I

BELIEVE you are by this time immersed in your vaft wood; and one may addrefs to you as to a very abstracted perfon, like Alexander Selkirk, or the Self-taught Philofopher. I fhould be very curious to know what fort of contemplations employ you. I remember the latter of thofe I mentioned, gave himself up to a devout exercise of making his head giddy with various circumrotations, to imitate the motions of the celestial bodies. I don't think it at all impoffible that Mr. L. may be far advanced in that exercife, by frequent turns towards the feveral afpects of the heavens, to which you may have been pleased to direct him in fearch of profpects and new avenues. He will be tractable in time, as birds are tamed by being whirled about; and doubtlefs come not to despise the meaneft fhrubs or coppice-wood, though naturally he seems more inclined to admire God in his greater works, the tall timber: for, as Virgil has it, Non omnes arbufta juvant, humilefque myricae. I wifh myfelf with you both, whether you are in peace or at

Lord Bathurst.

war,

W.

d The title of an Arabic Treatife of the Life of Hai Ebn Yocktan; written to explain and recommend the myftic Theology of the Mahometans, in all refpects the fame with the Mysticism of Christian Fanatics.

W.

war, in violent argumentation or smooth confent, over Gazettes in the morning, or over Plans in the evening. In that last article, I am of opinion your Lordship has a loss of me; for generally after the debate of a whole day, we acquiefced at night, in the best conclufion of which human reason feems capable in all great matters, to fall fast asleep! And fo we ended, unless immediate Revelation (which ever muft overcome human reafon) fuggested fome new lights to us, by a Vision 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 set up, you must maintain it in all the forms, and with all the inconveniencies; then cease the pleasant luminous days of inspiration, and there is an end of miracles at once!

That this letter may be all of a piece, I'll fill the rest with an account of a confultation lately held in my neighbourhood about defigning a princely gar. den. Several Critics were of feveral opinions: one declared he would not have too much Art in it; for my notion (faid he) of gardening is, that it is only fweeping nature: another told them that Gravelwalks were not of a good tafte, for all the finest abroad were of a loose sand: a third advised * per

e An expreffion of Sir T. H.

emptorily

W.

*Here are fome curious obfervations on Gardening, and the art of laying out grounds, written before Kent's improvements in this art.

emptorily there fhould not be one Lime-tree in the whole plantation: a fourth made the fame exclufive claufe extend to Horse-chefnuts, which he affirmed not to be Trees, but Weeds: Dutch Elms were condemned by a fifth; and thus about half the Trees were profcribed, contrary to the Paradife of God's own planting, which is exprefsly faid to be planted with all trees. There were fome who could not bear Ever-greens, and called them Never-greens; fome who were angry at them only when cut into fhapes, and gave the modern Gardeners the name of Evergreen Taylors; fome who had no diflike to Cones and Cubes, but would have them cut in Foreft-trees; and fome who were in a paflion against any thing in fhape, even againft clipt-hedges, which they called green walls. These (my Lord) are our men of Tafte, who pretend to prove it by tafting little or nothing. Sure fuch a taste is like fuch a stomach, 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 furnished, or very oddly trimmed.

I have lately been with my Lord, who is a zealous, yet a charitable Planter, and has fo bad a tafte 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 feeing your Lordship with the delight I always fee you. Every where I think of you, where I wish for you.

and

every

LETTER XLII.

TO MR. C—.

I am, etc.

September 2, 1732.

I

ASSURE you I am glad of your letter, and have long wanted nothing but the permiffion you now give me, to be plain and unreserved 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 entitled 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 esteem your conduct, to an object of misery fo near you as Mrs. and I have often hinted it

cannot yet esteem it for

to yourself: the truth is, I any reason I am able to fee. But this I promise, I acquit you as far as your own mind acquits you. I have

now no further caufe 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 lodged in the hands of God, nor has any man more to do in them, except the per+ fons concerned in occafioning them.

As for the interruption of our correfpondence, I am forry you feem to put the Teft 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 obftacles which I can't furmount: want of health, want of time, want of good eyes; and one yet ftronger than them all, I write not upon the terms of other men. For however glad I might be, of expreffing my refpect, opening my mind, or venting my concerns, to my private friends; I hardly dare while there are Curls in the world. If you please to reflect either on the impertinence of weak admirers, the malice of low enemies, the avarice of mercenary Bookfellers, or the filly curiofity of people in general; you'll confefs I have small reason to indulge correfpondences; in which too I want materials, as I live altogether out of town, and have abftracted my mind (I hope) to better things than common news. I wish my friends would fend me back thofe forfeitures of my difcretion, commit to my juftice what I trufted only to their indulgence, and return me at the year's end thofe trifling letters, which can be to them but a

day's