Transcription

Sir, I am just now honored with Your Royal Highnesses letter of the 3d. and rejoice exceedingly to find that Your Royal Highness is so happily united in brotherly friendship and regard with the Duke of York: For the most solid advantages arise from the bonds of family connection being strongly linked together. Whenever a person unites action to pleasure, he passes his time very agreably; for a proper division of the twenty four hours, to study in business, amusement & art, tends to constitute the greatest possible happiness; though I Fear it would be very difficult to convince the younger part of mankind of the truth of this axiom; however, Sir, we must take the world as we find it; & when solid good cannot be obtained, we must admit partial evil - When we cannot get at [[unclear]], Champaigne, and Opera's; we must content ourselves with Wild boar, smoke tobacco & play of Skittles; and Tristram Shandy, from the oddity of the composition, may sometimes afford as much amusement as will Pope or Swift - I will take the liberty to quote a passage from the Former, & then drop this theme -