**When you with Lucy fhall affix

"The happy Marriage-Day,

"Oh! do not o'er my Green-Grafs-Grave "Inhuman take thy Way."

LETTER XL.

W. SHENSTONE, Efq, to Mifs M→.

I

Dear Mifs M—,

The Leafowes,

Dec. 8, 1761.

OUGHT to have returned Thanks for your

agreeable Account of the Excurfion to Chepstow, fome Time ago; but these are Duties which I do not always perform fo foon as I ought-you know I don't-Neither will I wafte my Time and Paper in apologizing for a Failing which you are fo ready to forgive,

con

convinced that I am not lefs grateful on that Account.

I have great Joy in reading these little pleasurable Travels, in a private Letter, related, as yours are, without Formality, defcribing, with Eafe and Simplicity, every little Occurrence as it falls out. I can journey with you in Imagination, and partake every trivial Difficulty and every Delight. You are fond of thefe little Parties of Pleafure, as they are called, and in you it is, by no Means, reprovable; but in general, they are very dangerous to young Folks. You have Means and Time, at your own Difpofal; your Party is small and felect, both in Point of Reputation and Underftanding; you likewife turn your Excursion to some Advantage; you make Obfervations on all you fee, form nice Diftinctions between different Places, Points, and Characters, and draw juft Conclufions from themBut, as I faid before, thefe Parties too often are hazardous; the Mind once indulged in them, is apt to covet them too often; they are fometimes the Means of drawing a Female into improper Company; they encroach on Means

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Means and Time, neither of which, probably, can with Propriety be beftowed; they have their Source in Diffipation, are continually attended with Hazard, and too often end in the Worft of Mischiefs. In fhort, I would wish all young Folks, who have neither Leisure nor Money at Command, to fhut their Ears against the very Name of a Party of Pleafure.

More than once in my Life, I have been folicited by Friends to vifit foreign Climes. I had an Invitation of this Kind lately; but it is now too late; at leaft, I think fo-Befides, why should a Man go fo far for Objects of Curiosity, who has seen too little of his own Country? Many Parts of England, Wales and Scotland equally (I should think) deserve our Admiration, and we need not rifque Winds and Waves, to which I feel fome Objection. Numbers of our travelling Gentry peregrinate too early in Life, before the Mind is fufficiently formed to make proper Obfervations on what they fee and hear.

A Friend once related an Anecdote, which is appofite to my Subject. A very young : VOL. II.

L

Man

Man, of good natural Understanding, and Heir to an affluent Fortune, would needs be one of thefe inconfiderate Travellers. In the Course of his Adventures, he fell into Company, in Naples, with fome well-travelled, and well-informed Foreigners. They were converfing on what they had feen in England; and fome little Difference in Opinion arifing about the Architecture of Windfor-Caftle, they naturally referred themselves to the young Englishman for Decifion. With much Confufion and Hefitation he was compelled to confefs, he had never seen the Building in Question. The Company, with true foreign Politeness, only teftified their Admiration in a filent Smile-but the Reflection inftantly ftruck, and pained the young Gentleman. The Refult was, that he returned for England within two Days, rationally determined to inftruct himself in the Knowledge of his own Country, before he pryed into those afar off. His Reflection and Determination did equal Credit to his Understanding.

Our Friend HULL has, as ufual, been amufing us with as good a Drama, as our neighbouring Town can give Encouragement to;

but

but fays, he returns no more. I know many who will be forry on this Account: He has hot departed, however, without having excited Curiosity in a very peculiar Way; on a fmall Plan, indeed, but to a very commendable Purpose. He enticed with him his two principal Actreffes, Mifs MORRISON and Mifs IBBOT, (both poffeffed of great Merit in their Profeffion) fome few of his Band, two Voices, and gave an Evening's Entertainment of Singing and Reading, at the little Town of Stourbridge, fonte few Miles off; the Profits devoted to the Affiftance of a Tradefman, who had fuffered under repeated Misfortunes. The Succefs, I hear, more than anfwered his Expectations; the little Affembly-Room was crouded, and with much good Company. A flight Cold made me fearful of being out late, but the Particulars were given me by a neighbouring Clergyman who was prefent. The Pieces felected for Reading were well-chofen. I do not remember the whole Number, but I recollect that Mifs CARTER's Ode to Wildom PRIOR'S Henry and Emma, and GRAY'S Elegy in a Country Church-Yard were amongst them. The latter gave particular Satisfaction, my L 2 Friend