when I awoke from my terrible dream, and happily found myself in a more tolerant place.

But minutes of time are now important, Ignatius awaits my leisure, and obliges me to conclude my own epistle, to consult his, which, if it be not of greater importance, has at least met with the surprising fate of continuing upwards of fifteen hundred years in the world. Had I any considerable reason to hope that mine would be equally lasting, I would, for the sake of my own reputation with posterity, be more copious in expressing that admiration and affection with which I am

Mr. Gutteridge's most obedient Servant,

P. DODDRIDGE.

It appears, says my commentator, by the date of this letter, that the author flourished in Great Britain towards the middle of the eighteenth century. He plainly appears to have been a preacher, because he speaks of deprivation as what he was apprehensive of. And he certainly must have been very intimate with the ladies, because he knew how well they slept, and was entrusted to write for them. A most honourable testimony! but what he means by catachrystical chocolate must remain among the SUVOKTа of the learned, at least until some abler critic arise to elucidate it. This, however, is evident, that it was some inflaming liquor forbidden to the clergy by the canons of their church. For

passage

in

further illustration, see a remarkable Guttridgii Vita, p. 120, and Asoti Vita, p. 158,

168, 173, 192, et passim.

Humble service to Mrs. King; Mrs. Jennings and Mrs. Wingate will no doubt be very much at your service when they are awake.

TO MR. HUGHES.

November 30, 1726.

WHAT Will my dear Antiochus think of me, when as soon as I send one letter I begin another. He must at least allow it to be a proof of my esteem. I should indeed have attended to some other affair that calls upon me with more importunity than I could wish; however, I will take but a quarter of a sheet, so that may not quite tire you.

I

If you are sincere in your grave renunciation of Nigrilla, which I a little suspect, I am the better satisfied, because, from some late intimations, I imagine the affair may otherwise cost you no little trouble. You are happy indeed if you can give up a mistress with so good a grace, but I question not but you will soon be re-engaged; and then pray remember the passage which I pointed out to you in Lucretius, and which my own experience abundantly confirms.

I am glad you like the Banishment of Cicero; but find you have been misinformed as to the author.

It was originally written in French, and translated by a nonjuring refugee, as some assert, though others ascribe it to Atterbury.

I am surprised that you disrelish that admirable translation of the Georgics. I cannot think elegance and harmony the only things to be attended to in a translation, and I find nothing else wanting; thus I plainly perceive, by the diversity of our judgments upon that head, that either I or you must be a verification of "nemo mortalium," &c.

I am very much charmed with Sherlock's discourse on Prophecy; but I query the justice of many of his glosses on scripture, especially in his dissertation on the Second of Peter, nor can I fall in with his sentiments relative to the restoration of the earth after the deluge, for reasons which I shall refer to another time.

I have not yet seen either the poem on Winter, or the paraphrase on Job.

I was much amused by your account of the celestial bonfire*; but I find by your history of the phenomenon, that it was much more beautiful in your more southern sky than here, unless, as I am ready to imagine, you have added the ornament of the poet to the narration of the philosopher.

I have not time to mention the books I have lately read, and will only tell you that I have gone over the three volumes of Burnett's History of the Reformation with a great deal of care. I likewise read the records at the end, if they seemed to promise

* Aurora borealis.

any thing curious, and was exceedingly entertained by several; hardly any thing charmed me more than the letters at the end of the first volume, which passed between the most celebrated reformers in England and at Zurich. You will hardly believe it, but I assure you it is my settled judgment that Jewell writes with almost as much simplicity, elegance, consistency, and spirit as Pliny himself! indeed there seems to be a very remarkable resemblance in their manner.

I return your sermon, and will reform so much upon your late admonition, as not to say a word by way of panegyric; and it is a happy rebuke that delivers me from a task to which my capacity is by no means equal. I must however add, that when I read it last night, by way of taking my farewell, it kept me awake as the victories of Miltiades did Themistocles.

If

I likewise send you my sermon, which I have left Master Arthur Jennings to transcribe from my notes; it was preached in my usual way, and has little to recommend it to your approbation. I send it you to be examined and corrected, and then returned. you would see it to the best advantage, let Mr. Wood read it at some leisure hour: he heard it, and can witness for me that it is just as I delivered it. I have this comfort in sending it to you, that the best judges are always the most candid, and that your friendship will so dazzle your eyes, that you will either find or make beauties.

I insist upon a long answer by post as soon as

you receive this. I take a great deal of pleasure in reading your letters, though I do not much admire little slips of paper that sometimes happen to be wrapped in them. I hope you will quickly come down to Harborough, that I may have an opportunity of expressing a little of that zeal and sincerity with which I am

Yours, &c.

TO MR. CLARK.

HORTENSIUS.

REV. SIR,

Nov. 30, 1726.

I AM sending a packet to St. Albans, and cannot forget my best friend, though I have written so lately, and have nothing important to say. Besides having dispatched copious letters to Mr. Wood and Mr. Hughes, I have left myself but little time.

I owe you an account of my studies, and a much more particular one than I can now give; yet my not being able to tell you as much as I intended, would be a very poor reason for not saying any thing upon the subject.

I have lately been reading the three folios of Burnett's History of the Reformation in England, with more pleasure than I can express. He appears to be one of the most masterly writers, and always retains a sense of the dignity of his subject, and writes with a majesty worthy of it. He does not study the ornaments of style, but expresses himself