To the same. Oates, 24 June, 1703. SIR, MR. Bold*, who leaves us to-day, intends to see you; and I cannot forbear going, as far as I can, to make the third in the company. Would my health second my desires, not only my name, and a few words of friendship, should go with him to you; but I myself would get to horse; and had I nothing else to do in town, I should think it worth a longer journey than it is thither, to see and enjoy you. But I must submit to the restraints of old age, and expect that happiness from your charity. It is but six days since, that I writ to you; and see here another letter. You are like to be troubled with me. If it be so, why do you make yourself beloved? Why do you make yourself so necessary to me? I thought myself pretty loose from the world, but I feel you begin to fasten me to it again. For you make my life, since I have had your friendship, much more valuable to me than it was before. You hanked me in your last, for the employment I gave you; I wish I do not make you repent it; for you are likely to have my custom. I desire you would do me the favour to get me Dr. Barrow's English works, bound as Vossius's Etymologicum was. I am in no manner of haste for them, and therefore you may get them from your bookseller in quires, when you go to his shop upon any other occasion; and put them to your binder at leisure. I have them for my own use already; * Mr. Samuel Bold died in August 1737, aged 88. He had been rector of Steeple, in Dorsetshire, 56 years. He was author of several books; and, among others, some in defence of Mr. Locke's "Essay "concerning Human Understanding," and his "Reasonableness of "Christianity." He was imprisoned and persecuted in the reign of James II. for a sermon against persecution, and for a pamphlet intitled, "A Plea for Moderation;" doctrines which neither the court nor prelates of those times could bear. He was a man of true learning and genuine piety, of sound doctrine and most exemplary life; a most useful man in his station, and a zealous promoter of true religion. these are to give away to a young lady here in the country. When they are bound, I desire your binder would pack them up carefully, and cover them with paper enough to keep their corners and edges from being hurt in the carriage. For carriers are a sort of brutes, and declared enemies to books. I am, &c. SIR, To the same. Oates, 9 July, 1703. YOURS, of the 30th of June, I received just now, and cannot forbear a moment to tell you, that if there were any thing in my last letter, that gave you an occasion, after having mentioned disguise, to say, you "have made use of no way to show your esteem of me, "but still your heart went with it," I am very sorry for it. For, however I might think the expressions in your letter above what I could deserve, yet my blaming your excess of civility to me tended not to any doubt of the sincerity of your affection. Had I not been secure of that, I could not have talked to you with the same freedom I did, nor have endeavoured to persuade you, that you were lodged so near my heart as you are. Though my friendship be of very little value, or use; yet being the best thing I have to give, I shall not forwardly bestow it, where I do not think there is worth and sincerity; and therefore, pray, pardon me the forwardness wherewith I throw my arms about your neck; and holding you so, tell you, you must not hope, by any thing that looks like compliment, to keep me at a civiler, and more fashionable distance. You comply with me, I see, by the rest of your letter; and you bear with my treating you with the familiarity of an established friendship. You pretend you have got the advantage by it. I wish it may be so; for I should be very glad there were any thing, wherein I could be useful to you. Find it out, I beseech you; and tell me of it, with as little ceremony and scruple, as you see I use with you. The New Testament, you mention*, I shall be glad to see, since Mr. Bold has told you how desirous I was to see it. I have expected one of them from Holland ever since they have been out; and so I hope to restore it to you again in a few days. The other book, you mentioned†, I have seen; and am so well satisfied, by his 5th section, what a doughty 'squire he is like to prove in the rest, that I think not to trouble myself to look farther into him. He has there argued very weakly against his adversary, but very strongly against himself. But this will be better entertainment for you when we meet, than matter for a letter, wherein I make it my business to assure you, that I am, &c. SIR, To the same. Oates, 10 September, 1703. YOURS of the 7th, which I just now received, is the only letter I have a long time wished for, and the welcomest that could come; for I longed to hear that you were well, that you were returned, and that I might have the opportunity to return you my thanks for the books you sent me, which came safe; and to acknowledge my great obligations to you for one of the most villainous books, that, I think, ever was printed‡. It is a present that I highly value. I had heard something of it, when a young man in the university; but possibly * Mr. Le Clerc's French Translation of the New Testament. + " Psychologia; or, an Account of the Nature of the Rational Soul," &c. By John Broughton, M. A. Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Marlborough. Lond. 1703, in 8vo. Chillingworthi Novissima. Or the sickness, heresy, death, and burial of William Chillingworth, (in his own phrase,) clerk, of Oxford, and in the conceit of his fellow-soldiers, the Queen's arch-engineer and grand-intelligencer . . . . By Francis Cheynell, late fellow of Merton College. Lond. 1644, in 4to. See the article of Mr. Chillingworth, in my " Attempt towards an historical and critical English Dictionary." " should never have seen this quintessence of railing, but for your kindness. It ought to be kept as the pattern and standard of that sort of writing, as the man he spends it upon, for that of good temper, and clear and strong arguing, I am, &c. SIR, To the same. Oates, 1 October, 1703. YOU are a good man, and one may depend upon your promise. This makes me pass my days in comfortable hopes, when I remember you are not far off. I have your word for it, and that is better than citysecurity. But for fear villainous business should impertinently step in again, between you and your kind purposes to us here; give me leave to beg the favour of you, that if you write again, before I have the happiness to see you, you will do me the favour to send me a note of what you have laid out for me, that I may pay you that part of the debt I am able, of what I owe you, and may not have so much to interrupt the advantages I am to reap from your conversation, when you honour me with your company, as an apology to be made, if I am not out of your debt before we meet. Doth Mr. Le Clerc's New Testament make any noise amongst the men of letters or divinity in your town? The divines of Brandenburg or Cleve have got the king of Prussia to prohibit it in his dominions; and the Walloon divines in Holland are soliciting the same at the Hague, but it is thought will not prevail*. ́I have not yet heard what are the exceptions made in particular, either by the one, or the other. If there be need of authentic interpreters of the word of God, what is the way to find them out? That is worth your thinking of, unless you would have every one interpret for himself; * See Mr. Bayle's "Entretiens de Maxime et de Themiste; ou "Response à ce que Mr. Le Clerc a ecrit dans son X. tome de la Bibliotheque Choisie contre Mr. Bayle." A Rotterdam 1707, in 8vo. page 70 & suiv. and what work would that make? Betwixt these two, find something if you can; for the world is in want of peace, which is much better than everlasting Billings-gate. I thought not to have troubled you with hard questions, or any thing that should have required a serious thought, any farther than what day you should pitch on to come hither. But everlasting wrangling, and calling of names, is so odious a thing, that you will pardon me, if it puts me out of temper a little. But I think of you, and some few such as you in the world, and that reconciles me to it; or else it would not be worth staying in an hour. I am, &c. A Letter to the Lady Calverley in Yorkshire. MADAM, WHATEVER reason you have to look on me, as one of the slow men of London, you have this time given me an excuse for being so; for you cannot expect a quick answer to a letter, which took me up a good deal of time to get to the beginning of it. I turned and turned it on every side; looked at it again and again, at the top of every page; but could not get into the sense and secret of it, till I applied myself to the middle. You, madam, who are acquainted with all the skill and methods of the ancients, have not, I suppose, taken up with this hieroglyphical way of writing for nothing; and since you were going to put into your letter things that might be the reward of the highest merit, you would, by this mystical intimation, put me into the way of virtue, to deserve them. But whatever your ladyship intended, this is certain, that, in the best words in the world, you gave me the greatest humiliation imaginable. Had I as much vanity as a pert citizen, that sets up for a wit in his parish, you have said enough in your letter to content me ; and if I could be swoln that way, you have taken a great deal of pains to blow me up, and make me the finest gaudy |