fo many great men to die without leaving a fcrap to pofterity.

I am fincerely troubled for the bad account you give of your own health. I wish every day to hear a better, as much as I do to enjoy my own, I aithfully affure you.

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if

LETTER LXVIII.

From Dr. SWIFT.

Dublin, July 8, 1733.

MUST condole with you for the lofs of Mrs. Pope, of whofe death the papers have been full. But I would rather rejoice with you, becaufe, any circumftances can make the death of a dear Parent and Friend a fubject for joy, you have them all. She died in an extreme old age, without pain, under the care of the most dutiful Son that I have ever known or heard of, which is a felicity not happening to one in a million. The worst effect of her death falls upon me, and fo much the worse, because I expected aliquis damno ufus in illo, that it would be followed by making me and this kingdom happy with your prefence. But I am told, to my great misfortune, that a very convenient offer happening, you waved the invitation preffed on you, alledging the fear you had of being killed here with eating and drinking. By which I find that you have given fome credit to a notion, of our great plenty and hospitality. It is true, our meat and wine is cheaper here, as it is always in the poorest countries, because there is no money to pay for them: I believe there are not in this whole city three Gentlemen out of Employment, who are able to give Entertainments VOL. IX. N

once

once a month. Those who are in employments of church or state, are three parts in four from England, and amount to little more than a dozen: Those indeed may once or twice invite their friends, or any perfon of diftinction that makes a voyage hither. All my acquaintance tell me, they know not above three families where they can occafionally dine in a whole year: Dr. Delany is the only gentleman I know, who keeps one certain day in the week to entertain seven or eight friends at dinner, and to pass the evening, where there is nothing of excefs, either in eating or drinking. Our old friend Southern (who hath juft left us) was invited to dinner once or twice by a judge, a bishop, or a commiffioner of the revenues, but moft frequented a few particular friends, and chiefly the Doctor, who is eafy in his fortune, and very hofpitable. The conveniences of taking the air, winter or fummer, do far exceed thofe in London. For the two large ftrands juft at two ends of the town are as firm and dry in winter as in fummer. There are at leaft fix or eight gentlemen of fenfe, learning, good-humour and tafte, able and defirous to please you; and orderly females, fome of the better fort, to take care of you. These were the motives that I have frequently made ufe of to entice you hither. And there would be no failure among the best people here, of any honours that could be done you. As to myfelf, I declare, my health is fo uncertain that I dare not venture amongst you at prefent. I hate the thoughts of London, where I am not rich enough to live otherwise than by shifting, which is now too late. Neither can I have conveniences in the country for three horfes and two fervants, and many others, which I have here. at hand. I am one of the governors of all the hackney-coaches, carts, and carriages round this town, who dare not infult me, like your rafcally

waggoners

Waggoners or coachmen, but give me the way nor is there one Lord or Squire for a hundred of yours, to turn me out of the road, or run over me with their coaches and fix. Thus, I make some advantage of the public poverty, and give you the reasons for what I once writ, why I chufe to be a freeman among flaves, rather than a flave among freemen. Then, I walk the ftreets in peace without being juftled, nor ever without a thousand bleffings from my friends the vulgar. I am Lord Mayor of 120 houses, I am abfolute Lord of the greatest cathedral in the kingdom, am at peace with the neighbouring Princes, the Lord Mayor of the city, and the Arch-bishop of Dublin, only the latter, like the K. of France, fometimes attempts encroachments on my dominions, as old Lewis did upon Lorrain. In the midst of this raillery, I can tell you with ferioufnefs, that thefe advantages contribute to my eafe, and therefore I value them. And in one part of your letter relating to my Lord B and your felf, you agree with me entirely, about the indifference, the love of quiet, the care of health, &c. that grow upon men in years. And if you difcover thofe inclinations in my Lord and yourself, what can you expect from me, whose health is fo precarious? and yet at your or his time of life, I could have leap'd over the moon.

LETTER LXIX.

Sept. 1, 1733.

HAVE every day wifh'd to write to you, to fay a thousand things; and yet, I think, I fhould not have writ to you now, if I was not fick of writing any thing, fick of myself, and (what is worfe) fick of my friends too. The

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world

world is become too bufy for me; every body is fo concerned for the public, that all private enjoy. ments are loft, or dif-relish'd. I write more to show you I am tir'd of this life, than to tell you any thing relating to it. I live as I did, I think as I did, I love you as I did; but all these are to no purpose: the world will not live, think, or love, as I do. I am troubled for, and vexed at, all my friends by turns. Here are some whom you love, and who love you; yet they receive no proofs of that affection from you, and they give none of it to you. There is a great gulph between. In earneft, I would go a thousand miles by land to fee you, but the fea I dread. My ailments are fuch, that I really believe a fea-fickness (confidering the oppreffion of colical pains, and the great weakness of my breaft) would kill me: and if I did not die of that, I muft of the exceffive eating and drinking of your hofpitable town, and the exceffive flattery of your most poetical country. I hate to be cramm'd, either way. Let your hungry poets, and your rhyming poets digeft it, I cannot. I like much better to be abufed and half ftarved, than to be fo over-praised and over-fed. Drown Ireland! for having caught you, and for having kept you: I only referve a little charity for her, for knowing your value, and esteeming you: You are the only Patriot I know, who is not hated for ferving his country. The man who drew your Character and printed it here, was not much in the wrong in many things he faid of you: yet he was a very impertinent fellow, for faying them in words quite different from those you had yourself employed before on the fame fubject: for furely to alter your words is to prejudice them; and I have been told, that a man himself can hardly fay the fame thing twice over with equal happiness; Nature is fo much a better thing than artifice,

I have written nothing this year: It is no affectation to tell you, my Mother's lofs has turn'd my frame of thinking. The habit of a whole life is a ftronger thing than all the reafon in the world. I know I ought to be eafy, and to be free; but I am dejected, I am confined: my whole amusement is in reviewing my past life, not in laying plans for my future. I wish you cared as little for popular applaufe as I; as little for any nation, in contradiftinction to others, as I: and then I fancy, you that are not afraid of the fea, you that are a ftronger man at fixty than ever I was at twenty, would come and fee feveral people who are (at laft) like the primitive chriftians, of one foul and of one mind. The day is come, which I have often wished, but never thought to fee; when every mortal, that I efteem, is of the fame fentiment in Politics and in Religion.

Adieu. All you love, are yours; but all are bufy, except (dear Sir) your fincere friend.

I

LETTER LXX,

Jan. 6, 1734:

NEVER think of you and can never write to you, now, without drawing many of those fhort fighs of which we have formerly talk'd: The reflection both of the friends we have been depriv'd of by Death, and of thofe from whom we are separated almost as eternally by Absence, checks me to that degree that it takes away in a manner the pleasure (which yet I feel very fenfibly too) of thinking I am now converfing with you. You have been filent to me as to your Works; whether those printed here are, or are not genuine? but one, I am fure, is yours; and your method of con

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cealing