Tame time that its banks retain the verdure of showers: our gardens are offering their firft nofegays; our trees, like new acquaintance brought happily together, are ftretching their arms to meet each other, and growing nearer and nearer every hour; the birds are paying their thanksgiving fongs for the new habitations I have. made them; my building rises high enough to attract the eye and curiofity of the paffenger from the river, where, upon beholding a mixture of beauty and ruin, he enquires what houfe is falling, or what church is rifing? So little taste have our common Tritons of Vitruvius; whatever delight the poetical gods of the river may take, in reflecting on their streams, by Tufcan Porticos, or Ionick Pilafters.

But (to defcend from all this pomp of ftyle) the beft account of what I am building is, that it will afford me a few pleasant rooms for fuch a friend as yourself, or a cool fituation for an hour or two for Lady Scudamore, when she will do me the honour (at this publick houfe on the road) to drink her own cyder.

The moment I am writing this, I am surprised with the account of the death of a friend of mine; which makes all I have here been talking of, a mere jeft! Building, gardens, writings, pleafures, works of whatever stuff man can raife! none of them (God knows) capable of advantaging a creature that is mortal, or of fatisfying a foul that is immortal! Dear Sir,

I am, etc.

LETTER V.

From Mr. DIGBY.

May 21, 1720.

YOUR letter, which I had two pofts ago, was very

medicinal to me and I heartily thank you for the relief it gave me. I was fick of the thoughts of my not having in all this time given you any teftimony of the affection I owe you, and which I as conftantly indeed feel as I think of you. This indeed was a troublefome ill to me, till, after reading your letter, I found it was a most idle weak imagination to think I could fo offend you. Of all the impreffions you have made upon me, I never receiv'd any with greater joy than this of your abundant good-nature, which bids me be affured of fome share of your affections.

I had many other pleasures from your letter; that your mother remembers me is a very fincere joy to me; I cannot but reflect how alike you are; from the time you do any one a favour, you think yourselves obliged as thofe that have received one. This is indeed an old-fashioned refpect, hardly to be found out of your houfe. I have great hopes, however, to fee many old-fashioned virtues revive, fince you have made our age in love with Homer; I heartily wish you, who are as good a citizen as a poet, the joy of feeing a reformation from your works. I am in doubt whether I fhould congratulate your having finished Homer, while the two effays you mention are not completed: but if you expect no great trouble from finishing these, I heartily rejoice with you.

I have fome faint notion of the beauties of Twickenham from what I here fee round me. The verdure of showers is poured upon every tree and field about us ;

the gardens unfold variety of colours to the eye every morning, the hedges breath is beyond all perfume, and the fong of birds we hear as well as you. But tho' I hear and fee all this, yet I think they would delight me more if you was here. I found the want of these at Twickenham while I was there with you, by which I guess what an increase of charms it must now have. How kind is it in you to wifh me there, and how unfortunate are my circumftances that allow me not to vifit you? If I fee you, I muft leave my father alone, and this uneafy thought would disappoint all my propofed pleasures; the fame circumftance will prevent my prospect of many happy hours with you in Lord Bathurst's wood, and I fear of feeing you till winter, unless Lady Scudamore comes to Sherburne, in which cafe I fhall prefs you to fee Dorfetfhire, as you propofed. May you have a long enjoyment of your new favourite Portico.

Your, etc.

THE

LETTER VI.

From Mr. DIGBY.

Sherburne, July 9, 1720.

HE London language and converfation is, I find, quite changed fince I left it, tho' it is not above three or four months ago. No violent change in the natural world ever aftonished a Philofopher so much as this does' me. I hope this will calm all party rage, and introduce more humanity than has of late obtained in converfation. All fcandal will fure be laid afide, for there can be no fuch disease any more as Spleen in this new golden age. I am pleased with the thoughts of feeing nothing but a general good humour when I

come up to town; I rejoice in the univerfal riches. I hear of, in the thought of their having this effect. They tell me you was foon content; and that you cared not for fuch an increase as others wifhed you. By this account I judge you the richest man in the South-fea, and congratulate you accordingly. I can wish you only an increase of health, for of riches and fame you have enough.

Your, etc.

LETTER VII.

July 20, 1720.

YOUR kind defire to know the ftate of my health

had not been unfatisfied fo long, had not that ill ftate been the impediment. Nor should I have feem'd an unconcern'd party in the joys of your family, which I heard of from Lady Scudamore, whose short Efchantillon of a letter (of a quarter of a page) I value as the fhort glimpse of a vision afforded to fome devout hermit; for it includes (as those revelations do) a promise of a better life in the Elyfian groves of Cirencester, whither, I could fay almost in the style of a fermon, the Lord bring us all, etc. Thither may we tend, by various ways, to one blissful bower: thither may health, peace, and good humour wait upon us as affociates: thither may whole cargoes of nectar (liquor of life and longevity!) by mortals call'd Spawwater, be convey'd; and there (as Milton has it) may we, like the deities,

On flow'rs repos'd, and with fresh garlands crown'd, Quaff immortality and joy.

When I speak of garlands, I fhould not forget the green vestments and scarfs which your fifters promis'd

to make for this purpose: I expect you too in green, with a hunting-horn by your fide, and a green hat, the model of which you may take from Ofborne's defcription of King James the Firft.

What words, what numbers, what oratory, or what poetry can fuffice, to exprefs how infinitely I esteem, value, love, and defire you all, above all the great ones of this part of the world; above all the Jews, jobbers, bubblers, fubfcribers, projectors, directors, governors, treasurers, etc. etc. etc. in fæcula fæculorum.

Turn your eyes and attention from this miferable mercenary period; and turn yourself in a just contempt of these fons of Mammon, to the contemplation of books, gardens, and marriage: in which I now leave you, and return (wretch that I am!) to water-gruel and Palladio.

I am, etc.

I

to us.

LETTER VIII.

From Mr. DIGBY.

Sherburne, July 30..

CONGRATULATE you, dear Sir, on the return of the Golden-age, for fure this must be fuch, in which money is shower'd down in fuch abundance upon us. I hope this overflowing will produce great and good fruits, and bring back the figurative moral golden-age I have fome omens to induce me to believe it may; for when the Mufes delight to be near a Court, when I find you frequently with a Firft Minister, I can't but expect from fuch an intimacy an encouragement and revival of the polite arts. I know you defire to bring them into honour, above the golden image which is fet up and worshipped; and, if you cannot