The COMPLETE

LETTER-WRITER.

PART III.

Familiar Letters of Advice and Inftructions, &c. in many Concerns of Life.

LETTER I.

A Letter from Fudge Hale, Lord Chief Justice of Engdand, to his Children; on the ferious Obfervance of the Lord's Day, (commonly called Sunday) when he was on a Journey, which well deferves our Attention.

I AM now come well to

from whence I intend

to write fomething to you on the Obfervance of the Lord's Day; and this I do for thefe Reafons; ift, Becaufe it has pleafed God to caft my Lot fo, that I am to reft at this Place on that Day, and the Confideration therefore of that Duty is proper for me and you, viz. The Work fit for that Day. 2dly, Because I have, by long and found Experience, found that the due Obfervance of that Day, and the Duties of it, have been of fingular Comfort and Advantage to me, and I doubt not but it will prove fo to you. God Almighty is the Lord of our Time, and lends it us; and it is but juft we should confecrate this Part of that Time to him; for I have found by a ftrict and diligent Obfervation, that a due Obfervance of the Duty of this Day, has.. ever had joined to it a Bleffing on the reft of my Time; and the Week, that hath been fo begun, has been bleffed and profperous to me. On the other Side, when I

have been negligent of the Duty of this Day, the reft of the Week has been unfuccefsful and unhappy to my own fecular Employment; fo that I could eafily make an Eftimate of my Scceffes the Week following, by the Manner of my paffing this Day; and this I do not write lightly or inconfiderately; but upon a long and found Obfervation and Experience.

LETTER II.

The Earl of Stafford to his Son, just before his Lordship's Execution.

My dearest Will,

HESE are the laft Lines that you are to receive

The Father that tenderly loves you. I with there was a greater Leifure to impart my Mind unto you; but our merciful God will fupply all Things by his Grace, and will guide and protect you in all your Ways; to whofe infinite Goodness I bequeath you and therefore be not difcouraged, but ferve him and trust in him, and he will preferve and profper you in all Things. Be sure you give all Refpects to my Wife, who hath ever had a great Love unto you, and therefore will.ft be well becoming you. Never be wanting in your Love and Care to your Sifters, but let them ever be most dear unto you: For this will give others Cayfe to esteem and refpect you for it, and is a Duty that you owe them in the Memory of your excellent Mother and myfelf: Therefore your Care and Affection to them must be the very fame that you are to have of yourself; and the like Regard muft you have to your youngest Sifter; for indeed you owe it her alfo, both for her Father's and Mother's Sake. Sweet Will, be careful to take the Advice of those Friends, who are, by me, defired to advife you for your Education. Serve God diligently, Morning and Evening, and recommend yourself unto him, and have him before your Eyes in all your Ways. With Patience hear the Inftructions of thofe Friends I leave with you, and dili-' gently follow their Counfel. For, till you come by Time to have Experience in the World, it will be far

more

more fafe to truft to their Judgment than your own. Lofe not the Time of your Youth, but gather thofe Seeds of Virtue and Knowledge which may be of Use to yourself, and Comfort to your Friends for the rest of your Life. And that this may be the better effected, attend thereto with Patience, and be fure to correct and reftrain yourself from Anger. Suffer not Sorrow to caft you down, but with Chearfulness and good Courage go on the Race you have to run in all Sobriety and Truth. Be fure with an hallowed Care to have Refpect to all the Commandments of God, and give not yourself to neglect them in the leaft Thing, left, by Degrees, you come to forget them in the greatest; for the Heart of Man is deceitful above all Things. And in all your Duties and Devotions towards God, rather perform them joyfully than penfively; for God loves a chearful Giver. For your Religion, let it be directed according to that which fhall be taught by those who are in God's Church, the proper Teachers thereof, rather than that you either fancy one to yourfelf, or be led by Men that are fingular in their own Opinion, and delight to go in Ways of their own find. ing out: For you will certainly find Soberness and Truth in the one, and much Unsteadiness and Vanity in the other. The King, I truft, will deal graciously with you; reftore you thofe Honours, and that Fortune, which a diften pered Time hath deprived you of together with the Life of your Father; which I rather advife might be by a new Gift and Creation from himfelf, than by any other Means, to the End you may pay the Thanks to him, without having Obligations to any other. Be fure to avoid, as much as you can, to enquire after thofe that have been fharp in their Judg ments towards me, and I charge you never to fuffer Thought of Revenge to enter into your Heart; but be careful to be informed who were my Friends in this Profecution, and to them apply yourself to make them your Friends alfo; and on fuch you may rely, and beftow much of your Converfation amongst them. And God Almighty, of his infinite Goodnets, bless you and your Childrens Children; and his fame Goodness blefs your Sitters in like Manner; perfect you in every

good

good Work, and give you right Understanding in all Things. Amen.

Your most loving Father,

T. WENTWORTH.

LETTER III.

From a Gentleman at Lisbon, immediately after the Earthquake, to his Son in London.

My dear Son,

RE you receive this from your unhappy Father, you will have heard of the Deftruction of this Place and of the calamitous Situation of its few remaining miferable Inhabitants. God, in his infinite Mercy, protect us! All that you have heard, will fall fhort of what I have feen; for no Words have Energy fufficient to convey an Idea of a Scene fo amazingly dreadful.---Your poor Mother is no more! afk me not for your Sifters! and as for my felf, I am a Vagabond, and condemned to feek my Bread from thofe who can ill afford to feed me. But the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. --I am fatisfied.---All may be for the beft, and our Friends are, I doubt not, removed to a more permanent City, whofe Foundations are not to be fhaken, and where Sorrow is no more. Let us, my dear Child, prepare to follow them; and that we may do fo, let us live here that we may fear no Diffolution, nor dread what may happen hereafter. Let us always be prepared for the worft, and not depend on a Death-bed Repentance; for you fee we have not a Moment that we can call our own. St. AUSTIN fays, We read of one Man who was faved at the laf Hour, that none may despair, and of but one, that none may prefume. How unfafe, how foolish, therefore, it is, to put off that until To morrow, which is fo effentially neceflary to be done To-day? To-morrow may never come! --Oh think of that! you may be fnatched away in an Inftant, as Thousands here have been, for there is no withstanding the Arms of the Almighty: No! the Attempt would be vain, would be prefumptuous, would be impious, and you will find, my dear Son, (Í hope not too late) that the only Security against Ac

cidents

cidents of this Sort, is the leading a religious and good

Life.

I am,

Your truly affectionate Father.

LETTER IV.

To Amelia, with a Gold Thimble.

Sept. 28, 1770.

AN you believe me, my little Friend, when I fay CAN that the Prefent I now make you may be of more Service to you, in the Courfe of your Life, than the Ring of Gyges, and that I deferve your Thanks as much as if I had given you the Cap of Fortunatus. Perhaps you may have heard only of the latter, I will explain to you the Virtues of the Ring: This, my little Fair, would render you invifible, whenever you chofe to be fo; you might then range thro' the Apartments of your Play-fellows unfeen, play ten Thoufand little Tricks, which, at prefent, is not in your Power to do; but, indeed, the greatest Advantages of the Ring are referved for another Age, when you may be prefent with your Lover, and difcover the true Sentiments of his Heart, perplex your Rival, hide her Bruffels and her Jewels the Night before a Ball, and torment her with all the Arts of ingenious Mifchief. These are Advantages which, at prefent, perhaps, may not tempt you; the Cap, as I can eafily imagine, to be rather the Object of your Wishes; but tell me, you fay, how this Thimble can be of fuch infinite Service ?

At your Age, my little Friend, Employment is of the utmoft Ufe; to be bufy, if it be not learning to be virtuous, will at leaft protect you from the contrary Impreffions: Whilft your Imagination is employed. how beft to fhade a Rofe, or your Fancy determines the Colours of the various Parts of your Work, Vanity will scarce have Time to whisper in your Ear, that you have more Beauty than another, or infpire you with too early a Love of Gaiety and Pleasure.

When you have lived to that Age in which your Reafon fhall be ripened, you will, perhaps, perceive that thofe little Follies which your Sex are guilty of,

proceed