all the world, that we only compelled you to be a Whig.

There is a young ingenious Quaker in this town who writes verfes to his miftrefs, not very correct, but in a strain purely what a poetical Quaker should do, commending her look and habit, &c. It gave me a hint that a fett of Quaker paftorals might fucceed, if our friend Gay* could fancy it, and I think it a fruitful fubject; pray hear what he fays. I believe further, the paftoral ridicule is not exhaufted; and that a porter, footman, or + chairman's paftoral might do well. Or what think of a Newgate paftoral, among the whores and thieves there.

1

you

Laftly, to conclude, I love you never the worfe for feldom writing to you. I am in an obfcure fcene, where you know neither thing nor perfon. I can only answer yours, which I promise to do after a fort whenever you think fit to employ me. But I can affure you, the scene and the times have depreffed me wonderfully, for I will impute no defect to those two paltry years which have flipt by fince I had the happiness to fee you. I am, with the trueft esteem,

Your's, &c.

Gay did write a paftoral of this kind, which is pub lifhed in his works.

+ Swift wrote one of this kind, intitled Dermot and Sheelab.

LET.

LETTER V.

From Dr. SWIFT to Mr. POPE.

A

Dublin, Jan. 10, 1721.

Thoufand things have vexed me of late years, upon which I am determined to lay open my mind to you. I rather chufe to appeal to you than to my Lord Chief Juftice Whitshed, under the fituation I am in. For, I take this caufe properly to lie before you: You are a much fitter Judge of what concerns the credit of a Writer, the injuries that are done him, and the reparations he ought to receive. Befides, I doubt whether the Arguments I could fuggeft to prove my own innocence would be of much weight from the gentlemen of the Longrobe to those in Furs, upon whofe decifion about the difference of Style or Sentiments, I should be very unwilling to leave the merits of my Caufe.

Give me leave then to put you in mind (although you cannot eafily forget it) that about ten weeks before the Queen's death, I left the town, upon occafion of that incurable breach among the great men, at Court, and went down to Berkshire, where you may remember that you gave me the favour of a vifit. While I was in that retirement, I writ a Discourse which I thought might be useful in such a juncture of affairs, and fent it up to London; but, upon fome difference in opinion between me and a certain great Minifter now abroad, the publishing of it was deferred fo long that the Queen died, and I recalled my copy, which hath been ever fince in fafe hands. In a few weeks after the lofs of that excellent Princess, I came to my station here; where

This Letter Mr. Pope never received. P. nor did he believe it was ever fent.

I have continued ever fince in the greatest privacy, and utter ignorance of those events, which are most commonly talked of in the world. I neither know the names nor number of the Royal Family which now reigns, further than the Prayer-book informs me. I cannot tell who is Chancellor, who are Secretaries, nor with what nations we are in peace or war. And this manner of life was not taken up out of any fort. of Affectation, but merely to avoid giving offence, and for fear of provoking Partyzeal.

I had indeed written fome Memorials of the four laft years of the Queen's reign, with some other in formations, which I receiv'd, as neceflary materials to qualify me for doing something in an employment then defigned me*: But, as it was at the difpofal of a perfon, who had not the fmallest share of steddiness or fincerity, 1 difdained to accept it.

Thefe papers, at my few hours of health and leis fure, I have been digefting + into order by one sheet at a time, for I dare not venture any further, left the humour of fearching and feizing papers should

Historiographer.

!༢,

P

+ Thefe papers fome years after were brought finished by the Dean into England, with an intention to publify them. But a friend, on whofe judgment he relied (the fame I fuppofe whom he mentions above, as being abroad at the time of writing this letter), diffuaded him from that defign. He told the Dean, there were feverat facts he knew to be falfe, and that the whole was so much in the fpirit of party writing, that, though it might have made a feafonable pamphlet in fupport of their Adminiftration it was a dishonour to just hiftory, The Dean would do nothing againft his Friend's judgment, yet if extremely chagrined him. And, he told a common friend, that fince** did not approve his history, he would caft it into the fire, tho it was the beft work he had ever written.. However it did not undergo this fate, and is faid to be yet in being.

revive;

revive; not that I am in pain of any danger to myfelf (for they contain nothing of prefent Times or Perfons, upon which I fhall never lofe a thought while there is a Cat or a Spaniel in the house) but to preferve them from being loft among Meffengers and Clerks.

I have written in this kingdom, a * difcourfe to perfuade the wretched people to wear their own Ma nufactures inftead of thofe from England. This: Treatife foon fpread very faft, being agreeable to the fentiments of the whole nation, except of those. gentlemen who had employments, or were Expec tants. Upon which a perfon in great office here immediately took the alarm: he fent in hafte for the Chief Juftice, and informed him of a feditious, factious, and virulent Pamphlet, lately published with a defign of fetting the two Kingdoms at vari-! ance; directing at the fame time that the Printer fhould be profecuted with the utmoft rigour of law. The Chief Juftice had 'fo quick an understanding, that he refolved, if poffible, to out-do his orders. The Grand-Juries of the county and city were practifed effectually with to represent the faid Pamphlet with all aggravating Epithets, for which they had thanks fent them from England, and their Prefentments publifhed for feveral weeks in all the news-papers. The Printer was feized, and forced to give great bail: after his trial the Jury brought him in Not Guilty, although they had been culled with the utmost industry; the Chief Justice sent them back nine times, and kept them eleven hours, until being perfectly tired out, they were forced to leave the matter to the mercy of the Judge, by what they call a special Verdict. During the trial, the Chief Juftice, among other fingularities, laid

* A Propofal for the univerfal Ufe of Irish Manufac

tures.

P.

his hand on his breaft, and protested folemnly that the Author's defign was to bring in the Pretender; although there was not a fingle fyllable of Party in the whole Treatife, and although it was known that the most eminent of those who profeffed his own principles, publickly difallowed his proceedings. But the caufe being fo very odious and impopular, the trial of the Verdict was deferred from one Term to another, until upon the Duke of G-ft-n the Lord Lieutenant's arrival, his Grace, after mature advice, and permiffion from England, was pleased to grant a noli profequi.

This is the more remarkable, because it is faid that the man is no ill decider in common cafes of property, where Party is out of the queftion; but when that intervenes, with ambition at heels to push it forward, it must needs confound any man of little fpirit, and low birth, who hath no other endowment than that fort of Knowledge, which, however poffeffed in the highest degree, can poffibly give no one good quality to the mind +.

It

This is a very ftrange affertion. To fuppofe that a confummate knowledge of the Laws, by which civilized focieties are governed, can give no one good quality to the mind, is making Ethics (of which public laws are fo confiderable a part) a very unprofitable study. Plato's divifion of the fciences into Ethics, Phyfics, and Logic, as it is one of the oldest, fo is it the best. The feverer Philofophers condemn a total application to the two latter, because they have no tendency to mend the heart'; and recommend the firft as our principal ftudy, for its efficacy in this important fervice. And fure, if any human fpeculations can mend the heart, they must be those which have Man for their object, as a reasonable, a focial, and a civil being. And these are all included under Ethics; whether you call the fcience Morality or Law. And with regard to the Law of England, we must be much_prejudiced against it not to allow that what Tully affirms

con