Pray God continue and increase Mr. Congreve's amendment, although he doth not deferve it like you, having been too lavish of that health which Nature gave him.

I hope my White-hall landlord is nearer to a place than when I left him; as the preacher faid, the day of Judgment was nearer, ⚫ than ever it had been before.

Pray God fend you health det Salutem, det opes,animam aquam ipfe tibi parabis. You fee Horace wished for money, as well as health; and I would hold a crown he kept a coach and I fhall never be a friend to the Court until you do fo too,

lodged.

;

Yours, &c.

Mr. Gay, with whom Dr. Swift sometimes

Let Jove give Health, give Riches; you fhall find

An inward Treafure in an equal Mind.

Dunkin.

TH

LETTER XXIV.

Dr. SWIFT to Mr. POPE.

Dublin, Oct. 30, 1737.

HE firft letter I writ after my landing was to Mr. Gay, but it would have been wifer to direct it to Tonfon or Lintot, to whom I believe his lodgings are better known than to the runners of the Poft-office. In that Letter you will find what a quick change I made in feven days from London to the Deanry, through many nations and languages unknown to the civilized world. And I have often reflected in how few hours, with a swift horse, or a strong gale, a man may come among a people as unknown to him as the Antipodes. If I did not know you more by your converfation and kindnefs than by your letter, I might be base enough to fufpect, that in point of friendship you acted like some philosophers, who writ much better upon Virtue than they practifed it. In answer, I can only fwear, that you have taught me to dream, which I had not done in twelve years, further than by inexpreffible nonsense; but now I can every night diftinctly fee Twitenham, and the Grotto, and Dawley, and Mrs. B. and many other et cetera's, and it is but three nights fince I beat Mrs, Pope. I muft needs confefs, that the pleasure I take in thinking on you very. much leffened by the pain I am in about your

is

health

health: You pay dearly for the great talents God hath given you, and for the confequences of them in the esteem and diftinction you receive from mankind, unless you can provide a tolera ble stock of health; in which pursuit I cannot much commend your conduct, but rather entreat you would mend it by following the advice of my Lord Bolingbroke and your other Physicians. When you talked of Cups and Impreffions, it came into my head to imitate you in quoting fcripture, not to your advantage, I mean what was faid to David by one of his brothers: I knew thy pride, and the haugh⚫tiness of thy heart;' fo I remember it grieved your foul to see me pay a penny more than my club at an Inn, when you had maintained me three months at bed and board, for which, if I had dealt with you in the Smithfield way, it would have coft me an hundred pounds, for I live worse here upon more, Did you ever confider that I am for life almoft twice as rich as you, and pay no rent, and drink French wine twice as cheap as you do Port, and have neither coach, chair, nor mother? As to the world, I think you ought to fay to it with St. Paul, If we have fown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? This is more proper ftill, if you confider the French word Spiritual, in which sense the world ought to pay you better than they do. If you made me a prefent of a thousand pounds, I would not allow myself to be in your debt; G 4

and

and if I made you a prefent of two, I would not allow myself to be out of it. But I have not half your pride: witness what Mr. Gay fayeth in his letter, that I was cenfured for begging Presents, although I limited them to ten fhillings, and although I forgave* Sir Robert Walpole a thousand pounds, multa gemens. I fee no reafon (at least my friendship and vanity fee none) why you should not give me a vifit when you fhall happen to be difengaged: I will fend a perfon to Chester to take care of you, and you thall be used by the best folks we have here, as well as civility and good-nature can contrive : I believe local motion will be no ill phyfick; and I will have your coming inscribed on my Tomb, and recorded in never-dying verse.

I thank Mrs. Pope for her prayers, but I know the mystery. A perfon of my acquaintance, who used to correfpond with the last great Duke of Tuscany, fhewing one of the Duke's letters to a friend, and profeffing great sense of his highness's friendship, read this paffage out of the letters, I would give one of my fingers to procure your real good. The perfon to whom this was read, and who knew the Duke well, faid, the meaning of real good, was only, that the other might turn a good Catholick: pray afk, Mrs. Pope, whether this story is applicable

to

* Dr. Swift bad an Order upon the Treasury in Queen ANNE's Reign, fome foort Time before fhe died, for one thousand Pounds, which was never paid. + Much regretting.

to her and me? I pray God bless her, for I am fure she is a good chriftian, and (which is almost as rare) a good woman.

Adieu.

LETTER XXV.

Mr. GAY to Dr. SWIFT.

Oct. 22, 1727.

Hough you went away from us fo unex

Tpectedly, and in fo clandeftine a manner;

Τ

yet by feveral enquiries, we have informed ourfelves of every thing that hath happen'd to

you.

To our great joy you have told us your deafnefs left you at the Inn in Alderfgate-street: No doubt your ears knew there was nothing worth hearing in England,

*

Our advices from Chefter tell us, that you met Captain Lawfon; the Captain was a man of veracity, and fet fail at the time he told you; I really wifh'd you had laid hold of that opportunity, for you had then been in Ireland the next day: Befides, as it is credibly reported, the Captain had a bottle or two of excellent claret in his Cabbin, You would not then have had the plague of that little fmoaky room at Holy-head; hut confidering it was there you lost your giddiness, we have great reafon

Commander of the Dublin Yatcht,