BATH,November 10,1764.
MY DEAR FRIEND:I am much concerned at the account you gave me of yourself,in your last letter.There is,to be sure,at such a town as Dresden,at least some one very skillful physician,whom I hope you have consulted;and I would have you acquaint him with all your several attacks of this nature,from your great one at Laubach,to your late one at Dresden:tell him,too,that in your last illness in England,the physicians mistook your case,and treated it as the gout,till Maty came,who treated it as a rheumatism,and cured you.In my own opinion,you have never had the gout,but always the rheumatism;which,to my knowledge,is as painful as the gout can possibly be,and should be treated in a quite different way;that is,by cooling medicines and regimen,instead of those inflammatory cordials which they always administer where they suppose the gout,to keep it,as they say,out of the stomach.
I have been here now just a week;but have hitherto drank so little of the water,that I can neither speak well nor ill of it.The number of people in this place is infinite;but very few whom I know.Harte seems settled here for life.He is not well,that is certain;but not so ill neither as he thinks himself,or at least would be thought.
I long for your answer to my last letter,containing a certain proposal,which,by this time,I suppose has been made you,and which,in the main,I approve of your accepting.
God bless you,my dear friend!and send you better health!Adieu.