CONTENTS OF THE FOURTEENTH VOLUME. LETTERS between Dr. Swift and Mr. Bolingbroke-from Page 1 to p. 199 Journal to Stella—from p. 201 to the end THE TO AND FROM Dr. JONATHAN SWIFT. From Mr. POPE to Dr. SWIFT. Binfield, Dec. 8, 1713. SIR, N OT to trouble you at prefent with a recital of all my obligations to you, I shall only mention two things, which I take particularly kind of you: your desire that I fhould write to you, and your propofal of giving me twenty guineas to change my religion; which last you must give me leave to make the subject of this letter. Sure no clergyman ever offered fo much out of his own purse for the fake of any religion. 'Tis almost as many pieces of gold, as an apostle could get of filver from the priests of old, on a much more valuable confideration. I believe it will be better worth my while to propofe a change of my faith by fubfcription, than a Translation of Homer. And to convince you how well difpofed I am to the reformation, I fhall be content, if you can prevail with my lord treafurer, and the miniftry, VOL. XIV. B to. pro to rise to the same fum, each of them, on this pious account, as my lord Hallifax has done on the phane one. I am afraid there's no being at once a poet and a good chriftian, and I am very much ftraitened between the two, while the whigs feem willing to contribute as much, to continue me the one, as you would, to make me the other: But, if you can move every man in the government, who has above ten thousand pounds a year, to subscribe as much as yourself, I fhall become a convert, as moft men do, when the Lord turns it to my intereft. I know they have the truth of religion fo much at heart, that they'd certainly give more to have one good fubject tranflated from popery to the church of England, than twenty heathenish authors out of any unknown tongue into ours. I therefore commiffion you, Mr. Dean, with full authority, to tranfact this affair in my name, and to propofe as follows. First, That as to the head of our church, the pope, I may engage to renounce his power, whenfoever I fhall receive any particular indulgences from the head of your church, the Queen. As to communion in one kind, I fhall alfo promife to change it for communion in both, as foon as the miniftry will allow me. For invocations to faints, mine fhall be turned to dedications to finners, when I fhall find the great ones of this world as willing to do me any good, as I believe thofe of the other are. You fee I shall not be obftinate in the main points; but there is one article I muft referve, and which you |