Cirencester, July 17, 1736. My Dear Lord,
I hope this will overtake you and find you safely arriv'd at Wentworth Castle. (\ don't think any Air is so good as that where a Man of taste has lay'd out his works himself ; there is certainly more pleasure in riding about woods which have been cutt and modell'd by one's own contrivance and fancy, and thro' Avenues of one's own planting than in any others what soever, and as pleasure tends to health I think your Lordship is more likely to find benefit by that than by all Dr. Cheney's prescriptions. ) However I please my self with this reflexion, I shou'd be glad to have it certi- fied under your own hand, or under Lord Wentworth's, who without any disparagement to you certainly writes a better : Indeed he writes too well for a Man of Quality, but I comfort my self that when he comes into the world and has been an Ambassadour and Plenipotentiary abroad, or a Secretary of State at home, the delicacy of his hand-wTiting will go off ; till then I am asham'd to write to him, for mine is good for nothing and yet I have never had any business to spoil it.
I can assure you my Lord I shall go on with much more satisfaction with my plain works now since they have had some share of your approbation, and if you wou'd be so good as to come and see them once every year you wou'd spurr me on to do something handsome. The truth of it is I have undertaken too large a design for my pocket and I must leave to a son or a Grand-son to finish. I can imagine what it will be 50 or 60 year hence and the force of my imagination must supply the weakness of my purse.
Your Lordship has the Pleasure of seeing things almost in perfection in your own time, a noble building and plantations well grown about it, but the most agreable sight you can see there is that fine youth who is one time or other to succeed you in it. Without any compliment I like him better the more I see of him and I really think he promises every thing that can be desir'd. My best wishes will allways attend your Lordship and him, but I must not conclude without making mycompli-
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