ez'i 



Memoirs oj the Life of the Rigkl flon, JFm. Pitt. 



Burton Pijnscnt, Ocf. 30//<, 1773. 

 With what ease oi'miud and joy of heart 

 I write to my loved William, since Mr. 

 Wilson's comfortable letter of Monday. I 

 do not mean to address you as a sick man ; 

 I trust i'.i heaven, that conrahscent is the 

 only title I am to give you in the ailing; 

 tribe, and that 3'ou are now enjoying the 

 happy advantage of Dr. Glynn's* acquain- 

 tance, as one of tha clieerl'ul and witty 

 sons of Apollo, in his poetic, not liis medi- 

 cal, attribute. But, though I indulge with 

 inexpressible delight the thought of your 

 returning health, I cannot help hoing a 

 little in pain, lest yon should make more 

 haste than pood speed to lie well. Your 

 maiDDia has been before me in suggesting 

 that most useful proverb, recvler pour 

 niieux saiiler, useful to all, but to the ar- 

 dent, iieteisttri/. You may indeed, my 

 sweet boy, better than any one, practise 

 this sage dicluni, without any risque of 

 being ihroivn out (as little James would 

 s.iy) in thec/irtce of learning- All you want 

 at present, is quiet, with this, if your 

 ardor afirrzvj'.i-i can be hept in, till you are 

 stronger, you will make voine enough. 

 How happy the task, my noble amiable 

 boy, to caution you on/i/ uyuinst pursuing 

 too much, all those liberal and praise- 

 worthy things, to which less happy na- 

 tures are perpetually to be spurred and 

 driven ; 1 will not te.ize you with too long 

 a lecture in favour o{ inaction, and a com- 

 petent itupidity, your two best tutors and 

 fom.;)a)i(OH* at present. You have time to 

 spare ; consider there is but the Encyclo- 

 pedia ; and when you have mastered all 

 that, what will remain ? you will want, 

 like Alexander, another world to conquer. 

 Y'our mamma joins me in every word ; and 

 we know how much your affectionate mind 

 can sacrifice to our earnest and tender 

 wishes. Brothers and sisters are well, all' 

 feel about you, think and talk of you, as 

 they ought. My atfi^ctionate remembrances 

 go in great abundance to Mr. Wilson. 

 Vive, vale, is the unceasing prayer of your 

 tnily loving father, Chatham. 



The above lefter indicates great 

 anxiely, boautifiilly expre.s.sed, lest 

 Mr. Pitt slunild too soon resume liis 

 studies; and seetus to shew, th(ij on for- 

 mer occa.sions of illness. Lord ^^jj Lady 

 Chatliain had been under the necessity 

 of restraining him. He recovered so 

 slowly and so imperfectly before he left 

 Cambridge, that he was unable to read 



♦ This eminent physician and excellent 

 scholar became warmly attached to Mr. 

 Pitt, and was a great admirer of his talents 

 and character. He frequently read with 

 him select passage.s from classical writers, 

 which he thought particularly deserving 

 bis Qptice. 



any book which required much attes- 

 tiou; and Lord Chatham diti not allow 

 him to return tothe University till tlio 

 beginning of July, soon after which h« 

 wrote iiim the following letter, wiiicli 

 proves the continuance of the same so- 

 licitude : — 



Hayes, Sunda;/, July Mtli, 1774. • 

 Need 1 tell my dear William that bli 

 letter received this morning, diffused gene- 

 ral joy here ? To know that he is well and 

 happy, and to be happy ourselves, is oHe 

 and the same Ihir.g. I am glad that Cham- 

 bers, Hall, and tufted Robe, continue to 

 please ; and make no doubt, that all the 

 nine, in their several departments of 

 charming, will sue t'or your love with aH 

 their powers of enchantment. 1 know too 

 well the danger of a nc^f amour or of a re- 

 virivf) passion, not to l\ave some fears for 

 your discretion. (Jive any of these allur- 

 ing ladies the meeting by day-liiilit and 

 in their turns ; not becoming the slave oi 

 any one of them ; nor be drawn into late 

 hoiu's bj' the temptation of their sweet con- 

 verse. I rejoice that college is not yet 

 evacuated of its learned garrison ; and I 

 hope the governor of this fortress of science, 

 the master, or his admirable aides-de- 

 camps, the tutors, will not soon repair to 

 their respective excursions. Ur. Bi'owii, 

 to whom 1 desire to present my best cora- 

 plimeut=, is very obliging in accommodating; 

 yon with a stable. 1 hope with this aid 

 Mr. Wilson's computation may tiot be out 

 above one half, to bring it at all near the 

 mark. I conclude, a horse's allowance at 

 Cambridge is upon the scale of a sizar's 

 conmioiis. However it prove, I am glad to 

 think yon and ho will find more convenience 

 for riding at every spare hour than offers. 

 Stucky will carry Mr. ^^■iIson safely, and 

 I trust not unpleasantly. The brothers of 

 the turf may hold the solid contents of his 

 shoulders and forehand somewhat cheap ; 

 but by Dan's leave, he is no nncreditable 

 clerical steed ; no news yet from Pitt ; 

 James is here, the flower of schoolboys. 

 Your loving father, 

 ^ Chatham. 



Hayes, Spt.'Z, 1774. ,' •'. 



I write, my dearest William, the post jA^t ' 

 going out, only to thank you lor your mdsf 

 welcome letter, and for the attectionafe 

 anxiety yon express for my situation, left 

 behind in the hospital when our Hying 

 camp moved to Stowe. Gout has for the 

 present subsided, and seems to intend de 

 fcrring his favours til! winter, if autumn 

 will do its duty, and bless us with a course 

 of steady weather ; those days which Ma- 

 dame de Savigne so beautifully points, dcf 

 jours files d^orcf de soye. 



I have the pleasure to tell you, your 

 mother and sisters returned perfectly well 

 from Bucks., warm ill praises of magnificent 



and 



