I.ETTERS. 193 



You read, I believe, a good deal ; nothing could be 

 more acceptable to nie, or more improving to jou, than 

 making a part of your letters to consist of jour senti- 

 ments, and opinion of the books you peruse ; you have 

 no idea how beneficial this would be to yourself; and 

 that you are able to do it, I am certain. One of the 

 greatest impediments to good writing, is the thinking 

 too much before you note down. This, I think, you are 

 not entirely free from. I hope, that by always writing - 

 the first idea that presents itself, you will soon conquer 

 it ; my letters are always the rough first dj'aft ; of course 

 there are many alterations ; these you will excuse. 



I have w' ritten most of my letters to you in so negli- 

 gent a manner, that, if you w^ould have the goodness to 

 return all you have preserved stai^, I will peruse them, 

 and all sentences worth preserving I will extract, and 

 return. 



You observe, in your last, that your letters are read 

 with contempt. — Do you speak as you think ? 



You had better write again to 'Mv . Between 



friends the common forms of the world, in writing letter 

 for letter, need not be observed ; but never write three 

 without receiving one in return, because in that case 

 they must be thought unworthy of answer. 



We have been so busy lately, I could not answer 

 yours sooner. — Once a month suppose we write to each 

 other. If you ever find that my correspondence is not 

 worth the trouble of carrying on, inform me of it, and 

 it shall cease. 



* * * * 



P.S. — If any expression in this be too harsh, excuse 

 it. I am not in an ill humour, recullect. 



TO HIS BROTHER NEVILLE. 



Nottingham, 11th April 1801. 

 Dear Neville, 



On opening yours, I was highly pleased to find two 

 and a half sheets of paper, and nothing could exceed my 



