LETTER

CLXXIV.

JUDGE NUTLEY TO DR SWIFT.

SIR,

ICA

Dublin, Nov. 21, 1713.

you

do

CAN'T help telling you, that I think me great wrong, in charging me with being too civil, and with want of plainnefs in my letters to you. If you will be abundant in your favours to me, how can I forbear thanking you? and if you will call that by a wrong name, that is your fault, and not mine. I hope I fhall be able to convince you of your mistake, by putting you in the place of the party obliged; and then I will fhew you, that I can be as ready as you are in doing good offices for a friend; and when I have done them, can treat you as you do me, as if you were the bencfactor, and I had received the favour. I am forry I did not keep the copy of my letter to you, that I might compare it with that which I fhall have from you, whenever I fhall be fo happy as to receive one from you upon that fubject; for I am thoroughly perfuaded, you will then as much out-do me in civility of expreffion, as you do now in the power of conferring favours.

By this time, I hope, I have fatisfied you, that it is fit for me (and I am refolved) to exprefs the fenfe I have of your friendship, in as high a manner as I can, until I have an oppor

tunity of making a better return: But to fhew you, that it is as uneafy to me to write civil things, as it can be to you to read them, I will, as often as I can, do you fervices, that I may not be at the trouble, or bear the reproach, of being complaifant.

I am so much a philofopher as to know, that to be great, is to be, but not to be thought, miferable, and I am of the opinion of thofe among them, who allow retaliation; and therefore, fince you have declared your intention of loading me with cares, I will, as far as I can, make you fenfible of the hurt you do me, by laying a like burthen upon you.

I thank you moft fincerely for the clear and full information you have given me of your grand church affair. It entirely agrees with my judgment; for I do think, that what you propofe, will be the beft fervice that has been done: to this church and kingdom fince the Reftoration; and the doing it foon, will be of great advantage to the Queen's affairs at this juncture. For it has been given out among the party, that the ministry have an eye towards the Whigs; and that, if they now exert themfelves, they will foon have an open declaration in their favour. We have a remarkable proof of this;. for Mr Brodrick has engaged a confiderable number of the parliament-men (many of them. not of his party) to promife him their votes for·· Speaker, by telling them he has the approbation. of the miniftry and Lord Lieutenant; and fince: /

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his:

his Grace has made known her Majefty's pleafure, a new word is given out, that the liberties of the people are in the last danger, and that the Crown is attempting the nomination of a Speaker. I own I am no politician; but I think I understand the pofture of affairs here: And I am affured, that the church-party is fo ftrong, that if any thing be done on your fide, to excite their zeal, and difcourage their adverfaries, there will be but a fhort ftruggle here. But if the Whigs are permitted to hope, or, what is as bad, to boast of their expectations, and nothing is done to enable others to confute them, they will, 'tis probable, be able to give trouble to the government; and what is now eafy to be effected, will become difficult by delay: And I fear, the want of doing this in time, will occafion fome uneafinefs to the Duke of Shrewfbury; for to this is owing the doubtful difpute, who fhall be Speaker.

I have fhewed your letter to the gentleman chiefly concerned in it. This I did, becaufe I knew it would produce a full expreffion of his fentiments; and I can affure you, whatever occafion may have been given you to think what you fay in your letter, he has a true sense of your friendship to him. I will be guarantee, that, according to the power it has, he will be ready to ferve you, and that in kind.

My Lord Chancellor will fend you his own thanks. I am, moft truly and fincerely,

Your's, &c.

LET

LETTER

CLXXV.

SIR,

NOT

MR POPE TO DR SWIFT *.

Binfield, Dec. 8, 1713.

OT to trouble you at present with a recital of all my obligations to you, I fhall only mention two things, which I take particularly kind of you: Your defire 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 fubject of this letter.

Sure, no clergyman ever offered fo much out. of his own purfe, for the fake of any religion. 'Tis almost as many pieces of gold, as an apoftle 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 changeof my faith, by fubfcription, than a tranflation 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 Treasurer, and the miniftry, to rife to the fame fum, each of them, on this pious account, as my Lord Halifax has done on the profane one. I am afraid there is

no

*This letter was wrote by Mr Pope, in anfwer to one from Dr Swift, wherein he had jocofely made an offer to his friend, of a fum of money, ex caufa religionis, or, in plain English, to induce Mr Pope to change his religion. Orrery.

no being at once a poet and a good Christian ; and I am very much straitened between 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 fubfcribe as much as yourfelf, I fhall become a convert, as most 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 our's. I therefore commiffion you, MR DEAN, with full authority, to tranfact this affair in my name, and to propose 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 a 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 fhall not be obftinate in the main points. But there is one article I must reserve, and which you feemed not unwilling to allow me,

Prayer