having them for nothing as fixtures-the landlord refused, the bargain was broken off, and the dowager madam Norton remains in her original hut. I could tell another story which you would not dislike; but as it might hurt the person concerned, if it was known, I shall not send it by the post; but will tell it you when I see you. Adieu! Yours most cordially. DEAR SIR, TO THE REV. MR. COLE. I am heartily concerned for my disappointment, and more for the cause of it. Take care of yourself, and by no means venture catching cold. I shall be equally glad to see you on Tuesday, but I beg you not to come even then, if your throat is not perfectly cured. Yours most sincerely. 1 Son of Thomas Norton, esq., of Grantley. He was appointed solicitorgeneral, 14th December 1761, received the honour of knighthood in 1762, and was raised to the attorney-generalship in 1763. In 1769, upon the resignation of sir John Cust, he was elected speaker of the House of Commons, and upon his retirement was created lord Grantley, baron of Markenfield, in the county of York, by patent dated 9th April 1782. [Ed.] DEAR SIR, TO THE REV. MR. COLE. Strawberry-hill, October 30, 1764. I am rejoiced to hear you are well, but horridly vexed at my own negligence and oversight. Assure yourself I never wrote procurer, but procureur, leaving the original term, as I think one seldom gives a just idea by translating titles. If I castrate the whole half sheet, I will not leave it procurer. I am obliged to go to London on Saturday for two or three days, but have no doubt of being back here before Thursday, 8th, and if I am, hope to see you for longer than a dinner. Thank you for your notices; I am sure, say what you will, I am still in your debt for a thousand obliging instances of friendship; and in truth am willing to be more so, for the communication of your MSS. Yours most sincerely. P.S. The enclosed trifle is only to fill up the packet. TO THE REV. MR. COLE. Strawberry-hill, Nov. 8, 1764. I AM much disappointed, I own, dear sir, at not seeing you: more so, as I fear it will be long before I shall, for I think of going to Paris early in February. I ought indeed to go directly, as the winter does not agree with me here. Without being positively ill, I am positively not well: about this time of year, I have little fevers every night, and pains in my breast and stomach, which bid me repair to a more flannel climate. These little complaints are already begun; and, as soon as affairs will permit me, I mean to transport them southward. I am sorry it is out of my power to make the addition you wish to Mr. Tuer's article: many of the following sheets are printed off, and there is no inserting any thing now, without shoving the whole text forward, which you see is impossible. You promised to bring me a portrait of him: as I shall have four or five new plates, I can get his head into one of them: will you send it as soon as you can possibly to my house in Arlington-street; I will take great care of it, and return it you safe. I thank you much for your corrections, though they are too late for my next edition; it is printed to past the middle of the third volume. Yours most sincerely. TO THE RIGHT HON. LADY HERVEY. November 10, 1764. SOH! madam, you expect to be thanked, because you have done a very obliging thing! But I won't thank you, and I won't be obliged. It is very hard one can't come into your house and commend any thing, but you must recollect it and send it after one! I will never dine in your house again; and, when I do, I will like nothing; and when I do, I will commend nothing; and when I do, you shan't remember it. You are very grateful indeed to providence that gave you so good a memory, to stuff it with nothing but bills of fare of what every body likes to eat and drink! I wonder you are not ashamed-I wonder you are not ashamed! Do you think there is no such thing as gluttony of the memory?—You a Christian! A pretty account you will be able to give of yourself!-Your fine folks in France may call this friendship and attention, perhaps but sure, if I was to go to the devil, it should be for thinking of nothing but myself, not of others, from morning to night. I would send back your temptations; but, as I will not be obliged to you for them, verily I shall retain them to punish you; ingratitude being a proper chastisement for sinful friendliness. Thine in the spirit, PILCHARD WHITFIELD. 1 Lady Hervey, it is supposed, had sent Mr. Walpole some potted pilchards. [Or.] |