him. If fhe does not receive me as the used to do, I will never go again. I flatter myself the will be fo friendly, as to enter into the confideration of my private circumftances, and preferve her old goodness to me.

There is no feeing the Dragon till he is out, and then I will know his thoughts about your coming to Brampton. I hear he goes out of town inftantly to Wimple, and my Lady to Brampton; that he will join her there, after a few days. ftay at Wimple. Adieu. I am your's, &c.

OWN it looks unkind in me, not to thank

you, in all this time, for your fincere kind letter; but I was refolved to stay till I could tell you the Queen had got fo far the better of the Dragon, as to take her power out of his hands. He has been the most ungrateful man to her, and to all his best friends, that ever was born. I cannot have fo much time now to write all my mind, because my dear mistress is not well, and I think

This Lady's name was Hill. She was bed-chamber woman to the Queen, and, in conjunction with Mr Harley, afterwards Earl of Oxford, brought about the change in the ministry. See the note to a letter from Lord and Lady Masham, dated April 17, 1733.

I may lay her illness to the charge of the Treafurer, who, for three weeks together, was teazing and vexing her without intermiffion, and she could not get rid of him till Tuesday laft. I must put you in mind of one paffage in your letter to me, which is, "I pray God fend you wife and faithful friends, to advise you at this time, when there are fo great difficulties to struggle with." That is very plain and true; therefore will you, who have gone through fo much,. and taken more pains than any body, and given wife advice (if that wretched man had had fenfe enough and honefty to have taken it); I fay, will you leave us, and go into Ireland? No, it is impoffible; your goodness is ftill the fame; your charity and compaffion for this poor Lady, who has been barbaroufly ufed, won't let you do it. I know you take delight to help the distressed; and there cannot be a greater object, than this poor Lady, who deferves pity. Pray, dear friend, ftay here; and don't believe us all alike, to throw away good advice, and defpife every body's understanding but their own. I could fay a great deal upon the fubject; but I must go to her, for fhe is not well. This comes to you by a fafe hand, so that neither of us need be in any pain about it.

My Lord and brother are in the country. My fifter and girls are your humble fervants.

LET

LETTER

CCXXIII.

ERASMUS LEWIS, ESQ; TO DR SWIFT.

SIR,

July 29, 1714.

HAVE your's of the twenty-feventh. I write this in the morning, for I go in the evening to Kenfington. If I am well received, I will continue my homage; if not, they fhall hear of me no more. Where fhall I write to you again? for I cannot ftir from hence, till the fixteenth of

Auguft at fooneft. Nothing could please me, more, than to pafs a few months with you at Abercathy *; but I am yet uncertain, whether I fhall go there at all. All I am fure of, is, that I will go out of town, to fome place, for fome time; firft to the Bath, for I can't bear ftaying in this room. I want phyfic to help my digeftion of these things, though the 'fquire + is kinder to me than before. I am not morti-fied at what you tell me of Mercurialis; only I would know, whether any difrefpectful con-duct of mine has brought it upon me; or whether it is only a general diflike of me, because I am not a man of parts, or because I am in other interefts. They would not give the Dragon the least quarter, excepting only a pension, if he will

⚫ In Caermarthenshire, of which county Mr Lewis was a na

tive.

William Bromley, Efq; Secretary of State..

work journey-work by the quarter. I have long thought his parts accufed, and am more of that opinion than ever. The new commiffion is not yer named. Would not the world have roared against the Dragon for fuch a thing? Mercurialis. entertained Stanhope, Craggs, Pulteney, and Walpole. What if the Dragon had done fo? The Duke of Somerset dines to-day with the fraternity, at Greenwich, with Withers. Nobody goes out with the Dragon; but many will fit very loofe. Some fay, the new men will be Lexington, Wyndham, Strangeways, Sir John Stonehoufe, and Champion.

LETTER

CCXXIV.

MR JOHN BARBER TO DR SWIFT.

DEAR SIR, July 31, 1714. Paft Six at Night.

I

A M heartily forry I fhould be the meffenger of fo il news, as to tell you the Queen is dead, or dying: If alive, 'tis faid, fhe can't live 'till morning. You may eafily imagine the confufion we are all in on this fad occafion. I had fet out yesterday to wait on you, but for this fad accident; and fhould have brought letters from Lord Bolingbroke, and Lady Masham, to have prevented your going. Pray don't go, for I will come to you when I fee how things ftand. My Lord Shrewsbury is made Lord Treafurer,

and

and every thing is ready for the proclaiming the Duke of Brunswick King of England. The parliament will fit to-morrow, and chufe a new fpeaker, for Sir Thomas is in Wales.

*

For God's fake don't go; but either come to London, or stay till I come to you. I am, &c.

LETTER

CCXXV.

ERASMUS LEWIS, ESQ; TO DR SWIFT.

A

Kenfington, Saturday, July 31, 1714.
Six in the Evening.

SIR, T the time I am writing, the breath is faid to be in the Queen's noftrils; but that is all. No hope left of her recovery. Lord Oxford is in Council; fo are the Whigs. We expect the demife to-night. There is a profpect, that the Elector will meet with no oppofition; the French having no fleet, nor being able to put one out foon. Lady Mafham did receive me kindly. Poor woman, I heartily pity her. Now, is not the Dragon born under a happy planet, to be out of the fèrape? Dr Arbuthnott'thinks you fhould come up. You will not wonder, if all my country resolutions are in fufpence. come up, to fee how things go.

Pray

* Hanmer.

LET