1604; ] | Extraés from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 
the Clothiers’ ftreet, and at one of his 
turns feeing, at the very feet of a poor 
taylor, a Venetian ducat, which, however 
dirty and trod upon, neverthelefs, by the 
merchant, who was well acquainted with 
the coin, was inftantly recognized ; and 
fo, without ceremony, ftooping down, 
with a fmile, he faid, ‘ By my faith, here 
is aducat!? The wretched botcher, who 
was juft then patching a doublet for a 
morfel of. bread, overcome with envy at 
the fight, and from extreme poverty aéted_ 
upon by rage and grief, looked up to Hea- 
ven, and, with his clenched fit, blafphem- 
ing the juitice and power of God, added, 
‘ Well is it. faid, that gold flies to gold, 
and that mifery and want cannot influence 
zt! Here have I toiled all day to earn 
five-pence, and‘ find nothing but ftones to 
wear out my fhoes; while this great lord 
of treafures picks up a ducat of gold at 
my feet, who has no more occafion for it 
than a dead man for incenfe.” 
«< The prudent and wife merchant, who 
during this fpcech had, by the fiery argu- 
ments of the filverfinith, who lived ®ppo- 
fite, reduced the ducat to its priftine beau- 
ty; turning to the poor tailor, with a 
{miling countenance, replied ; ¢ You are 
wrong, my good man, to blame Heaven, 
who has juflly decreed that I fhould find 
the ducat ; for, had it fallen to your fhare, 
you would foon have {pent it; or, if, by 
chance, it had remained a while in your- 
hands, you .would have put it in fome 
dirty place, alone too; whereas I, on the 
contrary, fhall fend him to his equals, 
among gay and fplendid company.’ So 
faying, he turaed round to his bank, and 
threw it on the top of many thouland flo- 
tins that lay therein.” 
The ducat was his book 
Jorizs, his genteel readers. 
Original Letters from Mr. Edward Cave 
(Dr. Fobufon's firft Literary Patron) to 
Dr. Birch. 7 
‘© REV. SIR, Sept. 9,174.1. 
** If you have not feen the inclofed, it 
may be worth looking on. 
“I have put Mr. Johnfon’s play * into 
Mr, Gray’s hands in order to fell it to 
him, if he is inclined to buy it; but I 
doubt whether he willor not. He would 
difpofe of copy, and whatever advantage 
would be made by acting it. Wou} 
your fociety, or any gentleman, or body 
of men, that you know, take fuch a bar- 
gain? Both he and I are very unfit to 
ceal with the theatrical perfons. Flete- 
SS fs 
* Trene. 
; the heap of 
53 
> 
wood was to have acted it laft feafon, but 
Johnfon and diflidence, or pte | 
vented it. 
Iam, Rev. Sir, 
Your molt humble fervant, 
Epw. Cave.” 
‘¢ REV. SIR, 
‘6 The Ode to Wifdom, in the fecohd 
volume of Clariffla, was written by Mifs 
Carter: it had been handed about in ma. 
nufcript. I had not permiffion to print it, 
though I afked for it perfonally at Deal; 
and though I before had it in manufcript, 
it was under a promife not to publith ig 
without leave. Lam? Sit, 
Your humble fervant, 
Dec. 1747. * Epw.iCave.” 
i 
Sat. Morng. Dec. 12, 1747 
REV: SER, 
“‘T find (by a letter, on Friday) Mifs 
Carter is very much vexed at the publica- 
tion of her Ode in Clariffa, whether fhe 
thought it wufinifbed, or what was her 
reafon fhe does not fay, but wanted me 
to iaform her how fhe could properly ex- 
prefs her diflike of it. ‘This is the af- 
fair that I wanted to confult you about 
before I wrote, (when I called laf night) 
which I did, as I was not to mifs thar 
“ pott, and to this effet, that I could con- 
ceive no othermethod, but to let me pub- 
lifh it in the Magazine, as the fhould cor- 
rect it; wish an introduction, that it be- 
ing wrong without the leave and contrary 
to the intention of the author, we had 
obtained a genuine copy. 
«Tf I can have leave to print this Ode 
correét, and that to Mr. Y-———, in the 
fame Magazine, this will tally very well, 
being circumitanced alike. 
© T will wait on you en Monday or 
Tuelday, and am : 
Your very humble fervant, 
Ep. Cave.” 
Original Letter from the Rew. Peter Whal. 
ley, the Editor of Ben Fonfews Works in 
1756, to Dr. Richard Rawlinjon. 
6° Sire, 
«© Your very obliging favour came fafe 
to hand ; and I beg leave in this to re- 
turn you my thanktul acknowledgements 
for what you fent me in relation to Ben 
Jonfon. That piece will be of fervice 
to me, both in compofing a new Life of 
the author, which I defign, and in ex- 
plaining one or two of his finaller poems. 
Your inclination and abilities to gratify 
me, will, I am afraid, make me a trou- 
bletome correfpondent ; as they embolden 
me 
