say, Sir, of the discord in his history from his love of prerogative and hatred of churchmen, flatters me much; as I have taken notice of that very unnatural discord in a piece I printed some years ago, but did not publish, and which I will show to you when I have the pleasure of seeing you here; a satisfaction I shall be glad to taste, whenever you will let me know you are at leisure after the beginning of next week.  I have the honour to be, Sir, etc.

(542) Now first collected.

(543) His “Letters of Literature,” published this year under the name of Heron.  “It had been well for Mr. Pinkerton’s reputation,” observes Mr. Dawson Turner ,had these Letters never been published at all.  In a copy now before me, lately the property of one of our most eminent critics, Mr. Fark, I read the following very just quotation, in his handwriting:  ’Multa venust`e, multa tenuiter multa cuni bile.’  Mr. Pinkerton himself, in his ‘Walpoliana,’ admits that Heron’s Letters was ’a book written in early youth, and contained many juvenile crude ideas long since abandoned by its author.’  Would that the crudeness of many of the ideas were the worst that was to be said of it! but we shall find, in the course of this correspondence, far heavier and not less just complaints.  The name of Heron, here assumed by Mr. Pinkerton, was that of his mother."-E.

(544) See vol. iii. p. 217, letter 155.-E.

Letter 290 To John Pinkerton, Esq.(545) June 26, 1785. (page 367)

I have sent your book to Mr. Colman, Sir, and must desire you in return to offer my grateful thanks to Mr. Knight, who has done me an honour, to which I do not know how I am entitled, by the present of his poetry, which is very classic, and beautiful, and tender, and of chaste simplicity.  To your book, Sir, I am much obliged on many accounts; particularly for having recalled my mind to subjects of delight, to which. it was grown dulled by age and indolence.  In consequence of your reclaiming it, I asked myself whence you feel so much disregard for certain authors whose fame is established:  you have assigned good reasons for withholding your approbation from some, on the plea of their being imitators:  it was natural, then, to ask myself again, whence they had obtained so much celebrity.  I think I have discovered a cause, which I do not remember to have seen noted; and that cause I suspect to have been, that certain of those authors possessed grace:—­do not take me for a disciple of Lord Chesterfield, nor Imagine that I mean to erect grace into a capital ingredient of writing; but I do believe that it is a perfume that will preserve from putrefaction, and is distinct even from style, which regards expression.  Grace, I think, belongs to manner.  It is from the charm of grace that I believe some authors, not in Your favour, obtained part of their renown; Virgil in particular:  and yet I am far from disagreeing with you on his