Exeter. Nov 27th 1780
It is with very great pleasure that I sit down to answer your letters, both of which I receiv’d in due time, and the last of them a few days since. - It is not enough barely to thank you for them, for that would be only doing what is usually done for any common uninteresting Epistle, your's are of a very different Nature. In short I think I can scarcely give you a more proper Idea that I entertain of them, or the Pleasure which all your Friends have received from them, to whom I have communicated their contents, than the Opinion which Mr Jackson formed of them, particularly your first letter that it was one of the best he had ever read - that it gave him a truer Idea of the Countries you travelled through, and the manner of travelling through them than he had ever conceived before and he gave me most Express orders to tell you that you had nothing to do but go on in the way you had set out, to make the Expedition pleasing to yourself and most entertaining to all your friends and Acquaintances. I can assure you that you are not forgotten by them, they all make the most affectionate enquiries after you and receive the good accounts which I have been able to give them with unfeign’d Pleasure. It is but Justice to the Character which you have establis'd here to inform you that your Friends entertain the highest regard for you, & that your loss as a master of your Profession is consider’d as irreparable. It is the knowledge of having acquired such Genuine Esteem with the consciousness of having endeavoured to deserve it, that makes one of the greatest & purest enjoyments of human life. Long may you continue your Pursuits and long may you enjoy the Rewards of them!
While you are perpetually sollicited by new Objects of attention and feel your mind almost overwhelm’d by the magical scenes that have continually surrounded you - we remain in the same dull spot, treading the same beaten Track - living and seeing the same to day as yesterday without a Hope of tomorrow’s being in the least different from Today. Why should you not know that you may enjoy the difference of Situation if it were only respecting the Climate. - You have seen the gloomy month of November in England - I am now writing by the Fire Side, immediately after dinner - and tho’ but jsut three o’clock I can scarcely see the words that I am writing for the gloomy Fog in which we are involved, therefore if there should be anything remarkably stupid in this letter, your friendly Charity will of course impute it more to the unfavourableness of the Weather, than the want of ability or inclination to amuse you. - Indeed with the utmost stretch of my attention I can hardly tell upon what subjects to write to you - you will naturally wish to be transported hither for a few minutes to know how we Employ ourselves - But when I think of telling you that our Concerts are begun, that our music is Excellent and our Company numerous and brilliant - my Spirit is damp’d in a moment by the thought of where you are, what you hear & what you see in Public - and when I would write you that we have our little weekly meetings at Mr Louis’s - Mr Granger’s - Mr Ragueneau’s and Mr Jackson’s (who all think and talk of you & still fancy they see you making one in the party) I am instantly stopp’d by the Recollection of the Difference of your Conversazioni which reduce our’s to mere Insignificance. As to Painting, you know this is no Place for it - but Mr Downman is again with us and keeps his Branch of the Art alive and flourishing - I gave him the Drawing you left with me for that Purpose, which he received with the greatest Pleasure and Satisfaction. He desires to be particularly remember’d to you and so does Mr & Mrs & Miss A. B. C. D. E. and as many different Persons as there are Letters in the Alphabet. - that is to say all you old Acquaintances, who are I think just as you left them all, except that Mr & Mrs Noguier who have been both very strong in their Expressions of Regard for you, but who are now in a most melancholy situation - He being extremely ill with the black Jaundice which has reduced him to almost a Skeleton and Poor Mrs Noguier had a most violent Seizure last week of the Paralytic kind, which deprived her several days of her Speech & Senses. Today I find she is somewhat better & has spoke several times, but there seems to be but little hope of her Recovery. - I shou’d have been much more pleased if I could have sent you no news but of the most comfortable Sort, but I know you are always so much interested both in the Welfare & misfortunes of your Friends that you wou’d wish to be informed of their true & real Situation. My Sister is just return’d from the Hot Wells at Bristol & has receiv’d all the Benefit from her Expedition & drinking the Water there, that tis possible to imagine [space indicating illegible words] It seems to me to be such an Age since you left us that I hardly know what news to think of telling you, however it will be no news to tell you that I am your Sincere Friend
James White.
Do let me know if this comes safe to your hands & write as often as you can.
A Montr
Monsieur Towne
a la Caffé d’Angleterre
Piazza d’Espagna
Rome.
Nov 27 1780.
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