METHUEN.

SIR, S

IT

is with very great pleasure I take an opportunity of publishing the gratitude I owe to You, for the place you allow me in Your friendship and familiarity. I will not acknowledge to You that I have often had had You in my thoughts, When I have endeavoured to draw, in fome parts of these difcourfes, the character of a good-natured, honeft, and accomplifhed Gentleman. But fuch representations give my reader an idea of a person blameless only, or only laudable for fuch perfections as extend no farther than to his own private advantage and reputation.

But when I fpeak of You, I celebrate one who has had the happiness of poffefling alfo those qualities which make a man useful to fociety, and of having had opportunities of exerting them in the moft confpicuous

manner.

The great part You had as British ambassador, in procuring and cultivating the advantageous commerce between the courts of England and Portugal, has purchased You the lafting efteem of all who underftand the intereft of either nation.

Those personal excellencies which are over-rated by the ordinary world, and too much neglected by wise men, You have applied with the jufteft skill and judgement. The moft graceful address in horsemanhip, in the use of the fword, and in dancing, has

been

been employed by You as lower arts, and as they have occafionally ferved to cover, or introduce the talents of a skilful minifter.

·

But your abilities have not appeared only in one nation. When it was your province to act as her Majesty's minifter at the court of Savoy, at that time encamped, You accompanied that gallant Prince through all the viciffitudes of his fortune, and fhared by his fide, the dangers of that glorious day in which he recovered his capital. As far as it regards perfonal qualities, You attained, in that one hour, the higheft military reputation. The behaviour of our minister in the action, and the good offices done the vanquished in the the name of the Queen of Eng land, gave both the conqueror and the captive the moft lively examples of the courage and generolity of the nation he represented. IP olds Post quo Your friends and companions in your your abfence frequently talk these things of You, and You cannot hide from us, (by the moft difcreet filence in a any thing which regards yourfelf) that the frank entertainment we have at your table, your easy condefcenfion in little incidents of mirth and diverfion, and general complacency of manners, are far from being the greatest obligations we as we have to You. I do affure You there is not one of ot one of your friends has a greater fenfe of your merit in general, and of the favours You every day do us, than,

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#LADO

SIR

RICHARD STEELE.

their fame or pleasure by their glass, proper exhortations might be used to thefe to push 'their fortunes in this fort of reputation; but 'where it is unfeasonably infifted on to a modest ftranger, this drench may be faid to be fwallowed with the fame neceffity, as if it had ⚫ been tendered in the horn for that purpose, with this aggravating circumftance, that it diftreffes the entertainer's guest in the fame de gree as it relieves his horfes.

Mr. Spectator,

B

To attend without impatience an account of five-barred gates, double ditches, and precipices, and to furvey the orator with defiring eyes, is to me extremely difficult, but ab folutely neceffary, to be upon tolerable terms' with him; but then the occafional bursting into laughter, is of all other accomplish'ments the most requifite. I confefs at prefent I have not the command of these convulfions, as is neceffary to be good company; therefore I beg you would publish this letter, and let

EING of the number of thofe that have lately retired from the centre of business and pleasure, my uneafinefs in the country where I am, arifes rather from the fociety than the folitude of it. To be obliged to receive and return vifits from and to a circle of neigh-out bours, who through diverfity of age or inclinations can neither be entertaining or ferviceable to us, is a vile lofs of time, and a navery from which a man fhould deliver himfelf, if poffible: for why must I lose the re-me maining part of my life, because they have thrown away the former part of theirs? It is to me an infupportable affliction, to be tormented with the narrations of a set of people, who are warm in their expreffions of the quick relish of that pleafure which their dogs and horfes have a more delicate tafte of. Ldo alfo in my heart detest and abhor that damnable doctrine and pofition of that neceffity of a bumper, though to one's own toast; for though it is pretended that thefe deep potations are ufed only to infpire gaiety, they certainly drown that chearfulness which would furvivetaining to the retired and fpeculative. There

be known all at once for a queer fellow and avoided. It is monftrous to me, that "we who are given to reading and calm conver'fation fhould ever be vifited by these roarers: but they think they themselves, as neighbours, may come into our rooms with the fame right, that they and their dogs hunt in our grounds,

Your inftitution of clubs I have always admired, in which you constantly endeavoured the union of the metaphorically defunct, that is, fuch as are neither ferviceable to the bufy and enterprising part of mankind, nor enter

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a moderate circulation. If at these meetings it were left to every ftranger either to fill his glafs according to his own inclination, or to make his retreat when he finds he has been infufficiently obedient to that of others, these ⚫ entertainments would be governed with more good fenfe and confequently with more good breeding, than at prefent they are. Indeed where any of the guests are known to meafure

Thould certainly therefore in each county be eftablished a club of the perfons whofe conver fations I have defcribed, who for their own private, as also the public emolument, should exclude, and be excluded all other fociety. Their attire fhould be the fame with their huntfmen's, and none should be admitted into this green converfation piece, except he had broke his collar-bone thrice, A broken rib

Bbz

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or two might alfo admit a man without the leaft oppofition. The prefident must necef· farily have broken his neck, and have been taken up dead once or twice; for the more · maims this brotherhood shall have met with, the eafier will their conversation flow and keep · up; and when any one of thefe vigorous invalids had finished his narration of the collarbone, this naturally would introduce the hif6 tory of the ribs. Befides, the different cir'cumftances of their falls and fractures would help to prolong and diverfify their relations. There fhould alfo be another club of fuch men, who have not fucceeded fo well in maiming themselves, but are however in the conftant pursuit of thefe accomplishments. I would by no means be fufpected by what I ⚫ have faid to traduce in general the body of foxhunters; for whilft I look upon a reasonable · creature full speed after a pack of dog, by · way of pleasure, and not of bufinefs, I fhall · always make honourable mention of it.

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But the most irksome converfation of all others I have met with in the neighbourhood, has been among two or three of your travellers, who have overlooked men and manners, and ' have paffed through France and Italy with the 'fame obfervation that the carriers and stage⚫ coachmen do through Great Britain; that is, their stops and stages have been regulated according to the liquor they have met with in their paffage. They indeed remember the names of abundance of places, with the ticular fineries of certain churches: but their diftinguifling mark is certain prettineffes, of foreign languages, the meaning of which they could have better expreffed in their own. The entertainment of thefe fine obfervers, Shakef• peare has defcribed to confift

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< My fcheme of a country life then should be · as follows. As I am happy in three or four " very agreeable friends, thefe I would con'ftantly have with with me; and the freedom 6 we took with one another at fchool and the univerfity, we would maintain and exert upon all ll occafions with great courage. There fhould be certain hours of the day to be employed in " reading, during which time it should be im· poffible for any one of us to enter the other's 'chamber, unless by ftorm. After this we 'would communicate the trafh or treasure we ' had met with, with our own reflections upon the matter; the juftnefs of which we would controvert with good-humoured warmth, and never spare one another out of that complaifant 6 spirit of converfation, which makes others 'affirm and deny the fame matter in a quarter ' of an hour. If any of the neighbouring gen6 tlemen, not of our turn, fhould take it in their 'heads to vifit me, I should look upon these · perfons in the fame degree enemies to my particular ftate of happiness, as ever the French were to that of the public, and I would be at an annual expence in fpies to < obferve their motions. Whenever I fhould be < furprised with a vifit, as I hate drinking, Į 'would be brifk in fwilling bumpers, upon this < maxim, that it is better to trouble others with my impertinence, than to be troubled myself with theirs. The neceffity of an infirmary makes me refolve to fall into that project; and as we fhould be but five, the terrors of an involuntary feparation, which our number cannot fo well admit of, would make us exert ourfelves, in oppofition to all the particulars mentioned in your inftitution of that equitable confinement. This my way of life I know would fubject me to the imputation of a morofe, covetous, and fingular fellow. Thefe and all other hard words, with all manner of infipid jefts, and all other reproach, would be matter of mirth to me and my friends : befides, I would destroy the application of the epithets morofe and covetous, by a yearly. ' relief of my undeservedly neceffitous neigh'bours, and by treating my friends and domeftics with an humanity that should ex

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142)

and then concludes with a figh,

Now this is worshipful fociety

།

I would not be thought in all this to hate

fuch honeft creatures as dogs; I am only un-prefs the obligation to lie rather on my fide

and as for the word fingular, I was always of opinion every man must be so, to be what one would defire him.

*

happy that I cannot partake in their diverfions. But I love them fo well, as dogs, that < I often go with my pockets ftuffed with bread to difpenfe my favours, or make my way "through them at neighbours houses. There is in particular a young hound of great expectation, vivacity, and enterprize, that attends my flights wherever he fpies me, This creature obferves my countenance, and behaves himself accordingly, His mirth, his frolic, and joy upon the fight of me has been obferved, and I have been gravely defired not to encourage him fo much, for it fpoils his parts; but I think he fhews them fufficiently in the feveral boundings, frifkings, and fcourings, when he makes his court to me: but I forefee in a little time he and I must keep company with one another only, for we are fit for no other in thefe parts. Having informed you how I do pafs my time in the country where I am, I must proceed to tell you how I would pafs it, had I fuch a fortune as would put me above the obfervance of ceremony and custom.

**

"In talking of the Alps and Apennines, "The Pyrenean, and the river Po:

" par

Your very humble fervant,
‹ J. ·R‚'

Mr. Spectator,

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A a country

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BOUT two years ago, I was called upon

by my mother's fide related to me, to vifit 'Mr. Campbell, the dumb man, for they told " me that was chiefly what brought them to town, having heard wonders of him in Effex. I, who always wanted faith, in matters of that kind, was not easily prevailed on to go; but left they should take it ill, I went with them; when to my furprize, Mr. Campbell related all their past life; in fhort, had he not been prevented, fuch a difcovery would have come out, as would have ruined the next defign of their coming to town, viz. buy ing wedding cloaths. Our names though he never heard of us before and we endeavoured