ago,

of; my giddinefs is more or lefs too conftant: I fleep ill, and have a poor appetite. I can as eafily write a Poem in the Chinese-language as my own: I am as fit for Matri-mony as invention; and yet I have daily fchemes for innumerable Effays in profe, and proceed fometimes to no Jefs. than half a dozen lincs, which the next morning become waste paper. What vexes me moft is, that my female friends, who could bear me very well a dozen years have now forfaken me, altho' I am not fo old in proportion to them, as I formerly was which I can prove by Arithmetic, for then I was double their age, which now 1 am not. Pray put me out of fear as foon as you can, about that ugly report of your illness; and let me know who this Chefelden is, that hath fo lately fprung up in your favour? Give me alfo fome account of your neighbour who writ to me from Bath: I hear he refolves to be ftrenuous for taking off the Teft; which grieves me extremely, from all the unprejudiced Reafons I ever was able to form, and against the maxims of all wife Chriftian governments which always had fomne establish'd Religion, leaving at beft a toleration to others.

*

Farewel, my dearest friend! ever, and upon every account that can create friendship and efteem.

March 25, 1736.

Fever I write more epiftles in Verse, one of them shall be addrefs'd to you. I have long concerted it, and begun it, but I would make what bears your name as finished as my laft work ought to be, that is to fay, more finished than any of the reft. The fubject is large, and will divide into four Epiftles, which naturally follow the Effay on Man, viz. 1. Of the Extent and Limits of Human Reafon and Science, 2. A view of the useful and therefore attainable, and of the un-ufeful and therefore un-attainable Arts. 3. Of the Nature, Ends, Application, and Use of different Capacities. 4. Of the Ufe of Learning, of the Science of the World, and of Wit. It will conclude with a Satire against the mif-application of all, thefe exemplify'd by pictures, characters, and examples.

But alas! the task is great, and non fum qualis eram! My anderftanding indeeed, such as it is, is extended rather

The Author of the Differtation on Parties appears to have been of the fame Opinion: But the Author of the Book of Fragments is of another mind.

than

than diminish'd: I fee things more in the whole, more confiftent, and more clearly deduced from, and related to, each other. But what I gain on the fide of philosophy, I lofe on the fide of poetry the flowers are gone, when the fruits begin to ripen, and the fruits perhaps will never ripen perfectly. The climate (under our Heaven of a Court) is but cold and uncertain; the winds rife, and the winter comes on. I find myself but little difpos'd to build a new houfe; I have nothing left but to gather up the reliques of a wreck, and look about me to fee how few friends I have left. Pray, whofe efteem or admiration fhould I defire now to procure by my writings? whofe friendship or converfation to obtain by them? I am a man of desperate fortunes, that is, a man whofe friends are dead: for I never aim'd at any other fortune than in friends. As foon as I had fent my laft letter, I receiv'd a moft kind one from you, expreffing great pain for my late illness at Mr. Chefelden's. I conclude you was eafed of that friendly apprehenfion in a few days after you had difpatched yours, for mine must have reached you then. I wondered a little at your quære, who Chefelden was? It fhews that the trueft merit does not travel fo far any way as on the wings of Poetry; he is the most noted, and moft deferving man, in the whole profeffion of Chirurgery; and has fav'd the lives of thousands by his manner of cutting for the ftone. -I am now well, or what I must call fo.

I have lately feen fome writings of Lord B.'s fince he went to France. Nothing can deprefs his Genius: What ever befals him, he will ftill be the greatest man in the world, either in his own time, or with pofterity.

you,

Every man you know or care for here, enquires of and pays you the only devoir he can, that of drinking your health. I wish you had any motive to fee this kingdom. I could keep you, for I am rich, that is, I have more than I want. I can afford room for yourself and two fervants; I have indeed room enough, nothing but myfelf at home; the kind and hearty houfe-wife is dead! the agreeable and inftructive neighbour is gone; yet my houfe is enlarg'd, and the gardens extend and flourish, as knowing nothing of the guests they have loft. I have more fruit-trees and kitchen-garden than you have any thought of; nay I have good Melons and Pine-apples of my own growth. I am as much a better Gardener, as I am a worie Poet, than when you faw me: But Gardening is near a-kin to Philofophy, for Tully fays, Agricul tura proxima fapientiae. For God's fake, why should not

you

you (that are a ftep higher than a Philofopher, a Divine, yet have too much grace and wit to be a Bifhop) e'en give all you have to the Poor of Ireland (for whom you have already done every thing elfe) fo quit the place, and live and die with me? And let Tales animae concordes be our Motto and our Epitaph.

LETTER LXXXI.

From Dr. SWIFT.

Dublin, April 22, 1736.

M Y common illness is of that kind which utterly difqualifies me for all converfation; I mean my Deafnefs; and indeed it is that only which difcourageth me from all thoughts of coming to England; because I am never fure that it may not return in a week. If it were a good honeft Gout, I could catch an interval, to take a voyage, and in a warm lodging got an eafy chair, and be able to hear and roar among my friends. "As to "what you fay of your Letters, fince you have many 66 years of life more than I, my refolution is to direct "my Executors to fend you all your letters, well fealed

and pacqueted, along with foie legacies mentioned in "my will, and leave them entirely to your difpofal : "Thofe things are all tied up, endors'd, and locked in a "cabinet, and I have not one fervat who can properly "be faid to write or read: No mortal fhall copy them, << but you fhall furely have them when I am no more. I have a little repined at my being hitherto flipped by you in your Epiftles, not from any other ambition than the Title of a Friend, and in that fenfe I expect you fhall perform your promife, if your health and leifure and inclination will permit. I deny your lofing on the fide of poetry; I could reafon against you a little from experience; you are, and will be fome years to come, at the age when Invention ftill keeps its ground, and Judgment. is at full maturity; but your fubjects are much more difficult when confin'd to Verfe. I am amazed to fee you exhauft the whole fcience of Morality in fo mafterly a manner. Sir W. Temple faid, that the lofs of Friends was a Tax upon long life: It need not be very long, fince you have had fo great a fhare, but I have not above one left: and in this Country I have only a few general companions

panions of good-nature and middling underflandings. How hould I know Chefelden? On your fide, men of fame ftart up and die, before we here (at least 1) know any thing of the matter. I am a little comforted with wat you lay of Lord B's Genius ftill keeping up and preparing to appear by effects worthy of the author, and useful to the world.-Common reports have made me very unealy about your neighbour Mr. P. It is affirmed that he hath been. very near death: I love him for being a Patriot in most corrupted times, and highly efteem his excellent underftanding. Nothing but the preverie nature of my diforders, as I have above defcrib'd them, and which are abfolute difqualifications for converfe, could hinder me from waiting on you at Twickenham, and nurfing you to Paris. In short, my ailments amount to a prohibition, although I am, as you defcribe yourfelf, what I must call will, yet I have not fpirits left to ride out, which (excepting walking) was my only diverfion. And I muft expect to decline every month, like one who lives upon his principal fum which muft leffen every day; and indeed I am likewife literally almoft in the fame cafe, while every body owes me, and no-body pays me. Inftead of a young race of Patriots on your fide, which gives me fome glymple of joy, here we have the direct contrary, a race of young Dunces and Atheifts, or old Villains and Monsters, whereof four fifths are more wicked and ftupid than Chartres. Your wants are fo few, that you need not be rich to fupply them; and my wants are fo many, that a King's feven millions of guineas would not fupport me.

LETTER

LXXXII.

Aug. 17, 1736.

I

Find, tho' I have less experience than you, the truth of what you told me fometime ago, that increate of years makes men more talkative but lefs writative to that degree, that I now write no letters but of plain bufinefs, or plain how-d'ye's, to thofe few I am forced to correfpond with, either out of neceffity, or love: And I grow Laconic even beyond Laconicifine; for fometimes I return only Yes, or No, to queftionary or petitionary Epiftles of haif a yard long. You and Lord Bolingbroke are the only men to whom I write, and always in folio.. You are indeed almoft the only men I know, who either can write in this age, or whofe writings will reach the next: Others are mere VOL. IV. Eee mortals.

mortals. Whatever failings fuch men may have, a refpec is due to them, as Luminaries whofe exaltation renders their motion a little irregular, or rather caufes it to feem fo to others. I am afraid to cenfure any thing I hear of Dean Swift, because I hear it only from mortals, blind and dull: And you fhould be cautious of cenfuring any action or motion of Lord B. becaufe you hear it only from fhallow, envious, or malicious reporters. What you writ to me about him I find to my great fcandal repeated in one of yours to. Whatever you might hint to me, was this for the prophane? the thing, if true, fhould be concealed; but it is, I affure you, abfolutely untrue, in every. circumftance. He has fixed in a very agreeable retirement near Fontainbleau, and makes it his whole business vacare literis. But tell me the truth, were you not angry at his omitting to write to you fo long? I may, for I hear from him feldomer than from you, that is twice or thrice a year at moft. Can you poffibly think he can neglect you, or difregard you? If you catch yourself at thinking fuch nonfenfe, your parts are decay'd: For, believe me, great Geniufes muft and do efteem one another, and I queftion if any others can efteem or comprehend uncommon merit.. Others only guefs at that merit, or fee glimmerings of their minds: A genius has the intuitive faculty: There-fore, imagine what you will, you cannot be fo fure of any man's efteem as of his. If I can think that neither he nor you defpife me, it is a greater honour to me by far, and will be thought fo by pofterity, than if all the House of Lords writ Commendatory Verfes upon me, the Commons ordered me to print my Works, the Universities. gave me public thanks, and the King, Queen, and Prince crown'd me with Laurel. You are a very ignorant man ; you don't know the figure his name and yours will make hereafter; I do, and will preferve all the memorials I can, that I was of your intimacy; long, fed proximus, intervallo. I will not quarrel with the prefent age; it has done enough. for me, in making and keeping you two my friends. Do not you be too angry at it, and let not him be too angry at it; it has done and can do neither of you any manner of harm, as long as it has not, and cannot burn your works :. while thofe fubfift, you'll both appear the greatest men of the time, in fpite of Princes and Minifters; and the wifeft, in fpite of all the little Errors you may please to commit.

Adieu. May better health attend you, than, I fear, you pollels; may but as good health attend you always as