difpofed of them; and was informed by him, that he had paid the produce of them into the hands of Mr. Woodward's executors. But upon my examining Mr. Cornifh's account, I found that no fuch money had been received from him. Upon which I defired Mr. Willets, the perfon at whofe house I lodged, to call on him; when he ftill infifted upon the truth of his firft affertion, and stood in it, that he did not owe me a fhilling. Incenfed to a degree, at the fuppofition of my being fo unprincipled as to make a demand where I had not a legal claim, I commenced a process against Pollard; and though I had the fatisfaction to gain my caufe, I would not undergo what I fuffered from employing fuch means to recover the money, for ten times the fum.

Ifaac Bickerftaff, in one of his Lucubrations, fays, that in most villages there is a Mrs. Bluemantle; a tattling goffip, who makes it her bufinefs to collect all the news of the place, and when the difpenfes it abroad, takes care to decorate it with not a few additions and emendations, which owe their being to her own prolific brain. During my refidence at Walcot-place, I experienced, to my forrow, that a Mrs. Bluemantle refided in that neighbourhood.

A person who is married to a man of a genteel profeffion in London, and has pitched upon that fpot for her country refi

dence,

dence, did me the honour to notice me whilst there. She amused herself with repeating ftories of my extravagance, at the time that I actually wanted the neceffaries of life, and was confined to my bed by a fevere indifpofition occafioned by fretting. It is much to be lamented, that these pests of fociety are not liable to fome punishment: for though an action of damages might not lie against them, they often do as much real injury to fuch as are unhappy enough to become the fubject of their ftrictures, as those who are more unguarded in their mode of expreffion.

I feverely experienced the truth of this; as a gentleman informed me fome time after, that he certainly fhould have affifted me in my diftrefs, had he not accidentally fallen in with this kind and intelligent neighbour of mine, who affured him there was no truth in the report of my being diftreffed, as I had every day my bottle and my bird.

I infert this circumftance, in hopes, after it has undergone your infpection, of its falling into the hands of my calumniator's daughter. As that young lady probably has books from a circulating library, and thefe letters will undoubtedly be honoured with a place in most of their catalogues, there is a chance of her reading them. If she does, I fhould take it as a favour if fhe would inform the worthy Mrs. Bluemantle (who is generally too bufily employed about other people's

VOL. V.

E

people's affairs, to have leifure to read herfelf) that I have heard of her great goodness, but hold her calumny in the most fovereign contempt. I have charity enough to hope that Mifs, who feems to have no very great opinion of her Mamma, will avoid an imitation of fo contemptible a character, and take care not to deserve the denomination I have, with the greatest propriety, bestowed upon her mother.

Had I the power of naming the punishment which fhould be inflicted for fuch a breach of the laws of truth and humanity, I would propofe depriving them of the member by which they propagate their inhuman falfhoods. Though this infliction might appear a fevere one, it certainly is not more than adequate to the crime. In my estimation, it is of the higheft magnitude. To repeat stories to the disadvantage of others, even if they are true, is wrong; but to invent falfhoods wantonly to injure them, certainly requires exemplary punishment.

But were the lovers of scandal to be deprived of their tongues, they would make ufe of their hands to indulge their beloved propenfity. When they could no longer fpeak, they would write their cenfures; and were they deprived of the power of expreffing their malignity by thele methods, they, like Lavinia, would write with stumps upon the fand, rather than let their neighbours live without calumny.

Finely

Finely expreflive of my ideas on this head, is the complaint of the poor injured Arethufa in * Philaster; which, with the alteration of the word maiden into perfon, to make it more extenfively applicable, I will beg leave to infert for your perufal.

"Where may a perfon live fecurely free,

Keeping their honour fafe? Not with the living; "They feed upon opinions, errors, dreams,

"And make them truths; they draw a nourishment "Out of defamings; grow upon disgraces; "And when they see a virtue fortified

"Strongly above the battery of their tongues, "Oh, how they caft to fink it; and defeated, "(Soul-fick with poifon) ftrike the monuments "Where noble names lie fleeping, till they fweat, "And the cold marble melts."

You may probably think me too warm in my cenfures of defamation, falfhood, and duplicity, thofe human failings that are fo difcordant to the natural bent of my own mind. -But, as I have before told you (and I believe more than once) that every part of my conduct is generally in the extreme, fo neither can I feel or exprefs my approbation or difapprobation in lukewarm terms.There is a fervour in my manner I cannot

* Philafter, A& INI. Scene the last.

E 2

con

controul; and I always speak or write of an action, according to the degree of pleasure or difguft I receive from it.

G. A. B.

AS

LETTER

XCVII.

Feb. 16, 17

S Mr. Willets, my landlord, had let the greatest part of the house to a large family, I found it very inconvenient to remain any longer at Walcot-Place; I therefore came to town, and fixed my refidence in the house where I at prefent lodge.

I prefumed to acquaint his Grace of Montague with my diftrefs, who immediately honoured me with a temporary relief; and I have upon several occafions, been favoured with marks of his Grace's munificence: but thefe would not enable me to fubfift without contracting debts.

I had applied to fome perfons who were connected with Sir George Metham, but without fuccefs. I now made application to himself, and informed him of the diftreffed fituation I was in. I had, however, in return, only a reproachful letter, pointing out the impropriety of requeling pecuniary favours. As I never knew a pleasure equal to affifting

thofe