forgive a blank of half an inch from you. I had reason to expect from some of your letters that we were to hope for more epistles of morality; and I assure you my acquaintance resent that they have not seen my name at the head of one. The subject of such epistles are more useful to the public by your mauner of handling them than any of all your writings; and although in so profligate a world as ours they may possibly not much mend our manners, yet posterity will enjoy the benefit whenever a court happens to have the least relish for virtue and religion.

TO JOHN BARBER, ESQ.

ALDERMAN OF LONDON.

Dublin, December 8, 1736.

MY DEAR OLD FRIEND,—I am glad of any occasion to write to you, and therefore business will be my excuse. I had lately a letter from Mrs. Warburton, the widow of him for whom I got a living in those parts where your society's estate lies. The substance of her request is a public affair wherein you and I shall agree; for neither of us are changed in point of principles. Mr. John Williams, your society's overseer, is worried by a set of people in one part of your estate, which is called Salter's Proportion, because he opposed the building of a fanatic meeting-house in that place. This crew of dissenters are so enraged at this refusal, that they have so incensed sir Thomas Webster, the landlord (I suppose under you) of that estate, against him, and are doing all in their power to get him discharged from your service. Mr. Warburton was his great friend. By what I understand those factious people presume to take your timber at pleasure, contrary to your society's instructions, wherein Mr. Williams constantly opposes them to the utmost of his power, and that is one great cause of their malice. Long may you live a bridle to the insolence of dissenters, who, with their pupils the atheists, are now wholly employed in ruining the church; and have entered into public associations subscribed and handed about publicly for that purpose. I wish you were forced to come over hither, because I am confident the journey and voyage would be good for your health; but my ill health and age have made it impossible for me to go over to you. I have often let you know that I have a good warm apartment for you, and I scorn to add any professions of your being welcome in summer or winter, or both: pray

and be ever happy hereafter. Is our friend Bolingbroke well? He is older than either of us; but I am chiefly concerned about his fortune for some time ago, a friend of us both wrote to me that he wished his lordship had listened a little to my thrifty lectures, instead of only laughing at them. I am ever, with the truest affection, dear Mr. alderman, your most hearty friend, and obedient humble servant.

TO LADY BETTY GERMAIN.

January 29, 1737.

MADAM,-I owe your ladyship the acknowledgment of a letter I have long received, relating to a request I made to my lord duke. I now dismiss you, madam, for ever from your office of being a gobetween upon any affair I might have with his grace. I will never more trouble him either with my visits or application. His business in this kingdom is to make himself easy; his lessons are all prescribed him from court; and he is sure at a very cheap rate to have a majority of most corrupt slaves and idiots at his devotion. The happiness of this kingdom is of no more consequence to him than it would be to the great Mogul; while the very few honest or moderate men of the Whig party lament the choice he makes of persons for civil employments or church preferments.

I will now repeat, for the last time, that I never made him a request out of any views of my own, but entirely by consulting his own honor, and the desires of all good men, who were as loyal as his grace could wish, and had no other fault than that of modestly standing up for preserving some poor remainder in the constitution of church and state.

I had long experience, while I was in the world, of the difficulties that great men lay under in the points of promises and employments; but a plain honest English farmer, when he invites his neighbors to a christening, if a friend happen to come late, will take care to lock up a piece for him in the cupboard.

Henceforth I shall only grieve silently when I hear of employments disposed of to the discontent of his grace's best friends in this kingdom; and the rather, because I do not know a more agreeable person in conversation, one more easy, or of a better taste, with a greater variety of knowledge, than the duke of Dorset.

I am extremely afflicted to hear that your ladyship's want of health has driven you to the Bath; the same cause has hindered

me from sooner acknowledging your letter. But I am at a time of life when I am to expect a great deal worse; for I have neither flesh nor spirits left, while you, madam, I hope and believe, will enjoy many happy years in employing those virtues which Heaven bestowed on you for the delight of your friends, the comfort of the distressed and the universal esteem of all who are wise and virtuous.

I desire to present my most humble service to my lady Suffolk and your happy brother. I am, with the truest respect, madam, your, &c.

TO JOHN TEMPLE, ESQ.

Dublin, February, 1737. SIR,The letter which I had the favor to receive from you I read to your cousin Mrs. Dingley, who lodges in my neighborhood. She was very well pleased to hear of your welfare, but a little mortified that you did not mention or inquire after her. She is quite sunk with years and unwieldiness, as well as a very scanty support. I sometimes make her a small present as my abilities can reach, for I do not find her nearest relations consider her in the least.

Jervas told me that your aunt's picture is in sir Peter Lely's best manner, and the drapery all in the same hand. I shall think myself very well paid for it if you will be so good as to order some mark of your favor to Mrs. Dingley. I do not mean a pension, but a small sum to put her for once out of debt; and if I live any time I shall see that she keeps herself clear of the world; for she is a woman of as much piety and discretion as I have known.

I am sorry to have been so much a stranger to the state of your family. I know nothing of your lady, or what children you have, or any other circumstances; neither do I find that Mr. Hatch can inform me in any one point. I very much approve of your keeping up your family-house at Moor-park. I have heard it is very much changed for the better as well as the gardens. The tree on which I carved those words, factura nepotibus umbram, is one of those elms that stand in the hollow ground just before the house; but I suppose the letters are widened and grown shapeless by time.

I know nothing more of your brother than that he has an Irish title (I should be sorry to see you with such a feather), and that some reason or other drew us into a correspondence which was very

This letter goes by my lord Castledurrow, who is a gentleman of very good sense and wit. I suspect, by taking his son with him, that he designs to see us no more. I desire to present my most humble service to your lady, with hearty thanks of her remembrance of me. I am, sir, your most humble faithful servant.

TO WILLIAM PULTENEY, ESQ.

March 7, 1737.

SIR, I must begin by assuring you that I did never intend to engage you in a settled correspondence with so useless a man as I here am; and still more so by the daily increase of ill health and old age; and yet I confess that the high esteem I preserve for your public and private virtues urges me on to retain some little place in your memory for the short time I may expect to live.

That I no sooner acknowledged the honor of your letter is owing to your civility, which might have compelled you to write while you were engaged in defending the liberties of your country with more than an old Roman spirit; which has reached this obscure enslaved kingdom so far as to have been the constant subject of discourse and of praise among the whole few of what unprostituted people here remain among us.

I did not receive the letter you mentioned from Bath; and yet I have imagined, for some months past, that the meddlers of the post-offices here and in London have grown weary of their curiosity by finding the little satisfaction it gave them. I agree heartily in your opinion of physicians; I have esteemed many of them as learned, ingenious men; but I never received the least benefit from their advice or prescriptions. And poor Dr. Arbuthnot was the only man of the faculty who seemed to understand my case, but could not remedy it. But to conquer five physicians, all eminent in their way, was a victory that Alexander and Cæsar could never pretend to. I desire that my prescription of living may be published (which you design to follow) for the benefit of mankind, which, however, I do not value a rush, nor the animal itself, as it now acts; neither will I ever value myself as a Philanthropus, because it is now a creature (taking a vast majority) that I hate more than a toad, a viper, a wasp, a stork, a fox, or any other that you will please to add.

Since the date of your letter we understand there is another duke

me from sooner acknowledging your letter. But I am at a time of life when I am to expect a great deal worse; for I have neither flesh nor spirits left, while you, madam, I hope and believe, will enjoy many happy years in employing those virtues which Heaven bestowed on you for the delight of your friends, the comfort of the distressed and the universal esteem of all who are wise and virtuous.

I desire to present my most humble service to my lady Suffolk and your happy brother. I am, with the truest respect, madam, your, &c.

TO JOHN TEMPLE, ESQ.

Dublin, February, 1737.

SIR, -The letter which I had the favor to receive from you I read to your cousin Mrs. Dingley, who lodges in my neighborhood. She was very well pleased to hear of your welfare, but a little mortified that you did not mention or inquire after her. She is quite sunk with years and unwieldiness, as well as a very scanty support. I sometimes make her a small present as my abilities can reach, for I do not find her nearest relations consider her in the least.

Jervas told me that your aunt's picture is in sir Peter Lely's best manner, and the drapery all in the same hand. I shall think myself very well paid for it if you will be so good as to order some mark of your favor to Mrs. Dingley. I do not mean a pension, but a small sum to put her for once out of debt; and if I live any time I shall see that she keeps herself clear of the world; for she is a woman of as much piety and discretion as I have known.

I am sorry to have been so much a stranger to the state of your family. I know nothing of your lady, or what children you have, or any other circumstances; neither do I find that Mr. Hatch can inform me in any one point. I very much approve of your keeping up your family-house at Moor-park. I have heard it is very much changed for the better as well as the gardens. The tree on which I carved those words, factura nepotibus umbram, is one of those elms that stand in the hollow ground just before the house; but I suppose the letters are widened and grown shapeless by time.

I know nothing more of your brother than that he has an Irish title (I should be sorry to see you with such a feather), and that some reason or other drew us into a correspondence which was very