1805.) Extradls from the Port-folio of a\Man of Letters 363 
And leaves to her lover the option fo free 
To be drown’d in a fountain or hung on a 
tree ; 
Or to take any fhape that his paffion or 
whim, 
In fome foolifh moment, fuggefted .to 
him. 
TT NET 
Tis thus that the idol which reigns in my 
heart, 
Tho’ unchang’d fhe now is, yet I well know i 
my. part, 
And I foon thould prevail on my hard-hearted 
enny, 
Could I metamorphofe myfelf to a guinea. 
Extradis from the Port:folio.of a Man of Letters. 
— 
Original Letters from Lord Shelburn, Mr. 
Pitt, Dr. Armftrong, Mr. Richardjon, 
Mr. Hume, Mr. Bofwell, and Dr. 
Hunter, found ina Trunk of Dr. Smol- 
leit’s, in Italy, wwhere be died, and 
tranfmitted to a Gentleman in Ame- 
rica.* 
“« Fill-ftreet, Tuefday. 
*o MADAM, 
pes honoured with your Grace’s let- 
ter, inclofing one from Dr. Smollett. 
It is above a year fince I was applied to 
by Dr. Smollett, through a perfon whom 
I wifhed extremely to oblige, but there 
were, and ftiil fubfilt, fome appiications 
for the fame office, of a nature which it 
will be impoffible to get over in favour of 
Mr. Smollett, which makes it impoffible 
for me to give him the leaft hopes of it — 
1 could not immediately recolleét what 
had paffed on this fubje&t, elfe I fhould 
have had the honour to anlwer your - 
Grace’s letter fooner. 
‘Tam, with great truth and refpect, 
“© Your Grace's 
*« Mott obedient, 
«¢ And moft humble fervant, 
‘© SHELBURN.” 
* Duchefs of Hamilton.’ 
<¢ STR, 
*¢ Aftera long difability from the gout 
in my rightarm, I havea particular fatis- 
faction in making this firft ufe of my pen, 
to return you my beft acknowledgments 
for the obliging favour you was fo gocd as 
to fend me, and to expieis the fenfe I have 
of that undeferved opinion of me which 
you have ventured to tell the world you 
* Thefe curious letters came to us from 
an anonymous hand, and having no better 
means of afcertaining their authenticity, we 
fubmitted them tothe infpection of the Mare 
quis of Lanfdown, a letter of whofe is the 
firft of the feries, and we wese happy to find 
that that nobleman -immediately acknow- 
ledged the letter figned ** SHELBURN” to 
have been written by him. 
that might pleafe you. 
are pleafed to entertain. One of the firft 
and moft agreeable occupations of my 
fummer’s Jeifure will be the perufal of 
your volumes; a work which, I doubt 
not, will fully anfwer, with all good 
judges, the great expectations which the 
krown talents of the author have fo jufily 
raifed. 
‘© Tam, with great regard, Sir, 
© Your moft obedient, 
* And moft humble fervant, 
«¢ Whiteball, ‘WEP err. 
“¢ May 15, 1757." 
‘¢ Dr. Smollett.”’ 
“<¢ London, March 28, 1769. 
‘¢ O, my dear Doétor, I thould feverely 
reproach myfelf, for having fo long de- 
layed anfwering your letter, which gave 
much pleafure and entertainment, not only 
tome, but to all our common friends, if 
it was not that I waited for fome news 
I have none to 
fend you at laft, except you are, as lam, 
upon thé Douglas fide; but this is treat- 
ing you with ftate inteliigence. 
“‘ Tt is needlefs to fay how much I re- 
joice in your recovery ; but I have all 
along had great confidence in the vigorous 
ftamina with which nature hes bleft you. 
I hope you may, within a year or two, 
be able to wearher out, if not an Englifh 
winter, at leaft an Enghth fummer; 
meantime, if you won’t come to us, Ill 
come to you; and fhall, with the help of 
{mall punch and your cempany, laugh 
at the Tufcan dog days. 
“¢ Tenjoy, with a pleafing fympathy, 
the agreeable fociety you find amongtt the 
profeffors at Pifa. All countries, and all 
religions, are the fame to men of liberal 
minds. And the moft contemptible, 
fometimes even the moft dangerous of all. 
animals, is an ill-natured blockhead, 
who affects to defpife his neighbours, be 
caufe he fecretly envies their fuperior, abi 
Iintes, and regards them with a jealou$ 
eye. 
, a The 
a 
ae Sere 
