DEAR B.
B.—You may know my letters by the paper and the folding. For the
former, I live on scraps obtained in charity from an old friend whose
stationary is a permanent perquisite; for folding, I shall do it neatly when I
learn to tye my neckcloths. I surprise most of my friends by writing to them on
ruled paper, as if I had not got past pothooks and hangers. Sealing wax, I have
none on my establishment. Wafers of the coarsest bran supply its place. When my
Epistles come to be weighed with Pliny’s, however superior to the Roman in delicate irony,
judicious reflexions, etc., his gilt post will bribe over the judges to him.
All the time I was at the E. I. H. I never mended a pen; I now cut ’em to
the stumps, marring rather than mending the primitive goose quill. I cannot
bear to pay for articles I used to get for nothing. When
Adam laid out his first penny upon nonpareils at some
stall in Mesopotamos, I think it went hard with him, reflecting upon his old
goodly orchard, where he had so many for nothing. When I write to a Great man,
at the Court end, he opens with surprise upon a naked note, such as Whitechapel
people interchange, with no sweet degrees of envelope: I never inclosed one bit
of paper in another, nor understand the rationale of it. Once only I seald with
borrow’d wax, to set Walter Scott a
wondering, sign’d with the imperial quarterd arms of England, which my
friend Field gives in compliment to his
descent in the female line from O.
Cromwell. It must have set his antiquarian curiosity upon
watering. To your questions upon the currency, I refer you to Mr. Robinson’s last speech, where, if you
can find a solution, I cannot. I think this tho’ the best ministry we
ever stumbled upon. Gin reduced four shillings in the gallon, wine 2 shillings
in the quart. This comes home to men’s minds and bosoms. My tirade
against visitors was not meant particularly at you or
A. K. I scarce know what I meant,
for I do not just now feel the grievance. I wanted to
| 1826 | DELIBERATE INVENTIONS | 701 |
My very kindest wishes to you all three, with my sister’s best love.
