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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57489	Familiar letters: vol. I. Written by the Right Honourable, John, late Earl of Rochester, to the honourable Henry Savile, esq; and other letters by persons of honour and quality. With letters written by the most ingenious Mr. Tho. Otway, and Mrs. K. Philips. Publish'd from their original copies. With modern letters by Tho. Cheek, Esq; Mr. Dennis, and Mr. Brown.	Rochester, John Wilmot, Earl of, 1647-1680.; Otway, Thomas, 1652-1685.; Brown, Thomas, 1663-1704.; Cheek, Thomas.; Philips, Katherine, 1631-1664.; Dennis, John, 1657-1734.	1697 (1697)	Wing R1744A; ESTC R222099	74,413	242

Friendship that he took pleasure in your Conversation of which even his Enemies must allow him to have been the best Iudge and that in the Politest Reign we can boast of in England The Approbation of so impartial a Iudge who was in his Time a Scourge to all Blockheads by what Names or Titles soever dignisied or distinguish'd is above all the Incense that a much better Hand than mine can presume to offer Shou'd I put out all the Dedication Sails as 't is the way of most Authors I cou'd soon erect you into a great Hero and Deliverer and tell how often you have triumph'd over inveterate Distempers and restor'd the Sick to that only Blessing that makes Life supportable I cou'd tell how by your single Merit you have ba●●led a Faction form'd against you with equal Malice and Ignorance I cou'd tell what Marks of Munisicence you have left behind you in the Place that was honour'd with your Education and how generously ready you are to serve your Friends upon all Occasions But after all the highest thing I will pretend to say of you her is That you were esteem'd and valu'd and lov'd by my Lord Rochester 'T is true as there never was any Conspicuous Merit in the World that had not like Hercules Monsters to encounter so you have had your share of them but Heaven be prais'd your Enemies with all their vain Endeavours have only served to six your Interest and advance your Reputation Tho' I know you hear of nothing with more Vneasiness than of the Favours you do yet I cannot omit to tell and indeed I am vain upon it that you have condescended so low as to divert those Hours you cou'd steal from the Publick with some of my Trifles that you have been pleased to think favourably of them and rewarded them For all which Obligations I had no other way of expressing my Gratitude but this which I am afraid will but inflame the Reckoning instead of paying any part of the Debt But this has been the constant Vsage in all Ages of Parnassus and like Senators that take Bribes we have Antiquity and Vniversality to plead in our Excuse But I forget that you are all this while in pain till the Dedication releases you Therefore I have nothing but my Wishes to add That you who have been so happy a Restorer of Health to others may ever enjoy it yourself that your Days may be always pleasant and your Nights easie and that you 'll be pleas'd to forgive this Presumption in Your most humble and most obliged Servant T. BROWN THE Bookseller's Preface HAving by the Assistance of a Worthy Friend procured the following Letters that were written by the late Incomparable Earl of Rochester the Originals of all which I preserve by me to satisfie those Gentlemen who may have the Curiosity to see them under his Lordship's hand I was encouraged to trouble others of my Friends that had any Letters in their Custody to make this Collection which I now publish Indeed the Letters that were written by the abovemention'd Honourable Person have something so happy in the Manner and Stile that I need not lose my Time to convince the World they are genuine I may say the same of Mr. Otway's Letters that they are full of Life and Passion and sufficiently discover their Author And that this Collection might be compleat I got some that were written by the Fam'd Orinda Mrs. Katherine Phillips to be added to the rest together with others by some Gentlemen now living that the Reader might have a Variety of Entertainment Our Neighbouring Nations whom I don't believe we come short of in any respect have printed several Volumes of Letters which meet with publick Approbation I am satisfied that if the Gentlemen of England wou'd be as free and Communicative to part with theirs we might show as great a Number and as good a Choice as they have done It has been used as an Objection against publishing things of this Nature That if they are written as they ought to be they shou'd never be made publick But I hope this Collection will disarm that Objection for tho' the Reader may not understand every particular Passage yet there are other things in them that will make him sufficient Amends I have only a word more to add Upon the Noise of this Collection several Gentlemen have been so kind as to send me in Materials to compose a Second which is now printed and on the Printing the Second I have procured as many of the Lord Rochester's the Duke of Buckingham and Sir George Etheridge which will almost make a third Vol. which if I can compleat it shall be publish'd next Trinity-Term and therefore those Gentlemen that have any Curious Letters by them written by those Honourable Persons and are willing to oblige the Publick by letting them come abroad are desired to send them to me who will take care to have them faithfully Transcrib'd for the Press and Printed in the third Vol. which will be intirely theirs and no modern one mixt with them SAM BRISCOE A TABLE Of all the Letters in this Volume SEveral Letters by the late Earl of Rochester to the Honourable Henry Savil Esq from p. 1. to p. 50. The Earl of L 's Letter to the Honourable Algernoon Sidney p. 51. Algernoon Sidney's Letter against Arbitrary Government p. 60. Two Letters by another Hand to Madam from p. 67. to p. 72. Love-Letters by Mr. Otway from p. 73. to 87. A Letter from to Mr. G p. 88. A Letter to the Duke of Vivone by the Fam'd Monsieur Boiliau Translated by Thomas Cheek Esq p. 91. A Letter by Mr. Dennis sent with Monsieur Boileau's Speech to the Academy of Paris upon his Admission p. 102. Monsieur Boileau's Speech to the Academy Translated by Mr. Dennis p. 106. Letters of Courtship to a Woman of Quality from p. 118. to 133. A Letter of Reproach to a Woman of Quality p. 134. A Letter of Business to a Merchant's Wife in the City p. 136. Letters by the late celebrated Mrs. Katherine Phillips from p. 137. to 152. A Letter to Mr. Herbert p. 153. A Letter to C.G. Esq in Covent-garden p. 156. To the Perjur'd Mrs. p. 163. To the Honourable in the Pall-mall p. 168. A Letter to my Lady p. 173. A Consolatory Letter to an Essex-Divine upon the Death of his Wife p. 179. A Letter to the fair Lucinda at Epsom p. 183. To the same at London p. 185. To W. Knight Esq at Ruscomb in Berkshire p. 189. To a Gentleman that fell desperately in Love and set up for a Beau in the 45th Year of his Age p. 197. The Answer p. 200. A Letter to his honoured Friend Dr. Baynard at the Bath p. 202. A Letter to Mr. Raphson Fellow of the Royal Society upon occasion of Dr. Conner's Book entituled Physica Arcana seu Tractatus de Mystico corporum Statu to be Printed by Mr. Briscoe p. 213. A Letter to the

Man safe but by such evil and infamous Means as Flattery and Bribery what Joy can I have in my own Country in this Condition Is it a Pleasure to see all that I love in the World sold and destroy'd Shall I renounce all my old Principles learn the vile Court-arts and make my Peace by bribing some of them Shall their Corruption and Vice be my Safety Ah! no better is a Life among Strangers than in my own Country upon such Conditions Whil'st I live I will endeavour to preserve my Liberty or at least not consent to the destroying of it I hope I shall die in the same Principle in which I have lived and will live no longer than they can preserve me I have in my Life been guilty of many Follies but as I think of no meanness I will not blot and defile that which is past by endeavouring to provide for the future I have ever had in my Mind that when God should cast me into such a Condition as that I cannot save my Life but by doing an indecent thing He shews me the time is come wherein I should resign it And when I cannot live in my own Country but by such means as are worse than dying in it I think He shews me I ought to keep myself out of it Let them please themselves with making the King glorious who think a Whole People may justly be sacrific'd for the Interest and Pleasure of One Man and a few of his Followers Let them rejoice in their Subtilty who by betraying the former Powers have gain'd the Favour of this not only preserv'd but advanc'd themselves in these dangerous Changes Nevertheless perhaps they may find the King's Glory is their Shame his Plenty the Peoples Misery and that the gaining of an Office or a little Mony is a poor Reward for destroying a Nation which if it were preserved in Liberty and Vertue would truly be the most glorious in the World and that others may find they have with much Pains purchas'd their own Shame and Misery a dear Price paid for that which is not worth keeping nor the Life that is accompanied with it the Honour of English Parliaments have ever been in making the Nation glorious and happy not in selling and destroying the Interest of it to satisfie the Lusts of one Man Miserable Nation that from so great a heighth of Glory is fallen into the most despicable Condition in the World of having all its Good depending upon the Breath and Will of the vilest Persons in it cheated and sold by them they trusted Infamous Traffick equal almo●t in Guilt to that of Iudas In all preceeding Ages Parliaments have been the Pillars of our Liberty the sure Defenders of the Oppressed They who formerly could bridle Kings and keep the Ballance equal between them and the People are now become the Instruments of all our Oppressions and a Sword in his Hand to destroy us They themselves led by a few interested Persons who are willing to buy Offices for themselves by the Misery of the whole Nation and the Blood of the most worthy and eminent Persons in it Detestable Bribes worse than the Oaths now in fashion in this Mercenary Court I mean to owe neither my Life nor Liberty to any such Means when the Innocence of my Actions will not protect me I will stay away till the Storm be overpass'd In short where Vane Lambert and Haslerigg cannot live in Safety I cannot live at all If I had been in England I should have expected a Lodging with them or tho' they may be the first as being more eminent than I I must expect to follow their Example in Suffering as I have been their Companion in Acting I am most in Amaze at the mistaken Informations that were sent to me by my Friends full of Expectations of Favours and Employments Who can think that they who imprison them would employ me or suffer me to live when they are put to death If I might live and be employ'd can it be expected that I should serve a Government that seeks such detestable Ways of establishing itself Ah! no I have not learnt to make my own Peace by persecuting and betraying my Brethren more innocent and worthy than myself I must live by just Means and serve to just Ends or not at all after such a Manifestation of the Ways by which it is intended the King shall govern I should have renounced any Place of Favour into which the Kindness and Industry of my Friends might have advanc'd me when I found those that were better than I were only fit to be destroy'd I had formerly some Jealousies the fraudulent Proclamation for Indemnity encreas'd the imprisoning of those three Men and turning out of all the Officers of the Army contrary to Promise confirm'd me in my Resolutions not to return To conclude The Tide is not to be diverted nor the Oppress'd deliver'd but God in his time will have Mercy on his People he will save and defend them and avenge the Blood of those who shall now perish upon the Heads of those who in their Pride think nothing is able to oppose them Happy are those whom God shall make Instruments of his Justice in so blessed a Work If I can live to see that Day I shall be ripe for the Grave and able to say with Joy Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in Peace c. So Sir Arthur Haslerigg on Oliver's Death Farewel my Thoughts as to King and State depending upon their Actions No Man shall be a more faithful Servant to him than I if he make the Good and Prosperity of his People his Glory none more his Enemy if he doth the contrary To my particular Friends I shall be constant in all Occasions and to you A most affectionate Servant A. SIDNEY A Letter by another Hand To Madam I Have News to tell you You got a new Subject yesterday tho' after all perhaps it is no more News to you than it would be to the Grand Seignior or the French King For you Madam either find or make Subjects where-ever you go It is impossible to see you without surrendring one's Heart to you and he that hears you talk and can still preserve his Liberty may for ought I know revive the Miracle of the three Children in Daniel and call for a Chamlet Cloak to keep him warm in the midst of a Fiery Furnace But really Madam I am none of those Miracle-mongers I am true Flesh and Blood like the rest of my Sex and as I make no Scruple to own my Passion to you so you Madam without incurring the Danger of being question'd by the Parliament may pretend to all the Rights and Priviledges of a Conqueror My Comfort is that all Mankind sooner or later must wear your Chainr for you have Beauty enough to engage the nicest Heart though you had no Wit to set it off And you have so plentiful a share of the last that were you wholly

you have cross'd the German Ocean made the Tour of the Low-Countries seen the Elector of Bavaria and Prince Vaudemont and might if they pleas'd have got drunk with a dozen of German Princes in half the time I have been beating the Hoof up and down London to find out you so that at last after a World of mortifying Disappointments taking a Martial in my hands I happen'd to light upon an Epigram of his address'd to Decianus a very honest Gentleman it seems but one that was as hard to be met with as yourself And this Epigram suiting my own case exactly I here send you a Paraphrase or Imitation of it call it which you please Ne valeam si non totis Deciane Diebus Lib. 2. Ep. 2. In some vile Hamlet let me live forgot Small-beer my Portion and no Wine my lot To some worse Iilt in Church-Indentures bound Than ancient Job or modern Sh found And with more Aches visited and Ills Than fill up Salmon's Works or Tilburgh's Bills If 't is not still the Burden of my Prayer The Day with you with you the Night to share But Sir and the Complaint you know is tr●e Two damn'd long Miles there lye 'twixt me and you And these two Miles with little Calculation Make four by that I 've reach'd my Habitation You near Sage Will 's the Land of Mirth and Claret I live stow'd up in a White-chappel Garret Oft when I 've come so far your Hands to kiss Flatter'd with Thoughts of the succe●ding Bliss I 'm told you 're gone to the Vexatious Hall Where with eternal Lungs the Lawyers bawl Or else stole out a Female Friend to see Or what 's as bad you 're not at Home for me Two Miles I 've at your Service and that 's civil But to trudge four and miss you is the Devil And now if you are not incurably lost to all sence of Humanity send me word where it is you pass your Evenings or in one of your beloved Catullus's Expressions Demonstres ubi sunt tuae tenebrae But if you think that too hard upon you for I wou'd not be thought to invade your Privacies appoint some common meeting-place the Grffin or the Dog where with two or three more select Friends we may pass a few Hours over a Righteous Bottle of Claret As you ever hope that Heaven will be merciful or Sylvia true to you let this happy Night be some time this Week I am your most obliged Servant T. BROWN London June 20. 1695. To the Perju●'d Mrs. THis Morning I receiv'd the News which knowing you to be a Woman I confess did not much startle me that is spight of all your Promises your Vows and Obligations nay and in spight of your Interest too which you Women so seldom sin against you had sacrificed my worthy Friend Mr. and are to be married next Week to that nauseous that insupportable that everlasting Beast Upon which I immediately repair'd to my Friend's Lodgings and because I knew but too well how nearly he had taken you into his Heart I carried him to that blessed Sanctuary of dis●ppointed Lovers a Tavern the better to prepare him for the News of your Infidelity I plied him warmly with the Juice of the generous Grape and entertain'd him all the whi●● with the most horrible Stories of your Sex that my Malice cou'd suggest to me which Heaven be prais'd was fruitful enough upon this occasion for I don't believe I forgot one single Instance of Female Treachery from Mother Eve of wheedling Memory down to your virtuous self At last when Matters were ripe I disclosed the unwelcome Secret to him He raved and wept and after some interval wept and raved again but thanks to my pious Advice and the kind Influence of t'other Bottle it was not long before the Paroxysm was over I cou'd almost wish you had been by to see how heroically he threw off your Chains with what Alacrity he tore you from his Bosom and in fine with what a Christian Self-denial he renounc'd you more heartily I dare swear than his Godfather abjur'd the Devil for him at his Baptism And now Madam tho' I confess you have prevented my Curses by your choice of such a Coxcomb and 't is not good Manners to solicite a Judgment from Heaven on every such Accident at this for Providence wou'd have a fine time on 't to be at the expence of a Thunderbolt for every Woman that forswears herself yet so much do I resent the ill usage of my Friend that I cannot forbear to give you this conviction how earnestly I can pray when I set my self to 't Therefore give me leave Madam to throw these hearty Ejaculations at your Head now since I shall not have the honour to throw a Stocking at you on the fatal Night of Consummation May the Brute your Husband be as Jealous of you as Usurpers are of their new Subjects and to shew his good opinion of your Judgment as well as your Virtue may he suspect you of a Commerce with nothing of God's making nothing like a Gentleman that may serve to excuse the Sin but lowsie Bush-begotten Vagabonds and hideous Rogues in Rags and Tatters or Monsters that stole into the World when Nature was asl●ep with Ulcers all over them and Bunches on their Backs as large as Hillocks May you never actually Cuckold him for that were to wish you some Pleasure which God knows I am far from being guilty of but what will serve to torment him as effectually May the Wretch imagine you 've injur'd him that way under which prepossession may he never open his Mouth but to Curse nor lift up his Hands but to Chastise you May that execrable Day be for ever banished out of the Almanack in which he does not use his best endeavours to beat one into your Bones and may you never go to Bed without an apprehension that he 'll cut your Throat May he too have the same distrust of you Thus may your Nights be spent in Eternal Quarrels and your Nuptial-sheets boast of no honourable Blood but what 's owing to these Nocturnal Skirmishes May he lock you up from the sight of all Mankind and leave you nothing but your ill Conscience to keep you company till at last between his penurious allowance and the sense of your own guilt you make so terrible a Figure that the worst Witch in Mackbeth wou'd seem an Angel to you May not ●ven this dismal Solitude protect you from his Suspicions but may some good-natured Devil whisp●r into his Ear That you have committed Wickedness with a Bedstaff and in one of his frantick Fits may he beat out your Brains with that supposed Instrument of your Lust. May your History be transmitted to all Ages in the Annals of Grubstreet and as they fright Children with Raw-head and Bloody-bones may your Name be quoted to deter People from committing of Matrimony And to ratifie all this upon my Knees I most devoutly

you 'll grant to be true 'T is in short this That a Man is the decay of his Vigour when he begins to mistrust his Abilities had much better Marty a Widow than a Maid For as Sir Iohn Suckling has long ago observed a Widow is a sort of Quagmire and you know the finest Racer may be as soon founder'd there as the heaviest Dray-horse I am Your most obliged Servant T. BROWN POSTSCRIPT I believe I shall see you in the Country before you hear from me again Lest I should come down a Barbarian to you Fox-hunters I have been learning all your noble Terms of Art for this Month and now God be praised am a great Proficient in the Language and can talk of Dogs and Horses half an Hour without committing one Solecism I have liv'd as sober too all this while as a Parson that stands Candidate for a Living and with this Month's Sobriety in my Belly design to do Wonders among you in the Country To a Gentleman that fell desperately in Love and set up for a Beau in the 45th Year of his Age. I Never was a Predestinarian before but now begin to think better of Zeno and Iohn Calvin than ever and to be convinc'd there 's a Fatality attends us What less cou'd have made once the Gay the Brave the Witty six Months ago I shou'd have added the Wise at the approach of Gravity and Gray Hairs forfeit his Character fall in Love with Trash and languish for a green Codling that sticks so close to the Stem that he may sooner shake down the Tree than the Fruit 'T is true the foolish Hours of our Lives are generally those that give us the greatest share of Pleasure but yours is so extravagant so unreasonable a Frolick that I wonder you don't make your Life all of a piece and learn at these Years to jump through a Hoop and practise other laudable Feats of Activity Oh what a Conflict there is in your Breast between Love and Discretion● ●Tis a motly Scene of Mirth and Compassion to see you taking as much pains to conceal your Passion from the prying malicious World as a bashful young Sinner does to hide her Great Belly and to as little purpose for 't will out You must be a Touchwood-Lover forsooth and burn without Blaze or Smoke But why wou'd you feel all the Heat yet want the Comforter Light Such sullen Fires may serve to kindle your Mistress's Vanity but never to warm her Heart Well Love I find operates with the Grave like Drink with Cowards it makes 'em most valiant when least able But why 's the Hair cut off Can you dock any Years with it Or are you the Reverse of Sampson the stronger for shaving If so let me see you shake off these Amorous Fetters to shew your power But you are Buccaneering for a Prize and wou'd surprize a Heart under false Colours Take my word for 't that Stratagem won't do for the Pinnace you design upon knows you have but a crasie Hulk in spight of your new Rigging and Careening Wearing of Perukes like advancing more Standards than there are Troops in an Army is a stale Artifice that rather betrays your weakness to the Enemy than alarms them For tho' powder'd Vallancee like Turkish Horse-tails may at a distance make a terrible shew of Strength yet my dear Friend like them too they are but very unserviceable Weapons at a close Engagement After all if you 're resolved to play a French Trick and wear a Half-shirt in Ianuary to shew your Courage have a little of the Frenchman's Prudence too and line it with a Swanskin Wastcoat That is if you must needs at this Age make Love to shew your Vigour take care to provide store of Comforters to support your Back The Answer WEll but heark you Friend Harry And do you think now that forty Years if a Man shou'd ever come to it is as fumbling a doting Age in Love as Dryden says it is in Poetry Why then what will become of thee who hast made such wicked Anticipations upon thy Nature's Revenue that thou art utterly non-solvent to any Matrimonial Expectations Thou that in thy Post-haste of Town-Riot and Excess overleapest all the Measures of Time and art got to be Fifty in Constitution before thy Age writes Thirty Enjoy thy acquir'd Iubilee according to thy wonted Course but be assur'd no Body will ever be able to enjoy thee The Woman Prodigals feed upon Husks when they have any thing to do with thee thou empty'd raky dry Bones My Rheumatical Person as such will be allow'd some Moisture and Gray Heirs only tell you the Sap is gone down to the Root where it shou'd be and from whence thine has been long since exhausted into every Strumpets Cavern about the Suburbs confound your Widows and put your own Farthing Candle lighted at both ends under one of their Bushels if you please I find I have Prowess enough for the best Maidenhead in Town and resolve to attempt nothing under that honourable Difficulty And so much for the Women To his Honoured Friend Dr. Baynard at the Bath My Dear DOCTOR I Have not writ to you these two Months for which I expect to be severely reprimanded by you when you come to Town And yet why shou'd you wonder at such a poor Fellow as I am for being backward in my Payments if you consider 't is the Case of Lombard-street nay of the Bank and the Exchequer it self you see I support myself by very honourable Examples at this present melancholy juncture when with a little alteration of Mr. Cowley's Words a Man may truly say Nothing of Ready Cash is found But an Eternal Tick goes round However to make you some amends for so long a Delay I come to visit you now like Noah's Dove with an Olive-branch in my Mouth that is in plain English I bring you News of a Peace of a firm a lasting and a general Peace for after this merry rate our Coffe-house Politicians talk and pray do but consider if 't were only for the Pleasure of such an Amusement what will be the happy Effects of it In the first place this Peace will soon beget good store of Money the want of which though we are sinful enough in all Conscience is yet the most Crying Sin of the Nation and this Money will naturally end in a great deal of Riot and Intemperance and Intemperance will beget a jolly Race of brave Diseases with new Names and Titles and then My dear Doctor you Physicians will have a Blessed Time on 't As for the Lawyers who were it not for two or three Noble Peers some of their never-failing Clergy-Friends a few well-disposed Widows and stirring Sollicitors that keep up the Primitive Discipline of Westminster-hall wou'd perfectly forget the Use of their Lungs they too will see glorious Days again I was told a melancholy Story t'other Day of two hopeful young Attorneys who upon the general Decay of