dapted. As As any thing relative to her may please the curiofity of fuch as delight in the anecdotes and letters of the great, however dull and infipid, I shall beg leave to present them with one or two of her letters, collected at a venture from. feveral others to the fame purpose.

MR

To Mr. Nafh, at the Bath.

Blenheim, Sept. 18, 1724.

R. Jennens will give you an account how little time I have in my power, and that will make my excufe for not thanking you fooner for the favour of your letter, and for the trouble you have given yourself in bespeaking the cloth, which I am fure will be good, fince you have undertaken to order it. Pray afk Mrs. Jennens concerning the cafcade, which will fatisfy all your doubts in that matter; she faw it play, which it will do in great beauty, for at least fix hours together, and it runs enough to cover all the stones conftantly, and is a hundred feet broad, which I am told is a much greater breadth than any cascade is in England; and this will

be yet better than it is, when it is quite finished; this water is a great addition to this place and the lake being thirty acres, out of which the cascade comes and falls into the canal that goes through the bridge, it makes that look as if it was neceffary, which before seemed fo otherwise.

SIR,

I

I am

Your most humble Servant,

S. MARLBOROUGH,

To Mr. Nash, at the Bath.

Marlborough-boufe, May 17, 1735.

of

have received the favour of yours the tenth of May, with that from Mr. Harvey. And by laft poft I received a letter from Mr. Overton, a fort of a bailiff and a furveyor, whom I have employed a great while upon the eftates in Wiltshire. He is a very active and ufeful man of his fort. He writes to me, that Mr. Harhas been with him, and brought him a paper,

vey

very

a paper, which I fent you. He fays, that finding he was a man that was defirous to ferve me, he had affifted him all he could, by informations which he has given; and that he fhould continue to affift him. I have writ to him that he did mighty well. There is likewife a confiderable tenant of

my

lord Bruce's, his name is Cannons, who has promised me his affiftance towards recommending tenants for these farms. And if Mr. Harvey happens to know fuch a man, he may put him in mind of it. I am fure you will do me all the good you And I hope you are fure that I shall always be fenfible of the obligations I have and ever be

can.

to you,

Your most thankful and obliged

bumble Servant,

S. MARLBOROUGH.

Mr. Harvey may conclude to take any prices that were given you in the paper.

But as I know that we have been scandalously cheated, if he finds that

any thing can be let better than it has been let, I do not doubt but he will do it.

The duchess of Marlborough feems to not a much better writer than Mr. Nafh; but he was worth many hundred thousands pounds, and that might confole her. It may give fplenetic philofophy, however, fome scope for meditation, when it confiders, what a parcel of stupid trifles the world is ready to admire.

Whatever might have been Mr. Nah's other excellencies, there was one in which few exceeded him; I mean his extenfive humanity. None felt pity more ftrongly, and none made greater efforts to relieve distress. If I were to name any reigning and fashionable virtue in the present age, I think it should be charity. The numberless benefactions privately given, the various public folicitations for charity, and the fuccess they meet with, ferve to prove, that tho' we may fall fhort of our ancestors in other respects, yet in this inftance we greatly excel them. I know not whether it may not be spreading the influence of Mr. Nash too widely to say, that he was

one

1

one of the principal causes of introducing this noble emulation among the rich; but certain it is, no private man ever relieved the distresses of so many as he.

A

Before gaming was fuppreffed, and in the meridian of his life and fortune, his benefactions were generally found to equal his other expences. The money he got without pain, he gave away without reluctance; and whenever unable to relieve a wretch, who fued for affistance, he has been often feen to fhed tears. gentleman of broken fortune, one day standing behind his chair, as he was playing a game of picquet for two hundred pounds, and obferving with what indifference he won the money, could not avoid whispering these words to another who ftood by; "heavens! how happy would all that money make me!" Nash, overhearing him, clapp'd the money into his hand; and cried, go and be happy.

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