It A curious Letter now before me again brings Lord Camden, his favourite, upon the scene. opens with four ludicrously polished lines of mockheroic verse, and gives the hint of an Opera intended for Handel, which, I suppose, came to nothing, for we never hear of it again. "DEAR DOCTOR, "O you that lobsters in a basket bring, "And bottled shrub to make Apollo sing, "Come, often come, nor think I grudge the feast, "A miser would rejoice at such a guest." [You see (were it only from this one specimen) that he had an easy and fluent command of rhime.] "You have a right to these lines, not only because "I address them to you, but as being the legitimate "produce of your punch the night you left me.-At "least I hope you will accept them in part of pay"ment for the Latin couplet received this morning. "The Opera for Handel is begun, at the request "of his friend.-Be sure it is the first and last of the "kind as a foolery of mine. "The Argument is taken from Livy. You will "have the contents and plot when you hear next. "Pratt, who is a musician (that is, he was be"fore Law un-harmonized him) bids me lie 66 upon my oars till he can find leisure to give directions "concerning the genius of musical verse- the length of the performance-the numbers and the "talent of the singers-how to adapt the subject of "each air-to ascertain the number of choruses, " and their position. These are very arduous diffi"culties. &c. &c. S. D." I resume DAVIES, the Miltonic Poet. He has written a Night Thought, which I am not afraid of setting by the side of Young himself. Oct. 66 Oct. 4, 1744. Why should not we have Night Thoughts, as "well as Dr. Young, though less voluminous?" A NIGHT THOUGHT. Mortal, whoe'er thou art-beware! since Time And Death, wide-sweeping, no distinction owes Whence is that milder blaze of æther pure, For his lov'd Thebans; Antonine, the just, * Trajan. + Socrates. + Confucius. Of Of the first good, their eyes turn'd up to Heav'n. In the Kingsland Collection I have obtained the sight of a few Letters, addressed by Dr. Thomas to his friend; but they make one regret that one has not more. They unite the gentleman, scholar, and friend. "MY DEAR FRIEND, "I thank you for yours of yesterday, and parti"cularly for the sheet enclosed in it, which I do "not mean to return till the next opportunity. "If I were any judge of such performances, "which I am not, I cannot be an impartial one, on "account of the bias which my regard and friend5 ship create in your favour. Whatever appro"bation, therefore, I may express in perusing this new flight of your Muse, will be regarded by you "as little more than prepossession. 66 "You know I have always thought your genius "would exert itself successfully in dramatic enterprize. Indeed I was led into this opinion on perusing an extemporary essay of yours in that line. "The little sketch now before me confirms me in "this creed.-As it is the first onset, it really surpasses what I expected even from the earlier hint "of your hand. 66 "In your three first speeches, if I must establish precedency and preference, I should rather incline "to that of Valerius.-It is, according to your own "rule, more negligent and familiar, but strong. "Of this at our next meeting; but let me desire "in general that you would not suffer your nicety "of taste, and of judgment, in compositions like "these, to exercise too powerful a check on the vi 66 gour 66 gour and bold spirit of your genius. Catch your thoughts at the first hand, and fly with them to your paper; a revisal will soon find but little pec"canios; or, I should rather say, will destroy the "beauties of nature. "Do you design that Brutus should make his "first appearance in that speech? or will you shew "him first as personating the fool, and played upon by Tarquin? What think you of introducing "him in that very scene, whilst they are talking of "this ramble, and frolic to their wives? Let them sport with him, and let him answer with all the "habitual archness of the lunatic fool.-When they are gone to horse, let him burst into this highspirited soliloquy." [I can scarce recollect an example of such modesty in two such ingenious and cultivated minds.] "MY DEAR FRIEND, "I now return the MS sheet. * Nov. 5, 1745. "I long to see the scene where Lucretia is visited, "with her maids employed about her. You know, "that story is told by Ovid in his Fasti. Upon reading it there, I have been thinking that after "some chat with her maids (to one of whom you "could give a lover there) about the news of the "Camp, one of them could ask her mistress to sing "that pretty song (and it may be adapted to the "occasion) which she used to amuse herself with ; " and while this scene of the woman is transacting, "Collatinus and his companions may be looking on, "and listening in the anti-chamber, and may then "break in upon them.-But am not I impertinent "in offering any hints?" "Nov. 17, 1745. "Your design of not imposing upon yourself the "task of a regular progress from scene to scene is "right. ર "right. You will find the method of working up "a scene or character here and there, just as hits your fancy at the time, preferable on many accounts, and the last work is to sew them together "in a regular form.-I own to you, that when I first gave the hint of a song, I imagined Lucretia's "attendants might be introduced, as Ovid and the "History have represented them, at the wheel and "the distaff; and I have observed that it is as natu"ral for women, in that business and situation, to "be diverting themselves by a song, as for a cobler "in his stall. But what particularly gave me the "notion of it was, those lines in Ovid put into Lu"cretia's mouth, and which I have sometimes fan"cied her to sing.-Mittenda est domino nunc, nunc "properate puellæ :-and what if I should make you smile, by singing you a stanza on the occa. "sion? But the method you have taken in shewing "them at needle-work is better, for it would be "hardly possible to represent them at the other "business without offending the taste of a modern "audience. But representing them as you do must answer, as it is agreeable to our notion of the employment of good Queen Bess, and her Maids of "Honour." ૮૮ Dr. Thomas's Letters are very unequal, are in general short, and, upon the whole, much inferior to those of his friend, especially in style; yet there are some clever passages here and there. He ends one of them prettily, and with a good heart, as well as good Latin. "Feb. 14, 1742. "In hisce rei nummaria angustiis-(Bentleii "verbis utor) non est cur tibi sis molestus de computo inter nos conferendo: noveris enim (sed mini"mè noverint universi) domum hanc (saltem quo 66 "scribo |