ADDISON TO THE EARL OF WARWICK. [The following letters were written by Mr. Addison, in 1708, to the young Earl of Warwick, who afterwards became his son-in-law. They are full of that good-nature and humour for which our author was so eminently distinguished, and though written down to the capacity of a child will no doubt be acceptable to the reader. They were first printed by Curll in 1719, and reprinted as authentic in the Gents. Magazine, 1778, in the Addisoniana, 1803, in Drake's Essays, 1805, in the Selections from the Gents. Mag. 4 vols. 8vo, 1809, and recently by Miss Aikin.] MY DEAR LORD, [Sandy-End,2] May 20, 1708. I have employed the whole neighbourhood in looking after birds' nests, and not altogether without success. My man found one last night; but it proved a hen's with fifteen eggs in it, covered with an old broody duck, which may satisfy your Lordship's curiosity a little, though I am afraid the eggs will be of little use to us. This morning I have news brought me of a nest that has abundance of little eggs, streaked with red and blue veins, that, by the description they give me, must make a very beautiful figure on a string. My neighbours are very much divided in their opinions upon them some say they are a sky-lark's; others will have them to be a canary-bird's; but I am much mistaken in the colour and turn of the eggs, if they are not full of tom-tits. 1 Oldmixon says, "After Addison returned from his travels, (1704,) he took upon himself the care of the education of the young Earl of Warwick; and that gave him opportunity to render himself acceptable, by his services, to the Countess, that Lord's mother; though several years passed in great intimacy between them, before she could think of admitting him for her husband. The disparity in rank and fortune was a morsel of too hard digestion with her: but his patience and perseverance, and the many charming letters and poems he addressed to her, (not yet printed,) removed in time whatever difficulties the difference in their condition had thrown in his way." Hist. of Eng. (Lond. 1735,) p. 682. That Addison was at any time tutor to Edward Rich, Earl of Warwick, has been much doubted, and by some, and among them Dr. Drake, denied. Miss Aikin quotes Dr. Johnson as the principal authority for the assertion, not alluding to Oldmixon, who evidently speaks from a personal acquaintance with Addison, and published his biographical sketch of him more than forty years before Dr. Johnson wrote. 2 Sandy-End is a Hamlet of Fulham. If your Lordship does not make haste, I am afraid they will be birds before you see them; for, if the account they gave me of them be true, they cannot have above two days more to reckon. Since I am so near your Lordship, methinks, after having passed the day among more severe studies, you may often take a trip hither, and relax yourself with these little curiosities of nature. I assure you, no less a man than Cicero commends the two great friends of his age, Scipio and Lælius, for entertaining themselves at their country-house, which stood on the sea-shore, with picking up cockle-shells, and looking after birds' nests. For which reason I shall conclude this learned letter with a saying of the same author in his treatise of Friendship: "Absint autem tristitia et in omni re severitas; habent illæ quidem gravitatem; sed amicitia debet esse lenior et remissior, et ad omnem suavitatem facilitatemque morum proclivior.": "If your Lordship understands the elegance and sweetness of these words, you may assure yourself you are no ordinary Latinist, but if they have force enough to bring you to Sandy-End, I shall be very well pleased. I am, my dear Lord, Your Lordship's most affectionate, And most obedient servant, J. ADDISON. ADDISON TO THE EARL OF WARWICK. MY DEAREST Lord, (Sandy-End,) May 27, 1708. I cannot forbear being troublesome to your Lordship whilst I am in your neighbourhood. The business of this is, to invite you to a concert of music, which I have found out in a neighbouring wood. It begins precisely at six in the evening, and consists of a black-bird, a thrush, a robin-redbreast, and a bullfinch. There is a lark that, by way of overture, sings and mounts till she is almost out of hearing, and afterwards, falling down leisurely, drops to the ground as soon as she has ended her song. The whole is concluded by a nightingale, that has a much better voice than 1 Translation. Shun sadness and sternness on every occasion; for in these there is a kind of heaviness; friendship ought to be gentle and unrestrained, and inclined to the utmost suavity and good-nature. Mrs. Tofts, and something of the Italian manner in her di visioLS. If your Lordship will honour me with your company, I will promise to entertain you with much better music, and more agreeable scenes, than ever you met with at the opera; and will conclude with a charming description of a nightingale, out of our friend Virgil: "Qualis populeâ mærens Philomela sub umbrâ Whose nest some prying churl had found, and thence Your Lordship's most obedient, DRYDEN. J. ADDISON. ADDISON TO THE EARL OF WARWICK. DEAR SIR, any [Sandy-End,] May 30th, [1708.] If you are at leisure I will desire you to inquire in bookseller's shop1 for a Statius, and to look in the beginning of the Achilleid for a bird's nest, which, if I am not mistaken, is very finely described. It comes in I think by way of simile towards the beginning of the book, where the poet compares Achilles's mother looking after a proper seat to conceal her son in, to a bird searching after a fit place for a nest. If you find it send it me, or bring it yourself, and as you acquit yourself of this you may perhaps be troubled with more poetical commissions from, Sir, your most faithful, J. ADDISON.2 My hearty service to Dr. Swift. The next time you come bring a coach early that we may take the air in it. 1 Statii Achill. lib. i. 212-217. 2 This letter was first printed in "Smith's Literary Curiosities," (4to, Henry G. Bohn, 1836-41,) and was communicated to the publisher by the late Mr. Upcott. There is no doubt of its authenticity, and that it was addressed from Sandy-End to the young Earl of Warwick at the date specified. DEAR SIR, ADDISON TO WORTLEY MONTAGU. Whitehall, April 27th, 1708. I am very much obliged to you for the honour of your letter, and am glad to hear that there is no occasion for acquainting you with the issuing out of the writs, which I hear will be on Thursday next. I send you enclosed a print that is thought to be well written. I fancy it is Manwaring's. We hear that the Duke of Florence furnished the pope with the money that he contributed towards the intended expedition. If so, his minister will be put hence very suddenly. You have doubtless heard of the affront offered your cousin Manchester2 in searching his gondola for English cloth, which was found in some quantity aboard of it, by the corruption of his servants. It was done at the time when the Venetians had heard that the invasion had succeeded. Their ambassador is banished our court, and though he has desired audience to explain the matter, it is refused till your cousin Manchester has had the satisfaction he demands, which is, that the searchers stand in the pillory, and the cloth be put into the gondola on the place where it was taken out.3 1 The Pretender's intended descent on Scotland. 2 Then English ambassador at Venice. 3 The circumstances of the affront are thus related in the Earl of Manchester's Memorial to the Republic of Venice, presented on the 29th of March, 1708: "On Monday last my Gondola, with two of my boatmen dressed in my ordinary and well-known livery, was attacked in coming from Malamocco by the officers of this Most Serene Republic, armed with fire-arms and steel weapons. These officers entered the boat by main force; and, after having done what they thought fit, they suffered the Gondola to run away." The conclusion of this affair will appear from the following passage of the Earl of Manchester's letter to the Earl of Sunderland, from Venice, September 7, 1708: "I can now acquaint your Lordship, that yesterday the men were brought through the place of St. Mark to the galley. The chief of them had a paper on his breast and back with the inscription, as it was agreed on. There were great numbers of people. This day they delivered the cloth to my boat, in the place whence they took it. I sent it immediately to the four hospitals, so all is passed to our entire satisfaction, and much to the honour of the Queen; and I have the good fortune to have the approbation of all people here in this affair. As soon as the men have made their submission, I intend to go to the college to get them released; one of the men being lame of the gout, he was carried in a chair, which made it more remarkable. They were eleven in all." Further particulars will be found in Cole's Memoirs of Affairs of State, pp. 520, &c. VOL. V. I long for some of your conversation in country air, and am ever, with the greatest truth and esteem, sir, Your, &c., Steele shall write to you by the next post. J. ADDISON. DEAR SIR, ADDISON TO WORTLEY MONTAGU. Whitehall, May 1st, 1708. I am infinitely obliged to you for your kind letter, but am afraid that the present posture of affairs in our office will not let me have the happiness I proposed to myself of passing part of the summer in your company. My brother Hopkins is aiming at the House of Commons, and therefore desired me to take out my month in the country as soon as I can, that he may be at leisure to push his interest there in its season. At the same time I am very much disposed to go to the Bath, where I hope to put myself in good humour for the rest of the year, and gain as much benefit by the waters as a friend of mine did about a twelvemonth ago. I wish your inclination would determine you to the same place, or that, going thither or coming back, I might have the honour of waiting on you; for I hope you don't think it a compliment when I assure you that I value your conversation more than any man's living, and am with the greatest truth and esteem, Sir, your most affectionate friend, and most obedient servant, I think of setting out the latter end of the next week with Col. Frowde in a coach that we shall hire for ourselves to the Bath. SIR, ADDISON TO AMBROSE PHILLIPS. [Cockpit,] July 8th, 1708. I am very much obliged to you for your two kind letters, and glad that all things are likely to go on to your satisfaction. I have just time to congratulate with you on our last great victory, and can add nothing to your account of it published this night by authority. The enclosed letter I received for you, but paid postage because it did not come |