TO MISS VANHOMRIGH. MAY 12, 1719. Il n'y a rien à redire JE vous fais des complimens sur votre perfection dans la langue Françoise. Il faut vous connoître long temps avant de connoître toutes vos perfections; toujours en vous voyant et entendant, il en paroît des nouvelles, qui étoient auparavant cachées; il est honteux pour moi de ne sçavoir que le Gascon et le Patois, au prix de vous. dans l'ortographie, la propriété, l'élégance, le douceur et l'esprit. Et que je suis sot moi de vous repondre en même langage, vous qui étes incapable d'aucune sottise, si ce n'est l'estime qu'il vous plaît d'avoir pour moi ; car il n'y a point de mérite, ni aucun preuve de mon bon goût, de trouver en vous tout ce que la nature a donné un mortel, je veux dire l'honneur, la vertu, le bon sens, l'esprit, la douceur, l'agrément, et la fermeté d'ame; mais en vous cachant, commes vous faites, le monde ne vous connoît pas, et vous perdez l'éloge des millions de gens. Depuis que j'ai l'honneur de vous connoître, j'ai toujours remarqué que ni en conversation particulière, ni générale, aucun mot a échappé de votre bouche, qui pouvoit être mieux exprimé. Et je vous jure, qu'en faisant souvent la plus sévère critique, je ne pouvois jamais trouver aucun défaut en vos actions, ni en vos paroles: la coquetterie, l'affectation, la pruderie sont des imperfections que vous n'avez jamais connues. Et avec tout cela, croyez pas vous, qu'il est possible de ne pas vous estimer au dessus du reste reste du genre humain. Quelles bêtes en jupes sont les plus excellentes de celles, que je vois semées dans le monde, au prix de vous: en les voyant, en les entendant, je dis cent fois le jour; ne parlez, ne regardez, ne pensez, ne faites rien comme ces misérables. Quelle calamité à faire mépriser autant de gens, qui sans songer de vous, seroient assez supportables mais il est temps de vous délasser, et de vous dire Adieu: avec tout le respect, la sincérité, et l'estime du monde, je suis, et serai toujours. SIR, TO DR. SHERIDAN*. DEC. 14, 1719. NINE AT NIGHT. It is impossible to know by your letter whether the wine is to be bottled to morrow, or no. If it be, or be not, why did not you in plain English tell us so? For my part, it was by mere chance I came to sit with the ladies this night. And if they had not told me there was a letter from you, and your man Alexander had not gone, and come back from the deanery, and the boy here had not been sent to let Alexander know I was here, I should have missed the letter outright. Truly I do not know who is bound to be sending for corks to stop your bottles, with a vengeance. Make a page of your own age, and send your man In this letter, though written in prose, every paragraph ends with a rhime to the foregoing one. Alexander Alexander to buy corks, for Saunders already has gone above ten jaunts. Mrs. Dingley and Mrs. Johnson say, truly they do not care for your wife's company, though they like your wine; but they had rather have it at their own house to drink in quiet. However they own it is very civil in Mr. Sheridan to make the offer; and they cannot deny it. I wish Alexander safe at St. Katharine's to night, with all my heart and soul, upon my word and ho nour. But I think it base in you to send a poor fellow out so late at this time of year, when one would not turn out a dog that one valued; I appeal to your friend Mr. Connor. I would present my humble service to my lady Mountcashel; but truly I thought she would have made advances to have been acquainted with me, as she pretended. But now I can write no more, for you see plainly my paper is ended, P. S. I wish when you prated, Your letter you'd dated, Much plague it created, Like a bear to be baited: Your man is belated, The case I have stated, And me you have cheated, My 3 P. S. You keep such a twattling But I see the sum total, We shall ne'er have one bottle; The long and the short, We shall not have a quart. 'Tis of shine, a mouth moon-full, You won't part with a spoonful, And I must be nimble, If I can fill my thimble. Collaguing is a phrase used in Ireland for a specious appearance of kindness without sincerity. + Knogging is in Ireland, the name of a measure of liquor answering to the English quartern or gill. You You see I won't stop, STELLA. TO LORD BOLINGBROKE. MY LORD, DECEMBER 19, 1719. I FIRST congratulate with you upon growing rich; for I hope our friend's information is true, Omne solum diti patria. Euripides makes the queen Jocasta ask her exiled son, how he got his victuals? But who ever expected to see you a trader or dealer in stocks? I thought to have seen you where you are, or perhaps nearer but diis aliter visum. It may be with one's country as with a lady: if she be cruel and ill natured, and will not receive us, we ought to consider that we are better without her. But, in this case, we may add, she has neither virtue, honour, nor justice. I have gotten a metzotinto (for want of a better) of Aristippus, in my drawingroom : the motto at the top is, Omnis Aristippum, &c. and at the bottom, Tantâ fœdus cum gente ferire, conmissum juveni. But, since what I heard of Mississippi, I am grown fonder of the former motto. You have heard that Plato followed merchandise three years, to show he knew how to grow rich, as well as to be a philosopher and I guess, Plato was then about forty, |