leave this, among those of your own Papers, that may, possibly, see the Light, by a Posthumous Publication.—God send us Health, while we stay, and an easy Journey. My dear Dr. Young, Yours, most cordially, MELCOMBE. LORD MELCOMBE TO HIS FRIEND, DR. YOUNG. Kind companion of my youth, Lov'd for Genius, Worth, and Truth, Take what Friendship can impart, Tribute of a feeling Heart, Take the Muse's latest spark, He, who Parts, and Virtue, gave, Why stand shivering on the shore ? ODE. Love thy Country, wish it well, Not with too intense a care, 'Tis enough, that when it fell, 2. Envy's censure, Flattery's praise, With unmov'd Indifference, view; Learn to tread Life's dangerous maze, With unerring Virtue's clue. 3. Void of strong Desires, and Fear, Strive thy little Bark to steer, 4. Thus prepar'd, thy shorten'd sail Seizing each propitious gale, Waft thee to the Port of Peace. 5. Keep thy conscience from offence, 6. Easy shall thy passage be, Chearfull, thy allotted stay; Short th' account twixt God and Thee; Hope shall meet thee, on the way; 7. Truth shall lead thee to the gate, DEAR SIR TH No. XXXVII. FROM SIR ALEXR. DICK. Prestonfield March 6, 1762. HE last year did not close, without another obliging Letter from you to me, and it came just as we were eating our Christenmas Pyes-I had then just expended all my franks and our Members were all run to town, to take care of the Nation, else you should have sooner heard, whether I was living or dead.-Without saying more about myself, know, that my two little supporters and I, enjoy at present, God be thank'd for it! very good health: after having got over a pretty severe winter, we are just peeping about the Garden for flowers; and my Daughters have brought in some violets, which as they came into my Parlour gave us all the joyfull smell of the spring-and set us again looking for the first swallow, which, if we can catch we shall send off, with a most affectionate message to you to Oatlands, where, we dare say, it will find you, -It is determin'd by my evil stars that I shall not get to town for this season to meet with you there, at Oatlands or Bifleet, these charming retirements, which naturally attract your attention; but, in the name of every thing that is good, I conjure you when you come to Durham to attend the Cathedral, (which I know is your turn this ensuing Summer,) that you proceed further north again to give us your benediction at Prestonfield; for all my people here say to one another, When shall we see again the man of God in our family? My gardener James says it always did him good to observe you take your regular walks in the garden, every day, and suggesting to me those excellent Improvements which he had often thought should be done himself; but could not tell the cause why, or ever so well express the reason of their being proper. At length he has overcome that woefull boxwood hedge which disgrac'd the little land before my house, on each side, and now my small plantations of trees are seen from top to bottom. The balefull yew with its bushy top and ugly waste, still remains to stare me in the face; and give opportunities to James to exclaim every day against it in your name, and to walk like an executioner with the axe in his hand to lay to the root of the tree, but I stop him, telling him it is reserved to blaze in a Bonfire, or feu de joye, upon your arrival. Depend upon it, this yew will haunt you like a ghost, in your finest walks, when you come to Durham, if you don't revisit us here.-What do you think I am busied about now? first let me tell you in shortening the way to Durham at least twenty miles, and co-operating with many others, in getting a fine bridge over the Tweed at Coldstream, and in making the ways and paths elegant, peaceable, and pleasant, elegant I say, for you know 'tis part of my scheme for public Roads in countries, that the gentlemen of property should plant at proper places, and at proper distances, noble clumps of trees of all sorts; to dignify the look of the land." In the second place, I have the vanity to rank myself amongst the list of Inventors: for, be it known unto you, and to all men whom it may concern, that my daughter and I have found out, (for we can do nothing without one another), a most surprizing tho' very common plant, which when I sent it in quantities to the paper mill produced 12 quire of this paper which you see here enclos'd: the plant is that green sort of filamentuous stuff, called by Linnæus in Latin Byssus flamentis,' which you see on the ponds and lakes, in the heat of summer:-and is in immense quantities in my Loch of Dudingston. It is true; it is of a brown colour in the paper; but as you see likewise in the specimen of the dried fibrous plant, (of which my daughter made a Hat, before it was sent to the paper mill,) it is much whiter; and we imagine can be bleach'd. Our friend Mr. Hamilton the Bookseller at Edinburgh; is greatly charm'd with this experiment; and has been very useful in making it at his paper mill. It bears writing, and notes of Musick, without blotting in the least, and I am convinc'd, had the ancients known it they would have preferr'd it to the papyrus of Egypt.-I am just sending, by our new member for Edinburgh, some sheets of it for Lord Bute, who is very curious in Botany, for which we made him lately an honorary fellow of our College of Physicians here. I agree with you extremly in thinking Mr. Hume's last performance a Masterpiece. He pass'd two days with me here lately, and remember'd you most sincerely with all good wishes. He made about fifteen hundred pounds, by his last two Volumes; and is really growing rich.-Dr. Robertson was t'other day put into the place of Principal, or head of the College here; which will tend greatly to forward good schemes for the Education of Youth.— As to Mr. Blacklocke, I shall never lose sight of him, till his settlement be made complete; which is nearly like to be done. Now My good Sir! have not I given you a large budget! Pay me in kind, for well you can; give me hopes of seeing you here. Receive the good wishes of all your friends, particularly Lord Chief Baron and Mr. Hume, my two Daughters and I, for my littlest one is as full of prattle as you could wish. I conclude in wishing every good thing to attend you and your Noble friend at Oatlands. May you and he long live to enjoy those fine rural scenes; and may I live to see you often, at least once in two years, under my roof here. I am yours, in the sincere and best manner, ALEXANDER DICK. P.S. Are you not prodigiously astonished with Fingal, but of that amazing piece, it is impossible to say enough here. P.S. Dear Sir my loon is well at Straburgh; and I dont hear he comes over yet, by his Letters to me. |