thunder), I vow to God, your impertinence is exceedingly provoking.’ With these words, he took her by the hand, and, opening the door of communication, thrust her into the chamber where I stood, so affected by the scene, that the tears ran down my cheeks. Observing these marks of emotion, ‘I don’t wonder (said she), to see you concerned at the back-slidings of so near a relation; a man of his years and infirmities: these are fine doings, truly! This is a rare example, set by a guardian, for the benefit of his pupils! Monstrous! incongruous! sophistical!’ I thought it was but an act of justice to set her to rights; and therefore explained the mystery. But she would not be undeceived. ‘What! (said she) ‘would you go for to offer, for to arguefy me out of my senses? Didn’t I her him whispering to her to hold her tongue? Didn’t I see her in tears! Didn’t I see him struggling to throw her upon the couch? O filthy! hideous! abominable! Child, child, talk not to me of charity. Who gives twenty pounds in charity? But you are a stripling. You know nothing of the world. Besides, charity begins at home. Twenty pounds would buy me a complete suit of flowered silk, trimmings and all.’ In short, I quitted the room, my contempt for her, and my respect for her brother, being increased in the same proportion. I have since been informed, that the person, whom my uncle so generously relieved, is the widow of an ensign, who has nothing to depend upon but the pension of fifteen pounds a year. The people of the Well-house give her an excellent character. She lodges in a garret, and works very hard at plain-work, to support her daughter, who is dying of a consumption. I must own, to my shame, I feel a strong inclination to follow my uncle’s example, in relieving this poor widow; but, betwixt friends, I am afraid of being detected in a weakness, that might entail the ridicule of the company upon,

Dear Philips,

Yours always,
J. MELFORD.

Direct your next to me at Bath; and remember me to all our fellow-jesuits.

To Dr. Lewis.

Hot Wells, April 20.

I UNDERSTAND your hint. There are mysteries in physic, as well as in religion; which we of the profane have no right to investigate. A man must not presume to use his reason, unless he has studied the categories, and can chop logic by mode and figure. Between friends, I think, every man of tolerable parts ought, at my time of day, to be both physician and lawyer, as far as his own constitution and property are concerned. For my own part, I have had an hospital these fourteen years within myself, and studied my own case with the most painful attention; consequently may be supposed to know something of the matter, although I have not taken regular courses of physiology, et cetera, et cetera. In short, I have for some time been of opinion (no offence, dear Doctor), that the sum of all your medical discoveries amounts to this, that the more you study the less you know. I have read all that has been written on the Hot Wells, and what I can collect from the whole, is, that the water contains nothing but a little salt, and calcarious earth, mixed in such inconsiderable proportion, as can have very little, if any, effect on the animal oeconomy. This being the case, I think the man deserves to be fitted with a cap and bells, who, for such a paltry advantage as this spring affords, sacrifices his precious time, which might be employed in taking more effectual remedies, and exposes himself to the dirt, the stench, the chilling blasts, and perpetual rains, that render this place to me intolerable. If these waters, from a small degree of astringency, are of some service in the diabetes, diarrhoea, and night sweats, when the secretions are too much increased, must not they do harm in the same proportion, where the humours are obstructed, as in the asthma, scurvy, gout, and dropsy? Now we talk of the dropsy, here is a strange, fantastical oddity, one of your brethren, who harangues every day in the Pump-room, as if he was hired to give lectures on all subjects whatsoever. I know not what to make of him. Sometimes he makes shrewd remarks; at other times, he talks like the greatest simpleton in nature. He has read a great deal; but without method or judgment, and digested nothing. He believes every thing he has read; especially if it has any thing of the marvelous in it; and his conversation is a surprising hotch-potch of erudition, and extravagance. He told me t’other day, with great confidence, that my case was dropsical; or, as he called it, leucophlegmatic: a