fourth day after our arrival at Clifton, and continued fo ill for the whole week, that her life was defpaired of. It was not till yesterday that Dr. Rigge declared her out of danger. You cannot imagine what I have fuffered, partly from the indiscretion of this poor child, but much more from the fear of lofing her entirely. This air is intolerably cold, and the place quite folitary-I never go down to the well without returning low-fpirited; for there I meet with half a dozen poor emaciated creatures, with ghoftly looks, in the laft ftage of a confumption, who have made shift to linger through the winter, like fo many exotic plants languishing in a hot-house; but, in all appearance, will drop into their graves before the fun has warmth enough to mitigate the rigour of this ungenial spring.-If you think the Bath water will be of any fervice to me, I will go thither as foon as my niece can bear the motion of the coach. Tell Barns I am obliged to him for his advice; but don't choofe to follow it. If Davis voluntarily offers to give up the farm, the other fhall have it; but I will not begin at this time of day to distress my tenants, becaufe they are unfortunate, and cannot make regular payments; wonder that Barns should think me capable of fuch oppreffion-As for Higgins, the fellow is a notorious poacher, to be fure; and an impudent rafcal to fet his fnares in my own paddock; but, I fuppofe, he thought he had fome right (especially in my abfence) to partake of what nature seems to have intended for common ufe-you may threaten him in my name, as much as you please, and if he repeats the offence, let me know it before you have recourfe to juftice.I know you are a great fportsman, and oblige many of your friends: I need not tell you to make use of my grounds; but it may be neceffary to hint, that I am more afraid' of my fowling piece than of my game. When you

can

can fpare two or three brace of partridges, fend them over by the ftage coach, and tell Gwyllim that the forgot to pack up my flannels and wide fhoes in the trunk-mail-I fhall trouble you as ufual, from time to time, till at last I fuppofe you will be tired of corresponding with

Clifton, April, 17.

Your affured friend,

M.BRAMBLE.

To Mifs LYDIA MELFORD.

MISS WILLIS has pronounced my doom -you are going away, dear Mifs Melford !-you' are going to be removed, I know not whither! what fhall I do? which way fhall I turn for confolation ? I know not what I fay-all night long have I been toffed iu a fea of doubts and fears, uncertainty and diftraction, without being able to connect my thoughts, much lefs to form any confiftent plan of conduct-I was even tempted to wish that I had never feen you; or that you had been lefs amiable, or lefs compaffionate to your poor Wilfon; and yet it would be deteftable ingratitude in me to form fuch a wish, confidering how much I am indebted to your goodness, and the ineffable pleasure I have derived from your indulgence and approbationGood God! I never heard your name mentioned without emotion! the most diftant profpect of being admitted into your company, filled my whole foul with a kind of pleafing alarm! as the time approached; my heart beat with redoubled force, and every nerve thrilled with a tranfport of expectation; but, when I found myself actually in your prefence ;when I heard you speak when 1 faw you fmile, when I beheld your charming eyes turned favourVOL. I

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ably

my

ably upon me; my breaft was filled with fuch tumults of delight, as wholly deprived me of the power of utterance, and wrapt me in a delirium of joy!-encouraged by your fweetnefs of temper and affability, I ventured to describe the feelings of did not check my preheart-even then you fumption-you pitied my fufferings, and gave me leave to hope you put a favourable-perhaps too favourable a conftruction, on my appearencecertain it is, I am no player in love-I fpeak the language of my own heart; and have no prompter but nature.Yet there is fomething in this heart, which I have not yet disclosed-I flattered myfelf-But, I will not-1 muft not proceed

Dear Mifs Liddy! for Heaven's fake, contrive, if poffible, fome means of letting me fpeak to you before you leave Gloucefter; otherwife, I know not what will---But I begin to rave again---I will endeavour to bear this trial with fortitude---while I am capable of reflecting upon your tenternefs and truth, I furely have no caufe to defpair-yet I am ftrangely affected. The fun feems to deny me light a cloud hangs over me, and there is a dreadful weight upon my spirits! While you stay in this place, I fhall continually hover about your lodgings, as the parted foul is faid to linger about the grave where its mortal confort lies---I know, if it is in your power, you will task your humanity---your compaffion---fhall I add, your affection? in order to affuage the almost intollerable disquiet that torments the heart of your afflicted

Gloucefter, March 31.

WILSON.

To

To Sir WATKIN PHILIPS of Jefus College, Oxon. Hot Well, April 18

DEAR PHILIPS,

I GIVE Manfel credit for his invention, in. propagating the report that I had a quarrel with a mountebank's merry Andrew at Gloucefter: but I have too much refpect for every appendage of wit, to quarrel even with the loweft buffoonery; and therefore I hope Manfel and I fhall always be good. friends. I cannot however, approve of his drowning my poor dog Ponto, on purpofe to convert Ovid's pleonafm into a punning epitaph---deerant quoque Littora Ponto: for that he threw him into the Ifis, when it was fo high and impetuous, with no other view than to kill the fleas, is an excufe that will not hold water---But I leave poor Ponto to his fate, and hope Providence will take care to accommodate Manfel with a drier death.

an be called company,

As there is nothing that at the Well, I am here in a state of abfolute ruftication: this, however, gives me leifure to obferve the fingularities in my uncle's character, which feems to have interefted your curiofity. The truth is, his difpofition and mine, which, like oil and vinegar, repelled one another at firft, have now begun to mix by dint of being beat up together. I was once apt to believe him a complete Cynic; and that nothing but the neceffity of his occafions could compel him to get within the pale of fociety ---I am now of another opinion. I think his peevishness arifes partly from bodily pain, and partly from a natural excess of mental fenfibility; for, I

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fuppofe

fuppofe the mind as well as the body, is in fome cafes endued with a morbid excefs of fenfation.

I was t'other day much diverted with a converfation that paffed in the pump-room, betwixt him and the famous Dr. L-n, who is come to ply at the Well for patients. My uncle was complaining of the ftink, occafioned by the vast quantity of mud and flime, which the river leaves at low ebb under the windows of the pump-room. He obferved, that the exhalations arifing from fuch a nuifance, could not but be prejudicial to the weak lungs of many confumptive patients, who came to drink the water. The Doctor overhearing this remark, made up to him, and affured him he was mistaken. He faid, people in general were fo mifled by vulgar prejudices, that philofophy was hardly fufficient to undeceive them. Then humming thrice, he affumed a moft ridiculous folemnity of afpect, and entered into a learned investigation of the nature of ftink. He obferved, that ftink, or ftench, meant no more than a strong impreffion on the olfactory nerves; and might be applied to fubftances of the moft oppofite qualities; that in the Dutch language, flinken fignified the moft agreeable perfume, as well as the most fetid odour, as appears in Van Vloudel's tranflation of Horace, in that beautiful ode, Quis multa gracilis, &c.-The words liquidus perfufus odoribus, he tranflates van civet mofchata geftinken; that individuals differed. toto cœlo in their opinion of fmells, which, indeed, was altogether as arbitrary as the opinion of beauty; that the French were pleafed with the putrid effluvia of animal food; and fo were the Hottentots in Africa, and the favages in Greenland; and that the Negroes on the coaft of Senegal would not touch fifh till it was rotten; ftrong prefumptions in favour of what is generally called fink, as those nations are in a state of nature, undebauched by luxury, unfeduced