from Mr. W. Ellis, that Lord Orford had once taken up three or four books in his library, and at length threw down the last of them, with tears in his eyes, exclaiming, “It is all in vain—I cannot read!” I was curious to know the truth of this story, and therefore mentioned it to Mr. Walpole (March 15, 1789). He said he was about twenty-two years old when his father retired; and that he remembered very well his offering one day to read to Lord Orford, finding that time hung heavy on his hands. “What,” said Lord Orford, “will you read, child?” Mr. Walpole, considering that his father had been long engaged in publick business, proposed to read some history. “No,” said Lord Orford, “don’t read history to me; that can’t be true.”
He read Sydenham’s works, and admired him much; but this admiration was the cause of his death; for meeting with Dr. Jusin’s pamphlet on Mrs. Steevens’ medicine for the stone, and thinking that Jusin’s hypothesis agreed with Sydenham’s, he took the medicine which dissolved the stone, but lacerated his bladder in such a way as to be the cause of his death. He was near seventy years of age, and had been very handsome. I could not find from Mr. Walpole that his father read any other book but Sydenham in his retirement; so probably Mr. Ellis’s anecdote is true.
Mr. Hamilton once observed to Bishop Warburton that he thought Pope was a cold man, notwithstanding all his talk about friendship and philosophy.
