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1814.] Original Letters between Dr. Young & Mr.Richardson. 324

my opportunities as they offer. What
contentions, what disputes, have I in-
volved myself in with my poor Clarissa,
through my own diffidence, and for want
of a will! I wish I had never consulted

any body but Dr. Young, who so kindly
vouchsafed me his ear, and sometimes
his opinion. Two volumes will attend
your commands, whenever you please to
give me your direction for sending them.
I think I shall publish in about a fort-
night.

Miss Lee may venture (if you and she
have patience) to read these two to you.
But Lovelace afterwards is so vile a fel-
tow, that if I publish any more I don't
know (so much have some hypercritics
put me out of conceit with my work)
whether she, of whose delicacy I have
the highest opinion, can see it as from
you or me.And yet I hope, at worst,
there will be nothing either in the lan-
guage or sentiments that may be so very
censurable, as may be found in the works
of some very high names, who have, un-
called for by their subjects, given us spè-
cimens of their wit, at the expence of
their modesty, and even of common de-
cency. Nay, sometimes to the dishonour
of human nature.

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LETTER XXXII.
Dear Sir, April 30, 1748.
I received the favour of your books,
for which I thank you much. I have
not yet read them. When I have you
shall hear further from, dear sir,

Your affectionate humble servant,
E. YOUNG.

My love and service to all yours.
P.S. Since I writ the above I have read

your two volumes through; and am much
pleased, nor less surprized, at the many al
terations you have made for the better.
Clarissa has put Pamela's nose out of joint.
I am almost out of heart as to my hopes of
seeing you at Wellwyn. If you let this

summer slip, I shall be quite so. But the
same regard that makes me wish you here
makes me cautious of pressing. We need
not press but for what is against inclina-
tion. And to see you here with your in-
I desire. If you should find yourself in the
clinations is what must give the satisfaction
humour for Hertfordshire air, Iflatter myself
Mr. Grover would bear you company, to
whom my love and service.

LETTER XXXIII.
On reading Clarissa.
Dear Sir,

I

I have read or heard Clarissa thrice, and the last kiss was the sweetest. will venture to say that they who read it but once will like it least. From the lazy therefore, however well qualified to judge, you must not expect your due.

No novelist before you ever aimed so much at instruction, and your execution is as happy as your aim is good. It will be owing to the folly or guilt of their pa rents if all the female youth of our age go not to school to Clariss. Miss Lee is entered already, and hopes, from your kind partiality, that you will place her in the middle class. She pays you her sin cere thanks and best wishes. Go on and prosper, and enjoy, and, as generous as your heart is, be not content to make every body happy but yourself, particu larly, Dear Sir, Your affectionate humble servant and admirer,

E. YOUNG: My love and service to your Clarissa'd fire-side. May they all live to be fair cominents on their father's work!

Please to accept one of the bound vo lumes of Night Thoughts from Mr. Haw kins.

LETTER XXXIV.

London, Jun. 1, 1750. Accept, Reverend and dear sir, with the wishes of many happy new years, the accompanying little piece. It is strictly true that I had no intention of printing it. But reading it to a little assembly of fe male friends one Sunday night, one of whom was labouring under some distresses of mind, they were all so earnest with me to print it, that person in particular who is my wife's sister, that I could not resist their entreaties; and, as they were all great admirers of Clarissa, I thought I could not do better than, by historical connexion to the piece, point

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the use of them in a distress so great as my heroine's is represented to be.

I have printed but a small number. Your approbation, or the contrary, will give me courage to diffuse it, or to confine it to the few hands for which it was designed; notwithstanding the booksellers' names in the title page.

Mrs. Hallowes will accept of that in which I have written her name, to whom I wish all happiness, in which I am sure is included yours. I am, Sir,

Your affectionate and faithful

humble servant,

S. RICHARDSON.

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I thank you much for your very valua ble present, and advise, desire, and press you to publish it, for the sake of all the afflicted, to whom it will be the richest cordial; and also for the sake of the profane, to whom it may be the greatest charity; for many may be tempted to read the glorious word of God when thus taken out of their Bible, who are fools enough never to read it, in it; and thus, in time, by your pious stratagem, may become proselytes to common sense and their own welfare.

Nor do I only press you to publish it, but also to insert in your next edition of Clarissa; for now her character is esta blished, your reason for not inserting it at first ceases. And it will much add to the verisimilitude, and pathos, and sublimity of the work; the first of which is the chief point in all fictitious composi tion, and the two last are the chief excellence of almost all composition what

ever.

With the most cordial prayer for the welfare of you and yours, I am, Dear Sir, Your affectionate admirer, E. YOUNG.

LETTER XXXVI.

Dear Sir, Feb. 9,-1748-9. The inclosed is for Mrs. Delany; but she lets me not know in her letter where she lives. I believe you know, and therefore I beg the favour of you to seal and direct it. You, I remember, desired me to write to you my opinion of Clarissa. Therefore I leave the inclosed open, and there you may read it. And if my heart

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My dear Sir, May 24, 1749. Most modern writers are mere remembrancers; they give you no new lights, only kindly put you in mind of what you knew before. Some may be considered as news writers, they amuse you (if not instruct) by their novelty; and the degree of credit you will afford them is at your own discretion, In this last view I re commend my friend Dr. Hartley. I nei ther approve, nor indeed understand, the whole, but there are parts I am fond of; particularly his proofs of the truth of Christianity; and the reasons he gives for the probably approaching ruin of these western kingdoms. But this by the by:

I heartily wish the diet drink may succeed to your expectation. I bless God I am well; and am very sorry to hear of your nervous symptoms increased: too great application hurts you. I wish you could bear being idle; but that I fear would be a harder task to you than your table of contents, which I long to see. Next month I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you at N. End; for I am covetous of a demand on you for your company at Wellwyn; where you will find a lover of your virtues, and an admirer of your talents, in, Dear Sir,

Your truly affectionate
humble servant,
E. YOUNG.

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LETTER XXXVIII. Dear Sir,

I have more reason to be sensible of the flight of time than you; however you cannot but be sensible that summers last not for ever. I should think myself happy in an opportunity of conversing with you, for serious minds are but rare. When you will give me that opportunity I cannot tell; but the sooner the kinder. Make the performance of your promise as agreeable to your own humour as you can. Let me know the time, and I will meet you with a post-chaise at Barnet, and snatch you to this place. I have just read a book published by Mr. Millar, Deism revealed, which I think excellent.

Perhaps

1814.] Original Letters between Dr. Young & Mr. Richardson. 32

Perhaps Mr. Millar might not be unwil
ling to come down with you; I should be
very glad to see him, or any other friend
of yours. Peace be within your walls,
and Paradise within your breast. I am,
Dear Sir,

Your obliged and truly affectionate
humble servant,

E. YOUNG.
My love and service to all that is dear

to you.

LETTER XXXIX.

September 9, 1749.

Rev. and Dear Sir, On reprinting your Night Thoughts, in 1 vol. 12mo. which I am desirous to put to press myself, in hopes that it will not be the less correct for it, I find that the preface to the fourth night is temporary. I imagine you will make some little alteration in the latter part of it, as it leaves the reader doubtful whether you will proceed with the excellent work, when the whole is before him complete.

Be pleased to give me your orders on this head.

Poor Mr. Grover!-You have doubtless read in the paper that poor Mr. Grover is no more; a violent, a malignant fe

ver,

brought on by an obliging over-heating walk to Ember Court, and to carelessness of himself when hot and fatigued, the occasion. He will be greatly missed by a whole House of Commons. It was not easy to find out so much as one half of his merits. I knew not of his illness till he was in danger. I have all his very greatly disordered affairs likely to be upon me. He was the support of a maiden sister, as he had been of a decayed father, mother, and family. I have got her (a worthy creature) to N. End to my good wife. He was too much regardless of money to leave her very happy in that particular. I am endeavouring to get those who valued him to be kind to her.

Have you with you yet your dear friend, whom you mentioned to me in the cha riot, as we went to Sir Jeremy's?-Let me be intitled to your joint prayers, if so, If not, forget me not in yours.

Be pleased, with my cordial respects, to thank good Mrs. Hallowes for her kind acceptance of my poor Clarissa. Mine also to Mrs. Ward, if with you; and to Mrs. Heysham, and your bachelor friend at next door.

The hospitable reception I and my departed friend met with (for your sake) at Sir Jeremy's, deserves my grateful ac

knowledgments to the two ladies, and the good baronet. I am,

Dear and Rev. Sir,
Your faithful and obliged servant,
S. RICHARDSON.

Pray, sir, forget not, if you have oppor tunity, to put me right with her grace of Portland. I should despise myself were I capable of the behaviour with respect to Mrs. Lambert, that I have been accused of. I would not lie under such an imputation (as, unknown to myself, for a long time I lay under), if I could help it, from the Duchess of Portland, above all the persons in the world; and this I say respecting rather the good woman than the duchess. The true friendship that all mine, as well as myself, bore to Miss Parsons, would have required, if she had had any favour for us, equal to the love we disinterestedly bore her, and still bear her, that she should have given me an opportunity to clear myself, and not left me to wonder at, and my wife to regret the loss of her friendship. My heart is too big, obscure man as I am, to expostulate on this occasion with a lady whom I looked upon as one of my own children. It would not be so big did I not know that it was incapable of deserv ing either her anger or her long silence. Could I know the asperser, I would keep the secret, if made one; only guard against the man in future.

Pray, sir, inform me of the situation of poor Miss Cole. I loved her as cordially as I loved Miss Parsons. If I could add to her happiness in any way it would increase my own. The good duchess will be able to inform you of all that relates to her, I dare say. You see, sir, that I pre summe you have not seen her grace yet, on her return from Walbeck.

LETTER XL.
September 10, 1749.

My Dear Sir, Accept my various thanks for your late company, for Gidson, for Clarissa, (to Mrs. H.) and for the hopes Shotbolt gives me of seeing you again before I die. Did you know how much pleasure it would give me, I should see you soon. But not with our late friend. How was I struck at the news! If the vigour of life falls, why am I still alive? Neither you nor Solomon can tell. Pray let me know how your poor little sufferer does. I feel for her, and for you. How do you do yourself? Let me know. The pains we feel for others is the price we pay for those pleasures, the bare prespect of

which supported so gloriously poor Clarissa in her last extremes. My love and service to all, dear sir, most yours,

E. YOUNG.

P. S. Since the above was written, I reeeived the favour of your's. I thank your kind care for the next edition of Night Thoughts; the preface you mention may be entirely omitted. I'm sorry for poor Grover's sister; accept the five guineas I send by Shotbolt. My dear Ely friend is

not yet come. Let us, dear Sir, mutually exchange our prayers. Mrs. Heysham, Ward, and Hallowes, (all three) acknow. ledge your favour, and are much yours.-When I go to Gubbins, I will do your grateful heart full justice there. The du chess is not yet returned; I will talk with her at large. And then you shall hear from me again. In the mean time be not so very anxious about it; leave such disturbance to the guilty.

LANSDOWNIANA.

It is well known that the late William, Marquis of Lansdowne, employed part of his actite life in collecting MSS. and Papers illustrative of English History, and that after his death they were brought to the hammer, and the greater part of them purchased by the Trustees of the British Museum, at a cost of upwards of 6000l. We here present our readers with some specimens of their contents, and purpose to repeat a similar article two or three times per annum, till we have extracted the essence of the 1000 volumes of which they consist.]

X,

Letter from Mr. Geo. Vertue to Mr.
Christian, concerning Milton's Picture.
Mr. Christian,

RAY inform my Lord Harley that I

know the truth of this affair. I should be much obliged to him, being very willing to have all the certainty on those accounts before I begin to engrave the

Plave on Thursday last seen the plate, that it may be the more satisfactory

daughter of Milton the poet. I carried with me two or three different prints of Milton's picture, which she immediately knew to be like her father, and told me her mo. ther-in-law (if living in Cheshire) had two pictures of him, one when he was a school-boy, and the other when about twenty; she knew of no other picture of him, because she was many years in Ire. laud, both before and after his death; she was the youngest of Milton's daughters by his first wife, and was taught to read to her father several languages.

Mr. Addison was desirous to see her once, and desired she would bring with her testimonials of her being Milton's daughter. But as soon as she came into the room, he told her she needed none, her face having much of the likeness of the picture he had seen of him.

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For my part I find the features of her face very much like the prints. I shewed her the painting I have to engrave, which she believes not to be her father's picture, it being of a brown complexion and black hair, and curled lock; on the contrary he was of a fair complexion, a little red in his cheeks, and light-brown lanck hair.

I desire you would acquaint Mr. Pryor, I was so unfortunate to wait on him on Thursday morning last, just after he was gone out of town; it was with this intent, to enquire of him if he remembers a picture of Milton in the late Lord Dorset's collection, as I am told this was, or if he can inform me how I shall enquire or 1

to the public, as well as to myself.

The sooner you can communicate this the better, because I have to resolve, which I can't well do till I have an answer.

Your friend to command,
GEORGE VERTUE.
London, Aug. 12, 1721.
To Mr. Charles Christian.

XI.

A Memorial of those Things which are so natural and peculiarly to be con verted to the sole Maintenance of his Majesty's own Estate, as they cannot be reserved for his Liberality without extreme Prejudice.

1. Lands in fee simple, or in fee farme, now in the crown, either in possession or interest at this present.

2. Leases in reversion.

3. Customs, or abatements of customs. 4. Impositions.

5. Licenses for prohibited commodities, specially of leather, ordnance, wool, victuall, munition, &c.

nalties, fines, issues, and amercements, 6. Monopolies, and all forfeitures, pein the king's court, except those ensuing reserved for liberality.

7. Pensions in possession, reversion, or exchange, as one life for another. 8. Giftes of timber wood.

9. Assureties and Purprestures. 10. Defective titles-entailed lands. 11. Drowned or surrounded estates recovered from the sea,

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Things

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Things fit for Liberality. Lands or goods of any that shall be hereafter attainted of treason under the degree of nobility.

The like of murther, or felonies, or any such escheats by recusants, except those who make up the 90001. now yearly paid into the king's coffers, and others who, upon that being decayed, shall supply the

same.

Dispensations, pardons, protections, liberties, licences, letters, and commis. sions of favour, mortmains, and whatso ever else, new inventions of gain, not repugnant to the law nor burthensome to the subject.

Offices of honour and profit.

Custody of houses, forts, parks, or chases, or walks in chases or forests.Vol. 149.

XII.

Copy of Lord Bacon's Letter to the House of Lords, upon the Complaint of Bribery against him; with a Satire on it.

My very good lords,

I humbly pray your lordships all to make a favourable and true construction of my absence. It is no feigning nor fainting, but sickness both of my heart and my back, though joined with that comfort of mind that persuadeth me I am not far from heaven, whereof I feel the first fruits. And because, whether I live or die, I would be glad to preserve my honour and fame as far as I am worthy, hearing that some complaints of base bribery are come before your lordships, my requests unto your lordships are, first, that you will maintain me in your good opinion without prejudice until my cause be heard. Secondly, in regard that I have sequestered my mind, in great part, from worldly matters, thinking of my account and answer in a higher court; your lordships would give me some convenient time, according to the course of other courts, to advise with my counsell, and make answer, wherein nevertheless my counsell's part will be the least, for I shall not, by the grace of God, trick up an innocency with cavillations, but plainly and ingenu. ously, as your lordships know my manner is, declare what I know or remember. Thirdly, that according to the course of justice I may be allowed to except the witnesses brought against me, and to move questions to your lordships for their cross-examination, and likewise to produce my own witnesses for discovering of the truth. And lastly, if there come any more petitions of like nature, that your lordships would be pleased not to take any prejudice or apprehension of any

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number or muster of them, especially against a judge that makes 2000 decrees and orders in a year (not to speak of the causes that have been taken for hunting out complaints against me), but that I may answer them according to the rules of justice, severally and respectively. These requests I hope appear to your lordships no other than justice. And so thinking myself happy to have so noble peers and reverend prelates to discern of my cause, and desiring no privilege of greatness for subterfuge of guiltness, but meaning (as I said) to deal fairly and plainly with your lordships, and put myself upon your honour and favours, I pray God to bless your councells and persons, and rest,'

Your lordships' humble servant, FR. ST. ALBANS EARL. To the Right Honourable his very good Lords, the Lords spiritual and temporal, in the Upper House of Parliament assembled.

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