disguise itself, every one knows it by its saunter; s they do his Majesty (God bless him) at a Masuerade by the firmness of his tread, and the eleation of his chin. However, somewhat I had to ay, that has a little shadow of reason in it. I have een in town (I suppose you know) flaunting about t public places of all kinds with my two Italianized riends. The world itself has some attractions in t to a solitary of six years standing; and agreeble well-meaning people of sense, (thank Heaven here are so few of them) are my peculiar magnet, t is no wonder then, if I felt some reluctance at parting with them so soon; or if my spirits when I returned back to my cell, should sink for a time, not indeed to storm or tempest, but a good deal below changeable. Besides, Seneca says (and my pitch of philosophy does not pretend to be much above Seneca *) "Nunquam mores quos extuli, reFero, aliquid ex eo, quod composui, turbatur: aliquid ex his, quæ fugavi, redit:" and it will happen to such as we, mere imps of science; well it may, when Wisdom herself is forced often + In sweet retired solitude To plume her feathers and let grow her wings, Were all too ruffled, and sometimes impaired. It is a foolish thing that one can't only not live as one pleases, but where and with whom one * Vide Senecæ Epistol. vii. p. 17. Ed. Gronovii. 8vo.-Ed. + See Milton's Comus, v. 376.-Ed. Ques. P. S. When I went to town, part of my errand as to sell a little stock I had, to pay off Birkett's d debt, due at Christmas. But it was so low, I ould have lost near 12 per cent. and so it conIf you think of being here near that time, d find it not inconvenient to you to lend me £40, u will save me the money I mention, (as I reember you once offered.) But if any inconvenice attend it you must imagine I don't by any eans desire it. And you need not be at the trouble any excuse, as I well know, nothing but the not ing able, would hinder your doing it immediately. t me know, because otherwise, I have another arney to make to town. ich is worse. For me, and my retirement, (for are in the right to despise my dissipation de nze jours) we are in the midst of Diog. Laertius his philosophers, as a prooemium to the series their works, and those of all the poets and oras, that lived before Philip of Macedon's death: d we have made a great Chronological Table,* ch our own hands, the wonder and amazement of . Brown; not so much for public events, though ese too have a column assigned them, but rather a literary way, to compare the times of all great en, their writings and transactions: it begins at 30th Olympiad, and is already brought down the 113th; that is 332 years. Our only modern sistants, are Marsham, Dodwell, and Bentley. thill continues quiet in his Læta Paupertas, and this time, (were not his friends of it) would have rgot there was any such place as Pembroke in e world. All things there are just in statu quo; nly the fellows, as I told you, are grown pretty adish to their sovereign in general, for Francis is ow departed. Poor dear Mr. Delaval indeed has ad a little misfortune; intelligence was brought, hat he had with him a certain gentlewoman, pro * This laborious work was formed much in the manner f the President Heinault's "Histoire de France." Every age consisted of nine columns; one for the Olympiad, the ext for the Archons, the third for the public affairs of Greece, the three next for the Philosophers, and the three ast for Poets, Historians, and Orators. I do not find it arried further than the date above-mentioned.-Mason. |