The kindness and honours I meet with from this charming family are greater than I can mention; sweet Mrs. Thrale hardly suffers me to leave her a moment; and Dr. Johnson is another Daddy Crisp to me, for he has a partial goodness to your Fannikin, that has made him sink the comparative shortness of our acquaintance, and treat and think of me as one who had long laid claim to him.

If you knew these two you would love them, or I don’t know you so well as I think I do.  Dr. Johnson has more fun, and comical humour, and love of nonsense about him, than almost anybody I ever saw:  I mean when with those he likes; for otherwise, he can be as severe and as bitter as report relates him.  Mrs. Thrale has all that gaiety of disposition and lightness of heart, which commonly belong to fifteen.  We are, therefore, merry enough, and I am frequently seized with the same tittering and ridiculous fits as those with which I have so often amazed and amused poor Kitty Cooke.

One thing let me not omit of this charming woman, which I believe will weigh with you in her favour; her political doctrine is so exactly like yours, that it is never started but I exclaim, ’Dear ma’am, if my Daddy Crisp was here, I believe between you, you would croak me mad!’ And this sympathy of horrible foresight not a little contributes to incline her to believe the other parts of speech with which I regale her concerning you.  She wishes very much to know you, and I am sure you would hit it off comfortably; but I told her what a vile taste you had for shunning all new acquaintance, and shirking almost all your old ones.  That I may never be among the latter, heartily hopes my dear daddy’s ever affectionate and obliged, F.B.

TO MRS. LOCK

A royal commission

Kew, April 1789.

MY DEAREST FRIENDS,

I have her Majesty’s commands to inquire—­whether you have any of a certain breed of poultry?

N.B.—­What breed I do not remember.

And to say she has just received a small group of the same herself.

N.B.—­The quantity I have forgotten.

And to add, she is assured they are something very rare and scarce, and extraordinary and curious.

N.B.—­By whom she was assured I have not heard.

And to subjoin, that you must send word if you have any of the same sort.

N.B.—­How you are to find that out, I cannot tell.

And to mention, as a corollary, that, if you have none of them, and should like to have some, she has a cock and a hen she can spare, and will appropriate them to Mr. Lock and my dearest Fredy.

This conclusive stroke so pleased and exhilarated me, that forthwith I said you would both be enchanted, and so forgot all the preceding particulars.

And I said, moreover, that I knew you would rear them, and cheer them, and fondle them like your children.