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will, as fervent an urbanity, and as courteous, as if they were only dividing with you, the fuperfluities of their ordinary table. The poor of Wales are, on all feftive occafions, the kindeft of the liberal. I eat, drank, and was merry, and in process of the evening, every gambol that Health, innocence, rufticity, and good fellowship, fet loofe from toil, could devise, took its round. Since the days of Cadwallader, to thofe of the prefent Prince of Wales, there never was seen a more comfortable set of human creatures, on a more stormy night, through which many of them had to feek their way to their habitations, in the different huts, that were fcattered in the mountains, or in the valley. But this idea did not break in upon the prefent moments, which were devoted to joys, that, in fweet oblivion, abforbed the future. You remember the winter evening of the English peafants, defcribed by Thomson: It was now realized in Wales. The charming fines came to my memory, as I fat at the feftival; and they again recur at this instant: they are at the end of my pen. You would not forgive me for driving them back: Here then let them flow on the paper.

"Meantime the village roufes up the fire;
"While well attefted, and as well believ'd,
"Heard folemn, goes the Goblin-ftory round;

"The

"The rural gambol, and the ruftic mirth;
"The fimple joke, that takes the shepherd's heart,
"Eafily pleas'd; the long loud laugh, fincere ;
"The kifs, fnatch'd hafty from the fide-long maid,
"On purpose guardlefs, or pretending sleep:
"The leap, the flap, the haul; and, shook to notes
"Of native.mufic, the refpondent dance..

"Thus jocund fleets with them the winter-night.

After this harmless merry-making, which was certainly as paftoral, as if it had been the arcadia of primitive times, each departed to his home, and were fenced within, by hilarity and good cheer, against all annoyance from without, fo effectually, that, I fufpect, it was neither in the power of froft, fnow, or fuperftition, to chill them. Such are, truly, what my friend Goldsmith so poetically called,

"The ftill fmall joys that ask but little room."

I do not know the time, when I paffed an evening more to my fatisfaction; nor when I crowned the night, with a more quiet reft, in defpite of fairies and fairy tales. May your's, my friend, this, and every other night, be as undisturbed, after as pleafant days.

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IF we examine Lord Lyttelton's dofcription of Feftiniog, fhall we not think him a little unreasonable? and, in one or two paffages, not quite correct as to fentiment? With the woman one loves, the friend of one's heart, and a good study of books, there is furely scarce a man in the world, whofe mind is fitted to relish them, but would convert Arabia Infelix into a Paradife. There needs no fuch happy vales as that of Feftiniog, to render a person fo environed with heart-felt refources, more than content. I argue, that even in absence of these, at least, the last article, many a year might pass without a weary moment. No. I renounce the thought in the very. inftant that I have made it. I feel, that if the ftudy of books might be difpenfed with, the focial, bofom joys, which the two other fources afford, may not be given up. His Lordship is in the right. The charm of seeing others happy, and being one of the party, made me for a little while forget, that the best part of their felicity proceeds from domeftic happinefs. The men were furrounded by their fa

milies,

Arilies, and fuch as were not, I remember, had lefs jocund countenances, and feemed "maimed of half their joys." On finding that the fnow continued to fall violently, had you feen' how the mothers folded up their little ones, and how the fathers forced their great coats on the fhoulders of the mothers, and almost stripped themselves, to fortify their wives and loves against the cold; in particular, had you obferved, as I did, how a young fellow, after putting the handkerchief that tied his own neck, on that of a lafs whom he loved, carried her in arms, to the merriment of the whole company, and defiring every man to do as he did, while in a frolic, betwixt the tendernefs and glee of their hearts, they fet off with the wo men in the fame manner, the mountains reverberating with the "long loud laugh, fincere," you would have stood at the door, as long as I did, and been as little fenfible of the cold.

his

Ah, my friend, there is nothing to be long enjoyed, in the abfence of those who are dear to us! I feel that I am renewing the happiness of the scenes, I have been pleased with in my journeyings, by defcribing them in correfpondence to you and other of my friends: nay, I felt while they were paffing before me, that I fhould

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should again take delight in them, when I prepared them for the poft; and I often have amufed myself with thinking, as I rode by a beautiful profpect, met with agreeable people, or gave way to the emanations of a tender difpofition, how strongly will I point, and recom mend all these to the friends of my heart.

Pr'ythee, tell me, does abfence foften the memory of injuries, received? Does it take off the edge of that indignation one naturally feels for those who have used us ungratefully?, I have left behind me, now fome hundred miles, more than a few perfons, the recency of whofe unkind thoughts and practices towards me ought to prevent my ceafing to think of them: I do not cease to think; but I think of them every day with lefs afperity. My fenfe of their injuftice is the fame: perhaps it is the more impreffive the oftener it is reflected upon but there is fomething in my nature, either fo exceffively tender or weak, that, without affectation, I affure you, if, in the particular conduct of an avowed enemy, (one for inftance who has faid and done all that an enemy can or dare do and fay) there is on my recollection a fingle trait of goodwill or good-nature fhewn to me, prior to the date of his enmity, and I have a memory very

faithful

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