Your goodness and your known friendship for me, will, I hope, excuse me for troubling you, upon all occasions, with whatever is uppermost in my heart.

You,

yourself, will answer for me, that I mean well; for you know how much I am,

Dear Sir,

Your most obliged

and affectionate

humble servant,

WM. STRAHAN.

COR

sent; yet, not so much for that, as for the very friendly and benevolent manner in which you make it. As to the work itself, I shall always value it, as having that stamp or character which alone can make any work valuable, to the liberal and disinterested; that is, I shall value it as the work not only of a sensible, but of an honest man.

My wife begs your acceptance of her compliments. With her's I join my own

to

to Mrs. Richardson, and your little family, for whose welfare you have our sincerest wishes. I am, Dear sir,

Your most obedient servant,

JAMES HARRIS.

TO MR. RICHARDSON.

DEAR SIR,

Sarum, Jan. 19, 1752.

I AM glad that Hermes has been able to merit the approbation of so worthy a man, and so rational a reader, as yourself. It would be hard, indeed, if the notion of learning were confined to the mere knowledge of one or two dead languages. Whoever surely possesses a good understanding, duly exercised upon becoming subjects, may justly aspire both to the name and to the character. In this light I consider yourself, having withal this farther

reason

reason to applaud you, that the sordid views of trade have not (as usual) been so far able to engross you, as to withdraw you from the contemplation of more rational, more ingenuous, and (what perhaps may sound strange to many of your neighbours) more interesting subjects.

Your kind wishes for my family I accept with thanks. Be pleased to accept, in return, the sincerest wishes both of myself and wife, for the prosperity of all that you call your's, believing me to be, as I truly

CORRESPONDENCE

BETWEEN

MR. RICHARDSON

AND

MR. CAVE.

TO MR. CAVE.

Aug. 9, 1750.

MR. CAVE,

THOUGH I have constantly been a purchaser of the Ramblers from the first five that you was so kind as to present me with, yet I have not had time to read any farther than those first five, till within these two or three days past. But I can go no further than the thirteenth, now before me, till I have acquainted you, that I am inexpressibly pleased with them. I remember not any thing in the Spectators, in those Spectators