LETTERLII.TO MR. R.——.
September 17, 1777.
MY RESPECTED FRIEND,
I FEEL myself guilty of an unmannerly neglect, in delaying to give my good Mrs. C—— some account of the little commissions she honoured me with.—You must exert your friendly influence, in making my peace with her;—not but that I well know mercy has the blest preponderancy in her scale—nor can kindness or mercy belodged in a fairer breast;—in faith, I am scarce half alive;—yet what really is alive about me—hungers to hear news from B——: first, how Mrs. C—— got down—and her good companion;—how her health is: tell her, I hope she left all her pains behind her;—if so, I believe I have taken possession of them all. Alas, my friend, I never was but half so bad before;—both feet knocked up at once; plenty of excruciating pains, and a great lack of patience.—Mrs. Sancho has had a blessed week of it;—for my companion did not contribute much to the sweetening my temper—it was the washing-week, which you know made it a full chance and half better.—she was forced to break sugar, and attend shop.—God bless her, and reward her!—she is good—good in heart—good in principle—good by habit—good by Heaven! God forgive me, I had almost sworn.—Tell me how the ladies got down—how they do; and what they do;—how you do;—and how —— feels, now the broom is hung on his door top.—The certainty that B—— and his connexions are all alive and merry—will be a cure for mygout—and thou shalt be sole doctor, as well as first friend, to thy ever obliged true friend.
I. SANCHO.