In a into folitude to ftudy themselves over again. People I must complain of the shortness of your laft. Those who have most wit, like those who have moft money, are generally moft fparing of either. LETTER IX. From Mr. WYCHERLEY, Nov. 5, 1705. Ours of the 26th of October I have received, You as I have always done yours, with no little fatisfaction, and am proud to discover by it, that you find fault with the fhortness of mine, which I think the beft excufe for it: And tho' they (as you fay) who have most wit or money are moft fparing of either; there are fome who appear poor to be VOL. VIII. thought thought rich, and are poor, which is my cafe. I cannot but rejoice, that you have undergone fo much discontent for want of my company; but if you have a mind to punish me for my fault (which I could not help) defer your coming to town, and you will do it effectually. But I know your charity always exceeds your revenge, fo that I will not despair of seeing you, and, in return to your inviting me to your foreft, invite you to my foreft, the town; where the bearts that inhabit, tame or wild, of long ears or horns, pursue one another either out of love or hatred. You may have the pleafure to fee one pack of bloodhounds purfue another herd of brutes, to bring each other to their fall, which is their whole sport: Or if Your affert a lefs bloody chace, you may fee a pack of fpaniels, called Lovers, in a hot pursuit of a twolegged vixen, who only flies the whole loud pack to be fingled out by one dog, who runs mute to catch her up the fooner from the reft, as they are making a noise to the lofs of their game. In fine, this is the time for all forts of sport in the town, when those of the country ceafe; therefore leave your foreft of beafts for ours of brutes, called men, who now in full cry (pack'd by the court or country) run down in the house of commons a deferted horned beat of the Court, to the fatisfaction of their spectators Befides (more for your diverfion) you may fee not only the two great play-houfes of the nation, those of the lords and commons, in difpute with one another; but the other two play-houfes in high con 5 test, teft, because the members of one house are remov'd up to t'other, as it is often done by the court for reafons of ftate. Infomuch that the lower houses, I mean the play-houfes, are going to act tragedies on one another without doors, and the Sovereign is put to it (as it often happens in the other two houfes) to filence one or both, to keep peace between them. Now I have told you all the news of the town. I am, &c. LETTER X. From Mr. WYCHERLEY. Feb. 5, 1705-6. Have receiv'd kind Letter, with my paper your I to Mr. Bryden corrected. I own you have made more of it by making it lefs, as the Dutch are faid to burn half the fpices they bring home, to inhance the price of the remainder, fo to be greater gainers by their lofs (which is indeed my cafe now.) You have prun'd my fading lawrels of fome fuperfluous, faplefs, and dead branches, to make the remainder live the longer; thus, like your mafter Apollo, you are at once a poet and a phyfician. * The fame which was printed in the year 1717, in a miscellany of Bern. Lintot's, and in the Pofthumous Works of Mr. Wycherley. C 2 Now, 2 Now, Sir, as to my impudent invitation of you to the town, your good nature was the firft caufe of my confident requeft; but excufe me, I must (I fee) fay no more upon this fubject, fince I find you a little too nice to be dealt freely with; tho' you have given me fome encouragement to hope, our friendfhip might be without shynefs, or criminal modesty; for a friend, like a mistress, tho' he is not to be mercenary, to be true, yet ought not to refuse a friend's kindness because it is fmall or trivial: I have told you (I think) what a Spanish lady faid to her poor poetical gallant, that a Queen, if fhe had to do with a groom, would expect a mark of his kindness from him, though it were but his curry-comb. But you and I will difpute this matter when I am fo happy as to fee you here; and perhaps 'tis the only dispute in which I might hope to have the better of you. Now, Sir, to make you another excufe for my boldness in inviting you to town, I defign'd to leave with you fome more of my papers, (fince thefe return fo much better out of your hands than they went from mine) for I intended (as I told you formerly) to spend a month or fix weeks, this fummer, near you in the country. You may be affured there is nothing I defire fo much, as an improvement of your friendship. LET y volume of your Mifcellanies, which may be alter'd fo as to appear again. I doubted your meaning in this; whether it was to pick out the beft of thofe verfes as thofe on the Idlenefs of bufinefs, on Ignorance, on Laziness, &c.) to make the method and numbers exact, and avoid repetitions? For tho' (upon reading 'em on this occafion) I believe, they might receive fuch an alteration with advantage; yet they would not be changed fo much, but any one would know 'em for the fame at first fight. Or if you mean to improve the worst pieces? which are fuch, as, to render them very good, would require great addition, and almosft the entire new writing of them. Or, laftly, if you mean the middle fort, as the Songs and Love-verfes? For these will need only to be shortened, to omit repetition; the words remaining very little different from what they were before. Pray let me know your mind in this, for I am utterly at a lofs. Yet I have try'd what I could do to fome of the fongs, and the poems on Lazinefs and Igno rance, but can't (even in my own partial judgment) think my alterations much to the purpose. So that Printed in folio, in the year 1704, C 3 I muft |