have undoubtedly seen, in the coun-I shall see him again before his return try where you are at present, who to Leipsic. It is a melancholy remust have commanded your esteem:flection, that while one is plagued but when you return, if you are not with acquaintance at the corner of very honest, you will possess great every street, real friends should be advantages over me in any dispute separated from each other by unsurconcerning Caledonian merit. mountable bars, and obliged to catch Boodle's and Atwood's are now no at a few transient moments of intermore. The last stragglers, and God-view. I desire that you and my lady frey Clarke in the rear of all, are (whom I most respectfully greet) moved away to their several castles; would take your share of that very and I now enjoy, in the midst of new and acute observation, not so London, a delicious solitude. My large a share indeed as my Swiss library, Kensington Gardens, and a friend, since nature and fortune give few parties with new acquaintance us more frequent opportunities of who are chained to London (among being together. You cannot expect whom I reckon Goldsmith and sir news from a desert, and such is LonJoshua Reynolds), fill up my time, don at present. The papers give you and the monster Ennui preserves a the full harvest of public intelligence; very respectful distance. By the bye, and I imagine that the eloquent your friends Batt, sir John Russel, nymphs of Twickenham communiand Lascelles, dined with me one cate all the transactions of the polite, day before they set off; for I some- the amorous, and the marrying world. times give the prettiest little dinner The great pantomime of Portsmouth in the world. But all this compo- was universally admired; and I am sure draws near its conclusion. angry at my own laziness in neglectAbout the sixteenth of this month ing an excellent opportunity of seeMr. Eliot carries me away, and after ing it. Foote has given us the Bank picking up Mrs. Gibbon at Bath, sets rupt, a serious and sentimental piece, me down at Port Eliot; there I shall with very severe strictures on the liremain six weeks, or, in other words, cense of scandal in attacking prito the end of September. My future vate characters. Adieu. Forgive motions, whether to London, Derby- and epistolize me. I shall not beshire, or a longer stay in Cornwall lieve you sincere in the former, un(pray, is not "motion to stay" ra- less you make Bentinck Street your ther in the Hibernian style ?), will inn. I fear I shall be gone; but depend on the life of Port Eliot, the Mrs. Ford and the parrot will be time of the meeting of parliament, proud to receive you and my lady and perhaps the impatience of Mr. after your long peregrination, from ******, lord of Lenborough. One which I expect great improvements. of my pleasures to town I forgot to Has she got the brogue upon the tip mention, the unexpected visit of of her tongue ? -- Deyverdun, who accompanies his young lord (very young indeed!) on a two months' tour to England. He took the opportunity of the LETTER LXXXIII. earl's going down to the duke of Edward Gibbon, Esq. to J. Holroyd, **** ***, to spend a fortnight (nor do I recollect a more pleasant one) in Bentinck Street. They are now gone together into Yorkshire, Esq. Paris, August 13, 1777. WELL, and who is the culprit and I think it doubtful whether I now?-Thus far had I written in the pride of my heart, and fully de- the name of a general engagement. termined to inflict an epistle upon The extravagance of some dispuyou, even before I received any an- tants, both French and English, who swer to my former; I was very near have espoused the cause of America, a bull. But this forward half-line sometimes inspires me with an extralays ten days barren and inactive, till ordinary vigour. Upon the whole, I its generative powers were excited find it much easier to defend the by the missive which I received yes-justice than the policy of our meaterday. What a wretched piece of sures; but there are certain cases, work do we seem to be making of it where whatever is repugnant to sound in America? The greatest force, policy ceases to be just. which any European power ever The more I see of Paris, the more ventured to transport into that conti- I like it. The regular course of the nent, is not strong enough even to society in which I live is easy, polite, attack the enemy; the naval strength and entertaining; and almost every of Great Britain is not sufficient to day is marked by the acquisition of prevent the Americans (they have some new acquaintance, who is worth almost lost the appellation of rebels) cultivating, or who at least is worth from receiving every assistance that remembering. To the great admirathey wanted; and in the mean time tion of the French, I regularly dine you are obliged to call out the militia and regularly sup, drink a dish of to defend your own coasts against strong coffee after each meal, and their privateers. You possibly may find my stomach a citizen of the expect from me some account of the world. The spectacles (particularly designs and policy of the French the Italian, and above all the French court; but I choose to decline that Comedies), which are open the whole task for two reasons: 1st, Because summer, afford me an agreeable reyou may find them laid open in every laxation from company; and to show newspaper; and 2dly, Because I you that I frequent them from taste, live too much with their courtiers and not from idleness, I have not yet and ministers to know any thing seen the Colisee, the Vauxhall, the about them. I shall only say, that I Boulevards, or any of those places of am not under any immediate appre-entertainment which constitute Paris hensions of a war with France. It to most of our countrymen. Occais much more pleasant, as well as sional trips to dine or sup in some of profitable, to view in safety the rag- the thousand country houses, which ing of the tempest, occasionally to are scattered round the environs of pick up some pieces of the wreck, Paris, serve to vary the scene. and to improve their trade, their ag- the mean while the summer insensiriculture, and their finances, while bly glides away, and the fatal month the two countries are lento collisa of October approaches, when I must duello.* Far from taking any step change the house of madame Necker to put a speedy end to this astonish- for the House of Commons. I reing dispute, I should not be surprised gret that I could not choose the winif next summer they were to lend ter, instead of the summer, for this their cordial assistance to England, excursion: I should have found as to the weaker party. As to my many valuable persons, and should personal engagement with the D. have preserved others whom I have of R., I recollect a few slight skir-lost as I began to know them. The mishes, but nothing that deserves duke de Choiseul, who deserves at *Engaged in a lingering war. VOL. IV. Nos. 59 & 60. In tention both for himself and for keepling the best house in Paris, passes seven months of the year in Tou- the whole stream of all men, and all LETTER LXXXIV. LETTER LXXXV. From Edward Gibbon, Esq. to J. Edward Gibbon, Esq. to the Right February 6th, 1779. Hon. Lord Sheffield. Lausanne, September 30th, 1783. You are quiet and peaceable, and I ARRIVED safe in harbour last do not bark, as usual, at my silence. Saturday, the 27th instant, about ten To reward you, I would send you o'clock in the morning; but, as the some news, but we are asleep: no post only goes out twice a week, it foreign intelligence, except the cap- was not in my power to write before ture of a frigate; no certain accounts this day. Except one day, between from the West Indies, and a dissolu-Langres and Besançon, which was tion of parliament, which seems to laborious enough, I finished my easy have taken place since Christmas. and gentle airing without any fatigue, In the papers you will see negotia- either of mind or body. tions, changes of departments, &c., Deyverdun well and happy, but much and I have some reason to believe more happy at the sight of a friend, that those reports are not entirely and the accomplishment of a scheme, without foundation. Portsmouth is which he had so long and impatiently no longer an object of speculation ;| *The other hope of Rome. found 1 desired. His garden, terrace, and mean the devil), who is always on park, have even exceeded the most the watch, has made an ungenerous sanguine of my expectations and re-use of his advantage, and I much membrances; and you yourself can- fear that my arrival at Lausanne will not have forgotten the charming pros- be marked with a fit of the gout, pect of the lake, the mountains, and though it is quite unnecessary that the declivity of the Pays de Vaud. the intelligence or suspicion should But as human life is perpetually find its way to Bath. Yesterday afchequered with good and evil, I have ternoon I lay, or at least sat, in state, found some disappointments on my to receive visits, and at the same arrival. The easy. nature of Dey- moment my room was filled with four verdun, his indolence, and his impa- different nations. The loudest of tience, had prompted him to reckon these nations was the single voice of too positively that his house would the abbé Raynal, who, like your friend, be vacant at Michaelmas; some un- has chosen this place for the asylum foreseen difficulties have arisen, or of freedom and history. His conhave been discovered when it was versation, which might be very agreealready too late, and the consumma- able, is intolerably loud, peremptory, tion of our hopes is (I am much and insolent; and you would imaafraid) postponed to next spring. gine, that he alone was the monarch At first I was knocked down by the and legislator of the world. Adieu. unexpected thunderbolt; but I have I embrace my lady, and the infants. gradually been reconciled to my fate, With regard to the important transand have granted a free and gracious actions, for which you are constipardon to my friend. As his own tuted plenipotentiary, I expect, with apartment, which afforded me a tem- some impatience, but with perfect porary shelter, is much too narrow confidence, the result of your labours. for a settled residence, we hired, for You may remember what I mentioned the winter, a convenient, ready-fur- of my conversation with * nished apartment, in the nearest part about the place of minister at Bern: of the Rue de Bourg, whose back I have talked it over with Deyverdoor leads in three steps to the ter- dun, who does not dislike the idea, race and garden, as often as a tole- provided this place was allowed to be rable day shall tempt us to enjoy my villa during at least two-thirds of their beauties: and this arrangement the year; but for my part I am sure, has even its advantage, of giving us that ***** are worth more than time to deliberate and provide, be- ministerial friendship and gratitude; fore we enter on a larger and more so I am inclined to think that they are regular establishment. But this is preferable to an office, which would not the sum of my misfortunes: hear, be procured with difficulty, enjoyed and pity! The day after my arri- with constraint and expense, and lost, val (Sunday) we had just finished a perhaps, next April, in the annual temperate dinner, and intended a revolutions of our domestic governround of visits on foot, chapeau sous ment. Again adieu. le bras, when, most unfortunately, Deyverdun proposed to show me something in the court: we boldly and successfully ascended a flight of stone steps, but in the descent I missed my footing, and strained, or sprained, my ancle in a painful manner. My old latent enemy (I do not neral LETTER LXXXVI. Edward Gibbon, Esq. to the Right Lausanne, October 28, 1783. much uniformity in the History of complain of its immoderate heat. 2, its Decline and Fall, that I have hi- If I should be too sanguine in extherto indulged my laziness, without plaining my satisfaction in what I much shame or remorse, without have done, you would ascribe that supposing that you would be very satisfaction to the novelty of the anxious for my safety, which has scene, and the inconstancy of man; been sufficiently provided for by the and I deem it far more safe and prutriple care of my friend Deyverdun, dent to postpone any positive declamy humbler friend Caplin, and a ration, till I am placed by experience very conversable physician (not the beyond the danger of repentance famous Tissot), whose ordinary fee and recantation. Yet of one thing is ten batz, about fifteen pence Eng- I am sure, that I possess in this lish. After the usual increase and country, as well as in England, the decrease of the member (for it has best cordial of life, a sincere, tender, been confined to the injured part), and sensible friend, adorned with the gout has retired in good order; the most valuable and pleasant qualiand the remains of weakness, which ties both of the heart and head. The obliged me to move on the rugged inferior enjoyments of leisure and pavement of Lausanne with a stick, society are likewise in my power; or rather small crutch, are to be as- and in the short excursions, which I cribed to the sprain, which might have hitherto made, I have comhave been a much more serious bu-menced or renewed my acquaintance siness. As I have now spent a with a certain number of persons, month at Lausanne, you will inquire more especially women (who, at with much curiosity, more kindness, least in France and this country, are and some mixture of spite and ma- undoubtedly superior to our prouder lignity, how far the place has an- sex), of rational minds and elegant swered my expectations, and whe- manners. I breakfast alone, and ther I do not repent of a resolution, have declared that I receive no visits which has appeared so rash and ri- in a morning, which you will easily diculous to my ambitious friends? suppose is devoted to study. I find To this question, however natural it impossible, without inconveniand reasonable, I shall not return an ence, to defer my dinner beyond two immediate answer, for two reasons: o'clock. We have got a very good 1. I have not yet made a fair trial. woman cook. Deyverdun, who is The disappointment and delay, with somewhat of an epicurean philosoregard to Deyverdun's house, will pher, understands the management confine us this winter to lodgings, of a table, and we frequently invite rather convenient than spacious or a guest or two, to share our luxuripleasant. I am only beginning to ous, but not extravagant repasts. recover my strength and liberty, and The afternoons are (and will be to look about on persons and things: much more so hereafter) devoted to the greatest part of those persons are society, and I shall find it necessary in the country, taken up with their to play at cards much oftener than vintage; my books are not yet arriv- in London: but I do not dislike that ed; and, in short, I cannot look upon way of passing a couple of hours, and myself as settled in that comfortable I shall not be ruined at shilling whist. way, which you and I understand As yet I have not supped, but in the and relish. Yet the weather has course of the winter I must somebeen heavenly, and till this time, the times sacrifice an evening abroad, end of October, we enjoy the bright- and in exchange I hope sometimes ness of the sun, and somewhat gently to steal a day at home, without going |