the Wisdom and Goodness of Providence; and am pleased, that I carried my Sentiments no farther upon that Subject, than merely to fuggeft, that, perhaps, there might be no Relation between them: For, when I come clofe to the Argument with the Divines, I enter the Lifts upon their own Terms; but I only fix the Feet of Jacob's Ladder on the Earth, while you foar upon it to the Skies.

I meant to confider Mercy, as a felf-sufficient, diftinct, operating Excellence in the Godhead; the proper Objects of which were thofe, which did not come within the Merits of that Repentance, which might intitle them to the Juftice defined in that Letter. I am, my dearest Fanny, well aware, how little orthodox I am in this Opinion; and therefore call upon myself for fome Explanation of this Subject, as I feem to make no Difference between the Good and Bad, with Regard to the unbounded Mercy of God. In order to which, I fhall make Ufe of an Allufion, by confidering Man in this Life, like a Silk-Worm in it's Nymph-State, involved and incompaffed round with Toils of their own weaving; the one waiting 'till God's Bleffing, as the other for a warm Sun, fhall rescue him to a joyful Refurrection. Now fome Infects carry the Seeds of Death with them into the Grave, and, confequently, perifh immediately, without being able to revive to a new Life;

in which forlorn Situation I confider a wicked

Man and think I have fome Authority from Scripture for this Hypothesis.

"The Wages of Sin are Death."

And again,

"The Lord wifheth not the Death of a "Sinner, but rather, that he may turn from "his Wickedness, and live."

Now, though the Inflicting of Punishments, as I have fomewhere faid, would, in fome Sort, deprive Heaven of the full Enjoyment of it's own Perfection; yet fuch a literal Death, as I understand from these Texts, that is, the intire Deprivation of Senfe or Being from a Sinner, is not only agreeable to Justice, but to Mercy too; for " they fay, bad Men would be "unblefs'd in Heaven:" And as this Life is given us, in order to prepare our Souls for the Relifh of that contemplative Bliss, which is hereafter to be permitted to the Spirits of good Men made perfect, it would be rather an Inftance of Cruelty, than Mercy, to grant Immortality to thofe unhappy Wretches, in a State of Existence, which would not admit the Gratification of mortal Senfes, or the Indulgence of human Paffions.

As I am drawing toward the Conclufion of Pliny's Works, I fhall finifh my Remarks upon him, and his Tranflator, in the Remander of this Letter.

In a Note upon the forty-fixth Epiftle, optima Viro is called an Idiom, but I cannot fee for what Reafon: And my Lord might very well have rendered it literally, the best of Men, without appearing the least stiff in the Stile of that Expreffion.

in this

Trajan's Speech, in the last Part of the Com-ment upon the fifty-first Epistle, puts me in mind of a Humour of the Widow Country; who was fome Time ago married, and the Morning after fhe appeared caparisoned with an Horfe-whip pinned to her Girdle; and stold her Husband, the meant always to wear it about her, that it might be ready, whenever the deferved his Chastisement.

In the fixty-feventh Epistle, read fince, for fcarce.

I have gone through the reft of this Book, which finishes the Volume, and find nothing more, fit to be remarked upon, that is not already taken Notice of by the Commentator, much better than I can pretend to do; and this, in general, is the Reafon, why I have made fo few Obfervations upon the whole Work. As to the Freedom I have taken, in fome Criticisms, both with the Author, and his Commentator, I fhall excufe myself with a Quotation out of the thirteenth Epiftle of the third Book: "If I find you fo frank, as to make "Objections to particular Paffages, I fhall take

it for granted, that you are pleafed with all "the reft." And fo indeed I am.

I think, the twentieth Epiftle of the fourth Book would be proper to conclude thefe Remarks with; changing the Word Grief for Sense, and applying that Letter to Pliny and Orrery.

And now let me affure you, my dear Fanny, that I feel a real Concern, upon the Close of this Work, at parting with three such Men, as Trajan, Pliny, and Orrery: But one I hope to know in this Life, and fhall die in Truft of meeting the others in the next; and you, my beft-loved Girl, fhall know them too:

Together to the Realms of Bliss we'll go.” "Till then, let us live, and love; for, while we do one, I am fure we shall do the other.

Adieu, my Heart's Delight!

Henry.

I

AM vaftly provoked at your not receiving my Letters regularly: I am uneafy about my Saturday's Letter, though the Disappointment only could make it of any Confequence. As I have nothing extraordinary to fay, at prefent, with.

D 5

with Regard to myself, and have not Time to anfwer your's, I should not write To-night, but on Account of the inclofed, which, I am fure, will give you Pleasure, as my dear Lady's Sentiments correfpond with your's. I have wrote a very long Letter to her; and my Fingers ache to fuch a Degree, I can hardly hold the Pen. I hope, I have now returned the Compliment you paid me, by bringing her Letter to .

We will prescribe the whole Alphabet only to very weak or very irafcible People; for I think, the five Vowels might ferve to furmount any Refentment, we could have to each other: However, if you like the Water-Bottle beft, I will always have one by my Side.

Adieu, my Love!

LETTER CXCIX.

My FANNY,

RECEIVED your's, with Lady

inclosed; and am pleased to find, fhe does not speak, like a Courtier, to your Pride, but addreffes herself, like a Philofopher and a Friend,

to

* Alluding to the Poem in the Tatler, intitled, "A Cure for a Scold."