Broad-Hembury, Dec. 29, 1774.

WHEN my dear friend's letter (whofe date I

am quite ashamed to recollect) arrived, our valuable Mrs. Macaulay was prefent. Her countenance brightened, at learning from whom it came. She, on all occafions, teftifies a fingular efteem of you which is, in other words, faying, that the really has you in very great eftimation; for fhe is too magnanimous, and too upright, to diffemble. She gives your name, as a favourite toaft of your's and mine, in public and mixed companies. And fhe has, moreover, fo high an opinion of your judgement, in phyfic, no lefs than in metaphyfic, that the makes it a conftant rule, and did fo, during the whole of her three months ftay in Devonshire, to retire to her chamber at ten o'clock.

Though I love and refpect you, as much as that extraordinary lady can do; ftill, I cannot fay, that I have carefully followed your advice, relating to that. early hour of repofe, with the fame implicit obedience. We often regard the phyfician, and yet tranfgrefs his prefcriptions. I am, however, reforming, very faft, in this particular. As a proof of which, I must tell you, that, if I prolong my studies, at any time, until two or three in the morning, I begin to think I am fetting up late. For the most part, I rarely exceed twelve or one.

Had the Northamptonshire living fallen to my lot, I should have been a very troublesome neighbour to you. Not a fixpenny pamphlet would I have fent to the prefs, without previously foliciting your corrections and amendments. You may be thankful,

R 4

thankful, that I am only your friend, and not your neighbour. Let me, in a religious view, feriously add, that I myself am thankful, and very thankful, that I continue where I am. And I fay this, not because I should not have preferred your county to this; but because it was the will of God, as the event has clearly proved, that I fhould remain in this county, and not be transplanted to your's.

Your thoughts, concerning the " Directions to young Divinity Students," are fo juft, fo forcible, and fo vivid, that I muft, abfolutely, lay afide all view, of engaging in fuch a book, myself. The department is eminently, and exclufively, your's. Let Homer, therefore, write his own Iliad. As to me, I feel my incompetence to fo difficult and important a tafk; and muft follow the old, fenfible advice: Confule, quid faleant, &c.

My beft thanks attend you, for that valuable paper, tranfmitted to me, fome time ago, from Wells, under Mr. Tudway's enclofure; enumerating the paffages, in the Old Teftament, wherein Chrift is ftiled Jehovah. You may judge how poorly qualified I am, to accommodate young divines with rules for ftudy; when I affure you, that I did not know, until you informed me, that the bleffed Mediator, between God and man, is called Jehovah, almoft two hundred times, in the courfe of the first Teftament.

If you wish your letters to Mr. S may arrive free of poftage, you must inclofe them to Mr. S is one of the moft learned, moft devout, and most valuable men I know. With all his choir of refpectable and of amiable qualities, he poffeffes this crowning one, viz. an heart, like your's, capable of friendchip.

Auguftus Toplady.

LETTER

LETTER

LIII.

TO AMBROSE SERLE, Efq.

EVER DEAR SIR,

Broad-Hembury, Jan. 25, 1775

Write, to requeft, that you will condefcend to prefent Mr. M. with my thanks, for his pacquet, lately fent and to inform him, that, though I was by no means well, when it arrived; yet, the perusal of Mr. Wefley's " Thoughts upon Neceffity" (which were part of the pacquet's contents) put my fpirits into fuch a pleasing flow, that I inftantly refolved to attack thofe thoughts, and, in half an hour afterwards, actually fet about it. I have, at three fittings (or, rather, ftandings; for I generally write upon my feet), got mid-way through my intended pamphlet; which will, if Providence pleafe to continue health and leifure, be a Defence of Chriftian and Philofophical Neceffity.

I defign writing to Mr. M. myfelf, fo foon as I have finished my tract and thanking him for the kind conveyances, with which he has favoured me. But, to fay the truth, I am, at prefent, fo abforbed in the fubject on the tapis, that I am willing to purfue it, while my ideas are warm; and warm ideas, if not speedily feized and arrefted, are very fugitive.

Every happiness be your's,

Auguftus Toplady.

LETTER

LETTER

To Mrs. MACAULAY.

DEAR MADAM,

YOUR

LIV.

Broad Hembury, Feb. 10, 1775.

OUR favour, of Jan. 27, arrived in due course. Had you defered penning it, but three days longer, it would have borne the date of a certain anniversary, on which no perfon living is fo well qualified to write as yourself.

I have had too much ill health, this winter, to be, as you fuppofe me to have been, very affiduously engaged in deep refearches after philofophical and religious truth." The principal result of my few refearches in that way, has been a tract (begun and finished within a fortnight) in explication and defence of Chriftian and philofophic neceffity. But, I believe, 1 fall not commit it to the prefs, until I go to London: the printers being a very teafing fet of people, to be concerned with at so great a distance from the fcene of action.

As I know not how much longer my fuppofed "refearches" may be impeded, by want of health; I must beg, that you will not, in time to come, forbear writing hither, from an imaginary fear of “interrupting" refearches which have little or no exiftence.

I will reduce you to a dilemma, on the occafion. Either I am, or I am not, engaged in the faid refearches. If the former, then do you write by all means; and the oftener, the better: for I know no pen, more capable of affifting a philofophic enquirer, than your own. If the latter, ftill write: for, in that cafe, the very reafon, under which you shelter yourfelf, ceases to exist.

To tell you the truth, I am quite of opinion, that by your polite apology for being fo bad a correfpon

dent,

dent, you have only wedged yourself faft in a cleft ftick from which, nothing can extricate you, but your directing as many letters to Broad-Hembury as poffible.

I have not been at Honiton, fince I took leave of you there. But your hoft, Mr. N. I have seen twice; once at my own houfe, and once at Mr. Drewe's.

Many thanks to you, dear madam, for the purse, which, you tell me, you have condefcended to knit. I would rather, however, defer receiving it, until I have the pleafure of feeing you at Bath: which I hope will be within thefe two months; either in my way to, or in my return from, London.

I have a very extraordinary letter to fhew you; fent me by my refpectable friend, Dr. Baker, vicar of St. Martin's, in Salisbury: relative to Bradshaw's interment in Jamaica. I own, I am partly ftaggered, though not profelyted, as to that matter. I fet it down under the clafs of "Hiftoric doubts."

But, without any fhadow of doubt at all, I have the honour to be,

madam,

your much obliged

and very obedient fervant,

Auguftus Toplady.

I

P. S. Compliments to Mifs Macaulay. obferve, you do not fay a fyllable, concerning our common favourite, Mr. Lytton.On fecond thoughts, I will not (as I at firft defigned) defer fhewing you Dr. B's letter until we meet: but fhall inclofe it in this. The circumftance, of double postage, is not to be confidered. Adieu.

LETTER