damn a man who has Charity, as I hope that any Priest can save him without it.

I am, &c.

LETTER VI.

March 20, 1715-16.

I

Find that a real concern is not only a hindrance

to speaking, but to writing too: the more time we give ourselves to think over one's own or a friend's unhappiness, the more unable we grow to express the grief that proceeds from it. It is as natural to delay a letter, at fuch a feafon as this, as to retard a melancholy vifit to a perfon one cannot relieve. One is afhamed in that circumftance, to pretend to entertain people with trifling, infignificant affectations of forrow on the one hand, or unfeafonable and forced gaieties on the other. 'Tis a kind of profanation of things facred, to treat so solemn a matter as a generous voluntary fuffering, with compliments, or heroic gallantries. Such a mind as your's has no need of being spirited up into honour, or like a weak woman, praised into an opinion of its own virtue. 'Tis enough to do and suffer what we ought; and men fhould know, that the noble power of fuffering bravely is as far above that of enterprizing greatly, as an unblemished confcience and inflexible refolution are above an accidental flow of fpirits, or a fudden tide of blood. If the whole religious bufinefs of mankind be included in refignation to our Maker, and charity to our fellow creatures, there are now fome people who give us as good an opportunity of practifing the one, as themselves have given an inftance of the violation of the other. Whoever is really brave, has always this comfort when he is opprefs'd, that

he knows himself to be fuperior to those who injure him for the greatest power on earth can no fooner do him that injury, but the brave man can make himself greater by forgiving it.

If it were generous to feek for alleviating confolations in a calamity of fo much glory, one might fay, that to be ruined thus in the grofs, with a whole people, is but like perifhing in the general conflagration, where nothing we can value is left behind

us.

Methinks, the most heroic thing we are left capable of doing, is to endeavour to lighten each other's load, and (opprefs'd as we are) to fuccour fuch are yet more opprefs'd. If there are too many who cannot be affifted but by what we cannot give, our money; there are yet others who may be relieved by our counfel, by our countenance, and even by our chearfulness. The misfortune of private families, the misunderstandings of people whom diftreffes make fufpicious, the coldneffes of relations whom change of religion may difunite, or the neceffities of half-ruin'd eftates render unkind to each other; thefe at leaft may be foftened in fome degree, by a general well-managed humanity among ourfelves; if all thofe who have your principles of belief, had alfo your fenfe and conduct. But indeed most of them have given lamentable proofs of the contrary; and it is to be apprehended that they who want fenfe, are only religious through weakness, and good-natured through fhame. Thefe are narrow-minded creatures that never deal in effentials, their faith never looks beyond ceremonials, nor their charity beyond relations. As poor as I am, I would gladly relieve any diftreffed, confciencious French refugee at this inftant: what must my concern then be, when I perceive fo many anxieties now tearing those hearts, which I have defired a place in, and clouds of melancholy rifing on those faces, which I

have long look'd upon with affection? I begin already to feel both what some apprehend, and what others are yet too ftupid to apprehend. I grieve with the old, for fo many additional inconveniencies and chagrins, more than their small remain of life feemed deftined to undergo; and with the young, for fo many of thofe gaieties and pleafures (the portion of youth) which they will by this means be deprived of. This brings into my mind one or other of those I love beft, and among them the widow and fatherlefs, late of. As I am certain no people living had an earlier and truer sense of others misfortunes, or a more generous refignation as to what might be their own, fo I earneftly wish that whatever part they must bear, may be rendered as fupportable to them, as it is in the power of any friend

to make it.

But I know you have prevented me in this thought, as you always will in any thing that is good, or generous: I find by a letter of your lady's (which I have feen) that their ease and tranquillity is part of your care. I believe there's fome fatality in it, that you fhould always, from time to time, be doing thofe particular things that make me enamour'd of you.

I write this from Windfor-Forest, of which I am come to take my last look. We here bid our neighbours adieu, much as those who go to be hang'd do their fellow-prifoners, who are condemn'd to follow them a few weeks after. I parted from honeft Mr. D* with tendernefs; and from old Sir William Trumbull as from a venerable prophet, fortelling with lifted hands the miferies to come, from which he is just going to be removed himself.

Perhaps,

Perhaps, now I have learnt fo far as

my next leffon

Nos dulcia linquimus arva,

may be

Nos Patriam fugimus.

Let that, and all elfe be as Heaven pleases! I have provided just enough to keep me a man of honour. I believe you and I shall never be ashamed of each other. I know I wish my Country well, and, if it undoes me, it shall not make me with it otherwise.

γ

LETTER VII.

From Mr. BLOUNT.

March 24, 1715-16.

OUR letters give me a gleam of fatisfaction, in the midst of a very dark and cloudy fituation of thoughts, which it would be more than human to be exempt from at this time, when our homes muft either be left, or be made too narrow for us to turn in. Poetically fpeaking, I fhould lament the lofs Windfor-foreft and you fuftain of each other, but that, methinks, one can't fay you are parted, because you will live by and in one another, while verse is verse. This confideration hardens me in my opinion rather to congratulate you, fince you have the pleasure of the profpect whenever you take it from your fhelf, and at the fame time the folid cafh you fold it for, of which Virgil in his exile knew nothing in those days, and which will make every place eafy to you. I for my part am not fo happy; my parva rura are fastened to me, fo that I can't exchange them, as you have, for more portable means of fubfiftance; and yet I hope to gather enough to make the Patriam fugimus supportable to

me: 'tis what I am refolved on, with my Penate. If therefore you afk me, to whom you fhall complain? I will exhort you to leave laziness and the elms of St. James's Park, and choofe to join the other two proposals in one, fafety and friendship (the leaft of which is a good motive for moft things, as the other is for almost every thing) and go with me where War will not reach us, nor paultry Conftables fummon us to veftries.

The future epiftle you flatter me with, will find me still here, and I think I may be here a month longer. Whenever I go from hence, one of the few reasons to make me regret my home will be, that I fhall not have the pleasure of faying to you,

Hic tamen hanc mecum poteris requiefcere noctem, which would have rendered this place more agreeable, than ever else it could be to me; for I proteft, it is with the utmoft fincerity that I affure you, I am entirely,

Dear Sir,

Your, &c.

LETTER VIII.

June 22, 1717.

Fa regard both to public and private affairs may plead a lawful excufe in behalf of a negligent correfpondent, I have really a very good title to it. I cannot fay whether 'tis a felicity or unhappiness, that I am obliged at this time to give my whole application to Homer; when without that employment, my thoughts must turn upon what is lefs agreeable, the violence, madnefs, and refentment of

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