‘Fallitur in dubiis hominum solertia rebus.’

If you have an ‘opportunity,’ you may (as if ‘from yourself,’ and ‘unknown to me’) show the enclosed to Mr. Belford, who (you tell me) ‘resenteth’ the matter very heinously; but not to let him ‘see’ or ’hear read,’ those words ‘that relate to him,’ in the paragraph at the ’bottom of the second page,’ beginning, [’But yet I do insist upon it,] to the ‘end’ of that paragraph; for one would not make one’s self ‘enemies,’ you know; and I have ‘reason to think,’ that this Mr.  ‘Belford’ is as ‘passionate’ and ‘fierce’ a man as Mr. Lovelace.  What pity it is the lady could find no ‘worthier a protector!’ You may paste those lines over with ‘blue’ or ‘black paper,’ before he seeth it:  and if he insisteth upon taking a copy of my letter, (for he, or any body that ‘seeth it,’ or ‘heareth it read,’ will, no doubt, be glad to have by them the copy of a letter so full of the ‘sentiments’ of the ‘noblest writers’ of ‘antiquity,’ and ‘so well adapted,’ as I will be bold to say they are, to the ‘point in hand’; I say, if he insisteth upon taking a copy,) let him give you the ‘strongest assurances’ not to suffer it to be ‘printed’ on ‘any account’; and I make the same request to you, that ‘you’ will not; for if any thing be to be made of a ‘man’s works,’ who, but the ‘author,’ should have the ‘advantage’?  And if the ‘Spectators,’ the ‘Tatlers,’ the ‘Examiners,’ the ‘Guardians,’ and other of our polite papers, make such a ‘strutting’ with a ‘single verse,’ or so by way of ‘motto,’ in the ‘front’ of ‘each day’s’ paper; and if other ‘authors’ pride themselves in ‘finding out’ and ‘embellishing’ the ‘title-pages’ of their ‘books’ with a ‘verse’ or ‘adage’ from the ‘classical writers’; what a figure would ‘such a letter as the enclosed make,’ so full fraught with ‘admirable precepts,’ and ‘a-propos quotations,’ from the ’best authority’?

I have been told that a ‘certain noble Lord,’ who once sat himself down to write a ‘pamphlet’ in behalf of a ‘great minister,’ after taking ‘infinite pains’ to ‘no purpose’ to find a ‘Latin motto,’ gave commission to a friend of ‘his’ to offer to ‘any one,’ who could help him to a ‘suitable one,’ but of one or two lines, a ‘hamper of claret.’  Accordingly, his lordship had a ‘motto found him’ from ‘Juvenal,’ which he ‘unhappily mistaking,’ (not knowing ‘Juvenal’ was a ‘poet,’) printed as a prose ‘sentence’ in his ‘title-page.’

If, then, ‘one’ or ‘two’ lines were of so much worth, (A ’hamper of claret’!  No ’less’!) of what ‘inestimable value’ would ’such a letter as mine’ be deemed?—­And who knoweth but that this noble P—­r, (who is now* living,) if he should happen to see ‘this letter’ shining with such a ‘glorious string of jewels,’ might give the ‘writer a scarf,’ in order to have him ‘always at hand,’ or be a ‘mean’ (some way or other) to bring him into ‘notice’?  And I would be bold to say (’bad’ as the ‘world’ is) a man of ‘sound learning’ wanteth nothing but an ‘initiation’ to make his ‘fortune.’