his own mouth and kindest professions have given me. Sir, it would be the higest indignity towards you if I did not, upon this occasion, repose myself without uneasiness or doubt upon you. Give me leave only to add one wordthat, as your bringing this affair to an end, in the manner in which you are used to do kindnesses to those you are willing to oblige, is all that remains for me to wish; so, when it is done, I trust that you will not be unthanked by all the world; and I am sure, for myself, I shall study, through my life, to shew myself in an uncommon manner, and upon all possible occasions, Sir, your most faithful and obedient servant, BENJ. SARUM. A word from you will find me in Grosvenor-street after Saturday next. LETTER III. From Dr.Butler to Sir Robert Walpole, on being nominated Bishop of Bristol, on the former recommenda SIR, tion of Queen Caroline. Stanhope, Aug. the 28th, 1738. I RECEIVED yesterday from your own hand (an honour which I ought very particularly to acknowledge) the information that the King had nominated me to the Bishoprick of Bristol. I most truly think myself very highly obliged to his Majesty, as much, all things considered, as any subject in his dominions; for, I know no greater obligation than to find the Queen's condescending goodness and kind intentions towards me transferred to his Majesty. Nor is it possible while I live to be without the most grateful sense of his favour to me, whether the effects of it be greater or less; for, this must in some measure depend upon acci-. dents. Indeed, the Bishoprick of Bristol is not very suitable either to the condition of my fortune, or the circumstances of my preferment; nor, as I should have thought, answerable to the recommendation with which I was honoured. But you will excuse me, Sir, if I think of this last with greater sensibility than the conduct of affairs will admit of. But, without entering farther into any detail, I desire, Sir, you will please to let his Majesty know, that I humbly accept of this instance of his favour with the utmost possible gratitude. I beg leave also, Sir, to return you my humble thanks for your good offices upon this and all occasions; and for your very obliging expressions of regard to, Sir, your most obedient, most faithful, and most humble servant, JO. BUTLER, By means of my distance from Durham, I had not yours, Sir, till yesterday; so that this is the first post I could answer it. SIR, LETTER IV. Marlborough-house, Jan. 3, 1734. AS I am very unfortunately, from a lameness which I despair of ever getting the better of, prevented from pay ing my duty in person to his Majesty, I must beg leave to desire you to lay before him a matter, which, I think, of some consequence to his Majesty's Great Park, at Windsor. The keepers of it inform me that, by his Majesty's directions, a great quantity of red deer are already sent thither, and many more are every day expected. I imagine that his Majesty cannot be fully apprized of the detriment this will be to the Park in general, where there was at least a hundred red deer from Old Windsor Wood before this augmentation. For, though the Park is large, yet the great quantity of words and roads take up a great part of it, and the greatest part of the land is extremely bad; so that, of course, the fallow deer must suffer; many of them will be starved and die; and scarce any will remain fit to be served in pursuance of his Majesty's warrants. I remember the old Marquis of Wharton made a present to the Duke of Marlborough of all his red deer, which was to prevent the mischief they did in his lordship's own park. And when the Duke of Marlborough found they did so much mischief at Blenheim, he presented them to the late king, to put into his Majesty's forests. There are a great many red deer in Windsor Forest; and I have been told, that Baptist Nonn takes care of them at Swinley Rails, where, I suppose, there are few or no fallow deer to be prejudiced by the red deer. The hay, necessary to fodder the deer in Windsor Park in the winter, is made from certain meadows inclosed with a fence, but not strong or high enough to keep ont the red deer, which will easily leap over, and totally destroy the grass that should be preserved for hay for the fallow deer. I believe I need not inform you, Sir, that I get nothing by being Ranger of that Park but a very pretty place to live in, which I have made so with a great sum of money of my own. I do indeed sometimes keep a few runts for my own table; not so many cows for milk as some of the underkeepers have; some horses that do the business of the Park; and some few have a running for past services, not to knock them on the head because they can do no more. But I need not say more upon this head, being persuaded thatyou do me the justice to believe that I despise any pitiful advantages that many have made who have been rangers of parks. And, if I were to lay before his Majesty my bills of the annual expense I am obliged to on account of this Park, I am persuaded he would be convinced of the truth of what I have said. Besides this, you will be pleased to remember, that near three years' allowance for this Park, in his late Majesty's reign, are still due to me, and likewise the expense I was at for repairs in the Park, which of yourself you told Mr.' Withers it was reasonable I should be paid. And he told me you directed him to pay me, though to this hour I never had it. These accidents, the taxes, and fees belonging to the allowance, make it not desirable but for the reasons given. I am far from urging this with any view to my own interest: the only motive that engages me to lay this before his Majesty is to do my duty; and that I may be sure of not being reproached, when the consequences are seen, for not having represented these matters in time. It is this that has laid me under a necessity of being troublesome to you in this particular; and of assuring you that I am, Sir, your very humble servant, S. MARLBOROUGH. 1799, Feb. XCV. The Rev. Dr. Stephen Hales to Nathaniel Booth, Esq. afterwards Lord Delamer. DEAR SIR, Teddington, Feb. 12, 1741. I WAS not without hopes, that the first account I saw of my niece's death in the newspapers might be groundless, * Mrs. Vere Tyndale, sister to Mr. Booth. as many are there; but when I saw in yesterday's paper her good character described, I conclude it is but too true. I little thought her so near her end when I saw her last, though her long and prevailing indispositions gave but little hopes of a long life; but, whatever natural causes appear to us to be the occasion of our friend's death, our departure hence certainly depends entirely on the will of the great Author of life, who gives us a longer or a shorter life, as he sees best for us; and, though it be very grievous and shocking to nature to part with our dearest friends, yet, when the natural debt of grief is paid, the most solid arguments of comfort are very obvious to us; to wit, that our separation is but for a very short time; and that our Religion furnishes us with solid grounds of hope, that we shall soon meet again in those blessed mansions, which our gracious and merciful Saviour assures us he is gone to prepare for those that truly love and fear him. As nothing more endears our own country to us than the enjoyment of our friends and dearest relations; so nothing more strongly and naturally takes off our love to this world, and makes us seem as strangers here, than the loss and departure of our friends: a happy effect, most graciously intended by Providence, thereby to take our affections off from present things, and in earnest to prepare ourselves for a better and an everlasting state of happiness. I am, Sir, with much esteem, 1799, July. Your affectionate humble servant, STEPHEN HALES. MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES, INCLUDING ANECDOTES OF EXTRAORDINARY PERSONS, USEFUL PROJECTS AND INVENTIONS, &c. &c. Account of the premature genius and learning of Barretier.* JOHN PHILIP BARRETIER was born at Schwabach, Jan. 19, 1720-21. His father was a Calvinist Minister of that place, who took upon himself the care of his education. What arts of instruction he used, or by what method he regulated the studies of his son, we are not able to inform the public, but take this opportunity of entreating those who have received more complete intelligence, not to deny mankind so great a benefit as the improvement of education. If Mr. Le Fevre thought the method, in which he taught his children, worthy to be communicated to the learned world, how justly may Mr. Barretier claim the universal attention of mankind to a scheme of education, that has produced such a stupendous progress! The authors, who have endeavoured to teach certain and unfailing rules for obtaining a long life, however they have failed in their attempts, are úniversally confessed to have, at least, the merit of a great and noble design, and to have deserved gratitude and honour. How much more then is due to Mr. Barretier, who bas succeeded in what they have only attempted; for to prolong life, and improve it, are nearly the same. If to have all that riches can purchase is to be rich; if to do all that can be done in a long time, is to live long; he is equally a benefactor to mankind, who teaches them to protract the duration, or shorten the business of life. That there are few things more worthy our curiosity than [* Drawn up by Dr. Samuel Johnson, from letters written by Barretier's father. E.] |