the Charity to believe me Master of fome Qualities, of which I never fufpected myself, I find that the Zeal and Alacrity I difcover in myself to fupport a Dignity which he has thought fit to confer upon me, has fupplied all other Defects, and given me a Talent for which, till now, I juftly fanfied myself uncapable.

I live in one of the finest and best-manner'd Cities in Germany, where, it is true, we have not Pleasure in that Perfection as we see it in London and Paris; yet, to make us amends, we enjoy a noble ferene Air, that makes us as hungry as Hawks. And though Bufinefs, and even the worst fort of Bufinefs, wicked Politics, is the diftinguishing Commodity of the Place; yet I will fay that for the Germans, that they manage it the beft of any People in the World; they cut off and retrench all those idle Preliminaries and uselefs Ceremonies that clog the Wheels of it every where else; and I find, that to this Day, they make good the Obfervation that Tacitus made of their Ancestors, I mean, That their Affairs (let them be never so serious and preffing) never put a Stop to good eating and drinking, and that they debate their weightieft Negociations over their Cups.

'Tis true, they carry this Humour by much too far for one of my Complexion, for which Reason I decline appearing among them, but when my Mafter's Concerns make it neceffary for me to come to their Affemblies. They are indeed a free-hearted, open fort of Gentlemen that compofe the Diet, without Referve, Affectation, and Artifice; but they are fuch unmerciful Pliers of the Bottle, fo wholly given up to what our Sots call good Fellowship, that it is as great a Con

ftraint

ftraint upon my Nature to fit out a Night's Entertainment with them, as it would be to hear half a Score of long-winded Prefbyterian Divines cant fucceffively one after another.

To unbofom myfelf frankly and freely to your Grace, I always looked upon Drunkenness to be an unpardonable Crime in a young Fellow, who, without any of the foreign Helps, has Fire enough in his Veins to do Juftice to Calia whenever the demands a Tribute from him. In a middle-age Man, I confider the Bottle as only fubfervient to the nobler Pleasure of Love; and he that would fuffer himself to be fo far infatuated by it, as to neglect the Purfuit of a more agreeable Game, I think, déferves no Quarter from the Ladies. In old Age indeed, when it is convenient to forget and fteal from ourselves, I am of opinion that a little Drunkennefs, difcrectly used, may as well contribute to our Health of Body as Tranquility of Soul. :

Thus I have given your Grace a fhort Syftem of my Morals, and Belief in thefe Affairs; but the Gentlemen of this Country go upon a quite different Scheme of Pleafure; the beft Furniture of their Parlours (inftead of innocent China) are tall, overgrown Rummers; and they take more Care to enlarge their Cellars than their patrimonial Estates: in fhort, Drinking is the he reditary Sin of this Country; and that Hero of a Deputy here, that can demolish, at one Sitting, the reft of his Brother Envoys, is mentioned with as much Applaufe as the Duke of Lorrain for his noble Exploits against the Turks, and may claim a Statue, erected at the public Expence, in any Town in Germany.

Judge

Judge then, my Lord, whether a Perfon of my fober Principles, and one that only uses Wine (as the wifer fort of Roman Catholics do Images) to raise up my Imagination to fomething more exalted, and not to terminate my Worship upon it, muft not be reduced to very mortifying Circumstances in this Place, where I cannot pretend to enjoy Conversation, without practising that Vice that directly ruins me.

As I have juft Reason to complain of the Men, for laying fo unreasonable a Tax upon Pleasure, fo I have no lefs Reason to complain of the Wo men for wholly denying it.

Could a Man find out the Secret to take a Leafe for his Life, as Methuselah, and the rest of the Antedeluvian Gentlemen, who were three hundred Years growing up to the Perfection of Vigour, enjoyed it the fame Number, and were as long a decaying, fomething might be faid for the two crying Sins of both Sexes here; I mean Drunkenness in the Men, and Reservedness in the Ladies.

What would it fignify, to throw away a Week's, nay a Month's Enjoyment upon one Night's Debauch, if a Man could promise himfelf the Age of a Patriarch?

Or where would be the mighty Penance, in dancing a dozen Years Attendance after a coy Female, watching her most favourable Moments, and most acceffible Intervals, at laftly, to enjoy her, if Infirmities and old Age were to come so late upon us?

But fince Fate has given us fo fhort a Period to tafte Pleasure with Satisfaction, three or four Days Sickness is too great a Rent Charge upon

human

human Nature, and Drunkenness cannot pretend, out of its own Fund, to acquit the Debt.

And, my Lord, fince our Gaiety and Vigour leave us fo foon in the lurch; fince Feebleness attacks us without giving fair Warning, and we no fooner pass the Meridian of Life, but begin to decline, it is hardly worth a Lover's while to ftay as long for compaffing a Mistress as Jacob did for obtaining a Wife; and without this tedious Drudgery and Application, I can affure your Grace that an Amour is not to be managed

here.

But, my Lord, I forget, that while I take upon me to play the Moralift, and to enlarge fo rhetorically upon the Preciousness of Time, I have already made bold with too much of your Grace's, for which Reafon I here put a Stop to my Difcourfe; and will endeavour, the next Packet that goes from this Place, to entertain you with something more agreeable.

I

I am, my Lord,

Your Grace's most obedient Servant,

G. ETHERE GE

LETTER LXI.

My Lord,

To the SA ME.

Never enjoy myself fo much as when I can fteal a few Moments from the Hurry of public Business to write to my Friends in England: and as there is none to whom I pay a profounder Re

fpe&

fpect than to your Grace, wonder not if I afford myself the Satisfaction of converfing with you by the way of Letter, the only Relief I have left me to fupport your Abfence at this Distance, as often as I can find an Opportunity. You may guefs, by my last, whether I do not pass my time very comfortably here; forced as I am, by my Character, to spend the better Part of my Time in fquabling and deliberating with Perfons of Beard and Gravity, how to preferve the Balance of Chriftendom, which would go well enough of itself, if the Divines, and Minifters of Princes. would let it alone: and when I come home, spent and weary from the Diet, I have no Lord D---t's, or Sir Charles S----y's, to fport away the Evening with; no Madam I-----, or my Lady A-----s; in fhort, none of those kind charming Creatures London affords, in whofe Embraces I might make myself amends for fo many Hours murdered in impertinent Debates; fo that, not to magnify my Sufferings to your Grace, they really want a greater Stock of Chriftian Patience to fupport them than I can pretend to be Master of.

I have been long enough in this Town, one would think, to have made Acquaintance enough with Perfons of both Sexes, fo as never to be at a Lofs how to pafs the few vacant Hours I can allow myself; but the terrible Drinking that accompanies all Vifits, hinders me from converfing with the Men fo often as I would otherwife do; and the German Ladies are fo intolerably reserved and virtuous (with Tears in my Eyes I fpeak it to your Grace) that it is next to an Impoffibility to carry on an Intrigue with them. A Man has fo many Scruples to conquer, and fo many Dif

ficulties