At Wandsworth, July 23 [3 August n. s.] 1728

I received yesterday your kind and witty letter, which was sent to my lord Peterboro at the Bath.
You do me the greatest honour I could ever boast of, in bestowing an Englis dress upon my French child. I receive the best reward of all my labours if you go on in the generous design of translating my undeserving work into a language which gives life and strength to all the subjects it touches. The Henriade has at least in itself a spirit of liberty which is not very common in France; the language of a free nation as yours is the only one that can vigorously express what I have but faintly drawn in my native tongue: the work will grow under your hands, worthy of the British nation, and that tree transplanted in your soil and grafted by you will bear a new and a better sort of fruit.

I wish I could be the happy witness of your labour. I assure you, dear Sir, I am strongly tempted of coming to Barbadoes; for as the Henriade wanted to be translated by you, I want a warmer climate for my health, which grows worse and worse in England. I am sure your advices would mend my constitution as well as you mend my poem; you would be my double Apollo.

As I am talking to you about phisic, I must acquaint you that doctor Friend is a dying for having outphisicd himself: he took the other day ten ounces of herapicra at once, with some sene, and since that noble experiment he lies speechless. This must be looked upon as selfmurther. I hope you do not deal with your self so violently. I wo you take a better care of y^r health.

I hear this minute doctor Friend is dead, leaving behind him an ample fortune, and a great reputation which nothing can lessen but his late sickness; he was the only patient whom he treated so ill.

Farewell, dear S^r; in case you are ever so kind as to write to me, I desire you to direct your to M^r Cavalier, a merchant by the Royal Exchange.

I am for ever with sincerity, esteem, and gratitude, S^r,

Y^r very humble, obed. faithfull serv.

Voltaire