our friend twice after this was done, lefs peevish in his fickness than he used to be in his health; neither much afraid of dying, nor (which in him had been more likely) much afhamed of marrying. The evening before he expired, he called his young wife to the bed-fide, and earneftly entreated her not to deny him one request, the last he fhould make. Upon her affurances of confenting to it, he told her, "My dear, it is only this, that you "will never marry an old man again." I cannot help remarking, that sickness, which often deftroys both wit and wisdom, yet feldom has power to remove that talent which we call humour: Mr. Wycherley fhew'd his, even in this laft compliment; tho' I think his request a little hard, for why should he bar her from doubling her join ture on the fame easy terms?

So trivial as thefe circumftances are, I fhould not be difpleas'd myself to know such trifles, when they concern or characterise any eminent perfon. The wifeft and wittieft of men are feldom wifer or wittier than others in these fober moments : at leaft, our friend ended much in the character he had lived in; and Horace's rule for a play, may as well be apply'd to him as a play-wright,

Servetur ad imum

Qualis ab inceptu procefferit, et fibi conftet.

I am, &c.

LETTER V,

Feb. 10, 1715-16,

I AM juft return'd from the country, whither Mr. Rowe accompanied me, and pass'd a week in the Fo reft. I need not tell you how much a man of his turn entertain'd me; but I must acquaint you, there is a vivacity and gaiety of difpofition almoft peculiar to him, which make it impoffible to part from him without that uneafinefs which generally fucceeds all our pleasures. I have been just taking a folitary walk by moon-fhine, full.

of

of reflections on the tranfitory nature of all human delights; and giving my thoughts a loose in the contemplation of those fatisfactions which probably we may hereafter tafte in the company of separate spirits, when we fhall range the walks above, and perhaps gaze on this world at as vaft a diftance as we now do on those worlds. The pleasures we are to enjoy in that conversation, must undoubtedly be of a nobler kind, and (not unlikely) may proceed from the discoveries each fhall communicate to another, of God and. of Nature; for the happiness of minds can furely be nothing but knowledge.

The highest gratification we receive here from company is mirth, which at the best is but a fluttering, unquiet motion, that beats about the breast for a few moments, and after leaves it yoid and empty. Keeping good company, even the best, is but a less shameful art of lofing time. What we here call science and ftudy, are little better: the greater number of arts to which we apply ourfelves, are mere groping in the dark; and even the search of our most important concerns in a future being, is but a needlefs, anxious, and uncertain hafte to be knowing, fooner than we can, what without all this folicitude we fhall know a little later. We are but curious impertinents in the cafe of futurity. 'Tis not our bufinefs to be gueffing what the state of fouls fhall be, but to be doing what may make our own ftate happy; we cannot be knowing, but we can be virtuous.

If this be my notion of a great part of that high science, Divinity, you will be fo civil as to imagine I lay no mighty ftress upon the reft. Even of my darling poetry I really make no other use, than horses of the bells that gingle about their ears (tho' now and then they toss their heads as if they were proud of them) only to jog on a little more merrily.

Your obfervations on the narrow conceptions of mankind in the point of friendship, confirm me in what I was so fortunate as at my first knowledge of you to hope, and fince fo amply to experience, Let me take fo much

decent

decent pride and dignity upon me, as to tell you, that, but for opinions like thefe which I difcover'd in your mind, I had never made the trial I have done; which has fucceeded fo much to mine, and, I believe, not less to your fatisfaction: for, if I know you right, your pleafure is greater in obliging me, than I can feel on my part, till it falls in my power to oblige you.

Your remark, that the variety of opinions in politics or religion is often rather a gratification, than an objection, to people who have fenfe enough to confider the beautiful order of nature in her variations; makes me think you have not conftrued Joannes Secundus wrong, in the verfe which precedes that which you quote: Bene nota fides, as I take it, does no way fignify the Roman Catholic religion, tho' Secundus was of it. I think it was a generous thought, and one that flow'd from an exalted mind, That it was not improbable but that God might be delighted with the various methods of worfhipping him, which divided the whole world. I am pretty fure and I fhould no more make good Inquifitors to the modern tyrants in faith, than we could have been qualified for Lictors to Procruftes, when he converted refractory members with the rack. In a word, I can only repeat to you what I think I have formerly faid; that I as little fear God will damn a man who has Charity, as I hope that any prieft can fave him without it.

you

I am, &c.

LETTER VI.

March 20, 1715-16.

Find that a real concern is not only a hindrance to speaking, but to writing too: the more time we give ourfelves to think over one's own or a friend's unhappincfs, the more unable we grow to exprefs the grief that proceeds from it. It is as natural to delay a letter at fuch a feafon as this, as to retard a melancholy visit to a perfon one cannot relieve. One is afhamed, in that circum

ftance,

ftance, to pretend to entertain people with trifling, infignificant affectations of forrow on the one hand, or unfeasonable and forced gaieties on the other. 'Tis a kind of profanation of things facred, to treat so folemn a matter as a generous voluntary fuffering, with compliments, or heroic gallantries. Such a mind as your's has no need of being spirited up into honour; or like a weak woman, praised into an opinion of its own virtue. 'Tis enough to do and fuffer what we ought; and men should know, that the noble power of suffering bravely is as far above that of enterprizing greatly, as an unblemish'd confcience and inflexible refolution are above an accidental flow of spirits, or a sudden tide of blood. If the whole religious bufinefs of mankind be included in refignation to our Maker, and charity to our fellow-creatures, there are now fome people who give us as good an opportunity of practising the one, as themselves have given an instance of the violation of the other. Whoever is really brave, has always this comfort when he is opprefs'd, that he knows himself to be fuperior to thofe who injure him for the greateft power on earth can no fooner do him that injury, but the brave man can make himself greater by forgiving it.

If it were generous to feek for alleviating confolations in a calamity of so much glory, one might say, that to be ruin'd thus in the grofs, with a whole people, is but like perishing in the general conflagration, where nothing we can value is left behind us.

Methinks the most heroic thing we are left capable of doing, is to endeavour to lighten each other's load, and (opprefs'd as we are) to fuccour fuch as are yet more opprefs'd. If there are too many who cannot be affifted but by what we cannot give, our money; there are yet, others who may be relieved by our counsel, by our countenance, and even by our chearfulness. The misfortuneş of private families, the misunderstandings of people whom diftreffes make fufpicious, the coldneffes of relations whom change of religion may difunite, or the neceffities

of

of half-ruined eftates render unkind to each other; these at leaft may be foftened, in fome degree, by a general well-managed humanity among ourselves; if all thofe who have your principles of belief, had also your sense and conduct. But indeed moft of them have given lamentable proofs of the contrary; and 'tis to be apprehended, that they who want fenfe, are only religious thro' weakness, and good-natur'd thro' fhame. These are narrow-minded creatures that never deal in effentials, their faith never looks beyond ceremonials, nor their charity beyond relations. As poor as I am, I would gladly relieve any diftreffed, confcientious French refugee at this inftant: what muft my concern then be, when I perceive so many anxieties now tearing those hearts, which I have defired a place in, and clouds of melancholy rifing on those faces, which I have long look'd upon with affection? I begin already to feel both what fome apprehend, and what others are yet too ftupid to apprehend. I grieve with the old, for fo many additional inconvèniences and chagrins, more than their small remain of life feemed destined to undergo; and with the young, for fo many of those gaieties and pleafures (the portion of youth) which they will by this means be deprived of. This brings into my mind one or other of those I love beft, and among them the widow and fatherless, late of

As I am certain no people living had an earlier and truer sense of others misfortunes, or a more generous refignation as to what might be their own, fo I earnestly` wish that whatever part they must bear, may be render'd as fupportable to them, as it is in the power of any friend

to make it.

But I know you have prevented me in this thought, as you always will in any thing that is good or generous: I find by a letter of your lady's (which I have feen) that their eafe and tranquillity is part of your care. I believe there's fome fatality in it, that you fhould always, from time to time, be doing those particular things that make me enamour'd of you.