other attainable excellence: but now that Mr. Tasker has compared you to Venus, we will wonder at nothing.

A-propos to gallantry, here is a gentleman hooted out of Bath for fhewing a lady's love letters to him; and such is the resentment of all the females, that even the house-maid refused to make his bed. I think them perfectly right, as he has broken all the common ties of fociety; and if he were to fleep on ftraw for half a year instead of our old favourites the Capucin friars, it would do him no harm, and fet the men a good example.

Adieu, Dear Sir, all goes pretty well with us; but do speak to Dr. Lawrence about that vertiginous fenfation which I fancy is occafioned by the water. We heard of it only once though.

LETTER CCXXXVII.

To Mrs. THRAL E.

DEAR MADAM,

TERE has been Dr. Lawrence with me, HE

and

I showed him your letter; and you may easily believe we had fome talk about my master. He faid, however, little that was new, except this, which is of great importance, that if ever he feels any uncommon fenfation in his head, fuch as, heaviness, pain, or noife, or giddinefs, he should have immediate recourse to fome evacuation, and thinks a cathartick moft eligible. He told me a case of a lady, who faid fhe felt a dizziness, and would bleed; to bleed, however, the neglected, and in a few days the dizziness became an apoplexy. He fays, but do not tell it, that the use of Bath water, as far as it did any thing, did mischief. He preffes abftinence very strongly, as that which must do all that can be done; and recommends the exercife of walking,

K 4

walking, as tending more to extenuation than

that of riding.

has let out another pound of blood, and is come to town, brifk and vigorous, fierce and fell, to drive on his lawfuit. Nothing in all life now can be more profligater than what he is; and if, in cafe, that fo be, that they perfift for to refift him, he is refolved not to spare no money, nor no time. He is, I believe, thundering away. His folicitor has turned him off; and I think it not unlikely that he will tire his lawyers. But now don't you talk.

My dear Queeny, what a good girl she is. Pray write to me about her, and let me know her progrefs in the world. Bath is a good place for the initiation of a young lady. She can neither become negligent for want of obfervers, as in the country; nor by the imagination that the lies concealed in the crowd, as in London, Lady Lucan told me, between ourselves, how much fhe had heard of Queeny's accomplishments; fhe muft therefore now be careful, fince the begins to have the public eye upon her.

A lady

A lady has fent me a vial, like Mrs. Nefbit's vial, of effence of rofes. What am I come to?

Congreve, whom I difpatched at the Borough while I was attending the election, is one of the best of the little lives; but then I had your conversation.

You seem to fufpect that I think you too earnest about the fuccefs of your folicitation: if I gave you any reason for that fufpicion, it was without intention. It would be with great difcontent that I fhould fee Mr. Thrale. decline the representation of the Borough, and with much greater fhould I fee him ejected. To fit in Parliament for Southwark, is the highest honour that his ftation permits him to attain; and his ambition to attain it, is furely rational and laudable. I will not say that for an honest man to ftruggle for a vote in the legiflature, at a time when honeft votes are so much wanted, is abfolutely a duty, but it is furely an act of virtue. The expence, if it was more, I should wish him to defpife. Money is made for fuch purposes as this. And the method to which the trade is now brought, will, I hope, fave him from any want of what he fhall now fpend.

Keep

Keep Mr. Thrale well, and make him keep himself well, and put all other care out of your dear head.

Sir Edward Littleton's business with me was to know the character of a candidate for a school at Brewood in Staffordshire; to which, I think, there are feventeen pretenders.

Do not I tell you every thing? what wouldst thou more of man? It will, I fancy, be neceffary for you to come up once again at least, to fix your friends and terrify your enemies. Take care to be informed, as you can, of the ebb or flow of your intereft; and do not lose at Capua the victory of Cannæ. I hope I need not tell you, dear Madam, that

Thursday, May 25, 1780.

I am, &c.

No. 8. Bolt-court, Fleet-ftreet, London.

Look at this, and learn,