me a fon*, who promifed all that the fondeft wishes of the fondeft parents could hope; an honour to his family, an ornament to his country; with a heart early attached to all the duties of religion and fociety, with the advantage of strong and uninterrupted health, joined to a form, which, when he came into Italy, made him more generally known by the name of the "English angel" than by that of his family. I know, this account may look like a mother's fondnefs; perhaps it was too much fo once: but alas! it now only ferves to fhew the uncertainty and frailty of all human dependence. This juftly beloved child was fnatched from us before we could hear of his illness: that fatal disease, the fmall-pox, feized him at Bologna, and carried him off the evening of his birth-day, on which he had completed nineteen years. Two pofts before, I had a letter from him,

• Lord viscount Beauchamp. See vol. ii, letter cxxx, p. 166.

+ September 11, 1744.

written

༔

written with all the life and innocent chearfulness inherent to his nature; the next but one came from his afflicted governor*, to acquaint his unhappy father that he had loft the most dutiful and beft of fons, the pride and hope of his declining age. He bore the ftroke like a wife man and a Chriftian, but never forgot, nor ceafed to figh for it. A long feries of pain and infirmity, which was daily gaining ground, fhewed me the fword which appeared fufpended over my head by an almoft cobweb-thread long before it dropped. As to my bodily pains, I blefs Gop, they are by no means infupportable at present: I rather fuffer a languid ftate of weakness, which wastes my flesh and confumes my fpirits by a gentle

* Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Dalton was tutor to lord Beauchamp, but the "Supplement to the Biogra"phical Dictionary" (published in 1767) says, “ a "bad ftate of health prevented him from attending "his pupil on his travels abroad, and faved him the "mortification of being an eye-witness of his death."

† Algernon duke of Somerfet died February 7. 1749-50.

decay,

decay, than any frightful fuffering, and am fpending those remains of nature which were almost exhaufted in continued care and anxiety for the fufferings of a person dearer to me than to myfelf. My daughter*, who is very good to me, has fent me her youngest font, juft turned of four years old, to amufe me in my folitude, becaufe he is a great favourite of mine, and fhews a great deal of his uncle's difpofition," and fome faint likeness of his perfon. It is high time to release you from fo long a letter, but there are fome fubjects on which my tears and pen know not how to ftop when they begin to flow.

I am, dear Madam,

Your fincerely affectionate friend,

F. SOMERSET,

land.

The counters (now dutchefs) of Northumber

+ Now lord Algernon Percy.

* LETTER

LETTER CLIII.

Earl of CORKE* to Mr. DUNCOMBE.

Lincoln's-inn-fields, Sept. 14, 1754.

I Received, dear Sir, your “translation of

"Horace". You have my approbation, and, I dare fay, you will have the appo bation of good judges. Your notes are excellent, and therefore I wifh them enlarged. I think, there cannot be too many notes on Horace. I even love to fee fancies and conjectures on fuch an author. I own, I have indulged myself much in fuppofitions, and perhaps unwarrantable inventions, when I have read him, or any other favourite claffic: most of them, however, are in the fire. Of late, I have paffed all the little leifure I could fpare in reading Addifon's "travels." I read them long ago: they disappointed

* See vol. ii, letter xcv, note *.

Book i, fatire 6. On true nobility.

me

me then; they difappoint me ftill. The style is stiff, difagreeable, and tame. They were written in his early days. I wish he had polished them in his lateft. He is the glory of our English writers; but there are fpecks in the fun.

By what means I know not, a very beautiful English ode has been lately dropped here. It is certainly your fon's. He is a prophet, as well as a poet, and foresees the plan which I intend to purfue. But he has adorned it with poetical decorations, to fulfil the Quidlibet audendi, and to convince me of the partiality of a friend.

The character of being fingular and reserved may terrify a young man ; but after forty, all thofe fears are over. I was much in the great world at the beginning of my life; fo much, that I have defpifed it, ever Gince I have arrived at years of reflection.

"To the Genius of Italy." See Dodfley's "poems," vol. vi, p. 263.

My