of as you please. I have feveral things that I have had schemes to finish, or to attempt, but I very foolishly put off the trouble, as finners do their repentance: for I grow every day more averse from writing, which is very natural, and, when I take a pen, fay to myself a thousand times, non eft tanti. As to thofe papers of four or five years past, that you are pleas'd to require foon ; they confift of little accidental things writ in the country; family amusements, never intended further than to divert ourfelves and fome neighbours: or fome effects of anger on Public Grievances here, which would be infignificant out of this kingdom. Two or three of us had a fancy, three years ago, to write a Weekly paper, and call it an Intelligencer. But it continued not long; for the whole Volume (it was re-printed in London, and, I find, you have seen it) was the work only of two, myself and Dr. Sheridan. If we could have got fome ingenious young man to have been the manager, who fhould have published all that might be sent to him, it might have continued longer, for there were hints enough. But the Printer here could not afford fuch a young man one farthing for his trouble, the fale being so small, and the price one half penny; and fo it dropt. In the Volume you faw (to answer your questions) the 1, 3, 5, 7, were mine. Of the 8th I writ only the Verses, (very uncorrect, but against a fellow we all hated) the 9th mine, the 10th only the Verfes, and of those not the four last flovenly lines; the 15th is a Pamph

let of mine printed before with Dr. Sh's Preface, merely for laziness not to disappoint the town; and fo was the 19th, which contains only a parcel of facts relating purely to the miseries of Ireland, and wholly useless and unentertaining. As to other things of mine fince I left you; there are in profe a View of the State of Ireland; a Project for eating Children; and a Defence of Lord Carteret; in verse a Libel on Dr. D- and Lord Carteret; a Letter to Dr. D on the Libels writ against him; the Barrack (a ftolen Copy;) the Lady's Journal; the Lady's Dreffing-room (a ftolen Copy ;) the Plea of the Damn'd (a stolen copy;) all these have been printed in London. (I forgot to tell you that the Tale of Sir Ralph was fent from England.) Befides these there are five or fix (perhaps more) Papers of Verses writ in the North, but perfect Family-things, two or three of which may be tolerable; the rest but indifferent, and the humour only local, and fome that would give offence to the times. Such as they are, I will bring them, tolerable or bad, if I recover this lameness, and live long enough to fee you either here or there. I forget again to tell you, that the Scheme of paying Debts by a Tax on Vices, is not one fyllable mine, but of a young Clergy-man whom I countenance; he told me it was built upon a pasfage in Gulliver, where a Projector hath something upon the fame Thought. This young man is the moft hopeful we have a book of his. Poems was printed in London; Dr. D. is one of his Pa

trons: he is marry'd and has children, and makes up about 100l. a year, on which he lives decently. The utmost stretch of his ambition is, to gather up as much fuperfluous money, as will give him a fight of you, and half an hour of your presence; after which he will return home in full fatisfaction, and in proper time die in peace.

My poetical fountain is drain'd, and I profefs, I grow gradually fo dry, that a Rhime with me is almoft as hard to find as a Guinea; and even Profe fpeculations tire me almost as much. Yet I have a thing in profe begun about twenty-eight years ago, and almost finished. It will make a four fhilling Volume, and is fuch a perfection of folly, that you fhall never hear of it till it is printed, and then you fhall be left to guefs *. Nay I have another of the fame age, which will require a long time to perfect, and is worse than the former, in which I will ferve you the fame way. I heard lately from Mr.who promises to be lefs lazy in order to mend his fortune. But women who live by their beauty, and men by their wit, are feldom provident enough to confider that both Wit and Beauty will go off with years, and there is no living upon the credit of what is past.

I am in great concern to hear of my Lady Bo lingbroke's ill health returned upon her, and, I doubt, my Lord will find Dawley too folitary without her. In that neither he nor you are compa * Polite Converfation.

nions young enough for me, and, I believe, the best part of the reason why men are faid to grow children when they are old, is because they cannot entertain themfelves with thinking; which is the very cafe of little boys and girls, who love to be noify among their play-fellows. I am told Mrs. Pope is without pain, and I have not heard of a more gentle decay, without uneafinefs to herself or friends; yet I cannot but pity you, who are ten times the greater sufferer, by having the person you most love, so long before you, and dying daily; and I pray God it may not affect your mind or your health.

LETTER LXII.

Mr. POPE to Dr. SWIFT.

Dec. 5, 1732.

T is not a time to complain that you have not

was impatient under fome fears :) It is not now indeed a time to think of myself, when one of the nearest and longest tyes I have ever had, is broken all on a fudden, by the unexpected death of poor Mr. Gay. An inflammatory fever hurried him out

*"On my dear friend Mr. Gay's death: Received December 15, but not read till the 20th, by an Impulfe, foreboding fome Misfortune." [This is indors'd on the original letter in Dr. Swift's hand.]

of this life in three days. He died last night at nine o'clock, not depriv'd of his fenfes entirely at last, and poffeffing them perfectly till within five hours. He asked of you a few hours before, when in acute torment by the inflammation in his bowels and breast. His effects are in the Duke of Queensbury's cuftody. His fifters, we fuppofe, will be his heirs, who are two widows; as yet it is not known whether or no he left a will.-Good God! how often are we to die before we go quite off this stage? In every friend we lofe a part of ourselves, and the best part. God keep those we have left! few are worth praying for, and one's felf the least of all.

I shall never see you now, I believe; one of your principal calls to England is at an end. Indeed he was the most amiable by far, his qualities were the gentleft; but I love you as well and as firmly. Would to God the man we have loft had not been fo amiable, nor fo good! but that's a wish for our own fakes, not for his. Sure if Innocence and Integrity can deserve Happiness, it must be his. Adieu, I can add nothing to what you will feel, and diminish nothing from it. Yet write to me, and foon. Believe no man now living loves you better, I believe no man ever did, than

A. POPE.

Dr. Arbuthnot, whofe humanity you know, heartily commends himself to you. All poffible dili gence and affection has been shown, and continue