My uncle Hervey has a young gentleman intrusted to his care, whom he
has thoughts of sending abroad a year or two hence, to make the Grand
Tour, as it is called; and finding Mr. Lovelace could give a good
account of every thing necessary for a young traveller to observe upon
such an occasion, he desired him to write down a description of the
courts and countries he had visited, and what was most worthy of
curiosity in them.

He consented, on condition that I would direct his subjects, as he
called it: and as every one had heard his manner of writing commended;
and thought his narratives might be agreeable amusements in winter
evenings; and that he could have no opportunity particularly to
address me directly in them, since they were to be read in full
assembly before they were given to the young gentleman, I made the
less scruple to write, and to make observations, and put questions for
our further information--Still the less perhaps as I love writing; and
those who do, are fond, you know, of occasions to use the pen: And
then, having ever one's consent, and my uncle Hervey's desire that I
would write, I thought that if I had been the only scrupulous person,
it would have shewn a particularity that a vain man might construe to
his advantage; and which my sister would not fail to animadvert upon.

You have seen some of these letters; and have been pleased with this
account of persons, places, and things; and we have both agreed, that
he was no common observer upon what he had seen.

My sister allowed that the man had a tolerable knack of writing and
describing: And my father, who had been abroad in his youth, said,
that his remarks were curious, and shewed him to be a person of
reading, judgment and taste.