My sonn, of whom you have done me the favour
to enquire, mends of his indisposition very slowly ;
the ayr of England not agreeing with him hetherto
so well as that of Italy. The Bath is propos'd by
the doctours, both to him and me : but we have
not yet resolved absolutely on that journey ; for
that city is so close and so ill situated, that perhaps
the ayr may do us more harm than the waters can
do us good : for which reason we intend to try them
heer first; and if we find not the good effect
which is promis'd of them, we will save our selves
the pains of goeing thether. In the mean time,
betwixt my intervalls of physique, and other reme-
dies which I am useing for my gravel, I am still
drudgeing on : always a poet, and never a good
one. I pass my time sometimes with Ovid, and
sometimes with our old English poet Chaucer;



148 pryden's letters.
