Mr. Courtney and Mrs. Courtney-thank them for the pleasure we had in their company last summer. Give Garret the enclosed memorandum; if you should find it inconvenient to give us a line yourself, he will be so good as to let us hear from him soon ; not but we are much obliged to him for the letters he has written to us, and to our friend English,-assure him that when we have any good news, he will be the first to hear it. Farewell, my dear sir-all here are very truly yours; and believe me your ever affection. ate nephew,

EDMUND BURKE.

Pat Nagle behaves very well, is exceedingly attentive to his business; and upon my word, from what I see of him, I think him a decent and intelligent young fellow. He has repaid me the twenty guineas he had from me.

EDMUND BURKE TO HIS COUSIN, GARRET

NAGLE, ESQ.

March 6th, 1768.

MY DEAR GARRET, I RECEIVED your last, from Ballyduff with the most sincere sorrow. Indeed, on the return of my uncle's complaints, I gave up all hope, considering the nature of his disorder, and the time of his life. I did not neglect to apply to doctor Nugent; but at this distance, and with no full detail of circumstances and symptoms before him,

he would not venture to prescribe. I make no doubt that he has skilful assistance in his own neighbourhood; and doctor Nugent would cheerfully have added to it, but from fear of attempting any thing in a case which he cannot fully be master of. I suppose this letter will hardly find my dear friend alive. We shall all lose, I be lieve, one of the very best men that ever lived,— of the clearest integrity, the most genuine principles of religion and virtue, the most cordial good nature and benevolence that I ever knew, or, I think, ever shall know. However, it is a comfort that he lived a long, healthy, unblemished life, loved and esteemed by all that knew him, and left children behind who will cultivate his memory, and, I trust, follow his example; for of all the men I have seen in any situation, I really think he is the person I should wish myself, or any one I greatly loved, the most to resemble. This I do not say from the impression of my immediate feeling, but from my best judgment,— having seen him at various times of my life, from my infancy to the last year, having known him very well, and knowing a little (by too long habits) of mankind at large. In truth, my dear Garret, I fear I have said this or something to the same purpose before; but I repeat it again, for my mind is full of it.

I wish you would let our friends at Ballylegan know that poor Patrick Nagle is out of all danger, and recovering fast. He had a sharp struggle for it. They will rejoice in his recovery. take him to be a very worthy and valuable young man in all respects. Here we have nothing new.

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Politics have taken no turn that is favourable to us, but, just now, I do not feel the more unpleasantly for being, and my friends being, out of all office. You are, I suppose, full of bustle in your new elections; I am convinced all my friends will have the good sense to keep themselves from taking any part in struggles, in the event of which they have no share, and no concern. Adieu, my dear Garret, and believe me to you, and to all with you at Ballyduff and Bloomfield, a most sincere and affectionate friend and kinsman,

EDM. BURKE.

How does Ned Nagle go on? It is time now to think of sending him to sea, and we are considering the best means for doing it. I suppose you have got Mr. W. Burke's letter.

EDMUND BURKE TO HIS COUSIN, GARRET
NAGLE, ESQ.

MY DEAR GARRET,

Gregories, December 27th, 1768.

I WAS very much hurried, more so than I have ever been in my life, when I received your letter; and I continued in the same course of full employment for some time, or I should have given you a more immediate answer. I am sorry, that with regard to the business it contained, the speediness of my answer would have been the only thing very pleasing in it, as unluckily I have no acquaintance with Mr. Madden,-I do not remember so much as to have seen him.

Ned Nagle is gone off in very good health, with good hopes, and fair prospects before him. I loved his father very much; and the boy himself has gained upon me exceedingly. He has a spirited and pleasing simplicity in his manner, which has got him the affection of as many as have seen him, and in particular recommended him to the owner of the ship in which he has sailed, who is a man of great fortune and good natured, and will in future be very useful to him. My brother has taken care that he should in all respects be provided for as well as if he had been his own son. It gave me a good impression of the poor fellow, that he seemed anxious about his nurse, whom he represented as not in the best circumstances. I told him I would order a gown for her as a present from him; you will be so good to give her a guinea for that purpose, and put it to my account. He wrote from some port into which the vessel put, and I send you his letter that you may see in what spirits he is.

About two months ago your brother James called upon me: until then I knew nothing of his having been in London. He was extremely poor, in a very bad state of health, and with a wife to all appearance as wretched and as sickly as he, and big with child into the bargain. It was evident enough that, with his epileptic distemper, he was very unfit to get his bread by hard labour. To maintain them here would be very heavy to me; more indeed than I could bear, with the very many other calls I have upon me, of the same, as well as of other kinds. So I thought the better way would be to send them

back to their own country, where, by allowing them a small matter, we might enable them to live. My brother was of the same opinion,-so we provided them for the journey homewards; and nothing but the hurry I mentioned, prevented my desiring you to give him, on my account, wherewithal to buy some little furniture, and a couple of cows. I then thought to have allowed him ten pounds a year. His wife told me, that with a little assistance she could earn something; and thus it might be possible for them to subsist. This day I got a letter from him, in which the poor man tells me that he is more distressed than ever; and that you showed great resentment to him, so far as even to refuse to give him any thing that I should appoint for him. I can readily excuse the first effect of warmth in an affair that must touch you so nearly. But you must naturally recollect, that his indigent circumstances, his unfortunate marriage, and the weakness of his mind, which was in a great measure the cause of both, make him a just object of pity, and not of anger; and that his relation to us neither confers upon you nor me any right whatsoever to add to his affliction and punishment--but rather calls upon us to do him all the little good offices in our power to alleviate his misfortunes. little reflection will make you sensible of this; I therefore wish you would not only give him now six or seven guineas on my account, but that you would, by yourself or some friend, take care that it should be laid out in a manner most beneficial for him, and not entrusted to his own management. If you are not near him, I dare say Dav.

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