very forry for the reafon of your retirement. 'I am a witness to your endeavours to have made up, what I believe the great man you mention, will hardly compafs. I am of your opinion, that it is shameful that the vacant bishopricks are not difpofed of. I fhall do all that lies in my power to ferve the Gentlemen that I have already mentioned to the Queen, and hope with good fuccefs.

have

For the Lady you mention *, I fhall endeavour to fee her as often as I can. She is one that I a great eftéem for. I fend you fome Burgundy, which I hope you will like. It is very good to cure the fpleen. Believe me, with great truth, Sir, your most affectionate friend, and humble fervant,

London, July 22, 1714.

RAY fend me the other copy, and let us

PRA

have the benefit of it, fince you

the trouble of writing. Unless

+ Lady Maham.

I 3

have been

be fer

ved

†The blank should probably be filled up with the word Trea-or Oxford,

furer,

ved against his will, it is not like to be done at all; but I think you used to take a pleasure in good offices of that kind; and I hope you won't let the caufe fuffer; though I must own, in this particular, the perfon who has the management of it, does not deferve any favour. Nothing being left for me at St Dunstan's, I fent to B-+ for an answer to my laft. He fays it is not yet reftored to him; as foon as it is, I fhall have it. This delay begins to make me think all minifters are alike; and as foon as the Captain is a Colonel, he will act as his predeceffors have done.

The Queen goes to Windfor next Tuesday, and we expect all matters will be fettled before that time. We have had a report, that my Lord Privy Seal is to go out alone; but the Learned only laugh at it. The Captain's friends think themselves fecure; and the Colonel's || are fo much of the fame opinion, that they only drink his health while he is yet alive. However, it is thought he will fall cafy, with a penfion of four thousand pounds a-year, and a dukedom. Most of the ftaunch Tories are pleased with the alteration; and the Whimsicals pretend, the caufe of their difguft was, because the Whigs were too much favoured.

In fhort, we propofe very happy days to ourfelves, as long as this reign lafts; and if the uncertain timorous nature of does not difappoint us, we have a very fair profpect. The Dra

gon

Barber.

Bolingbroke.

Oxford.

gon and his antagonist * meet every day at the Cabinet. They often eat, and drink, and walk together, as if there was no fort of difagreement: And when they part, I hear they give one another fuch names, as nobody but ministers of ftate could bear, without cutting throats. The Duke of Marlborough is expected here every day. Dr Garth fays, he only comes to drink the Briftol waters, for a diabetes. The Whigs are making great preparations to receive him. But yefterday I was offered confiderable odds, that not one of those who go out to meet him, will vifit him in half-a-year. I durft not lay, though I can hardly think it. My Lord Marr is married to Lady Francis Pierrepoint; and my Lord Dorchefter, her father, is to be married next week to Lady Bell Bentinck. Let me know if you go to Pope's, that I may endeavour to meet you there? I am, &c.

LETTER CCXVI.

CHARLES FORD, ESQ; TO DR SWIFT.

WE

London, July 24, 1714.

E expected the grand affair would have been done yesterday, and now every body agrees it will be to-night f. The Bishop

* Bolingbroke. †The difmiffion of Lord Oxford.

of

of London, Lord Bathurst, Mr Bridges, Sir William Wyndham, and Campion, are named for Commiffioners of the Treafury; but I have not fufficient authority, for you to depend upon it. They talk of the Duke of Ormond for our Lord Lieutenant. I cannot get the pamphlet back *. What shall I do? I wish you would send me the other copy. My Lord Anglefey goes next Monday to Ireland. I hear he is only angry with the Chancellor, and not at all with the Captain. I am, &c.

LETTER

CCXVII.

ERASMUS LEWIS, ESQ. TO DR SWIFT.

ISA

Whitehall, July 24, 1714.

SAW Lord Harley this morning. He tells me, that he left you horridly in the dumps. I wish you were here; for, after giving a quarter of an hour's vent to our grief for the departure of our Don Quixot †, we should recover ourselves, and receive confolation from each other.

*Free Thoughts.

+ Lord Oxford, who was just at this time difmiffed from his employment as first minifter, and immediately fucceeded by Lord Bolingbroke. On Tuesday the 27th of the fame month, he furrendered his ftaff as Lord Treafter; and on the 30th, Lord Shrewsbury was appointed to fucceed him in that office. See the letter from Mr Ford, dated July 31; and an Inquiry into the behaviour of the Queen's laft miniftry, in the volumes published, by Mr Deane Swift.

other. The triumph of the enemy makes me mad. I feel a ftrange tendernefs within myfelf, and fcarce bear the thoughts of dating letters from this place, when my old friend is out, whofe fortune I have fhared for fo many years. But, fiat voluntas tua. The, damned thing is, we are to do all dirty work. We are to turn out Monckton *. And, I hear, we are to pass the new commiffion of the Treafury. For God's fake write to Lady Mafham, in favour of poor Thomast, to preferve him from ruin. I will fecond it. I intended to have wrote to you a long letter; but the moment I had turned this page, I had intelligence, that the Dragon had broke out into a fiery paffion with my Lord Chancellor ‡, and fwore a thoufand oaths he would be revenged of him. This impotent, womanifh behaviour, vexes me more than his being out. This laft

ftroke

* Robert Monekton, one of the Commiffioners for Trade and Plantations, who had given information against Arthur Moore, one of his brother commiffioners, for accepting a bribe from the Spanish Court, to get the treaty of commerce continued.

Mr Thomas had been Secretary under the old commiffion of the Treasury; and he wrote to the Dean, by the fame post, for a recommendation to Lady Mafiam, either to be continued in the fame office under the new Commiffioners, or to be confidered in fome other manner by way of compenfation. He urges a precedent for this in the cafe of his predecefior, who, being removed from his post of Secretary, got the office of Comptroller of the lotteries, worth five hundred pounds per annum, for thirty-two years.

Lord Harcourt.