You are too severe to Walker.  I’ll undertake he would set me twenty seals for nothing rather than undergo your wrath.  I am in no haste for it, and so he does it well we will not fall out; perhaps he is not in the humour of keeping his word at present, and nobody can blame him if he be often in an ill one.  But though I am merciful to him, as to one that has suffered enough already, I cannot excuse you that profess to be my friend and yet are content to let me live in such ignorance, write to me every week, and yet never send me any of the new phrases of the town.  I could tell you, without abandoning the truth, that it is part of your devoyre to correct the imperfections you find under my hand, and that my trouble resembles my wonder you can let me be dissatisfied.  I should never have learnt any of these fine things from you; and, to say truth, I know not whether I shall from anybody else, if to learn them be to understand them.  Pray what is meant by wellness and unwellness; and why is to some extreme better than to some extremity?  I believe I shall live here till there is quite a new language spoke where you are, and shall come out like one of the Seven Sleepers, a creature of another age.  But ’tis no matter so you understand me, though nobody else do, when I say how much I am

Your faithful.

Letter 29.

SIR,—­I can give you leave to doubt anything but my kindness, though I can assure you I spake as I meant when I said I had not the vanity to believe I deserv’d yours, for I am not certain whether ’tis possible for anybody to deserve that another should love them above themselves, though I am certain many may deserve it more than me.  But not to dispute this with you, let me tell you that I am thus far of your opinion, that upon some natures nothing is so powerful as kindness, and that I should give that to yours which all the merit in the world besides would not draw from me.  I spake as if I had not done so already; but you may choose whether you will believe me or not, for, to say truth, I do not much believe myself in that point.  No, all the kindness I have or ever had is yours; nor shall I ever repent it so, unless you shall ever repent yours.  Without telling you what the inconveniences of your coming hither are, you may believe they are considerable, or else I should not deny you or myself the happiness of seeing one another; and if you dare trust me where I am equally concerned with you, I shall take hold of the first opportunity that may either admit you here or bring me nearer you.  Sure you took somebody else for my cousin Peters?  I can never believe her beauty able to smite anybody.  I saw her when I was last in town, but she appear’d wholly the same to me, she was at St. Malo, with all her innocent good nature too, and asked for you so kindly, that I am sure she cannot have forgot you; nor do I think she had so much address as to do it merely in compliment