Richard Cosway to Towne, 15 Mar 1779

London.
March 15. 1779

Dear Friend

The receipt of your Letter was an agreeable surprise to me for I had realy & in good faith given you up as an incorrigible Promise breaker, however ‘tis never too late to mend - I am very glad to find you have at last come to the resolution of Exhibiting some of your Pictures this year - I cannot help thinking you have been somewhat indiscreet in omitting it so long as you have done. The more excellent a man's works are the more they ought to be seen - if he wishes to obtain Honour or Emolument ['Honour' and 'Emolument' underlined] & they generally accompany each other - pray remember this & be no longer like the Rose in the Wilderness - that blooms to fade unseen & wastes its sweetness in the Desart Air. -

The Pictures are to be sent in for the Exhibition on [?]on beyond the 11th of next month after which time nothing can be admitted.

Stubbs & Miss Spencer desire their compts to you don’t laugh tho’ I believe you will be hardly able to resist when I tell you he has given up horse Painting &c & taken to himself ['taken' and 'himself' underlined] an Idea that he is better qualified to paint History & Portrait which he is now attempting in Enamel ['in Enamel' underlined] on Plates 3 or 4 ft Square. - He is now building a larger Kiln ['Kiln' underlined] in his Stable for burning them - he is also meditating a scheme of painting the inside of St Pauls Church in Enamel ['in Enamel' underlined] - there is a fellow for you - but jokes apart he is all to nothing the most persevering indefatigable man I ever knew. I most sincerely wish he may keep the fruits of his Labour but of this I have my doubts - on many accounts - To tell him so wou’d kill him. - The fact however is this - he has not had a Picture of Horse, Dog or any other Animal bespoke of him these ten months ['these ten months' underlined] - this has put him out of all humour with Horse Painting & I think with great Reason. There is but one Cause to which I can attribute it, which is that every Man of Fashion allmost is absolutely ruin’d ['ruin'd' underlined] - there was never known in the memory of man such a Universal Wreck - in short Luxury & Extravagance has totally undone the Age. the men are all turn’d Sharper & all the Women Wh....res... this melancholy truth is but too too too well known to your very sincere friend

R Cosway

PS.
Pray given me a line of information when you intend visiting London - which will give me Pleasure - I long to have some of our old Laughs ['Laughs' underlined] over again - I am sorry to tell you poor Mortimer is no more. He died the Day on which he wou’d have been elected Academician had he liv’d-

Mr Towne
Fore Str
Exeter.