leaft by the second poft. Upon the whole, your French method, though fometimes more rapid, appears to me lefs fure and fteady than the old German highway &c. &c.

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But enough of this. A new and brighter profpect feems to be breaking upon us, and few events of that kind have ever given me more pleasure than fuccefsful negociation and *** * ****'s fatisfactory anfwer. The agreement is, indeed, equally conve nient for both parties: no time or expense will be wafted in fcrutinizing the title of the eftate; the intereft will be fecured by the clause of five per cent. and I lament with you, that no larger fum than eight thousand pounds can be placed on Beriton, without afking (what might be fomewhat impudent) a collateral fecurity, &c. &c.

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But I wish you to chufe and execute one or the other of these arrangements with fage difcretion and abfolute power. I fhorten my letter, that I may dispatch it by this poft. I fee the time, and I shall rejoice to fee it at the end of twenty years, when my cares will be at an end, and our friendly pages will be no longer fullied with the repetition of dirty land and vile money; when we may expatiate on the politics of the world and our personal fentiments. Without expecting your answer of business, I mean to write foon in a purer ftyle, and I wish to lay open to my friend the state of my mind. which (exclufive of all wordly concerns) is not perfectly at eafe. In the mean while, I must add two of VOL. I.

three fhort articles. 1. I am aftonished at Elmfley's filence, and the immobility of your picture, Mine fhould have departed long fince, could I have found a fure opportunity, &c. &c. Adieu, yours.

LAUSANNE, May 15th, 1790.

SINCE the first origin (ab ovo) of our connexion and correfpondence, fo long an interval of filence has not intervened, as far as I remember, between us, &c. &c.

From my filence you conclude that the moral complaint, which I had infinuated in my laft, is either infignificant or fanciful. The conclufion is rafh. But the complaint in queftion is of the nature of a flow lingering disease, which is not attended with any immediate danger. As I have not leisure to expatiate, take the idea in three words: "Since the ❝lofs of poor Deyverdun, I am alone; and even "in Paradife, folitude is painful to a social mind. "When I was a dozen years younger, I fcarcely felt "the weight of a single existence amidst the crowds " of London, of parliament, of clubs; but will "prefs more heavily upon me in this tranquil land,

in the decline of life, and with the increase of "infirmities. Some expedient, even the most des "perate, must be embraced, to fecure the domestic "fociety of a male or female companion. But I am ແ not in a hurry; there is time for reflection and " advice. " During this winter fuch finer feelings have been fufpended by the groffer evil of bodily pain. On the ninth of February I was feized by fuch a fit of the gout as I had never known,

though I must be thankful that its dire effects have been confined to the feet and knees, without af cending to the more noble parts. With fome viciffitudes of better and worfe, I have groaned be. tween two and three months; the debility has fur vived the pain, and though now eafy, I am carried about in my chair, without any power, and with a very diftant chance, of supporting myself, from the extreme weaknefs and contraction of the joints of my knees. Yet I am happy in a skilful physician, and kind affiduous friends: every even. ing, during more than three months, has been enlivened (excepting when I have been forced to refuse them) by fome cheerful vifits, and very often by a chofen party of both fexes. How different is fuch fociety from the folitary evenings which I have paffed in the tumult of London! It is not worth while fighting about a fhadow, but fhould I ever return to England, Bath, not the metropolis, would be my laft retreat.

Your portrait is at laft arrived in perfect condition, and now occupies a confpicuous place over the chimney-glass in my library. It is the object of general admiration; good judges (the few) applaud the work; the name of Reynolds opens the eyes and mouths of the many; and were not I afraid of making you vain, I would inform you that the original is not allowed to be more than five-andthirty. In fpite of private reluctance and public difcontent, I have honorably difmiffed myfelf". I fhall arrive at Sir Joshua's before the end of the month; he will give me a look, and perhaps a

touth; and you will be indebted to the prefident one guinea for the carriage. Do not be nervous, I am not rolled up; had I been fo, you might have gazed on my charms four months ago I want fome account of yourfelf, of my Lady, (fhall we never directly correfpond?) of Louifa, and of Maria. How has the latter fince her launch fupported a quiet winter in Suffex? I fo much rejoice in your divorce from that b- Kitty Coventry, that I care not what marriage you contract. A great city would fuit your dignity, and the duties which would kill me in the firft feffion, would fupply your activity with a conftant fund of amufement. But tread foftly and furely; the ice is deceitful, the water is deep, and you may be foufed over head and ears before you are aware. Why did not you or Elmfley fend me the African pamphlet" by the post? it would not have coft much. You have fuch a knack of turning a nation, that I am afraid you will triumph (perhaps by the force of argument) over juftice and humanity. But do you not expect to work at Belzebub's fugar plantations in the infernal regions, under the tender government of a negro driver? I should fuppofe both my Lady and Mifs Firth very angry with you.

As to the bill for prints, which has been too long neglected, why will you not exercife the power, which I have never revoked, over all my cash at the Goflings? The Severy family has paffed a very favorable winter; the young man is impatient to hear from a family which he places above all others: yet he will generously write next week, and fend

you a drawing of the alterations in the houfe. Do not raise your ideas; you know I am satisfied with convenience in architecture, and fome elegance in furniture. I admire the coolnefs with which you afk me to epiftolize Reynell and Elmfley, as if a letter were fo eafy and pleasant a tafk; it appears less so to me every day.

1790.

YOUR indignation will melt into pity, when you hear that for several weeks past I have been again confined to my chamber and my chair. Yet I must haften, generously haften, to exculpate the gout, my from the curfes which you already old enemy, pour on his head. He is not the caufe of this diforder, although the confequences have been fomewhat fimilar. I am fatisfied that this effort of nature has faved me from a very dangerous, perhaps a fatal, crifis; and I liften to the flattering hope that it may tend to keep the gout at a more respectful diftance, &c. &c. &c.

The whole sheet has been filled with dry selfish bufinefs; but I muft and will referve fome lines of the cover for a little friendly conversation. I passed four days at the caftle of Copet with Necker; and could have wished to have shown him, as a warning to any afpiring youth poffeffed with the dæmon of ambition. With all the means of private happiness in his power, he is the moft miferable of human beings the past, the present, and the future are equally odious to him. When I fuggefted fome domeftic amufements of books, building, &c. he answered, with a deep tone of despair, "Dans l'état