Volume 1, Letter 32: Answer

⁠​​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌⁠There was a time, my dear friend, when the stile of our letters was as easy to be understood as the subject of them was agreeable and delightful; animated as they were with the warmth of a generous passion, they stood in need of no art to elevate, no colourings of a luxuriant fancy to heighten them. Native simplicity was their best, their only character. That time, alas, is now no more, it is gone