I find my Lord Chesterfield and my Lord Petre are both left out; but my Lady Macclesfield must have a place, if I can possibly; and Will. Plowden shall pay you in three guineas, if I can obtain so much favour from you: I desire neither excuses nor reasons from you, for I am but too well satisfied already. The notes and prefaces shall be short, because you shall get the more by saving paper. JOHN DRYDEN.

SIR,

John Dryden to Jacob Tonson.

Friday forenoon, [Feb. 1695-6?]

I RECEIVED your letter very kindly, because, indeed, I expected none; but thought you as very a tradesman as Bentley,* who has cursed our Virgil so heartily. I shall lose enough by your bill upon Mr. Knight; for after having taken it all in silver, and not in half-crowns neither, but shillings and sixpences, none of the money will go; for which reason I have sent it all back again, and, as the less loss, will receive it in guineas, at twenty-nine shillings each. "Tis troublesome to be a loser, but it was my own fault to accept it this way, which I

did to avoid more trouble.

I am not sorry that you will not allow any thing towards the notes; for to make them good would have cost me half a year's time at least. Those I write shall be only marginal, to help the unlearned, who understand not the poetical fables. The prefaces, as I intend them, will be somewhat more learned. It would require seven years to translate Virgil exactly. But I promise you once more to

* Richard Bentley, a oookseller and printer.

do my best in the four remaining books, as I have hitherto done in the foregoing. Upon trial, I find all of your trade are sharpers, and you not more than others: therefore I have not wholly left you. Mr. Aston does not blame you for getting as good a bargain as you could, though I could have got a hundred pounds more; and you might have spared all your trouble, if you had thought fit to publish the proposals for the first subscriptions; for I have guineas offered me every day, if there had been room; I believe, modestly speaking, I have refused already twenty-five. I mislike nothing in your letter, therefore, but only your upbraiding me with the public encouragement, and my own reputation concerned in the notes; when I assure you I could not make them to my mind in less than half a year's time. Get the first half of Virgil transcribed as soon as possibly you can, that I may put the notes to it; and you may have the other four books, which lie ready for you, when you bring the former, that the press may stay as little as possibly it can. My Lord Chesterfield has been to visit me, but I durst say nothing of Virgil to him, for fear there should be no void place for him: if there be, let me know; and tell me whether you have made room for the Duke of Devonshire. Having no silver by me, I desire my Lord Derby's money, deducting your own; and let it be good, if you desire to oblige me, who am not your enemy, and may be your friend, JOHN DRYDEN.

Let me hear from you as speedily as you can.

9

DEAR SIR,

James Thomson to Mr. Ross.

London, Jan. 12, 1737.

I own I have a good deal of assurance, after asking one favour of you, never to answer your letter till I ask another. But, not to mince the matter more to a friend, and all apologies apart, hearken to my request. My sisters have been advised by their friends to set up at Edinburgh a little milliner's shop, and if you can conveniently advance to them twelve pounds on my account, it will be a particular favour.

That will set them agoing, and I design from time to time to send them goods from hence; my whole account I will pay you when you come up here, not in poetical paper credit, but in the solid money of this dirty world. I will not draw upon you in case you be not prepared to defend yourself: but if your purse be valiant, please to inquire for Jean or Elizabeth Thomson, at the Rev. Mr. Gusthart's; and if this letter be not sufficient testimony of the debt, I will send you whatever you shall desire. It is late, and I would not lose this post. Like a laconic man of business, therefore, I must here stop short; though I have several things to impart to you, and, through your canal, to the dearest, truest, heartiest youth that treads on Scottish ground.

The next letter I write you, shall be washed clean from business in the Castalian fountain.

I am whipping and spurring to finish a tragedy for you this winter, but am still at some distance from the goal, which makes me fear being distanced. Remember me to all friends, and, above them all; heartily, heartily to Mr. Forbes: though my affec

tion to him is not fanned by letters, yet it is as high as when I was his brother in the Virtû, and played at chess with him in a post-chaise. I am, dear Ross, most sincerely and affectionately yours, JAMES THOMSON.

Edmund Burke to his uncle, Mr. Nagle.

MY DEAR SIR,

[Early in 1766.]

I AM not a little ashamed to find myself so long in your debt, especially as your health seemed in so uncertain a situation at the time when you wrote. Believe me I was not indifferent to you, though a most excessive hurry of various sorts of business scarce left me a moment's leisure to tell you so. In reality, I am now far from idle. Be so good to let me hear from you soon, and gratify me with an account of your amendment. There are few things could give me a more sincere uneasiness than any suffering of yours. You men. tion some particulars relative to my accounts: you know I am not very knowing in the particulars of them, and may easily be guilty of mistakes. I leave all to your discretion and friendship. I could wish that the little commissions, I spoke of in my last letter, should be performed; and as you have probably nothing of mine in your hands, you may draw on me for the charge, as well as for what other matters you may think fit to do for the poor of your village and parish at this rigorous season.

To be sure the trees ought to be replaced; and too many of them cannot be planted,-as allowance must be made for those that naturally will be stolen and destroyed in a country so ill supplied with wood as yours.

If I remember right, you said something about poor Garret's* horses; I don't now remember what. Do as you think best; always remembering what he said at his death, that those of them he was fond of should be put into such hands as would use them tenderly. His steward at Clohir, I think, was a sort of favourite of Garret's; if so, he will in all things be treated accordingly. If the poor on that farm be in distress, you will relieve them a little, and you may depend on it, your bills for the whole will be punctually answered; else it would not be reasonable to desire that you should be in advance for me.

Dick has been for some time past at Paris. It is true he has not wrote; but no man living loves and values you more,-not even myself. He will make up for his neglects.

By your saying nothing of Ned, though I have been very particular about him two or three times, I conclude you have changed your mind in relation to our former plan for him. In whatever way you think best to put him, you shall always find me equally ready to assist him; for I love his father, and I think very well of the boy's own dispositions. Jenny and little Dick desire me to wish you all many happy years. Pray remember us affectionately to our dear friends at Ballywalter, to all the Garrets, to my friend and agent, to Ballylegan, and to all those with whom I hope you passed a Christmas in the old manner-cheerful and happy. May you have many of them!

I am myself well, other than a cold I got on Monday se'nnight at my election at Wendover. The event of that election I am sure will give you

Mr. Burke's brother.