E-text prepared by Annie McGuire, Suzanne Shell,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
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Dear Sir,
Though, when I left London, I promised to write to you as soon as I hadreached my northern retreat, yet, I believe, you little expected insteadof a letter to receive a volume; but I should not stand excused tomyself, were I to fail communicating to you the pleasure I received inmy road hither, from the sight of a society whose acquaintance I owe toone of those fortunate, though in appearance trifling, accidents, fromwhich sometimes arise the most pleasing circumstances of our lives; foras such I must ever esteem the acquaintance of that amiable family, whohave fixed their abode at a place which I shall nominate Millenium Hall,as the best adapted to the lives of the inhabitants, and to avoid givingthe real name, fearing to offend that modesty which has induced them toconceal their virtues in retirement.
In giving you a very circumstantial account of this society, I confess Ihave a view beyond the pleasure which a mind like yours must receivefrom the contemplation of so much virtue. Your constant endeavours havebeen to inculcate the best principles into youthful minds, the onlyprobable means of mending mankind; for the foundation of most of our[Pg 2]virtues, or our vices, are laid in that season of life when we are mostsusceptible of impression, and when on our minds, as on a sheet of whitepaper, any characters may be engraven; these laudable endeavours, bywhich we may reasonably expect the rising generation will be greatlyimproved, render particularly due to you, any examples which may teachthose virtues that are not easily learnt by precept and shew thefacility of what, in mere speculation, might appear surrounded with adiscouraging impracticability: you are the best judge, whether, by beingmade public, they may be conducive to your great end of benefiting theworld. I therefore submit the future fate of the following sheetsentirely to you, and shall not think any prefatory apology for thepublication at all requisite; for though a man who supposes his own lifeand actions deserve universal notice, or can be of general use, may beliable to the imputation of vanity, yet, as I have no other share thanthat of a spectator, and auditor, in what I purpose to relate, I presumeno apology can be required; for my vanity must rather be mortified thanflattered in the description of such virtues as will continually accuseme of my own deficiencies, and lead me to make a humiliating comparisonbetween these excellent ladies and myself.
You may remember, Sir, that when I took leave of you with a design ofretiring to my native county, there to enjoy the plenty and leisure forwhich a few years labour had furnished me with the necessary requisites,I was advised by an eminent physician to make a very extensive tourthrough the western part of this kingdom, in order, by frequent changeof air, and cont