But, before you receive the Sacrament, it will be neceffary for you to take a Review of your paft Life. Your Sickness having confined you to your Room, you must have a great many vacant Hours upon your Hands; and a Chriftian ought to be then most busy, when, in the Language of the World, he has nothing to do: But, in the Language of Reason and Christianity, has his eternal Salvation to work out with Fear and Trembling. Judge yourself, and then you will not be judged of the Lord. But if you neglect to do this, then think what a fhocking Thing it must be to give an Account before the greatest Being in the World, of a Life, that you perhaps cannot reflect on feriously in private, and by yourself, without Shame and Confufion. Look up to that Being whom you have offended, with all the Humility of a contrite Spirit, and look upon this World as (what it may foon perhaps in Reality be) Nothing to you. Soon, very foon (oh, may it not prove too foon for you! I mean before a thorough Repentance) may that Being, whom none can fee, and live, fit in Judgment, on your Soul: And then you muft either be, what I fincerely wish, eternally happy; or, what I tremble to think of, eternally miferable. If the latter, which God forbid fhould be your Cafe: How dreadful muft it be to lift up thofe Eyes,

which you had wilfully fhut before, juft as you are finking, irrecoverably finking, in endless Mifery? Behold, now is the accepted Time, now is the Day of Salvation! On your present Behaviour, on this great Crifis, your ALL depends! God, who will not defpife a troubled and a contrite Heart, will have Compaffion on you, provided you have first Compaffion on yourself. But if you do not return to him with a whole Heart; nothing is more fit, than that they, who are incorrigibly Bad, fhould be irretrievably Wretched. I fay no more. May God grant that you may know the Things belonging to your Peace, before they be for ever hid from your Eyes!

Thus I have wrote, what I am fure is a very affectionate, and what I wish may prove a very affecting Letter. It is not material to inform you, from what Hand this Epiftle comes: It is enough to affure you, that it proceeds from an Heart fincerely your's,

May 9.

E. E.

AN

ESSAY

ON

REFINED AND FRIENDLY CONVERSATION.

Written in the Twenty-fecond Year of the AUTHOR'S Age.

T has been obferved that fome, who

have been justly esteemed Writers of the firft Rank in the Learned World, have not been favoured with a very happy Turn for Converfation; and that others, on the contrary, could never make their Appearance to Advantage in Print, who were yet looked upon as the very Life and Genius

of

every private Company they came into..

Thus Mr. ANTHONY WOOD informs us, "That whenever Sir WILLIAM "KILLIGREW took Pen in Hand, he "did not come up to the never-failing "Smartnefs, which he fhewed in Conver"fation; whereas Mr. CowLEY was the "Reverse of this Character, as Sir JOHN "DENHAM gives us to understand in the "following Lines :

"Had

"Had CowLEY ne'er spoke, KILLIGREW ne'er writ;

"Combin'd in one they'd fhew'd a matchless Wit."

This may be accounted for after the following Manner: Some Men are of an airy, volatile Temper; the Edge of their Wit is very fine, but foon turn'd: They have Brifkness and Vivacity of Spirit enough for a fharp, furprizing Repartee, or any other extempore Sally of Fancy; but they have not that Strength and Steadiness of Spirit, which is neceffary to keep up an uninterrupted Tenour of good Writing, and to convey their Thoughts with Chastity and Propriety of Style. And indeed even in Converfation I have obferved fome Gentlemen of this Stamp, when they have fallen foul on Men of fuperior Senfe, to have been very brifk and vigorous in their first Attack; but fainter and weaker in their laft Efforts. Their Spirits evaporated, and, if their Antagonist bravely ftood his Ground, he was convinced, that their Forces were rather for a fhort Skirmish of Wit, than for a fet and lafting Battle. They put me in Mind of what fome ancient Hiftorians relate of the Gauls, viz. That in the Beginning of the Fight, they used to perform more than Men; but towards the Conclufion of it lefs than Women. Some on the other Hand,

are

are of a more phlegmatick Conftitution; their Parts are flow, but fure; and, what is wanting in Sprightliness, is made up in what we call ftrong, mafculine Sense.

I would therefore obferve, that there are two Kinds of Wit; the one I call Tinfel Wit, which confifts of glittering Points, little Flourishes, and ludicrous Conceits: The other may be ftyled true Sterling-Wit; which is made up of a rich Vein of good Thinking, exalted Sentiments, and curious. Obfervations. The former is more glaring and dazzling; the Touches of the latter are very masterly, but too delicate and nice for vulgar Obfervers. The former pleases more upon a fuperficial, tranfient View; the latter upon a mature Deliberation; the one therefore more taking in common Conversation; the other in Writing.

That I may not lose myself in too large a Field, I fhall reduce my Thoughts to the three following Heads, viz.

Ift, The Advantages of refined and friendly Conversation.

IIdly, The Subject Matter of it; and, IIIdly, The Manner of handling the Topicks of fuch Converfation.

Ift, On the Advantages of refined and friendly Conversation.