his grand Climacteric, he may be faid to have lived juft nine Years more than fome of his twin Cotemporaries.

What would a Man give for nine Years added to fixty-three! How much more valuable are nine Years before fixty-three! for furely that Time is the moft preferable, which we can live without growing older. We cannot, indeed, borrow Time from Death; but we can take it from it's Semblance, Sleep-Which brings me to the Clofe of my Propofition, or "a certain "Method to lengthen Life, in Spight of Fate, "or the Grave."

Henry.

8

I

LETTER CLXXXVIII.

Dear HARRY,

HAVE read the Treatife you mention, but like your Supplement to it much better. It is a double Charity to write to me on Subjects at present, because there is not a Book in this Houfe, which could fupply me with Matter for a Minute's Reflection; which makes the Time, except what I spend in reading your Letters, or writing to you, pafs like an idle Dream, which leaves no Trace behind.

Your

Your Letter has made me grow quite impatient at the Reflection of having loft fo much of my Life. The Defire of improving my Mind, and fixing it's Contemplation upon proper Objects, increases daily; yet, by fome unforeseen Accident, I find myself continually deprived even of one Day's Retirement, and am, if I may use the Expreffion, conftantly immerfed in Idleness.

The Tedioufnefs of prefent Time is often irksome to the wife Man as well as the Fool, though not in fo great a Degree; which has been confidered as a Proof of the Soul's Immortality: For we are continually pushing forward to fome Point of Time, which, when arrived at, falls fhort of the Expectations we had raised upon it; we ftill perfift in flattering ourselves, and fix our Happiness on fome future Period, which, in it's Courfe, brings Difappointment too; and yet we ftill go on, wishing the prefent Hour were paft, and hoping Peace or Joy from fome more diftant Æra; 'till the Grave opening, interrupts our Schemes, and fhews the only Profpect where the Soul can reft, Oh! may we fix our Grafp on that Strong-Hold, which cannot, will not fail us; and, like the Patriarch, wrestle for a Bleffing! Let the incumbering World recede, and even our mutual Loves decay, before the glorious Hope of Immortality! What Joy, what more than Transport, do I VOL. II. C feel,

feel, in thinking that, when Death fhall have diffolved the poor, infirm, and feeble Forms, which now incafe our Spirits, we shall meet again, confcious of each other's Love and Truth; in perfect Blifs above!

I do not cordially approve of your leffening the Portions of Time allotted for Sleep. It is wife Nature prompts, and all Philofophy is vain which dares oppofe her. She has appointed equal Periods to Labour and to Reft; while Man, impatient to be happy, fteals from his only promised Bleffing, Ease, to squander in the vain Purfuit of Wealth or Pleafure. I muft own, notwithstanding your philofophical Moral, which I acknowledge to be very ingenious, that I am a great Friend to Sleep, whom Silius Italicus calls the moft amiable of all the Gods. When tired out with Grief or Pain, it ftrengthens and renews the Springs of Life; we wake refreshed, and feel a Kind of filent Hymn of Gratitude arife in our Minds for this, more than for any other Bleffing. While we fleep, we are, at leaft, negatively good, incapable of acting or defigning Ill; and I am afraid, that even the beft Man has more to answer for his waking than his fleeping Hours, be he never fo great a Sluggard. However, I fhall receive one Advantage from your Doctrine, that I fhall infift upon your Practice keeping up to your Preaching; and I will certainly produce your Letter against

you,

you, whenever I find you begin to yawn about Ten o'Clock; for that is a moft unreasonable Hour for a Perfon to go to Bed, who has not Occafion to fleep more than five.

LETTER CLXXXIX. @

Dear FANNY,

Yder

COUR'S of the 19th I fhall anfwer, by defiring you to look into that Letter of mine, which gave you Occafion to speak upon this Head; and you will find, that I did not fay my Philofophy prevented me from feeling. A Man may be very fenfible of the Gout or Stone, without roaring―nay, more fo, for the Expreffion of either Grief or Pain is obferved to lessen the Poignancy of them. I would fay with Romeo," hang up Philofophy,” indeed, if it ferved to extinguifh in my Breaft the leaft Part of that manly Love, that tender Friendship, that foft Sentiment, or that warm Affection, which my charming Fanny is beft capable of infpiring; my quick Senfe of all which, I am proud to own, and grateful to acknowledge, I owe to her alone.

As to your leaving England, you may remember, I told you before, that, though I might fubmit,

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fubmit, I never fhould confent; because I could. never fincerely do it. But upon this Subject I hope to have an Opportunity of speaking more at large in a few Days, when I defign being in Town.

I do not remember the particular Conver fation, you hint at, juft before I left London. I am very certain, I never came into fuch an Agreement; and, if you propofed it, I have forgot it as I should do every Thing, which betrayed the least Unkindness in you,

I fhall fend this Night to the Poft for your Letter, and am impatient to know how you are. I am afraid you spent your Time, careless of your ⚫wn Health, I may fay, of my Health, while Kitty was in Town. I wifh a little Scolding would do you any Good.

My dearest Fanny, I do not leffen the Portion of Time allotted by Nature for Reft. I find five Hours fufficient for my Health and Spirits; more Sleep injures both; then rationally I conclude, Nature meant no more. Now every Indulgence we take, beyond what Nature requires, is rather a Fatigue, than a Refreshment. This is equally true in Meat, and Drink, and Sleep: And, to confider it in this Light, that Paffage in Lord Grimston's Play, which, along with the whole Performance, has been fo laughed at, is not quite fo abfurd, as it is generally taken; I'll reft my wearied Bones, 'till they

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