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 circumftances are, I should not be difpleas'd myself to know such trifles, when they concern or characterise any eminent perfon. The wifeft and wittieft of men are feldom wifer or wittier than others in these fober moments: At least, 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,

Servetur ad imum

Qualis ab inceptu procefferit, et fibi conftet.

I am, &c.

I

LETTER V.

Feb. 10, 1715-16.

Am juft returned from the country, whither Mr. Rowe accompanied me, and pafs'd a week in the forest. I need not tell you how much a man of his turn entertain'd me; but I muft acquaint you there is a vivacity and gaiety of difpofition almost peculiar to him, which make it impoffible to part from him without that uneafinefs which generally fucceeds all our pleasures. I have been just taking a folitary walk by moon-fhine, full of reflections on the tranfitory nature of all human delights; and giving my thoughts a loose in the contemplation of thofe fatisfactions which probably we may hereafter taste in the company of feparate fpirits, when we fhall range the walks above, and perhaps gaze on this world at as vaft a diftance as we now do on

thofe worlds. The pleasures we are to enjoy in that

conver

conversation muft undoubtedly be of a nobler kind, and (not unlikely) may proceed from the discoveries each shall communicate to another, of God and of Nature; for the happiness of minds can furely be nothing but knowledge.

The highest gratification we receive here from company is Mirth, which at the best is but a fluttering unquiet motion, that beats about the breaft for a few moments, and after leaves it void and empty. Keeping good company, even the best, is but a lefs fhameful art of lofing time. What we here call fcience and ftudy, are little better: the greater number of arts to which we apply ourselves are mere groping in the dark; and even the search of our most important concerns in a future being, is but a needlefs, anxious, and uncertain hafte to be knowing, fooner than we can, what without all this folicitude we shall know a little later. We are but curious impertinents in the case of futurity. '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 stress upon the reft. Even of my darling poetry I really make no other use, 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 firft 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 these which I difcovered in your mind, I had never made

the

the trial I have done; which has fucceeded fo much to mine, and, I believe, not lefs 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 politics or religion is often rather a gratification, than an objection, to people who have sense enough to confider the beautiful order of nature in her variations; makes me think you have not conftrued Joannes Secundus in the verse which precedes wrong, 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 be delighted with the various methods of worshipping him, which divided the whole world*. I am pretty fure you and I should no more make good Inqui- ` fitors 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

*This was an opinion taken up by the old Fhilofophers, as the laft fupport of Paganism against Christianity: And the Miffionaries, to both the Indies, tell us, it is the first answer modern barbarians give to the offer made them of the Gospel. But Chriftians might fee that the notion is not only improbable, but impoffible to be true, if the redemption of mankind was purchafed by the death of Jefus, which is the gofpel idea of his Religion. Nor is there any need of this opinion to difcredit perfecution. For the iniquity of that practice does not arife from reftraining what God permits or delights in, but from ufurping a jurifdiction over confcience, which belongs only to his tribunal.

damn

damn a man who has Charity, as I hope that any Priest can fave him without it.

I am, &c.

LETTER VI.

March 20, 1715-16.

I

Find that a real concern is not only a hindrance

to speaking, but to writing too: the more time we give ourselves to think over one's own or a friend's unhappiness, the more unable we grow to express 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 vifit to a person one cannot relieve. One is afhamed in that circumstance, to pretend to entertain people with trifling, infignificant affectations of forrow on the one hand, or unfeafonable and forced gaieties on the other. 'Tis a kind of profanation of things facred, to treat so solemn 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, praised into an opinion of its own virtue. 'Tis enough to do and fuffer what we ought; and men fhould know, that the noble power of suffering bravely is as far above that of enterprizing greatly, as an unblemished confcience and inflexible refolution are above an accidental flow of fpirits, 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 practising the one, as themselves 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 greatest power on earth can no sooner do him that injury, but the brave man can make himself greater by forgiving it.

If it were generous to feek for alleviating confolations in a calamity of fo much glory, one might fay, that to be ruined thus in the grofs, with a whole people, is but like perishing in the general conflagration, where nothing we can value is left behind

us.

be re

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 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 lieved by our counsel, by our countenance, and even by our chearfulness. The misfortune of private families, the mifunderstandings of people whom diftreffes make fufpicious, the coldneffes of relations whom change of religion may difunite, or the neceffities of half-ruin'd eftates render unkind to each other; these at least may be foftened in fome degree, by a general well-managed humanity among ourfelves; if all those who have your principles of belief, had also your fenfe and conduct. But indeed most of them have given lamentable proofs of the contrary; and it is to be apprehended that they who want fenfe, are only religious through weakness, and good-natured through fhame. These are narrow-minded creatures that never deal in effentials, their faith never looks beyond ceremonials, nor their charity beyond relations. As poor as I am, I would gladly relieve any diftreffed, confciencious French refugee at this inftant: what must my concern then be, when I perceive so many anxieties now tearing those hearts, which I have defired a place in, and clouds of melancholy rifing on those faces, which I