your footsteps, which will be very unpoetical after all. We see a new river behind Kingston, which was never beheld before; and that our own house may not be void of wonders, we pump up gudgeons, through the pipe in the kitchen, with our water. Having finished my description, I conclude,

Your, etc.

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LETTER XVI.

TO MRS. MARTHA BLOUNT.

MADAM,

Friday.

HAVE long been fenfible of your foreknowledge of the will of Heaven, which (as I have often told you) I can attribute to nothing but a secret correspondence with your fellow-beauties, the angels of light. In very deed my rambling affociates have deferted me. Jervas has ladies to paint, and Duke Disney must vifit a Bishop, in hopes of his converfion. The Duke is too fedate for me, notwithstanding he has fo much mercury in him. Only Dr. Arbuthnot and I travel foberly and philofophically to Oxford, etc. inquiring into natural caufes, and being fometimes wife, fometimes in the spleen. It is very hard, this world is a thing, which every unfortunate thinking creature must neceffarily either laugh at, or be angry at: and if we

laugh

laugh at it, people will fay we are proud; if we are angry at it, they'll fay we are ill-humoured. I beg your pardon for my spleen, to which you shewed fo much indulgence, and defire yourfelf and your fair fifter to accept of these fans * as a part of my penalty. I defired Mr. Jervas to chufe two of the best he had; but if these do not chance to hit your fancy, you'll oblige me by taking your own choice out of twenty, when you go to London. What little difcomposure they may receive by rumpling, will be recovered if you keep them laid up smooth (as modest women do their petticoats).

I can't tell to whom I am obliged for two bottles of the white elder wine, which were given to our boy, unknown to me. But it looks like the good-natured trick of a kind, hearty, motherly gentlewoman; and therefore I believe I owe it to Mrs. Blount, whom I entreat to think me her moft faithful fervant. Mr. Blount may esteem me fo too, if he knows I cannot heartily wish him married. What to wish for Mrs. Terefa and you I know not, but that I wish as fincerely as I do for myself, and that I am in love with you both, as I am with myself, and find myself most fo with all three when I least suspect it.

I am, Madam, etc.

*Thefe were the Fans on which the Verfes were written, "To a Lady, with a present of a Fan," &c.

"Come, gentle air," &c.

I

LETTER XVII.

TO THE SAME.

MADAM, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 17355 FOUND my Lord Peterborough on his couch, where he gave me an account of the exceffive fufferings he had paffed through, with a weak voice, but spirited. He talked of nothing but the great amendment of his condition, and of finishing the buildings and gardens for his best friend to enjoy after him; that he had one care more, when he went into France, which was, to give a true account to posterity of some parts of history in Queen Anne's reign, which Burnet had fcandalously reprefented; and of fome others, to justify her against the imputation of intending to bring in the Pretender, which (to his knowledge) neither her minifters, Oxford and Bolingbroke*, nor fhe, had any defign to do. He next told me, he had ended his domestic affairs, through fuch difficulties from the law, that gave him as much torment of mind, as his diftemper had done of body, to do right to the perfon to whom he had obligations beyond expreffion: that he had found it neceffary not only to declare his marriage to all his relations †, but (fince the person who

had

* Bolingbroke, when Atterbury wished to proclaim the Pretender, confidered the idea as madness. See Life of Pope, Note. † Lord Peterborough married Mrs. Anaftafia Robinson ‡, a celebrated finger, of whom Dr. Burney has given a very interesting

VOL. X.

See Vol. VIII. p. 254. Note.

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account

had married them was dead) to re-marry her in the church at Bristol, before witnesses. The warmth with which he spoke on thefe fubjects, made me think him much recovered, as well as his talking of his present state as a heaven to what was past. I lay in the next room to him, where I found he was awake, and called for help moft hours of the night, fometimes crying out for pain. In the morning he got up at nine, and was carried into his garden in a chair: he fainted away twice there. He fell, about twelve, into a violent pang, which made his limbs all fhake, and his teeth chatter; and for fome time he lay cold as death. His wound was dreffed (which is done conftantly four times a day), and he grew gay, and fat at dinner with ten people. After this he was again

in

account in vol. iv. of his Hiftory of Mufic. The marriage was long kept fecret, and, we learn from this Letter, divulged only about this time. His Lordship did not survive this interview with his old correfpondent many weeks. He perfifted in going to Lisbon, but died in the paffage, Oct. 15. He was born about the year 1658, and was in his seventy-feventh year when he died. At the time of his connection with Mrs. Robinfon, he must have been confiderably beyond his prime. She furvived him fifteen years, refiding in an exalted station, partly at Bevis-Mount, near Southampton (whence Mr. Pope's interesting Letter is dated), and partly at Fulham, or perhaps at Peterborough-House on Parson's Green (Lyfons' Environs of London, vol. ii.). The only Life extant of Lord Peterborough is that by Dr. Birch, which accompanies the Earl's portrait in Houbraken's Heads. He had written his own Memoirs, which his Lady deftroyed, from a regard to his reputation. Tradition fays, that in thefe Memoirs he confeffed his having committed three capital crimes before he was twenty years of age. Such Memoirs may be spared.

C.

in torment for a quarter of an hour; and as foon as

the pang was over, was carried again into the garden to the workmen, talked again of his hiftory, and declaimed with great spirit against the meannefs of the present great men and ministers, and the decay of public fpirit and honour. It is impoffible to conceive how much his heart is above his condition: he is dying every other hour, and obftinate to do whatever he has a mind to. He has concerted no measures beforehand for his journey, but to get a yacht in which he will fet fail, but no place fixed on to refide at, nor has determined what place to land at, or provided any accommodation for his going on land. He talks of getting towards Lyons, but undoubtedly he can never travel but to the fea-fhore. I pity the poor woman who is to fhare in all he fuffers, and who can in no one thing perfuade him to fpare himself. I think he must be loft in this attempt, and attempt it he will.

He has with him, day after day, not only all his relations, but every creature of the town of Southampton that pleases. He lies on his couch, and receives them, though he fays little. When his pains come, he defires them to walk out, but invites them to stay and dine or sup, etc. Sir Wilfred Lawfon and his Lady, Mrs. Mordaunt and Colonel Mordaunt, are here: to-morrow come Mr. Poyntz, etc. for two days only, and they all go away together. He fays he will go at the month's end, if he is alive. I believe

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