It has happened, that, whilst I was writing this to you, the Dr. came to make me a vifit from London, where I heard he was arrived some time ago: He was in hafte to return, and is, I perceive, in great hafte to print. He left with me eight Differtations *, a small part, as I understand of his work, and defired me to peruse, confider, and observe upon them against monday next, when he will come down again. By what I have read of the two first, I find myself unable to ferve him. The principles he reasons upon are begged in a disputation of this fort, and the manner of reasoning is by no means clofe and conclufive. The fole advice I could give him in confcience would be that which he would take ill and not follow. I will get rid of this task as well as I can, for I efteem the man, and fhould be forry to disoblige him where I cannot ferve him.

As to retirement, and exercife, your notions are true: The first fhould not be indulged fo much as to render us favage, nor the laft neglected fo as to impair health. But I know men, who for fear of being favage, live with all who will live with them; and who, to preferve their health, faunter away half their time. Adieu: Pope calls for the paper,

P. S. I hope what goes before will be a strong motive to your coming. God knows if ever I shall fee Ireland; I fhall never defire it, if you can be got hither, or kept here. Yet I think I fhall be, too foon, a Free-man.-Your recommendations I conftantly give to those you mention; tho' fome of 'em I fee but feldom, and am every day more retired. I am lefs fond of the world, and lefs curious about it: yet no way out of humour, difappointed, or angry: tho' in my way I receive as many injuries

Revelation examined with candor.

as

as my betters, but I don't feel them, therefore I ought not to vex other people, nor even to return injuries. I pafs almost all my time at Dawley and at home; my Lord (of which I partly take the merit to myself) is as much eftranged from politics as I am. Let Philosophy be ever fo vain, it is less vain now than Politics, and not quite so vain at present as Divinity: I know nothing that moves ftrongly but Satire, and those who are afhamed of nothing elfe, are fo of being ridiculous. I fancy, if we three were together but for three years, fome good might be done even upon this Age.

I know you'll defire some account of my health: It is as usual, but my spirits rather worse. I write little or nothing. You know I never had either a taste or talent for politics, and the world minds nothing else. I have personal obligations which I will ever preserve, to men of different fides, and I wish nothing so much as public quiet, except it be my own quiet. I think it a merit, if I can take off any man from grating or fatirical subjects, merely on the score of Party and it is the greatest vanity of my life that I've contributed to turn my Lord Bolingbroke to subjects moral, useful, and more worthy his pen. Dr. 's Book is what I can't commend fo much as Dean Berkley's*, tho' it has many things ingenious in it, and is not deficient in the writing part but the whole book, tho' he meant it ad Populum, is I think, purely ad Clerum. Adieu,

A fine original work called, The Minute Philofopher.

LETTERS

LETTERS.

O F

Dr. SWIFT to Mr. GAY:

From the Year 1729 to 1732*.

LETTER XLIX.

Dublin, March 19, 1729.

Ripulation, for, write you according to the old ftipulation, for, when you kept your old company, when I writ to one I writ to all. But I am ready to enter into a new bargain fince you are got into a new world, and will anfwer all your letters. You are first to prefent my moft humble respects to the Duchefs of Queensbury, and let her know that I never dine without thinking of her, although it be with fome difficulty that I can obey her when I dine with forks that have but two prongs, and when the fauce is not very confiftent. You must likewise tell her Grace that fhe is a general Toaft among all honest folks here, and particularly at the Deanery, even in the face of my Whig fubjects.-I will leave my money in Lord Bathurft's hands, and the management of it (for want of better) in yours: and *Found among Mr. Gay's Papers, and returned to Dr. Swift by the Duke of Queensbury and Mr. Pope. P. pray

pray keep the intereft-money in a bag wrapt up and fealed by itself, for fear of your own fingers under your careleffness. Mr. Pope talks of you as a perfect stranger; but the different purfuits and man⚫ners and interefts of life, as fortune hath pleased to difpofe them, will never fuffer thofe to live together, who by their inclinations ought never to part. I hope when you are rich enough, you will have fome little oeconomy of your own in town or country, and be able to give your friend a pint of Port; for the domestic feafon of life will come on. I had never much hopes of your vampt Play, although Mr. Pope feem'd to have, and although it were ever fo good: But you should have done like the Parfons, and changed your Text, I mean the Title, and the names of the persons. After all, it was an effect of idlenefs, for you are in the prime of life, when invention and judgment go together. I wish you had 100l. a year more for horfes-I ride and walk whenever good weather invites, and am reputed the beft walker in this town and five miles round. I writ lately to Mr. Pope: I with you had a little Villakin in his neighbourhood; but you are yet too volatile, and any Lady with a coach and fix horfes would carry you to Japan.

WE

LETTER L.

Dublin, Nov. 10, 1730.

HEN my Lord Peterborow in the Queen's time went abroad upon his Ambaffies, the Miniftry told me, that he was fuch a vagrant, they were forced to write at him by guess, because they knew not where to write to him. This is my cafe with you; fometimes in Scotland, fometimes at Ham walks, fometimes God knows where. You

are

are a man of bufinefs, and not at leifure for infignificant correspondence. It was I got you the employment of being my Lord Duke's premier Minifire: for his Grace having heard how good a manager you were of my revenue, thought you fit to be entrufted with ten talents. I have had twenty times a strong inclination to spend a fummer near Salisbury-downs, having rode over them more than once, and with a young parfon of Salisbury reckoned twice the Stones of Stonehenge, which are either ninetytwo or ninety-three. I defire to prefent my moft humble acknowledgments to my Lady Duchefs in return of her civility. I hear an ill thing, that she is matre pulchra filia pulchrior: I never faw her fince fhe was a girl, and would be angry fhe fhould excel her mother, who was long my principal Goddefs. I defire you will tell her Grace, that the ill management of forks is not to be help'd when they are only bidential, which happens in all poor houfes, efpecially those of Poets; upon which account a knife was abfolutely neceffary at Mr. Pope's, where it was morally impoffible with a bidential fork to convey a morfel of beef, with the incumbrance of muftard and turnips, into your mouth at once. And her Grace hath coft me thirty pounds to provide Tridents for fear of offending her, which fum I defire fhe will please to return me.-I am fick enough to go to the Bath, but have not heard it will be good for my diforder. I have a ftrong mind to fpend my 2001. next fummer in France: I am glad I have it, for there is hardly twice that fum left in this kingdom. You want no fettlement (I call the family where you live, and the foot you are upon, a fettlement) till you increase your fortune to what will fupport you with eafe and plenty, a good house and a garden. The want of this I much dread for you: For I have often known a She-coufin of a good family and small fortune, paffing months among all her relations,