as ever I expect to be in every thing, or defire to be, except my conftitution be mended, or you made happier. Yet I think we have both of us the ingredients about us to make us happy. Your natural moderation is greater than mine; yet I have no fort of ambition nor vanity, that costs me an uneafy moment. Your temper is much more cheerful; and that temper joined with innocence, and a consciousness of not the leaft inclination to hurt, or disposition to envy another, is a lasting fecurity of that calm ftate of mind, which nothing can take from you, not fickness nor age itself. But the skill of your conduct would be, to avoid and fly as far as poffible from all occafions of ruffling it; or fuch vexations, which, though they cannot destroy it, can and will cloud it, and render you, the more liable to be uneafy for being more tender, and lefs inclined to make or fee others uneafy. That way they will get your very temper into their power, and you will grow, in appearance, the worfe woman, for being really at your heart the better. Unkindnesses and ungrateful returns are therefore the things you should get out of the way of, and, by so doing, you will preferve all your good-will for them, which though they don't merit, yet you would preferve; and avoid feeing what they cannot but wish you did not fee, though they cannot helping fhewing *. It is certain, both

*This is excellent advice. The great leffon of human happinefs is the art of forgiveness; but there is no reason to induce us to think that M. Blount was an adept. The they and them allude to Mr. and Mrs. Allen.

C.

both they and you would be eafier, were you quite removed from them. However, while you stay with them, I am glad you can find any circumftance of fatisfaction, and particularly that you like fo well the fituation of the houfe, fields, etc.; but do not be like the swallow, and, because it is pleasant in the fummer, lie ftill and be frozen to death in the winter; for you will certainly find it no winter habitation, and would do well to provide a better against that feafon.

I wonder you have not heard from Mr. Fortefcue. I wrote to him just after, and mentioned the same thing, and to me he has yet returned no answer, at least John has sent me no letter. I think he is more to be depended on than a direct courtier, though a judge. I was disappointed in not finding you gone with Mr. Schutz. As a German, I think it poffible he may be dull enough not to care for you: but be that as it will, as a courtier, if his duty to Madam V comes in the way, he muft prefer it to any other request whatfoever. I had directed the venifon beforehand, just as you wished I fee, and that was a pleasure to me. I had fent alfo two lines to Mrs. Dr, to tell her it came by your order, in cafe you had been out of town. As to the pine-apple, I wish I had had it myself, or that you had fent it to any better friend, Mrs. Price, or any honest body.

Mr. Lyttleton is just arrived, and I fet forward on Monday. On Tuesday I hope to get to his house;

and, if able, to get to General Dormer's in ten days (including journey and all).

I thank you for what you told Lord Cornbury. He writ to me very warmly, and talks of finding me wherever I am. I have given him the best account I can of my return to General Dormer's, about the 20th, I believe. I wish you would go with Mrs. Grevill to Aftrop (it is but fifteen miles off), and ftay with Lady Cobham till Lady Gerard returned from Lancashire, and called you. She and Mrs. Speed wish extremely for any honest company at present, and you would be quite easy. But this I know is a dream; and almost every thing I wish, in relation to you, is fo always! Adieu. I hope you take Spaw waters, though you mention it not. God keep you! and let me hear from you*.

* This Letter is directed to M. Blount, at her mother's houfe in Welbeck-ftreet; but, from the mention of " Aftrop, but fifteen miles off," I fufpect she was fomewhere on a visit with Mr. Allen's family, and that the following Letter is connected with this.

C.

LETTER XX.

TO THE SAME.

DEAR MADAM,

WRITING is become very painful to me, if I would write a letter of any length. In bed, or fitting, it hurts my breast; and in the afternoon I can do nothing, ftill lefs by candle-light. I would elfe tell you every thing that paffed between Mr. Allen and me. He proposed to have stayed only to dinner; but recollecting the next day was Good Friday, he faid he would take a bed here, and faft with me. The next morning I desired him to come into my room before 1 rofe, and opened myself very freely upon the subject, requiring the fame unreferve on his part. I told him what I thought of Mrs. Allen's conduct to me before you came, and both hers and his after. He did pretty much what you expected; utterly denied any unkindness or coolness, and protested his utmost desire, and answered for hers, to have pleafed you; laid it all upon the mutual diffatisfaction between you and her, and hoped I would not be altered toward him by any mifreprefentation you might make; not that he believed you would tell an untruth, but that you faw things in a mistaken light. I very ftrongly told him you never made any fuch; nor, if he confidered, was it poffible, fince all that had paffed I faw with my own eyes, and

heard

heard with my own ears. I told him I did not impute the unkindness fhewn me, in behaving fo coldly, to him originally, but to Mrs. Allen; and fairly told him I suspected it to have proceeded from fome jealousy she had of fome defigns we had upon his houfe at Hampton, and confirmed it by the reports I had heard of it from feveral hands. But he denied this utterly too. I preffed then, that she must have had some very unjust or bad thing suggested to her against you; but he affured me it all refted upon a mutual misunderstanding between you two, which appeared in two or three days, and which he spoke to his wife about, but found he could not make her at all easy in; and that he never in his whole life was fo forry at any disappointment. I faid much more, being opener than I intended at firft; but finding him own nothing, but ftick to this, I turned to make flighter of it, and told him he should not fee my behaviour altered to Mrs. Allen fo much as hers had been to me (which he declared he did not fee); and that I could anfwer for it, Mrs. Blount was never likely to take any notice of the whole, fo far from mifreprefenting any particular.

There were fome other particulars, which I may recollect, or tell when we meet. I thought his behaviour a little fhy; but in mine, I did my very best to shew I was quite unconcerned what it was. He parted, inviting himself to come again at his return in a fortnight. He has been very ill, and looks fo.

I don't