― [page break] ―O My friend! Can I stay the torrent of my emotions? Can I stiffle
the burst of tenderness or check the tears of rapture, with which my
heart was agitated and my eyes suffused, on the perusal of thy letter?
Shall I suffer them to fall unheeded? Shall not my pen, fly with
tenfold rapidity at this transporting moment? Thou eloquent and
amiable Preacher! This is the argument which is adapted to convince
me. This the mode of demonstration which leaves me not at liberty to
doubt or to dissent. All thy reasonings would have been unavailable,
but thou hast now furnished thy hand of with the Rod of Hermes
whose slightest wafture dissipates the mists of incredulity and inconviction
Knowest thou not that age and experience have only
‸ have only augmented the
enthusiasm of thy Correspondent.? That he is still ‸ a visionary, and prepared
to pay incessant adorations at the shrine of Love and friendship.—
Love!—O heaven! O heavenly powers! Thou sentiment that spurnest
at the efforts of speech. That teachest the eloquence of Silence! At the
mention of thy name how are my passions embroiled! My feelings are
conscious of thy presence! To give them Utterance is impossible—
Dost thou wish me to become a convert to your doctrine? Implicit
=ly to believe my own Immortality. And to gaze at self destruction with
abhorrence, to believe it execrable and flagitious? How easily may your
wishes be accomplished? You have need only to assure me of your
friendship, and withersoever you lead I shall inevitably foll[gap]
follow
My heart is worthy to be known to thee my friend. Thou art yet but
superficially acquainted with it. As thou knowest it better thou
wilt find it more deserving of an union with thy own. There may
not be an exact conformity of dispositions between, ‸ us but make me
be convinced that thou art certainly my friend, and thy temper and
― [page break] ―
opinions and pursuits will instantly become my own. Know me
better I beseech thee.
Ye pages that my fertile pen has filled, with the
jarring dictates of excursive fancy, elevated reason or ungoverned
passions. Ye Scenes in which I have arduously though obscurely
acted: And thou O fairest and most excellent! Thou Angel of
my destiny! Whose mind is purity, whose form is grace!
With whom, at whatever distance there may be, my soul
converses! It is you only to whom he who wishes to survey the
mind which governs this pen, must have recource.
What is wanting but the melody of varied numbers, to
confer upon your letter all the attributes of Lyric poetry?
What a truly heavenly vision hast thou described, and how
infinitely more delightful than the most eloquent or subtle
Racionation, and how exquisitely suited to produce conviction
in a soul like mine!
"Peace thou man of words! Thou unseasonable prater!
Thou Advocate of uncomfortable Scepticism! Thou babblest to
no purpose. In spite of all thy efforts to seduce me I will
still believe. My being is imperishable. This belief is pleasing
and useful: A Contrary opinion is painful and pernic‸ious
Why then should I adopt it? Is misery a proof of wisdom?
By what other motive ought the conduct of human creatures
to be governed than the desire of happiness? Without felicity
existance is of no value. And it is impossible for me to be
happy without the assurance of immortality. Argument
is useless: demonstration is impertinent and ineffectual.
My belief shall be the dictate only of inclination, and now as
I am as happy as the belief of an endless existance, in a
state better than the present, can render me."
― [page break] ―I am extreemly sorry for your ill health, butt it ought not to be forgot=
=ten by my friend that Sanity of mind, which he must be allowed
to enjoy, is of infinitely greater value than that of the body, and that
therefore, as the enjoyment of perfect and unmingled happiness
on earth is inconsistent with the great design of providence, he
he has reason to congratulate himself with
‸ on the felicity of his lot
With how much pleasure should I contribute my endeavours to alleviate
the pangs of an incurable Sickness, by the tenderness or sprightliness
of oral or epistolary converse! I will not differ from you even in
temper and opinion. That indeed is impossible. How clearly do I percieve
the exquisite relation between Love and friendship! The emotions which
each produces in the bosom of her votary, are of the same kind, and
differ only in degrees of violence. It is equally impossible to reject the
dictates of the friend or Mistress; at least, such is the Knowledge which
I have gathered from experience. How many resolutions have I unscrupulous
=ly broken. How many vows have I forfieted, in compliance with the
inclination of my friends! How many hours have I, in concurrence with
my friends, devoted to amusements which, without their concurrence,
would have appeared to me insupportably insipid and disgusting!
"Come. It is your deal and my SAY. SO.
No—Yes—No—his?—yes. It is his. That is true. Deal quickly
there I pray you.
There—There—
You have not shuffled them, nor cut.
Well: Now it is done. There—There—There—There—There—There
There—There—There—There.
What are trumps? Hearts? That is right. Fiddle Riddlede
Piddlede, Fiddlede—
Do ye stand? Merciful Fathers! what a I hand have I.
No, I run.
Oh! Hang thee for a Coward. Why didst not stand?
― [page break] ―I had not a single trump. Butt to comfort you the same card may
come again.
True.
There—There—There. Clubbs are trumps. Let me see: Slap dash for
Gungebred! I stand.
What say you Mr. B___n?
Stand.
I shall loo you both. It is your play, Mr B___n
Is it? I am sorry for that. well—There goes. What say you to that?
It is mine Sir.
We shall both be looed Charles.
I fear it indeed.
You are both of you looed. Huzza for victory. Ha! Ha! Ha!
Come hither ye dearly won, (taking the stake.) I shall be rich
presently. ‘ To
‸ It gives me the highest pleasure to win your coppers."
What think you, my friend, of this instructive and deligtful Scene?
Angels flocks from all the corners of the universe to gaze at our
exploits: to be witnesses of our valour in the combats of exalted loo.
Shall I write a Mock-heroic, and dignify it with this splendid title?
Surely loo of all employments is most worthy of a rational being.
How favourable is it to the progress of the Understanding? What
opportunities does it afford for the display of wit and eloquence? For
the indulgence of celestial Sympathy, and for the exercise of all
those passions which raise humanity above itself? How do I congratulat
myself on the extinction of my ancient prejudices. I was formerly of
opinion (how stupid was I to harbour it?) that the converse of a friend
was the most delightful Recreation. How have I pitied the man
who could withdraw his attention from the eye of a beloved companion
the eye, that organ of Intelligence and Sencibility! to fix them on
unmeaning pieces of discoloured paper. How unworthy have I deemed
― [page break] ―
him of the name of friend! But experience is the mother and
time the nurse of Wisdom. I can now, without insupportable
disgust or weariness, sit whole hours at the banquet, so insipid or
distasteful. And dost thou know the reason of this change of Sentiment
I cannot
[gap]
dislike that of which my friends are fond. In their
company I am sencible of felicity, which no employment can
diminish. Even the idea of loo by being thus generally accom=
panied with that of beloved Will and Joe, becomes agreable
to me. They make me happy by suffering me only to see them
and I change their conversation, incumbered as it is with the
impediments of Loo or Chess or Chequers, for that of Shakespear
or Rousseau or Richardson with regret and despondency. Permit
me to enjoy this happiness more frequently. My chamber and
my arms shall always be open to recieve you. I will unlock
my cabinet of Secrets, or I will give you the possession of the
key. I will make you, with my other friend, the partners of
my bosom: and will open to your critical and curious inspections
all my literary Stores. My friend, I know, does not honour me
with an equall degree of confidence: He assiduously hides from
view the tracts which he has trodden; and decorates, in secrecy,
the Scene with epic and dramatic splendour, of which I am
not yet worthy of becoming a Spectator. But no matter. I will
set an example of fidelity and confidence which he may
imitate or not as he thinks proper. My chamber wants,
indeed, external decoration. It is unadorned with carpet or with
Tappestry. But may I not hope that my friends will overlook
the humility of my dwelling, and will be satisfied with the
assurance that their visits will be ever Convenient and acceptable
And that their presence will give almost as much satisfaction
― [page break] ―
to my family as to myself. I can furnish my apartment with a
P
ac
k and table if that be necessary, and the company of my
friends to all will reconcile me to the artifices and Meneuvre's of
Piquet Basset Ombre and Quadrille. Loo is puerile and insipid
when compared to them, at least Variety is necessary to render
Cards agreable. All Austerity is banished from this house
All observance of Religious peculiarity. Every man may go and
come and act when and how he thinks proper. The ears of its
Inhabitants are not offended ‸ at or unused at ‸ to the voice of music or
of gayety, nor ‸ at the murmers of a midnight conversation. Come then
whenever you think proper, for your coming cannot be otherwise
than convenient and acceptable to the tenants of this mansion
and particularly, to
C. B. B~
You promise to reply to the remaining part of my last letter. I
am not unmindful of this promise.
Sunday Evening Nine OClock ~
― [page break] ―I called only to leave this letter, to recieve one in
return, and to ask you whether your were worse
or better than when last I saw you.~ I have stolen
a Wafer.
Joseph Bringhurst Junr.
Front Street~