But whither am I running? I never know where to end, when I get upon 'learned topics.' And albeit I cannot compliment 'you' with the 'name of a learned man,' yet are you 'a sensible man'; and ('as such') must have 'pleasure' in 'learned men,' and in 'their writings.'
In this confidence, (Mr. Walton,) with my 'kind respects' to the good ladies, (your 'spouse' and 'sister,') and in hopes, for the 'young lady's sake,' soon to follow this long, long epistle, in 'person,' I conclude myself,
Your loving and faithful friend, ELIAS BRAND.
You will perhaps, Mr. Walton, wonder at the meaning of the 'lines drawn
under many of the words and sentences,' (UNDERSCORING we call it;)
and were my letters to be printed, those would be put in a
'different character.' Now, you must know, Sir, that 'we learned
men' do this to point out to the readers, who are not 'so learned,'
where the 'jet of our arguments lieth,' and the 'emphasis' they are
to lay upon 'those words'; whereby they will take in readily our
'sense' and 'cogency.' Some 'pragmatical' people have said, that
an author who doth a 'great deal of this,' either calleth his
readers 'fools,' or tacitly condemneth 'his own style,' as
supposing his meaning would be 'dark' without it, or that all of
his 'force' lay in 'words.' But all of those with whom I have
conversed in a learned way, 'think as I think.' And to give a very
'pretty,' though 'familiar illustration,' I have considered a page
distinguished by 'different characters,' as a 'verdant field'
overspread with 'butter-flowers' and 'daisies,' and other
summer-flowers. These the poets liken to 'enamelling'—have you
not read in the poets of 'enamelled meads,' and so forth?
LETTER LXVI
MR. BRAND, TO JOHN HARLOWE, ESQ. SAT. NIGHT, SEPT. 2.
WORTHY SIR,
I am under no 'small concern,' that I should (unhappily) be the 'occasion' (I am sure I 'intended' nothing like it) of 'widening differences' by 'light misreport,' when it is the 'duty' of one of 'my function' (and no less consisting with my 'inclination') to 'heal' and 'reconcile.'
I have received two letter to set me 'right': one from a 'particular acquaintance,' (whom I set to inquire of Mr. Belford's character); and that came on Tuesday last, informing me, that your 'unhappy niece' was greatly injured in the account I had had of her; (for I had told 'him' of it, and that with very 'great concern,' I am sure, apprehending it to be 'true.') So I 'then' set about writing to you, to 'acknowledge' the 'error.' And had gone a good way in it, when the second letter came (a very 'handsome one' it is, both in 'style' and 'penmanship') from my friend Mr. Walton, (though I am sure it cannot be 'his inditing,') expressing his sorrow, and his wife's, and his sister-in-law's likewise, for having been the cause of 'misleading me,' in the account I gave of the said 'young lady'; whom they 'now' say (upon 'further inquiry') they find to be the 'most unblameable,' and 'most prudent,' and (it seems) the most 'pious' young lady, that ever (once) committed a 'great error'; as (to be sure) 'her's was,' in leaving such 'worthy parents' and 'relations' for so 'vile a man' as Mr. Lovelace; but what shall we say?— Why, the divine Virgil tells us,