Upon her affurances of confenting to it, he told her. ,, My dear, it is only this, that you will never marry ,, an old man again.,, I cannot help remarking, that fickness, which often deftroys both wit and wisdom, yet feldom has power to remove that talent which we call humour: Mr. Wycherly fhew'd his, even in this. laft compliment; tho' I think his request a little hard, for why should he bar her from doubling her Jointure on the fame eafy terms?

So trivial as thefe circumstances are, I fhould not be difpleas'd myself to know fuch trifles, when they concern or characterife any eminent perfon. The wifeft and wittieft of men are feldom wifer or wittier than others in thefe fober moments: At leaft, our friend ended much in the character he had lived in: and Horace's rule for a play, may as well be apply'd to him as a play-wright,

Am juft return'd from the country, whither Mr.

I owe accompanied nie, and pars'd a week in the

foreft. I need not tell you how much a man of his turn entertain'd me; but I mult acquaint you there is a vivacity and gaiety of difpofition almoft peculiar to him, which make it impoffible to part from him wit hout that uneafinefs which generally fucceeds all our

pleafures. I have been just taking a folitary walk by moon-fhine, full of reflections on the transitory nature of all human delights; and giving my thoughts a loofe in the contemplation of those fatisfactions which probably we may hereafter taste in the company of fe parate fpirits, when we fhall range the walks above, and perhaps gaze on this world át as vaft a distance as we now do on those worlds. The pleasures we are to enjoy in that conversation muft undoubtedly be of a nobler kind, and (not unlikely) may proceed from the discoveries each fhall communicate to another, of God and of Nature: for the happinefs of minds can furely be nothing but knowledge.

The highest gratification we receive here from com, pany is Mirth, which at the best is but a fluttering un quiet motion, that beats about the breast for a few mo ments, and after leaves it void and empty. Keeping good company, even the beft; is but a lefs fhameful art of lofing time. What we here all fcience and stu dy, are little better: the greater number of arts to which we apply ourselves are mere groping in the dark, and even the fearch of our most important concerns in a future being, is but a needlefs, anxious, and uncer tain hafte to be knowing, fooner than we can, what without all this folicitude we fhall know a little later. We are but curious impertinents in the cafe of futuritiy. "Tis not our business to be gueffing what the ftate of fouls fhall be, but to be doing what may make our own ftate happy; we cannot be knowing, but we can be virtuous. If this be my notion of a great part of that high science, Divinity, you will be fo civil as to imagine I lay no mighty ftrefs upon the reft. Even of my darling

poetry I really make no other ufe, than horfes of the bells that gingle about their ears (tho' now and then they tofs their heads as if they were proud of them) only to jog on, a little more merrily.

Your obfervations on the narrow conceptions of mankind in the point of friendship, confirm me in what I was fo fortunate as at my first knowledge of you to hope, and fince fo amply to experience. Let me take fo much decent pride and dignity upon me, as to tell you, that but for opinions like thefe which I difcover'd in your mind, I had never made the trial I have done; which has fucceeded fo much to mine, and, I believe, not less to your fatisfaction: for, if I know you right, your pleasure is greater in obliging me, ..than I can feel on my part, till it falls in my power to oblige you.

Your remark, that the variety of opinions in politicis or religion is often rather a gratification, than an objection, to people who have fenfe enough to confider the beautiful order of nature in her variations; makes me think you have not conftrued Joannes Secundus wrong, in the verfe which precedes that which you quote: Bene nota fides, as I take it, does no way fignify the Roman Catholic Religion, tho' Secundus was of it. I think it was a generous thought, and one that flow'd from an exalted mind, That it was not improbable but God might he delighted with the various inethods of worshipping him, which divided the whole world. 5 I am pretty fure you and I should no more.

This was an opinion taken up by the old Philofophers, as the jaft fupport of Paganism against Christianity: And the Miffionaries, to both the Indies, tell us, it is the first answer modern barbarians

make good Inquifitors to the modern tyrants in faith, than we could have been qualified for Lictors to Procruftes, when he converted refractory members with the rack. In a word, I can only repeat to you what, I think, I have formerly faid; that I as little fear God will damn a man who has Charity, as I hope that any Prieft can fave him without it.

I am, &c.

2

LETTER VI.

March 20, 1715 - 16.

Find that a real concern is not only a hindrance to

I fpeaking, but to writing too: the more time we give

ourfelves to think over one's own or a friend's unhappinefs, the more unable we grow to exprefs 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 visit to a perfon one cannot relieve. One is afhamed in that circumftance, to pretend to entertain people with triAling, infignificant affectations of forrow on the one hand. or unfeasonable and forced gaieties on the other. 'Tis a kind of profanation of things facred, to treat fo

give to the offer made them of the Gospel. But Chriftians might fee that the notion is not only improbable, but impossible to be true, if the redemption of mankind was purchased by the death of Iefus, which is the gospel idea of his Religion. Nor is there any need of this opinion to difcredit perfecution. For the iniquity of that practice does not arise from refraining what God permits or delights in, but from ufurping a jurifdiction over confcience, which belongs only to his tribunal.

folemn 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, praifed into an opinion of its own virtue. 'Tis enough to do and fuffer what we ought; and men should know, that the noble power of fuffering bravely is as far above that of enterprizing greatly, as an unblemish'd confcience and inflexible resolution are above an accidental flow of spirits, 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 themfelves 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 greateft power on earth can no fooner do him that injury, but the brave man can make himfelf greater by forgiving it.

If it were generous to feek for alleviating confolations in a calamity of fo much glory, one might say, that to be ruin'd 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 as 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