*

heartily afflicted when another faculty of the intellect comes boisterously in, and wakes me from fo pleasing a dream, if it be a dream. I will dwell no more on Oeconomicks than I have done in my former letter. Thus much only I will say, that otium cum dignitate is to be had with 500 7. a year as well as with 5000: the difference will be found in the value of the man, and not in that of the eftate. I do affure you, that I have never quitted the defign of collecting, revifing, improving, and extending feveral materials which are still in my power; and I hope that the time of fetting myfelf about this laft work of my life is not far off. Many papers of much curiofity and importance are loft, and some of them in a manner which would furprize and an ger you. However I fhall be able to convey feveral great truths to pofterity, fo clearly and fo authentically, that the Burnets and the Oldmixons of another age may rail, but not be able to deceive.

*Viz. Reafon. Tully, (or, what is much the fame, his Dif ciple) obferves fomething like this on the like occafion, where, fpeaking of Plato's famous Book of the Soul, he fays, Nefcio quomodo, dum lego, adfentior: cum pofui librum, et mecum ipfe de immortalitate animorum cæpi cogitare, adfenfio illa omnis elabitur. Cicero feems to have had but a confufed notion of the cause, which the Letter-writer has here explained, namely, that the imagination is always ready to indulge fo flattering an idea, but feverer reafon corrects and disclaims it. As to RELIGION, that is out of the question; for Tully wrote to his few philofophis friends.

Adieu, my friend. I have taken up more of this paper than belongs to me, fince Pope is to write to you; no matter, for, upon recollection, the rules of proportion are not broken; he will fay as much to you in one page, as I have faid in three. Bid him talk to you of the work he is about, I hope in good earneft; it is a fine one; and will be, in his hands, an orginal. His fole complaint is, that he finds it too easy in the execution. This flatters his laziness, it flatters my judgment, who always thought that (univerfal as his talents are) this is eminently and peculiarly his, above all the writers I know living or dead; I do not except Horace.

LETTER XLIV.

Adieu.

Nov. 28, 1729.

T

Wit.

HIS letter (like all mine) will be a Rhapfody; it is many years ago fince I wrote as a How many occurrences or informations must one omit, if one determin'd to say nothing that one could not say prettily? I lately received from the widow of one dead correfpondent, and the father of another, feveral of my own letters of about fifteen and twenty years old; and it was not unentertaining to myself to obferve, how and by what degrees I ceas'd to be a witty writer; as either my experience *Effay on Man.

grew on the one hand, or my affection to my correfpondents on the other. Now as I love you better than moft I have ever met with in the world, and esteem you too the more, the longer I have compar'd you with the rest of the world; fo inevitably I write to you more negligently, that is, more openly, and what all but fuch as love one another will call writing worse. I fmile to think how Curl would be bit, were our Epiftles to fall into his hands, and how glorioufly they would fall short of every ingenious reader's expectations?

You can't imagine what a vanity it is to me, to have fomething to rebuke you for in the way of Oeconomy. I love the man that builds a house fubito ingenio, and makes a wall for a horse: then cries, "We wife men muft think of nothing but getting ready money." I am glad you approve my annuity; all we have in this world is no more than an annuity, as to our own enjoyment: but I will increase your regard for my wifdom, and tell you, that this annuity includes also the life of another *, whose concern ought to be as near me as my own, and with whom my whole profpects ought to finish. I throw my javelin of Hope no farther, Cur brevi fortes ja

culamur ævo&c.

The fecond (as it is call'd, but indeed the eighth) edition of the Dunciad, with fome additional notes and epigrams, fhall be sent you, if I know any op

*His Mother's.

portunity; if they reprint it with you, let them by all means follow that octavo edition.- -The Drapier's letters are again printed here, very laudably as to paper, print, &c. for you know I disapprove Irish politics, (as my Commentator tells you) being a ftrong and jealous fubject of England. The Lady you mention, you ought not to complain of for not acknowledging your prefent; fhe having lately receiv'd a much richer prefent from Mr. Knight of the S. Sea; and you are fenfible she cannot ever rcturn it to one in the condition of an out-law. It's certain, as he can never expect any favour *, his motive must be wholly dif interested. Will not this Reflection make you bluth? Your continual deplorings of Ireland, make me with you were here long enough to forget thofe fcenes that so afflict you: I am only in fear if you were, you would grow fuch a patriot here too, as not to be quite at eafe, for your love of old England.-It is very poffible, your journey, in the time I compute, might exactly tally with my intended one to you; and if you muft foon again go back, you would not be unattended. the poor woman decays perceptibly every week; and the winter may too probably put an end to a very long, and a very irreproachable life. My conftant attendance on her does indeed affect my mind very much, and leffen extremely my defires of long life; fince I fee the beft that can come of it

For

* He was mistaken in this. Mr. Knight was pardoned, and ame home in the year 172.

is a miferable benediction. I look upon myself to be many years older in two years fince you saw me: The natural imbecillity of my body, join'd now to this acquir'd old age of the mind, makes me at least as old as you, and we are the fitter to crawl down the hill together: I only defire I may be able to keep pace with you. My first friendship at fixteen, was contracted with a man of seventy, and I found him not grave enough or confiftent enough for me, tho' we lived well to his death. I fpeak of old Mr. Wycherley; fome letters of whom (by the by) and of mine, the Bookfellers have got and printed, not without the concurrence of a noble friend of mine and yours*. I don't much, approve of it; though there is nothing for me to be afham'd of, becaufe I will not be afham'd of any thing I do not do myfelf, or of any thing that is not immoral but merely dull (as for inftance, if they printed this letter I am now writing, which they eafily may, if the underlings at the Poft office please to take a copy of it.) I admire on this confideration, your fending your laft to me quite open, without a feal, wafer, or any closure whatever, manifefting the utter opennefs of the writer. I would do the fame by this, but fear it would look like affectation to fend two letters fo together.I will fully represent to our friend (and, I doubt not, it will touch his heart)

* See the occafion, in the fecond and third Paragraphs of the Preface to the firft Volume of Letters.