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son of the tour of Italy to a journey through life, 
was from Dr. Conyers Middleton’s Letters from 
Rome. I will lend you the volume ; twill merit 
your attention. I travel with you, though with less 
fatigue, as my elbow-chair is the more easy vehicle; 
yet shall be happy to hear of those things which 
you will be able to give a better account of by 
having seen. You say you hope to enjoy your 
friends at the end of this journey, and rely on them 
to make old age comfortable at the conclusion of 
the journey of life. Now as I reckon myself among 
the number of your friends, how am I and some 
others, who may be twenty years older than you, 
to make your old age comfortable -—many a one 
would here cry out, a Bull, an Inicism. They know 
nothing of the matter; you are perfectly in order; 
for, having I suppose in Italy picked up, by way of 
novelty, a certain heretical book, you have noticed 
that length of days do not consist of a number of 
years, but that “ Wisdom is the gray hair unto 
men, and an wnspotted life, old age.” But I fear 
I am here encroaching upon Dr. Goodenough’s 
province, writing a sermon;—be it so, ’tis in the sin- 
cerity of my heart. I am sorry to add, Dr. Good- 
enough (though I love and honour him) has agreed 
with Mr. Marsham, if I will not unite in their 
Society, to banish me to Coventry,—a species of 
severity I know you would not be guilty of; never- 
theless I hope to get through this affair with a 
little address. I have been collecting some Lepi- 
doptera this summer, which I design as a free-will 
offering to that gentleman. Free-will offerings are 
