LETTER

CCLXXXIX.

THE DUCHESS OF ORMOND TO DR SWIFT.

SIR,

YOU'D

April 18, 1720.

YOU'D have great reafon to be angry with me, if my long filence had been occafioned by any thing but my care of you; for having no fafe hand to fend by till now, I would not write, for fear it might be conftrued a fort of treason (mifprifon at least) for you to receive a letter from one half of a profcribed man. I enquire. of every body I fee, that I imagine has either feen you or heard from you, how you have your health; for, wealth and happiness I don't fuppofe you abound in; for it is hard to meet with either in the country you are in, and be honest as you are. I thank God our parliament has taken them to tafk, and, finding how ill a use they made of their judicature when they had it, have thought it not fit to truft them with it any longer. I hope the next thing will be to tax Ireland

*The Houfe of Peers in Ireland having tranfmitted to King George I. a long representation, fetting forth their right to the final judicature of caufes in that kingdom, the House of Lords in England refolved, on the 8th of January 1719-20, on the contrary, that the Barons of the Exchequer in Ireland had acted, in the affair of Annefley and Sherlock, with courage, accordding to law, in fupport of his Majefty's prerogative, and with fidelity to the crown of Great Britain; and a bill was foon after brought in, for the better fecuring the dependency of the kingdom of Ireland upon the crown of Great Britain.

Ireland from hence, and then no more oppor tunities for bills of attainder, which is very happy; for else young Hopeful + might have been in danger. They were fo good and obedient to the powers above, that whether there were reafon or not, or, as Prince Butler faid, crime or no crime, the man was condemned, and a price fet upon his head.

I want much to hear what you think of Great Britain; for all your relations here want much to fee you, where are ftrange changes every day. You may remember, and fo do I, when the South-fea was faid to be my Lord Oxford's brat, and must be ftarved at nurfe. Now the King has adopted it, and calls it his beloved child; though, perhaps, you may fay, if he loves it no better than his fon, it may not be faying much: But he loves it as well as he does the Duchefs of K, and that is faying a good deal. I wish it may thrive, for many of my friends are deep in it; I wish you were fo too. I believe, by this time, you are very forry I have met with an opportunity of troubling you with this fcrawl; but the ftrong muft bear with the infirmities of the weak; and, therefore, brother,

The Duchefs feems to mean the Prince of Wales, afterwards King George the II, then upon ill terms with his father and his father's minifters.

Kendal, Erengard Melefina Schuylenberg, Baronefs of Schuylenberg in Germany. She was created Duchefs of Kendal by King George I. on the 30th of April 1719.

I hope you will pardon the impertinencies of your poor fifter, whofe brain may be reasonably thought turned with all fhe has met with. But nothing will hinder her from being, as long as fhe lives, most fincerely, your very humble fervant, and faithful friend, M. ORMOND.

SIR,

FR

MR PRIOR TO DR SWIFT.

Westminster, May 4, 1720. ROM my good friend the Dean I have two letters before me, of what date I will not fay; and I hope you have forgot, that they call out for vengeance; or, as other readings have it, for an answer. You told me in one of them, you had been pursued with a giddy head; and I prefume you judged, by my filence, that I laboured under the fame distemper. I don't know why you have not buried me, as you did Partridge; and given the Wits of the age, the Steeles and Addifons, a new occafion of living seven years upon one of your thoughts. When you have finifhed the copy of verfes which you began in England, our writers may have another hint, upon which they may dwell feven years longer.

Are you Frenchman enough to know how a Gafcon fuftains his family for a week?

VOL. XV.

Y

Dimanche,

Dimanche, une Efclanche;

Lundi, froide et Salade;

Mardi, j'aime la Grillade;

Mecredi, Hachee;

Jeudi, bon pour la Capillotade;

Vendredi, Point de Gras;

Samedi, Qu'on me caffe les os, et les chiens, fe creveront des reftes de mon Mouton.

We can provide fuch fort of cookery, if you will but fend us the fclanche; but rather bring it with you, for it will eat much better, when you are in the company.

Lord Oxford has been a twelvemonth in Herefordshire, as far from us, literally, though not geographically, as if he had been with you in Ireland. He has writ no more to us, than if we were ftill minifters of ftate. But, in the balance of account, per contra, I have Lord Harley at London; and have either lived with him at Wimple, or upon him here, ever fince his father left us. I know no reason, why you fhould not expect his picture, but that he promifed it to you fo often. I wrote to him fix months fince, and, inftead of acknowledging my letter, he took a more compendious way of fending a gentleman to Lady Harriot, in Doverftreet; and bid him call at Westminster, to know if I had any thing to fay to his Lord. He was here to-day, when he was fure the fcaffold was ready, and the axe whetted; and is in Herefordshire,

fordshire, when the confent of all mankind either juftifies his miniftry, or follows the plan of it. The South-fea Company have raised their ftock to three hundred and fifty, and he has not fixpence in it. Thou art a ftranger in Ifrael, my good friend; and feemeft to know no more of this Lord, than thou didst of the Conde de P—, when first I conftrued him to thee at the coffee-house.

I labour under the diftemper you complain of, deafnefs, efpecially upon the leaft cold. I did not take care of my ears, till I knew if my head was my own or not; but am now fyringing, and I hope to profit by it. My coufin is here, and well, and I fee him fometimes; but I find he has had a caution, which depended upon his expecting more from Court, and is justifiable in a man, who, like him, has a great family. I have given your compliments to my two favourites. We never forget your health.

I have feen Mr Butler, and ferved him to the utmost of my power, with my amici potentiores. Though he had a good caufe, and a ftrong recommendation, he trufted wholly to neither of them, but added the greatest diligence in his folicitations.

Auditor Harley thanks you, for remembering him and his finging man *. As to the affair of fubfcriptions, do all at your leifure, and in the manner you judge moft proper; and fo I bid

Y 2

you

$ Probably a perfon recommended to the Dean's cathedral.