text, the Primate Boulter had written to the Duke of Newcastle: "The Archbishop of Dublin has of late been very ill. I think his Majesty's service absolutely requires that whenever he drops the place be filled with an Englishman." He recovered enough from this second attack to vex Swift, who, writing to him on May 18th of this year about "the visitation of the Dean and Chapter," said: "I see very well how personal all this proceeding is; and how, from the very moment of the Queen's death, your Grace has thought fit to take every opportunity of giving me all sorts of uneasiness, without ever giving me, in my whole life, one single mark of your favour beyond common civilities. . . . Neither my age, health, humour or fortune qualify me for little brangles; but I will hold to the practice delivered down by my predecessors." To Dr. Sheridan he wrote on June 24th about the same matter: "I will spend a hundred or two pounds rather than be enslaved, or betray a right which I do not value threepence, but my successors may."

XLVII.

DUBLIN. Nour 23rd 1727.

SR-I have yours of the 15th instant, wherein you tell me that upon my last leaving Ireland, you supposed I would return no more, which was probable enough, for I was nine weeks very ill in

England, both of Giddyness and Deafness, which latter being an unconversable disorder I thought it better to come to a place of my own, than be troublesome to my Friends, or live in a lodging; and this hastened me over, and by a hard Journy I recovered both my Aylments. But if you imagined me to have any favor at Court you were much mistaken or misinformed. It is quite otherwise at least among the Ministry. Neither did I ever go to Court, except when I was sent for and not always then. Besides my illness gave me too good an excuse the last two months.

I

As to Politicks; in Engld it is hard to keep out of them, and here it is a shame to be in them, unless by way of Laught' [Laughter] and ridicule, for both which my tast is gone. suppose there will be as much mischief as Interest, folly, ambition and Faction can bring about, but let those who are younger than I look to the consequences. The publick is an old tattred House but may last as long as my lease in it, and therefore like a true Irish tenant I shall consider no further.

I wish I had some Retirement two or three miles from this Town, to amuse my self, as you do, with planting much, but not as you do, for I would build very little. But I cannot thing of a remote Journey

in such a miserable country, such a Clymat, and such roads, and such uncertainty of Health. I would never if possible be above an hour distant from home-nor be caught by a Deafness and Giddyness out of my own precincts, where I can do or not do, what I please; and see or not see, whom I please. But if I had a home a hundred miles off I never would see this Town again, which I believe is the most disagreeable Place in Europe, at least to any but those who have been accustomed to it from their youth, and in such a Case I suppose a Jayl might be tolerable. But my best comfort is, that I lead here the life of a monk, as I have always done; I am vexed whenever I hear a knocking at the door, especially the Raps of quality, and I see none but those who come on foot. This is too much at once.

I am y1 &c.

NOTES ON XLVII.

Swift had paid a second visit to England early in April. It ended unhappily and he never came again. His old ailments returned in great force. He had lived too well at Pope's house; and so he thought had brought back his giddiness. “Cyder and champaign and fruit," he wrote, “have been the cause.' His deafness was worse than ever. "I

have," he said, "a hundred oceans rolling in my ears, into which no sense has been poured this fortnight." He described the state of himself and his friend in the following verses :-

"Pope has the talent well to speak,
But not to reach the ear;

His loudest voice is low and weak,
The Dean too deaf to hear.

A while they on each other look,
Then different studies choose;
The Dean sits plodding on a book;

Pope walks, and courts the Muse."

On his return to Dublin he wrote to the poet : "I have thought it best to return to what fortune has made my home. . . . Here is my maintenance and here my convenience. If it pleases God to restore me to my health I shall readily make a third journey; if not, we must part as all human creatures have parted. Two sick friends never did well together; such an office [the care of a sick friend] is fitter for servants and humble companions, to whom it is wholly indifferent whether we give them trouble or not. I have a race of orderly, elderly people of both sexes at command, who are of no consequence, and have gifts proper for attending us; who can bawl when I am deaf, and tread softly when I am only giddy and would sleep." He was alarmed moreover by bad news of Stella. Writing to Sheridan about a letter just received

from him he said: "I kept it an hour in my pocket with all the suspense of a man who expected to hear the worst news that fortune could give him, and at the same time was not able to hold up his head. These are the perquisites of living long; the last act of life is always a tragedy at best; but it is a bitter aggravation to have one's best friend go before one. What have I do in the world? I never was in such agonies as when I received. your letter, and had it in my pocket."

To add to his misery his hope of a settlement in England was lost for ever. In May he had written. to this same friend: "It is certain that Walpole is peevish and disconcerted, stoops to the vilest offices of hireling scoundrels to write Billingsgate of the lowest and most prostitute kind, and has none but beasts and blockheads for his penmen whom he pays in ready guineas very liberally. I am in high displeasure with him and his partisans." George I. was known to be failing in health, and Swift, like many another, looked forward with some hope to the new reign. "I have," he wrote, "at last seen the princess, twice this week by her own commands; she retains her old civility and I my old freedom; she charges me without ceremony to be the author of a bad book [Gulliver's Travels], though I told her how angry the ministry were; but she assures me that both she and the prince were very well pleased with every particular." He counted also on the favour of Mrs. Howard, the Prince's