the way, for I fhall want it here, my affairs being in a bad condition by the miseries of the kingdom, and my own private fortune being wholly embroiled, and worse than ever; fo that I fhall foon petition the Duchefs, as an object of charity, to lend me three or four thousand pounds to keep up my dignity. My one hundred pound will buy me fix hogfheads of wine, which will fupport me a year; provifa frugis in annum Copia. Horace defired no more; for I will conftrue frugis to be wine. You are young enough to get fome lucky hint which must come by chance, and it fhall be a thing of importance, quod & hunc in annum vivat & in plures, and you shall not finish it in hafte, and it shall be diverting, and usefully fatirical, and the Duchefs fhall be your critic ; and betwixt you and me, I do not find fhe will grow weary of you till this time feven years. I had lately an offer to change for an English living, which is just too fhort by 300l. a year: and that must be made up out of the Duchefs's pin-money before I can confent. I want to be Minister of Aimsbury, Dawley, Twickenham, Rifkins, and Prebendary of Westminster, else I will not ftir a step, but content myself with making the Duchefs miferable three months next summer. But I keep ill company: I mean the Duchefs and you, who are both out of favour; and fo I find am I, by a few verfes wherein Pope and you have your parts. You hear Dr. Dy has got a wife with 1600l. a year; I, who am his governor, cannot take one under two thousand; I wish you would enquire of fuch a one in your neighbourhood. See what it is to write godly books! I profefs I envy you above all men in England; you want nothing but three thousand pounds more, to keep you in plenty when your friends grow weary of you. To prevent which laft evil at Aimsbury, you must learn to domineer and be peevish, to find fault with their victuals

victuals and drink, to chide and direct the fervants, with fome other leffons, which I fhall teach you, and always practifed myself with fuccefs. I believe I formerly defired to know whether the Vicar of Aimsbury can play at back-gammon? pray ask him the question, and give him my service.

Madam,

To the Duchefs.

I was the most unwary creature in the world, when, against my old maxims, I writ first to you upon your return to Tunbridge. I beg that this condefcenfion of mine may go no farther, and that you will not pretend to make a precedent of it. I never knew any man cured of any Inattention, although the pretended caufes were removed. When I was with Mr. Gay laft in London, talking with him on fome poetical subjects, he would answer; "Well, I am determined not to accept the em"ployment of Gentleman-ufher :" and of the fame difpofition were all my poetical friends, and if you cannot cure him, I utterly despair-As to yourself, I will fay to you, (though comparisons be odious) what I faid to the, that your quality fhould be. never any motive of esteem to me: My compliment was then loft, but it will not be so to you. know you more by any one of your letters than I could by fix months converfing. Your pen is always more natural and fincere and unaffected than your tongue; in writing you are too lazy to give yourself the trouble of acting a part, and have indeed acted fo indifcreetly that I have you at mercy; and although you should arrive to fuch a height of immorality as to deny your hand, yet, whenever I produce it, the world will unite in fwearing this must come from you only.

I

For I

I will

. I will anfwer your queftion. Mr. Gay is not difcreet enough to live alone, but he is too difcreet to live alone; and yet (unless you mend him) he will live alone even in your Grace's company. Your quarrelling with each other upon the fubject of bread and butter, is the moft ufual thing in the world; Parliaments, Courts, Cities, and Kingdoms quarrel for no other caufe; from hence, and from hence only arife all the quarrels between Whig and Tory; between thofe who are in the Miniftry, and those who are out; between all pretenders to employment in the Church, the Law, and the Army: even the common proverb teaches you this, when we say, It is none of my bread and butter, meaning it is no bufinefs of mine. Therefore I defpair of any reconcilement between you till the affair of bread and butter be adjusted, wherein I would gladly be a mediator. If Mahomet fhould come to the mountain, how happy would an excellent Lady be, who lives a few miles from this town? As I was telling of Mr. Gay's way of living at Aimbury, fhe offer'd fifty guineas to have you both at her house for one hour over a bottle of Burgundy, which we were then drinking. To your question I answer, that your Grace should pull me by the fleeve till you tore it off, and when you faid you were weary of me, I would pretend to be deaf, and think (according to another proverb) that you tore my cloaths to keep me from going. I never will believe one word you say of my Lord Duke, unless I fee three or four lines in his own hand at the bottom of yours. I have a concern in the whole family, and Mr. Gay muft give me a particular account of every branch, for I am not ashamed of you tho' you be Duke and Duchefs, tho' I have been of others who are, &c. and I do not doubt but even your own fervants love you, even down to your poftilions; and when I come to Aimsbury, before

2

before I see your Grace I will have an hour's converfation with the Vicar, who will tell me how familiarly you talk to Goody Dobfon and all the neighbours, as if you were their equal, and that you were god-mother to her fon Jacky.

I am, and fhall be ever, with the greateft refpect, your Grace's most obedient, &c.

LETTER LX:

Ufually write to friends after a paufe of a few. weeks, that I may not interrupt them in better company, better thoughts, and better diverfions. I Б believe I have told you of a great man, who faid to me, that he never once in his life receiv'd a good letter from Ireland: for which there are reafons enough without affronting our understandings. For there is not one perfon out of this country, who regards any events that pafs here, unless he hath an eftate or employment. I cannot tell that you or I ever gave the leaft provocation to the prefent Ministry, much lefs to the Court; and yet I am ten times more out of favour than you. For my own part, I do not fee the politic of opening common letters, directed to perfons generally known; for a man's understanding would be very weak to convey fecrets by the poft, if he knew any, which I declare I do not: and befides I think the world is already fo well informed by plain events, that I queftion whether the Minifters have any fecrets at all. Neither would I be under any apprehenfion if a letter fhould be fent me full of treafon; because I cannot hinder people from writing what they please, nor fending it to me; and although it fhould be discovered to have been opened before it came to my hand, I

Would

would only burn it and think no further. I approve of the scheme you have to grow fomewhat richer, though, I agree, you will meet with difcouragements; and it is reasonable you fhould, confidering what kind of pens are at this time only employed and encouraged. For you must allow that the bad painter was in the right, who, having painted a cock, drove away all the cocks and hens and even the chickens, for fear those who paffed by his shop might make a comparison with his work. And I will fay one thing in fpite of the Poft-officers, that fince Wit and Learning began to be made ufe of in our kingdoms, they were never profeffedly thrown afide, contemned, and punished, till within your own memory; nor Dulness and Ignorance ever fo openly encouraged and promoted. In answer to what you fay of my living among you, if I could do it to my eafe; perhaps you have heard of a fcheme for an exchange in Berkshire propofed by two of our friends? but, befides the difficulty of adjufting certain circumftances, it would not answer. I am at a time of life that feeks eafe and independence; you'll hear my reafons when you see those friends, and I concluded them with faying; That I would rather be a freeman among flaves, than a flave among freemen. The dignity of my prefent station damps the pertnefs of inferior puppies and fquires, which, without plenty and ease on your fide the channel, would break my heart in a month.

Madam,

See what it is to live where I do. I am utterly ignorant of that fame Strado del Poe; and yet, if that Author be against lending or giving money, I cannot but think him a good Courtier; which, I am fure, your Grace is not, no not fo much as to be a Maid of honour. For I am certainly inform

ed,