and

to make you a General, because you had courage conduct; an Ambaffador, because you had wisdom and knowledge in the interests of Europe; and an Admiral, on account of your skill in maritime affairs: whereas, according to the ufual method of Court-proceedings I should have been at the head of the Army, and you of the Church, or rather a Curate under the Dean of St. Patrick's.

The Archbishop of Dublin laments that he did not fee your Lordship till he was just upon the point of leaving the Bath: I pray God you may have found fuccefs in that journey, else I fhall continue to think there is a fatality in all your Lordship's undertakings, which only terminate in your own honour, and the good of the public, without the least advantage to your health or fortune.

I remember Lord Oxford's Ministry us'd to tell me, that not knowing where to write to you, they were forced to write at you. It is fo with me, for you are in one thing an Evangelical man, that you know not where to lay your head, and, I think, you have no houfe. Pray, my Lord, write to me, that I may have the pleasure in this fcoundrel country, of going about, and fhewing my depending Parfons a letter from the Earl of Peterborow.

I am, &c.

LETTER XL.

To *

Sept. 13.

I

*

Believe you are by this time immers'd in your vaft. Wood; and one may addrefs to you as to a very abstracted perfon, like Alexander Selkirk, or the † Selftaught Philofopher. I should be very curious to know. what fort of contemplations employ you. I remember the latter of those I mention'd, gave himfelf up to a devout exercise of making his head giddy with various circumrotations, to imitate the motions of the celeftial bodies. I don't think it at all impoffible that Mr L* may be far advanced in that exercise, by frequent turns towards the feveral aspects of the heavens, to which you may have been pleased to direct him in search of profpects and new avenues. He will be trac table in time, as birds are tamed by being whirl'd about; and doubtless come not to despise the meanest fhrubs or coppice-wood, tho' naturally he feems more inclined to admire God, in his greater works, the tall timber: for, as Virgil has it, Non omnes arbufla juvant, humilefque myrica. I wish myself with you both, whether you are in peace or at war, in violent argu

mentation or smooth confent, over Gazettes in the morning, or over Plans in the evening. In that last *Lord Bathurst.

The title of an Arabic Treatife of the Life of Hai Ebn Yocktan.

article, I am of opinion your Lordship has a lofs of me; for generally after the debate of a whole day, we acquiefced at night in the best conclufion of which human Reafon feems capable in all great matters, to fall faft afleep! And fo we ended, unless immediate Revelation (which ever muft overcome human reason} fuggested some new lights to us, by a Vifion in bed. But laying afide Theory, I am told, you are going directly to Practice. Alas, what a Fall will that be!* A new Building is like a new Church; when once it is fet up, you must maintain it in all the forms, and with all the inconveniencies; then cease the pleasantluminous days of infpiration, and there is an end of miracles at once!

That this Letter may be all of a piece, I'll fill the reft with an account of a confultation lately held inmy neighbourhood about designing a princely garden. Several Critics were of feveral opinions: One declar'd he would not have too much Art in it; for my notion (faid he) of gardening is, that it is only sweeping nature*: Another told them that Gravel-walks were not of a good tafte, for all the finest abroad were of loofe fand: A third advis'd peremptorily there fhould not be one Lyme tree in the whole plantation: A fourth made the fame exclufive claufe extend to Horfe. chefnuts, which he affirmed not to be Trees, but Weeds: Dutch Elms were condemn'd by a fifth; and thus about half the trees were profcribed, contrary to the Paradife of God's own planting, which is exprefly

* An Expreffion of Sir T. H.

faid to be planted with all trees. There were fome who could not bear Ever-greens, and call'd them Never-greens; fome, who were angry at them only when cut into fhapes, and gave the modern Gardeners the name of Ever-green Taylors; fome, who had no diflike to Cones and Cubes, but would have them cut in Foreft-trees; and fome who were in a paffion against any thing in fhape, even against clipt hedges, which they call'd green walls. These (my Lord) are our Men of Tafte, who pretend to prove it by tafting little or nothing. Sure fuch a Tafte is like fuch a ftomach, not a good one, but a weak one. We have the fame fort of Critics in poetry; one is fond of nothing but Heroics, another cannot relish Tragedies, another hates Paftorals, all little Wits delight in Epigrams. Will you give me leave to add, there are the fame in Divinity; where many leading Critics are for rooting up more than they plant, and would leave the Lord's Vineyard either very thinly furnish'd, or very odly

.trimm'd.

I have lately been with my Lord ** who is a zealous, yet a charitable Planter, and has so bad a Taste, as to like all that is good. He has a difpofition to wait on you in his way to the Bath, and, if he can go and return to London in eight or ten days, I am not without a hope of seeing your Lordship with the delight I always fee you. Every where I think of you, and every where I wish for you.

I am, &c.

LETTER XLI.

To Mr C

Sept. 2. 1732.

I

Affure you

I am glad of your letter, and have long wanted nothing but the permiffion you now give me, to be plain and unreferved upon this head. I wrote to you concerning it long fince; but a friend of yours and mine was of opinion, it was taking too much upon me, and more than I could be intitled to by the mere merit of long acquaintance and good-will. I have not a thing in my heart relating to any friend, which I would not, in my own nature, declare to all mankind. The truth is what you guefs; I could not efteem your conduct to an object of misery so near and I have often hinted it to you as Mrs.. yourfelf: The truth is, reason I am able to fee.

I

cannot yet esteem it for any But this I promife, I acquit

you as far as your own mind acquits you. I have now no further cause of complaint, for the unhappy Lady gives me now no further pain: fhe is no longer an object either of yours or my compaffion; the hardships done her, are lodg'd in the hands of God, nor has any man more to do in them, except the perfons concern'd in occafioning them.

As for the interruption of our Correspondence, I am forry you seem to put the Test of my friendship upon that, because it is what I am difqualified from toward my other acquaintance, with whom I cannot hold any frequent commerce. I'll name you the obstacles