Letters of the Right Honourable Lady M--y W--y M--e Part 9

TO MRS T----.

_Lyons, Sept_, 25. O. S. 1718.

I RECEIVED, at my arrival here, both your obliging letters, and also letters from many of my other friends, designed to Constantinople, and sent me from Ma.r.s.eilles. .h.i.ther; our merchant there, knowing we were upon our return. I am surprised to hear my sister has left England. I suppose what I wrote to her from Turin will be lost, and where to direct I know not, having no account of her affairs from her own hand. For my own part, I am confined to my chamber, having kept my bed till yesterday, ever since the 17th, that I came to this town, where I have had so terrible a fever, I believed, for some time, that all my journeys were ended here; and I do not at all wonder, that such fatigues as I have pa.s.sed, should have such an effect. The first day's journey from Turin to Novalesse, is through a very fine country, beautifully planted, and enriched by art and nature. The next day we began to ascend mount Cenis, being carried in little seats of twisted osiers, fixed upon poles, upon mens shoulders; our chaises taken to pieces, and laid upon mules.

THE prodigious prospect of mountains covered with eternal snow, of clouds hanging far below our feet, and of vast cascades tumbling down the rocks with a confused roaring, would have been entertaining to me, if I had suffered less from the extreme cold that reigns here.

But the misty rains which fall perpetually, penetrated even the thick fur I was wrapped in; and I was half dead with cold, before we got to the foot of the mountain, which was not till two hours after dark.

This hill has a s.p.a.cious plain on the top of it, and a fine lake there; but the descent is so steep and slippery, 'tis surprising to see these chairmen go so steadily as they do. Yet I was not half so much afraid of breaking my neck, as I was of falling sick; and the event has shewed, that I placed my fears right.

THE other mountains are now all pa.s.sable for a chaise, and very fruitful in vines and pastures: Amongst them is a breed of the finest goats in the world. Acquebellet is the last, and soon after we entered Pont Beauvoisin, the frontier town of France, whose bridge parts this kingdom, and the dominions of Savoy. The same night we arrived late at this town, where I have had nothing to do, but to take care of my health. I think myself already out of any danger; and am determined, that the sore throat, which still remains, shall not confine me long. I am impatient to see the curiosities of this famous city, and more impatient to continue my journey to Paris, from whence I hope to write you a more diverting letter than 'tis possible for me to do now, with a mind weakened by sickness, a head muddled with spleen, from a sorry inn, and a chamber crammed with mortifying objects of apothecaries vials and bottles.--I am, &c. &c.

LET. XLVIII.

TO MR POPE.

_Lyons, Sept_. 28. O. S. 1718.

I RECEIVED yours here, and should thank you for the pleasure you seem to enjoy from my return; but I can hardly forbear being angry at you for rejoicing at what displeases me so much. You will think this but an odd compliment on my side. I'll a.s.sure you, 'tis not from insensibility of the joy of seeing my friends; but when I consider, that I must, at the same time, see and hear a thousand disagreeable impertinents; that I must receive and pay visits, make courtesies and a.s.sist at tea-tables, where I shall be half killed with questions: and, on the other part, that I am a creature that cannot serve any body, but with insignificant good wishes; and that my presence is not a necessary good to any one member of my native country, I think I might much better have staid where ease and quiet made up the happiness of my indolent life.--I should certainly be melancholy, if I pursued this theme one line farther. I will rather fill the remainder of this paper with the inscriptions on the tables of bra.s.s, that are placed on each side of the town-house.

I. T A B L E.

Maererum. nostr : : : : : sii : : : : : Equidem. primam. omnium.

illum. cogitationem. hominum. quam. maxime. primam. occursuram. mihi.

provideo. deprecor. ne. quasi. novam. istam. rem. introduci.

exhorreseatis. sed. illa. po. tius. cogitetis. quam. multa. in. hac.

civitate. novata. sint. et. quidem. statim. ab. origine. urbis.

nostrae. in. quod. formas. statusque. res. p. nostra. diducta. sit.

Quondam. reges. hanc. tenuere. urbem. ne. tamen. domesticis.

successoribus. eam. tradere. contigit. supervenere. alieni. et.

quidam. externi. ut. Numa. Romulo. successerit. ex. Sabinis. veniens.

vicinus. quidem. sed. tunc. externus. ut. Anco. Marcio. Priseus, Tarquinius. propter. temeratum. sanguinem. quod. patre. de. marato.

Corinthio. natus. eret. et. Tarquiniensi. matre. generosa. sed.

inopi. ut. quae. tali. marito. necesse. habuerit. succ.u.mbere. c.u.m.

domi. repelleretur. a. gerendis. honoribus. postquam. Romam.

migravit. regnum. adeptus. est. huie. quoque. et. filio. nepotive.

ejus. nam. et. hoc. inter. auctores. discrepat. incretus. Servius.

Tullius. si. nostros. sequimur. captiva. natus. ocresia. si. tuscos.

coeli. quondam. vivennae. sodalis. fidelissimus. omnisque. ejus.

casus. comes. postquam. varia. fortuna. exactus. c.u.m. omnibus.

reliquis. coeliani. exercitus. Etruria. excessit. montem. Coelium.

occupavit. et. a. duce. suo. Coelio. ita. appellitatus. mutatoque.

nomine. nam. tusce. mastarna. ei. nomen. erat. ita. appellatus. est.

ut. dixi. et. regnum. summa. c.u.m. reip. utilitate. obtinuit. diende.

postquam. Tarquini. Superbi. mores. invisi. civitati. nostrae. esse.

coeperunt. qua. ipsius. qua. filiorum ejus nempe. pertaesum. est.

mentes. regni. et. ad. consules. annuos. magistratus. administratio.

reip. translata. est.

Quid. nunc. commemorem. dictaturae, hoc. ipso. consulari. imperium.

valentius. repertum. apud. majores. nostros quo. in. asperioribus.

bellis. aut. in. civili. motu. difficiliori. uterentur. aut. in.

auxilium. plebis. creatos. tribunos. plebei. quid. a. consulibus. ad.

decemviros. translatum. imperium. solutoque postea decemvirali.

regno. ad. consules. rursus. reditum. quid. im : : : : v ris.

distributum. consulare, imperium. tribunosque. militum. consulari.

imperio. appellatus. qui. seni. et octoni. crearentur. quid.

communicatos. postremo. c.u.m. plebe. honores. non. imperi. solum. sed.

sacerdotorum. quoque. jamsi. narrem. bella. a. quibus. coeperint.

majores. nostri. et. quo. processerimus. vereor. ne. nimio.

insolentior. esse. videar. et. quaesisse. jactationem. gloriae.

prolati. imperi. ultra. oceanum. sed. illo. C. Porius. revertar.

civitatem.

II. T A B L E.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : sane : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : nova : : : divus : aug : : : no : lus. et. patruus. Ti. Caesar.

omnem. florem. ubique. coloniarum. ac. municipiorum. bonorum.

scilicet. virorum. et. locupletium. in. hac. curia. esse. voluit.

quid. ergo. non. italicus. senator. provinciali, potior. est. jam.

vobis. c.u.m. hanc. partem. censurae. meae. approbare. coepero. quid.

de. ca. re. sentiam. rebus. ostendam. sed. ne. provinciales. quidem.

si. modo. ornare. curiam. poterint. rejiciendos. puto.

Ornatissima. ecce. colonia. valentissimaque. Riennensium. quam.

longo. jam. tempore. senatores. huic. curiae. consert. ex. qua.

colonia. inter. paucos. equestris. ordinis. ornamentum. L. restinum.

familiarissime. diligo. et. hodieque. in. rebus. meis. detineo.

cujus. liberi. fruantur. quaeso. primo. sacerdotiorum. gradu. post.

modo. c.u.m. annis. promoturi. dignitatis. suae. incrementa. ut. dirum.

nomen. latronis. taceam. et. odi. illud. palestric.u.m. prodiguum.

quod. ante. in. domum. consulatum. intulit. quam. colonia. sua.

solidum. civitatis. Romanae. beneficium. consecuta. est. idem. de fratre. ejus. possum. dicere. miserabili. quidem. indignissimoque.

hoc. casu. ut. vobis. utilis. senator. esse. non. possit.

Tempus. est. jam. Ti. Caesar. Germanice. detegere. te. patribus.

conscriptis. quo. tendat. oratio. tua. jam. enim. ad. extremos.

sines. Galliae. Narbonensis. venisti.

Tot. ecce. insignes. juvenes. quot. intueor. non. magis. sunt.

poenitenci. senatorib. quam. poenitet. Persic.u.m. n.o.bilissimum. virum.

amic.u.m. meum. inter. imagines. majorum. suorum. Allorogici. nomen.

legere. quod. si. hae. ita. esse. consenti. is. quid. ultra.

desideratis. quam. ut. vobis. digito. demonstrem. solum. ipsum.

ultra. sines. provinciae. Narbonensis jam. vobis. senatores. mittere.

quando. ex. Lugduno. habere. nos. nostri. ordinis. viros. non.

poenitet. timide. quidim. p. c. egressus. adsuetos. familiaresque.

vobis. provinciarum, terminos. sum. sed. destricte jam comatae.

Galliae. causa. agenda. est. in. qua. si. quis. hoc. intuetur. quod.