Caprice may have accompanied the morning, and perhaps noon of my life, but my evening has banished that fickle wanderer; and as now I fix not without deliberation and well-weighed choice, I am not subject to change. Your very kind visit was a new obligation; which if I could express my sense of, it must be less. Common favours it is easy to acknowledge; but a delicate sensibility to real proofs of esteem and friendship are not easily to be made known. Mr. Millar's method seems to me to be a very right one, and for the reasons you give; and if he will please to carry the catalogue to Mr. Whiston, by the time I shall be in town, I imagine he will have appraised the books; and then we will proceed to the disposal of them, as you shall judge best. Mr. Fitzherbert I have not seen since I had the pleasure of seeing you, and therefore cannot yet say when I can again have that pleasure; but I hope some time next week to repay your visit. I have an aching head to-day, so great an enemy to my inclination, that it will not let me say more than that I am, with much esteem and true regard, Dear Sir, Your affectionate friend, H. BOOTHBY. Mrs. D'Aranda and the young ladies desire compliments. My regards to Miss Williams." LETTER XIV. "Tissington, Sept. 12, 1754. DEAR SIR, I told you I would call upon you before I left London, if I could. I much desired to have seen you again; it was in my mind all Thursday; but so it happened, that it was not in my power. Mr. Fitzherbert having changed his mind and determined not to go to Tunbridge, suddenly took up another resolution, which was to take a house in town, and engaged me to go with him to see one in Cavendish Square, where I was the greatest part of the morning, and met with what took up the rest of the day; besides so much fatigue as would alone have disabled for going out again after I got to Holborn. But, as we are likely to be in town again the next month, and stay there long, I hope I shall have frequent opportunities of seeing you, both where I shall be, and at your own house. Thank God, we arrived here well on Monday, and found my dear little charge all in perfect health and joy. My brother I shall see next week, and then can fully communicate to him all you was so good as to execute for us in the library affair, and your opinion concerning the disposal of the books. I only saw enough of you in Putney, and in town, to make me wish to see more. It will soon be in your power to gratify this wish. Place is a thing pretty indifferent to me, but London I am least fond of any; however, the conversation of some few in it will soon take off my dislike. I do not mean this as a letter; call it what you will. It is only to tell you why I did not see you again; that I hope a future time will recompense for this loss; that we are safe here; and that every where I am, and shall be, with much esteem, Dear Sir, Your obliged and affectionate friend, You can write amidst the tattle of women, because your attention is so strong to sense, that you are deaf to sound. I wonder whether you could write amidst the prattle of children—no better than I, I really believe, if they were your own children, as I find these prattlers are mine." LETTER XV. DEAR SIR, "Tissington, Sept. 28, 1754. Do you wait to hear again from me? or why is it that I am so long without the pleasure of hearing from you? Had my brother kept his appointment, I should not have failed to give you a second letter sooner; now is the first moment I could tell you his determination concerning the books. But first I am to give you his compliments and thanks for your part in the affair. He thinks, as the sum offered by Mr. Whiston is so small a one, and his son is likely to be a scholar; it will be best to suspend any sale of the books for the present; and if, on further consideration, he finds he must part with them, then to do it in the method you proposed; as, that way, some may be selected for his son's use, and the rest sold, so as to make more than to be parted with to a bookseller. Upon considering both sides of the question, he rather chuses the hazard on one side, with the certainty of greater profits in case of success, than to accept of Mr. Whiston's sum for all the books at present. But I am preparing for a journey to town; and there, I hope, I shall have an opportunity of explaining upon this subject in a clearer manner; for, though I know what I would say, I cannot say it clearly, amidst the confusion of ideas in my head at this time. I beg to hear from you; however little I may deserve, I cannot help much desiring a letter from you. If your taste and judgment cannot allow me any thing as a writer; yet let my merit as a sincere friend demand a return. In this demand I will yield to none; for, I am sure, none can have a truer esteem and friendship towards you, than Dear Sir, Your obliged and affectionate friend, LETTER XVI. H. BOOTHBY." DEAR SIR, "Tuesday, October 29, 1754. From what Mrs. Lawrence told me, I have had daily hopes of the pleasure of seeing you here, which has prevented me desiring that favour. I am much mortified by the disappointment of having been so long in town, without one of the greatest satisfactions I promised myself in it-your conversation. And, in short, if you will not come here, I must make you a visit. I should have called upon you before this time, if the settling my dear little charge here had not employed me so much at home; now, that business is almost completed. Pray, say when and where, I may have the pleasure of seeing you. Perhaps you may not imagine how much I am affected by the not receiving any reply to two letters I wrote before we left Derbyshire, and the being a fortnight in town, without seeing a person whom I highly esteem, and to whom I am, An obliged and affectionate friend, DEAR SIR, LETTER XVII. "Friday-night, Nov. 29. How particularly unlucky I was to be out to-day, when you came! For above these fourteen days have I never been a moment from home, but closely attending my poor dear Miss Fitzherbert, who has been very ill, and unwillingly left her today to pay a debt of civility long due: I imagined, if you come to-day, it would be about the time of my return home. But, that we may be the better acquainted with each other's hours, and I secure against a second mortifying disappointment, I send to tell you, that, not being an evening rapper at people's doors, whenever I do go out, it is in a morning—a town-morning-between noon and three o'clock; and that for the next four mornings I must be out. Now can't you as conveniently let me have the pleasure of seeing you at five some evening? Name any one; and you shall have your tea as I can make it, and a gratification infinitely superior, I know, in your estimation to any other, that of seeing your presence gives great pleasure to a friend; for such I most sincerely am to you, H. BOOTHBY." LETTER XVIII. "DEAR SIR, I have company, from whom I run, just to say, I have often rejoiced to see your hand, but never so much as now. Come and see me as soon as you can; and I shall forgive an absence which has indeed given me no small disturbance. " DEAR SIR, Perhaps you are the only author in England, who could make a play a very acceptable present to me. But you have; and, I assure you, I shall leave your Irene behind me, when I go hence, in my little repository of valuable things. Miss Fitzherbert is much delighted, and desires her best thanks. The author's company would have more enhanced the value of the present; but that we will hope for soon. I am much obliged to you for the good account of the Lawrences, and for many things which increase my regard, and confirm me in being, Though I am afraid your illness leaves you little leisure for the reception of airy civilities, yet I cannot forbear to pay you my congratulations on the New Year; and to declare my wishes, that your years to come may be many and happy. In this wish indeed I include myself, who have none but you on whom my heart reposes; yet surely I wish your good, even though your situation were such as should permit you to communicate no gratifications to, Dearest Madam, Your, &c." From Mrs. Piozzi's Collection, vol. ii., p. 392. "DEAREST MADAM, Nobody but you can recompence me for the distress which I suffered on Monday night. Having engaged Dr. Lawrence to let me know, at whatever hour, the state in which he left you; I concluded, when he staid so long, that he staid to see my dearest expire. I was composing myself as I could to hear what yet I hoped not to hear, when his servant brought me word that you were better. Do you continue to grow better? Let my dear little Miss inform me on a card. I would not have you write, lest it should hurt you, and consequently hurt likewise, Dearest Madam, |